red orange yellow green blue pink

Castro defends one-party system

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Cuban President Raul Castro has defended the one-party system in a speech at the conference of the ruling Communist Party.

Mr Castro said allowing other political parties would threaten Cuba's independence and the socialist system established by the 1959 revolution.

But he said it was necessary to promote more democracy and open debate within the Communist Party.

He also reaffirmed plans to limit political terms to 10 years.

Mr Castro, 80, has launched widespread economic reform since taking over from his brother Fidel in 2008.

But in his address, he ruled out any change to… Read More

Posted in Top Stories | Comments Off

Insurers Get Cold Feet Where Wildfires Burn

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

By M.P. MCQUEEN

(See Corrections & Amplifications item below.)

Homeowners in Western states already grappling with the season's wildfires are in the midst of another sort of battle, this time with insurers.

Companies are imposing tougher fire-safety requirements, including inspecting properties for hazards and telling homeowners to clear a broad swath of brush around their homes -- sometimes much wider than even state laws require. And some… Read More

Posted in Business | Comments Off

In Tough Times, Load Up on Mentors

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

By ELIZABETH GARONE

In this economy, you need to take advantage of every available resource to propel your career. Finding a mentor—and preferably a network of mentors—is an easy and smart way to get started. And, it won't set you back financially the way hiring a career coach would. Here's how.

Develop a circle of mentors. Look more widely than your company-assigned mentor. You'll benefit from multiple advisers, especially if you don't click with your… Read More

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Pep Boys to Go Private

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

A Wall Street Journal Roundup

Pep Boys—Manny Moe & Jack has agreed to be taken private by private-equity firm Gores Group in a deal that values the auto-repair company at roughly $800 million and puts an end to long-running speculation over its future.

Reports early last year suggested the retail auto-parts and service company was considering putting itself up for sale, although Pep Boys never commented on the speculation.

Pep… Read More

Posted in Top Stories | Comments Off

Off-Campus Living

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
NEW YORK $1.2 million

A roughly 900-square-foot apartment, with one bedroom and one bath, a block away from Gramercy Park

DETAILS: This 12th-floor corner apartment was renovated in 2008. The apartment has five walk-in closets. The building has a doorman and a roof deck. Monthly maintenance costs are about $1,650.

Photos: Off-Campus Living

Read More

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Animal instinct

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Celebrity siblings Nigaar and Gauhar Khan have teamed up with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) India for an ad campaign against caged animals in zoos. The sisters, who are currently seen on UTV Bindass' show The Khan Sisters, appear wearing zebra-striped bodysuits while caged in a box in the campaign, which reads "Think Outside the Box: Boycott Cages, Boycott Zoos". "You don't learn anything from looking at a sad animal locked up in a zoo. If you want to learn about animals, view them in their natural habitats — visit a nature preserve, or watch a video or read a magazine about them. Don't support the… Read More

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Brocade: Server Connectivity – Extreme Performance Scaling for the Virtualized Infrastructure

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

This white paper discusses Brocade's Host Bus Adapter (HBA) Performance Leadership. The Brocade 815 (single port) and 825 (dual port) 8 Gbit/sec FC-to-PCIe HBAs provide a new level of scalable server connectivity through unmatched hardware capabilities and unique software configurability.

Delivering more than twice the performance of competing HBAs, Brocade FC HBAs also offer advanced features supporting enterprise-class, end-to-end storage networking solutions.

In addition to providing the I/Os Per Second (IOPS) required for the most data-intensive applications, the composite performance-power-price benefits shown in this… Read More

Posted in Business | Comments Off

Saving Retiree Health Plans

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

By ELLEN E. SCHULTZ

More companies in dire financial straits are pulling the plug on retiree health-care benefits—dealing a blow to everyone from hourly union employees to upper management.

Eastman Kodak and Hostess Brands, both of which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this month, are expected to ask the courts to let them kill their plans, following in the footsteps of bankruptcies… Read More

Posted in Business | Comments Off

Baltic Dry Index seen as positive indicator for global markets

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Last week, gold surpassed the $1900 barrier as investors feared a recession. The European and American debt crisis also weighed heavily on global markets. Although the outlook for the markets remains uncertain, some green shoots can be seen like the strengthening of the Baltic Dry Index (BDI).

The Baltic Dry Index is a leading indicator of economic activity, since prices are made only by the member companies. Agreements are being made between parties which need cargo to be transported and companies which own vessels to move the cargo.

In short, the BDI offers a real time glimpse of demand for global raw materials and infrastructure.Read More

Posted in Business | Comments Off

Country profile: Pakistan

Monday, January 30th, 2012

The Muslim-majority state of Pakistan occupies an area which was home to some of the earliest human settlements and where two of the world's major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, were practised.

The modern state was born out of the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947 and has faced both domestic political upheavals and regional confrontations.

Created to meet the demands of Indian Muslims for their own homeland, Pakistan was originally in two parts.

The east wing - present-day Bangladesh - is on the Bay of Bengal bordering India and Burma. The west wing - present-day Pakistan - stretches… Read More

Posted in Top Stories | Comments Off

« Older Entries