December 2011
75 posts
Sears, Kmart to shut 100-120 stores →
Sears Holdings on Tuesday reported a sharp drop in holiday sales compared to a year ago, and said the results will force it to close 100 to 120 Sears and Kmart stores. The stores to be closed have yet to be identified. The company is one of th
Mexico’s cartels build own national radio system →
When convoys of soldiers or federal police move through the scrubland of northern Mexico, the Zetas drug cartel knows they are coming. The alert goes out from a taxi driver or a street vendor, equipped with a high-end handheld radio and paid to
Yuan hits all-time high →
The yuan closed up against the dollar on Monday after hitting an all-time high in intraday trading, guided by a stronger mid-point by the People’s Bank of China, and looks set for an over-4-percent appreciation for 2011, traders said. The yua
Brazil overtakes UK as sixth biggest economy as... →
Britain has been deposed by Brazil as the sixth largest economy in the world, latest figures show. In a dramatic illustration of changing global economic fortunes, the UK has fallen behind a South American nation for the first time. The figures
China, Japan to Back Direct Trade of Currencies →
Japan and China will promote direct trading of the yen and yuan without using dollars and will encourage the development of a market for companies involved in the exchanges, the Japanese government said. Japan will also apply to buy Chinese bonds
Air Jordan shoes cause riots around nation →
Scuffles broke out and police were brought in to quell unrest that nearly turned into riots across the nation Friday following the release of Nike’s new Air Jordan basketball shoes — a retro model of one of the most popular Air Jordans ever mad
Shoplifting Rises in Weeks Leading up to Christmas →
Theft in retail stores was up to its highest level in four years in 2011, and it seems shoplifters picked up the pace in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud and organized retail crime cost the U.S. retail ind
Net liabilities hit $14.8 trillion in FY11:... →
(Reuters) - The U.S. government fell deeper into the red in fiscal 2011 with net liabilities swelling more than $1 trillion as commitments on government debt and federal benefits rose, a U.S. Treasury report showed on Friday. The Financial Rep
Flashpoint Falklands: Britain dusts off war plans... →
Military chiefs are dusting off their plans for the defence of the Falklands after South American countries banned ships from the islands docking in their ports. Sources fear Prince William’s six-month deployment to the South Atlantic as an
Patriot Missiles Bound for China Discovered on... →
The Finnish authorities have impounded an Isle of Man-flagged ship bound for China with undeclared missiles and explosives, officials say. Police are questioning the crew of the MS Thor Liberty after what were described as 69 Patriot anti-miss
Mexico the new war front for a war with Iran? →
Many believe that the US is already in a covert war with Iran. Key scientists involved in Iran’s nuclear program have been assassinated and several Iranian government buildings have been blown up. Now Iran, according to a Univision documentary, i
MAJOR MEXICAN CITY DISBANDS ENTIRE POLICE FORCE TO... →
The entire police force in the major Gulf coast port city of Veracruz was dissolved on Wednesday, and Mexican officials sent the Navy in to patrol. The Veracruz state government said the decision is part of an effort to root out police corrupt
Why is the Department of Homeland Security... →
In May of last year, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) helped the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) carry out a drug raid which resulted in the slaughter of 73 innocent Jamaicans, and they are now attempting to cover up the inci
Louisiana State Officials Call For Troops On... →
Lawmakers in Louisiana are calling for National Guard troops to patrol the streets of New Orleans after a toddler was killed in a drive-by shooting. The last time troops were involved in domestic law enforcement in the state, they were used to co
Almost 1 in 3 U.S. Youths Arrested by Age 23,... →
About 30 percent of Americans by age 23 have been arrested at least once for something other than a traffic violation, increasing their chances of professional and family strife, researchers say. By age 18, about 16 percent to 27 percent of te
US military 'ready to engage in a conflict with... →
America’s most senior military official has indicated that the country is ready to engage in a conflict with Iran, if President Barack Obama were to give the signal. Tensions have been growing in the region following international condemnation
Local Cops Ready for War With Homeland... →
