– Up to 120000 protest in recession-hit Ireland (AFP):
DUBLIN (AFP) – Up to 120,000 protesters brought Dublin city centre to a standstill on Saturday over government austerity measures aimed at stabilising the once high-flying economy now wracked by recession.
– Binyamin Netanyahu warns of Iranian nuclear threat (Times Online)
– Rocket from Lebanon wounds three Israelis: medics (Reuters):
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – At least one rocket fired from Lebanon landed in northern Israel on Saturday, lightly wounding three people and prompting Israel to respond with a brief artillery barrage, the Israeli army said.
– US Concedes Afghan Attack Mainly Killed Civilians (New York Times):
KABUL, Afghanistan — An airstrike by the United States-led military coalition killed 13 civilians and 3 militants last Tuesday in western Afghanistan, not “up to 15 militants” as was initially claimed by American forces, military officials here said Saturday.
– Guantánamo ‘is within Geneva conventions’ (Guardian):
The Pentagon report looked into various allegations of abuse. But Walsh’s report contains only two major recommendations for improving the prisoners’ lives: allowing them more opportunities to communicate with one another and to pray together. (Real change!)
– Gates Sees Need for at Least $83 Billion More in 2009 for Wars (Bloomberg):
Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) — The Pentagon needs at least $83 billion more for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of this fiscal year, Pentagon officials told the White House.
– Nearly 5 million Americans drawing jobless benefits (Reuters):
“The data indicates an accelerated deterioration … jobs are being lost and the pool of unemployed is growing faster,” said Kevin Logan, senior U.S. economist at Dresdner Kleinwort in New York. “People cannot find jobs.”
– UK “could experience a crash similar to Iceland” (HedgeWeek):
The global financial crisis could be entering a ‘new and more treacherous phase’, which could push international countries to the brink of failure and further hinder the global economic recovery, according to Hennessee Group.
– United they fall: post-communist states pull EU into the red (Guardian):
– This financial crisis is now truly global (Telegraph):
The financial crisis has moved from Wall Street to all streets, as the economic shock causes strains and suffering in every part of the world economy.
– Money for Idiots (New York Times)
– Gaddafi offers oil and power to people (Times Online):
Forty years into the revolution he unleashed on Libya Muammar Gaddafi has announced plans to dismantle the Government, hand the riches from Africa’s biggest oil reserves to the people and nationalise foreign oil operations that have recently been allowed back into the country.
“The administration has failed and the state economy has failed. Enough is enough. The solution is, we Libyans take directly the oil money and decide what to do with the money,” he says.
– US Wants UBS to Break Swiss Law By Naming Clients, Bank Says (Bloomberg):
Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) — U.S. efforts to force UBS AG, Switzerland’s largest bank, to disclose the names of 52,000 American customers would require the bank to violate Swiss sovereignty and criminal law, bank lawyers said.
– Major indexes fall more than 6 percent for week (AP):
NEW YORK (AP) – Wall Street ended another terrible week Friday, leaving major indexes down more than 6 percent as investors worried that the recession will persist for at least the rest of the year and that government intervention will do little to hasten a recovery. (The Government intervention will make it much worse.)
– Fears for BofA and Citi rattle markets (Financial Times):
Fears that Citigroup and Bank of America would be nationalised shook global markets on Friday, prompting the Obama administration to reaffirm its commitment to private ownership of financial institutions.
– Bank of America chief Kenneth Lewis denies bank is facing nationalisation (Times Online):
Kenneth Lewis, the chairman and chief executive of Bank of America (BoA), was forced to defend the country’s biggest bank as its shares scraped historic lows on fears of nationalisation.
– Thanks for the philanthropy, billionaires. Now pay your tax (Guardian)
– Julie Christie: ‘I feared Bush would unleash a wave of sadism – he did’ (Independent):
This week she was back again highlighting Britain’s role in the alleged torture of a British resident held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
– WTA Fines Dubai Tournament $300000 for Blocking Peer (Bloomberg):
Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) — The organizers of the women’s tennis event in Dubai were fined a record $300,000 today by the WTA Tour for blocking the entry of Israeli player Shahar Peer.
– Hamas tells Israel it will not surrender captured soldier (Telegraph):
Hamas has told Israel that it will not succumb to pressure to release a captured soldier, Gilad Shalit, in return for peace in Gaza.
– Meet iCub – the robot that moves and learns like a child (Daily Mail):
A sophisticated robot that is able to move and learn like a three-year-old child has made its first outing in the UK.
The iCub is able to crawl and walk, make human-like eye and head movements and recognise and grasp objects like a toddler, scientists say.
– Big Pharma Quietly Hikes Drug Prices 100 Percent or More (Natural News)