World-News

Lyndsey Layton, The Washington Post: "Environmental officials from several states that have tried to force the Pentagon to clean up polluted military sites say the Defense Department has retaliated by reducing or withholding federal oversight dollars due them. A group representing state environmental officials says California, Colorado, Alabama, Ohio and about a dozen other states have been pressured by the Pentagon to back off the oversight of cleanup at polluted military sites. 'In the worst-case scenarios, the Department of Defense is intimidating a state environmental agency into not pursing enforcement,' said Steve Brown, executive director of the Environmental Council of States."

http://www.truthout.org/article/states-accuse-pentagon-threats-retaliation



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Lyndsey+Layton

Ann Wright, Truthout: "In the five and one-half years of the US occupation of Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed by US military personnel at checkpoints, during convoy movements and during operations to find the 'enemy.' In the half-decade of US military presence in Iraq, a very small number of US military personnel and an even smaller number of CIA and contractors have been charged with manslaughter or murder in these deaths.... This week we see again that punishment is less for murdering four Iraqis than for refusing to participate in a war that many citizens, and many in the military, see as a crime against the peace - a war crime."

http://www.truthout.org/article/when-refusing-kill-has-a-higher-sentence-than-murder



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=manslaughter
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=war+crime
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Ann+Wright

Edmund L. Andrews, The New York Times: "The Bush administration, moving to prevent an economic cataclysm, urged Congress on Friday to grant it far-reaching emergency powers to buy hundreds of billions of dollars in distressed mortgages despite many unknowns about how the plan would work. Henry M. Paulson Jr., the Treasury secretary, made it clear that the upfront cost of the rescue proposal could easily be $500 billion, and outside experts predicted that it could reach $1 trillion. The outlines of the plan, described in conference calls to lawmakers on Friday, include buying assets only from United States financial institutions — but not hedge funds — and hiring outside advisers who would work for the Treasury, rather than creating a separate agency. Democratic leaders immediately pledged to work closely with Mr. Paulson to pass a plan in the next week, but they also demanded that the measure include relief for deeply indebted homeowners, not just for banks and Wall Street firms."

http://www.truthout.org/article/bush-requests-1-trillion-bailouts



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=bailout
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=mortgage
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Paulson
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Wall+Street
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Edmund+L.+Andrews

http://groups.google.de/group/freepage-news/t/762e5a3a00a6aba3?hl=en



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Cheney

http://www.meta-info.de/?site=metainfo&lid=32736

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Finanzcrash setzt sich fort - Drei erste Einsichten

„Ja, natürlich ist der Plan des US-Finanzministers Paulson, allen US-Banken den größten Teil ihrer gigantischen faulen Kredite abzunehmen und diese in eine Art Super-Bad-Bank des US-Staates zu packen, unglaublich – ebenso kühn wie zynisch. Wann, wenn nicht jetzt, sollten sich die taumelnden Börsen erholen? Doch die Anzeichen trügen, dass damit die Finanzmarktkrise gestoppt und ihr Übergehen in eine Weltwirtschaftskrise verhindert werden könnte. Vielmehr wird, so meine Prognose, die weltweite Krise nun zunächst an anderen Punkten aufbrechen – in den Schwellenländern, in der Realwirtschaft, in der EU. Schließlich wird die Finanzkrise an ihren Ursprungsort zurückkehren – in die USA. Zum Beispiel, indem der US-Dollar als Weltwährung in Frage gestellt wird. Ende der nächsten Woche wissen wir, ob ich Recht habe - oder wie falsch ich liege. Doch unabhängig davon: Hier und jetzt drei erste Einsichten, die bereits aus einer Zwischenbilanz der neuen weltweiten Krise der Finanzmärkte (die erst zwei Wochen währt) zu ziehen sind…“ Kommentar von Winfried Wolf vom 22.9.08 im blog (Lunalog) von Lunapark21 http://www.lunapark21.net/lunalog.html#Finanzcrash


Aus: LabourNet, 23. September 2008

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23. September 2008

Zukunft nicht den Finanzinvestoren überlassen

"Der EU-Kommissar McCreevy blockiert notwendige Schritte zur Regulierung der Finanzmärkte", so Axel Troost, finanzpolitischer Sprecher der Linksfraktion und Mitglied des Parteivorstands. McCreevy lehne strengere Regeln für Hedge-Fonds und Private Equity ab, obwohl die Forderung des EU-Parlaments nahe liegt: Auch Finanzinvestoren sollen ihre Verluste mit Eigenkapital absichern. "Doch nichts ist der Finanzbranche ferner. Ihr Geschäft will ungehindert walten. McCreevy beugt sich Letzterem und verliert meinen Respekt als Politiker", sagt Axel Troost. Er erklärt:

Hedge-Fonds sind die Hauptakteure im Handel mit faulen Krediten und Kreditderivaten. Sie streuen die Risiken überall hin, bis auch die Krise von überall hereinstürzt. Derweil wartet die Private Equity-Branche darauf, in die Lücke zu springen, wenn die Kreditversorgung der Unternehmen einbricht. Für die Beschäftigten in den Betrieben sind das ebenso lausige Aussichten wie für die langfristige Unternehmensentwicklung. Die Aktivitäten von Hedge-Fonds und Private Equity müssen dringender denn je eingedämmt werden. Ich erwarte von der Bundesregierung, dass sie sich auf europäischer Ebene vehement dafür einsetzt, statt hinter den Regierungen anderer Länder zurückzubleiben. Parallel brauchen wir ein Konjunkturprogramm, um die Binnenwirtschaft zu stärken. Wir dürfen unsere Zukunft nicht den Finanzinvestoren überlassen.

