Иран и «шестёрка»: соглашение по ядерной программе

В воскресенье утром в Женеве было достигнуто соглашение между Ираном и так называемой группой «5+1», состоящей из США, Китая, России, Великобритании, Франции и Германии.

Как сообщается, в соответствии с договорённостью, Иран дал согласие отказаться размещать новые центрифуги для обогащения урана, заморозить строительство одного реактора и открыть доступ на ядерные объекты международным инспекторам. Запад ответит на это смягчением экономических санкций на общую сумму 7 миллиардов долларов.

Это соглашение уже назвали историческим.

Президент Ирана Хасан Роухани приветствовал соглашение по ядерной программе с мировыми державами, заявив, что оно «откроет новые горизонты», в то же время, сохранив за Ираном право обогащать уран.

Верховный лидер страны аятолла Али Хаменеи назвал соглашение основой для дальнейшего прогресса.

Министр иностранных дел Ирана Мохаммед Джавад Зариф заявил, что это временное соглашение даёт «возможность положить конец ненужному кризису».

Верховный представитель ЕС по иностранным делам и политике безопасности Кэтрин Эштон, которая является одной из ключевых участниц переговоров, сообщила, что эти интенсивные переговоры прошли в «духе сотрудничества и взаимного уважения»

Министр иностранных дел Великобритании Уильям Хейг сказал, что соглашение с Ираном является важным и обнадёживающим событием, призванным предотвратить распространение ядерного оружия в мире.

Весьма положительно высказались также министры иностранных дел России, США, Франции, Китая и Германии, чьи усилия позволили достичь договорённости.

Генеральный секретарь ООН Пан Ги Мун приветствовал заключение соглашения и призвал участвующие страны «сделать все возможное для того, чтобы было продолжено то, что было начато столь обнадеживающе».

Президент России Владимир Путин назвал соглашение по Ирану позитивным.

Израиль осудил соглашение между мировыми державами и Ираном по ядерной программе. В воскресенье премьер-министр Израиля Биньямин Нетаньяху завил, что это событие — не историческое соглашение, а «историческая ошибка».

25 ноября 2013 года


Irish energy supplier Bord Gáis hikes rates for gas, electricity

Price hikes set by Ireland's Bord Gáis Energy yesterday mean residential customers will pay an average €48.25 extra on electricity and €43.80 on gas each month. This came after similar announcements by competitors Electric Ireland, SSE Airtricity and Prepay Power.

The energy supplier will lift the rate for electricity by an average of 34% and gas by 39% effective October 2, citing an increase in wholesale energy costs that "leaves us with no choice." Standing charges will be unaffected. This means the average customer will pay an extra €579 and €526 per year in electricity and gas, based on an average consumption of 4,200 kilowatt hours (kWh) and 11,000 kWh for electricity and gas, respectively.

On the same day, Russian energy giant Gazprom said it would halt supplies of natural gas to Europe indefinitely through its Nord Stream 1 pipeline until a leak is repaired.

In March, Bord Gáis raised costs on its 513,000 commercial and residential customers nationwide by 27% on electricity and 39% on gas, while last year it three times hiked rates for electricity and twice for gas. Daragh Cassidy of comparison site Bonkers.ie estimates from this time last year, bills have gone up an extra €1,300 for electricity and €1,000 for gas in total.

Cassidy told RTÉ News "[the] average gas and electricity bill is now around €4,000. That’s close to the UK price cap of £3,549", from where over 70% of Ireland's gas is supplied.

In a statement, managing director for Bord Gáis Energy Dave Kirwan said the company "deeply regret[s] having to raise our prices but the scale of increases in wholesale energy costs leaves us with no choice." Promising to "continue to do everything we can to reduce the impact on our customers and keep our rates as competitive as possible", Kirwan pledged one tenth of operating profits toward an energy support fund in partnership with organisations for those unable to afford the increase.

A financial report from July 28 for parent company Centrica, based in the United Kingdom, revealed Bord Gáis' operating profits increased 74% from last year in the first half of 2022 to £33 million (€38 million). This was in part due to the resumption of activity from Whitegate power station near Cork.

Mounting utility costs put pressure on the government, strengthened by a €6.3 billion surplus collected in the eight months to August, to increase support for families struggling with the cost of living. Speaking after Electric Ireland Thursday lifted residential rates on electricity and gas by 26.7% and 37.5%, respectively effective October 1, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the European Commission will "bring forward emergency provisions to try and deal with the market".

Martin attributed the latest to the "broader exponential rise in energy prices", and promised a "demand reduction approach" to lowering consumers' overall energy use. Concerning financial supports Martin promised "we will use the Budget and also, in tandem with the Budget, the cost of living package to alleviate pressures on households."

Yesterday's record accrual for the Exchequer was bolstered by an unexpectedly high corporate tax intake for August, and double-digit increases on last year for income tax and VAT. Speaking on the figures, finance minister Paschal Donohoe said government "must strike a balance between protecting the most vulnerable households and firms from a once-in-a-generation energy price shock, while at the same time ensuring that policy doesn’t worsen the inflationary cycle".

He contrasted the stronger economy after the end of Covid-19 restrictions with "inflationary pressures, resulting from the surge in energy prices from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's war" with Ukraine that "are eroding real incomes and undermining growth prospects both domestically and in our main trading partners".

But Labour leader Ivana Bacik urged "an unprecedented, urgent and short term response by government" in response to what "is unsustainable for people, families and small businesses". It includes instating a windfall tax on excess profits by energy companies, which Donohoe said the state is considering, and immediate price caps and expanding eligibility for fuel allowance.

European Union ministers are scheduled to meet in Brussels next week, which Martin said would include immediate action to temper the price of gas and "a more structured reform of the market over the next twelve months".

The G7 countries, which include EU members France, Germany and Italy yesterday agreed to introduce a price ceiling on Russian oil, likely effective December. Since its invasion of Ukraine began, the Russian government has cut energy supplies to Europe, forcing prices higher and threatening continental blackouts. At the time of Nord Stream 1's suspension of operations the pipeline was supplying one-fifth its daily capacity, according to senior associate Jacob Mandel for energy consultancy firm Aurora.


Irlande : augmentation de la facture mensuelle d'électricité de 48,25 euros et de gaz de 43,80 euros

Plusieurs fournisseurs d'énergie irlandais dont SSE Airtricity et Prepay Power, ont annoncé l'augmentation de la facture énergétique mensuelle. Le fournisseur
Electric Ireland va augmenter l'électricité de +26,7 % et le gaz +37,5 % à compter du 2 octobre. L'entreprise Bord Gáis Energy a fait de même en augmentant la facture mensuelle d'électricité de +48,25 euros (+34 %) et celle de gaz de +43,80 euros (+39 %) pour ses clients résidentiels, à compter du 2 octobre.

L'entreprise Bord Gáis avait déjà augmenté les prix par le passé. En 2021, l'électricité a été multipliée par trois et le gaz par deux, puis en mars 2022, l'électricité a augmenté de +27 % et le gaz de +39 %, soit +1 300 euros supplémentaires pour l'électricité et de +1 000 euros pour le gaz.

Pour cette année, un client consommant 4 200 kilowattheures (kWh) d'électricité et 11 000 kWh de gaz, paiera un supplément de +579 euros d'électricité et +526 euros de gaz. La facture annuelle moyenne de gaz et d'électricité avoisine désormais les 4 000 euros, dépassant les 3 549 livres au Royaume-Uni, d'où provient plus de 70 % du gaz irlandais.

À la suite d'une fuite, le fournisseur russe Gazprom, avait interrompu, le 31 août, le gazoduc Nord Stream 1 alimentant l'Europe. Mais le 2 septembre, Gazprom a annoncé que la réparation de la fuite allait durer plus longtemps que prévu et qu'il allait faire passer le gaz par l'Ukraine. Avant sa coupure, le gazoduc Nord Stream 1, ne fournissait plus qu'un cinquième de sa capacité quotidienne.

Depuis l'invasion russe de l'Ukraine, le gouvernement russe a réduit l'approvisionnement en énergie de l'Europe, faisant grimper les prix et menaçant de provoquer des pannes d'électricité sur le continent.

Les pays du G7, qui comprennent la France, l'Allemagne et l'Italie, ont convenu le 2 septembre de plafonner le prix du pétrole russe.


ISO adopts Open Document Format

After a six month voting window, adoption of the Open Document Format (ODF) as an ISO/IEC standard has become official, with a unanimous vote supporting the ODF (and some abstentions). The ODF format allows developers to produce office-type applications which use an inter-operable standard, allowing users to share documents without requiring a specific application to read them. The format covers text documents, spreadsheets, databases, charts and presentations.

ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden said, "[this publication] reflects the international community's recognition of the importance of open formats in enabling business interoperability."

So far, the two major applications which support the ODF format are OpenOffice.org and KOffice. Microsoft Office currently dominates the market for office applications, although several third-party applications also contain limited support for the Microsoft Office formats.


国際標準化機構がオープンドキュメントを認定

オープンソースのオフィスに使われるオープンドキュメントの普及促進団体であるオープドキュメントフォーマットアライアンス (ODFアライランス) によれば、国際標準化機構 (ISO、本部:スイス) は5月3日、オープンドキュメントフォーマット (ODF) を標準規格である「ISO26300」として認定した。

オープンドキュメントはOpenOffice.org 2.0でのファイル形式として採用されている。

オープンドキュメントは、2005年9月に構造化情報標準促進協会 (OASIS) によって国際標準化機構と国際電気標準会議 (IEC) からなる合同技術委員会 (JTC1) に提出され、5月1日に投票が締め切られた。なお、ODFアライアンスは3月にオープドキュメントフォーマットの普及、促進を目的として発足。各機関に働きかけを行ってきた。


Istanbul to host 2009 IMF meetings

The 2009 Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the IMF will be held in Istanbul, Turkey on October 6–7, 2009.

The IMF and World Bank annual meetings which is held in every October with participation of finance ministers, central bankers, and other top economists of 186 member countries.

These meetings are held outside Washington, D.C. in every three years. Turkey will host the meetings for a second time. It was the host country for the meetings in 1955.

“All eyes will be on Istanbul,” said Murilo Portugal, Deputy Managing Director at the IMF, on a recent trip to Turkey. “The annual meetings are a unique opportunity to discuss issues of great global economic importance, make decisions and provide guidance on the work of the two institutions.”


İstanbul IMF toplantılarına ev sahipliği yapmaya hazırlanıyor

Uluslararası Para Fonu (IMF) ve Dünya Bankası'nın Yıllık Toplantıları 6–7 Ekim 2009'da İstanbul'un ev sahipliğinde yapılacak. Her ekim ayında yapılan IMF ve Dünya Bankası Yıllık Toplantıları 186 ülkenin maliye bakanlarını, merkez bankası başkanlarını, ve üst düzey ekonomistlerini dünya ekonomisinin karşılaştığı önemli sorunları tartışmaları için bir araya getiriyor. Her üç yılda bir bu toplantılar Washington, D.C.'nin dışında yapılıyor ve 2009 yılı toplantıları Türkiye'de yapılacak olan ikinci IMF toplantıları olacak.

Türkiye ilk kez 1955'te bu toplantılara ev sahipliği yapmıştı.


Italian Minister of Economy resigns

The Italian Minister of the Economy, Domenico Siniscalco, resigned from his position in the Government on Thursday.

Siniscalco cited the handling of a recent banking scandal among the reasons for his resignation.  He had sought the resignation of the governor of the Italian central bank, Banca d'Italia, for his alleged involvement in insider trading during an aborted bank takeover bid.  The governor, Antonio Fazio, was believed to strongly favour an Italian bid over that of the Dutch bank ABN Amro.

Siniscalco stated in his resignation letter that he was "scandalized" by the state of affairs, and would prefer to return to work as a university professor in Turin.  In addition to his issues with the Bank of Italy, his proposed budget had faced considerable dilution by the government coalition.

The Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gave the appearance of not being concerned about the resignation, and did not expect to take long to replace the minister.  Centre-left opposition leader, Romano Prodi, said the dispute over the budget was a defining part of what made up the government.  He called for immediate elections in the wake of the resignation.


Il ministro dell'economia Siniscalco si dimette dal governo

Il ministro dell'economia, Domenico Siniscalco, ha oggi presentato le sue dimissioni dall'incarico di ministro.

Un'agenzia dell'Ansa riporta le motivazione delle dimissioni: Siniscalco non sopportava più l'immobilismo del Governo nel risolvere i problemi, come quelli legati alla vicenda della Banca d'Italia e di Antonio Fazio. Siniscalco ha dichiarato, in diverse interviste e nella sua lettera di dimissioni,  di non essere semplicemnte amareggiato ma semplicemente scandalizzato e che preferisce tornare a fare il professore universitario a Torino.

Montezemolo, presidente della Confindustria, commenta «Le dimissioni del ministro dell'Economia, Siniscalco, sono un ulteriore elemento di grande preoccupazione, ho intenzione di chiamarlo e di parlargli».
Lo stato maggiore della Lega si riunirà per fare il punto sulla situazione venutasi a creare.

Le dimissioni sono state oggetto anche di dibattito a Montecitorio. Fassino e Rutelli hanno chiesto elezioni anticipate.
La Russa ribatte «Non ci si ferma perché un ministro, seppure in un momento non proprio propizio, abbandona la nave».

Il presidente del consiglio Silvio Berlusconi si è recato in Quirinale per riferire al presidente della repubblica Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. Il colloquio è durato circa un'ora. Berlusconi prevede di poter assegnare il ministero ad altra persona in brevissimo tempo.


伊シニスカルロ経済相、抗議の辞任

イタリアのドメニコ・シニスカルロ経済相が、22日辞任した。経済相は辞任の原因として、アントニオ・ファツィオ伊中央銀行総裁の疑惑に言及した。毎日新聞はシルヴィオ・ベルルスコーニ伊首相が総裁寄りの姿勢を見せていることが理由と見ている。

ファツィオ伊中央銀行総裁は、イタリアのある銀行の買収をめぐり、イタリアの別の銀行がオランダの銀行ABNアムロよりも有利になるように計らったとみられている。このインサイダー取引疑惑に関し、シニスカルロ経済相は公然とファツィオ総裁の退陣を求めていたひとりだった。ファツィオ総裁の去就は8月から焦点となっていたが、総裁はいまだ現職に留まっている。

シニスカルロ経済相は、辞任状のなかで「政治のためにスキャンダルに巻き込まれた」と述べ、トリノ大学での教職に戻るほうがよいとの判断を示した。また経済相は、自身が提出した予算が、政府連立与党により大幅に薄められたことにも抗議した。

ベルルスコーニ首相は、この辞任を意に介さないとする態度をとっており、また後任の指名にはそう長い期間を掛けない見通しだとした。当面は首相が経済相を代行する。左派系の野党連合を率いるロマノ・プロディ前首相は、予算をめぐる議論は政府がしてきたうちでも極めて重要な部分であると述べ、ただちに総選挙を行うべきだと要求した。


ITRI to challenge the infrastructure of WiMAX on High Speed Rails in Taiwan

To challenge the possibility of WiMAX connection on high speed rails, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) started an experiment on Mobile WiMAX technology for the THSR. It's the first-ever WiMAX experiment on high speed rails in the world. Industrial companies including Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Broadband Platform Inc., Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, Corning Incorporated, and ZyXEL are confirmed to provide solutions in this first-ever experiment.

"THSR is a must-have transportation way for the public besides of inter-city buses and railways in Taiwan." stated THSRC. "There are three critical difficulties that this experiment should be overcome: 'Speed of the THSR', 'Base station construction inside the rails', and the most important one - 'Internet connection on tunnels'." stated ITRI.

"If this [difficult] experiment can be succeeded, Taiwan will become the first nation to provide the Internet connection on high speed rails in the world." said by Moses Yen, Director of Exhibition Department of Taiwan External Trade Development Council.


工研院挑戰不可能 進行高速鐵路WiMAX實驗計畫

要在高速鐵路上網，是否可能實現？世界都在看！工業技術研究院為了挑戰這項不可能的紀錄，在四月開始進行全球第一個高速鐵路寬頻上網的模擬實驗，目前，除了監督的台灣高鐵與執行的工研院外，NTTBP、日本電信電話、康寧公司、合勤科技等業界，也藉由昨（4）日的簽署，宣布正式加入這項實驗團隊。

工研院表示，台灣高鐵的運量大幅提升，已成為鐵路、國道客運以外，另一個必備的通勤工具，但目前所需要克服的問題，則是列車的行車速率、車廂內的基地台架設，以及最關鍵的要素─隧道通訊，因為在隧道內，是無法接收訊號的。

正逢十月中旬，台北國際電子展也將同步進行寬頻通訊展的關係，貿協的展覽處長顏木松也表示，工研院的這項測試是十分困難的，倘若實驗成功，並且能順利成行，台灣將成為第一個成功設置高速鐵路列車無線上網的地區。

【2008年6月5日讯】


Japan enters recession

Japan, which accounts for 7% of world output, has entered a recession after posting two consecutive quarters of negative growth. The Japanese economy contracted by 0.9% between April and June and a further 0.1% since September.

Kaoru Yosano, the Japanese minister of fiscal policy, said "The downtrend in the economy will continue for the time being as global growth slows down. We need to bear in mind that economic conditions could worsen further as the US and European financial crisis deepens, worries of economic downturn heighten and stock and foreign exchange markets make big swings."

The Nikkei 225 stock index has fallen 40% since the beginning of the year, and has lost a quarter of its value during this month. After the news was announced the index dipped, then rose to close up 0.7%.

Japanese companies lose large sums whenever the yen's value surges. With the yen viewed as relatively stable during financial turmoil, the value against the US dollar has risen greatly.

JPMorgan Chase economist Masamichi Adachi said, "It's only going to get worse. Japan may be entering its deepest recession in a decade as the global financial crisis cools demand." Japan has not been in recession since 2001.


Japón entra en recesión

17 de noviembre de 2008Tokio, Japón —

Japón, segunda economía del mundo y primera asiática, entró en recesión tras contraerse en el tercer trimestre del año un 0,4% el Producto Interior Bruto (PIB), según un informe preliminar del gobierno japonés. Es la segunda caída en dos trimestres consecutivos. Las previsiones, sin embargo, habían apuntado a un crecimiento en torno al 0,1% del PIB.

Las razones hay que buscarlas en el comercio exterior y las inversiones, únicos indicadores del PIB que disminuyeron y arrastraron al índice general. El gasto de capital de las empresas se redujo un 1,7% y la demanda exterior lo hizo en un 0,2%.

La semana pasada se supo que el PIB de la eurozona había caído un 0,2%, y que las economías de Alemania e Italia se encontraban también en recesión, con descensos del 0,4% y 0,5% del PIB, respectivamente.


Japan's economy sees biggest decline since 1974

Official figures show that Japan's economy has shrunk by 3.3% in the last quarter of 2008—or an annualized 12.7%, the fastest decline since 1974, when the economy contracted by 3.4% in a quarter. The decline in Japan has been sharper than in either Europe or North America, mostly because global demand for the country's products, such as automobiles and electronics, has fallen.

The contraction was also larger than the 3.1% decline that was predicted by economists, the worst decline of any major economic power in the same quarter.

In comparison, the Eurozone GDP contracted 1.5% in the same quarter, and the United States GDP shrank by an annualized 3.8%.

"The data showed a severe picture of the Japanese economy and highlighted the weakness in exports. The January-March quarter is likely to show another minus figure [annualized] in double digits or something close to double digits," said the chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute, Takeshi Minami.

There have been reports that Japanese prime minister Taro Aso is considering launching a 20 trillion yen (approximately US$218 billion) stimulus plan in response to the recession, but he is hindered by a divided parliament, and an approval rating which concurrently fell below ten percent.


日本經濟數據35年來最差 或將推萬億美元刺激計劃

2月16日，日本內閣府公布2008年第四季度日本國內生產總值（GDP）季率下降3.3%，化為年率下降12.7%，出口、設備投資、個人消費「三大經濟支柱」全線崩潰，連續三個季度出現負增長，創下日本35年來最差的經濟表現。1974年，受第一次石油危機的影響，當時第一季度的GDP年率下降13.1%。

日本2008年全年GDP負增長0.7%，經濟與財政大臣与謝野馨當天會見記者時說日本嚴重依賴汽車、家電出口的經濟，在世界同時不況的情況下已經受到很大的衝擊，日本正在面臨戰後最嚴重的蕭條。不過与謝同時也表示，日本經濟有可能在未來一年內逐漸恢復。

日本在經歷痛苦的「失去的10年」之後，好不容易在2002—07年期間取得穩定的經濟成長，當時被媒體喻為是日本戰後時間最長的景氣，超越了伊弉諾景氣，但是次按泡沫爆破後，日本隨即陷入了不景，一開始人們還普遍認為日本這次不會受到太大的牽連，但是現在看來日本受損已經非常嚴重。

為了應對這次罕見的經濟危機，日本有官員透露，政府正在起草一份新的經濟刺激計劃方案，總額會超過一萬億美元，預料計劃會大幅增加公共建設投資，涵蓋機場、港口、高速公路、新幹線等的修建和擴建。


Japanese stocks continue to fall after earthquake

The prominent Japanese Nikkei 225 stock market index fell another 1.4% Thursday, over financial turmoil after the massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit the country a week ago.

For the past five trading days, stocks have been down by a total of fourteen percent; today, they were down as much as five percent, or 454 points, but rebounded to close at 8,962 points.

US stocks also reacted negatively to the cataclysm; the Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 1.95% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.04%. The British FTSE, however, gained 0.77%, but after a large loss yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Japanese yen reached its highest level ever against the US dollar since the end of World War II, peaking at 76.25 to a dollar before finishing the day at 79.14.


Les accions japoneses segueixen caient després del terratrèmol

El prominent índex borsari japonés Nikkei 225 va caure un altre 1,4% el dijous, a causa de la crisi financera després del terratrèmol de magnitud 9.0 i gran tsunami va assotar el país fa una setmana.
Durant els últims cinc dies de mercat, les accions han baixat un total d'un catorze per cent; i avui, estes es van reduir fins a un cinc per cent, o 454 punts, sent no obstant que es van recuperar per tancar en 8.962 punts.

Les accions dels EUA també van reaccionar negativament el cataclisme; l'índex del Standard & Poor va caure un 1.95% mentre que la pèrdua mitjana de Dow Jones Industrial va ser un 2.04%. El British FTSE, tot i així, va guanyar 0.77%, però després d'una gran pèrdua ahir.

Mentrestant, el ien japonès arribà al seu nivell més alt en contra del dòlar estatunidenc des del final de la Segona Guerra Mundial, aconseguint un màxim de 76,25 per dòlar abans d'acabar la jornada a 79,14.


Journal Nature study 'fatally flawed', says Britannica

Encyclopædia Britannica has strongly criticised the scientific journal Nature for last year's investigation into the encyclopedia's accuracy compared to that of the open-source online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. Britannica also called for a retraction of the article. Nature has rejected the accusations, saying that their comparison was fair and that they do not intend to retract their report.

In a 20-page response (titled "Fatally Flawed") to the report's findings that there was not a significant difference in accuracy between the two encyclopædias, Britannica wrote that 'Almost everything about the journal's investigation [...] was wrong and misleading.' The document goes on to call the investigation 'invalid', 'completely without merit' and 'careless'. Britannica also accused Nature of 'misrepresenting its own results'. The last 12 pages of this comprehensive rebuttal are responses to specific article criticisms, mainly consisting of differences of opinion on style and article composition, but some citing outright factual errors on Nature's part.

In their response, Nature refused to reveal their original data for comparison, and commented that Britannica had raised their grievances in private some time ago, and then received no further correspondence until Britannica's open letter of 22 March 2006. Nature notes that Britannica criticised 'less than half the points [their] reviewers raised', and states that the two encyclopædias were subject to the same treatment.

