Monthly Archives: February 2013

Bulgarian government resigns amid protests

"'We have dignity and honour. It is the people who put us in power and we give it back to them today,' Borisov told parliament, adding that he would not participate in an interim government. Bulgaria has been shaken over the past week by protests that initially were about soaring electricity prices but which have turned into nationwide demonstrations against the right-wing government in general. The clashes left dozens of people wounded and scores were arrested with demonstrators fighting running battles with riot police and vandalising government buildings in the capital Sofia." Continue reading →

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India mulling further efforts to curb gold imports

"The world's biggest gold importer has been trying to get its population to buy less of the metal. Late January, the government hiked the import duty on gold and platinum to 6% from 4% to curb imports of the precious metal. However, realising that an import duty hike was in the offing, bullion retailers purchased 23% more gold in January this year, ahead of the duty hike. 'The shipment was the highest in 18 months and clearly undermined the government's efforts to cap imports. A purchase of 100 tonne in one month is 40% more than the monthly average. This has got the government worried once again,' said Baijal Pushpesh, bullion retailer." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIndia mulling further efforts to curb gold imports

Baubles to bars: India gold culture defies curbs

"Gold has been deeply entwined in Indian culture for thousands of years. Nowadays, India is by far the world's biggest buyer of gold and those imports are an increasing drain on an economy that is growing too slowly to reduce widespread poverty. Last year Indians imported 864 tons of gold, about one fifth of world sales. The unquenchable appetite for gold coins, bars and jewelry has swelled India's trade deficit and weakened its currency, making crucial imports such as fuel more expensive. Industry experts say there are signs that higher import taxes have encouraged smuggling, which hasn't been a problem since India lifted strict gold controls more than 20 years ago." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBaubles to bars: India gold culture defies curbs

Left In The Dark: Copper Thieves Rob Detroit Freeways Of Light

"MDOT spokesman Rob Morosi said roughly 20 percent of the lights on poles and beneath overpasses on freeways in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and St. Clair counties are dark. 'We are responsible for about 5,500 light poles and also about 5,000 individual lights that are installed beneath overpasses,' Morosi told The Detroit News. 'Right now we’re estimating 1,100 outages to those poles for a number of reasons.' The main reason for many of the outages, according to Morosi, is copper thieves – who are stripping metal from the transformer cabinets." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLeft In The Dark: Copper Thieves Rob Detroit Freeways Of Light

Armed thieves steal planeload of Zurich-bound diamonds and gold

"Armed thieves stole diamonds and gold worth millions of francs on Monday night at Brussels airport as the valuables were being loaded onto a Helvetic Airways plane bound for Zurich, according to media reports. The gun-wielding thieves drove onto the airport tarmac in two vehicles which tore through a fence opening shortly before 8pm, the airport said. Several Belgian media outlets reported that a Brinks armoured truck was the target of the armed robbery by eight individuals. Employees of Brinks were in the process of loading the cargo of jewels and gold on the Helvetic Airways plane. The value of the booty was estimated at more than 430 million francs." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingArmed thieves steal planeload of Zurich-bound diamonds and gold

Jon Stewart Strikes Obama on Drones

Jon Stewart has long been one of my favorite people in the news business. Yes, he’s a comedian. Yes, he’s a liberal who irks my conservative sensibilities. Yes, he’s often wrong, but he’s principled. This is a rare quality, particularly in the media world. I’ve had the opportunity to meet Stewart on three occasions, each [...]

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Julian Assange on Real Time With Bill Maher: NDAA Kill List

"WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange weighed in on the brewing controversy surrounding the Obama administration's targeted killing program Friday night during an appearance on 'Real Time With Bill Maher.' Assange railed against the revelation, made by NBC News earlier this week, that the U.S. government reserves the right to extrajudicially kill U.S. citizens, as long as they are perceived to be 'imminent' terror threats -- with 'imminence' being given an especially broad definition." Continue reading →

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Terrifying Video Demonstrates Bug-Sized Lethal Drones Being Developed By U.S. Air Force

"Yes, in a world with micro-drones, casualties of American drone strikes will likely decrease, given that we’d be directly killing targets rather than obliterating them and everything around them with a missile from the sky. But the possibility for such precisely targeted surveillance and assassination, at the hands of a virtually-untraceable little 'bug,' gives our government one more tool to easily evade supervision and accountability." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTerrifying Video Demonstrates Bug-Sized Lethal Drones Being Developed By U.S. Air Force

Ron Paul: The Drone Threat

"While touting the success of its overseas drone program, the US administration refuses to even admit publicly that the CIA has an overseas drone program. In response to a recent ACLU Freedom of Information request regarding the existence of the CIA's drone program, the Department of Justice responded, 'The very fact of the existence or nonexistence of such documents is itself classified.' How is that for government transparency? Recently, FAA stated that no armed drones would presently be permitted in US airspace. But what good are the promises of government officials when the Constitution, and especially the Fourth Amendment, has been gutted?" Continue reading →

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Pentagon’s New High-tech Warfare Medal Draws Backlash

"The Distinguished Warfare Medal will be awarded to pilots of unmanned aircraft, offensive cyberwar experts or others who are directly involved in combat operations, but who are not physically in theater and facing the physical risks that warfare historically entails. The new medal, announced Wednesday by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, will have precedence over — and be worn on a uniform ahead of — the Bronze Star with Valor device, awarded to troops for specific heroic acts performed under fire in combat. It is the first new forcewide medal recognizing combat achievement since the Bronze Star was created in 1944." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPentagon’s New High-tech Warfare Medal Draws Backlash