USA liefern F-16-Kampfflugzeuge an Pakistan

Washington D.C. (Vereinigte Staaten) / Islamabad (Pakistan), 26.03.2005 – US-Präsident George W. Bush hat sich dazu entschlossen, die Lieferung von F-16-Kampfflugzeugen an Pakistan zu genehmigen.

Obwohl sich der Konflikt zwischen Indien und Pakistan um die Grenzregion Kaschmir in den letzten Monaten entspannt hat, blieb Indien ein strikter Gegner dieses Waffengeschäfts. Bush hat den indischen Regierungschef Manmohan Singh bereits telefonisch über die Waffenlieferung informiert. Die indische Regierung zeigte sich merklich enttäuscht und befürchtet negative Auswirkungen auf die Machtbalance in der Region.

Die F-16-Kampfjets, die vom US-Rüstungskonzern Lockheed Martin gebaut werden, können auch mit Atomwaffen bestückt werden.

Vor etwa 15 Jahren wurde die Lieferung vertraglich zugesagt. Wegen der nuklearen Aufrüstung Pakistans verhängten die USA in den 1990er Jahren Sanktionen gegen Pakistan, weshalb die Lieferung nicht zustande kam. Nun begründet die US-Regierung ihre Entscheidung damit, dass die Flugzeuge wichtig für das pakistanische Engagement im Antiterrorkampf seien. Gleichzeitig erneuerte die US-Regierung einem Bericht vom Samstag zufolge die Warnung an US-Bürger, keine „nicht notwendigen“ Reisen nach Pakistan zu unternehmen.

US-Ermittler vermuten, dass Pakistan sein Nuklearprogramm auf dem Schwarzmarkt runderneuern will. Unterdessen meldete die „Los Angeles Times“ am Samstag, dass das FBI Beweise für geheime Einkäufe von High-Tech-Komponenten Pakistans in USA gefunden habe, durch die US-Gesetze verletzt worden seien. Die Komponenten seien für das pakistanische Nuklearprogramm gedacht. US-Bundesbehörden hätten zudem erklärt, dass der verbotene Handel mit den Hochtechnologie-Ausrüstungen über Humayun Khan abgewickelt worden sei. Den Geschäftsmann aus Islamabad verdächtigen US-Strafverfolger, mit militanten Islamisten in Verbindung zu stehen, so die kalifornische Zeitung.

Obgleich Präsident Bush darauf dränge, der illegalen Handel mit Nuklearmaterial und -ausrüstungen auf internationaler Ebene zu bekämpfen, seien die Bemühungen zweier US-Behörden, Ermittler nach Pakistan zu entsenden, durch Kreise in Washington selbst unterbunden worden, schrieb die „Los Angeles Times“ unter Berufung auf Kenner des Falls.

Die „Pattsituation“ sei Folge eines länger schon anhaltenden Tauziehens zwischen US-Behörden, die die Gesetze zur Nichtweiterverbreitung von Nukleartechnologie durchsetzen wollen und Politikern, die Pakistan für zu wichtig halten, um es zu verärgern. Der untersuchte illegale Handel soll Anfang 2003 stattgefunden haben.

„Dies ist das uralte Problem zwischen Pakistan und den USA. Andere Prioritäten halten die Vereinigten Staaten immer davon ab, mit Pakistans Weiterbreitung von Nukleartechnologie härter ins Gericht zu gehen. Und das reicht 15 oder 20 Jahre zurück“, zitiert das Blatt David Albright, den Direktor des Institute For Science and International Security (ISIS) in Washington. Der frühere UN-Waffeninspektor befürwortet demnach einen härteren Kurs gegenüber Pakistan.

US-amerikanische und europäische Beamte, die mit Fragen der Nichtweiterverbreitung beschäftigt sind, hätten unlängst Beweise dafür gefunden, das Pakistan wieder vermehrte Anstrengungen unternehme, im Zuge der beabsichtigten Erneuerung seines jahrzehntealten Waffenprogramms auf dem Schwarzmarkt an Nuklearkomponenten zu gelangen, heißt es weiter.

Die Ermittler verdächtigen dem Bericht zufolge jene Kreise des pakistanischen Militärs, den Deal einfädelt zu haben, die auch mit Kadir Khan in Verbindung gestanden haben könnten, dem „Vater“ des pakistanischen Atomprogramms. Khan - der mit Humayun Khan nicht verwandt ist - hatte eingeräumt, Iran, Nordkorea und Libyen mit waffentauglichem Material und Know-How beliefert zu haben.

US-Ermittler seien zunehmend frustriert über die mangelnde Unterstützung von Seiten des US-Außenministeriums, weil sie eine vermehrte Verstrickung Pakistans in den Schwarzhandel mit Nuklearmaterial feststellten. Ihnen zufolge hat Pakistan sein ohnehin schon umfangreiches Agentennetz ausgebaut, um an Nuklearkomponenten und Raketenteile zu gelangen. Experten der Internationalen Atomenergiebehörde (IAEA) in Wien seien zu demselben Schluss gekommen, heißt es.


UAE to impose corporate tax on business profits

On Monday, the United Arab Emirates announced it would impose a federal corporate tax of 9% on business profits, effective from June 1, 2023.

The tax will be levied from all corporations except those involved in "extraction of natural resources". Businesses with profits up to 375 thousand dirhams will be categorised as small businesses and will be exempted from the tax.

The Emirates has long been a low tax country with no personal tax. The Ministry of Finance said the tax was being imposed to combat tax avoidance and to realign the country on major issues such as the digitalisation of the global economy. It may be linked to a recent international agreement on a minimum global corporate tax rate but the Ministry did not elaborate.


Emirados Árabes Unidos vão impor imposto corporativo sobre lucros de empresas

Na segunda-feira, os Emirados Árabes Unidos anunciaram que imporiam um imposto corporativo federal de 9% sobre os lucros das empresas. O Ministério das Finanças disse em comunicado que o imposto entrará em vigor a partir de 1 de junho de 2023.

O imposto será cobrado de todas as empresas, exceto aquelas envolvidas na "extração de recursos naturais". As empresas com lucros até 375 mil dirhams serão categorizadas como pequenas empresas e ficarão isentas do imposto.

Os Emirados têm sido um país com baixos impostos e sem impostos pessoais. O Ministério disse que o imposto estará sendo cobrado para combater a evasão fiscal e realinhar o país em questões importantes, como a digitalização da economia global. Pode estar ligado a um acordo internacional recente sobre uma taxa mínima global de imposto corporativo, mas o Ministério não deu detalhes.


UK government announces cut in VAT

The UK Government has announced that it is cutting the rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) by 2.5 percentage points, to 15%, in a move to get consumers spending again.

This move, along other tax cuts, is going to require the government to increase borrowing to record levels, according to experts cited by BBC News.

Gordon Brown, the UK Prime Minister, has stated, "I don't see this as a gamble, I see this as necessary, responsible action, that any sensible government would want to take."

"Those people who say do nothing now, would leave people, as in the 1980s and 1990s, without hope that their mortgage problems could be sorted out, or their jobs problems could be sorted out," he continued in a discussion on BBC television programme "The Politics Show". "It would be lacking in compassion, as well as irresponsible, in my view."

David Cameron, the leader of the opposition, has expressed his concern over the move. "I think people are going to be shocked tomorrow [Today] when they see the extent of government borrowing," he said yesterday, before the move was official. "Maybe £80bn this year, before the recession's even properly started, and possibly over £100bn next year. And next year that is over £4,000 extra for every family in the country."

"So I do have a real concern about a government going on a borrowing binge that even they are now admitting is going to lead to much higher taxes later."

In his statement announcing the move, Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has admitted that the national debt will go up from 2.8% to 4.4% over the next year, although he stated that these changes were necessary to avoid a recession.

The move, which will come into effect next Monday, will last until the end of next year, and Darling stated that it will cost the government £12.5 billion. This was announced as part of the 2008 pre-budget report.

Vince Cable, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, also commented on the tax cut. "A big tax cut's desirable, that's certainly the case. And a VAT cut would act very quickly, which is positive," he stated.  "But we prefer a different approach which is more targeted on people who really need it. And we believe that people on low incomes, low wages should get an income tax cut - lifting thresholds or reducing the rate. And that's a much better way of concentrating resources where it needs it."

15% percent is the lowest rate of VAT permitted by the European Union.


Royaume-Uni : le gouvernement décide de réduire la TVA

Publié le 24 novembre 2008   Le gouvernement britannique a annoncé qu'il va réduire le taux de la Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée (TVA) de 2,5% le fixant ainsi à 15% pour relancer le pouvoir d'achat.

Cette initiative va obliger le gouvernement à accroître les emprunts à des niveaux record, selon les experts cités par la BBC News

Gordon Brown, le Premier ministre britannique, a déclaré à la suite d'une discussion sur l'émission de télévision BBC « The Politics Show » : « Je ne vois pas cela comme un pari, je le vois en tant que de besoin, une action responsable, qu'un gouvernement raisonnable doit prendre. Ces gens qui disent de ne rien faire maintenant laisseraient les gens, comme dans les années 1980 et 1990, sans espoir que leur prêt hypothécaire, leur emploi ou des problèmes puissent être réglés, et ce serait manquer de compassion et être irresponsable, à mon avis »

David Cameron, le chef de l'opposition, a exprimé son inquiétude sur le changement. « Je pense que les gens vont être choqués demain [aujourd'hui] quand ils verront l'ampleur des emprunts publics », a t-il dit hier.

Dans sa déclaration annonçant l'allégement de la taxe, Alistair Darling, le Chancelier de l'Échiquier a admis que la dette nationale passera de 2,8% à 4,4% au cours de la prochaine année, mais il a déclaré que ces changements étaient nécessaires pour éviter une récession.

Le décret, qui entrera en vigueur lundi prochain, durera jusqu'à la fin de l'année prochaine, et Darling a déclaré que cela va coûter au gouvernement 12,5 milliards de £. Cela a été annoncé dans le cadre de 2008 rapport pré-budget.

Vince Cable, le chef du parti libéral-démocrate, a également commenté la réduction d'impôt. « Une grande réduction de l'impôt est souhaitable. Et une réduction de la TVA est positif », a-t-il déclaré. « Mais nous préférons une approche différente qui est plus ciblée sur les personnes qui en ont vraiment besoin. Et nous croyons que les personnes à faible revenu, les bas salaires devraient obtenir une réduction de l'impôt sur le revenu - la levée de seuils ou de réduire les taux. Et c'est une bien meilleure façon de concentrer les ressources là où il a besoin. »

Une T.V.A de 15 % est le plus faible taux autorisé par l'Union européenne.


UK government outlines plans for rail transport

The government of the United Kingdom has outlined its plans for the development of the Britain's railway network in a white paper presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Transport, Ruth Kelly.

Ruth Kelly described the report as "the most ambitious strategy for growth on the railways in over 50 years" and announced that capacity will be increased to cope with an expected 20% growth in passenger numbers over the next seven years through a £10 billion investment.

The government is to continue to limit the rate of increase of regulated tickets, which include standard season and saver tickets, to a maximum of 1% above inflation, and plan to introduce a simplified ticketing structure of four basic ticket types.

Today's announcement also extended the government's commitment made in March of this year to fund extra carriages. An additional 300 brings the total to 1,300 carriages to be acquired to relieve overcrowding.

The impact of the investment the government has outlined will be concentrated in tackling areas of high overcrowding on the rail network. In particular, Ms Kelly has highlighted a number of key projects. These include the improvement of Reading and Birmingham New Street stations and the approval of the Thameslink modernisation programme.

150 stations across the network will be upgraded and refurbished at a cost of £150 million.

The largest opposition party, the Conservative Party, greeted the release with much scepticism, saying that the paper contains "reheated announcements that are years later than promised". A spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats described it as a "missed opportunity" to encourage more people to use trains in favour of cars or planes and suggested that much of the investment outlined in the document had been announced before.

