| Three of Bali Nine spared death
Mr Smith said the Federal Government was still awaiting official confirmation of the Indonesian decision to commute three of the death sentences but would welcome such a move. "It's too early because it's appropriate in all of these cases to await the complete exhaustion of Indonesian legal procedures and processes," he said. "And when the Prime Minister met with the President of Indonesia ... he made the point which I subsequently made to the Indonesian foreign minister, that if, upon the exhaustion of all legal procedures through the Indonesian courts, any of the nine were subject to the death penalty then the Australian Government would pursue with the Indonesian Government a plea of clemency on their behalf. "But we'll simply wait until all those processes have exhausted themselves." Asked if the Indonesian court's decision would hearten the other members of the Bali Nine, he said it was important for each case to be treated individually.
The Day of the Bull
Top-of-the-line formals, spiffy shoes and a shiny new laptop encased in a Hidesign leather bag. He is neither known to be corrupt nor run a business on the side. All it took Fernandes was a demat account with a prominent brokerage six years ago and rudimentary knowledge about the share market to rake in the moolah. Fernandes reaches office nearly an hour early so that he is ready and waiting when the markets open a little before 10 am. "I have a lot of friends who tip me off on shares that will move and we bet on those stocks," says Fernandes. Tips come from fellow commuters on Mumbais local trains, brokerage reports and analysts on television channels. "I have not lost money in the six years I have started trading," says Fernandes. Others would simply call him lucky because the stocks he picked Blue chips like Reliance Industries and Reliance Petroleum Ltd have fetched phenomenal returns.
Police hunt killer after British student is found butchered and part ...
We were called after a mobile phone was found in a garden and checks revealed it belonged to the victim. "This was a particularly nasty murder and the victim was found with a deep cut to her throat." Italian news reports said that the elderly woman who found the phone had also reported receiving a telephone threat from a mystery woman. Miss Kercher is believed to have attended the Old Palace School of John Whitgift, an independent day school for girls aged four to 18 in Croydon which boasts of offering a "first class education" and where fees are £9,570 per year. Friends in Perugia described the student as "tranquil and interested in only her studies". In one of her last messages to friends on the Facebook site last month Miss Kercher described how she had been eating too much at a famous chocolate festival that takes place in Perugia every October.
Race to the bottom is on
The first tasty offering of silliness du jour came from The New York Times (Motto: "All the News That Gives Right-Wing Nuts Fits"). For the most part, I think the Times does an excellent job of irritating people who deserve to be irritated. Without its mostly fine reporting, we the people would only know the half of what King George and Sir Dick have been up to. Me the person commends its good work. If you think differently, let me point out that the Times has a public editor (think of an old-school teacher with a big paddle) who comes along after the reporters write a big story and tells them what they did wrong. After he has demolished their work, he presumably goes off and has lunch by himself. My point is that you may think the Times very biased, but I have a feeling you don't have a public editor yourself.
US stocks in doldrums; Chrysler shuts plants
US stocks finished lower yesterday amid scant market-moving news as vehicle maker Chrysler announced it was shutting four plants due to a dispute with a parts supplier. The administration of President George W. Bush meanwhile unveiled a record $US3.1 trillion ($A3.44 trillion) budget proposal for the fiscal year 2009, including an economic stimulus package of about $US145 billion ($A160.91 billion). The leading blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 108.03 points (0.85 per cent) at 12,634.16 after languishing in negative territory during the day's trading session. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite lost 30.51 points (1.26 per cent) to 2382.85 while the Standard & Poor's 500 index declined 14.60 points (1.05 per cent) to a close of 1380.82. Chrysler said workers would be notified by plant officials or local media about future work schedules as it closes plants in Illinois, Delaware, Michigan and Ohio.The shutdown affects about 10,500 employees.
Liberals meet to plan response to Afghan motion
Dion is expected to outline his strategy to his caucus at a meeting set for Monday evening, where he will propose a set of amendments to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's motion. Last week, the Conservative government confirmed it would introduce a confidence motion to extend Canada's combat role in Afghanistan for two years to February 2011. Harper said the motion will be treated as a confidence matter, raising the prospect of an election if his minority government can't carry the day. Dion has called the government motion unacceptable and said the Liberals will offer changes. The Conservative motion opens the door to a "never-ending mission" that could drag on forever, he said. The Liberals argue the mission's combat role should end by February 2009, but have indicated they are open to a continued deployment for training and humanitarian purposes.
