| World News  | Canadian PM wins suspension of Parliament
International Herald Tribune
By Randall Palmer and David Ljunggren Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper won a rare suspension of Parliament on Thursday, managing to avoid being ousted by opposition parties angry over the minority Conservative government's economic plans and an attempt to cut off party financing. Governor General Michaelle Jean -- the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state -- agreed to Harper's request to shut...
photo: AP / John Pryke, POOL
|  | Kenya leader aims to oust Mugabe
Canada Dot Com
UNITED NATIONS - Kenya's prime minister signalled Thursday that Robert Mugabe's days in power may be numbered as he called on African leaders to oust the Zimbabwean president. Raila Odinga - Kenya's leader since April - said he is confident Zimbabwe's powerful neighbour South Africa will force out Mugabe when Jacob Zuma emerges as president as expected next year. "I do believe strongly that if the leadership of South Africa took a firm stand and...
photo: AP / Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi
|  | Happiness 'rubs off on others'
BBC News
Happiness is infectious and can "ripple" through social groups, according to US researchers. A study of 5,000 adults suggests a person's happiness is dependent on the happiness of those around them. A friend who becomes happy and lives less than a mile away increases your likelihood of happiness by 25%, the British Medical Journal reported. But the mood of work colleagues did not have an effect, the Harvard Medical School-led study found. The...
photo: WN / Guillaume Poulet-Mathis
|  | Bernanke wants more action to curb foreclosures
Houston Chronicle
WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke pleaded Thursday for more government action to relieve the foreclosure crisis and break a vicious cycle in which the housing meltdown is plunging the country deeper into recession. Beaten-down shoppers, meanwhile, handed retailers their worst month in at least 39 years. And the number of people drawing jobless benefits hit a 26-year high, with the November employment figures due out Friday likely...
photo: AP/Dennis Cook
|  | Democrats: Obama needs hands-on economic approach
The News & Observer
WASHINGTON - Democrats are growing impatient with President-elect Barack Obama's refusal to inject himself in the major economic crises confronting the country. Obama has sidestepped some policy questions by saying there is only one president at a time. But the dodge is wearing thin. "He's going to have to be more assertive than he's been," House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., told consumer advocates Thursday. Frank,...
photo: AP / Susan Walsh
|  | Fiat heiress set for court fight over will
The Independent
A feud at the Fiat dynasty has taken a dramatic turn after a close adviser to the car-maker's founding Agnelli family agreed to take up a court challenge from the only surviving child of the late Gianni Agnelli. Margherita Agnelli has accused Gianluigi Gabetti of keeping her in the dark about the true value of her father's will. In May 2007,...
photo: AP / str
|  | Oil falls even further
TVNZ
Dec 5, 2008 11:41 AM Oil fell more than 6% on Thursday to its lowest level in nearly four years in response to further bleak economic data that could spell a deeper decline in global energy demand. The number of US workers on jobless rolls hit a 26-year high last month, the government said, while another report showed US factory orders fell sharply for the third month in a...
photo: AP / Mel Evans
| Business News  | Ryanair will 'honour and respect' Aer Lingus unions
The Times
Michael O'Leary, the famously anti-trade union chief executive of Ryanair, has said that he will recognise Aer Lingus's unions if he is allowed to buy the Irish flag carrier. The promise is one of several that Ryanair, Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers, made yesterday as it sought to win political and public support for its Euro748 million (£650 million) bid. Ryanair's other commitments include cutting Aer Lingus's short-haul fares by...
photo: AP/Giuseppe Gualtieri
|  | Woolworths sale after Theo Paphitis of Dragon's Den says 'I'm out'
The Times
Woolworths will hold its biggest sale today after Theo Paphitis, the Dragons' Den entrepreneur, walked away from a bid for the collapsed retail chain. Deloitte, the administrator of Woolworths' 815 high-street stores, is cutting prices by as much as 50 per cent. Neville Kahn, a partner at Deloitte, said: "We anticipate increased footfall in the stores and have...
photo: WN / patricia
|  | November retail sales drop, investors hope for bottom
The Boston Globe
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Many retailers posted sharply lower November sales at stores open at least a year, prompting some investors to pour into the sector on hopes the dismal results signaled a bottom for share values. Discounter <WMT.N> bucked the trend with a bigger-than-expected rise, helped by lower gasoline prices and record sales of grocery items close to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Overall, same-store sales fell 2.1 percent, not...
photo: WN / Geeta
|  | Discounts help Wal-Mart beat November sales estimates
Asbury Park Press
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer and owner of seven stores in Monmouth and ocean counties, said November sales exceeded its projection, spurred by discounts on groceries, consumer electronics and Christmas decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving. Revenue from U.S. stores open at least a year increased 3.4 percent last month, beating Wal-Mart's forecast of a 1 percent to 3 percent gain. December sales may rise near the "high...
photo: GFDL / tomf688
|  | Low tariffs threaten SA car makers - GM
Business Report
By Roy Cokayne Port Elizabeth - The low level of tariff protection against vehicle imports was a long-term threat to South Africa's automotive industry, Steve Koch, the president and managing director of the African operations of General Motors (GM), said yesterday. Koch said import duties on vehicles were currently at 29 percent, which would fall to 25 percent by 2012 in terms of the motor industry...
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
|  | Wheat sells off to 1-1/2 year low; corn, soy dive
The Guardian
* Wheat down more than 6 pct, lowest since April 2007 * Corn, soy drop to 15-month lows * Commodities benchmark CRB index hits six-year low * Ample global supplies of wheat and feed grains * Stock markets fall, crude oil near four-year low (Updates with U.S. market closing prices, fresh analyst quotes) By Karl Plume CHICAGO, Dec 4 (Reuters) - U.S. wheat prices fell more than 6 percent on Thursday to their lowest levels in over 1-1/2 years and...
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
|  | Not just another car ride for GM CEO Wagoner
Chicago Sun-Times
SOMERSET, Pa.---- The head of the nation's largest automaker took perhaps the most important car ride of his life Wednesday, traveling 500 miles, mostly over highway through four states, to Washington, D.C., where he will ask Congress for a second time to save his slumping company. Two weeks ago Rick Wagoner flew to Washington on a corporate jet. This time the chief executive of General Motors Corp. made the trip in one of his company's black...
photo: WN / Renzelle Mae Abasolo
|  | AT&T to cut 12,000 jobs as economy slumps
The Business Review
AT&T Inc. said Thursday that it will cut 12,000 jobs, or about 4 percent of its work force, as the telecom giant moves headlong into a slumping U.S. economy. A spokesperson for the Dallas, Texas-based company says AT&T is not breaking down job cuts by geography. In the Raleigh-Durham area, AT&T currently employs more than 1,000 people. AT&T (NYSE: T) said the job cuts are necessary due to “economic pressures, a changing...
photo: GNU
| Entertainment News  | Katrina’s sleepless nights!
The Times of India
5 Dec 2008, 0011 hrs IST Text: Aah no dahlings! It’s not all about ‘self obsession’ alone when it comes to our beauties. You think our actresses can’t do without their quota of beauty-sleep, massages, spas, et al? Uh-huh, you’re sadly mistaken, lovelies. Wait till you hear the gorgeous Katrina Kaif’s sleepless-in-shuttle story; and...
photo: AP /
|  | Christmas DVD shopping guide
Globe and Mail
Must be a holiday coming. The DVD shelves are full of outlandish boxes packed with all manner of gewgaws, all the better to make you buy a favourite film for the second or third time. If the romantic on your list has a soft spot for Casablanca, for example and who doesn't? Casablanca Ultimate Collector's Edition supplements a previous special edition of the 1942 classic with a passport holder, a 48-page photo book and a documentary about studio...
photo: WN / rina
|  | Woolworths' toy suppliers battle for unpaid millions
NZ Herald
Suppliers of iconic toys such as Bob the Builder, Bratz and Transformers are chasing Woolworths for millions of pounds after the retailer went into administration last week with debts of 385 million ($1.07 billion). The suppliers and manufacturers demanding compensation include HIT Entertainment, which owns the rights to Bob the Builder; Golden Bear Products, which owns Noddy; Hasbro, the US giant behind Transformers, MGA Entertainment, which...
photo: WN / patricia
|  | Arizona oasis: Phoenix links visitors to golf, arts, nature
Boston Herald
PHOENIX - In Phoenix, there’s nothing a trip to the golf course can’t fix. It’s a warm winter escape for those who can afford a second home, and it basks in the spa-facial glow of being a place where people will pay a lot for five-star fun. But for those with shallow pockets, the Valley of the Sun has budget-friendly options mixing an urban identity with access to nature. It’s not every big city where you can scale a...
photo: creative commons photo / danperry
|  | Oscar `Knight'? Batman rises to serious contender
Penn Live
12/4/2008, 1:20 p.m. EST> The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — As the box-office bankroll climbed for "The Dark Knight" last summer, the Hollywood consensus was that a posthumous nomination for Heath Ledger was the Batman blockbuster's best Academy Awards hope. Now that critics have gotten a peek at all the last-minute Oscar contenders, "The Dark Knight" has emerged as a solid contender for best picture and best director for...
photo: AP / Koji Sasahara
|  | ‘It’s still an Indian film’
The Times of India
5 Dec 2008, 0000 hrs IST, MANDVI SHARMA , TNN Text: His grandfather, Abdul Karim Nadiadwala, was the original sethji of the Indian film industry, giving cars and bungalows to actors as signing amounts for a role in his movie. And Sajid Nadiadwala says it must be in the family to do everything plus size, including movies. “You can blame my roots for it!” he smiles. Sajid has been known for...
photo: AP Photo /
| Health News  | Does a short haircut mean women have gone off sex?
The Daily Mail
Is short hair a conscious - or unconscious - signal that a woman is not interested in sex? The question was raised this week by sex therapist and former comedienne Pamela Stephenson, who believes 'deliberately reducing one's attractiveness' can sometimes be a way of repelling men's interest. We asked a series of writers, experts and even a celebrity hairdresser for their views, with fascinating results ... Short and sleek: But is there a...
photo: WN / patricia
|  | Zimbabwe in state of emergency
The Independent
Zimbabwe declared a national emergency as it battled to halt a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 560 people and forced its government to appeal for international assistance. Neighbouring South Africa said it was extremely concerned about conditions. Thousands of Zimbabweans are believed to cross the...
photo: AP
|  | Many Americans miss exercise goals
Canada Dot Com
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many Americans are failing to meet the minimum recommendations for exercise, although confusing guidelines are making it difficult to assess, researchers reported on Thursday. Depending on which federal exercise recommendations are used, either about half or about two-thirds of Americans meet minimum goals, the team at the U.S....
photo: WN / patricia
|  | Women smokers in RP getting younger
Inquirer
Most Read News Yan, soldier, diplomat, peacemaker, dies Manila sinking -- experts 8 teeners nabbed for videoke brawl RP centavo 'almost meaningless' Bolante 'bubbly'--Senate security chief Who kidnapped Bentain and Mallilin? Makati elderly get Christmas cash gifts RP says communists spurned peace treaty Palace: 'No need for People Power' 'Where is the President's promise?' Women smokers in RP getting younger Palace backtracks on Charter change...
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
|  | Happiness is contagious
The Australian
HAPPINESS is contagious. The same team of researchers that demonstrated obesity and smoking spread in networks has shown that the more happy people you know, the more likely you are yourself to be happy. And getting connected to happy people improves a person's own happiness, they reported in the British Medical Journal. "What we are dealing with is an emotional...
photo: WN / Jamal Penjweny
| Politics News  | Fidel Castro says Cuba can talk with Obama
Syracuse
HAVANA (AP) - Fidel Castro said Thursday that President-elect Barack Obama is a man Cuba can talk with and indicated that communist officials would be willing to meet with him wherever he wants. But the former Cuban leader expressed disappointment with some of Obama's Cabinet choices, including Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state and Robert Gates as defense secretary. In his latest essay distributed to official media, the ailing...
photo: AP /AP Television
|  | Airlines pressed to cut charges
BBC News
Airlines are coming under increasing pressure to pass on the cost of recent reductions in the price of fuel to their passengers. Louise Ellman, chairman of the Commons Transport Select Committee, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme that prices should now fall. BA and Virgin first introduced £5 fuel surcharges on return flights in May 2004 when oil cost $36.50 per barrel. They have reduced charges for return flights in recent weeks by up to £26. But...
photo: Public Domain / Follash
|  | Fallout will hit Obama's Afghan plan
Arab News
Maleeha Lodhi | Arab News The terrorist attacks in Mumbai have dramatized how the urgent will often take precedence over the important for the incoming Obama administration. The attacks have plunged relations between Pakistan and India into unpredictable territory just when a series of policy reviews in Washington are focused on overhauling strategy in Afghanistan. With Afghanistan in a "downward spiral" Washington is groping for a new strategy....
photo: AP / Chris Carlson
|  | Pakistan pledges action
Arab News
Azhar Masood | Arab News ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari yesterday pledged strong action against any Pakistani citizen involved in the Nov. 26 Mumbai terrorist attacks that Indian officials said killed 172 people and injured 296. "The government will not only assist in investigation but also take strong action against any Pakistani elements found involved in the attacks," said Zardari in an official statement issued after he met with...
photo: Press Information Dept. of Pakistan
|  | Betraying the student body?
The Guardian
Beauty pageants are often derided as sexist, outdated and belittling - yet top female students are flocking to take part. Emine Saner finds out why Over the past few months, a series of beauty contests has been held in London. So far, so sexist. But what distinguishes this particular competition is that all the taking part are at some of London's best universities. Last week, for instance, Lile He, a politics and economics student, was named Miss...
photo: WN / Geeta
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