George Muir, of the Association of Train Operating Companies which represents the companies providing passenger train services on the British rail network, said that the white paper is the "first plausible plan for expanding the railway" in recent years.


Regierung des Vereinigten Königreichs legt Pläne für den Eisenbahnverkehr vor

London (Vereiniges Königreich), 26.07.2007 – Die Regierung des Vereinigten Königreichs hat ihre Pläne für den Ausbau des britischen Eisenbahn-Netzes in Form eines White Papers durch Verkehrsministerin Ruth Kelly dem Parlament präsentiert.

Ruth Kelly beschreibt den Bericht als „die ambitionierteste Strategie für das Wachstum der Eisenbahn in über 50 Jahren“ und kündigte an, dass die Kapazität erhöht werden wird. So will man dem erwarteten 20-prozentigen Wachstum der Fahrgastzahlen in den nächsten sieben Jahren gewachsen sein, in dem man eine Investition von zehn Milliarden Pfund Sterling tätigt.

Die Regierung will weiter den Preisanstieg der regulierten Fahrkarten begrenzen. Maximal dürfen die Preise ein Prozent mehr steigen, als die jährliche Inflationsrate. Das schließt auch Standard-Saison- und Spar-Fahrkarten mit ein. Weiterhin soll eine vereinfachte Preisstruktur mit vier Fahrkartentypen eingeführt werden.

Im März diesen Jahres beschloss die Regierung, die Anschaffung zusätzlicher Fahrzeuge zu bezuschussen. Dieser Zuschuss wurde nochmals aufgestockt. Mit weiteren 300 steigt die Zahl der anzuschaffenden Fahrzeuge damit auf 1.300. Überfüllte Züge sollen so verhindert werden.

Die Investitionen sollen in Bereichen konzentriert werden, in denen das Eisenbahnnetz stark überlastet ist. Insbesondere hat Frau Kelly einige der Kernprojekte dargestellt, darunter den Ausbau der Bahnhöfe Reading und Birmingham New Street und die Zustimmung zum „Thameslink modernisation programme“. 150 Bahnhöfe im ganzen Netz werden für 150 Millionen Pfund modernisiert.

Die größte Oppositionspartei, die Conservative Party, reagierte auf die Erklärung mit viel Skepsis, denn das Papier enthalte „aufgewärmte Ankündigungen, die Jahre später als angekündigt kommen“. Eine Sprecherin der Liberal Democrats beschrieb es als „vertane Chance“, mehr Menschen dazu zu bringen, Züge statt Autos oder Flugzeugen zu benutzen und deutete an, dass viele der im Dokument beschriebenen Investitionen bereits zuvor angekündigt worden waren.

George Muir von der Association of Train Operating Companies, die die Firmen repräsentiert, die Passagierzugdienstleistungen im britischen Eisenbahnnetz anbietet, sagte, das White Paper sei der „erste sinnvolle Plan für den Ausbau der Eisenbahn“ in den letzten Jahren.


UK inflation rate increases to 3.5%

According to an announcement made by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday, the inflation rate of the United Kingdom measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased to 3.5% in January 2010, an increase of 0.6% from December 2009. For the UK, this is the second largest month-on-month inflation rate increase on record. The inflation rate for the country has also now reached its highest level since November 2008.

The causes of this inflation rise include a 70% rise in oil prices, and value added tax recently being increased to 17.5%. The headline inflation rate of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) also increased from 2.4% for the month of December 2009 to 3.7% for the month of January 2010. Meanwhile, the underlying rate of RPI increased from 3.8% to 4.6% over the same period.

The British Government has an inflation target of 2%, which was surpassed by more than 1%. For this reason, Mervyn King, who is the Governor of the Bank of England has written a required explanatory letter to Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling. In the letter, King wrote: "Although it is likely to remain high over the next few months, inflation is more likely than not to fall back to the target in the second half of this year."

Alistair Darling then wrote a letter in response, which said that the future expectations of the inflation was "subject to some uncertainty" as countries around the world continue to recover from what he called the "deepest downturn in modern times".


A brit infláció 3,5%-ra emelkedett

A brit statisztikai hivatal[1] keddi jelentése szerint a fogyasztói árindex[2] alapján számított januári inflációs mutató 3,5% a szigetországban, ami a legmagasabb 2008 novembere óta. Ez a múlt év decemberihez képest 0,6%-os emelkedést jelent; ennél nagyobb változás csak egyszer volt egy hónapon belül.

Az infláció gyorsulásában visszatükröződik az olaj 70%-os drágulása és az ÁFA 17,5%-ra való emelése. A kiskereskedelmi árindex[3] alapján számított infláció szintén emelkedett a decemberihez képest, méghozzá 2,4%-ról 3,7%-ra. A jelzáloghitelek kamatai[4] ugyanez idő alatt 3,8%-ról 4,6%-ra kúsztak fel.

Az angol inflációs cél 2%. Az angol nemzeti bank[5] elnöke (Mervyn King) szerint a közeljövőben magas marad az infláció, de valószínű, hogy a második félévre a cél közelébe vagy az alá csökken. Az infláció alakulása körüli bizonytalanságot a pénzügyminiszter (Alistair Darling) a világgazdasági válság kihatásának tudja be.


UK petrol prices rise to record 121.76p

In the United Kingdom, the average price of unleaded petrol has reached a record high of 121.76p a litre. The previous peak was 121.61p a litre, on May 12, 2010. In comparison to last year, petrol is more expensive by 11.88p, according to The Automobile Association (AA). The price for 50 litres has therefore increased by £5.94.

Edmund King, current president of the AA, stated: "In the past week, we have seen the average price of petrol shoot up 1.7p a litre across the UK and diesel rise 1.61p. It comes at a particularly bad time for drivers, who have struggled with appalling winter weather and often seen their fuel drain away while stuck in snow-bound traffic jams. Our only hope is that either oil and fuel markets settle back down or the pound strengthens against the dollar. Until then, it is an even more uncomfortable ride for families trying to keep cars on the road."

iAt 125.73p a litre on average, diesel is approximately eight pence lower than its July 2008 peak of 133.25p; It remains 14.21p more expensive than last year.

In January 2011, the prices of fuel are anticipated to rise again due to the increased value added tax rate and higher hydrocarbon oil duty prices coming into effect. Adrian Tink, a motoring strategist for the RAC, believes that the latter should be called off: "It's unbelievable to think that, compared with this time last year, petrol is 13p a litre more expensive. That's over £7 more every time you fill up an average tank. While the increases this year have been driven by a number of factors, you can't get away from the fact that we have seen five rises in fuel duty in the past two years — and we're due another one in January, plus a VAT rise. Who knows what the price will be come January 5, 2011? An average of 125p per litre is very feasible."


Στο Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο η τιμή της βενζίνης έφθασε τις 1.2176 λίρες Αγγλίας το λίτρο

Στο Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο η τιμή της βενζίνης έφθασε στις 1.2176 ₤ το λίτρο. Η προηγούμενη τιμή, στις 12 Μαΐου 2010, ήταν 1.2161 ₤ ανά λίτρο. Σε σύγκριση με τον προηγούμενο χρόνο, η τιμή της βενζίνης αυξήθηκε κατά 1.188 ανά λίτρο, σύμφωνα με την The Automobile Association (AA). Η τιμή για 50 λίτρα αυξήθηκε κατά 5.94 ₤.

Ο Έντμουρντ Κίνγκ, νυν πρόεδρος της ΑΑ, δήλωσε: "Τη προηγούμενη εβδομάδα, βλέπαμε την αύξηση της τιμής της βενζίνης κατά 1.7 ₤ ανά λίτρο σε όλη τη Βρετανία και την αύξηση της τιμής του diesel (ντίζελ) κατά 1.61 ₤ ανά λίτρο. Αυτό έρχεται σε μια κακή εποχή για τους οδηγούς, καθώς με τις κακές καιρικές συνθήκες βλέπουν συχνά να αδειάζει από βενζίνη  το ρεζερβουάρ του αυτοκίνητου τους. Η μόνη μας ελπίδα είναι να ενισχυθεί η λίρα Αγγλίας έναντι του δολαρίου στις συναλλαγές  πετρελαίου και καυσίμων. Αυτό έγινε πιο άβολο για τις οικογένειες, οι οποίες προσπαθούν να κρατήσουν τα αυτοκίνητα τους στον δρόμο, κατά τη διάρκεια μιας βόλτας."

Τον Ιανουάριο του 2011, οι τιμές του πετρελαίου προβλέπονται να αυξηθούν πάλι. Ο Αντριάν Τίνκ, μέλος της RAC, δήλωσε: "Είναι απίστευτο να σκεφτόμαστε ότι, σε σύγκριση με τον περασμένο χρόνο, θα αυξηθεί η τιμή της βενζίνης κατά 13 σέντ ανά λίτρο. Αυτό είναι 7 λίρες περισσότερα κάθε φορά που γεμίζεις ένα μέσου μεγέθους ντεπόζιτο. Ενώ οι αυξήσεις του τρέχοντος έτους επηρεάστηκαν  από αρκετούς παράγοντες, δεν μπορείς να παραγνωρίσεις  το γεγονός ότι είδαμε πέντε (5) αυξήσεις στις τιμές καυσίμων τα τελευταία δύο (2) χρόνια. Ποιός ξέρει ποιά θα είναι η τιμή στις 5 Ιανουαρίου 2011; Κατά μέσο όρο, η αύξηση της τιμής κατά 125 σέντ ανά λίτρο είναι πιθανή."

13 Δεκεμβρίου 2010


UK Royal Mail announces record 5p increase in stamp prices

In the United Kingdom, the Royal Mail have announced that they will increase the price of first-class stamps by a record 5p on April 4, 2011. This means that they will now cost £0.46. The company have also confirmed that the price of second-class stamps will be concurrently increased by 4p, increasing their value to £0.36.

On November 8, The Postal Services Commission voted to allow the Royal Mail to perform these actions. At present, the Royal Mail lose 6.4p for every stamped letter delivered by them. These increases should allow the company to receive an extra £380 million in revenues per year.

Moya Greene, the chief executive officer of the Royal Mail, commented about this decision. "We have thought carefully about these increases as we are conscious of the difficult economic circumstances our customers are facing," she stated. "No-one likes to pay more and we regret having had to take these tough decisions on pricing. After these increases, we will continue providing value-for-money as our prices will still be among the lowest in Europe. We are investing heavily to modernise our operations, which is all about providing our customers with the services they need in today’s open, highly competitive postal marketplace. With the sharp declines in mail volume, our revenues are falling. That means if we don’t generate more income, we will simply not be able to keep funding our six-days-a-week collection, sorting, transport and delivery operation to the UK’s 28m homes and businesses."

The price of parcels that weigh below two kilograms will remain unaffected. However, if parcels are over two kilograms in weight, the price will increase by 8%. The minimum price for special deliveries will become £5.45, an increase of 40p. After 0830 local time, company mail collections will also come at a yearly charge of £210.

Below is a table providing information of what prices for standard, large and franked letters will be as of 4 April 2011, as well as details of what the increases in price are for the letters in comparison to their current value.


Rekordnagyságú áremelésre készül a Royal Mail

A brit állami postai szolgálat, a Royal Mail bejelentette, hogy 2011. április 4-től kezdődően emeli az általa forgalmazott bélyegek árát. Az elsőbbségi levelekhez használható, úgynevezett elsőosztályú bélyegek ára 5 pennyvel 46, a normál küldeményekhez használható másodosztályúaké pedig 4 pennyvel 36 pennyre emelkedik.

A Postai Szolgáltatások Bizottsága[1] november 8-án szavazott az áremelés engedélyezéséről. A posta jelenleg ugyanis 6,4 penny veszteséget termel minden általa kézbesített (felbélyegzett) küldemény után. Az emeléstől évi 380 millió fontnyi plusz bevételt remélnek.

