The CEO in question is referring to India where the price for one years treatment of Bayers new cancer drug is 47 times the annual income of the average Indian.
That is, so long as you live in the developed world. In a recently published interview in Bloomberg Businessweek, Bayer CEO Marijn Dekkers said that his company’s drug isn’t for poor people. “We did not develop this medicine for Indians…we developed it for western patients who can afford it,” he said back in December. The quote is quickly making its way across Indian news outlets.
Why make such an assholish comment?
The comment was in response to a decision by an Indian patent court that granted a compulsory license to a local company to reproduce Bayer’s drug. Under Indian patent laws, if a product is not available locally at a reasonable cost, other companies may apply for licenses to reproduce those products at a more affordable price. Nexavar costs an estimated $69,000 for a full year of treatment in India, 41 times the country’s annual per capita income. In 2012, Indian pharmaceutical company Natco Pharma Ltd. applied for just such a license, and it was granted. The company began reproducing the drug at a 97 percent discount, offering it for just $177. Bayer has been appealing the ruling ever since, and in December Dekkers told Businessweek that he viewed the compulsory license as “essentially theft” before dismissing poor Indian cancer patients.
Pharmaceutical companies naturally exist to make a profit not to help anyone so the CEO of Bayer doesn't feel his corporation should have to offer there cancer drug to those living in less developed countries simply because its citizens have less economic leverage than those living in western nations.
We examine how news outlets have become part of the story in the recent scandal involving Erdogan’s government.
In recent weeks, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has been caught up in a corruption scandal. And the media - more than just reporting the story - has become an interesting sub-plot in it.
Turkey has a poor record on media freedom, not helped by the number of conglomerates that own media outlets which tend not to criticise the government.
But the scandal has prompted a change in direction; the media criticism of Erdogan has been sharp, and the instruments the government is coming back at them with are blunt.
Turkey's government has made allegations that the critical media are part of a conspiracy involving foreign powers who want a new government in Ankara. And all of this is unfolding against the backdrop of upcoming elections, in which the media - and their ability to cover the vote - will be a crucial part of the democratic process.
Ukraine crisis: Opposition rejects offer of PM post
Ukrainian opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk says protests will continue after he rejected President Viktor Yanukovych's offer to appoint him as prime minister of the country.
Mr Yatsenyuk said the opposition was generally ready to accept leadership, but several key demands must be met, including new elections.
Clashes continued overnight. Activists stormed a Kiev building housing police.
The president's proposal came amid new efforts to end the deadly unrest.
He offered the post of prime minister to Mr Yatsenyuk and the position of deputy PM to former boxer Vitali Klitschko following talks on Saturday.
'Not afraid'
Speaking to large crowds in central of Kiev late on Saturday, the opposition leaders repeated their demands.
China jails activist Xu Zhiyong for four years for ‘disturbing public order’
Lawyer of high-profile dissident describes guilty conviction as ‘illegal and unfair’ following closed-door trial
A Chinese court has jailed leading activist Xu Zhiyong for four years for public order offences related to his role in a social justice and transparency movement.
Xu is a legal scholar and advocate who has been at the forefront of campaigns for rights in China for a decade. Several others from the New Citizens Movement which he co-founded have stood trial already or will appear on Monday.
The Beijing No 1 Intermediate People’s Court said on its microblog on Sunday morning that it had found Xu guilty of "gathering a crowd to disturb public order" following his closed-door trial on Wednesday.
Egypt violence: Army general al-Sisi turns anniversary of Tahrir Square uprising into presidential rally
It was not supposed to be like this. Exactly three years after the Tahrir Square revolt, Egyptians are at war with each other once more.
As army helicopters hovered low over central Cairo yesterday and rioting erupted across the nation, the insurrection which toppled Hosni Mubarak in January 2011 appeared as lifeless as the hundreds who have perished in its name.
