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Title: EU states monitor spread of civil unrest
Source:
emportal/EUobserver.com
URL Source: http://www.emportal.co.yu/en/news/region/76792.html
Published: Jan 27, 2009
Author: EUobserver
Post Date: 2009-01-27 15:02:39 by X-15
Keywords: None
Views: 282
Comments: 19
EU member states are "intensively" monitoring the risk of spreading civil unrest in Europe, as riots over the economic crisis erupt in Iceland following street clashes in Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Greece. EU member states are "intensively" monitoring the risk of spreading civil unrest in Europe, as riots over the economic crisis erupt in Iceland following street clashes in Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Greece. The worst street disturbances for 50 years struck Reykjavik on Thursday (22 January), as police streamed a hardcore of a few hundred anti-government protesters in the early morning with pepper spray and then tear gas after an earlier crowd of around 2,000 gathered outside the Althingi, the country's parliament, to demand the government resign. The crowds surrounded the building while banging pots and pans and shooting off fireworks. The demonstrators also lobbed paving stones, rolls of toilet paper and shoes. It was the second day of protests after on Wednesday protesters jostled Minister Geir Haarde's limousine, pummelling it with cans of soft drinks and eggs. The regular demonstrations have strained the government coalition, with the ruling Independence Party on Thursday saying it "realises that there will be elections this year." Iceland is not an EU member, but the protests could result in it being the first European country to see its government brought down by the economic crisis. "It's a democracy that has its problems like many other states as a result of the economic crisis," European Commission external relations spokeswoman Christiane Hohmann said. The events in Iceland come hot on the heels of anti-government clashes in Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria in recent days, where economic discontent mixed with local issues erupted in violence. Trade unions in Greece meanwhile warn that further strikes are still likely, after protracted street fighting by students and young workers in December that caused billions in damage. Concern about the spreading unrest is high on the EU agenda, as governments find it increasingly more expensive to borrow money, putting pressure on social programmes. "There are concerns. The EU shares them. It is one of the major challenges for the Spring European Council," said a senior EU official, referring to the quarterly gathering of EU leaders. EU ambassadors in Brussels are discussing the issue and receiving "regular updates", according to another official, although he added that more intelligence on the situation is needed to see whether the riots are "part of a social trend" or manipulation by opposition elements. Lithuania's interior minister visited Latvia to discuss public security problems related to the economic crisis even before the Vilnius and Riga riots last week. Lithuania is currently collecting "all available information about similar events in other member states" and sharing it with "concerned" countries Estonia, France, Germany and Latvia, a Lithuanian diplomat told the EUobserver. "Intensive share of information" is also taking place between the Baltic states and Poland, he added. Following the ructions in Vilnius, 11 further peaceful demonstrations were organised around the country by trade-unions. "Due to the declining economic [situation] and problems raised by it, a possibility of similar meetings still remains, but we hope that riots will not be repeated," he said. More to come In a Wednesday interview with the BBC, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, predicted that the economic downturn will cause more unrest. "[It could happen] almost everywhere, in Europe certainly, and also in emerging countries," he said. "You've had some strikes that look like normal, usual strikes, but it may worsen in the coming months." Asked which countries were most at risk, Mr Strauss-Kahn mentioned Hungary, Ukraine, Latvia and Belarus. "It can be my own country [France], the UK, it can be eastern Europe," he said. "The situation is really, really serious," he added. Posters's comment: pots and pans, paving stones, toilet paper, shoes...these can be weathered by any government and serve as a harmless relief-valve to pacify the un-armed peasants of Ye Olde Europe. We, OTOH, are armed. So, why are we waiting while Obummer and Congress give this nation the final gang-bang that will finish us off as a First World nation??
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#1. To: X-15, ALL (#0)
That is the million dollar question.
Holy crap. I hope people take the time to read and digest this. It's heading here.
I just deleted a 3 paragraph answer and realized you probably have the same answer. When is it EXACTLY time to act individually and/or act as a combined force ? It's obvious they are the only ones waging this war thus far.