– Az áremelés kapcsán sok mindent mérlegre vettünk, hiszen mi is érezzük a gazdasági nehézségeket, amikkel ügyfeleink szembesülnek. – nyilatkozta Moya Greene, a Royal Mail ügyvezető igazgatója. – Senki sem szeret többet fizetni ugyanazért, és sajnálattal tölt el minket, hogy ilyen döntést kellett hoznunk. A társaság azonban továbbra is kedvező árakon fog szolgáltatni: díjaink még az emelések után is Európa legalacsonyabbjai közé fognak tartozni. Komoly összegeket fordítunk a cég modernizálására, hogy a kiélezett postai versenyhelyzetben is megfelelhessünk az ügyfelek igényeinek. Azonban mivel a küldemények száma drasztikusan csökken, úgy a pénzügyi eredményünk is romlik. Mindebből következik, hogy ha valahogyan nem növeljük a bevételeket, akkor egyszerűen képtelenek leszünk a szolgáltatást a jelenlegi színvonalon tartani. A posta jelenleg hetente hatszor gyűjti be a küldeményeket, maga gondoskodik a szortírozásról és a szállításról, illetve országszerte 28 millió címre kézbesít.[2]

A két kiló alatti csomagok feladási ára változatlan marad, ugyanakkor az ennél nehezebb küldemények kézbesítési díja 8%-kal emelkedik. A sürgősségi kézbesítés minimum díja 5,45 font lesz, ami 40 pennys emelést jelent. A levélbegyűjtés éves díja céges telephelyről 210 fontra nő. A levélküldemények díjai az alábbiak szerint alakulnak majd:


Ukraine hurt by Russian gas deal

The Ukrainian Parliament voted to oust the Prime Minister and his cabinet Tuesday after the handling of the countries gas crisis with Russia last week.

Viktor Yushchenko called the vote "incomprehensible, illogical, and wrong".

Although Russia and Ukraine have solved the crisis, for the time being, when the two countries agreed to new gas prices last week, the parliament described the deal as "traitorous," reports The Independent of London, and ousted Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov's government in response.

Both Members of Parliament and even opposition groups, said they were unhappy with the governments response to the crisis, and began to accuse it of "selling out to Russia and betraying national interests".

The motion to oust the government, which both shocked and surprised many MP's was backed by 250 of the 450 members of Parliament. Mr Yushchenko's former ally and one-time prime minister, Julia Tymoshenko, was among those who voted against the government.

Yushchenko is calling the no-confidence vote politically motivated.

It is expected, however, that the government will remain in place until parliamentary elections are held, which are scheduled to occur in March.

The debate, at the moment, is whether the standing parliament has the authority to dismiss the prime minister. While the constitutional amendments allowing such an action were adopted Jan. 1, Yushchenko and Yekhanurov claim that only the parliament set to be elected in March will have such an ability.

However, there are some that believe that the parliament's move was more about gaining "political leverage" than responding to the gas crisis, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Yushchenko also accused Ukraine's parliament on Wednesday of "destabilizing the country by sacking his government," a move which sent the local currency plumitting to its lowest point in nearly nine months.

Yushchenko met Vladimir Putin for the first time since the Russian president ordered gas taps to be turned off to his ex-Soviet neighbor at the new year in a bitter dispute over prices that briefly disrupted supplies to the rest of Europe.

Last week Moscow agreed to a new contract, which Ukraine would pay nearly two times the amount it did before. The two leaders barely touched on the energy issue in comments to reporters after their meeting, instead focusing on the positive side of their strained relations.

"Ukraine and Russia have entered an excellent phase in bilateral relations, a phase of personal friendship, which allows us to discuss wonderful prospects," Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Yushchenko as saying.


Parlamento de Ucrania destituye al Gobierno por acuerdo gasífero con Rusia

Haciendo uso de una facultad que entró parcialmente en vigor el pasado 1 de enero, el Parlamento de Ucrania destituyó este martes (10) al actual Gobierno, encabezado por el primer ministro Yuri Yejanúrov. Por 250 votos a favor y 50 en contra (de 450 miembros), la Verkhovna Rada tomó la decisión debido al acuerdo gasífero firmado con Rusia la semana anterior.

El Legislativo considera que dicho acuerdo afecta desfavorablemente los intereses de Ucrania, país al que Rusia exigía un aumento de cinco veces en el precio del gas natural ruso que pasa por los gasoductos ucranianos, pasando por encima de un acuerdo anterior. La negativa inicial ucraniana desencadenó el pasado 1 de enero una crisis que fue conjurada el día 4, cuando Ucrania aceptó pagar casi el doble del precio anterior.

El acuerdo con Rusia fue denunciado por la ex primera ministra Yulia Timoshenko, quien pidió además la destitución del ministro de Energía, Iván Plachkov, y del director de la gasífera estatal Naftogaz, Alexéi Ivchenko, quien según Tymoshenko, no tenía facultades para firmar el convenio, al que calificó de "traición a los intereses nacionales".

La Rada, que aprovechó la ausencia temporal del presidente Víktor Yúshchenko, creó además una comisión especial para investigar la gestión de Naftogaz y dio una moratoria en el aumento de los precios del combustible a los ciudadanos comunes y corrientes. Al mismo tiempo, le pidió a Yejanúrov seguir en funciones mientras se conforma el nuevo Gobierno.

Yushchenko, de visita en Kazajstán, calificó la decisión parlamentaria de "inconstitucional" y afirmó que disolverá la Cámara de Diputados. Por su parte, el partido de gobierno, Nuestra Ucrania, denunció que la Rada violó algunas reglas de procedimiento, lo que invalida la decisión. Según la diputada Ksenia Liapina, las nuevas normas permiten al Legislativo formar gobierno después de los comicios parlamentarios del 26 de marzo próximo.


Ukrainian opposition rejects power-sharing deal

Protests in Ukraine are set to continue after opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk rejected a deal offered today by the president, Viktor Yanukovych, for Yatsenyuk to become Prime Minister. Yatsenyuk and the opposition movement known as 'EuroMaidan' have said they want certain demands, including running new elections, to be met before taking a power-sharing deal.

On Twitter, Yatsenyuk told the President: "No deal... we're finishing what we started. The people decide our leaders, not you."

Protests started in November of last year after the Ukrainian government decided to reject a free trade deal with the European Union and build stronger ties with Russia. Following the rejection of the EU deal, the Russian government has bought US$15 billion of Ukrainian government bonds and given a discount on gas supplies from Russia, cutting the price from over $400 per 1,000 cubic metres of gas to $268.50. The right-wing Ukrainian politician Oleh Tyahnybok said at the time President Yanukovych had "pawned whole sectors" of the Ukrainian economy to Russia.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has called the protests in Ukraine the work of "very well prepared and trained militant groups". Putin said: "This is an attempt to shake the current and, I want to emphasise, legitimate authorities in the country."

On November 30, riot police detained protesters and allegedly used violence against them. In December, a statue of Vladimir Lenin was brought down by protesters. Protesters have claimed that after being arrested, they have been tortured by police including being beaten, forced to strip naked.

The protests have become more violent in the past week following a shooting of two protesters—Serhiy Nihoyan and Mikhail Zhyznewski—on Wednesday. The police denied responsibility.


Виктор Янукович предложил Арсению Яценюку возглавить правительство Украины

Президент Украины Виктор Янукович, после трёхчасового третьего раунда переговоров с лидерами оппозиции, предложил Арсению Яценюку должность премьер-министра. Об этом стало известно вечером 25 января 2014 года. По итогам переговоров в администрации президента, министр юстиции Украины Елена Лукаш сделала официальное заявление для украинских СМИ.

«Президентом Украины предложена должность премьер-министра Украины Арсению Петровичу Яценюку. В случае согласия последнего занять пост главы правительства президентом Украины будет принято решение об отставке правительства. Должность вице-премьера по гуманитарным вопросам предложена Виталию Кличко.

Президент Украины убеждён, что совместная работа вместе с оппозицией поможет государству объединиться и провести необходимые реформы для государства и общества», — сказала Елена Лукаш в эфире Телевизионной службы новостей «Студии 1+1».

По ее словам, Виктор Янукович в «очередной раз выразил сожаление по поводу всех трагических случаев, ранений, жертв, конфликтов последних дней и подчеркнул о недопустимости насилия».

Министр Лукаш сказала также о том, что президент Украины вызвал на публичные дебаты Виталия Кличко, который согласился с предложением Виктора Януковича.

На данный момент неизвестно, какова реакция Евромайдана и участников противостояния на улице Грушевского на данное предложение, сделанное президентом Виктором Янковичем представителям оппозиции.

В эфире украинских телекомпаний заместитель главы администрации президента Андрей Портнов зачитал текст обращения, в котором говориться о том, что «во время переговоров стороны обсудили возможные изменения к законам, которые были приняты 16 января 2014».

«Мы исходим из того, что готовы внести изменения в эти законы и будем работать совместно с нашими политическими оппонентами над достижением компромисса по этим законам и внесением изменений в законы, по которым мы найдем политический консенсус», — сказал Андрей Портнов.

25 января 2014 года


United States bans importation of Russian fossil fuels

On Tuesday, United States President Joe Biden announced a ban on imports of oil, gas and coal from Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began last month.

Biden said: "the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia's economy." He also acknowledged that many allies would not be able to follow suit with similar bans.

"The decision today is not without cost here at home," Biden continued. "Putin's war is already hurting American families at the gas pump. Since Putin began his military build-up at Ukrainian borders, just since then, the price of gas at the pump in America went up 75 cents and with this action it's going to go up further. I'm going to do everything I can to minimize Putin's price hike here at home."

Countries in Europe rely more heavily on fuel imports from Russia than does the United States. In the announcement from the US White House, Biden frequently termed the invasion as Vladimir Putin's war.


Joe Biden zapowiedział wprowadzenie zakazu importu rosyjskiej ropy naftowej i gazu do Stanów Zjednoczonych

We wtorek, 8 marca Joe Biden zapowiedział wprowadzenie zakazu importu rosyjskiej ropy naftowej i gazu do USA w związku z inwazją Rosji na Ukrainę

Biden powiedział: „Stany Zjednoczone celują w główną arterię gospodarki Rosji”. Przyznał również, że wielu sojuszników nie byłoby w stanie wprowadzić podobnych sankcji. „Dzisiejsza decyzja nie pozostaje bez kosztów dla kraju” – kontynuował Biden. „Wojna Putina już krzywdzi amerykańskie rodziny przy dystrybutorze gazu. Odkąd Putin rozpoczął gromadzenie wojsk na granicach Ukrainy, właśnie od tego czasu cena gazu na dystrybutorze w Ameryce wzrosła o 75 centów i w związku z tą decyzją jeszcze wzrośnie. Zrobię wszystko, co w mojej mocy, aby zminimalizować podwyżkę cen dla obywateli."


United States economy growth revised up to 0.4% in last quarter of 2012

The United States economy grew at a 0.4% annual rate in the last three months of 2012 according to statistics released on Thursday by the United States Department of Commerce (USDOC). The revised figures are better than 0.1% previously estimated.

Per the report, the increased estimate of economic growth is partly due to an increased estimate of plant and equipment investment, however a cut in defense and government spending led to a loss in output.

The increased estimate comes after a hike in taxes at the beginning of this year and $85 billion being withdrawn from government spending at the beginning of March. Economists are predicting the first quarter of 2013 (January–March) will have an annual growth rate about 2.5%.

A statement released by the USDOC said: "While non-residential fixed investment is higher than previously estimated, the revision to GDP has not changed the general picture of the economy".


États-Unis : croissance revue à la hausse de 0,4 % au dernier trimestre 2012

Publié le 1er avril 2013   Le taux annuel de croissance des États-Unis a augmenté de 0,4 % les trois derniers mois de l'année 2012 selon les statistiques révélées jeudi par le département du Commerce des États-Unis. Les chiffres revus sont meilleurs que ceux qui étaient estimés, de 0,1 %.

Selon le rapport, cette estimation à la hausse de la croissance économique est en partie due à une estimation à la hausse des investissements d'usines et de matériel ; toutefois la réduction des dépenses de la défense et du gouvernement ont mené à une perte de production.

Cette estimation à la hausse arrive après une forte augmentation des taxes au début de cette année et une réduction de 85 milliards de dollars des dépenses publiques début mars. Les économistes estiment que le premier trimestre de 2013 (janvier-mars) connaitra un taux de croissance économique d'environ 2,5 %.

Le département du commerce des États-Unis déclarait que « Même si l'investissement dans l'immobilier non résidentiel est plus grand que prévu, la revue du PIB n'a pas changé la face de l'économie ».


United States Government loses AAA credit rating from Standard and Poor's

The international credit ratings agency Standard and Poor's has confirmed that the United States Government has had its national credit rating downgraded one full notch from AAA to AA+ in the light of the recent drama concerning the US debt ceiling and the negotiations to have it raised before the August 2 deadline, citing concerns about budget deficits.

In a statement, S&P said that the main reason for the downgrade was that the final deficit reduction bill passed by Congress and the Senate this Tuesday past were insufficient. The potential at this stage is for the downgrade to raise the cost of borrowing for the US Government in the future. It also stands to have a knock on effect for investor confidence, BBC correspondents claim.

Losing its "Triple A" rating for the first time in history is a significant blow to President Barack Obama, leading a country with enormous debt, unemployment at over 9% and the possibility of another recession to follow.

The US Treasury is thought to dispute the downgrade. "A judgment flawed by a $2tn error speaks for itself," an unnamed spokesman said, referring to errors anonymously-speaking officials claim to have identified in S&P's maths. China's national state-owned news org Xinhua said China has "every right now to demand the United States address its structural debt problems and ensure the safety of China's dollar assets." The US is more indebted to China than anyone else.

There are no plans at this time for the other two major credit rating agencies, Fitchs and Moody's, to follow S&P's lead.


США впервые утратили высший кредитный рейтинг

Кредитное рейтинговое агентство Standard & Poor’s впервые понизило кредитный рейтинг США с элитного уровня triple-A (тройное А) до double-A-plus (двойное А плюс).

В пятницу вечером агентство сообщило, что пошло на этот шаг, поскольку план Конгресса по снижению дефицита недостаточен для того, чтобы стабилизировать ситуацию с государственным долгом США.

Снижение рейтинга отражает мнение агентства о том, что «эффективность, стабильность и предсказуемость американской политики и политических институтов снизились в период финансовых и экономических трудностей».

Американские СМИ цитирует некоего высокопоставленного чиновника, сказавшего, что Белый дом усматривает «серьезные ошибки» в проведенном Standard & Poor’s анализе плана по установлению потолка госдолга.

Президент Обама и Конгресс заключили соглашение за несколько часов до того момента, как Соединенные Штаты должны были впервые в своей истории объявить технический дефолт по некоторым финансовым обязательствам.

Понижение рейтинга пришлось на тот день, когда американское правительство объявило о новых 117 тысячах рабочих мест в июле и снижении уровня безработицы на 0,1 % — до 9,1 %. Таким образом, доклад Министерства занятости оказался лучше, чем предполагали экономисты.

Данные свидетельствуют также и о том, что снижение уровня безработицы связано с отказом некоторых людей от активного поиска работы, а такие не рассматриваются статистически в качестве безработных.

Американская экономика остается крупнейшей в мире, однако инвесторы встревожены слишком медленным ее восстановлением. И даже компромиссный план об уровне госдолга их не убедил.

6 августа 2011 года


US 'Black Friday' shoppers gather hours, even days before some stores' openings

With the US retail tradition of 'Black Friday' already underway early Thursday evening, some shoppers began gathering outside retail stores as much as 53 hours prior to these special sales events. This, according to a Texas man who told Wikinews that he and his companions had started gathering at their local Best Buy store at 1:00pm on Tuesday, awaiting the 6:00pm Thursday opening. Target retail stores opened across the country at 8pm (local time) on Thursday evening. At 8:45pm Thursday evening, approximately 500 cars were parked at the Target store in Tyler, Texas.

At least four camping tents were set up outside the Best Buy store in the Dallas, Texas area, during pre-dawn hours on Thanksgiving morning. Years ago, it was seen as something special for retail stores to open at 6am on the so-called 'Black Friday' following Thanksgiving Day; that time would be considered "late" by modern standards. Many retailers use barricades to organize those who gather at their storefronts. For the first time ever, a shopping mall in Las Cruces, New Mexico will open at 8pm on Thanksgiving Day and will remain open for 25 consecutive hours, closing at 9pm Friday evening.

In recent years, several significant injuries have occurred during the melee that often ensued when stores opened their doors for Black Friday events. In 2011, a woman shot pepper spray at 20 people who were waiting to purchase the newest Xbox system.


Les acheteurs américains attendent de longues heures avant l'ouverture des magasins lors du Black Friday

Le 'Black Friday' désigne, aux Etats-Unis, le vendredi qui suit Thanksgiving et qui marque traditionnellement le coup d’envoi de la période des achats de fin d’année. Thanksgiving est un jour férié très important, qui voit les familles se réunir autour d'un diner.

Publié le 29 novembre 2013
La tradition américaine du 'Black Friday' avait déjà débuté tôt ce jeudi soir, certains consommateurs faisant déjà la queue à l'extérieur de certains magasins, et même 53 heures avant le début de ces opérations de soldes pour certains d'entre eux ! Un texan raconte à Wikinews qu'il faisait la queue avec ses compagnons devant leur enseigne de 'Best Buy' depuis 13 heures, mardi dernier, en attendant l'ouverture ce jeudi soir à 18 heures. Pour leur part, les magasins Target ouvriront jeudi à 20 heures. Vers 20h 45, le parking d'un magasin de Tyler (Texas, 96 000 habitants) comptait près de 500 voitures.

A Dallas, pas moins de quatre tentes de campings ont été installées à l'extérieur d'un 'Best Buy', peu avant l'aube en ce jour de Thanksgiving. Ces dernières années, il était exceptionnel que les magasins ouvrent à six heures du matin le jour du 'Black Friday', suivant Thanksgiving ; mais ce temps peut être considéré comme révolu au vue des nouvelles normes. Désormais, nombreuses sont les enseignes qui installent des barrières pour structurer les queues devant leurs devantures. Pour la première fois, un centre commercial de Las Cruces (Nouveau-Mexique) a ouvert à 20 heures le jour de Thanksgiving, et restera ouvert pendant 25 heures consécutives, jusqu'à 21 heures vendredi soir.

Ces dernières années, plusieurs incidents sérieux ont eu lieu lors des bousculades qui résultent de l'ouverture des portes le jour du 'Black Friday'. En 2011, une femme avait aspergé une vingtaine de personnes qui attendaient autour d'elle avec sa bombe lacrymogène dans le but de se procurer la nouvelle console Xbox.


US air carrier Spirit Airlines announces $45 carry-on baggage fee

The United States air-carrier Spirit Airlines announced Tuesday that it will begin charging up to US$45 in fees for carry on baggage. The fees target baggage which is stowed in overhead bins, and not under seats. The fees will take effect for travelers who fly on or after August 1.

Spirit will charge US$45 for passengers who pay at the airport, US$30 for those who pay in advance, and US$20 for members of its frequent flyer program. Spirit already charges between US$15–45 for the first checked bag, and up to US$345 for five checked bags.

The move is the latest in an industry trend which is moving to lower upfront fares, and more hidden fees such as baggage fees or the loss of free services such as meals. Even the measure of charging passengers for restroom use as has been proposed by Irish carrier Ryanair. Ryanair also closed all of its check-in desks in 2009, relying more on on-line check ins.

There has been a push among US lawmakers to introduce legislation to make the pricing of airfare more upfront by listing the post ticket fees. The backer of a proposed bill to enforce this, Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, said that it will allow travelers to understand all the charges from when they book the flight to when they check their bag.


Növekvő rejtett költségek a légiutas szállításban

A légitársaságok természetszerűleg igyekeznek alacsony jegyárakkal megjelenni a piacon. Ennek újabb folyománya, hogy míg a jegyárakat valóban csökkentik, addig az ebből eredő bevétel-kiesésüket rejtett módon terhelik az utasra. Ez lehet többek között a fedélzeti étkeztetés elhagyása vagy felár felszámolása a szállított csomagokért.

Ebbe a képbe illeszkedik az amerikai Spirit Airlines hét eleji bejelentése is, miszerint augusztustól felárat kérnek az ülés feletti csomagtartók használatáért. Ez előrefizetés esetén 30, reptéren való kiegyenlítéskor viszont már 45 dollárt jelent. A törzsutasokat 20 dollár fizetésére kötelezik. A Spirit egyébként – mint a legtöbb légitársaság – eleve számláz a csomagtérben elhelyezett táskák után is: a jelenleg is érvényes árakon egy bőröndért 15-45 dollárt kell fizetni, de ez öt bőrönd esetén akár már 345 dollárra is felkúszhat.

Merészebb elképzeléssel jelentkezett az ír Ryanair: ők a gépen levő illemhelyek fizetőssé tételét fontolgatják.

A rejtett költségek féken tartására az Egyesült Államokban törvény készül; elfogadása esetén a légitársaságokat az árak egyértelműbb feltüntetésére kötelezi majd.


US Federal Reserve prepares to take over AIG

The Federal Reserve took over American International Group (AIG) on Tuesday in an US$85 billion loan, in exchange for a 79.9% stake in the company.

A press release issued Tuesday stated that "the Board determined that, in current circumstances, a disorderly failure of AIG could add to already significant levels of financial market fragility and lead to substantially higher borrowing costs, reduced household wealth, and materially weaker economic performance."

The deal allows AIG to draw up to US$85 billion in loans over the next 24 months to shore up the orderly sale of various divisions of the company without further interruption to the economy. In exchange, the Federal Reserve will have a 79.9% equity stake, primarily in the form of equity participation notes. The loan carries an interest rate of LIBOR plus 850 points. Should AIG fail, the loan is covered completely by company assets. Should AIG recover however, taxpayers could potentially recover large profits.

This news comes on the heels of the Federal Reserve refusing to bail out Lehman Brothers, forcing the company to file for bankruptcy on Monday after Bank of America(BoA) and Barclays PLC pulled out of negotiations over the weekend. The fact that AIG has thousands of divisions engaged in business across the globe sets them apart from the recent problems with other banks. AIG was built up over the last several years via the buyouts and mergers of many companies around the world, offering AIG's stockholders a diverse base of income which allowed it to steadily increase profits.

It is this interconnectedness that had the Federal Reserve worried. Should AIG collapse, it could set off a global chain reaction in multiple markets. In an interview with the New York Times, former Treasury official Roger Altman said, "It’s the interconnectedness and the fear of the unknown. The prospect of the world’s largest insurer failing, together with the interconnectedness and the uncertainty about the collateral damage — that’s why it’s scaring people so much."

While AIG, like many other banks, found itself embroiled in the middle of the sub-mortgage lending crisis, AIG has also been struggling to deal with controversies in other complex financial instruments such as credit default swaps. These markets have been exploding for several years, but due to lack of regulation by the government, recent reversals have seen AIG's stock value tumble by over 90 percent in the last year.


Estados Unidos anuncia el rescate de AIG

La Reserva Federal (FED) de los Estados Unidos confirmó anoche un préstamo de 85.000 millones de dólares a la compañía de seguros American International Group (AIG) para evitar la mayor quiebra en la historia del país. No obstante, con esta operación, el Gobierno se hará cargo del 80% de los activos de la empresa.