Wikipedia has been stigmatised as unreliable due to its open-source nature and a perceived problem with vandalism.  The December 2005 study was seen at the time as a major boost to the credibility of Wikipedia.  Jimmy Wales was notified by one of his team members, on 27 January 2006 that all corrections provided by Nature were in place.  Recent changes to some of the Wikipedia editing policies have attempted to resolve some of the reliability issues raised.

Wikipedia has yet to comment.


Британская энциклопедия защищается

Британская энциклопедия выступила с резкой критикой научного журнала «Nature» («Природа»), который в прошлом году опубликовал сравнительное исследование между Британской энциклопедией и открытой энциклопедии — Википедия. Британская энциклопедия также призвала «Nature» отказаться от свой статьи. Журнал «Nature» отклонил эти обвинения, заявив, что их сравнение было справедливо и что журнал не намерен отказываться от своей статьи.

В прошлом году в журнале «Nature» была опубликована статья, в которой доказывалось, что нет существенного различия в точности Британской энциклопедии и Википедии. В своём 20-и страничном ответе на эту статью (названным «Фатально некорректно»), Британская энциклопедия утверждает, что «Почти всё в исследовании журнала […] было неправильно и вводит в заблуждение». Далее в ответе, исследование называется «недействительным», «не имеющем никакой ценности» и «небрежным». Журнал «Nature» обвиняется в «искажении своих собственных результатов». Последние 12 страниц этого всестороннего опровержения содержат конкретную критику статей, главным образом состоящую из различного мнения о стиле и построении статей, а также прямого цитирования некоторых фактических ошибок.

В своём ответе, журнал «Nature» указывает, что Британская энциклопедия некоторое время назад в частном порядке выразила свои жалобы, после этого не было ни каких движений вплоть до открытого письма Британской энциклопедии от 22 марта 2006 года. Журнал «Nature» отмечает, Британская энциклопедия подвергла критики менее половины пунктов, которые обсуждались в исследовании, и заявляет, что обе энциклопедии были обследованы одинаковыми методами.

Исследования в декабре 2005 года показали повышение достоверности Википедии, которая, казалось должна бы быть ненадёжной из-за её принципов свободного наполнения и проблем вандализма. Недавние изменения в политики редактирования Википедии были направлены на то, чтобы решить некоторые из этих проблем.

Википедия должна все же это прокомментировать.

Сравнение Википедии и Британской энциклопедии

24 марта 2006 года


Kenya confirms first swine flu case

A British medical student has become the first confirmed case of swine flu in Kenya, east Africa. The student, who was in a group of 33, was in Kenya to attend a series of medical camps in Nyanza province.

The whole group is currently quarantined in their hotel in Kisumu while undergoing treatment. A second suspected case involving a Kenyan woman who had just arrived from India was put in isolation at Kenyatta National Hospital in the capital Nairobi pending laboratory results.

Over the weekend there was panic in the capital as mobile text messages circulated warning people to stay away from Sarit centre, a popular commercial establishment where another suspected case had been diagnosed. The patient's test results however came back negative for the H1N1 virus.

Kenya has maintained strong ties with Britain since gaining independence in 1962. Direct flights to London operate regularly. There are fears that the high tourism season which begins this month and runs into September will be adversely affected even as the global recession rages on. The tourism sector is yet to make a full recovery after the country almost slid into a civil war following a disputed general election two years ago, which forced the international community to intervene.

A cholera epidemic sweeping across the country has exacerbated the situation, killing at least 80 people since March and setting the stage for a major scare.

In recent years Kenya has received large numbers of tourists most of whom troop to Kogelo in Nyanza province to visit the ancestral home and family of the current US president's late father Hussein Obama. There are plans to put up a museum there in his honour. This has made the region extremely susceptible to the current flu pandemic.


Se confirmó el primer caso de gripe A (H1N1) en Mauricio y Kenia

30 de junio de 2009África — La gripe A continua avanzando sobre el continente con la menor cantidad de casos. El Ministro de Salud de Mauricio, Rajesh Jeetah, confirmó el primer caso de gripe A de un turista francés que arrivó a la isla este miércoles. Entre tanto, la Ministra de Salud Pública de Kenia, Beth Mugo, confirmó este lunes, el primer caso de un joven británico que se encontraba en un viaje de estudios.

El centro de diagnósticos de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), en Londres, le confirmó a Rajesh Jeetah que el turista francés de 25 años, quien había arrivado a la isla de Mauricio proveniente de Argentina, estaba infectado con el virus. El afectado se encuentra aislado y con un tratamiento de antivirales.

El joven británico, quien no requirió hospitalización, se encontraba en un viaje de estudio junto a 33 compañeros, quienes están en cuarentena en un hotel de Kisumu al oeste de Kenia.

La OMS estima que la gripe ha afectado hasta el momento a unas 67.000 personas y habría causado alrededor de 300 muertes, en todo el mundo.


Il Kenya conferma il primo caso di influenza suina

Uno studente di medicina britannico è diventato il primo caso confermato di influenza dei maiali in Kenya, nell'Africa orientale. Lo studente, che era in un gruppo di 33 persone, era in Kenya per assistere ad una serie di eventi medici nella provincia di Nyanza.

L'intero gruppo è attualmente in quarantena nell'hotel in Kisumu dove alloggiano, mentre proseguono le analisi. Un secondo caso sospetto ha coinvolto una donna keniana appena arrivata dall'India che è stata messa in isolamento all'ospedale statale di Kenyatta nella capitale Nairobi in attesa dei risultati di laboratorio.

Durante il fine settimana c'è stato panico nel capitale poiché circolavano degli SMS che avvertivano la gente di rimanere alla larga dal Sarit centre, un centro commerciale molto popolare dove è stato rilevato un altro caso sospetto. Il risultato del test sul paziente è, tuttavia, risultato negativo al virus H1N1.

Il Kenya ha mantenuto forti legami con la Gran Bretagna da quando ha guadagnato l'indipendenza nel 1962, e infatti ci sono regolarmente voli diretti a Londra. Si sono però sviluppati timori che l'alta stagione turistica che comincia questo mese e finirà a settembre sarà influenzata avversamente proprio mentre infuria la recessione globale: il settore del turismo deve ancora recuperare completamente dopo che il paese finì quasi in una guerra civile a seguito di un'elezione generale di due anni fa, che ha forzato la comunità internazionale ad intervenire.

Una epidemia di colera che ha provocato la morte di almeno 80 persone da marzo ha ulteriormente esasperato la situazione ed ha portato un clima di maggior paura.

Negli ultimi anni il Kenya ha ricevuto tantissimi turisti la maggior parte dei quali diretti a Kogelo, nella provincia di Nyanza, per visitare l'antica casa e la famiglia del padre dell'attuale presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America, Barack Obama, dalla quale si sta pensando di ricavare un museo in suo onore. Ciò ha reso la regione estremamente suscettibile alla corrente pandemia influenzale.


Quênia confirma seu primeiro caso de Gripe Suína

Autoridades de saúde do Quênia anunciaram a confirmação do primeiro caso de Gripe Suína (H1N1) no país. O infectado é um estudante inglês de medicina.

Nos últimos anos, o Quênia vem recebendo um grande número de turistas vindo para Kogelo, na província de Nyanza, sendo muitos deles vindo para visitar os ancestrais e a família do atual presidente dos Estados Unidos, Barack Obama.


Kenya government fires health worker strikers over failure to 'report back to work'

The Kenyan government has dismissed 25,000 striking health workers, mostly nurses, citing failure to heed government orders to recommence work and concern for the welfare of hospital patients. Speaking on behalf of the government, Alfred Mutua stated the workers were dismissed "illegally striking" and "[defying] the directive ... to report back to work", which he called "unethical". The government asks that "[a]ll qualified health professionals, who are unemployed and/or retired have been advised to report to their nearest health facility for interviews and deployment", Mutua stated.

The workers, who had been on strike for four days, were wishing to have improvements made to their wages, working conditions, and allowances. The strikes have caused a significant number of Kenyan hospitals to cease operations. According to Kenya Health Professionals Society spokesperson Alex Orina, the average monthly wage plus allowances for health workers in Kenya is KSh25,000 (£193, US$302 or €230) approximately. With an increasing number of reports of patients neglected in hospitals emerging, two trade unions met with the Kenyan government yesterday and negotitated a return to work, although a significant proportion of demonstrators defied the agreement, The Guardian reported.

Orina told Reuters the dismissals were "cat-and-mouse games, you cannot sack an entire workforce. It is a ploy to get us to rush back to work, but our strike continues until our demands are met". Frederick Omiah, a member of the same society, believed the government's actions would "make an already delicate and volatile situation worse", expressing concern that demonstrations may continue in the capital Nairobi, amongst other locations. Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union chairperson Dr. Victor Ng'ani described government actions as "reckless".

Mutua said the health workers were "no longer employees of the government" and had been eliminated from the payroll. While Ng'ani told the BBC of difficulties with finding other workers as skilled and experienced, Mutua reportedly stated that this would not be an issue. "We have over 100,000 to 200,000 health professionals looking for work today," Mutua commented. "There will be a lag of a day or two ... but it is better than letting people die on the floor, at the gate, or suffer in pain".


25 mil geflegistoj maldungitaj en Kenjo

La registaro de Kenjo maldungis 25 mil strikantajn geflegistojn, kiuj malatentis registaran ordonon por eklabori.

La strikantaj geflegistoj postulas plibonigojn de salajroj kaj de aliaj laboraj kondiĉoj. Post komenco de la striko, oni diris ke en pluraj malsanulejoj, malsanuloj ne estis taŭge flegataj; tial la du ĉefaj sindikatoj konsentis pri re-eklaboro. Tamen, multaj strikuloj malatentis la konsenton.

La striko komenciĝis post la malsukceso de traktadoj inter sindikatoj kaj registaro. Laŭ sindikatoj, la registaro promesis pasintjare altigi la salajrojn kaj nun ili diras ke ne estas mono por plibonigi salajrojn.

La kenja registaro diras ke jam okazis mortoj pro la labora malĉeesto de geflegistoj kaj ke la registaro kaj la popolo ne toleros tian sintenon. Laŭ la registaro, tiu ĉi striko okazas kontraŭleĝe.

Alex Orina, proparolanto de Societo de Profesiuloj pri Sano de Kenjo, diris ke ankaŭ oni malatentos la maldungojn, ĉar li opinias ke tiu ago estas blufado de la registaro.

Tamen, la registaro jam komencis laborintervjuojn por dungi pensiuliĝintajn aŭ senlaborajn geflegistojn.


Last British volume car manufacturer closes down

The last British-owned volume car manufacturer, MG Rover, has closed down, with the loss of 5,000 jobs.

International accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCooper was brought in last week to put the company into administration. Today PwC announced that MG Rover's only hope, the Chinese car company SAIC, had no interest in buying the ailing firm. With no further source of revenue, PwC has closed the company's factory in Longbridge, Birmingham and has laid off 5,000 workers.

Some 1,000 workers will continue for a while to complete the remaining cars left on the production line.

The BBC reported PwC joint administrator Tony Lomas as saying "We'll explore what we would describe as the break-up of the business, we will carry on with the interested parties who want to talk about pieces of the business.". PwC said around 70 offers for various parts of the company had been made but no serious offers of money made.

Recent efforts to save the company had been centered on convincing SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.) to buy the company as a going concern, but the Chinese company stated it would only buy the company if it's financial position could be guaranteed to be secure for at least two years. The British government could not make such a commitment due to European Union trade and competition rules.

The SAIC company did buy the designs for the 75 and 25 models and for the K-Series engines for £67m.

The Rover car company has a long but troubled history. It was formed in 1968 after a series of mergers of existing car manufacturers, and was nationalized in 1975 after it ran into financial difficulties. In 1979 a long-running deal to collaborate on developing new vehicles was established with the Japanese company Honda. In 1988 the company was privatized and was bought by British Aerospace. In 1994 British Aerospace sold the business to BMW, who then sold the Land Rover brand to Ford and finally sold the company in 2000 for just £10, retaining the well-known Mini brand for themselves. The MG Rover company was run by a private group until its collapse.

