Archive for the 'Economy' Category
Pentagon Task Force: We Want Villas and Flat-Screen TVs in Afghanistan
December 3rd, 2015Via: ProPublica: The requirements were clear: Villas with no less than queen beds, flat-screen TVs of no less than 27 inches, meals of at least three stars, and round-the-clock bodyguards. Sounds more like a celebrity rider than a description of Afghanistan accommodations for U.S. government employees. But that’s what the Pentagon’s Task Force for Business […]
Russia Says It Has Proof Turkey Involved in Islamic State Oil Trade
December 2nd, 2015Via: Reuters: Russia’s defense ministry said on Wednesday it had proof that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his family were benefiting from the illegal smuggling of oil from Islamic State-held territory in Syria and Iraq. Moscow and Ankara have been locked in a war of words since last week when a Turkish air force jet […]
U.S. Total Debt Soars By $674 Billion In November
December 2nd, 2015Via: ZeroHedge: When the US reached a debt ceiling deal in the beginning of November, it was common knowledge that there would be a debt accrual “catch up” to make up for lost time when the US was operating under emergency measures to avoid breach of the debt ceiling. And sure enough, when the accurate […]
Amazon Unveils New Prime Air Drone Prototypes
November 30th, 2015Via: USA Today: Amazon revealed the latest prototype of drones it will deploy as part of its Prime Air service using the unmanned aerial devices to deliver packages in under 30 minutes. According to details released Sunday by the online retailing giant, Amazon says the drones weigh 55 pounds and can carry packages weighing up […]
Airpocalypse Now: China Pollution Reaching Record Levels
November 28th, 2015Via: Guardian: In some areas of Shenyang, PM2.5 readings reportedly surpassed 1,400 micrograms per cubic metre, which is about 56 times the levels considered safe by the World Health Organisation. More: Beijing Residents Told to Stay Inside, Air Pollution 15X Safe Level
DJI Launches Crop-Spraying Drone
November 27th, 201515 grand today. $499 in… three years? Via: BBC: Billion-dollar drone company DJI is expanding from consumer and camera drones into the agriculture industry. The Chinese firm’s latest model is a crop-spraying drone, which it claims is “40 times more efficient” than manual spraying, despite having just 12 minutes of flight time. It will be […]
Air Force Hires Civilian Drone Pilots for Combat Patrols
November 27th, 2015Via: Los Angeles Times: The Air Force has hired civilian defense contractors to fly MQ-9 Reaper drones to help track suspected militants and other targets in global hot spots, a previously undisclosed expansion in the privatization of once-exclusively military functions. For the first time, civilian pilots and crews now operate what the Air Force calls […]
China Opening “The World’s Biggest Animal Cloning Factory”
November 24th, 2015Via: Telegraph: The world’s biggest animal “cloning factory” is due to open in China, producing one million calves a year, sniffer dogs and even genetic copies of the family pet. … The factory, which will include a 15,000 square metre laboratory, an animal centre, a gene bank and an exhibition hall, is currently being built […]
Pfizer Set to Buy Allergan for More Than $150 Billion
November 23rd, 2015More than $150 billion. Not a typo. Via: Reuters: Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) secured formal board approval on Sunday for its acquisition of Botox maker Allergan Plc (AGN.N) for more than $150 billion, a deal that will create the world’s biggest drug maker, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal, the largest ever in […]
Commodities Clobbered as Dollar Bulldozes Higher
November 23rd, 2015Via: Reuters: Commodity markets were clobbered and stocks and bonds were also in the firing line on Monday as expectations for a first increase in U.S. interest rates next month in almost a decade pushed the dollar to a seven-month high. Related: Gold drops towards six-year low on dollar, U.S. rate hike view Oil tumbles
