Scotsman.com News - International - US mortgage crisis forces homeowners to take refuge in their cars

Scotsman.com News - International - US mortgage crisis forces homeowners to take refuge in their cars: "THEY are victims of the United States' growing mortgage crisis - low-paid workers whose homes have been repossessed amid rising interest rates, a stagnant property market and a lax lending regime.

But in Los Angeles, where having a car is as essential as owning a home, many are sleeping in their vehicles to ensure a roof over their head."

World powers may be ready to consider Tehran's enrichment program - Israel News, Ynetnews

World powers may be ready to consider Tehran's enrichment program - Israel News, Ynetnews: "The United States, Russia, China and the European Union are for the first time ready to listen to an Iranian proposal that would allow Tehran to keep some of its uranium enrichment program intact instead of mothballing it completely, government officials said Tuesday."

Existing Home Sales Plunged in March: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Existing Home Sales Plunged in March: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sales of existing homes plunged in March by the largest amount in 18 years, reflecting in part rising troubles in the subprime mortgage market."

BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Moscow's suburb for billionaires

BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Moscow's suburb for billionaires: "Fifteen years ago everything in Russia was owned by the state. Today a quarter of Russia's economy is owned by 36 men."

March Home Foreclosures Up 47 Percent Year-on-Year

March Home Foreclosures Up 47 Percent Year-on-Year: "NEW YORK -- U.S. home foreclosures rose 7 percent in March from February to 149,150, reflecting the struggle of subprime borrowers to keep their homes, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said Wednesday."

Flight from U.S. dollar gathers strength

Flight from U.S. dollar gathers strength: "The assault against the U.S. dollar intensifed yesterday as the greenback slumped to historic lows against currencies as diverse as the U.K. pound and the Polish zloty amid growing conviction among investors higher returns lie beyond U.S. borders."

Digital Journal - Candidate says US going bankrupt

Digital Journal - Candidate says US going bankrupt: "Presidential candidate Ron Paul, campaigning in Iowa, says that the US is going bankrupt.
Speaking to a group of supporters at the University of Iowa, the Republican candidate said that:

'As time goes on, our country will realize that we can't afford to pay all the promises we've made.'

He said that our entitlements programs, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and our monetary policy are causing such a drain on the country's finances that in the very near future our trading partners abroad will lose confidence in the dollar and then there will be a very severe financial crisis, possibly worse than the Great Depression of the 30's. "

Technology monitor | Flying wind farms | Economist.com

Technology monitor | Flying wind farms | Economist.com: "IF IT ever seems windy where you live, be thankful you do not live 10km up in the air. At that height, the jet-stream winds blow stronger and more constantly than ground level winds, carrying up to a hundred times more energy.

So, just as oil companies are drilling deeper and in more remote locations in search of new reserves, pioneer wind-power engineers are looking higher in the sky for new sources of energy. Conventional turbines will not take them there—the highest to date is just over 200 metres tall. So they are trying to invent a whole new technology for harvesting wind: electricity generators that fly."

EconomicPolicyMonitor.com: The Always Bullish National Association of Realtors Has Cracked

EconomicPolicyMonitor.com: The Always Bullish National Association of Realtors Has Cracked: "They admit that existing-home prices are beginning to decline.

'The national median existing-home price will probably slip 0.7 percent to $220,300 in 2007, following a 1.0 percent rise last year,' the National Association of Realtors said today.

This would be the first overall drop in housing prices in more than 38 years."

Occidental CEO got more than $400 million in 2006 - washingtonpost.com

Occidental CEO got more than $400 million in 2006 - washingtonpost.com: "CHICAGO (Reuters) - Occidental Petroleum Corp.'s (OXY.N) chairman and chief executive took in more than $400 million in compensation last year, the company said in a filing, one of the biggest single-year payouts in U.S. corporate history."

ScienceAlert - Australia & NZ - Cheaper solar cells

ScienceAlert - Australia & NZ - Cheaper solar cells: "Solar cell technology developed by the University’s Nanomaterials Research Centre will enable New Zealanders to generate electricity from sunlight at a 10th of the cost of current silicon-based photo-electric solar cells."

70% Of Navarra's Power Comes From Wind, Solar (TreeHugger)

70% Of Navarra's Power Comes From Wind, Solar (TreeHugger): "The region of Navarra, in Northeastern Spain, better known in the U.S. for the “running of the bulls” in Pamplona. But in this region, approximately 70% of the electricity comes from the wind and the sun. With no coal, oil or gas of its own, this mountainous region deliberately went for renewable energy in the late 1980s. The first wind farm was built in full view of the regional capital Pamplona, so that people could get used to it. Now, with some 1,100 windmills dotted all over Navarra, this tiny region is capable of generating more electricity from renewable sources than big EU countries like France or Poland. Navarra plans to reach 100% renewable energy generation by 2010."