MG Rover has not launched a new model since the 75 was introduced in 1998 during the period of ownership by BMW. Their next newest model was the 25, originally launched as the 200 series some ten years ago. Rover also produced the 45, which dates from 1990, and the ZF sports car first launched in 1995. Sales of Rover cars accounted for just 3% of the UK car market in 2004.

Tony Blair announced a £150 million support package for the recently unemployed workers of the MG Rover plants, though it has been claimed that his generous offer may be more as a result of the nearby marginal seats in the upcoming elections than compassion on his part.


MG-Rover failliet

De Britse automobielgroep MG Rover Group (en), de gelijknamige twee merken omvattend, is failliet. Vijfduizend van de meer dan 6000 werknemers krijgen vandaag en morgen hun ontslagbrief in de bus. De Britse regering trekt 240 miljoen euro uit om de op straat staande werknemers van Rover én van de vierhonderd toeleveringsbedrijven die van het concern afhankelijk waren, te helpen.

Met Rover verdwijnt het grootste en honderdjarige Britse prestigemerk. MG is een tachtigjarig merk dat de laatste jaren overal op dezelfde plaatsen dan Rover werd verdeelt, en naast een tweetal eigen modellen voornamelijk sportversies op basis van Rovers bouwde.

27 april 2005

Op eigen verzoek van de eigen roverdealersvereniging heeft de rechter vandaag de Nederlandse importeurs failliet verklaard. Het verzoek werd ingediend om een curator toegewezen te krijgen. De dealers proberen ondertussen de dienstverlening naar klanten gaande te houden.


Latvian government takes majority stake in Parex Bank

Yesterday, Latvia's government took over Parex Bank, the second largest bank in Latvia. A 51% stake in the bank was taken for a nominal fee. Control of the bank is to be passed to Latvijas Hipotēku Banka (Mortgage and Land Bank), which is state-controlled.

The deal was first announced on Saturday, and an agreement was signed yesterday.  The arrangement reflects similar bank takeovers by other governments across the world, in response to the current banking crisis.
A Reuters report yesterday quoted board member Liga Purina as saying that withdrawals are above average, though there are few queues.

The action comes in the wake of Parex admitting to financial difficulties. Until this move, the biggest shareholders were the chairman, Valērijs Kargins, and Viktors Krasovickis.
Parex Bank operates in 14 countries, including Sweden, Estonia and Germany, and is the largest locally-owned Latvian bank.


Államosítják a második legnagyobb lett bankot

Leminősítette Lettországot a Fitch Ratings hitelminősítő, miután a második legnagyobb pénzintézetet, a Parex bankot átvette a lett kormány.

Mivel a pénzügyi válság Lettországot erősen sújtja, ezért a Fitch Ratings a hosszú futamú lett adóskockázati osztályzatát „BBB”-ről „BBB mínusz”-ra rontotta. A hosszú lejáratú államadósság besorolása „BBB plusz”-ról „BBB”-re minősítette le.

A Parex bank egyébként a lett GDP-érték 20 százalékát teszi ki. A bank pénzállományának 12 százalékát rövid idő alatt kivették. A Fitch nemcsak Lettországot minősítette le. Még hétfőn Magyarország, Románia, Bulgária és Kazahsztán leminősítéséről döntött.


Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy

Lehman Brothers, a major American investment banker, has filed paperwork for bankruptcy. It would be the largest collapse of an investment firm in 18 years.

Lehman attempted to find a buyer over the weekend but it met with no success. The last remaining bidder, Barclays PLC bank pulled out Sunday afternoon. Barclays, a United Kingdom-based bank, had become the sole bidder after a consortium led by Bank of America pulled out early Sunday morning citing that it would need government support before considering a bid. The support would consist of backing bad debts owed by Lehman. Barclays cited a similar reason for withdrawing its bid.

As of Monday morning, no buyer has come through to take control of the firm. As a result, the firm filed for bankruptcy protection.

The main sticking point for potential buyers appears to be the unwillingness for the U.S. government to provide financial support. Hank Paulson, Treasury secretary, has repeatedly said that no government money will be given to Lehman or used in any takeover the firm. Government money was used in the takeover of Bear Stearns by JPMorgan Chase in March of this year. Bear Stearns suffered similar problems as Lehman.

A spokesmen for Barclays told the Financial Times, "the proposed transaction required a guarantee for the trading operations of Lehman Brothers that was potentially open-ended, and we were not willing to provide that guarantee."

Paulson, along with other government officials, proposed a solution that Lehman would get split into two separate entities. However, this proposal has been discarded by many of Wall Street banks.

Members of the G8 have reportedly been keep abreast of the situation by U.S. government.

The firm, which has over 25,000 staffers, has suffered bad results due to the subprime mortgage crisis.


Finanzkrise: US-Bank Lehman Brothers ist insolvent

New York (Vereinigte Staaten), 16.09.2008 – Lehman Brothers, die viertgrößte US-Investmentbank, hat Insolvenz angemeldet. Insgesamt sind bei dem Unternehmen 26.000 Mitarbeiter beschäftigt. Der Grund für den Zusammenbruch: Die US-Regierung lehnte weiter notwendige Finanzspritzen ab. Die Bank hatte jahrelang mit Wertpapieren gehandelt, ohne darauf zu achten, dass diese mit genug Eigenkapital abgesichert waren.

Auch ein Verkauf der Bank an die britische Bank Barclays oder die Bank of America kam nicht zustande. Im Fall der letztgenannten Bank kam der Umstand hinzu, dass diese in der Nacht zum Montag, den 15. September, 50 Milliarden US-Dollar in die Rettung des Finanzhauses Merrill Lynch gesteckt hatte. Ansonsten wäre auch dieses Unternehmen insolvent gegangen.

Fast alle Börsen reagierten darauf mit starken Kursverlusten. Beispiele sind der Index Stoxx 50 mit minus 4,6 Prozent oder die französische Börse mit minus 4,14 Prozent. Besonders hart traf es die Bankaktien.


Lehman Brothers se declara en bancarrota y sacude las bolsas mundiales

15 de septiembre de 2008Nueva York, Estados Unidos —

Lehman Brothers, el cuarto banco de inversiones más importante de los Estados Unidos, se declaró en bancarrota este lunes, al paso que el Bank of America tuvo que comprar de urgencia a Merrill Lynch, en un giro de eventos traído por la crisis financiera que azota la economía americana.

La Reserva Federal (Fed), el Banco Central Europeo, el Banco de Inglaterra y el Banco suizo inyectaron millones de dólares en los mercados tras la caída de ambos titanes bancarios. El banco de 158 años de edad, Lehman Brothers, utilizó el capítulo 11 de la ley de quiebras para salirse del mercado. Por su parte, Merrill Lynch fue vendido por 50.000 millones al Bank of America.

La noticia causó que las bolsas mundiales colapsaran. El Dow Jones perdió más de un 4.4%, y un efecto similar se registró en las bolsas del resto del mundo, que contabilizaron pérdidas millonarias en lo que podría ser la mayor sacudida desde la Gran Depresión. El DAX de Alemania se hundió en 2.74%, mientras que el CAC 40 parisino cedió 3.78%. El efecto fue devastadores en Latinoamérica, donde el Merval argentino perdió un 5.19% y el Bovespa de San Pablo se derrumbó en un 7.59%. En Asia, el indice Nikkei de la Bolsa de Tokio cayó un 5% hasta su nivel más bajo de los últimos tres años.

"[Estamos] en un período difícil para nuestros mercados financieros", dijo el Secretario del Tesoro, Henry Paulson. Pero "el pueblo americano puede permanecer confidente ... en nuestro sistema financiero". No obstante, remarcó que habría más incidentes antes de la estabilización del mercado.

Las autoridades estadounidenses, que habían prometido salvar a los organismos hipotecarios Fannie Mae y Freddie Mac con una inyección de 200.000 dólares, se rehusaron a rescatar a Lehman Brothers. A falta de una garantía del estado, los potenciales compradores de Lehman Brothers se retiraron, dejando a la empresa con deudas de 613.000 millones.

Tras el tsunami, la aseguradora American International Group Inc lucha por no ceder ante la crisis en un clima tenso. La Fed mandó al banco Morgan Stanley rever las opciones que le quedan a la aseguradora, que ya ha perdido más de un 90% de su valor hasta el momento.

En respuesta a la crisis, el Presidente George W. Bush dio una declaración. "A largo plazo confío en la flexibilidad y resistencia de los mercados financieros y en su facultad para enfrentar esos ajustes."


Mise en faillite de la banque Lehman Brothers

La banque Lehman Brothers, quatrième plus importante banque d'investissement aux États-Unis d'Amérique, a déposé le bilan le lundi 15 septembre 2008. Aucun repreneur ne voulant investir, elle utilise le chapitre 11 (équivalent du redressement judiciaire français) pour se sortir d'affaire. La banque centrale des États-Unis a refusé d'injecter de l'argent pour renflouer la compagnie.

D'autres acteurs de la finance étasunienne sont également en difficulté, la banque Merrill Lynch étant quant à elle rachetée par Bank of America.

L'American International Group (AIG) chutait quant à lui de 50 % le même jour, perdant depuis le début de l'année 90 % de sa valeur.

Cela a entraîné une chute brusque des bourses mondiales. La Banque centrale européenne a de nouveau injecté de l'argent public dans les banques pour éviter un effondrement trop brutal des marchés. Malgré cela, les banques européennes ont perdu dans les 6 %. À la bourse de Paris, les plus fortes chutes ont été de 10 % pour des sociétés comme le Crédit Agricole ou Axa.


Bolsas de valores despencam, com notícias da falência do Banco Lehman Brothers nos Estados Unidos

Após notícias de que o banco Lehman Brothers, quarto maior dos Estados Unidos, não seria mais vendido e que estaria para se declarar em quebra perante o tribunal de Quebras do Distrito Sul de Nova Iorque, derrubaram as bolsas de valores mundo afora.

Outra notícia que mexe com o mercado é a de que o Bank of America acertou a compra da Merrill Lynch por US$ 50 bilhões em ações. Notícias dão conta ainda de que a seguradora AIG pediu ao banco central americano, o Federal Reserve, um empréstimo de US$ 40 bilhões.


Lexmark releases printer with built-in CD burner

Lexmark International introduced the Lexmark P450 in the USA yesterday, the first printer to have a built-in CD burner. The CD burner allows users to copy photos from their camera directly to CD without requiring the printer to be connected to a computer.

The P450 is a small, portable printer that can print 4in by 6in photos. Photos can be printed from USB flash drives, memory cards, Bluetooth devices and PictBridge compatible digital cameras. The printer includes a 2.4-inch color LCD from which users can perform basic editing tasks such as cropping, rotating, and removing red-eye.

"The Lexmark P450 brings more photo processing functions to the home. People can now save and organize their digital photos on CD, print from a cell phone, view their photos on a television and much more. The Lexmark P450 is quite intuitive, easy to use and affordably priced," said Najib Bahous, president of Lexmark’s Consumer Printer Division.

This printer will compete with many other portable printers such as the popular and slightly cheaper HP Photosmart 375.

The Lexmark P450 is scheduled to be released in the USA in October, with an estimated retail price of $199USD, and Canada in November, with an estimated retail price of $299CAD. It is scheduled to be released in other countries shortly thereafter.


Nowa drukarka Lexmarka z wbudowaną nagrywarką CD

Koncern Lexmark International zaprezentował wczoraj w USA swój najnowszy produkt - drukarkę Lexmark P450 z wbudowaną nagrywarką CD. To pierwsza tego typu drukarka. Wbudowana nagrywarka pozwala na kopiowanie zdjęć bezpośrednio z aparatu cyfrowego na płytę kompaktową bez konieczności podłączania drukarki do komputera.

