| The Palestinian Land Day Memorial Committee: Hebron District 2007
The Land Day Memorial Committee (LDMC) was created two years ago through the initiative of several Palestinian associations, with the intention to work together and be part of a unique movement to discuss the main problems of the Palestinians and to improve strategies to solve them. In February, the first meeting of this year took place, in order to organize the activities for the second year, especially in preparation for Land Day, which takes place on 30 March. MANIFESTO Wake up Palestinians! Israel is continuing its policy of stealing our land from around us and out from under our feet, in order to expand the State of Israel and make it the size Palestine was before their arrival. The construction of the Apartheid Wall persists, despite the objections of the International Court of Justice.
UPA gambling on hope
After the Reserve Bank of India administered for the third time in a month the same old medicine of credit squeeze against the backdrop of high inflation, the Economic Times commented that the central bank knows that it must get on top of inflation but "it may not know quite what to do". The RBI is seen as a doctor who finds the fever of his patient going up relentlessly - inflation continued for the third week at a high of nearly 6.5 per cent - but knows only the administering of the same medicine that has not worked so far. So it does what most doctors would do-give a stronger dose of the same therapy. That is what the RBI has done, once again raising the cash reserve ratio and hiking the interest rate at which it lends to banks from the cash reserves.
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Irish economic growth in 2008 forecast to fall to lowest level ...
Economic growth in 2008 is forecast to fall to its lowest rate since 1993, according to two reports on the Irish economy. The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) says in its latest quarterly economic commentary that is published today, that economic growth will fall from 5.4% this year to less than 4% next year. In a separate report, Davy Stockbrokers forecasts that Gross National Product will expand by 3% in 2008 compared with 7.4% in 2006. The Celtic Tiger period developed from 1993, when growth was 2.3%. In its Spring Quarterly Economic Commentary, the ESRI also warns the Government to tackle the economy's declining competitiveness by taking action to dampen rising inflation and borrowing. Davy Stockbrokers cut forecasts for growth this year from 5% to 4.5% following Wednesday's publication of 2006 national accounts showing that house building fell in the last quarter of 2006 for the first time since 1997.
Chile's Peso Rises to Two-Week High as Economic Growth Quickens
April 5 (Bloomberg) -- Chile's peso rose to a two-week high after a central bank report showed the economy grew at its fastest pace in nine months in February. ``Capital inflows are going into the economy because of expectations for economic growth,'' said Alfredo Coutino, senior Latin America economist at Moody's Economy.com in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The peso strengthened 0.2 percent to 536.53 per dollar, reaching its strongest since March 22. The currency has gained 1.6 percent since the start of February, bolstered in part by surging prices for copper, Chile's top export. Coutino forecasts the peso may reach 525 per dollar by the end of 2007, its strongest level since December. The central bank's economic activity indicator rose 5.7 percent in February, more than the 5.3 percent increase in January, the central bank said on its Web site.
New Extension Associate to Serve Growing Gulf Coast Wine Industry
HOUSTON - During the last decade, the Texas wine industry quietly blossomed into the nation's fifth- largest producer of wine grapes, according to Fritz Westover, Gulf Coast regional viticulture extension associate for Texas Cooperative Extension. Extension has developed a statewide viticulture program under the direction of Dr. Ed Hellman, Extension viticulture specialist at Lubbock, by hiring experts to serve each of the state's distinct wine growing regions. Westover and the other associates focus on improving wine grape production practices that enhance the economic impact of the grape and wine industry in their region, Hellman, said. Westover described his four primary goals as: - Working with established growers to improve profitability. - Helping new and potential growers with initial decisions such as which variety to grow or soil suitability.
Economic 'Tells' by Rail
In the continuing search for reliable leading economic indicators, Drew Robertson believes he knows the best place to look. For 22 years, Robertson has compiled statistics on rail shipments, and he now publishes them on a Web site called Weekly Railfax Rail Carloading Report. Railroads keep it simple. They are the nation's leading long-distance carrier of bulk commodities, including autos, forest products, chemicals, grains and containers, and a leading carrier of metals. The metal and auto shipments supply the auto industry, while forest products reflect the housing industry. "A lot of things that go into industrial production show up on the railroads," says Robertson, who heads New York-based transportation consulting firm Atlantic Systems. "It doesn't tell what's happening with J.P.
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