Nestled amid plains so flat the locals joke you can watch your dog run away for miles, Fargo treasures its placid lifestyle, seldom pierced by the mayhem and violence common in other urban communities. North Dakota’s largest city has averaged
Investors Lose Faith in Stocks As Billions Pour... →
Just over a week ago, equity mutual funds globally had the second-biggest one-day outflow of money in 2011, capping four straight weeks of net redemptions, according to data from EPFR Global. Worldwide, investors have yanked $34 billion out of
IMF chief warns of 1930's scenario →
(Financial Times) — The managing director of the International Monetary Fund has warned that the global economy faces the prospect of “economic retraction, rising protectionism, isolation and … what happened in the 30s [Depression]”, as Eur
Syria deploys Russian anti-sea missiles on coast,... →
Expanded Russian military support for the Assad regime was underscored by the deployment Friday, Dec. 16, of advanced Moscow-supplied Yakhont (SSN-26) shore-to-sea missiles along Syria’s Mediterranean shore to fend off a potential invasion by sea
Americans face Guantánamo detention after Obama... →
Barack Obama has abandoned a commitment to veto a new security law that allows the military to indefinitely detain without trial American terrorism suspects arrested on US soil who could then be shipped to Guantánamo Bay. Human rights groups
Obama, Arab allies eye no-fly zone that could... →
LONDON — The United States has drafted a plan with its Arab allies to establish a no-fly zone over Syria. Western diplomatic sources said the administration of President Barack Obama has reached agreement with Saudi Arabia and other Arab a
Satellite Takes Picture of Chinese Carrier on the... →
DigitalGlobe Inc., a commercial satellite company, said Wednesday that it took a photograph of China’s first aircraft carrier during a sea trial in the Yellow Sea, off the Chinese coast. The Pentagon did not confirm the image, but Stephen Wo
U.S. Postal Service puts 5-month pause on closings →
(Reuters) - The U.S. Postal Service has agreed to a five-month moratorium on closures of post offices and processing facilities while lawmakers hammer out legislation to overhaul the cash-strapped mail carrier, a group of U.S. senators said on Tu
U.S. authorities probing alleged cyberattack plot... →
U.S. officials are investigating reports that Iranian and Venezuelan diplomats in Mexico were involved in planned cyberattacks against U.S. targets, including nuclear power plants. Allegations about the cyberplot were aired last week in a docu
Shooting Doesn't Scare Drivers From In-N-Out →
Would you wait in line just feet away from where a shooting took place to eat a burger? Apparently some people in Pinole will if its an In-N-Out Burger. On Monday evening at 5 a man in his 20s reportedly shot another man in his 20s just out
Horror as Walmart stays open after husband 'stabs... →
A South Carolina man has been charged with murder in the death of his wife, who was fatally stabbed inside a Greenville County Walmart this weekend. But as shoppers looked on in horror, store management roped off the area for homicide invest
Mexico unaware DOJ was passing laundered cash to... →
According to a spokesperson for Mexican president Felipe Calderon, Mexico’s government was left in the dark about a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration drug money laundering scheme that allegedly facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars
Russia Sends Show Of Support To Syria →
Russia has dispatched the flagship of its fleet, the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov as well as the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko, to the eastern Mediterranean where it will visit a naval base Syria, in a show of support of Bashar al Assad the
U.S. military drone crashes in Seychelles →
One of the Air Force’s premier drones crashed Tuesday morning in the Seychelles, the Indian Ocean archipelago that serves as a base for anti-piracy operations, as well as U.S. surveillance missions over Somalia. The crash of the MQ-9 Reaper
Iranian Official Threatens Military Drill Sealing... →
Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) — Oil rose the most in almost four weeks on speculation supplies will be disrupted after a report that Iran will hold drills to close the Strait of Hormuz and that the Federal Reserve may announce additional stimulus. Crud
Latvia's largest bank fights off depositor run... →
RIGA, Latvia - Latvia’s largest bank scrambled Monday to head off a run among depositors who were gripped by rumours of the bank’s imminent ruin. Weekend rumours that Swedbank was facing legal and liquidity problems in Estonia and Sweden
Nuclear knowhow, S300 are Iran's price for... →