Do drukarki Lexmark P450 zdjęcia można przenosić bezpośrednio z przenośnych kart pamięci, napędów wykorzystujących technologię Bluetooth i cyfrowych aparatów kompatybilnych z PictBridge. W urządzenie wbudowany jest także kolorowy wyświetlacz LCD. Z jego pomocą użytkownik może dokonać prostych edycji zdjęć, np. przyciąć obraz, obróć go, albo wymazać efekt czerwonych oczu.

W USA drukarka będzie sprzedawana od października, będzie kosztować równowartość 630 złotych. Lexmark P450 w listopadzie pojawi się także w Kanadzie. Koncern nie podaje na razie informacji dotyczących sprzedaży tego modelu w Europie.


Liz Truss becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Tuesday, Mary Elizabeth "Liz" Truss became the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom succeeding Boris Johnson. On Monday, the Conservative Party elected her as its new leader.

Truss met with Queen Elizabeth II Tuesday at Balmoral Castle, the Queen's summer residence in Scotland, where she proposed forming a new government and the Queen accepted. Prior to this, Johnson also met with the Queen and tendered his official resignation.

Truss, who was Foreign Secretary until today, defeated former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak yesterday in a vote among party members by a margin of 81,326 to 60,399 and became the leader of the party. Johnson's successor had been in question since he announced his resignation in July amid pressure from high-profile scandals.

The United Kingdom is facing surging food and energy costs contributing to an inflation rate forecast to hit 13% in October, the highest in 42 years. Besides the economy, the war in Ukraine and tensions with the European Union are seen as challenges for Truss when she takes office, according to Reuters and Associated Press.

After the party vote, Truss said, "I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy. I will deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people’s energy bills, but also dealing with the long term issues we have on energy supply." In further comments, she also told the party: "I know that our beliefs resonate with the British people: Our beliefs in freedom, in the ability to control your own life, in low taxes, in personal responsibility. I know that’s why people voted for us in such numbers in 2019 and as your party leader I intend to deliver what we promised those voters right across our great country."

In a brief message on Twitter, Sunak wrote: "It’s right we now unite behind the new PM, Liz Truss, as she steers the country through difficult times."

Johnson also expressed support for Truss on Twitter, writing: "I know she has the right plan to tackle the cost of living crisis, unite our party and continue the great work of uniting and levelling up our country. Now is the time for all Conservatives to get behind her 100 percent."

The opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer was critical of Truss' proposed tax cuts and reductions in levies. "We've heard far more from the latest prime minister about cuts to corporation taxes over the summer, than we have about the cost-of-living crisis," she said.


Royaume-Uni : suite à la démission de Boris Johnson, Liz Truss devient la nouvelle première ministre du Royaume-Uni

Le 5 septembre 2022, Mary Elizabeth Truss, dite Liz Truss, est devenue la nouvelle cheffe du parti conservateur britannique et le 6 septembre 2022, la nouvelle première ministre du Royaume-Uni suite à une passation du pouvoir en raison de la démission de Boris Johnson. Elle possède une grande expérience politique, elle a notamment été Secrétaire d'État à l'Environnement, à l'Alimentation et aux Affaires rurales, Secrétaire en chef du Trésor, Secrétaire d'État au Commerce international et Ministre britannique des Femmes et des Égalités.

Le 7 juillet 2022, après une soixantaine de départs au sein de son gouvernement en seulement quelques jours, Boris Johnson a annoncé qu'il allait quitter la tête du parti conservateur et donc sa fonction de Premier ministre « d'ici à l'automne ». Selon Michel Barnier, l'homme politique français ainsi que l'ancien Négociateur en chef de l'Union européenne chargé de la préparation des relations futures avec le Royaume-Uni, le départ de Boris Johnson « ouvrait une nouvelle page dans les relations avec le Royaume-Uni ». D'après un communiqué, le président de l'Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky aurait appelé Boris Johnson au téléphone pour exprimer « sa tristesse face à son départ de la présidence du parti conservateur britannique ».

Boris Johnson avait annoncé qu'il resterait à Downing Street « jusqu'à ce qu'un nouveau patron du parti soit élu ». Par la suite, selon The Guardian, des élections ont été organisées. Pour se présenter, un député devait avoir le soutien « d'au moins huit de ses collègues ». S'ils étaient plus de deux, les candidats étaient d'abord départagés par une série de votes des élus conservateurs, à bulletin secret. Une personne était éliminée à la fin de chaque tour, jusqu'à ce qu'il n'en reste plus que deux. Les derniers candidats étaient ensuite soumis au vote des adhérents du parti. Ce processus devait s'étaler sur plusieurs semaines. Par exemple, en 2019, il avait fallu attendre un mois et demi pour que Boris Johnson soit désigné comme successeur de Theresa May, rappelle le journal d'information britannique.

Vers 7 h 30 du matin, Boris Johnson a effectué sa révérence devant la porte noire du 10 Downing Street où il a exercé ces trois dernières années. Le Premier ministre s’est comparé à une « fusée ayant accompli sa mission » et a également indiqué que « des temps difficiles s'annoncent, mais nous survivrons à cette crise » en soulignant que « nous en sortirons plus forts ». À l'occasion de ses adieux, Johnson a rappelé tous ses succès. Il n'a pas dit un mot sur les raisons de sa démission.

Boris Johnson a par la suite quitté la ville de Londres en voiture avant de s’envoler pour Balmoral, en Écosse, où il est allé retrouver la souveraine Elizabeth II. Si la passation a traditionnellement lieu à Buckingham Palace, les problèmes de mobilité de la reine ont obligés à un non-respect de la règle cette année. Depuis sa résidence d’été, la reine a reçue Boris Johnson vers 11 h 20.

Aux alentours de 12 h, Mary Elizabeth Truss a à son tour rencontrée la reine pour l'entrevue du baise-main. La souveraine lui a demandé de former un gouvernement afin d'affronter les crises et mener la politique du pays. Liz Truss est officiellement devenue Première ministre à son retour à Londres.


Liz Truss vence votação do Partido Conservador e se torna a nova primeira-ministra do Reino Unido

A secretária de Relações Exteriores da Grã-Bretanha, Liz Truss, ganhou o voto do Partido Conservador para ser seu novo líder e se tornará o novo primeiro-ministro do país, substituindo Boris Johnson em um momento de turbulência econômica e aumento das contas de energia.

Truss, de 47 anos, que se tornará a terceira mulher a liderar o país, derrotou o ex-chanceler do Tesouro Rishi Sunak, secretário do Tesouro da Grã-Bretanha, em uma votação de cerca de 140.000 membros do Partido Conservador, apenas 0,2. % da população do Reino Unido de 67 milhões.

A votação intrapartidária, em vez de uma eleição geral, foi realizada porque os conservadores ainda detêm a maioria no parlamento e podem escolher o novo primeiro-ministro de sua escolha. Truss será o 15º líder do Reino Unido durante o longo reinado de sua monarca, a rainha Elizabeth. O Partido Conservador anunciou a vitória de Truss na segunda-feira.


Local government officials confiscate London ice cream made from human breast milk for health reasons

Local British councillors have reported that they have seized ice cream made from the breast milk of human beings that had been placed on sale in a shop located in London, England, United Kingdom. Officials cited concerns relating to health and safety.

A Westminster City Council spokeswoman explained that two complaints made by members of the public were being replied to by the council. The Icecreamists, the marketing company involved with the dessert known as 'Baby Gaga', are fully co-operating with officials who are carrying out tests that are currently ongoing. According to Brian Connell, an individual from the council, "[s]elling foodstuffs made from another person's bodily fluids can lead to viruses being passed on and, in this case, potentially hepatitis."

A serving of the ice cream is valued at £14 (US$22.76, €16.49) and is provided in a martini glass. The item became available to purchase during the last week and quickly increased in popularity; within days, the first shipment was sold out.

The breast milk was donated by fifteen women who responded to an online advertisement located on a forum aimed at mothers. According to the company, all milk is screened for the "highest and safest" standards before it is pasteurized and prepared for human consumption. It is then mixed with the zest of lemons and vanilla seed cases.

Matt O'Connor, who founded the Icecreamists, stated: "As far as we are aware there is no law prohibiting a business from selling breast milk ice cream". He claimed that "[i]f it's good enough for our children, it's good enough for the rest of us" and "[s]ome people will hear about it and go yuck - but actually it's pure organic, free-range and totally natural." Brian Connell, a member of the the Conservative Party in the UK, believes that "[a]s the local authority we will support small businesses and applaud innovative ideas wherever possible, but must protect the health of consumers."


Britische Behörden beschlagnahmen Speiseeisprodukt aus Muttermilch

London (England), 04.03.2011 – Britische Stadträte haben mitgeteilt, dass Eis aus der Muttermilch von Menschen, welches in einem Geschäft in London angeboten wird, beschlagnahmt worden sei. Als Grund geben die Behörden Bedenken in Bezug auf Gesundheit und Sicherheit an. Eine Sprecherin des Stadtrates von Westminster erklärte, dass zwei Beschwerden von Mitgliedern in der Öffentlichkeit vom Rat beantwortet würden. Das Speiseeisprodukt, das von der Vermarktungsgesellschaft unter der Bezeichnung „Baby Gaga“ verkauft wird, sei in Zusammenarbeit mit Beamten entwickelt worden und die Durchführung werde von Tests begleitet. Laut Brian Connell, einem Mitglied des Stadtrates, könnten beim Verkauf von Lebensmitteln, die aus menschlichen Körperflüssigkeiten hergestellt würden, Viren und in diesem Fall möglicherweise Hepatitis übertragen werden.

Eine Portion Eis kostet umgerechnet 16,49 Euro und wird in einem Martini-Glas serviert. Der Verkauf begann während der letzten Woche und sorgte rasch für Popularität; innerhalb von Tagen war die erste Lieferung ausverkauft. Die Muttermilch wurde von fünfzehn Frauen gespendet, die sich auf eine Online-Werbung in einem Forum für Mütter gemeldet hatten. Nach Angaben des Herstellers wird die Milch nach den „höchsten und sichersten“ Normen untersucht, bevor sie pasteurisiert und für den menschlichen Verzehr zubereitet wird. Das Produkt wird dann mit geriebener Zitronenschale und Vanillepulver gemischt.

Matt O'Connor, der das Unternehmen gründete, erklärte: „Soweit wir wissen, gibt es kein Gesetz zum Verbot eines Unternehmens, welches Eis aus Muttermilch verkauft“. Er behauptete, dass, wenn es gut genug für unsere Kinder sei, es auch gut genug für alle anderen Menschen sei, und sagte weiter: „Manche Leute werden davon hören und sagen igitt - aber eigentlich ist es rein organisch, aus Freilandhaltung und völlig natürlich.“ Brian Connell, Mitglied der Konservativen Partei in England, glaubt, dass „wir als örtliche Behörde kleine Unternehmen unterstützen und innovative Ideen begrüßen, wo immer möglich, aber die Gesundheit der Verbraucher schützen müssen.“


Τοπικοί αξιωματούχοι στο Λονδίνο κατάσχουν παγωτά παρασκευασμένα από μητρικό γάλα για λόγους υγείας

Τοπικοί σύμβουλοι στη Βρετανία ανέφεραν ότι κατάσχεσαν παγωτά παρασκευασμένα από μητρικό γάλα που είχαν εμφανιστεί προς πώληση σε ένα κατάστημα με έδρα στο Λονδίνο. Οι αξιωματούχοι πρόβαλαν τις ανησυχίες τους σε σχέση με την υγεία και την ασφάλεια.