http://www.die-linke.de/presse/presseerklaerungen/detail/artikel/zukunft-nicht-den-finanzinvestoren-ueberlassen/



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Finanzmarkt
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Finanzinvestor
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Private+Equity
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Hedge-Fond
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Wall+Street
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Paulson

ARGEr Rechtsbruch beim Kinderzuschlag. Vorgehen Kinderzuschlag ab 1. Oktober rechtswidrig

Ab dem 1. Oktober 2008 tritt eine Veränderung des Zuschlags zum Kindergeld für arme Familien in Kraft. Die meisten werden dadurch allerdings nicht mehr Geld haben als zuvor mit Hartz IV - es bedeutet für die betroffenen Familien und deren Kinder weiterhin Armut auf Hartz IV-Niveau. Verbessern wird sich lediglich die Hartz IV-Statistik.

Lesen Sie weiter:
http://www.gegen-hartz.de/nachrichtenueberhartziv/0344e19b1c0a11601.php



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Kinderzuschlag
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Hartz+IV
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Armut

Venezuela and Russia are strengthening their strategic alliance with new plans to cooperate on oil production, weapons and even wireless technology, the governments said as two visiting Russian Tu-160 bombers left for home on Thursday.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/09/18/ap5443665.html


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Venezuela

A new session of the United Nations General Assembly has opened in New York, with a sharp attack on the United States by the assembly's president.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-09-17-voa7.cfm


From Information Clearing House

The International Institute for Strategic Studies challenged the Nato secretary-general today by warning against embracing Georgia and Ukraine in the light of last month's Caucasus war.

http://tinyurl.com/4z7q2o


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Georgia

A bipartisan group says the US must strike Iran's nuclear sites many times 'over a period of years' to halt the program successfully.

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=69956&sectionid=351020104


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/topics/Is+Iran+next/

By John W. Dean

By Deceiving a Congressional Leader, Cheney Sent Us to War on False Pretenses and Violated the Separation of Powers - as Well as the Criminal Law.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20814.htm



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Cheney
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=separation+of+powers
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=criminal+law

Leila Fadel and Laith Hammoudi, McClatchy Newspapers: "At least eight civilians, all from one family and including women, were killed in a US raid and airstrike Friday near Tikrit, Iraqi police and witnesses said."

http://www.truthout.org/article/us-strike-kills-civilians-iraqis-say

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"We Blew Her to Pieces"

By Dahr Jamail

Aside from the Iraqi people, nobody knows what the U.S. military is doing in Iraq better than the soldiers themselves. A new book gives readers vivid and detailed accounts of the devastation the U.S. occupation has brought to Iraq, in the soldiers' own words.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20813.htm



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=civilian+deaths
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=airstrike
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Tikrit
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Leila+Fadel
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Laith+Hammoudi
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Dahr+Jamail

http://groups.google.de/group/freepage-news/t/fae526f41ff0f660?hl=en

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Moguls Steal Home While Companies Strike Out

Bill Moyers and Michael Winship, Truthout: "From our offices in Manhattan, we look out on the tall, gleaming skyscrapers that are cathedrals of wealth and power - the Olympus ruled by the gods of finance, the temples of the mighty, the holy of holies, whose priests guard the sacred texts of salvation - the ones containing the secrets of subprime lending and derivatives as mysterious and elusive as the Grail itself."

http://www.truthout.org/article/moguls-steal-home-while-companies-strike-out

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In Hard Times, Tent Cities Rise Across the Country

Since foreclosure mess, homeless advocates report rise in encampments.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20810.htm



Escape of the bankrupt

The world's financial markets remain at the eye of a perfect economic storm.- In the most glaring example of capitalism gone wrong, the Russian stock market was forced to close its doors for the second consecutive day yesterday. For a system that is built and flourishes on confidence, the future is extremely uncertain.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/19/banking.creditcrunch



Where's Our Bailout?

Almost overlooked in this morning's extraordinary headlines about government intervention to protect the nation's financial system from collapse was the failure of the House of Representatives on Thursday to act on a $50 billion stimulus package for the rest of us.

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2008093819/wheres-our-bailout



For AIG, $85 billion might not be enough

AIG had $971.7 billion of liabilities at the end of June, but a subsidiary also has about $447 billion of credit derivatives on its books. That compares with a little more than $1 trillion of assets.

http://www.reuters.com/article/email/idUSN1749377720080918



Tab for Government Rescues Rises to $900 Billion

The U.S. Federal Reserve stepped in to rescue insurance giant American International Group from bankruptcy with an $85 billion loan on Tuesday. The action brings the total tab for government rescues and special loan facilities this year to more than $900 billion. Following are details of actions and amounts...

http://www.cnbc.com/id/26751385



Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Invest in Lawmakers

When the federal government announced two months ago that it would prop up mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, CRP looked at how much money members of Congress had collected since 1989 from the companies.

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html



Confessions of a sub-prime mortgage baron

Across the US, an estimated 2.5 million people are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure this year as a result of the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Bitner's description of day-to-day business at Kellner is an eye-watering glimpse of the industry's slide into anarchy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/sep/19/subprimecrisis.richardbitner


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Wall+Street
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=subprime+lending
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=foreclosure
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=financial+market
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=capitalism
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=bailout
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=financial+system
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=stimulus
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Federal+Reserve
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=bankruptcy
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http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Moyers
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Michael+Winship