El plan se anunció luego de reuniones entre el secretario del Tesoro, Henry Paulson, y el presidente de la Reserva Federal, Ben Bernanke, con representantes del Senado. Uno de los legisladores manifestó a la agencia de noticias Reuters que se habló sobre la situación de AIG.

El FED señaló en un comunicado que el préstamo tendrá una duración de dos años. En ese lapso, el Estado tomará el control de la compañía con el 79,9% de participación en ella.

Los mercados reaccionaron rápidamente ante la noticia. Las bolsas de Asia comenzaron a subir, al igual que el barril de petróleo.

"Dimos este paso para estimular la estabilidad de los mercados financieros y limitar el daño en las economías del resto del mundo", afirmó un portavoz del presidente norteamericano George Bush.

Las pérdidas de la aseguradora habían bajado casi hasta el 37% ayer en la la Bolsa de Nueva York y necesitaba 75.000 millones de dólares para poder seguir operando. Además, el valor de sus acciones habían perdido un peligroso 91,83% durante este año. Su quiebra habría sido catastrófica para los mercados, mucho más grave a la producida ayer con el banco de inversión Lehman Brothers.

Hace sólo una semana, el FED había otorgado préstamos a las empresas hipotecarias Freddie Mac y Fannie Mae con el fin de que tampoco se declararan en bancarrota. Otra de las movidas fue la compra de Merrill Lynch por parte del Bank of America por 44.000 millones de dólares.


Manipulation des cours de l'argent et de l'or

Les États-Unis disposent de 8 133,5 tonnes d'or, selon les derniers chiffres du World Gold Council en décembre 2008 – soit près de 261,5 millions d'onces – dans leurs réserves. Les estimations envisagent une masse monétaire avoisinant les 15 000 milliards de dollars. En se basant sur le dernier chiffre officiel connu donné par les États-Unis, cela fait 39 296 $ en circulation pour chaque once d'or en réserve. Pour lutter contre la récession actuelle, les institutions doivent imprimer des dollars et maintenir les taux d'intérêts au plus bas possible. Tous les ingrédients semblent réunis pour propulser rapidement l'or à 2 000 $ l'once.

Selon le ratio traditionnel or-argent, une once d'argent coûterait dans les 40 $ au lieu de 13 $ actuellement. Cela représenterait un gain de plus de 200 %.

Bon nombre d'investisseurs ne savent pas que l'argent est l'un des meilleurs conducteurs électriques au monde. Il ne se corrode pas comme d'autres métaux. Quasiment tous les interrupteurs électriques modernes, des batteries aux circuits informatiques, utilisent des soudures à base d'argent. Cela signifie qu'il faut de l'argent métal pour fabriquer des appareils numériques (baladeurs, ordinateurs portables, lave-vaisselle, micro-ondes, télévisions, machines à laver, réfrigérateurs, entre autres). Le seul secteur de l'électronique utilise 44 % de l'argent produit chaque année. Or, force est de rappeler que les réserves minières mondiales d'argent devraient s'épuiser au cours de la prochaine décennie.

Pour conclure, Buffett, Gates et Soros seraient positionnés sur le marché des métaux précieux. Et en guise d'ouverture, la volatilité des cours des matières premières cotées en bourse est désormais de 30 % contre moins de 1 % avant la crise de 2008. Cette évolution serait liée aux interventions massives des fonds de pension sur le marché des commodités.


美國政府擬用850億救AIG

美國聯邦儲備局(Fed)發表聲明，將動用850億美元，拯救保險公司美國國際集團(AIG)，以免該公司因倒閉而破壞全球金融市場。

聯儲局指，由於AIG出現「凌亂失敗」，假如AIG倒下，將對已經脆弱的美國金融市場造成傷害，並打擊全球金融市場。因此決定於2年內，向AIG提供850億美元的短期過渡性貸款，美國政府將擁有AIG的79.9％股權。

AIG自傳出財政困難後，其股價一直下跌，一度暴跌逾 50%；聯儲局今日宣佈消息後，AIG跌幅已縮小為 30%，但一周以來市值已消失逾 250億美元。

自昨晚有傳政府將出手相救AIG後，美國大市已倒升。有報導指，AIG執行長Robert B. Willumstad 將遭撤換。


US House of Representatives rejects bail out bill in vote

The US House of Representatives rejected a bill on the USD 700 billion bail out of US banks. The voting on the bill has completed.

If passed, the bailout plan would have allowed for the United States government to purchase devalued mortgage backed securities, resulting from the subprime mortgage crisis from troubled financial institutions. The US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has said that the plan could cost up to $700 billion.

There has been considerable debate over several parts of the plan, which failed with 228 votes opposing, 205 supporting, and 1 not voting.  The bill had much more support by the Democratic Party (with 60% of Democrats voting "aye") than the Republican Party (of which only 33% voted for the bill).

George W. Bush described the bill before the vote was made. "This legislation deals with complex issues, and negotiators were asked to address them in a very short period of time. I appreciate the leadership of members on both sides of the aisle, who came together when our nation was counting on them. Negotiations are sometimes difficult, but their hard work and cooperation paid off," he said, in a speech in which Bush begged politicians to support the bill.

Bush continued describing the bill. "The bipartisan economic rescue plan addresses the root cause of the financial crisis — the assets related to home mortgages that have lost value during the housing decline. Under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, the federal government will be authorized to purchase these assets from banks and other financial institutions, which will help free them to resume lending to businesses and consumers."

According to BBC News, congressmen opposed the bill after receiving 50 times as many letters against the bill as for the bill. George Bush attempted to respond to the criticisms of the bill by US citizens. "I know many Americans are worried about the cost of the bill, and I understand their concern. This bill commits up to 700 billion taxpayer dollars, because a large amount of money is necessary to have an impact on our financial system. However, both the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget expect that the ultimate cost to the taxpayer will be far less than that".

Roll Call Vote


Sněmovna reprezentantů odmítla opatření proti krizi

Ani delší čas určený na hlasování, zvláště proto, aby případně mohli jednotliví členové Sněmovny reprezentantů změnit názor, nepomohl k tomu, aby tato komora amerického Kongresu podpořila návrh prezidenta George Bushe na opatření proti hospodářské krizi. Americký trh už na první zprávy naznačující, že zastupitelé návrh nepodpoří, reagoval prudkým propadem. Americký burzovní index Dow Jones ztratil po hlasování 777 bodů - nejvíce v historii. Index Nasdaq se propadl o více než devět procent.

Návrh předpokládal vládní vydání zhruba 700 miliard dolarů, které měly sloužit k vyplacení riskantních úvěrů.

Když se navzdory počáteční skepsi pozitivně k návrhu vyjádřily špičky republikánské většiny ve Sněmovně reprezentantů, pozorovatelé předpokládali, že zákon touto komorou projde. Průběh hlasování jim ale nedal za pravdu. Porážku prezidentu Bushovi a jeho administrativě zařídili především jeho straničtí kolegové z republikánské strany, z nichž hlasovala pro návrh jen asi třetina. Demokraté naopak ze tří pětin navrhovaný zákon podpořili. Celkově bylo 205 hlasů pro, 228 proti.

Konzervativní republikáni především nepodporují nalévání velkých finančních prostředků do nemocných finančních institucí. Republikánský zastupitel za Texas John Culberson to komentoval slovy: „Tento návrh nám dává možnost vybrat si mezi zbankrotováním našich vnoučat a bankrotem pár těch velkých finančních institucí, co na Wall Street učinily špatná rozhodnutí.“

Bush, který dnes znovu vystoupil na podporu tohoto návrhu (a v této snaze ho podpořili čelní zastupitelé za obě strany), se zatím omezil na vzkaz vyřízený svým mluvčím, že je velmi zklamán.

Média se shodují, že pro prezidenta je to zdrcující porážka. První komentáře z táborů kandidátů na místo jeho nástupce se ostře odlišují. Demokrat Barack Obama předpokládá, že po dalších jednáních se přece jen podaří připravit balíček opatření na záchranu amerického hospodářství a apeloval na to, aby trh zůstal klidný.

John McCain zatím oficiální vyjádření - podobně jako Bush - nevydal, z jeho tábora ale pochází ostré odsouzení kroků Obamy a jeho týmu z pera McCainova ekonomického poradce Douglase Holtze-Eakina. Obvinil Obamu, že se místo posouzení návrhu a jeho jednoznačné podpory nebo odmítnutí věnoval útokům na oponenty a zakončuje, že „Zákon neuspěl, protože Barack Obama a demokrati upřednostnili politiku před zemí.“

Náznaky toho, jaké bude rozhodnutí amerických zákonodárců, ovlivnily už před uzavřením i evropské burzy, které zaznamenaly zhruba pětiprocentní ztráty.


Las bolsas se desploman con la negativa del Congreso para con el plan de rescate

29 de septiembre de 2008Washington DC, Estados Unidos —

La Cámara de Representantes de los Estados Unidos rechazó por 228 votos en contra a y 205 votos a favor la propuesta del plan de rescate de $700.000 dólares. Dos tercios de los republicanos y 95 demócratas se expresaron en contra del plan, que compraría las malas deudas de varias empresas para evitar su bancarrota.

El Presidente de los Estados Unidos, George W. Bush, expresó su gran "decepción" por el rechazo al plan que él había apoyado.

Tras el anuncio, las bolsas no tardaron en hundirse. El Dow Jones retrocedió en 5,21%, el S&P 500 en 6,88%. El retroceso del Nasdaq fue aún mayor: 6,98%. Las bolsas latinoamericanos registraron patrones similares, y el Merval argentino perdió 8,66% mientras que el índice Bovespa de San Pablo registró bajas de un 9,75%.

El equipamiento de la bolsa de San Pablo está programado para detenerse cuando las acciones caían más de un 10%, por lo que estuvo paralizada por media hora.

El debate fue intenso. Muchos abogaban que el proyecto era vital para salvar la economía, pero los legisladores criticaron la rapidez con la cual se les pedía que pasaran el proyecto.

Incluso las concesiones para defender al contribuyente no lograron persuadir a los congresistas, que se expresaron muy en contra del proyecto, criticando por sobre todo al Secretario del Tesoro, Henry Paulson.

"Lo que simplemente estamos haciendo es coronar al rey Henry", dijo John Culberson (Texas, republicano), hablando irónicamente sobre Paulson.

"Es una ampliación sin precedentes del poder federal, inaceptable, que no nos podemos permitir, que nuestros hijos no pueden permitirse, y que jamás hemos visto en la historia de nuestro país. Debemos darnos un tiempo, un tiempo para reflexionar", señaló.

Sin embargo, los congresistas accedieron a tratar nuevamente un nuevo plan de rescate, pero con más calma.

La crisis financiera que se prolonga en Estados Unidos ya ha tenido varias víctimas. El cuarto banco de inversiones americano más importante, Lehman Brothers, se había declarado en bancarrota, y el gigante Merrill Lynch tuvo que ser comprado por Bank of America. También American International Group (AIG) tuvo que ser nacionalizada tras presentar deudas de miles de millones.


Edustajainhuone äänesti "ei" roskapankille USA:ssa

Washington (DC), Yhdysvallat. Yhdysvaltain kongressin edustajainhuone aloitti tänään kello 9:30 paikallista aikaa keskustelun talouden pelastussuunnitelmasta. Äänestämään päästiin noin kello 13:30, ja 700 miljardin dollarin taloudellinen interventiopaketti hylättiin äänin 205–228. Tulos oli yllätys, koska lakiehdotusta oli julkisesti vastustanut vain republikaanipuolueen eräs ryhmittymä. Lopulta kaikki demokraatitkaan eivät olleet esityksen takana.