Instead, an Islamist insurgency seems to be growing, flush with the hatred of extremist militants angered by the military’s ousting of Mohamed Morsi, the former Islamist President, last summer.
On the eve of yesterday’s anniversary, a wave of deadly explosions reverberated across the capital – including a sophisticated car-bomb attack outside the security directorate headquarters in central Cairo. It was the first time since the fall of Morsi that militants had launched such an attack at the heart of the security establishment.
Syria talks focused on aid shipment to besieged area of Homs, U.N. envoy says
BY ROY GUTMAN
McClatchy Foreign Staff
GENEVA— The Syrian government and its opponents, in their first face-to-face meeting, on Saturday discussed opening an aid corridor to the besieged old city neighborhood of Homs, raising hopes that a humanitarian gesture might spur progress toward ending Syria’s devastating civil war.
Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, said a convoy with food, medicines and supplies could go in as soon as Monday – if agreement can be reached with local belligerents on Sunday.
The old city has been under siege for well over a year, and the last aid delivery there was in November 2012, an official of the International Committee of the Red Cross told McClatchy. He said the ICRC, and its partner, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, have repeatedly been refused permission to send in food and medicine.
Thai protesters disrupt early voting for disputed election
By Amy Sawitta Lefevre
Protesters trying to force Thailand's prime minister from office swarmed polling stations in Bangkok on Sunday, chaining doors shut and halting advance voting in nearly all centers ahead of a disputed election next week.
A deputy prime minister said 45 of 50 polling stations in the capital had been closed down and advance voting was disrupted in 10 of Thailand's 76 provinces.
On Saturday, a government minister said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was prepared to discuss cancelling the February 2 election if activists ended more than two months of often unruly protests. The government said it was ready to delay the vote if its opponents agreed not to boycott or disrupt a rescheduled poll.
26 January 2014Last updated at 02:15 GMT
Mandla Maseko: The first black African heading into space
A 25-year-old DJ from a South African township is set to become the first black African to go into space. Mandla Maseko is one of 23 people who won a seat on an hour-long sub-orbital trip in 2015. He explains how he beat one million other people to the prize.
I first saw an advert for the competition on television and then heard another ad on the radio. I had to send a photo of myself jumping from anywhere, so I chose to jump off a wall and my friend captured me in mid-air.
I had to answer a couple of questions and explain why I wanted to go into space. My response was: "I want to defy the laws of gravity, and go down history as the first black South African in space."
Given the lack of historical recognition that the Japanese are exposed to through education and media outlets why should anyone be surprised that people reject the war crimes committed by the Japanese Imperial army from the 1930's through the end of World War II.
New NHK boss says Japan's World War Two policy of forcing conquered women into brothels was "common in every country".
The head of Japan's influential public broadcaster has used his first public comments to say that Japan's World War Two policy of forcing conquered foreign women into sex slavery was "common in any country at war".
"Can we say there were none in Germany or France? It was everywhere in Europe," the AFP news agency quoted him as saying. "Comfort women [were] bad by today's morals," he added. "But this was a fact of those times."
Up to 200,000 women from Korea, China, the Philippines and elsewhere were forced into brothels for use by Japanese soldiers in territories occupied by Japan during the war, according to many mainstream historians.
The issue is a scar on contemporary relations between the affected nations, and Momii's comments are the latest to apparently dismiss or excuse the policy.
"[South] Korea's statements that Japan is the only nation that forced this are puzzling. Give us money, compensate us, they say, but since all of this was resolved by the Japan-Korea peace treaty, why are they reviving this issue? It's strange," Morii added.
The moron later tried to walk back his comments. People like Mr. Morii and the man who appointed him Shinzo Abe are in complete denial about the war crimes committed in the name of the emperor.
Despite government claims of peace, torture and abductions continue to be used to stifle ethnic and political dissent.
The civil war in Sri Lanka ended in 2009 with the victory of President Rajapaksa's forces over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but there are claims that abduction, torture and even rape of suspected former fighters or sympathisers continues today.
