http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/ The #1 News Videos Site on the Planet. http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Argotic Syndication Framework 2008.0.2.0, http://www.codeplex.com/Argotic Fri, 18 May 2012 12:21:38 GMT www.euronews.com In the south of Siberia, where Russia comes together with Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China, lie pristine lands where people try to live in harmony with nature. In this issue of "Russian Life" we travel to Altai. The landscape is striking. Taiga, tundra and deserts surround the snowy mountains. This diversity is shaped by the Altai mountain range that stretches for nearly 2000 kilometres between two climate zones. So all kinds of nature lovers come to Altai, including paragliders. "When I tell people I'm sorry for the lack of decent roads around here, many reply - that's fine, better keep it that way, we're fed up with driving on tarmac, there's nothing wrong with a little walk," explains Vladimir Milov, a paragliding instructor Some come for trekking and hiking, others for fishing or rafting in the rivers fed by Altai glaciers, for climbing or horse riding. This pristine Altai nature was cherished as sacred by nomadic peoples who inhabited these lands from ancient times. The local tribes, followers of Shamanism, worshipped spirits they saw in mountains, rivers, trees and everywhere in nature. Ludmila Menyailova is a guide at the Novotyryshkino Heritage Centre. "Altaians have always said that in every living plant there is a spirit, a soul, and for them that was essential," she says. The locals still preserve some of this reverence. Though several areas are now being turned into huge resorts, most of the region remains untouched by civilisation. The horse is ... http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=El_47vKmaLM Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com Driving a car safely means doing more than keeping an eye on the road. The driver also has to keep an eye on the dashboard. But looking away from the road takes time; and can be fatal in dangerous situations. Now, 'chip' LED lights powered up with transparent wires could change the way drivers get information about their cars. At the Fiat Research Institute in Turin, Italy, researchers are working on new transparent screens. Vito Lambertini, a researcher on the project, said: "A display which is directly in front of a driver allows them to get information without distracting from their driving and their view of the road. It means they can get important information in real time." Scientists at the European Research Project Multiflexioxides have developed a display unit which works without backlighting. It is much thinner and lighter than traditional displays. Scientists developed these transparent displays using small glass pads with a transparent substrata of nano-sized oxides. To enhance the materials' conductivity they add a thin gold film. Using a method called microlithography the gold molecules settle on the treated area of the glass pad. A stencil with a pattern of very thin lines is laid over the prepared pad. Ultraviolet light destroys the gold layer and only the nearly invisible lines covered by the pattern remain on the glass. Chip LEDs are placed at the end of the gold lines. They are powered via the ultra-thin gold wires. Scientists in Italy ... http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=v3obkvlVjfk Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com The interest rates that Spain had to offer to sell its latest batch of government bonds shot up on Thursday. That came after economic data confirmed the eurozone's fourth largest economy was back in recession and on fears of a bank run at one of its largest lenders. Madrid had to pay around five percent to attract buyers at an auction of bonds maturing in four years time. That was way above the 3.374 percent paid the last time such bonds were sold. Longer term bonds are already close to unsustainable levels as 10-year yields have spiked back above six percent, which investors view as a pivot point that could accelerate a climb to seven percent. Official data confirmed the Spanish economy shrank by 0.3 percent in the first quarter, putting it back into recession. The country faces a prolonged downturn as the government cuts spending in an attempt to wrestle down its budget deficit. *Bankia beset* A major worry for Spain is a banking sector awash with bad loans, from the bursting of the property bubble. On Thursday the government had to deny a newspaper report that customers of nationalised lender Bankia had withdrawn more than one billion euros in deposits over the past week. "It's not true that there is an exit of deposits at this moment from Bankia," said Economy Secretary Fernando Jimenez Latorre. Bankia's president, José Ignacio Goirigolzarri, also tried to reassure calling the bank "extremely strong". The government last week took over Bankia, the ... http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=Uo-EEE-i_n0 Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com If Greece has to leave the eurozone the cost will be massive. The European Central Bank and the single currency bloc's governments and banks would be hit with a bill of hundreds of billions of euros. It is estimated that the ECB, the International Monetary Fund and eurozone nations hold close to 200 billion euros worth of its debt. A Greek exit from the euro would mean Athens defaulting on those loans which is why the IMF is ready for the worst. IMF chief Christine Lagarde explained: "We at the IMF have to be technically prepared for anything, because it is our job. But I'm not suggesting that this is a desirable solution. I'm just saying this is within the range of multiple options, one that we have to technically look at, obviously." Economists say Athens' default following a Greek euro exit would wipe out the European Central Bank's capital reserves. ECB President Mario Draghi has just acknowledged for the first time that Greece could leave the currency union though the Bank's "strong preference" is for it to stay. Making things more difficult, Greece is without an elected government until next months re-run elections. That means it is politically and economically frozen, with no one to take essential decision on cuts and reforms that are part of its latest bailout. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=UVjp6KDLNDQ Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com General Motors is to build the next generation of its Astra compact car in Britain creating 700 new jobs. The decision came after workers at its factory in Ellesmere Port in northwest England overwhelmingly agreed to changes to working conditions including a pay freeze for two years. That leaves GM's plant in Bochum, Germany in danger of closure as the company addresses overcapacity in Europe. The decision is one of the most dramatic so far as Europe's carmakers look to restructure or consolidate in response to more than four years of falling demand and profits. Many factories are running at partial capacity - analysts estimate manufacturers have cut some three million cars, or 20 percent, from their production lines - and still producers struggle to sell vehicles. GM's European division - Opel and Vauxhall - posted a 590 million euro loss last year. The UK deal means an extra third production shift will be added at the Vauxhall factory to ensure 24-hour a day running, as well as the introduction of weekend working to guarantee the factory works at full capacity. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=RdJUyKYOhFI Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com HSBC has doubled the annual revenue boost it expects from its turnaround plan to the equivalent of 1.57 billion euros. Having already sold 28 businesses and got rid of fifteen thousand workers, Europe's biggest bank said it is looking at additional cuts to deal with the costs of new regulations brought in following the financial crisis. It will also focus more on its fast-growing Asian markets. Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver said on Thursday that, one year into a three-year recovery plan, HSBC was on target to meet profitability and cost savings targets. Gulliver said his biggest external worry "is absolutely how the eurozone plays out and whether Greece stays in, whether firewalls are high enough to protect Spain and, frankly, whether markets take things into their own hands before June 17," when Greece holds new elections. "Investors have been sceptical about our ability to get our hands around HSBC. The scepticism was about anybody's ability to move such a large firm and change its direction," Gulliver told reporters before a presentation to analysts. "At the year one report card we can evidence that on things we can control we are demonstrating significant traction. We are delivering with good momentum given a difficult backdrop." Analysts said the update was reassuring, but think it will be a challenge hitting cost targets. "HSBC should come out and be honest about it. In reality, there was a force majeure in Europe blowing up, and they will need ... http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=G2rHHWPHyw8 Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com As the German and French leaders met to discuss how to keep Greece in the eurozone some Germans seem indifferent to its fate. A recent opinion poll show around 60 percent of them support Angela Merkel's opposition to stimulating growth in Europe through new borrowing and in a Berlin food market a commonly expressed feeling was that Germany's already given too much to Greece without getting anything back. Flower seller Rudi Kalupa said: "I'm not worried about the situation in Greece. If they are not able to handle the euro, they have to leave the euro, as simple as that. Vegetable seller Christine Neuendorf added: "I think Greece should leave the eurozone. We have to work hard here. We have to pay a lot of taxes and this and that and nobody ask us if we want all that." But if Greece does leave the eurozone, Charles Dallara of the International Institute of Finance, who negotiated the Greek bond swap, said the damage to the rest of Europe would be "somewhere between catastrophic and Armageddon". Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=1PQACay_IsY Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com Greece's political stalemate is already splashing over onto Spain. On Wednesday, the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Madrid if facing trouble borrowing enough as the interest rate - or yield - it is having to pay to sell its government bonds shoots up. Spain's yields are back up near the levels that led to Greece, Portugal and Ireland having to be bailed out. Calling it a very difficult situation, Rajoy said: "The borrowing rate has increased a lot and that means it is very difficult to finance ourselves at a reasonable price." "In Spain I believe we are taking the measures we have to take. We must continue cutting public spending," Rajoy said. He added Europe also had to take measures but Spain should concentrate on getting its house in order instead of asking for help from the European Central Bank. Rajoy told reporters it would be a "major error" if Greece were to leave the eurozone. He said Spain's banks are also having difficulty in the markets and so are not making loans. Rajoy has passed two different reforms to try to clean up the country's banks, but investors fear more problems. Shares in the most troubled, Bankia, tumbled further on Wednesday after the Bank of Spain told it to come up with a better plan to deal with the mass of bad property loans it is holding. The government acquired 45 percent of Bankia last week through converting an earlier 4.5 billion euro rescue loan to parent company BFA into shares and is expected to merge ... http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=xd8SGelUhBk Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com Facebook on Wednesday increased the size of its initial public offering of shares by 25 percent. The additional shares will be sold by early investors including PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, Accel Partners' James Breyer, investment manager Tiger Global Management and Goldman Sachs, the company said in a filing. The company itself has not increased the number of shares it will sell. That came after Facebook put up the target price range of the shares in what could be the third biggest US IPO ever, after Visa and General Motors. It is now on track to raise as much as $16 billion (12.6 billion euros). The increased offering is a reaction to strong investor demand for shares in the top social networking website despite worries about its long-term money making potential. Those concerns over revenue growth were underscored when, days before the IPO, General Motors said it planned to pull out of advertising on Facebook. "This is much more a spectacle, a media event and a cultural moment than it is an IPO," said Max Wolff, an analyst at GreenCrest Capital. "This is not a game of models and fundamentals at this point." Facebook said that it arrived at the higher IPO price range after one week of marketing the offering. That includes a cross-country roadshow in which CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken the stage to lay out his vision for the company's potential and its top priorities. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=vS9HqJlkAD4 Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com The number of people in the UK without a job fell at the fastest pace in nearly a year between January and March. The total of unemployed Britons fell by 45000 to just over 2.6 million raising hopes of some underlying resilience in the economy. The jobless rate inched down to 8.2 percent of the workforce. Unemployment among the young - 16 to 24-year-olds - also dipped slightly to just over one million, but remains at almost 22 percent. The number of people claiming jobless benefit unexpectedly fell last month by 13700 - the largest drop since July 2010. Analysts had forecast an increase of 5000 on the month. In addition, the March figure was revised to show a drop of 5400 in claimants from an initially reported rise of 3600. Britain slipped back into recession at the beginning of 2012. That stoked fears that more Britons will become unemployed at a time when the government is relying on private firms to make up for the estimated 700000 jobs it is shedding in the public sector as part of its austerity plan. British employers do plan to increase staffing for the first time in a year, according to a survey published recently by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. However, the CIPD warned that a "zigzagging economic backdrop" could make it hard to sustain any short-term recovery in the labour market. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=s7UeSk56lnA Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com Cannes is no stranger to drama - both on screen and off. And while the 65th edition of the film festival opens later, celebrations have been marred by a row over sexism as all 22 movies in competition have been directed by men. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=PVb8BpX8aqU Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com Sales of digital books are on the up in Italy. At the 25th edition of the International Book Fair in Turin it was clear that the paper-free book is here to stay; last year Italy's e-book economy was nine times larger than in 2010. Does this mean we are moving towards the end of traditional books? Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=bTINnbq7oG4 Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com EU finance ministers meeting in Brussels have agreed tougher capital rules for banks, resolving years of sparring between Britain and the rest of the EU. The deal, aimed at making the bloc's 8000 or so banks safer, should become effective from next year. Britain had wanted tougher capital rules but agreed to compromise after gaining assurances it would be given a certain amount of flexibility in setting its own limits. EU Internal Market Commissioner said: ''Many of those taking part in the talks underlined the need to be careful about the potential consequences that one country's decisions have on neighbouring countries, the fact that an increase in capital requirements in one country could reduce credit for businesses in a neighbouring economy. Under the latest draft version Britain will be allowed to raise the minimum capital banks hold from 7 percent- set by the so called Basel III code -to 10 percent. Above this, it may need approval from the European Commission. Sweden was another country pushing for tougher rules. "I think they realise that at the end of the day it's either capital requirement, or tax payers money. And in that choice I think it's very easy to go to higher capital requirements," Swedish Anders Borg said. A final version of the latest agreement must still go to the European Parliament before it can come into effect. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=wORjjEAjy8E Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com The EU Commission has told Ukraine it must drastically improve its rule of law before harbouring any hopes of closer ties with the 27 member bloc. The latest warning, at a joint EU-Ukraine cooperation council in Brussels, comes amid growing concern over the alleged mistreatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko. Ukraine's prime minister Mykola Azarov rejected the allegations, saying: "Everybody is equal before the law including former prime ministers. We do not prosecute anyone in Ukraine simply for political reasons." But several senior EU officials have said they will not attend the upcoming Euro 2012 football championships, in a sign of a deepening rift. "What I've heard from a number of the people I've talked to is the expectation that fair play, which is so clearly connected with sport and football, would be played not only in sport and football but also in the area of rule of law." EU enlargement chief Štefan Füle said. For the moment, the EU has not gone as far as to call for a complete boycott of the European soccer tournament in Ukraine. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=o95ZdbvlcwQ Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com The background to the austerity versus growth meeting between the leaders of the eurozone's two biggest economies - Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel - is a big contrast in their economic fortunes. In Germany both exports and domestic consumption have mostly grown. France is experiencing weak demand at home and slowing exports. The numbers tell the story: In the first three months of this year, French growth evaporated, Germany was the region's strongest performer. Ten percent of French workers are without a job -- in Germany it is 5.6 percent. French debt as a percentage of economic output is much higher. Michael Hewson, a market analyst with CMC Markets, said: "There's a lot of uncertainty with how a new French president would change the political dynamic between Germany and France. I mean, Mr Hollande has already said he wants to renegotiate the fiscal compact, Angela Merkel has implicitly ruled that out. He's also gone on record as saying that he wants to raise the minimum wage and reduce the retirement age, well that's really going to grate with Germany." Merkel and Hollande may have contrasting styles as well as economies but know they have to get on for the greater good and to save the euro. The problem is finding consensus on the right balance between austerity and growth with the nervous financial markets looking on. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=THMCiQBVSf0 Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com There was a relatively easy ride for JPMorgan Chase's boss at the annual shareholders' meeting on Tuesday. Only a handful of anti-capitalism protesters gathered outside while inside investors asked few hard questions of boss Jamie Dimon about the bank's two billion dollar trading loss. He promised "changes in policies and procedures" and indicated that top executives who oversaw the losing trades may have to pay back salaries and bonuses. Dimon said JPMorgan would pursue more disciplinary action against those who were responsible. "We will do the right thing. That may well include clawbacks," he told reporters after the annual meeting. At the same time it was reported that the FBI has opened an investigation into the trading losses at JPMorgan Chase. That steps up the pressure on the bank after the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve said they were also looking into the wrong-way bets that led to the losses. In Washington, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said JPMorgan's losses strengthened the case for reform. "I think this failure of risk management is just a very powerful case for ... financial reform," Geithner told an event sponsored by the Peterson Foundation. "The test of reform is not whether you can prevent banks from making mistakes ... the test of reform should be: 'Do those mistakes put at risk the broader economy, the financial system or the taxpayer?'" Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com ... http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=RQGe5cwKRpo Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com Another version of the Grimm Brothers' Snow White is about to hit the big screen, this time with Charlize Theron as the wicked queen and Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame in the title role. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=-f29gFLzIcs Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com The eurozone avoided recession in the early part of this year, but only just, and that was thanks to growth of 0.5 percent in Germany from exports. Stagnation in France and contraction in southern Europe underlined sharp differences around the region which is labouring under the effects of austerity measures. Overall gross domestic product was unchanged in the first quarter following a 0.3 percent dip at the end of last year. Most economists had expected a 0.2 percent contraction. That means the eurozone missed slipping into recession by the narrowest possible margin. The "official" definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of economic contraction. Optimism at the start of the year that the eurozone would recover quickly in 2012 has been crushed by unexpected contractions in consumer confidence, business morale and manufacturing. "Germany is leading the bloc, but this doesn't mean we will have a strong rebound. Austerity is not going away and southern European economies are really struggling," said Mads Koefoed, a senior economist at Saxo Bank. "We are looking at stagnation to very mild growth in the year to come." Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=njJ8Qlye65M Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com New French mobile phone operator Iliad said it has signed up 2.6 million customers since launching its super cheap service in mid-January. The buzz around Iliad's 'Free Mobile' offers also allowed it to recruit 191000 new customers to its core broadband internet service. Iliad touched off a price war forcing its established rivals - France Telecom, Vivendi's SFR, and Bouygues Telecom - to spend heavily to try to retain customers. Iliad's shares rose after it reported a better-than-expected 29 percent rise in first-quarter revenue to 655.7 million euros. The new mobile business brought in some 97.5 million euros. Analysts say Iliad will eventually turn France into one of the toughest markets in Europe. Iliad's Free Mobile launched in mid-January with a 19.99 euros per month offer, which includes unlimited calls, texts and mobile Internet up to 2 gigabytes. It also created a two euros a month package of one hour of calls and 60 texts, which it gives away for free to its broadband clients. Beyond offering lower prices, Free Mobile also established a different business model than its larger rivals: its customers pay for their own mobiles and can leave whenever they want, forgoing the traditional generous mobile subsidies that operators give on smartphones with one or two-year contracts. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=2KnA5Tu9aFc Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT www.euronews.com Bluetooth has changed the way we listen to music on the move, use our phones or laptops. It has joined the dots between different electronic devices, cutting out the need for clumsy cabling. euronews spoke to the father of Bluetooth, Dutch electrical engineer Jaap Haartsen, as part of our series on inventors and their inventions. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com http://www.fatcatnewsvideo.com/VideoDetail.aspx?pv=yt&assetId=CaI-XqpY16k Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT