President Putin rattles nuclear sabre at Nato
President Putin accused Nato yesterday of threatening Russia’s security and ordered the military to place the country’s strategic nuclear arsenal on a higher state of alert.
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He issued his stark message as Russia confirmed that it would pull out of a landmark arms limitation treaty on December 12. The Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty was fundamental to ending the Cold War.
Poland having second thoughts about participating in U.S. missile defence
The United States insists the interceptors are aimed at countering an alleged Iranian missile threat. Moscow scoffs at that, saying that plan undermines Russia's nuclear deterrent.
It threatens to take countermeasures, including basing short-range nuclear missiles in Belarus, which borders Poland.
Asean Leaders Agree to Form EU-Style Bloc by 2015
China's E-Waste Nightmare Worsening
It's war if Kosovo breaks away, say Serbs
More than half of Afghanistan 'under Taliban'
Somalia descends into fresh hell
Almost 200,000 people who have fled the violence in Mogadishu now live in 70 makeshift camps that have sprung up along the side of the road.
Senior United Nations officials in the region consider Somalia to be the worst humanitarian crisis in Africa, surpassing even Darfur in its horror and hopelessness.
New Oil Crisis: An Engineer Shortage
"We anticipate a 10 to 15% shortfall" in the number of veteran engineers and project managers needed to lead the search for new energy supplies, says Candida Scott, director of cost research at Cambridge Energy Research Associates.
After the Oil Crisis, a Food Crisis?
What's more, worldwide food reserves are at their lowest in 35 years, so prices are likely to stay high for the foreseeable future. "Past shocks have quickly dissipated, but that's not likely to be the case this time," says Ghurkan. "Supply and demand have become unbalanced, and... can't be fixed quickly."
Oil leaders' private debate televised by mistake
But the Saudis, the world's largest oil producers and de facto head of Opec, vetoed the proposal. Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, warned that even the mere mention to journalists of the fact that leaders were discussing the weak dollar would cause the US currency to plummet.
Wall Street’s money machine breaks down
The subprime mortgage crisis keeps getting worse-and claiming more victims.
U.S. government tricks hides trillions in debt
Global crash imminent, warns expert
Even as emerging markets like China, India and Brazil careen ahead at voracious growth rates, the speculative "bubbles" arising in the markets could cause a major global recession, cautioned Robert Shiller, the Stanley B. Resor Professor of Economics at Yale University, at yesterday's event.
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Other items of interest:
The Pillars of Tokyo
Image of recent coal mine collapse - Yallourne