Ένας εκπρόσωπος του δημοτικού συμβουλίου του Γουέστμινστερ εξήγησε ότι δύο καταγγελίες που έγιναν  από μέλη του κοινού εξετάστηκαν  από το συμβούλιο. Οι Icecreamists, εταιρεία εμπορίας που εμπλεκόταν με το γλύκισμα με την ονομασία 'Baby Gaga', συνεργάζεται πλήρως με τους αξιωματούχους που πραγματοποιούν ελέγχους που ακόμα εξελίσσονται. Σύμφωνα με τον Μπράϊαν Κόνελ, ένα μέλος του συμβουλίου, «το να πουλάς τρόφιμα από παρασκευασμένα σωματικά υγρά ενός άλλου ατόμου μπορεί να οδηγήσει σε ιώσεις που θα μεταδοθούν περαιτέρω, και στην περίπτωσή μας, ενδεχομένως και ηπατίτιδα».

Μια μερίδα του παγωτού αυτού τιμάται στις 14 £ ή 16,49 € και σερβίρεται σε ποτήρι από μαρτίνι. Το προϊόν έγινε διαθέσιμο στην αγορά κατά τη διάρκεια την περασμένης εβδομάδας και γρήγορα αύξησε τη δημοτικότητά του. Σε λίγες μέρες η πρώτη παρτίδα ξεπούλησε.

Το μητρικό γάλα προερχόταν από δωρεά δεκαπέντε γυναικών που ανταποκρίθηκαν σε μια online διαφήμιση σε φόρουμ σχετικό με μητέρες. Σύμφωνα με την εταιρεία, όλο το γάλα έχει ελεγχθεί εξονυχιστικά με τα  «υψηλότερα και ασφαλέστερα» στάνταρντ πριν από την παστερίωση του και την προετοιμασία του για την κατανάλωσή του από ανθρώπους. Στη συνέχεια αναμιγνύεται με αρώματα λεμονιού και κομματάκια από σπόρους βανίλιας.

Ο Ματ Ο'Κόνορ, που ίδρυσε τους Icecreamists, δήλωσε ότι: «Μέχρι σήμερα  γνωρίζουμε ότι δεν υπάρχει νόμος που να απαγορεύει σε μια επιχείρηση να πουλά παγωτό από μητρικό γάλα». Ισχυρίστηκε ότι «αν είναι καλό για τα παιδιά μας, τότε είναι καλό για όλους μας» και «μερικοί άνθρωποι ακούγοντάς το μπορεί να σιχαθούν - αλλά στην πραγματικότητα είναι ένα προϊόν καθαρά οργανικό, με ελεύθερη διασπορά και συνολικά φυσικό.» Ο  Μπράϊαν Κόνελ, μέλος του συντηρητικού κόμματος στην Βρετανία δήλωσε ότι: «Ως τοπική αρχή θα στηρίξουμε μικρές επιχειρήσεις και θα  επιβραβεύσουμε καινοτόμες ιδέες οποτεδήποτε είναι δυνατόν, αλλά πρώτα θα πρέπει να προστατέψουμε την υγεία των καταναλωτών».

2 Μαρτίου 2011


Man arrested for broadcasting Hezbollah television in New York

Javed Iqbal, owner of Brooklyn-based television company HDTV Ltd., was arrested yesterday by United States government authorities for airing content from Al-Manar (The Beacon).  According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Iqbal has been charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.  Government authorities also searched the HDTV Ltd. office and Iqbal's home in Staten Island on suspicion of maintaining satellite dishes.

According to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the arrest followed a tip from a confidential source in February.  A lawyer representing Iqbal, Mustapha Ndanusa, described the accusations against his client — violating U.S. law by providing news outlets to people with a satellite dish — as "completely ridiculous".  If convicted, Iqbal faces up to five years in prison.

Al-Manar was launched by Hezbollah in 1991.  The U.S. Department of the Treasury has declared al-Manar a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which criminalizes business conduct with al-Manar and prohibits their access to American news outlets.  France and Spain have also prohibited al-Manar broadcasts.  Transmission of al-Manar broadcasts in North America via Intelsat have been blocked since December 17, 2004, when the U.S. Department of State placed al-Manar on the Terrorist Exclusion List.

The criminality of Iqbal actions are also subject to the First Amendment rights of the U.S. Constitution, which states in part, "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..."


Homem é preso nos EUA porque transmitia o canal de televisão do Hizbollah

Javed Iqbal, proprietário da HDTV Ltd.,  companhia de televisão que fica no Brooklin,  foi detido ontem por autoridades do governo dos Estados Unidos da América por divulgar  conteúdo do canal  al-Manar. Segundo o Departamento do Tesouro dos Estados Unidos Iqbal foi acusado de  conspiração por  violar o   International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

O canal de televisão al-Manar foi lançado pelo Hizbollah em 1991. O Departamento do Tesouro dos Estados Unidos  declarou o canal al-Manar uma entidade especialmente designada para o terrorismo internacional, segundo a  Executive Order 13224 que criminaliza as relações  comerciais  com  a al-Manar e proíbe o seu uso em programas de notícias americanos.

A França e a Espanha também já proibiram as trasmissões da al-Manar.

As transmissões da al-Manar na América do Norte através do Intelsat está bloqueada desde o dia 17 de dezembro de 2004, quando o Departamento de Estado dos EUA colocou a al-Manar na Lista de Organizações Terroristas.


Mario Draghi succeeds Antonio Fazio as Bank of Italy governor

Fazio has stepped down after an investigation into his role in a controversial bank takeover.  Mario Draghi is to fill his shoes.  Draghi's former job was managing director of the investment bank Goldman Sachs.  Draghi will serve a six year term under a new law that set term limits for the Central banks governor passed last week.

Draghi, who is 58, has had senior government positions in the past including director general of the Italian treasury.  He was born in Rome and earned a doctorate in economics from MIT in 1976.  After earning his degree he taught at the University of Florence until 1991.  During this time Draghi was an Executive Director of the World Bank.  During his tenure as director general of the treasury he carried out extensive privatisation and was appointed chairman of the Italian Committee for Privatisations.  Analysts say he has a good reputation but "Draghi has a tough job to restore the Bank of Italy's credibility, but he is appreciated internationally and has done a lot of jobs and done them well," said Luigi Speranza, an economist with BNP Paribas.

Lorenzo Codogno, an economist with Bank of America, looks forward to Draghi's tenure as the governor of the central bank "His appointment should lead to a more open Italian bank market which will, in the end, mean Italians have to pay less for their bank services."


Mario Draghi neuer Chef der italienischen Notenbank

Rom (Italien), 31.12.2005 – Am 19. Dezember ist der italienische Notenbankchef Antonio Fazio von seinem Amt züruckgetreten. Gestern gab die Banca d'Italia in Rom seinen Nachfolger bekannt.

Es handelt sich um Mario Draghi. Draghi ist Manager bei der Goldman Sachs Bank in New York.


Mario Draghi è il nuovo Governatore della Banca d'Italia

Alle 17:25 di oggi il Presidente della Repubblica ha firmato il decreto per la nomina di Mario Draghi come nuovo Governatore della Banca d'Italia, a partire dal 1 febbraio 2006.

Proprio ieri è stata firmata, sempre dal Presidente, la riforma sul risparmio, che regolamenta la durata del mandato del Governatore ad un massimo di 6 anni rinnovabili. La proposta sulla nomina è stata fatta dal Presidente del Consiglio al Consiglio Superiore della Banca d'Italia, che ha approvato all'unanimità, e poi al Presidente della Repubblica, che ha sottoscritto.

Mario Draghi, 58 anni, laureato in Economia, è vicepresidente per l'Europa di Goldman Sachs dal 2002. Dal 1991 al 2001 è stato direttore generale del Ministero del Tesoro, attraverso ben 10 governi, ed è stato l'artefice delle privatizzazioni in Italia. Nel 1998 firma il Testo Unico sulla Finanza che introduce la normativa per l'Offerta pubblica di acquisto e la scalata delle società quotate in borsa.

La sua nomina arriva dopo le tormentate dimissioni dell'ex Governatore Antonio Fazio indagato per abuso d'atti d'ufficio nelle vicende legate allo scandalo della Banca Antonveneta. Il Presidente della Repubblica aveva espresso preferenze verso Tommaso Padoa Schioppa, ma il grande consenso unanime di maggioranza e opposizione hanno portato ad una scelta differente.

In serata la Banca Centrale Europea ha diramato una nota accogliendo il nuovo Governatore, affermando che «contribuirà in maniera sostanziale al lavoro di Consiglio direttivo e del consiglio BCE».

Soddisfazione è stata espressa da Jean-Claude Trichet, presidente della Banca Centrale Europea. Consensi arrivano anche da tutto il mondo politico, l'unica nota negativa è stata espressa da Paolo Ferrero di Rifondazione Comunista.


Markets down across the world; Dow Jones falls below 9,000

Stock markets across the world fell dramatically this week on worries that recent government moves might not prevent a global recession. The largest drop was with the Dow Jones (DJIA), which fell 678 points or more than 7.3% to below 9,000, closing at 8,579.19. The index fell over 2,000 points in the past nine days to reach its lowest level since 2003. The S&P 500 was down more than 7%.

The U.S. markets opened on the positive side, but with bad news coming from several different areas such as uncertainty over whether the 700 billion USD bank bailout bill passed by the United States House of Representatives and the Senate will be effective. Concerns over the lack of trading within the credit market was a primary cause of the drop.

This was the seventh straight day of markets closing in severely negative numbers.

One of the biggest stocks to drop was General Motors, which lost more than 33% of its value.

In the UK, the FTSE 100 dropped from a day high of 145 points to 52.9 points lower, at a 4 year low. The biggest drop was Barclays, which dropped 13.1%.

The only major world indexes that gained any value were the Hang Seng in Hong Kong, which closed up 511.51 points or 3.31%, and the Russian RTS, which partly recovered from yesterday's fall with a 10.91% increase.

"Markets are still sceptic with regards to the international coordination to face the problems of the financial system," explained Barclays Capital economists, and they predicted stocks would continue to be volatile.

Investors are awaiting the outcome of several meetings that will be held this weekend. Finance ministers from the G7 will be gathering in Washington, and the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank will be holding their autumn meetings.

In response to the financial tsunami, the European Central Bank (ECB) opened an unlimited emergency credit line on Thursday to stimulate liquidity in the institutions that are facing bankruptcy. Through six-day credits, the ECB plans to financially aid the 15 countries which are part of the Eurozone. Furthermore, it injected $100 billion dollars into the market, duplicating the figure it had originally offered.

Iceland nationalized Kaupthing Bank, the most important bank in the country. The Nordic state – whose economy is highly dependent on the banking system – is having great financial problems after the government nationalized the three most important banks, and could face bankruptcy.

Central banks in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico also decided to intervene in the market to stop the rapid devaluation of their currencies, fearing a capital flight out.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel did not rule out nationalizing banks.


Las bolsas pierden terreno pese a los recortes de tasas

9 de octubre de 2008Nueva York, Estados Unidos —

Las bolsas mundiales cerraron este jueves con más pérdidas; pese a haber abierto con ganancias tras el anuncio ayer de recortar las tasas de interés, se encontraron rápidamente cotizando en terreno negativo, borrando las ganancias obtenidas.

Las bolsas de las Américas se desplomaron esta jornada. El Dow Jones, tras haber comenzado el día en alza, se derrumbó en las últimas horas de cotizaciones y perdió 7,33% (678,91 puntos) para cerrar en 8.579,19 puntos, su menor registro desde 2003. Las acciones de General Motors se depreciaron en un 28%, su peor valor desde 1950.

El Nasdaq cayó un 5,47%, y el S&P 500 sufrió una aplastante baja: 7,62%.

Los inversores, al principio optimistas, terminaron temiendo que las medidas que están siendo tomadas por los gobiernos no sean lo suficientemente efectivas para aminorar la caída libre en la que han entrado las bolsas.

El Merval de Argentina cedió 4,99% y el Bovespa de Brasil, por su parte, registró bajas de 3,90%.

Varios bancos centrales habían recortado sus tasas de intereses para hacer frente a la crisis, pero no fue suficiente para paliar la situación.

Con el anuncio de un plan de rescate de £50.000 para los bancos de Reino Unido, la bolsa de Londres abrió en alza y las acciones de HBOS –uno de los bancos más afectados por la crisis– aumentaron en un 19%, pero el FTSE 100 perdió un 1,21% marcando la tendencia negativa del resto de las acciones. El índice británico había perdido ayer un sombrío 5,18%.

