13 July 2008
News and Comments 7-13-08
Posted by Roy Bischoff under: Uncategorized .
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4 Comments so far...
THINKING Says:
13 July 2008 at 11:26 am.
The head RHINO is at it again.
Matt Says:
13 July 2008 at 12:52 pm.
I remember last winter discussing on this board the fact that tensions with Russia were increasing and that they weren’t the friend they were pretending to be. I guess this is one of those times we hate to be right.
Europe faces Russian nuclear missile threat
Russia is thinking of aiming nuclear weapons at western Europe for the first time since the end of the cold war, according to defence sources in Moscow.
The move is being considered in response to American plans to develop a defence shield against missiles from Iran and other countries.
The plans under discussion include the possible deployment of ballistic missiles to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between the European Union countries of Lithuania and Poland. Kaliningrad has been nuclear-free since America and Russia agreed to scale back their nuclear arsenals at the end of the cold war.
A Russian parliamentary committee visited the enclave 10 days ago to examine how a new generation of nuclear missiles could be based there. Any such deployment would significantly escalate tensions in Europe between Moscow and Washington.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4322468.ece
E.E. Says:
13 July 2008 at 2:31 pm.
When Cameron isn’t around the rest of us need to pick up the slack. If Israel could complete a deal with the Palestinians, it could really ease the fever hot tensions in that area. That would be a welcome change. We know it is a matter of time until Armageddon but we still need to work for peace and try to work things out in the mean time.
Israel’s Olmert says peace deal closer than ever
PARIS – Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared Sunday that Israel and the Palestinians have never been closer to making peace — even as a widening corruption probe brings him closer than ever to being ousted from office.
To help build confidence between the two sides, Olmert agreed in a one-on-one meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, an Israeli official said.
Abbas, who met with Olmert at the French presidential palace ahead of a summit of European, Middle Eastern and African leaders, also sounded a positive note about the troubled peace talks, saying both sides were “serious and want to achieve peace.”
The two men met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy before sitting down together one-on-one.
“We have never been as close to a possible (peace) agreement as we are today,” Olmert told reporters before the three leaders entered their meeting.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080713/ap_on_re_mi_ea/france_israel_palestinians
Benjamin Says:
13 July 2008 at 8:46 pm.
Something had to be done before the stock market opens tomorrow.
Paulson Seeks Authority to Shore Up Fannie, Freddie
July 13 (Bloomberg) — Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson swung the weight of the federal government behind Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the beleaguered companies that buy or finance almost half of the $12 trillion of U.S. mortgages.
Paulson, speaking on the steps of the Treasury facing the White House, asked Congress for authority to buy unlimited stakes in and lend to the companies, aiming to stem a collapse in confidence. The Federal Reserve separately authorized the firms to borrow directly from the central bank.
The announcement followed crisis talks between the firms, government officials, lawmakers and regulators, after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lost about half their value last week. Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke are trying to prevent a collapse in the companies that would exacerbate the worst housing recession in 25 years and deepen the economic slowdown.
Paulson’s proposal, which the Treasury anticipates will be incorporated into an existing congressional bill and approved this week, signals a shift toward an explicit guarantee of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debt. The two shareholder-owned companies are government-sponsored enterprises, giving investors the indication of an implicit federal backing.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aa7HR5UETT2E&refer=worldwide
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