Monday, September 6, 2010

International Headlines

Date: Monday, September 6, 2010
>TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 06 September, 2010

> REPORT: 2,000 MORE TROOPS MAY DEPLOY TO AFGHANISTAN
As many as 2,000 additional troops -- including U.S. forces --
may be headed to Afghanistan in the coming weeks under a plan
proposed by Gen. David Petraeus.

> JAPAN: GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS SENTENCED
A court in northern Japan found two Greenpeace activists guilty
Monday for stealing whale meat, but suspended their sentences,
Greenpeace Japan said.

> N. KOREA TO RELEASE S. KOREAN BOAT CREW
North Korea has decided to return a South Korean fishing boat
and its crew, after the North's navy intercepted them in its
waters in August, state-run media said Monday.


> BOMB BLAST HITS PAKISTANI POLICE BUILDING
At least 17 people were killed and 40 wounded in northwest
Pakistan Monday -- the latest in a series of suspected suicide
attacks in less than a week in the country.

> PLAN C FOR CHILE MINE RESCUE: OIL DRILL
Hedging their bets, officials in Chile said they will set up an
oil drill as a third option to rescue the 33 miners trapped
underground since August 5.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

International Headlins

Date: Saturday, September 4, 2010
>TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 04 September, 2010

> STATE OF EMERGENCY IN QUAKE-TORN NEW ZEALAND CITY
A powerful earthquake hits near New Zealand's second-largest
city, sending people into the streets as buildings crumble.
Officials report no fatalities

> MORE U.S. AID TO FLOOD RAVAGED PAKISTAN
President Obama issued a presidential order on Friday
authorizing emergency funds to Pakistan's flood victims, the
White House announced Friday.

> UPS CARGO PLANE CRASHES NEAR DUBAI
A cargo plane has crashed in an uninhabited area near the Dubai
airport, according to the official WAM news agency in the United
Arab Emirates.

> HUMAN TRAFFICKING RING EXPOSED IN U.S.
Six job recruiters have been indicted in federal court in what
the FBI has called the largest human-trafficking operation ever
to result in charges in the United States.

> NASA TO PRESENT MINE RESCUE OPTIONS
NASA experts will present recommendations Friday for rescuing 33
miners trapped deep underground in Chile. Drilling a tunnel to
the men is expected to take months.

HURRICANE DOWNGRADED, STILL 'DANGEROUS'
A weakened Hurricane Earl brushed North Carolina's Outer Banks
overnight as residents along the Eastern Seaboard braced for a
stormy Friday.

> BUFFETT, GATES ON CHINESE MISSION
Having persuaded many of their billionaire peers in the US into
giving away chunks of money, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are
travelling to China to host newly minted Chinese tycoons to sell
them on the value of philanthropy.

BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> OBAMA PROMISES NEW JOBS INITIATIVES
President Obama promised to lay out a broad package of ideas for
job creation next week and slamming Senate Republicans for
blocking his small business aid legislation.

> CAN CHINESE MEDIA RULE THE AIRWAVES?
At a time when many Western media outlets are contracting,
Chinese media outlets are expanding, rapidly.

> FEARS GROW OVER GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLY
Russia announced a 12-month extension of its grain export ban on
Thursday, raising fears about a return to the food shortages and
riots of 2007-08 which spread through developing countries
dependent on imports.

Stocks trim early gains after weak service data

Date: Friday, September 3, 2010

STOCKS TRIM EARLY GAINS AFTER WEAK SERVICE DATA
The major U.S. indexes get a boost from a report showing that job
losses slowed more than expected in August, boosting hopes that the
economic recovery is still on track.

HURRICANE EARL WEAKENS, HEADS UP THE EAST COAST
Hurricane Earl batters the North Carolina shore and heads up the
coastline toward Virginia and Massachusetts early Friday.

MARINER ENERGY PLATFORM FIRE INFLAMES GULF DEBATE
Mariner Energy's platform fire in the Gulf of Mexico comes at a
crucial time for the oil and gas industry as it faces an
offshore-drilling moratorium and regulatory fallout from the Deepwater
Horizon accident.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Stocks extended gains as investors welcomed surprisingly strong retail sales. Dow rose 50 points. Nasdaq and S&P add about 1%.