4um Traitor That is the million dollar question. Once the response starts it has to go all the way and it has to succeed. April 15th is coming btw. ;-)
4um Traitor After the Super Bowl but before March Madness?? sarc/off
_________________________________________________________________________ College World Series is in June iirc.
4um Traitor Really? And....??? I hear some people actually refuse to feed the beast. .
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files Nehemiah 4:14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
No, that lies between the February Frenzies and the April Apeshits. How about May? It's nice and warm then. Good revolution weather. .
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files Nehemiah 4:14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
Holy crap. I hope people take the time to read and digest this. It's heading here. online.wsj.com/article/SB123241187496396133.html Wall Street Journal Article * JANUARY 19, 2009, 10:27 P.M. ET Baltic Downturn Deepens as Political Unrest Grows Austerity Programs Are Already Fomenting Protests in the Street By JOEL SHERWOOD The once high-flying Baltic nations won't see any relief to their budgetary problems as they head into deeper recessions than previously forecast, the European Commission said Monday. The more-pessimistic outlook follows street protests last week across the region over government measures designed to shore up strained public finances. The commission, the European Union's executive arm, cut gross domestic product predictions for the economies of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania on Monday, saying the global financial crisis would exacerbate a downturn as property markets slacken and credit freezes. Latvia had the EU's highest GDP growth rate each year from 2004 to 2006, when expansion peaked at 12.2%. Growth rates weren't far behind in Estonia and Lithuania. But Latvia and Estonia fell into recession last year, while growth slowed markedly in Lithuania, following the global credit crunch and as imbalances in the economy, such as high inflation rates and current account deficits, hindered economic development. The commission said Latvia's GDP would shrink 6.9% this year -- the biggest economic contraction in 2009 in the 27-member EU -- after a 2.3% drop last year. This is a steep downward revision from the survey released in November, when the commission predicted a 2.7% GDP decline for Latvia. The commission also slashed its forecasts for Estonia and Lithuania, foreseeing contractions of 4.7% and 4.0%, respectively for the two countries. Total government debt in the region, which shrank in the middle of the decade as economies boomed and tax money flowed in, will expand in the next two years, with Latvia's rising to 42.9% of GDP in 2010 from 16% last year. Government measures to try to soften the damage to their finances have sparked violent public protests. Lithuania's plans to slash public sector wages by some 12% to 15% and trim pension payments, announced earlier this month, followed an austerity program approved by Latvia's parliament in December. Violent demonstrations over such measures erupted last week in both Latvia's capital, Riga, and Lithuania's capital, Vilnius. The unrest poses one of the biggest threats to political stability in the region since the countries gained independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. Latvia's President Valdis Zatlers has threatened to dissolve parliament within three months unless it adopts a law allowing voters to force snap polls, as discontent over the country's center-right government's economic stewardship simmers. "We cannot continue with confrontation. We have to accomplish concrete tasks to gain public trust," Mr. Zatlers said to reporters last week. Lithuania's Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, who took office last month, has pleaded for restraint. "I ask for your patience and understanding -- all of us are responsible for our country, for its future," said Mr. Kubilius after riots Friday, the government press service reported. Write to Joel Sherwood at joel.sherwood@dowjones.com
Before the bullets start flying it would be nice to see a "not filing" day. If they won't stop feeding the beast they certainly won't take up arms to defeat it imo.
4um Traitor Will St. Obama intercede with manna from FedReserve Heaven??
_________________________________________________________________________ IMF-World Bank to the rescue. Guaranteed by Feral Uncle Sap of course.