El DAX alemán cayó un 2,53% luego de ceder ayer un 5,8%. También el CAC 40 de París perdió un 1,55% tras recortar pérdidas.

Moscú fue la excepción, y su RTS cerró con un alza del 10,91% y así recuperando gran parte de sus pérdidas de ayer.

Las acciones asiáticas cerraron con distintas tendencias. El Nikkei de la bolsa de Tokio cerró en leve baja, de 0,5%, pese a haber cotizado en alza durante parte del día; el índice bursátil había registrado su más grave pérdida en 21 años ayer, cuando cedió 9,38%. Por su parte, el Hang Seng cerró con ganancias del 3,31%.

"Los mercados siguen escépticos en cuanto a la coordinación internacional para plantar cara a los problemas del sistema financiero", explicaba economistas de Barclays Capital. Por esto, predijeron que las bolsas seguirán volátiles por más tiempo.

Los inversores están a la espera de grandes reuniones el fin de semana. Los ministros de finanzas del G7 se reunirán el viernes en Washington para "reforzar los esfuerzos colectivos", mientras que tanto el FMI como el Banco Mundial sostendrán sus reuniones de otoño.

En respuesta al tsunami financiero, el Banco Central Europeo abrió este jueves una línea de crédito ilimitado de emergencia para dar liquidez a las instituciones al borde de la quiebra. A través de créditos a seis días, el BCE planea dar ayudar financiera a los 15 países que integran la eurozona. Asimismo, inyectó $100.000 millones de dólares en el mercado, doblando la cantidad que había ofrecido recientemente.

Islandia debió nacionalizar el banco Kaupthing, el más importante del país. El país nórdico –altamente dependiente del sistema bancario para su economía– se encuentra en graves problemas y podría enfrentar una seria bancarrota.

Asimismo, la Fed debió inyectar más dinero en la aseguradora American Insurance Group (AIG), esta vez de $37.800 millones de dólares.

Los bancos centrales de Argentina, Brasil y México decidieron intervenir en los mercados para frenar la devaluación de sus monedas, por lo que se teme una fuga de capitales. Costa Rica bajó su tasa básica en cuarto de punto, poniendo fin a una serie de aumentos.

La Canciller de Alemania, Angela Merkel, tampoco descartó nacionalizar bancos.


Markets dragged down by credit crisis

Global stock markets fell today, in a mass sell-off stemming from the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rebounded late in the day after falling more than 250 points, ending the day down about 31 points. The UK's FTSE-100 index fell 232.90 points to 6038.30, and Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 406.51 points to 16764.09.

Central banks across the world are injecting funds into their banking systems to add liquidity, fearing that many financial firms with subprime ties will be insolvent. Yesterday, the U.S. Federal Reserve transferred US$24 billion to temporary reserves, following the European Central Bank, which authorized a record €83.6 billion addition to its banks, its biggest cash infusion ever. On Friday, the Fed entered into a $38 billion repurchase agreement of mortgage-backed securities, easing stockholder worries. Also on Friday, the Bank of Japan injected ¥1 trillion into Japan's financial system.

The Federal Reserve met this week, but decided to maintain its target rate of 5.25%, although on Friday the federal funds rate was hovering around 6%, indicating a drop in liquidity.

The volatile week began last Friday with Bear Stearns tumbling as a result from its complete loss of two major hedge funds worth more than $1.5 billion. The hedge funds had been dangerously exposed to the massive sub-prime mortgage failure, and the company announced it was unable to return any money to investors.

Washington Mutual, and Countrywide Financial, both very large U.S. home loan lenders, saw shares fall. Countrywide Financial made a statement this week, saying they will be forced to retain a greater proportion of mortgage. American Home Mortgage Investment Corp, another large lender, recently filed for bankruptcy. The U.S. housing market has been declining for more than two years after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates 17 times. Now, lenders are in a quagmire from millions of people who are unable to repay loans after taking adjustable rate mortgages, teaser rates, interest-only mortgages, or piggyback rates.

Jim Cramer, of CNBC's Mad Money, remarked that as many as seven million people will lose their homes from bad mortgages. Last Friday, Cramer went on a tirade on CNBC's Street Signs, saying that the "Fed was asleep" and called for them to lower rates immediately.

Asian and European markets have become increasingly entangled in the subprime mortgage crisis in the U.S. Deutsche Bank of Germany lost almost $3.5 billion in share value, forcing the government to organize a bail-out. France's largest bank, BNP Paribas SA, halted withdrawals from three large investment funds which were crippled by sub-prime exposure.


Caen las bolsas a nivel internacional por la crisis crédita

Los mercados de valores se derrumbaron hoy por las fuertes oscilaciones en Wall Street mientras que los bancos centrales inyectaron dinero al sistema financiero. El Dow Jones retrocedió más de 250 puntos, mientras que el FTSE-100 del Reino Unido cayó más de 232,90 puntos a 6038,30 y el Nikkei de Japón se sumergió 406,51 puntos hasta los 16764,09 puntos.

Los bancos centrales en todo el mundo están inyectando fondos en sus sistemas bancarios para estimular la liquidez, temiendo que muchas compañías con lazos al mercado subprime puedan ser insolventes. Ayer, el Sistema de Reserva Federal estadounidense (Fed) transfirió $24 mil millones a reservas temporales, seguido por el Banco Central Europeo, que autorizó un récord de $83,6 mil millones de añadidos a sus bancos. Hoy, la Fed entró en un acuerdo de recompra de seguridad respaldado por hipotecas, aliviando las preocupaciones de los accionistas.

La Reserva Federal se reunió esta semana, pero decidió mantener su índice bursátil de target en 5,25%, aunque hoy el índice de fondos federales oscilaba en 6%, indicando una caída en la liquidez.

La liquidación masiva comenzó el viernes pasado con las acciones de Bear Stearns cayendo como resultado de la pérdida de dos fondos de cobertura que se valoraban en más de $1.500 millones. Los fondos de cobertura habían sido expuestos peligrosamente a la falla masiva de los mercados de hipoteca subprime, y la compañía anunció que no era capaz de devolver dinero a los inversionistas.

Washington Mutual y Countrywide Financial, ambos grandes prestamistas de EUA, también vieron sus acciones depreciarse fuertemente. Countrywide Financial emitió una declaración esta semana, diciendo que tendrán que retener una gran porción de la hipoteca. American Home Mortgage Investment Corp, otro gran prestamista, enfila recientemente hacia la bancarrota. El mercado de vivienda de Estados Unidos ha estado en declive por más de dos años luego de que la Reserva Federal aumentara los tipos de interés más de 17 veces. Ahora, los prestamistas están en un lodazal de millones de personas que son incapaces de devolver préstamos.

Jim Cramer, en Mad Money de CNBC, remarcó que más de 7 millones de personas perderán sus hogares por malas hipotecas. El viernes pasado, Cramer declaró en una diatriba que la Fed debía rebajar los índices inmediatamente.

Los mercados asiáticos y europeos se han enredado en la crisis de hipotecas subprime en Estados Unidos. Deutsche Bank de Alemania perdió cerca de $3,5 mil millones en los valores de las acciones, forzando al gobierno a organizar un rescate. BNP Paribas SA detuvo retiradas de tres grandes fondos de inversión que fueron mutilados por la exposición al subprime.

La Bolsa de Hong Kong perdió 2,8% y Seúl, un 4,2%. Además, las pérdidas en Londres fueron de 3,71%, en París de 3,13%, en Frankfurt de 1,48%, en Madrid de 2,59%, en Milán de 2,65% y en Zurich de 2,72%.

Los mercados latinoamericanos también se vieron afectados. El Merval de Argentina cayó más del 2%, recortando las pérdidas al 1,65% para cuando cerró. Los bonos de la deuda argentina también sufrieron por esto, perdiendo un 2% ayer en promedio y hoy registrando varias bajas.


Markets rally as world's central banks infuse cash

Stock indexes around the globe reacted favorably after several national banks announced a joint effort to pump more money into the markets.

At 0800 UTC, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the European Central Bank (ECB), the United States Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan, and the Swiss National Bank jointly announced that they would be working together to provide reciprocal credit arrangements to institutions facing a financial crush from the U.S. dollar. The credit arrangements, also known as "swap lines", will be used to help short-term funding of smaller loan groups.

Totaling US$180 billion, the Federal Reserve arranged to increase existing swap lines with the European Central Bank from US$55 billion to US$110 billion, and with the Swiss National Bank from US$12 billion to US$27 billion. Additionally, it opened new swap lines with the Bank of Japan for up to US$60 billion, up to US$40 billion with the Bank of England, and up to US$10 billion with the Bank of Canada. These swap lines will be available until January 30, 2009.

In its press release, the Federal Reserve stated, "These measures, together with other actions taken in the last few days by individual central banks, are designed to improve the liquidity conditions in global financial markets. The central banks continue to work together closely and will take appropriate steps to address the ongoing pressures."

In the first 90 minutes in the American stock markets, the Dow Jones surged nearly 200 points, the NASDAQ was up nearly nine points, and the S&P 500 was up nearly 15 points. Mid-day trading in the European markets saw the UK's FTSE 100 was up 25 points, the DAX was up over 54 points, and the CAC 40 was up nearly 15 points. While Japan's Nikkei index closed at a three-year low of 11,489.30 points, and the Hang Seng bottomed out at 16,283.72 points before closing at 17,849.97 points.

The Russian markets continued to remain closed for a third day under orders of the Russian government. Russia announced that it would be infusing their own markets with an additional US$19.7 billion, half of which would come from the federal budget. Russia's exchanges will re-open on Friday morning.


Las bolsas en alza tras inyecciones de fondos por parte de los bancos centrales mundiales

18 de septiembre de 2008Nueva York, Estados Unidos —

Los índices en el globo reaccionaron favorablemente luego de que varios bancos nacionales anunciaran un esfuerzo conjunto para inyectar más dinero en los mercados.

El Banco de Canadá, el Banco de Inglaterra, el Banco Central Europeo (BCE), la Reserva Federal de los Estados Unidos| (Fed), el Banco de Japón y el Banco Nacional de Suiza anunciaron juntamente que trabajarían para proveer arreglos recíprocos de crédito a instituciones que están al borde de la bancarrota. Estos arreglos, también conocidos como "swap lines", serán utilizados par ayudar a financiar a corto plazo varios grupos pequeños prestamistas.

Sumando hasta US $180.000 millones, la Fed acordó incrementar las "swap lines" existentes con el BCE de US $55.000 millones a US $110.000 millones, y con el Banco Nacional Suizo de US $12.000 millones a US $27.000 millones. Adicionalmente, abrió nuevas swap lines con el Banco de Japón por hasta US $60.000 millones, hasta US $40.000 millones con el Banco de Inglaterra, y hasta US $10.000 millones con el Banco de Canadá. Estas swap lines estarán disponibles hasta el 30 de enero de 2009.

El el liberado de prensa, la Fed declaró que "[e]stas medidas, junto con otras acciones tomadas en los últimos días por bancos centrales individuales, están diseñadas para mejorar la condición de la liquidez en los mercados financieros globales. Los bancos centrales continúan trabajando juntos y tomarán pasos apropiados para responder a las continuas presiones".

En respuesta a esto, el Dow Jones aumentó en 3.86% para cerrar en 11019,69, mientras que el Nasdaq y el S&P 500 registraron un alza del 4,78% y 4,33% respectivamente. Las bolsas europeas pudieron recortar pérdidas, y aunque las bolsas asiáticas cerraron hoy con graves pérdidas, se prevé que mañana experimentaran ganancias similares el viernes por la madrugada.

Los mercados rusos continuaron cerrados durante un tercer día bajo órdenes del gobierno ruso. Rusia anunció que inyectaría sus propios mercados con US$ 19.700 millones, y mitad de ello vendría del presupuesto federal. Los mercados rusos abrirán nuevamente el viernes.