In November 2013, Commonwealth leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, converged on Colombo for the bi-annual heads of government meeting. It was a big moment for Sri Lanka, signalling its emergence from post-war turmoil and acceptance as a functioning democratic state on the international stage.
But the government remains under strong international pressure to hold a credible inquiry in to claims that thousands of civilian Tamils were killed in the closing days of the war when government troops are accused of firing artillery into civilian no-fire zones. The government denies this occurred and accused Tamil Tiger fighters of holding civilians as human shields.
Syria foes 'to meet in same room' at Geneva II talks
Syria's opposition and government are expected to meet "in the same room" in Geneva after the first day of a peace conference ended with no direct talks.
One of the government team told the BBC "ending terrorism and violence" should be the top priority but said opposition members harboured "personal hatreds".
Delegates are aiming at small concessions - not a full peace deal.
Diplomatic sources say the hope is they will focus on getting aid into besieged areas of the city of Homs.
Syria's Ambassador to the UN Bashar Jafari - part of the government delegation - told the BBC that "item number one should be putting an end to the terrorism and to the violence".
Ukraine’s opposition rejects president’s offer of concessions as crisis deepens
Yanukovich under mounting pressure as protesters seize State buildings
Daniel McLaughlin
Barricades burned again in Kiev last night after Ukraine’s opposition rejected concessions from PresidentViktor Yanukovich, saying only his resignation would satisfy protesters who have taken over government buildings in the capital and other cities.
The United States said yesterday it was working with European nations to help resolve the deepening crisis in Ukraine, as neighbouring Poland warned that the country of 46 million people could “fall apart”.
In his most substantial offer to the opposition during two months of demonstrations, Mr Yanukovich said next week he would reshuffle the government, row back on sweeping new laws, and give an amnesty to protesters arrested for minor offences.
UN report: more than 140,000 Iraqis have fled Anbar province
Fighting in Iraq's Anbar province has caused the "largest" displacement of people within the country since clashes in 2006-2008. Over 140,000 people have fled the region as a result, according to a new UN report.
Violence in Iraq's western Anbar province displaced over 140,000 people between December and this week, after clashes erupted between security forces and anti-government fighters linked to al Qaeda, the United Nations said on Friday.
Fighting in the cities of Ramadi of Fallujah drove out more than 65,000 people over the past week alone, it added.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Peter Kessler described the situation as the "largest" displacement of people Iraq has seen since deadly sectarian violence between 2006 and 2008.
The report added that conditions in the conflict area were worsening for those stranded there.
"Many civilians are unable to leave conflict-affected areas where food and fuel are now in short supply," Kessler said.
The UN says the South Sudanese government and opposition troops are fighting 'sporadic' battles despite a ceasefire that came into force on Friday.
A ceasefire between followers of President Salva Kiir and his former vice-president Riek Machar took effect at 5:30pm GMT.
"The United Nations [UN] mission in South Sudan says that sporadic fighting took place in parts of the country today [Friday]," including after the ceasefire, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
South Sudanese rebels accused Kiir's army of attacking their positions ahead of the ceasefire, which was brokered by East African nations and agreed to on Thursday in Addis Ababa. The government army said it knew nothing of any fighting since the deal was reached.
"It is critical that both parties implement the cessation of hostilities agreement in full and immediately," the UN spokesperson said.
Israel's Netanyahu draws line in the sand on Jordan Valley settlements
Which is more evidence that the peace process is going nowhere fast.
A few weeks agothe dismissive comments of Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon thatSecretary of State John Kerry's zealous pursuit of a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians amounted to an "incomprehensible obsession" and "messianic feeling" caused a bit of a kerfuffle. Yes, many senior Israeli officials have grown tired of humoring Mr. Kerry and are not much interested in the kinds of concessions that would be necessary to make a peace deal and creation of a Palestinian state possible. But it's generally considered bad form to needlessly antagonize the Americans.