Iran is driving a hard bargain for granting access to the US stealth drone RQ-170 it captured undamaged last week, as Russian and Chinese military intelligence teams arriving in Tehran for a look at the secret aircraft soon found. DEBKAfile’s Mos
ISAF Aggression Against Pakistan →
On the night of 25/26th November, the American and NATO aircraft and gunships attacked the two Pakistani border posts in Salala area of Mohmand Agency and killed 28 Pakistani soldiers, including two officers – a blatant violation of Pakistan’
Is The Pawn Shop The New Spot For Holiday... →
GARDEN CITY (WWJ) - Doing your holiday shopping at the pawn shop? WWJ’s Sandra McNeill reports that’s not so odd anymore. Tom Blaine owns the Garden City Exchange and says his business though October is already up 49 percent over Decemb
Scotland Shut Down By Icy 165mph Blasts →
A fierce storm with winds of up to 165mph has battered northern parts of Britain, with people warned to stay indoors, schools forced to close and flights and rail links cancelled. Localised flooding has also caused major disruptions on roads -
Can the ‘indefinite detention’ bill send americans... →
U.S. Citizens suspected of terrorism and caught on U.S. soil forfeit their rights to due process and the presumption of innocence underlying the Constitution. That appears to be the current position of the Senate, according to many legal analy
Fox News passes off Greek riots as Moscow election... →
U.S. TV channel Fox News tried to pass off riots in the Greek capital Athens as protests against the results of Russian parliamentary elections in Moscow, the Rossiya 24 television channel reported. As is seen on videos posted on YouTube a
California Woman Shoots Intruder During 911 Call →
If Donna Hopper, a 66 year old Redding, California, woman had listened to police during a 911 call, she may have been killed by an intruder. During a 911 call, a police operator told Hopper not to shoot the intruder breaking into her home. She
Iran shows film of captured US drone →
Iranian TV has shown the first video footage of an advanced US drone aircraft that Tehran says it downed near the Afghan border. Images show Iranian military officials inspecting the RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft which appears to be undamaged
Major Syrian pipeline blown up →
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Syrian pipeline carrying oil from the east of the country to a vital refinery in Homs was blown up Thursday in what the official news agency SANA said was an act of sabotage by an armed terrorist group. Opposition activist
Putin Accuses Clinton of Encouraging Protesters →
MOSCOW (AP) — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin strongly criticized U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday, accusing her of encouraging and funding Russians protesting election fraud, and warned of a wider Russian crackdown on d
Report: Air Force dumped remains of 274 troops in... →
The Air Force dumped the incinerated partial remains of at least 274 American troops in a Virginia landfill, far more than the military had acknowledged, before halting the secretive practice three years ago, records show. The landfill dumping
Jon Corzine to tell House panel he doesn’t know... →
Jon S. Corzine, the former U.S. senator and New Jersey governor who presided over the collapse of the commodities brokerage MF Global, says he cannot explain what happened to “many hundreds of millions of dollars” that the firm was holding fo
ATF Plotted to Use Fast And Furious To Demonize... →
“Documents obtained by CBS News show that the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discussed using their covert operation “Fast and Furious” to argue for controversial new rules about gun sales.” Emails obtained by
http://besslerreport.com/?p=57 →
“Documents obtained by CBS News show that the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discussed using their covert operation “Fast and Furious” to argue for controversial new rules about gun sales.” Emails obtained by
Jim Rogers gives dire warning "THAT WILL LEAD TO... →
“Jim, economic collapse with the euro: will that lead to a recession?” asks Glenn Beck. “That will lead to the end of the world as we know it,” answers Jim Rogers, founder of Rogers International Commodities Index. “That will certain
3 tags
Afghan president says attack came from Pakistan
Kabul - Afghans were on Wednesday burying 59 people killed in unprecedented bombings against Shi’ite Muslims as officials blamed Pakistani militants, accusing them of trying to whip up Iraq-style sectarian violence. Investigators are poring over who was behind the co-ordinated attacks in the Afghan capital Kabul and northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif that the Taliban, the main faction leading a...