Mass industrial walkouts in UK

Workers at British industrial plants are staging mass walkouts this morning.

The workers are taking unofficial action in support of a three day strike at Lindsey Oil Refinery in Lincolnshire, England. Staff have walked out at sites in Scotland, Wales and Teesside in north eastern England. The original strike was called over the awarding of a contract by refinery owners Total to an Italian company. This brought 300 Italian and Portuguese workers on to the site.

The latest reports say workers at the UK's main oil refinery at Grangemouth in Scotland have come out in sympathy, as have workers at the former ICI plant on Teesside in England and at the nearby Corus steel plant. Workers have walked out at a power station in Aberthaw in south Wales and at plants at Fidler's Ferry in Cheshire, at Lackenby in Teesside and at the gas terminals near Peterhead in Scotland and Milford Haven in Wales. A protest outside the Lindsey refinery has now dispersed but local union leaders say it will resume on Monday. The Lindsey strike continues.

Secondary industrial action has been illegal in the United Kingdom since the 1980s. However, the penalties apply only to unions organising secondary strikes, not to workers acting individually.


Operai inglesi: «Italia ci porta via il lavoro»

Una singolare protesta si è tenuta oggi nel Lincolnshire in Inghilterra, Regno Unito. Alcune centinaia di lavoratori hanno scioperato protestando contro un'azienda italiana vincitrice di un appalto nella zona. La Total aveva affidato all'azienda italiana Irem lavori presso la raffineria Lindsey Oil di Grimsby, dopo che questa aveva vinto l'appalto contro 5 britanniche e una continentale.

Bobby Buirds di Unite, il maggior sindacato britannico, ha dichiarato: «Il problema non sono i lavoratori stranieri, ma le aziende straniere che discriminano i lavoratori britannici».

Gli fa eco Derek Simpson, co-segretario di Unite: «Potete capire l'indignazione morale di queste persone che vedono impiegata forza lavoro straniera mentre loro restano disoccupati».

Giancarlo Aragona, l'ambasciatore italiano nel Regno Unito, ha replicato: «Comprendo l'ansia dei lavoratori britannici per l'attuale situazione economica: anche in Italia i lavoratori sono preoccupati per la crisi. Ma in questo caso l'azienda italiana ha vinto l'appalto rispettando sia le regole britanniche che quelle UE. Io spero che non vi sia spazio per malintesi: non vi è l'intenzione di discriminare nessuno».


McDonald's restaurant to close all locations in Iceland

McDonald's, the international fast food restaurant chain, will cease all operations in Iceland by the end of October.

The company blames the closure of the nation's three outlets on drastically increased costs of importing its food ingredients, which mainly came from Germany. McDonald's corporation says the current economic slump is to blame for rising costs, along with the "unique operational complexity" of keeping them open.

The restaurant, with its distinctive Golden Arches, began its Icelandic operations in 1993. Its outlets were operated by Lyst, a franchising company owned by Jon Gardar Ogmundsson. There are no plans to reopen any of the locations.

"[Stores have] never been this busy before... but at the same time profits have never been lower. It just makes no sense. For a kilo[gram] of onion[s], imported from Germany, I'm paying the equivalent of a bottle of good whisky," said one Gardar Ogmundsson, the owner of the firm Lyst, to the BBC.

Lyst hopes to operate a new chain of restaurants, which will be supplied by domestic rather than imported food products.

McDonald's, which operates in 119 countries globally, previously closed its sole retail outlet in Barbados in 1996 after only six months in operation, and withdrew from an additional seven countries in 2000 — including Bolivia — to reduce costs.


Mc Donald's cierra sus locales en Islandia

Mc Donald's, empresa norteamericana de comida rápida cierra los dos restaurantes que funcionaban en Islandia a causa de la crisis económica global.
Islandia es uno de los países más afectados por la recesión. Tras quebrar los tres principales bancos del país, estos tuvieron que ser nacionalizados.

La corona islandesa se devaluó un 80% con respecto al euro provocando un aumento de los precios. La inflación trepó un 18,1% en un año. Esta fue la causa por la que Lyst, la empresa que operaba la marca de la "M" en forma de franquicia, decidió finalizar sus operaciones.

Durante todo este tiempo la mercadería se importaba desde Alemania, una operación que ahora cuesta el doble. Sin embargo los puestos de trabajo no se pierden, la empresa operará otra marca hasta que se pueda superar la crisis y retomar la franquicia original.


Microsoft announces plan to acquire GitHub for US$7.5 billion

On Monday, United States technology giant Microsoft announced their plans to acquire GitHub, a San Francisco, California-based web-based hosting service for software version control using Git, for 7.5 billion US Dollars (USD).

In the official announcement at the Microsoft News web site, the company said they are to reach agreement with GitHub by the end of the year. They said the agreement would allow them to deliver Microsoft development services to GitHub users, and "accelerate enterprise use of GitHub". GitHub had been financially struggling recently and is expected to get a new CEO.

In 2016, according to financial news and media company Bloomberg L.P., through three quarters GitHub lost USD 66 million, while in nine months of that year GitHub had revenue of USD 98 million. In August 2017 GitHub said they were seeking a new CEO. According to the announcements by GitHub and Microsoft, the Microsoft Corporate Vice President Nat Friedman would become the new CEO of GitHub. He had created app creation platform company Xamarin and was "an open-source veteran", Microsoft said.

GitHub confirmed the acquisition plans on its blog. In this announcement they alluded to concerns about past friction between Microsoft and open-source software, however they said "things are different. [...] Microsoft is the most active organization on GitHub in the world", mentioning VS Code as an example. In the announcement, GitHub also referred to its several years of collaboration with Microsoft on Git LFS and Electron. GitHub also mentioned the Azure development platform run by Microsoft.


Microsoft испугала интернет слухами о покупке GitHub

Компании и разработчики начали массово переносить свои проекты и репозитории с портала GitHub на GitLab на фоне сообщений о возможном приобретении сервиса компанией Microsoft. По данным Архивная копия от 5 июня 2018 на Wayback Machine портала по сбору статистики Grafana, за минувшие выходные на GitLab были импортированы тысячи проектов, и, как ожидается, их число только будет расти.

Главным образом массовый переход связан с опасением, что после покупки GitHub Microsoft получит полный доступ к миллионам частных проектов, которые компании в настоящее время размещают в премиум-сервисе GitHub.

Первые слухи о продаже GitHub начали появляться в минувшую пятницу. В воскресенье, 3 июня 2018 года, агентство Bloomberg со ссылкой на внутренние источники сообщило, что соглашение якобы уже заключено и официальное заявление будет сделано в понедельник, 4 июня.

В настоящее время условия и сумма сделки неизвестны.

Представитель Microsoft Фрэнк Шоу отказался от комментариев.
GitHub также не ответил на запрос журналистов.

В 2015 году стоимость GitHub оценивалась в $2 млрд, сейчас ценник может быть значительно выше. Как предполагается, GitHub обойдется компании в пределах $10-20 млрд.

Ранее Microsoft приобрела соцсеть LinkedIn за $26,2 млрд.

В Сети уже запустили петицию с призывом не допустить продажу GitHub.

GitHub — один из самых популярных сервисов для совместной разработки программного обеспечения и его хостинга в облаке. Основан на системе контроля версий Git и разработан на Ruby on Rails и Erlang компанией GitHub.
Сервисом GitHub пользуются 27 млн разработчиков программного обеспечения.
На нём хранят, синхронизируют и разрабатывают свой корпоративный код многие компании, включая Microsoft и Alphabet (Google).

GitLab — платформа управления Git-репозиториями, анализа кода, отслеживания ошибок, тестирования, деплоя, ведения каналов и вики-страниц.

4 июня 2018 года


Microsoft announces Xbox 360 launch dates

Microsoft announced on Thursday the release dates for the new version of the Xbox gaming console. The Xbox 360 will be in shops in the US on November 22. It will be launched in Europe on December 2 and in Japan on December 10.

The Xbox 360 in the US and Europe will come in two editions, base and premium. The premium edition will include the console, an external hard drive, wireless controllers, headset and membership in the Xbox Live gaming service.  The base version will only include the console and a wired controller.  The base edition will sell for £209.99 in the UK, €299.99 in Europe and $299.99 in the USA. The premium edition will sell for £279.99 in the UK and $399.99 in the USA. A third edition with nearly identical features to the premium edition will be available in Japan for ¥37,900.

Microsoft has said up to 20 games would be ready by the launch date, and  40 games should be launched by the end of 2005.  "We expect a strong portfolio of titles on launch day and through the holidays that will appeal to fans of every genre and gamers in every region," said Chief Xbox officer Robbie Bach.

The launch date is two days before Thanksgiving, the traditional start of the US Christmas buying season.  A  November launch will give Microsoft a lead over competitors Sony and Nintendo. Sony plans to release the PlayStation 3 in the spring of 2006, and Nintendo plans to release its new console, the Revolution, sometime next year.


Microsoft annonce la date de sortie de la Xbox 360

Microsoft a annoncé les différentes dates de sortie pour la Xbox 360, qui succèdera à la Xbox. L'entrée sur le marché de la nouvelle console se fera peu avant Noël en Europe et aux États-Unis.

La première mondiale se fera dans les magasins américains le 22 novembre, avant l'Europe (2 décembre) et le Japon le 10 décembre. Ses concurrents directs, comme la Playstation 3 et la Nintendo Revolution ne sortiront au plus tôt qu'en printemps 2006.

Microsoft prévoit de comercialiser la Xbox 360 en deux versions : standard et prémium. La version prémium sera dotée d'un disque dur externe, d'écouteurs et de manettes sans fil ainsi que d'un abonnement au service Xbox Live qui permet de jouer en ligne. L'édition de base sera vendue aux alentours de 300 € ($300 et £219) alors que la version prémium sera environ cent euros plus chère.

Le géant américain de Redmond espère que d'ici la sortie de sa console une vingtaine de jeux seraient prêts. D'ici au début 2006 une quarantaine de jeux Xbox Live seront sur le marché. Les résponsables marketing tablent surtout sur une grande diversité des genres, dès le lancement.


Microsoft podał datę rynkowej premiery konsoli Xbox 360

Koncern Microsoft ogłosił w czwartek datę rynkowej premiery nowej wersji konsoli do gier Xbox. Model 360 pojawi się w amerykańskich sklepach 22 listopada. W Europie premiera rynkowa konsoli przewidziana jest na 2 grudnia, w Japonii – na 10.

W Stanach Zjednoczonych i w Europie Xbox 360 pojawi się w dwóch wersjach – podstawowej i premium. Wśród udogodnień wersji premium będzie m.in. dodatkowy dysk twardy i darmowe członkostwo w serwisie z grami Xbox Live. Podstawowa wersja kosztować będzie prawie 210 funtów w Wielkiej Brytanii, 300 euro w większości krajów Europy i 300 dolarów w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Edycja premium będzie droższa o przeszło 100 dolarów.

Według szacunków Microsoftu zanim w sklepach pojawi się konsola Xbox 360 na tą platformę gotowych będzie już około 20 gier. Następnych 40 ma pojawić przed końcem 2005 roku. Spodziewamy się dużego zestawu tytułów gier dostępnego już w dniu rynkowej premiery konsoli i w okresie bożonarodzeniowym, który z pewnością zadowoli fanów w różnym wieku i w różnych częściach świata – powiedział Robbie Bach, szef projektu Xbox.

Data rynkowej premiery konsoli przypada na dwa tygodnie przed amerykańskim Świętem Dziękczynienia, czyli akurat na początku bożonarodzeniowej gorączki zakupów. Decyzja Microsoftu to próba zdystansowania konkurentów – Sony i Nintendo. Konsola Sony, PlayStation 3 pojawi się na rynku na wiosnę 2006 roku. Nintendo nie precyzuje daty premiery konsooli Revolution. Wiadomo tylko, że pojawi się w przyszłym roku.

Na razie nie wiadomo także, kiedy Xbox 360 pojawi się w Polsce.