Russian bankster gunned down near London home




A Russian bankster was in a coma in London today after an attack by an unknown gunman near his Isle of Dogs home.
German Gorbuntsov, an exile in Britain, is in a critical condition in hospital after being shot at a block of flats.
His assailant is understood to have opened fire with a sub-machinegun before fleeing the scene at Byng Street on Tuesday night. The victim formerly owned banks in Russia and Moldova.

Matt Taibbi - Gangster Banks Keep Winning Public Business. Why?


A friend of mine sent this article from Bloomberg, along with the simple comment: "Perfect." What's perfect? That the banks that have been caught repeatedly ripping off communities and munipalities -- banks that have paid hefty settlements for rigging bids, bribery and other sordid misdeeds -- keep winning the most public business. Apparently, our public officials aren't concerned about whom they hire to serve as the people's investment bankers.
JPMorgan, which emerged from the worst financial crisis since the 1930s as the most profitable U.S. bank, has parlayed crisis-era loans to cities and states and a willingness to outbid other firms in local government bond auctions into becoming the top underwriter of municipal debt last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It was the first time the firm held that rank.

Israel rejects cooperation with UN over settlements

Israel says it will not cooperate with UN Human Rights Council's probe into the impact of its settlement activities on Palestinian human rights in the occupied West Bank. The resolution was adopted with 36 votes in favor and 10 abstentions. Only the United States voted against it. Source

Arab TV Wars: Truth drive thrives as revolts boost ratings

Much of the unrest in the Arab world has been played out on TV screens around the globe. It seems war is good for ratings, but some networks are being accused of affecting rather than reflecting the conflict. Source

Marine charged for criticizing Obama on Facebook

On Wednesday Marine Sgt. Gary Stein was notified by the Marine Corps that he was in violation of the Pentagon’s policy for blatantly condemning President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Stein’s actions could now lead to his dismissal and a possible downgrade in ranking. The Marine who is based in Camp Pendleton, California, created a Facebook page called “Armed Forces Tea Party,” which currently has approximately 19,000 likes and has photos showcasing slogans such as “NObama” and One Nation, under Obama, with poverty and unemployment for all, has been under the microscope since 2010.

Flying like a bird - Human bird wings

We did it! This weekend I flew a 100 meters with my selfbuilt wings. I used a GoPro-camera on my helmet to film the flight. I have always dreamed about this. But after 8 months of hard work, research and testing it all payed off. Enjoy! Source

‘Cameron govt. set to create financial apartheid’ - Analysis with Max Keiser, Rodney Shakespeare and Zita Holbourne


British Finance Minister George Osborne has unveiled the country’s 2012 annual budget to the house of commons which is intended to maintain the tough austerity push for yet another year. Britain has been struggling with a dire economic situation since the beginning of the worldwide economic crisis and has implemented austerity measures in a bid to put an end to its crippling economic condition.


A prominent journalist believes that the austerity measure is only for the ordinary people and not for the very large corporations and the banking system which are “flushed with money” and its only effects are driving the prices higher and not even creating jobs because that money is not intended to be injected to the “general economy.”
Press TV has interviewed renowned Journalist and Broadcaster Max Keiser to further discuss the issue. The program also offers opinions of two other guests, professor of Binary economics Rodney Shakespeare and also National Co-Chair of Black Activists Rising against Cuts, Zita Holbourne from London. What follows is a rough transcript of the interview.
Press TV: Mr. Keiser, critics argue that the new budget will bring more misery for the working class people. Your thoughts on that?
Keiser: Well, Osborne says that there is no money and that austerity must be imposed. But let us keep in mind that banks and the corporations are flushed with cash...

The Pro's and Con's of Globalization w/former World Bank Vice President Ian Goldin

As US president Barack Obama talks about domestic solutions for high gas prices, in reality, this may be an issue of global energy depletion. This brings us to the issue of globalization, since we live in a global, interconnected society. Globalization has lead to much greater efficiency and output, and has built wealth overall, but it has also created more instability.