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Daily Archives: February 25, 2009

State Department Releases Human Rights Reports

2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, February 25, 2009: “As we publish these reports, the Department of State remains mindful of both domestic and international scrutiny of the United States’ record. As President Obama recently made clear, “we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.” We do not consider views… Continue Reading

Federal Bank Regulatory Agencies Begin Forward-Looking Economic Assessments

News release: “The federal bank regulatory agencies announced today that they will start conducting forward-looking economic assessments of large U.S. banking organizations as the Capital Assistance Program (CAP) gets underway. These assessments will be done on an interagency basis as a coordinated supervisory exercise to ensure they are carried out in a timely and consistent… Continue Reading

Center for American Progress: Economic Snapshot for February 2009

Economic Snapshot for February 2009 By Christian E. Weller, February 24, 2009: ” The U.S. economy is experiencing its worst recession in decades. Jobs and wealth losses are accelerating, contributing to sharp increases in families’ economic distress. This crisis was precipitated by a sharp drop in consumer spending, but also by a decline in business… Continue Reading

Treasury Department Touts Expanded Tax Credit for First-Time Homebuyers

News release: “In an ongoing effort to deliver on swift implementation of the Obama Administration’s recovery, stability and affordability plans, the U.S. Department of the Treasury touted today the availability of an expanded tax break for first-time homebuyers – a provision under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that will make up to… Continue Reading

U.S. Treasury Releases Terms of Capital Assistance Program

News release: “…the U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the terms and conditions for the Capital Assistance Program (CAP). The CAP is a core element of the Administration’s Financial Stability Plan. The purpose of the CAP is to restore confidence throughout the financial system that the nation’s largest banking institutions have a sufficient capital… Continue Reading

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Technical Paper on Climate Change and Water

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Technical Paper VI- Climate Change and Water “The importance of freshwater to our life support system is widely recognised, as can be seen clearly in the international context. Freshwater is indispensable for all forms of life and is needed, in large quantities, in almost all human activities. Climate, freshwater,… Continue Reading

Communication from the Commission on the Treatment of Impaired Assets in the Community Banking sector

European Commission – Communication from the Commission on the Treatment of Impaired Assets in the Community Banking sector, February 25, 2009. News release: “The European Commission has provided guidance on the treatment of asset relief measures by Member States. Impaired assets correspond to categories of assets on which banks are likely to incur losses (e.g.… Continue Reading

EU: Commission assesses another four Stability and Convergence Programmes

Commission assesses another four Stability and Convergence Programmes: “Following last week’s assessment of 17 Stability and Convergence Programmes, the European Commission today examined the updated programmes of Italy, Luxembourg, Lithuania and Portugal…According to Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/97 on the strengthening of budgetary surveillance and the surveillance and coordination of economic policies, Member States must… Continue Reading

The Swedish model for resolving the banking crisis of 1991 – 93. Seven reasons why it was successful

The Swedish model for resolving the banking crisis of 1991 – 93. Seven reasons why it was successful (EUROPEAN ECONOMY. ECONOMIC PAPERS. 360. February 2009. European Commission. Brussels. 27pp. Tab. Graph. Ann. Bibliogr. Free) “This study presents the main features of the Swedish approach for resolving the banking crisis of 1991-93 by condensing them into… Continue Reading