Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Whistleblower: NSA Spied On Everyone
Former National Security Agency analyst Russell Tice, who helped expose the NSA's warrantless wiretapping in December 2005, has now come forward with even more startling allegations. Tice told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann on Wednesday that the programs that spied on Americans were not only much broader than previously acknowledged but specifically targeted journalists.
Iceland First To Fall In Credit Crunch
Iceland's Minister of Commerce Bjorgvin Sigurdsson has resigned, two days after the prime minister announced his own departure due to pressures from the island nation's economic collapse.Mr Sigurdsson, a member of Iceland's junior Social Democrat coalition party, made the announcment at a news conference this morning.I have decided to do this to take responsibility,' he said. Prime Minister Geir Haarde shocked the country on Friday when he said he would not seek re-election and called for a general election on May 9.
Get Ready For GDrive
Google is to launch a service that would enable users to access their personal computer from any internet connection, according to industry reports. But campaigners warn that it would give the online behemoth unprecedented control over individuals' personal data. The Google Drive, or "GDrive", could kill off the desktop computer, which relies on a powerful hard drive. Instead a user's personal files and operating system could be stored on Google's own servers and accessed via the internet.
Bone Loss In Space
Astronauts that spend long months aboard the International Space Station lose bone strength faster than previously thought and have a higher risk of breaking their hips later in life, a new study reports. A survey of 13 space station astronauts found that their bone strength dipped by at least 14 percent on the average during their half-year stays aboard the orbiting laboratory. Three of the astronauts lost up to 30 percent of their bone strength during their long-duration spaceflights, putting them on par with the bone strength of older women with osteoporosis on Earth, the study reported.
Job Cuts 2009
Brutal Job Losses Continue In 2009
The job market is off to a terrible start this year, with companies announcing more than 80,000 job losses so far, in one of the most painful symptoms of the ongoing recession. Circuit City Inc. is the biggest culprit of 2009. The bankrupt retailer said on Friday that it is shutting down because of dried-up consumer spending and liquidating its 567 U.S. stores, dooming some 30,000 jobs.
Workers around the world face losing their jobs as several big corporations announced more than 70,000 layoffs in one single day. The biggest cuts came in the US where construction equipment maker Caterpillar said it would cut around 20,000 jobs. In Europe, electronics group Philips, financial firm ING and UK steelmaker Corus announced cuts
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Manufacturing At 60 Year Low
Manufacturing Shrinks
The decline in U.S. manufacturing deepened in December as demand for such products as cars, appliances and furniture reached the lowest level since at least 1948, signaling further cutbacks in factory jobs and production this year. The Institute for Supply Management’s factory index fell to 32.4, below economists’ forecasts and the lowest level since 1980, from 36.2 the prior month. Readings less than 50 signal contraction. The group’s new-orders measure reached the lowest level on record and prices slid the most since 1949.
Worlds Largest Embassy Opens In Iraq
U.S. Inaugurates Massive New Embassy
The United States dedicated its new embassy in Baghdad on Monday, a fortress-like compound that is the largest embassy ever built by the superpower. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said the $700-million embassy is evidence of America's long-term friendship with Iraq. "From this embassy in the years to come, we look forward to building our partnership and contributing to the future," Crocker said. During the ceremony, U.S. marines raised the American flag over the adobe-coloured building located in the heart of the Green Zone, a walled-off section of the city under heavy security. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte were among about 1,000 guests in attendance.
U.S. Auto Sales Plummet
U.S. Auto Sales Plummet
General Motors Corp.’s 2008 U.S. sales plunged to a 49-year low, dragged down by a 31 percent plunge in December as demand was ravaged by the recession and concern that the biggest domestic automaker might collapse. Toyota Motor Corp.’s U.S. deliveries plummeted 37 percent last month, while Honda Motor Co. slipped 35 percent, Ford Motor Co. fell 32 percent and Nissan Motor Co. was down 31 percent, pointing toward the industry’s worst annual volume since 1992. The federal rescue of GM and Chrysler LLC couldn’t overcome the weight of consumer pessimism and tight credit in the world’s biggest auto market. Ford’s annual U.S. sales sagged to a 47- year low, while GM’s total of 2.98 million was the least since 1959, according to trade publication Automotive News.
Massive Tax Cuts
Obama Said to Push for Tax Cuts
President-elect Barack Obama is pushing for tax cuts amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars in a stimulus package he’s asking Congress to pass within the next several weeks, a transition official and a Democratic aide say. Obama is asking that tax cuts make up 40 percent of a stimulus package, the officials say. The measure may be worth as much as $775 billion, the Democratic aide says, meaning tax cuts may constitute more than $300 billion of the legislation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