Republikaanien kongressiedustaja Jeb Hensarling Teksasista sanoi aamupäivällä äänestävänsä lakiehdotusta vastaan. Demokraatti Lloyd Doggett Teksasista suhtautui hänkin kielteisesti: hänen mukaansa neuvottelijat eivät olleet tosissaan harkinneet vaihtoehtoja lakiehdotukselle. Alabaman republikaaniedustaja Spencer Bachus taas uskoi, että pelastussuunnitelma maksaisi itsensä takaisin. Hän pelkäsi, että lain hylkäämisellä olisi vakavat seuraukset.

Pelastuspaketin hintaa ei voi tarkalleen arvioida, mutta kongressin johtohahmot huomauttivat, että se jäisi todennäköisesti paljon alle 700 miljardin. Lopulta valtiovarainministeriö voisi jopa päästä voitolle myymällä pankeilta ostamansa riskiluotot kalliimmalla eteenpäin.

Presidentti George W. Bushin hallinnon laatiman lakiluonnoksen yksityiskohdista sovittiin eilen. Kaikki neuvottelujen osapuolet joutuivat kompromissin saavuttamiseksi tekemään myönnytyksiä. Lakiehdotuksen uutta versiota pidettiin silti yleisesti parempana kuin Bushin alkuperäistä ehdotusta.

Kun lakiehdotuksen hylkääminen alkoi vaikuttaa todennäköiseltä, tehtiin paljon osakkeiden myyntitoimeksiantoja. Dow Jones -indeksi laski pahimmillaan yli 700 pisteen vauhtia eli ennätysmäisen jyrkästi.


Congresso dos Estados Unidos rejeita pacote para conter crise financeira do país

A Câmara dos Deputados dos Estados Unidos rejeitou o pacote de US$ 700 bilhões de salvamento para o setor financeiro norte-americano, por 228 votos a 205.

Os mercados financeiros que ainda estão em operação no dia de hoje (29) receberam mal a notícia e as bolsas despencam, nos principais mercados. O índice IBOVESPA, do Brasil, caía mais de 10,5%, enquanto em Nova Iorque, o índice Dow Jones retraía em 4,57% e o Nasdaq, 6,68%.


美國共和黨倒戈救市方案遭否決

美國國會眾議院以228票對205票，否決了政府提出的總額7,000億美元的救市方案。消息觸發環球股災，道指大瀉777點，以點數計是史上單日跌幅最大的一天。

美國國會經過連日來的談判，由原本只得三頁紙的方案，修定成百多頁的方案，並多次表示已達共識，但最後由於大批共和黨議員突然倒戈，令方案流產。眾議院投票結果，228票反對，205票支持，7,000億美元的救市方案最終以23票之差遭否決。

三分之二共和黨議員，以及四成民主黨議員反對方案，投反對票議員認為，方案並不合乎納稅人利益。不過兩黨領袖同意，繼續尋求方法，解決當前金融危機。眾議院將取消休會，於星期四重開，繼續討論救市措施。而財政部長鮑爾森表示，會用一切方法保護金融市場，但仍需國會合作。

美國總統布什表示，對方案遭否決失望，他明白方案涉及巨大公帑，但只因為當前面對的困難同樣巨大。他指將會和經濟顧問開會，商討進一步行動。

美國總統候選人民主黨的奧巴馬表示，方案未獲通過，只因為民主黨和共和黨都希望能好好辦妥這件事，他相信最終方案會完滿落實。他同時又指責，當前局面是共和黨執政8年不負責任的惡果，他評擊競選對手共和黨的麥凱恩若當選總統只會承接過去錯誤的經濟政策。麥凱恩則反駁指，奧巴馬在國家面對困難的時刻，沒有顯示領導能力，他又表示目前並不是推卸責任的時候。

雖然美國總統布什多次發表講話，解釋救市方案的重要性，但民間對方案反應不一，一部份人認為方案有助恢復投資者信心，但亦有反對意見認為政府不應動用公帑去拯救瀕臨倒閉的銀行。連日來都有反對者示威活動，抗議巨額救市方案。示威者認為，政府應把資源投放在教育、保健及房屋上，而不是投放在「貪婪投資者」上，他們認為不應拯救這些人，應該囚禁他們才對。民主黨議員舍曼(Brad Sherman)又成立「懷疑論者小組」(Skeptics Caucus)，他擔心這次金融海嘯會令權力轉移至華爾街有錢人。

美國眾議院否決了美國政府的救市方案，市場表示失望，加上金融風暴有蔓延全球趨勢，令環球股市暴跌。道指大瀉近八百點，以點數計是史上單日跌幅最大的一天。投資者對未來經濟形勢和原油需求的走勢更加悲觀，國際油價單日暴跌超過10美元。


US lawmakers reach stimulus package deal

Politicians from both houses of the United States Congress have reached a consensus over a stimulus package worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

The package was bridged between the House of Representatives' version of the stimulus, which was worth US$820 billion, and the Senate's version, which cost $838 billion. The package now costs $789 billion, and devotes resources to tax cuts and spending intended to help revive the faltering US economy.

The House of Representatives' version of the bill was passed without any Republican support, while the Senate's version, which was voted upon on Tuesday, was backed by only three Republican senators.

The stimulus is aimed at giving help to those who have suffered from the recession, in the form of food stamps, health coverage, unemployment benefits, and various other things.

US President Barack Obama hailed the agreement as a "hard-fought compromise".

"I want to thank the Democrats and Republicans in Congress who came together," he said, "with the urgency that this moment demands."

Obama is to sign to bill into law after the revised version of the stimulus is passed by Congress. He has said that he wants the bill on his desk ready to sign by this weekend.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid estimated that the package should introduce three and a half million jobs. More than a third of it is to be devoted to various incentives for middle-class Americans and tax cuts.

Republican politicians, however, still disapprove of the stimulus plan, saying that the package is too costly and will increase the size of the federal government and not create any new jobs.

US stock markets posted modest gains at the end of day following the agreement.


美国众议院通过奥巴马7870亿美元救市计划

今天凌晨，美国众议院以246票支持、183票反对通过了奥巴马总统7870亿美元的经济刺激计划，没有任何共和党众议员投票支持此计划。美国参议院马上将对此项议案进行投票。

除七名议员外，所有民主党议员均投票支持此项计划。这项计划由2810亿美元的个人和企业减税措施以及5000多亿美元的政府开支计划组成。

美国众议院议长、加州民主党众议员南希·佩洛西称：“在经过争论以后，这项法案最终被总结为一个词，就是“就业”。美国民众需要政府采取行动，而且他们需要政府马上采取行动。”

此前，奥巴马和国会民主党议员均曾表示，这项经济刺激计划的目的是拯救或创造350万个工作岗位，其中心内容是为个人消费者提供400美元的税收抵免额度，以及为每对夫妻提供800美元的税收抵免额度。此外，政府还将以社保支票的方式向退休人员、伤残老兵及其他不需支付工薪税的人员提供250美元的补贴。

国会预算办公室称，奥巴马经济刺激计划总额为7870亿美元，而不是国会议员此前预计的7890亿美元。该办公室表示，政府将根据这项计划在今年当中向美国经济注入1850亿美元资金，明年则将注入3990亿美元。


US November job losses reach 34-year high

The United States Labor Department reported that U.S. employers cut 533,000 jobs in November, the largest such monthly cut in 34 years. In another indication of the worsening economic situation in the U.S., the unemployment rate reached a 15-year high of 6.7 percent, from 6.5 percent in October.

It was the largest job loss in a single month since December 1974, when 604,000 jobs were cut.

More job cuts have been announced since these figures were compiled, with 12,000 job cuts expected at telecommunications company AT&T. The economy has now lost 1.26 million jobs in the past three months, after 403,000 jobs were lost in September and a further 320,000 in October. Job losses since the beginning of 2008 total 1.91 million.

The job losses were "much worse than expected," said Peter Morici, a business professor at the University of Maryland. "The threat of widespread depression is now real and present," he added. "Factoring in discouraged workers, unemployment is closer to 8.7 percent. Add in part-time positions that cannot find full-time employment, and the hidden unemployment rate is nearly 13 percent."

The Wall Street stock market reacted to the news negatively: the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 171 points in the first thirty minutes of trading, going down to 8,206 points. The other two major indexes, the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500, also lost ground.

The U.S. gross domestic product in the fourth quarter is projected to drop by as much as five percent at an annual rate, according to IHS Global Insight. An unemployment rate of nine percent has been predicted by Goldman Sachs.


Desempleo en Estados Unidos crece en más de medio millón de trabajadores en un mes

5 de diciembre de 2008Washington, Estados Unidos —

La economía estadounidense tuvo una pérdida neta de 533.000 empleos en noviembre, la peor caída mensual en 34 años.

El informe dado a conocer este viernes por el Departamento del Trabajo dice que la tasa de desempleo subió a 6,7%, el nivel más alto desde principios de los años 90.

La eliminación de plazas de trabajo fue en fábricas, empresas constructoras, firmas financieras, tiendas minoristas, hoteles y otras industrias. Las nuevas cifras son otra indicación de que Estados Unidos podría encarar una recesión mucho más profunda y prolongada de lo pensado inicialmente.

Incluso, antes de conocerse las desalentadoras cifras de desempleo, la industria automotriz estadounidense ya solicitaba préstamos del gobierno. Ejecutivos de Ford, Chrysler y General Motors testifican este viernes ante la Comisión de Servicios Financieros de la Cámara de Representantes, pidiendo 34.000 millones de dólares en ayuda, de los contribuyentes.


US President Obama announces deal reached to avert government default

United States President Barack Obama announced Sunday night that an agreement between Republican and Democratic leaders has been reached that, if passed by Congress, will allow the government to raise its debt limit before it begins to default on its debt on Tuesday.

The deal has yet to be approved, with a vote by lawmakers in Congress not likely until Monday at the earliest. Some lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties have previously said that they will not vote for the agreement in question.

According to Obama, the deal, agreed upon by leaders of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, will lead to a total of a trillion dollars in spending cuts over the next ten years, as well as the creation of a Congressional committee tasked with coming up with a proposal by November to further reduce the government's debt.

Obama said that "the leaders of both parties in both chambers have reached an agreement that will reduce the deficit and avoid default, a default that would have had a devastating effect on our economy."

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell expressed optimism that Congress will pass the compromise deal. The Senate vote is due on Tuesday.

John Boehner, leader of the Republicans in the House, said that while "[t]his isn't the greatest deal in the world [...] it shows how much we've changed the terms of the debate in this town." He also said that he plans to call a vote on the deal "as soon as possible."

How much support the proposal has in the house is unclear. Democratic leader of the House Nancy Pelosi stated some Democratic members are resistant and are not likely to vote for the proposal.


Обама: Постигнут договор о дугу

1. август 2011.Вашингтон-  (VOA-31. јул 2011) - Амерички председник Барак Обама изјавио је да је са лидерима Представничког дома и Сената постигнут договор о подизању границе задуживања земље, којим би се спречило да влада дође у ситуацију да не може да испуњава своје финансијске обавезе.

Обама се вечерас појавио у просторији у којој се одржавају брифинзи за медије у Белој кући како би објавио предложени споразум, према којем би у наредних 10 година требало да се уштеди 1.000 милијарди долара, а уједно и оснује двостраначка комисија у Конгресу, која ће размотрити даље смањење трошкова владе. Обама је рекао да у преговорима о будућем смањењу трошкова ништа није недодирљиво. Амерички председник назвао је предложени споразум компромисом који дозвољава земљи да избегне банкротство, и истовремно плаћа прву рату за смањење дефицита.

Очекује се да ће оба дома Конгреса гласати о предлогу закона сутра, а уколико предлог буде усвојен влада ће моћи да настави да исплаћује своје дугове.

