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06 Jun 2011 08:30

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World: After huge losses, Tepco’s future leads its stock to nosedive

  • No one knows what will happen to Tepco in the future. We don’t even know whether the company will remain a private company or will the government take it over.
  • Fujimaki Japan’s Takeshi Fujimaki • Explaining why Tepco’s stock went down significantly today — at one point as far as 28 percent — after a financial report that suggested the company was in very bad shape. Simply put, many investors don’t think Tepco is long for this world as a private company and will need significant help from Japan to survive. The company could face $7 billion in losses for the current fiscal year — already on top of $15 billion lost in the prior fiscal year, which ended in March. That’s before any compensation costs are taken into account, by the way. Investors are betting on bankruptcy and/or public-sector takeover. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Jun 2011 21:49

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U.S., World: The U.S. faces terrorism, diplomacy threats amid Yemen instability

  • We would be shortsighted to think this doesn’t pose short-term national security concerns. The likelihood is that [al-Qaeda operatives] will be raising their heads.
  • Frank J. Cilluffo, the head of, George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute • Describing the danger that the Saleh’s transition away from Yemeni leadership means for the War on Terror. A key terror cell — al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — could cause serious issues by taking advantage of the instability in the region, while Yemeni opposition leaders deny the group’s existence at all. (Which is troubling because two separate attacks have been tied to the group since late 2009 — including the underwear bomber.) Another way this could force the U.S. into a precarious position: Saleh was an ally of the U.S., and an unstable transition could force diplomats to scramble to make up for a transition that doesn’t favor Americans. A complicated issue all around — and one with difficult answers. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Jun 2011 12:34

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World: Golan Heights: 44 years after Six-Day War, violence erupts anew

  • “Anyone who tries to cross the border will be killed.” That was the message Israeli soldiers had today, the anniversary of the day when Golan Heights fell from Syrian hands to Israeli ones. Today, dozens of protesters, mostly Palestinian, went up to the border of the strategically-important piece of land — and were fired upon by Israeli soldiers. At least 14 died, and hundreds were injured during the protests. Prior to the violence, Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli soldiers to act with restraint but determination while protecting the border. “To my regret, today there are extremists around us trying to breach our borders, and threaten our towns and citizens,” he said to his cabinet. “We will not allow this.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Jun 2011 12:07

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World: Post-Fukushima, Japanese businesspeople dress down to cool off

  • Why are these Japanese businesspeople dressed up like they’re about to go to a cookout? The reason actually has to do with March’s earthquake, if you can believe it. See, Japan has this campaign called “Super Cool Biz,” where the AC doesn’t go up nearly as high and businesses cut their electricity use by 15 percent. Which means that offices shouldn’t get cooler than 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) and workers should probably dress down and stuff. While the campaign isn’t new — it was introduced in 2005 as a way to fight global warming — companies are finally starting to jump on board with the idea due to the earthquake. (Photo by Itsuo Inouye/Associated Press) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Jun 2011 11:50

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World: Yemen celebrates Saleh’s departure, but not without reservations

  • Sure, he’s gone, but it wasn’t peaceful: Last night, crowds flared up in celebratory tones over the departure of Ali Abdullah Saleh, who left his post under unsatisfactory conditions after he was violently injured during a raid on his palace. The conditions that led to his departure (after he spent more than 32 years in power) have led some activists to be a little less-willing to celebrate it on its own terms. “Our revolution was hijacked by the tribes,” noted Yemeni journalist and activist Shatha al-Harazi. “How can we establish a civil state if tribes still wield so much power? They forced Saleh out with weapons and we failed to force him out with peace.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jun 2011 13:52

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World: VIDEO: Cockpit footage of British choppers hitting Libyan targets

  • From the cockpit of a British Apache helicopter: The British Ministry of Defense released a selection of videos of helicopter strikes at various Libyan targets, including the clip above. The Telegraph, where we grabbed the video above, suggests that the footage emphasizes a key point; by knocking out these relatively small targets one-by-one, both the rebels and the forces are slowly wearing away at Gaddafi’s infrastructure. “Helicopters and war planes will take out the check-points from the air; the rebels seize the ground,” writes Richard Spencer, who suggests the coalition has formed an alliance with the rebels on the ground in all but name. If it sounds like this is going to take a freaking long time, that’s because it probably will. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jun 2011 17:07

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World: Yemen’s Sanaa airport closed amidst chaotic violence

  • The scene in Yemen: The depressing, daily drumbeat of violence, upheaval and power struggle continues, and in this case, things are looking like they could get a lot worse before any better. The airport in Sanaa has closed, amidst some of the most sustained, violent clashing in Yemen since the initial protests against the Saleh government. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

02 Jun 2011 10:37

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World: Rare German strain of E.coli “more virulent and toxin-producing”

  • This is a unique strain that has never been isolated from patients before … [it has] various characteristics that make it more virulent and toxin-producing.
  • World Health Organization food safety expert Hilde Kruse • Describing what makes the mutant strain of E.coli — the one found mostly in Germany at this point — much more dangerous than previous versions. The disease, which sickened more than 1,500 and left nearly 500 with a rare type of kidney failure, is the third-largest outbreak of E.coli ever. So, where did it come from? “One should think of an animal source,” Kruse suggested. “Many animals are hosts of various types of toxin-producing E. coli.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jun 2011 10:25

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World: Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan still has some confidence left

Amid the Japanese earthquake, Kan survived a no-confidence vote and will likely outlast all of his recent predecessors, despite promising to resign after the crisis. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jun 2011 17:33

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World: Violence flares in Yemen after Saleh refuses to step down

  • 41 left dead in clashes: The violence flared up as a result of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh once again refused to cede power after 33 years — a decision that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has criticized. The end result caused last week’s ceasefire to break down, leading Saleh to reinforce his troops and causing bloody street battles — it’s a situation that some diplomats describe as “worse than Libya,” if you can believe that. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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