Yet more evidence that the process jalopy is destined to keep spinning its wheels comes today by way ofIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking to reporters in Davos shortly after meeting with Kerry, Mr. Netanyahu was asked about the fate of Israeli settlements in the West Bank half of the Jordan Valleyin a possible peace deal. Interest in the question has been stirred by reports that Kerry has been hoping for Jordan Valley concessions
Greater China
China loses control of its foreign policy By Terry McCulley
To some people, President Xi Jinping's efforts to consolidate his control over China's military and government are a welcome development, especially given China's haphazard approach to crisis management. Xi's actions might even be interpreted as a sign that China is transitioning towardshu a more "advanced" political system in which the military and foreign policy are controlled by a strong civilian chief executive.
In reality, Xi's attempt to tighten his control over China's vast and unwieldy bureaucracy reinforces global fears that China is starting to lose control of its foreign policy. This disturbing truth goes a long way towards explaining why the international community was so alarmed by China's announcement of a new "Air Defense Identification Zone" (ADIZ) in the East China Sea, followed shortly
thereafter by a "no-fishing zone" in the South China Sea.
Even if these new zones were carefully planned years in advance, they also represent part of a larger pattern of aggression - propelled by China's hostile and uncompromising form of nationalism - that is beyond the ability of China's leaders to control.
Quiz of the Week: Round 4 (Now with 100% more otter!) Philip Kendall Don’t forget to highlight the space between the square brackets [ ] after the word “Answer:” or click the “Read more” link to check your answers. And remember: every time you cheat, Evil Baby Sato gets a step closer to your door.
Let’s begin, shall we?
Question 1.
Which of the following everyday words originally comes from Japanese?
A: “Soap”, as in the thing you really ought to be washing your stinky armpits with.
B: “Skosh”, as in ‘”Salt and vinegar on your squirrel bits, guv’ner?” “Yeah, just a skosh!”‘
C: “Sunday”, as in the day that comes four days before Thursday.
D: “Shhhhhfrtftfpojtftffgvfvffvjvfvpcunk”, as in “the keys that I just mashed”.
Answer: [ B ] Read more
Question 2.
This advertisement caused controversy earlier this week, with many calling it “racist”. But what was the ad actually intended to promote?
STATS
1,603
Residents of Fukushima Prefecture who were killed as a direct result of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami
1,605
Fukushima residents who have died since the quake “in connection with prolonged evacuation”
10
Number of people injured earlier this month when an elevator suddenly stopped moving at Musashi-Kusagi station in Kawasaki
SIC TRANSIT
Officials at Kanda Fire Station are seeking the identities of two Good Samaritans who helped rescue a 20-year-old woman who had fallen onto the tracks at Iwamotocho station.
Meanwhile, authorities at JR East bestowed certificates of appreciation on seven grade-school girls who helped save a woman whose wheelchair had gotten stuck at a railway crossing on the Chuo line in Yamanashi.
The sports ministry says the Olympic cauldron used for the 1964 Tokyo Games will be relocated to the National Stadium that’s being built for the 2020 Olympics.
Bottom Story of the Week: “Astronaut Wakata Speaks With Talking Robot Aboard ISS” (via Mainichi Japan)
Buddhist statue carved from tsunami-struck pine trees January 24, 2014 By NORIHIDE FURUSAWA/ Staff Writer RIKUZENTAKATA, Iwate Prefecture--About 7,000 people across Japan created a Buddhist statue from trees of a forest that was flattened by the 2011 tsunami.
Seizan Watanabe, a Buddhist statue sculptor based in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, was the main carver of the kannon (deity of mercy) statue.
But thousands of others also played a part.
After the project started in January 2012, wood for the statue was sent to about 30 locations around the country where residents could each chisel a portion and make donations for the Tohoku region.
The project was planned to pray for those killed by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, and to support reconstruction of the stricken region.