Америчке и друге берзе широм света нервозно су пратиле развој ситуације у Вашингтону током целог дана, јер уколико до уторка закон не буде потписан, то могло би да нашкоди светској економији, која се и даље мучи с опоравком од рецесије.

Америчке берзе су током протекле недеље доживеле највеће губитке ове године, а и долар је ослабио.


US president Obama, Congress call for blocking of executive bonuses at AIG insurance company

United States President Barack Obama stated Monday that insurance giant AIG is in financial trouble due to "recklessness and greed," and called for legal action to stop the company from giving out millions of dollars in bonuses to its executives.

"It's hard to understand how derivative traders at AIG warranted any bonuses, much less $165 million in extra pay," Obama said. "How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat."

Obama's statement comes after reports surfaced last weekend saying the insurance agency, which is in deep financial trouble, had paid US$165 million to executives in bonuses, after receiving $170 billion as part of a government bailout plan.

AIG has said that the bonuses have to be given out, as the company is legally required by contract to do so. A representative with the National Economic Council, Lawrence H. Summers, also said that the bonuses were required to be given out. If AIG had refused to give out the bonuses, employees could file a lawsuit against the company for the money.

"We cannot attract and retain the best and the brightest talent to lead and staff the A.I.G. businesses — which are now being operated principally on behalf of American taxpayers — if employees believe their compensation is subject to continued and arbitrary adjustment by the U.S. Treasury," AIG CEO Edward M. Liddy said in a letter addressed to Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner on Saturday.

Liddy said that he asked Geithner "to use that leverage and pursue every legal avenue to block these bonuses and make the American taxpayers whole."

"I want everybody to be clear that Secretary Geithner's been on the case," Obama said. "He's working to resolve this matter with the new CEO, Edward Liddy, who, by the way, everybody needs to understand, came on board after the contracts that led to these bonuses were agreed to last year."

If the bonuses cannot be stopped, the U.S. Congress says they want AIG to reimburse the government. Congress is looking to impose stiff new taxes on the pay, or ordering the company to return the money which was originally granted from a government bailout. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday, senator Richard Shelby promised that the treasury will recover all of the money. Several U.S. senators along with Liddy have sent letters to AIG asking for the bonuses to be renegotiated, something AIG agreed to and says they will reduce future bonuses by 30%. Senators state that if Libby does not respond by renegotiating the bonuses, the Senate Finance Committee will propose an excise tax. Not only will an excise tax be proposed on AIG, but all companies receiving bailout money and their employees who receive bonuses.

Numerous House Democrats have introduced legislation which would place a 100% tax on any bonuses of over $100,000 from companies that are receiving government bailout funds. Meanwhile in the Senate, a bipartisan proposal by Max Baucus (D-Montana) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) would levy a special 90% excise tax on AIG's bonuses. Asked Senator Baucus, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee: "What is the highest excise tax we can impose that will stand up in court? Let's find out."


Obama déterminé à empêcher le versement de bonus aux responsables d’AIG

Publié le 16 mars 2009   Le président américain Barack Obama a dénoncé la décision de l'assureur American International Group (AIG) de verser 450 millions de dollars aux responsables de ses activités financières. Il a annoncé qu’il mettrait en œuvre tous les moyens légaux pour empêcher cette situation :

«  I've asked Secretary Geithner to use that leverage and pursue every single legal avenue to block these bonuses and make the American taxpayers whole. »

Timothy Geithner, Secrétaire au Trésor, a envoyé une lettre à Edward Liddy, le président d'AIG pour se plaindre. Dimanche 15 mars 2009, Lawrence Summers, un conseiller économique de l’Administration Obama, a également critiqué le comportement d’AIG sur la chaîne de télévision ABC.

AIG avait reçu 170 milliards de dollars d’aides publiques répartis sur quatre plans de sauvetage.


US report says Afghanistan has significant mineral wealth

A report released by the United States noted that Afghanistan has nearly a trillion dollars worth of mineral reserves.

The report, authored by the US military, the PPw|US Geological Service}}, and the US Agency for International Development, stated that the total wealth in mineral reserves is upwards of US$900 billion, although Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said the value of mineral reserves in the country could be as much as US$3 trillion.

Resources claimed by the report include:

According to Jawad Omar, the spokesperson of Ministry of Mines, the potential income from mining the reserves would be enough for the country to become self-sustaining, without the need for international financial aid.

US military official General David Petraeus said that there was "stunning potential" for Afghanistan, going on to say that "[t]here are a lot of ifs, of course, but I think potentially it is hugely significant."

Waheed Omar, a spokesperson for Karzai stated that "it's very, very big news for the people of Afghanistan and that we hope will bring the Afghan people together for a cause that will benefit everyone."

Analysts were less optimistic about the potential for a mining industry. Janan Mosazai, one such analyst, said that "I highly doubt it will be able to either properly manage these resources or use the riches to build a more peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan for all Afghans." Mosazai cited Nigeria as an example of a country that has seen increased violence as a result of abundant natural resources; in that case, oil.


Tetemes értékű ásványkincset rejthet az afgán föld

A Pentagon, az Amerikai Földtani Intézet és az Egyesült Államok Nemzetközi Fejlesztési Hivatala által jegyzett egyik, nemrégiben publikált felmérés közel 900 milliárd dollárra teszi Afganisztán ásványi vagyonát. A felmérést az afgán kormány rendelte meg; a helyszíni munka még 2007-ben, az értékbecslés pedig tavaly év végén fejeződött be, de az eredmények csak a New York Times most hétfői számában láttak napvilágot.

A jelentés a vaskészleteket 421, míg a rezet 274, a nióbiumot 81, a kobaltot 51, az aranyat pedig 25 milliárd dollárra értékeli, továbbá becslés nélkül említi még a lítiumot. Hamid Karzai afgán elnök ugyanakkor kiemelte, hogy a valós készletek akár ennek a háromszorosára is rúghatnak. Dzsavad Omar[1], a Bányászati Minisztérium szóvivője szerint a kitermelésből származó bevétel önfenntartóvá tehetné az államot, amelynek így a továbbiakban nem lenne szüksége a nemzetközi anyagi támogatásra. Az amerikai hadvezetés részéről David Petraeus[2] is „potenciálisan nagy jelentőségűnek” titulálta az eredményeket.

Az elemzők egy része azonban kevésbé fogadta optimistán a bejelentést; az AFP hírügynökség által megkérdezett Dzsanan Moszazai[3] például kétli, hogy Afganisztán közelebb kerülne a békéhez és a jóléthez azzal, hogy kiaknázza természeti erőforrásait. Moszai Nigériával példálózott, amely ugyan tetemes mennyiségű kőolajat exportál, lakói mégis nyomorban élnek és gyakoriak az etnikai villongások. Stephanie Sanok, a Nemzetközi Tanulmányok Intézetének[4] egyik kutatója az infrastruktúra hiányát, a korrupciót és a hadi helyzetet emelte ki, mint fő problémákat.

Az ásványkincsek kitermelése mindazonáltal még ideális esetben sem megy egyik napról a másikra: a feltárás és a kapcsolódó építkezések éveket vehetnek igénybe. A bányászati jogokért elsősorban a kínaiak és az indiaiak érdeklődnek. Az ebben rejlő potenciált egyébként jól mutatja, hogy az eddigi legnagyobb külföldi tőkeberuházás is az iparághoz kapcsolódik: az aynaki rézbánya megnyitását 2008-ban engedélyezték a kínaiaknak, akik a megállapodás szerint mintegy 3 milliárd dollárt fektetnek be a térségben.


US stock markets have their best week since November

Wall Street had its best finish since November 2008 after a four day rally with the stock market’s indexes seeing their best weekly gain in nearly five months. The major indicators in the NYSE had a gain of around 10 percent.  This was mainly due to bank shares bouncing and alleviating fears about the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) finished on 7223.98, an increase of 54 points from March 12 2009. The S&P 500 Index finished at 756.55 a 6 point gain and the NASDAQ composite had a 5.40 point gain as well to end the day at 1431.50.

The rally began earlier this week after the news from Citigroup Inc. about managing profits during first two months of the year. The news lessened fears about the country's major financial institutions collapsing after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September. There was more good news from Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co., who announced that they have had profits in the current year.

Today was a mixed day for the financial sector, Drug makers had some gains and so did General Motors and Berkshire Hathaway , which helped the indexes gain. The value of the US dollar fell against  other world currencies, but gold prices increased.


Les marchés américains ferment à leur plus haut niveau depuis novembre

Wall Street a clôturé à son meilleur niveau depuis novembre 2008. Les principaux indicateurs du NYSE ont gagné près de 10 %. Le Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) finit à 7 223,98 points, soit une augmentation de 54 points depuis le 12 mars 2009. Le S&P 500 Index finit à 756,55 points (+ 6) et le NASDAQ composite à 1 431,50 (+ 5,4 points). La Bank of America Corp. et la JPMorgan Chase & Co. ont annoncé des profits pour l'année dernière. General Motors, Citigroup, Pfizer et Berkshire Hathaway ont progressé. Tandis que la valeur du dollar a baissé par rapport aux autres monnaires et celle de l'or à augmenté. Le déficit commercial américain a baissé de 9,7 % à 36 milliards de dollars au mois de janvier.


US stocks see 9% drop before making recovery

US stock markets saw an unusually turbulent day yesterday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) losing almost a thousand points in thirty minutes, although later recovered somewhat to end the day with a smaller loss.

The DJIA had its worst fall since 1987, a drop of 9% or 998.50 points, before going back up a bit to close with a loss of 3.30% or 347.80 points to a level of 10,520. The Nasdaq fell 82.65 points or 3.44%, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 3.24% or 37.75 points.

According to some reports, the quick loss happened because a trader mistyped an order to sell a large amount of stock, causing the stock price to go down enough to trigger orders to sell elsewhere in the market.  (By the following day this theory had been abandoned.)  Other reports suggested that the biggest markets "slowed" their executions when it became clear that computerized errors were occurring; as a result, the vast majority of buy orders were briefly withdrawn, allowing the free-fall to continue for several minutes.

Stock for the Procter & Gamble company fell almost 37% during the sell-off, about 75 minutes to the closing bell. An investigation started into whether any erroneous trades happened.

Procter & Gamble spokeswoman Jennifer Chelune spoke about the incident: "We don't know what caused it. We know that that was an electronic trade [...] and we're looking into it with Nasdaq and the other major electronic exchanges."

The Reuters news agency reports that, at their height, the losses cause equity values to lose $1 trillion.

Some stocks saw extreme, but short, changes; for instance, consulting firm Accenture saw its shares plummet from about $42 to four cents, although it later rebounded to close the day at $41.09.

Meanwhile, oil prices also dropped to lows not reached since February. Benchmark crude was down $2.86 to $77.11 in New York.

"The potential for giant high-speed computers to generate false trades and create market chaos reared its head again today," said Delaware senator Edward Kaufman. "The battle of the algorithms — not understood by nor even remotely transparent to the Securities and Exchange Commission — simply must be carefully reviewed and placed within a meaningful regulatory framework soon." Kaufman, along with senator Mark Warner from Virginia, called on Congress to investigate the cause of the mass sell-offs.

Nasdaq, meanwhile, says that all trades of stocks at prices 60% higher or lower than the preceding price at or around 2.40 PM "or immediately prior" are to be cancelled; it noted that it coordinated its move with the other exchanges.

Chief investment officer at Fort Pitt Capital Group Charlie Smith said: "I think the machines just took over. There's not a lot of human interaction. We've known that automated trading can run away from you, and I think that's what we saw happen today."

In the past three days, the DJIA has lost 631 points, or 5.7%, mainly over concerns about Greece's ailing, debt-burdened economy. Peter Boockvar an equity strategist for Miller Tabak, commented: "The market is now realizing that Greece is going to go through a depression over the next couple of years. Europe is a major trading partner of ours, and this threatens the entire global growth story."


