Friday, May 15, 2009

SPB News for Friday







Politically-connected firm admits payments of $13M to indicted middleman.

Allied Irish Banks board dodges rotten eggs as stake holders all over get angry

US House backs $96.7 bln bill for Iraq, Afghan, Pakistan wars The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a $96.7 billion measure to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through Sept. 30 as well as rush critical economic and security aid [?] to Pakistan. The biggest chunk is $47.7 billion to support military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through Sept. 30. Obama had originally requested in total $84.3 billion. It also includes $1 billion for Pakistan as it tries to fight militant Taliban 'insurgents.'

U.N. rights chief urges Obama to prosecute torturers The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday welcomed the election of the United States to the top United Nations rights forum and urged it to prosecute those accused of torture and other abuses. Navi Pillay said Washington should investigate all U.S. renditions of terrorism suspects and ensure any interrogators who mistreated them are brought to justice for violating an international ban on torture.
Reid says no plan no Guantanamo closure The US Senate will not provide funding to close the Guantanamo Bay prison facility until President Barack Obama provides a concrete proposal on doing so. "There will be nothing happening until a plan comes from the president," Majority Leader, Harry Reid, told reporters on Thursday. The Senate Appropriations Committee is considering Obama's request for USD 80m to shutter the controversial detention center by January 22, 2010, and attach strict conditions to its closing.
60-year-old Army soldier is oldest killed in Iraq --Ariz. man was Vietnam vet who decided to re-enlist after 9/11 attacks A 60-year-old Vietnam War veteran who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq has become the oldest Army soldier to die in that conflict, the military said Thursday. An Associated Press database of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan shows that Maj. Steven Hutchison, of Scottsdale, Ariz., is the oldest member of any service branch killed since the wars broke out.

Detroit fund sues Halliburton, KBR The Detroit Policemen & Firemen Retirement System filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Houston today against oil field services provider Halliburton Co. and its one-time subsidiary KBR Inc., accusing Halliburton’s board of directors of breach of fiduciary duty for misdeeds and corruption resulting in damage to investors’ holdings. The lawsuit, brought on behalf of the retirement system by Wilmington, Del.-based law firm Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. and Houston-based Lanier Law Firm, names current and former directors of Halliburton as defendants.

Gov. proposes selling L.A. Coliseum, other properties to raise cash Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to sell the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, San Quentin State Prison, the Orange County Fairgrounds and other state property to raise cash amid the state's growing fiscal crisis, according to a copy of a proposal reviewed by The Times. Sale of the properties, to be included in the governor's revised budget plan today, would raise between $600 million and $1 billion, although it would not provide financial relief for two to five years, according to the proposal.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

789 Chrysler dealerships is big, big because that mean many, many jobs and tax revenue for the city/town/county/state they are in.

One of the biggest industries the US had that made it what it was (note: was) was the automobile industry.

Detroit used to be a big productive city, now it is full of boarded up, foreclosed homes.

The Chicago Tribune had a front page article today of a couple who the Dad made $110K a year the mom $20K, they went from that to welfare (food stamps, medicaid) in a few short months. His job gave him no severce pay, and unemployment was not enough to cover their day to day expenses. But I am sure this was on the front page because it was such a common and typical scenerio, six figures to welfare.