Date: Sep 2, 2010 4:02 PM

Stocks extended gains as investors welcomed surprisingly strong retail sales. Dow rose 50 points. Nasdaq and S&P add about 1%.

Stocks open slightly higher after new jobless claims and retail sales come in better than expected. Dow gains 6 points.

Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2010 09:32:07 -0400

Stocks open slightly higher after new jobless claims and retail sales
come in better than expected. Dow gains 6 points.

European Central Bank holds key rate steady at 1%

Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:49:44 -0400

European Central Bank holds key rate steady at 1%
09/02/2010 07:48:07 AM EDT

The number of people filing for initial unemployment claims unexpectedly fell to 472,000 for week ending Aug. 21.

Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2010 08:33:07 -0400

The number of people filing for initial unemployment claims
unexpectedly fell to 472,000 for week ending Aug. 21.

International Headlines

Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2010 05:02:04 -0400
>TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 02 September, 2010

> MIDEAST CONFLICT CENTER STAGE IN WASHINGTON
Ahead of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians on
Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama said he was "hopeful --
cautiously hopeful" for a two-state solution.

> 3 BABIES FOUND BURIED AT DUTCH HOME
Dutch investigators were trying to determine Thursday whether
the bodies of three babies found at a home in the Netherlands
belong to the woman who lived there.

> DEATH TOLL TOPS 30 IN LAHORE BLASTS
The death toll from a trio of suicide attacks during a Shiite
processions in Lahore, Pakistan, grew to 31 Thursday,
authorities said Thursday.

> HURRICANE HEADS FOR U.S. EAST COAST
Hurricane Earl took aim on the Outer Banks of North Carolina
early Thursday as the powerful storm prepared to take a swipe at
the Eastern Seaboard.

> DUTCH FREE TWO MEN HELD IN TERROR PROBE
Two Yemeni men arrested as possible terror suspects at Schiphol
International Airport in the Netherlands have been cleared of
wrongdoing and freed, Dutch authorities said.

> U.S. TRANSFERS COMMAND IN IRAQ
Vice President Joe Biden marks the transfer of U.S. military
command in Iraq by promising that American engagement with
Baghdad "will continue."

> POLICE: 16 MIGRANTS KIDNAPPED IN MEXICO
At least 16 migrants, including a woman, were being held for
ransom by human smugglers in Tijuana, Mexico, according to a
migrant who was freed, authorities said late Wednesday.