4um Traitor Holy crap. I hope people take the time to read and digest this. It's heading here. online.wsj.com/article/SB123301430208417569.html Wall Street Journal Article * JANUARY 27, 2009, 1:50 P.M. ET A Refinancing Crunch Emerges By JOANNA SLATER In a world of scarce capital, companies in emerging markets may find themselves fighting for the crumbs. A host of companies in developing countries need to raise money this year, a task that is growing more difficult, if not impossible. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. estimates that such companies need to refinance more than $200 billion in external debt in 2009, with the largest borrowing needs in Russia, Turkey, Mexico, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. Since September, however, international capital markets have been effectively closed to such borrowers. That means they must rely on cash or local borrowing sources to meet various obligations. If they can't, they may try to renegotiate with their creditors or seek government aid, and failing that, face default. With credit markets in crisis mode, firms in developing economies, like Russian steelmaker Severstal, face particularly tough refinancing prospects. In its report, J.P. Morgan noted a recent increase in the number of Latin American companies that have defaulted on payments or are breaching the terms of their debt agreements, a so-called technical default. It also listed 17 companies in emerging markets that could join the club this year. Those at risk of technical default included OAO Severstal, a Russian steel company; Greentown China Holdings Ltd., a Chinese real-estate firm; and PT Arpeni Pratama Ocean Line, an Indonesian shipper. They didn't respond to requests for comment. In another sign of the deteriorating health of borrowers, Fitch Ratings downgraded the credit ratings of 88 emerging-market companies in the fourth quarter of 2008, the most in at least seven years. Such events are on the rise world-wide as the economic climate worsens. Companies with fewer borrowing needs and a cushion of cash are the most likely to emerge unscathed. If global borrowing conditions ease, emerging-market companies will face extensive competition for investor attention. In developed markets, governments are rolling out large stimulus packages, which they will need to finance via debt markets, thus risking crowding out would-be borrowers elsewhere. Emerging economies were some of the last to succumb to the global downdraft. Once the credit crunch deepened and commodity prices tanked, their prospects dimmed. Amid the rout in global markets, corporate debt in emerging markets plunged. The premium demanded by investors for such debt over U.S. Treasurys ballooned from a little more than two percentage points in late August to about nine currently, according to a J.P. Morgan index that tracks a broad group of corporate dollar-denominated bonds. Some individual countries are higher: A sub-index of Russian corporate debt carries a premium of 11 percentage points over Treasurys. In other words, borrowing costs are prohibitive. The task of refinancing debt also is complicated by currency fluctuations, because companies have a mismatch between revenues in local currency and borrowings in currencies such as the dollar. Pockets of serious vulnerability are evident in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, where companies borrowed heavily while the going was good. Companies in Russia face "a triple whammy," says Eric Jayaweera, head of emerging-market credit trading for UBS in London. There is a credit crunch globally, the domestic banking system is under huge strain, and oil prices have crashed, he notes, a massive problem for an energy exporter such as Russia. For all but the strongest companies, "the only way these guys can refinance themselves is through the government bailing them out," says Max Wolman, a portfolio manager at Aberdeen Asset Managers in London. He points to the fact that Moscow recently released a list of 295 companies deemed strategically important. "If you're not on that list, you are screwed," he says. Evraz Group, a large Russian steel company, is one of those on the government's list and illustrates the shift in fortune experienced by the country's businesses. Last spring it easily raised $2 billion in dollar-denominated bonds. Now those bonds are trading at a little above 50 cents on the dollar, indicating a high level of financial distress. It also has $300 million in debt maturing in August. J.P. Morgan said the company could be at risk of violating contractual obligations on its debt this year. Of course, the levels at which these bonds are trading overestimate the actual chance of default, Mr. Jayaweera notes. Like other assets, they have been caught up in a wave of forced selling and a retreat from riskier markets. Write to Joanna Slater at joanna.slater@wsj.com
If they won't stop feeding the beast they certainly won't take up arms to defeat it imo. You sir are absolutely right. It should not be "imo", because it's a fact. .
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files Nehemiah 4:14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
The peasants are getting restless. The government of Reykjavik is going to have to show them who is in charge here.
God is always good!