Panique sur Wall Street

Le Dow Jones, l'indice des bourses de New York, connait la plus rapide baisse journalière[1] de son histoire en plongeant de -6 à -7 % en 5 minutes de 20 h 40 à 20 h 45[2].

Huit valeurs de premier plan, dont Accenture, ont vu leur cours s'inscrire à 0,01 $, c'est-à-dire un cent de dollars, durant quelques secondes. A part les Bons du Trésor américains, aucune classe d'actifs n'a échappé à la baisse[3].

Wall Street semble nécessiter une restructuration complète de son architecture informatique, de l'encadrement technique de ses programmes et de ses activités de flash trading[4]. Moins de deux heures après la clôture, les représentants du Nasdaq et du NYSE demandaient à la SEC la possibilité d'annuler 60 % des transactions survenues entre 20 h 40 et 21 h.


US stocks surge, Dow Jones index reaches record

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed today at a new record high of 13,861.73 as United States stock markets rose sharply. This is the first time the Dow got above 13,700. Today's 2.1% rally is the index' largest single-day percentage gain in nearly four years.

Analysts cite earnings reports that exceeded forecasts as a catalyst for the buying spree. Most notably, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest private employer and retailer, which reported that same-store sales increased by 2.4%.

"Consumer are still spending so that was something for people to hang their hats on," said Hugh Moore of Guerite Advisors, when explaining the rally.

Another contributing factor is being reported to be the announced acquisition of Canadian aluminum company Alcan Inc. for US$38.1 billion by multinational mining company Rio Tinto Group. This led to speculation, it is said, that Alcoa Inc., the leading aluminum producer in the US, may soon be the target of a take-over.

Other benchmark indices also posted major gains today. The S&P 500 Index climbed 28.94 to 1,547.70, also a record high. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 49.94 to close at 2,701.73, the highest since March of 2001.


Les stocks américains augmentent rapidement, l'indice Dow Jones atteint des records

Le Dow Jones Industrial Average a fermé aujourd'hui à un nouveau record à la hausse de 13 861,73 points alors que les marchés des stocks américain croissait fortement. C'est la première fois que le Dow dépasse les 13 700 points. La hausse de 2,1 % d'aujourd'hui est le plus haut gain en pourcentage de l'indice depuis près de quatre ans.
Les analystes indiquent des rapports de gains qui dépassent les prédictions comme catalyseurs pour les intentions d'achat. De manière plus notable, Wal-Mart, le plus important employeur privé et plus grand commerce de détail au monde, indique que ses ventes ont augmenté de 2,4 %.
« les consommateurs sont toujours dépensiers, ce qui est pour les gens une chose à laquelle ils peuvent s'accrocher », a indiqué Hugh Moore des Guerite Advisors pour expliquer cette hausse.
Un autre des facteurs indiqué comme concourant à la hausse est l'acquisition annoncée de la compagnie canadienne d'aluminium Alcan par la compagnie minière internationale Rio Tinto Group pour 38,1 milliards USD. Ceci a entraîné de la spéculation par ricochet sur le fait que la compagnie Alcoa Inc., premier producteur d'aluminium des États-Unis, pourrait faire l'objet d'une offre publique d'achat.
D'autres indices de prédiction prévoient des gains majeurs aujourd'hui. L'indice S&P 500 a grimpé de 28,94 points à 1 547,70, un record à la hausse. L'indice NASDAQ Composite a augmenté de 49,94 points pour fermer à 2 701,73, la plus haute limite atteinte depuis mars 2001.


US trade deficit hits new record

The United States trade deficit hit a new record in September to $66.1 billion, up $5.7 billion from August.  The trade deficit so far this year totals $529.8 billion.

A large part of the deficit is attributed to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Some of the increase is attributed to energy imports that were needed after Hurricane Katrina slowed down domestic oil production.  Crude oil imports dropped $350 million due to shut down refineries, yet natural gas imports increased $3.7 billion.  Fuel oil and petroleum products increased by $6.8 billion.  There was also a 2.6 percent drop in exports.

Also affected by Katrina, food exports fell $296 million from transportation delays caused by the shutdown of the port of New Orleans.  The total decrease in all exports was $2.8 billion.

The largest trade deficit is with China, up $1.6 billion to a record $20.1 billion after a flood of toys, clothes, and televisions were shipped to the United States.


Nuovo record del deficit commerciale USA 2005

A settembre il deficit commerciale degli Stati Uniti ha toccato un nuovo record attestandosi a 66,1 miliardi di dollari (56,2 miliardi di euro), 5,7 miliardi di dollari in più rispetto ad agosto, mentre gli esperti attendevano un valore intorno ai 61 miliardi di dollari. Nell'ultimo anno il deficit commerciale è salito a 529,8 miliardi di dollari, pari a 450 miliardi di euro.

Gran parte del deficit è da attribuire agli effetti provocati dagli uragani Katrina e Rita.

Parte dell'incremento è derivante dall'importazione legata all'energia resa necessaria dal rallentamento della produzione petrolifera interna. L'importazione del greggio è diminuita di 350 milioni di dollari a causa della chiusura delle raffinerie, mentre l'importazione del gas naturale è aumentata di 3,7 miliardi di dollari. I combustibili e i prodotti derivati dal petrolio sono aumentati di 6,8 miliardi di dollari.

La diminuzione delle esportazioni è stata del 2,6%, per un totale di 2,8 miliardi di dollari. Sempre a causa dell'uragano Katrina, il porto di New Orleans è stato chiuso, rallentando i trasporti e diminuendo le esportazioni di cibo per 296 milioni di dollari.

La maggior parte del deficit commerciale è verso la Cina, che passa da 1,6 a 20,1 miliardi di dollari, a causa dell'invasione del mercato di giocattoli, vestiti e televisioni. In aumento anche verso i paesi aderenti all'OPEC per un totale di 9,1 miliardi di dollari.


US Treasury unveils new $100 note

The United States Department of the Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing unveiled a new United States one hundred-dollar bill Wednesday morning.  This is the first time that the one hundred dollar note has been redesigned since 1996.

Until now the one hundred dollar note, along with the one and two dollar notes, was not part of the newest batch of dollar note redesigns.  The Bureau of Engraving and Printing redesigned the series 2006 5, 10, 20, and 50 dollar notes previously.

The new one hundred dollar note will contain new security and design features. Along with a new stylized portrait of Benjamin Franklin, the note also features a quill pen and inkwell on the obverse.  On the reverse it has a new larger printed '100' in gold lettering.  The new security features include a EURion constellation, a new more secure watermark, and a new feature called 'motion' which uses 650,000 micro lenses to create a moving image.

The note was originally slated for release in 2008 although budget constraints pushed the release date back to late 2009 or early to mid 2010.  The note will go into general circulation by early 2011.


Újratervezték a százdolláros bankjegyet

Az első mintapéldányt szerdán mutatta be a nagyközönségnek az amerikai államkincstár. Az előoldalon új grafikai elemként helyet kapott egy tintatartó és egy lúdtoll képe, illetve újrarajzolták Benjamin Franklin portréját is, míg a hátoldal jobb szélére nagyméretű, aranyszínű értékjelzés került. Új biztonsági elemként korszerűbb vízjelek, EURion csillagkép, illetve mikrolencsékből kirakott biztonsági szál nehezíti a hamisítók dolgát. A papírra felvitt 650 000 mikrolencséből egy forgatásra változó kép áll össze, hatásában hasonló a forint bankjegyeken is használt hologramhatású csíkhoz.

A címleten 1996 óta ez az első változtatás, noha időközben az 5, a 10, a 20 és az 50 dollárosokat is újratervezték (még 2006-ban). Az eredeti ütemezés szerint az új százdollárost 2008-ban kellett volna kibocsátani, de anyagi problémák miatt ez mostanáig csúszott: az első példányokat is csak 2011 elején bocsátják majd forgalomba.


US unemployment fell to four-year low before Katrina

The United States Department of Labor announced that the country's unemployment rate fell to a four-year low of 4.9%. American employers created about 169,000 new jobs in August. However, this trend is projected to end due to Hurricane Katrina (the data was collected prior to the hurricane).

Economists expect the number of jobless to grow by more than 500,000 in September and the unemployment rate to drive up over 5% again, but they are unsure of the effect an of upcoming Federal Reserve decision on interest rates. Some sources believe the Fed will make no change, while others say the rates will likely be increased to prevent the economy from overheating, causing inflation, which also may be caused by the surge in crude oil and gasoline prices.

The markets fell despite the unemployment data. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 12.26 points to 10,447.37 while Nasdaq fell 6.83 points to 2,141.07. The US dollar declined slightly against most world currencies.


Arbeitslosenquote in den USA fällt auf ein Vierjahrestief

Washington D.C. (Vereinigte Staaten), 03.09.2005 – Nach einer Veröffentlichung des US-amerikanischen Arbeitsamtes fiel die landesweite Arbeitslosenquote auf ein Vierjahrestief von 4,9 Prozent. Im August seien 169.000 neue Arbeitsplätze geschaffen worden. Angesichts der Auswirkungen des Hurrikans Katrina geht man nicht davon aus, dass sich dieser Trend fortsetzen wird.

Ökonomen gehen davon aus, dass die Zahl der Arbeitslosen im September um 500.000 zunehmen wird und die Quote wieder über fünf Prozent liegen wird. Die weitere Entwicklung wird von möglichen Änderungen des Leitzinses durch die Federal Reserve Bank abhängen.

Die Börsen lagen am Nachmittag im minus. Der Dow Jones Index fiel um 12,26 Punkte auf 10.447,37; der Nasdaq-Index um 6,83 Punkte auf 2.141,07. Der US-Dollar verlor leicht.


US unemployment rate reaches 8.1%

The official unemployment rate in the United States increased to 8.1% (seasonally adjusted), the highest level in over 25 years, after the Labor Department reported that 651,000 jobs were lost in February.  The U-6 unemployment rate, an alternative measure also published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that includes other categories of unemployed and underemployed  workers, was reported to be 16%.

The US economy has now shed 4.4 million jobs since the recession began in December 2007. Half of the job losses have come in the last four months, and the unemployment rate has jumped by 3.3% in the past year.

The Federal Reserve says that it doesn't expect the jobless rate to fall below seven percent until 2011.

The professional and business service sector lost 180,000 jobs last month, while manufacturing shed 168,000. The construction industry has lost 1.1 million jobs since January 2007 and 104,000 jobs last month.  At the same time, the financial sector lost 44,000 jobs, bringing the total to 448,000 lost jobs since a peak in December 2007.

"The construction industry is in a near depression," said the General President of LIUNA, Terry O'Sullivan.

"We are staring into the abyss. The recession is intensifying and the economy is rapidly shrinking," said Steven Wood of Insight Economics.

US stock markets opened higher after the report.


USA: il tasso di disoccupazione raggiunge l'8,1%

Il tasso di disoccupazione ufficiale negli Stati Uniti d'America ha raggiunto l'8,1%, il livello più alto da 25 anni. Lo ha annunciato il Dipartimento del lavoro, che precisa che in febbraio sono stati persi 651 000 posti di lavoro. Il tasso di disoccupazione U-6, una misura alternativa rilasciata dal Bureau of Labor Statistics che comprende altre categorie di disoccupati e sottoccupati, ha invece raggiunto il 16%.

L'economia USA ha perso 4,4 milioni di posti di lavoro da quando, nel dicembre 2007, è iniziata la recessione. La metà dei posti di lavoro persi è avvenuta negli ultimi quattro mesi, e il tasso di disoccupazione è salito del 3,3% rispetto all'anno precedente.

La Federal Reserve ritiene che il tasso non ritornerà sotto il 7% prima del 2011. I mercati azionari USA hanno aperto in rialzo in seguito alla pubblicazione del report, poiché la stima, per quanto grave, era in linea con le attese degli analisti.