By Marcus Kable of The Associated Press and Stacey Roberts of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. found a higher rate of severe violations at foreign factories last year as the company stepped up inspections for labor and environmental standards in more than 60 countries where it buys clothes, toys, shoes and other products, it said in a report.

Workers on strike faces threats of hunger as police and security guards drastically imposed blockade of food supplies to the workers' picket line inside the compound of the Cavite Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) in Rosario, Cavite.

Several police and security guards once again violently dispersed union members on strike injuring at least ten in front of a Korean-owned factory this morning.

Armed with firearms, clubs and backed-up with water tanks, several elements of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) police and Jantro security guards violently assaulted union members on strike at the Chong Won Fashion Inc. (CWFI).

Contact:

Mark Kastel, 608-624-2042

Ronnie Cummins, 218-226-4164

Steve Sprinkel, 805-290-0988

CORNUCOPIA, WISCONSIN: A report released today by The Cornucopia Institute, the nation's most aggressive organic farming watchdog, accuses Wal-Mart of cheapening the value of the organic label by sourcing products from industrial-scale factory farms and Third World countries, such as China.