> MOZAMBIQUE FOOD RIOTS TURN DEADLY
Three people died and dozens were injured in riots over
increases in the price of bread, water, energy and other
critical goods in Mozambique, the southern African nation's
official news agency reported Wednesday.


~~~~~~~~~~~
BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> DATA BOOST FROM ECONOMIC GIANTS
A surprise bounce in manufacturing activity in the world's two
biggest economies in August cheered investors as it ended the
bleak run of US economic data over the summer.

> INDIA WANTS SKYPE, GOOGLE DATA
India is extending a crackdown on BlackBerry to other e-mail and
internet communications providers, including Skype and Google, a
senior government official said on Wednesday.

> ECO-TOURISM IN WAR-TORN SIERRA LEONE
For many people, the name Sierra Leone still conjures up images
of the country's decade-long civil war and subsequent war crimes
trials.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Markets, Wednesday, 09/1/2010

Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:43:28 -0400

|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Dow : 10,269.47 up 254.75 | S & P : 1,080.29 up 30.96
|
| NASDAQ: 2,176.84 up 62.81 | Bond (10Y): 2.58% up 0.105
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|

MARKETS:
September surprise: Stocks soar
September rally is in full swing after a report shows an unexpected
rise in manufacturing activity. Dow jumps 254 points, Nasdaq, S&P 500
gain 3%.

Stocks rocket up as investors cheer strong U.S. and Chinese manufacturing. Dow rises 254 ponts. Nasdaq, S&P add 3%.

Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 16:06:03 -0400

Stocks rocket up as investors cheer strong U.S. and Chinese
manufacturing. Dow rises 254 ponts. Nasdaq, S&P add 3%.

U.S. stocks surge on hopes over economic growth


Date: Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 12:00 PM

U.S. STOCKS SURGE ON HOPES OVER ECONOMIC GROWTH
U.S. stocks start month on a strong note after a reading on manufacturing activity climbs in August, defying expectations of a fall.  

AUG. PRIVATE-SECTOR PAYROLLS FALL 10,000: ADP
U.S. private-sector employment fell 10,000 in August, according to the ADP employment report released Wednesday, breaking a six-month run of increases.  

CEOS THAT LAY OFF WORKERS EARN MORE: STUDY
Chief executives of the 50 firms that laid off the most workers since the onset of the economic crisis earned 42% more than the average pay for an S&P 500 company, according to a study released Wednesday. 

MEN LOSE MORE GROUND THAN WOMEN IN PAY SLIDE
Wage growth among middle- and low-income U.S. workers has been shaky for a decade, but in the last three years it collapsed, with wages growing at less than half the rate they had in the period right before the recession, and some workers' pay actually decreasing.  

SALARIES AND WAGES ARE RISING, BUT NOT BY MUCH
After two years of holding back on salary raises, U.S. employers say they plan bigger increases of workers' wages in 2011 -- but those plans could change if the economy continues to falter.  

International Headlines

Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 05:02:04 -0400
>TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 01 September, 2010

> OBAMA ENVOY SEES 'WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY' FOR MIDEAST PEACE
U.S. President Barack Obama seeks to broker Mideast peace, with
his envoy identifying an opportunity for Israeli and Palestinian
leaders to reach a deal within a year.

> BIDEN TO MARK IRAQ POWER TRANSFER
After more than seven years of American military operations in
Iraq, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will help mark the transfer
of U.S. military command in Iraq on Wednesday.

> HURRICANE EARL SPURS EVACUATIONS IN U.S.
As Hurricane Earl continues to spin toward the East Coast,
authorities in North Carolina are ordering more people to get
out of the way.

> POLICE DISMANTLE MALE PROSTITUTION RING
National Police said Tuesday an investigation that began in
February has resulted in the arrest of 14 people involved in an
organization dedicated to the sexual exploitation of men,
Spain's first such bust of its kind.

> EIGHT KILLED IN CANCUN BAR BOMBING
Eight people died early Tuesday after attackers hurled several
Molotov cocktails into a Cancun, Mexico, bar, the state attorney
general said.

> WEATHER STALLS EFFORT ON BP OIL WELL
Thad Allen, the government's point man on the BP oil disaster,
and Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser will meet
Tuesday before briefing the public on the cleanup effort.


~~~~~~~~~~~
BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> AXIS OF FASHION WORLD TILTS EAST
From individual consumers of luxury goods, the Chinese and
Indians have become consumers of luxury companies, in a shift
that has far-reaching implications for the $80 billion a year
industry.

> CURRENCY TRADING HITS RECORD LEVELS
Currency trading has surged to record levels in 2010, even as
the foreign exchange market becomes increasingly concentrated
among a smaller number of banks and trading centres.

> CHINESE MANUFACTURERS REPORT GROWTH
Fears that the Chinese economy is running out of steam eased
after a survey showed that factory activity accelerated in
August, but results from other Asian economies were gloomier due
to slackening demand from beyond the region.

Dow spikes 127 points at the open on strong economic data out of China. Nasdaq up 1.6%; S&P 500 rises 1.3%.

Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 09:33:04 -0400

Dow spikes 127 points at the open on strong economic data out of
China. Nasdaq up 1.6%; S&P 500 rises 1.3%.

U.S. private-sector employment down 10,000 in August; July growth revised down 5,000

Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:22:17 -0400

U.S. private-sector employment down 10,000 in August; July growth
revised down 5,000
09/01/2010 08:20:36 AM EDT

Number of planned job cuts plummeted to a 10-year low in August, first decline in 3 months, says outplacement firm Challenger.

Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 07:34:07 -0400

Number of planned job cuts plummeted to a 10-year low in August, first
decline in 3 months, says outplacement firm Challenger.