AMD Phenom X4 retail prices surface
While we always have to take these pre-launch prices with a grain of salt, it is already clear that AMD will be aggressive in its pricing and is unlikely to be able to attack Intel in the $500+ segment.The 9500 is currently indicated to hit the retail market in the $260-$270 range; the 9600 could be available for prices between $290 and $300 and the 9700 is listed for prices between $310 and $330. These numbers would put the new Phenoms squarely against Intel’s new Penryn quad-core desktop processors, which are scheduled to debut with the high-end QX9650 next Monday.According to sources, Intel will not deviate from the pricing strategy that has been in place since the introduction of the Core architecture in July of last year. Its high-end enthusiast chip (QX9650, 3.0 GHz, 12 MB L2 cache) will launch at $999, the high-end mainstream-processor (in this case the Q9550, 2.83 GHz, 12 MB L2 cache) at $530 and the mainstream versions below at $316 (Q9450, 2.66 GHz, 12 MB L2 cache) and $266 (Q9300, 2.50 GHz, 6 MB L2 cache).
Standard Chartered unveils new card
Dubai: Standard Chartered on Monday launched a business credit card in the UAE primarily targeted at the small and medium enterprise (SME) segment. The 'Gold Business Credit Card', co-branded with Singapore Airlines, offers business-centric benefits such as automatic membership to KrisFlyer - the loyalty programme of Singapore Airlines, the flexibility to convert business rewards from the credit card to KrisFlyer miles, preferential rates and offers from leading international hotels and discounts on office supplies, equipment and courier services. "Our Business Credit Card is aligned with our ongoing drive to deliver first-class services to all our valued customers above and beyond their stated needs," said Chris De Bruin, head of consumer banking chartered for the UAE.
Companies vs. Consumers: An Endgame
The stock market's fate could hinge on an important split in the economy: Corporate balance sheets are healthier than they have been in decades, but consumers appear to be retrenching under the weight of record levels of debt. That could leave financial stocks in limbo and consumer stocks such as high-end retailers, travel-and-leisure, and home-furnishings companies vulnerable. But industrials and technology stocks, many of which are at least a step removed from U.S. consumers, might be in a better position to withstand a possible U.S. consumer-led downturn. With stocks already down by double-digit percentages, the ability to rebound will depend on how companies absorb the effects of weakened consumers. Two-thirds of U.S. economic output comes from consumer spending, and many foreign companies depend on selling to the U.S.
Election Commission laptop harddrive found
Metro Police confirmed late Thursday they have recovered the hard drive from the laptop computer, containing names and complete Social Security numbers for 337,000 registered voters, that was stolen from the Election Commission in December.Police said Election Commission staff viewed and confirmed the information stored on the seized hard drive came from the stolen computer that gave them the most concern.Officials did not disclose where the hard drive, a router and other computer components were found, citing the ongoing investigation. Police do not yet know if any of the other seized equipment — including additional hard drives — came from a second malfunctioning laptop also stolen from the Election Commission. Computer experts have begun the process of examining the files and data components to determine if they have been accessed or tampered with, according to police.Detectives are “vigorously" pursuing leads and expect to make additional arrests in the case, according to a news release.The main suspect in the case, Robert Osbourne, admitted to police Thursday that he broke into the Davidson County Election Commission Dec.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
CONSUMER ADVICE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Since the mid-1990s, there has been a noticeable improvement in Greece's public transportation systems, including the ferry networks serving the islands. Bus and trolley routes are now served by new fleets, while a new mass transit system in Athens - the metro - has helped relieve congestion in the capital's centre. The 2004 Olympics provided the impetus for improvements in public transport, which include the reintroduction of the tram as a link between the southern coastal suburbs and downtown Athens. Tram The tram has three lines: from Neos Kosmos (metro station) to Hellenic Olympic Complex (Agios Kosmas) and from Glyfada to the Peace and Friendship Stadium (alongside the Faliro Sports Complex). The third line runs from Syntagma to Glyfada.
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