Thursday November 20, 2008
Conrad Black pursues clemency from Bush as way out
Conrad Black is pinning his hopes on clemency from U.S. President George W. Bush as a last-ditch effort to get out of jail early, and he wants his former publishing company to foot the legal bill. From Print Edition, 20/11/08
Al-Qaeda calls Obama 'house-slave,' urges clashes
Al-Qaeda denounced Barack Obama yesterday, disparaging the first African-American elected to the presidency of the United States as a ''house slave'' and saying his vow to fight Muslim extremists in Afghanistan is doomed. From Print Edition, 20/11/08
Holder likely to reform Justice Department
Eric Holder, the man expected to be named the first African-American attorney-general of the United States, will likely bring swift reform to the Department of Justice, putting an end to practices he has described as ''needlessly abusive'' and helping close Guantanamo Bay, which he called an ''international embarrassment.'' From Print Edition, 20/11/08
WHO WILL CLICK WITH PRESIDENT 2.0?
Not since former vice-president Al Gore ''invented'' the Internet has technology been as hot a talking point in the corridors of power in Washington. President-elect Barack Obama has raised it to a new level, to the point where aides say he wants to become the first American President to have a laptop computer on his desk in the Oval Office. From Print Edition, 20/11/08
Citigroup to buy billions in SIVs
Citigroup Inc. said yesterday it is acquiring the remaining $17.4-billion (U.S.) in assets held by structured investment vehicles it already supports, as the bank moves to unwind the troubled funds. Citi will move the SIV assets to a portfolio of assets held for sale. The move comes as Citi, one of the banks hit hardest in the continuing credit crisis, works toward returning to profitability. The bank - which this week said it would cut an additional 53,000 jobs - is also liquidating a hedge fund whose value plummeted 53 per cent in October. C (NYSE) fell $1.96, or 23 per cent, to $6.40, far from its 52-week high of $35.29. From Print Edition, 20/11/08
Cinram visa requests denied by authorities
Toronto-based DVD manufacturer Cinram International Income Fund has been denied a request for visas for 800 foreign workers to help its Huntsville, Ala.-based plant with holiday orders. The U.S. Department of Labor decision came a year after an investigation began into claims of overpriced, substandard housing for its foreign workers. But agency officials told The Huntsville Times on Tuesday the request was denied because Cinram didn't adequately justify the need for the workers and had been using a temporary employment agency, Ambassador Staffing, to hire and pay them. The company hired the workers through the employment agency to package and sort DVDs for $8 (U.S.) an hour. Cinram spokeswoman Lyne Fisher did not immediately respond yesterday to a request for comment. CRW.UN (TSX) fell 16 cents to $1.69. From Print Edition, 20/11/08
Survey says U.S. firms will handle recession
From Print Edition, 20/11/08
Colombia seeks arrests in alleged pyramid scheme
Colombia asked Panama yesterday to arrest and extradite the leader of a company involved in an alleged pyramid scheme that has caused a national panic over hundreds of millions of dollars in lost investments. Attorney-General Mario Iguaran said evidence against DMG company and its principal shareholder David Murcia Guzman will show it was a money-laundering front. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has said there is evidence that drug traffickers used DMG to give their profits the appearance of legality. DMG denied the allegations. Mr. Murcia, his wife, mother, and brother-in-law were among seven people being sought. From Print Edition, 20/11/08
Fed warns of 'significant weakness'
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board sharply lowered its projections yesterday for economic activity this year and next, and signalled that additional interest rate reductions may be needed to help combat the worst financial crisis to jolt the country in more than a half-century. From Print Edition, 20/11/08
Moving beyond Arctic sovereignty
Prof. Donald McRae argues: It's time to ice our irrational fears and focus on Canada's real northern challenges. 19/11/08 12:14 AM
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Moving beyond Arctic sovereignty
It's time to ice our irrational fears and focus on Canada's real northern challenges. 19/11/08 12:14 AM
A little courtin' would refresh Canada-U.S. ties
Harper-Obama harmony could end a shared economic nightmare 19/11/08 12:12 AM
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