Iceland's center-left party to lead new government REYKJAVIK, Iceland – Iceland's center-left Social Democratic Alliance Party was chosen Tuesday to form a new government with the Left-Green movement following the collapse of the conservative government amid deep economic troubles. President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson made the decision after Prime Minister Geir Haarde, who had led the island nation since 2006, was toppled Monday by angry protests over the country's slide into economic ruin. The Greens will be a junior partner until general elections are held. Haarde had called for new elections in May, but Grimsson said Tuesday that elections could be called at any time from late March to early June. The shift portends a renewed debate over Iceland's place in Europe. Haarde's conservative Independence Party had dominated coalition governments since 1991 and has long been skeptical over the prospects of Iceland joining the 27-nation European Union. But Ingibjorg Gisladottir, chairman of the Alliance, wants Iceland to enter the EU and supports the substantial loan from the International Monetary Fund that has helped Iceland weather its economic collapses. The Alliance was the junior partner in Haarde's coalition. The Left-Greens, who were not part of the previous coalition, remain skeptical over the EU and have suggested that Iceland re-negotiate its IMF loan to lower the interest rate. Gisladottir, who last week had surgery on a brain tumor, said she will likely appoint Social Affairs Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir as interim prime minister. "We have taken the baton — the government should be operational before the weekend," Gisladottir told reporters at the president's residence. The Alliance and Left-Greens held talks Tuesday ahead of an announcement on their new joint Cabinet. Since the global credit crunch hit, Haarde has nationalized banks and negotiated about $10 billion in bailout loans from the IMF and individual countries. But his government came under sharp criticism for failing to adequately oversee Iceland's banking system and protect the once-prosperous nation of 320,000 people. Iceland's banks collapsed last year with huge debts amassed during years of rapid expansion. Unemployment and inflation have spiraled and the IMF predicts that Iceland's economy will shrink by about 10 percent in 2009, which would be its biggest slump since Iceland won full independence from Denmark in 1944. Haarde won't lead his party into the next election because he needs treatment for throat cancer. Thousands of angry Icelanders have demonstrated against the ousted government in recent weeks, clattering pots and kitchen utensils in what some have called the "Saucepan Revolution." Though largely peaceful, protesters have doused Reykjavik's parliament in paint and hurled eggs at Haarde's limousine. Last Thursday, police used tear gas to quell a protest for the first time since 1949.
We, OTOH, are armed. So, why are we waiting while Obummer and Congress give this nation the final gang-bang that will finish us off as a First World nation??
#2. To: X-15 (#0)
EU member states are "intensively" monitoring the risk of spreading civil unrest in Europe, as riots over the economic crisis erupt in Iceland following street clashes in Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Greece.
#3. To: X-15 (#0)
(Edited)
We, OTOH, are armed. So, why are we waiting while Obummer and Congress give this nation the final gang-bang that will finish us off as a First World nation??
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
#4. To: TwentyTwelve (#1)
We, OTOH, are armed. So, why are we waiting while Obummer and Congress give this nation the final gang-bang that will finish us off as a First World nation??
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
#5. To: Rotara, All (#3)
When is it EXACTLY time to act individually and/or act as a combined force ?
"This man is Jesus,” shouted one man, spilling his Guinness as Barack Obama began his inaugural address. “When will he come to Kenya to save us?”
-Schweizerische Schuetzenzeitung (Swiss Shooting Federation) April, 1941
#6. To: X-15 (#5)
After the Super Bowl but before March Madness??
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
#7. To: Rotara (#4)
April 15th is coming btw. ;-)
#8. To: X-15 (#5)
After the Super Bowl but before March Madness??
#9. To: Jethro Tull, -15 (#2)
EU member states are "intensively" monitoring the risk of spreading civil unrest in Europe, as riots over the economic crisis erupt in Iceland following street clashes in Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Greece.
#10. To: PSUSA (#7)
(Edited)
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
#11. To: TwentyTwelve (#9)
The once high-flying Baltic nations won't see any relief to their budgetary problems as they head into deeper recessions than previously forecast, the European Commission said Monday.
"This man is Jesus,” shouted one man, spilling his Guinness as Barack Obama began his inaugural address. “When will he come to Kenya to save us?”
-Schweizerische Schuetzenzeitung (Swiss Shooting Federation) April, 1941
#12. To: X-15 (#11)
Will St. Obama intercede with manna from FedReserve Heaven??
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
#13. To: Jethro Tull (#2)
EU member states are "intensively" monitoring the risk of spreading civil unrest in Europe, as riots over the economic crisis erupt in Iceland following street clashes in Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Greece.
#14. To: Rotara (#10)
Before the bullets start flying it would be nice to see a "not filing" day.
#15. To: X-15 (#0)
The crowds surrounded the building while banging pots and pans and shooting off fireworks. The demonstrators also lobbed paving stones, rolls of toilet paper and shoes.
#16. To: ALL, Rotara, X-15, Jethro Tull, PSUSA, TwentyTwelve, Iceland's center left party to lead new government (#15)
#17. To: Rotara (#3)
(Edited)
When is it EXACTLY time to act individually and/or act as a combined force ?
August 21, 1992.
On August 21, 1992, six marshals were sent to scout the area to determine suitable places away from the cabin to ambush and arrest Weaver.[2] The marshals, dressed in camouflage, were equipped with night-vision goggles and M16 rifles.[1]
At one point, one of the marshals threw two rocks at the Weaver cabin to test whether the dogs would be alerted.[4] The dogs indeed became alerted, and Weaver's friend Kevin Harris, and Weaver's 14 year old son, Samuel, emerged and followed the dogs to investigate.[1] Harris and the younger Weaver were hoping that the dog had noticed a game animal since the cabin was out of meat.[5] The marshals initially retreated, but later took up hidden defensive positions. Accounts differ at this point as to who first opened fire,[6] but agree that the marshals shot and killed Weaver's dog. Samuel Weaver then became extremely agitated and a firefight arose. Samuel Weaver, who was shot in the back while retreating,[7] and US Marshal William Degan were killed during the initial gun fight.[8] Marshals then retreated from the hillside in order to request assistance from the FBI while Weaver, his wife Vicki, their two daughters and Harris holed up in their house. Samuel's body was placed in a shed near the cabin. A stand-off ensued for 12 days as several hundred federal agents surrounded the house and negotiations for a surrender were attempted.
On August 22, the second day of the siege, an FBI sniper, Lon Horiuchi, shot and wounded Randy Weaver in the right arm, while he was lifting the latch on the shed to visit the body of his dead son.[9] Then, as Weaver, his 16-year-old daughter Sara,[10] and Harris ran back toward the house, Horiuchi took a second shot, which struck and wounded Harris, and killed Vicki Weaver. Vicki Weaver was standing behind the door through which Harris was entering the house, holding their 10-month-old baby Elishiba[10] in her arms.[11] A Justice Department review later found the second shot was unconstitutional and the lack of a request to surrender was "inexcusable", since Harris and the two Weavers were running for cover and could not pose an imminent threat. The task force also specifically blamed Horiuchi for firing through the door, not knowing whether someone was on the other side of it. While controversy exists as to who issued the orders that were being followed by the sniper, the task force also condemned the so-called "rules of engagement" allowing shots to be fired with no request for surrender.[9]
The stand-off was ultimately resolved by a negotiating team including Bo Gritz, and Weaver and Harris surrendered and were arrested.[12] Weaver was ultimately acquitted of all charges except missing his original court date and violating his bail conditions, for which he was sentenced to 18 months and fined $10,000. Credited with time served, Weaver spent an additional 4 months in prison. Harris was acquitted of all charges.
We're Late !!!
If a thousand men were not to pay their tax bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them, and enable the State to commit violence and shed innocent blood.
Henry David Thoreau - 1849
#18. To: TwentyTwelve (#13)
The Relevant graph !
If a thousand men were not to pay their tax bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them, and enable the State to commit violence and shed innocent blood.
Henry David Thoreau - 1849
#19. To: noone222 (#18)
I'd rather get in the way of the 7.62 than the 45-70. lol
I shall not vote for evil, lesser or otherwise.
Diner Schenectady, NY
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