| Rudd in talks with RBA chiefs
Inflation is tipped to be the main topic of discussion when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan meet Reserve Bank officials today. Mr Rudd and his Government have put tackling inflation as one of the key priorities of the new year. Federal efforts to cut spending are likely to be one of the main topics of today's talks. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is slashing its budget by $57 million, with a number of overseas diplomats to be recalled and programs to promote Australian culture overseas being cut to fund the savings. The Federal Government says it does not believe the changes will affect its foreign policy priorities. Mr Rudd says the talks will look at the challenges posed by higher inflation and will help shape the Federal Government's future economic policy.
Black Dyke Band heading for Cornwall
A marketing and public relations manager with a well known estate agents in Cornwall has pulled off a major coup in the brass banding world. Bruce Taylor, who works for Miller Countrywide Estate Agents has booked the Black Dyke Band - probably the most famous brass band in the world, to perform at the next Miller Countrywide Charity Concert, which is being held on Sunday May 4 at the Hall for Cornwall, in Truro at 7.30pm. Bruce who comes from the Helston area said: "I am absolutely delighted that the Black Dyke Band have accepted our invitation, it will be a privilege to bring them to Cornwall - they have been here before, but not for several years. Cornwall is a real brass banding hot-bed and as a county, we have many fine bands with some exceptionally talented musicians, playing to a very high standard." This will be the company's fourth charity concert and once again profits will go to support local charities.
Change judge selection
It is constitutional for the state of New York to run crooked primaries. The Supreme Court said so last week. Now what? The State Legislature is unlikely to change the system, but at this point, its members are New Yorkers' only hope for crafting a method that acknowledges the critical and unique role of judges in a democratic society. The court's unanimous ruling, affirming the parties' dishonest method for choosing judges, was disappointing but hardly surprising. The judges telegraphed their feelings about the case during pointed questioning of attorneys in October. Their reasoning — that "selection by convention has been a traditional means of choosing party nominees" — is indisputable, as far as it goes. But New York's system is flatly corrupt.
Asian shares close up despite US fears, SocGen fraud
Japanese share prices closed up 4.10 percent, with a three-day rebound picking up steam after US political leaders reached a deal aimed at warding off recession, dealers said. Shares on Asia's largest bourse were also supported by a rise in the dollar triggered by the US economic stimulus package. Japanese exporters benefit from a weak yen against the dollar. The Tokyo Stock Exchange's benchmark Nikkei-225 index ended up 536.38 points at 13,629.16. The broader Topix index of all-first section shares gained 60.32 points, or 4.70 percent, to 1,344.77, recovering the symbolic 1,300-point mark. The Nikkei is still down 1.68 percent from a week ago and nearly 11 percent since the start of the year. Gaining shares far outnumbered decliners 1,628 to 80, with 22 issues unchanged.
Motley Fool Personal Finance: Beware The Two-Tier Mortgage
If you dislike horror stories then please look away now, especially if you borrow money. That's because a two-tier mortgage market is just around the corner. According to the Bank of England, lenders scaled back lending to households in the last three months of 2007 as strains in the money market took its toll. The Bank's quarterly credit survey shows that households found it increasingly difficult to borrow money towards the end of last year. Unsecured lending, which includes credit cards, personal loans and car financing, fell. Worryingly, secured lending, which are loans secured against properties, also fell as a result of banks reducing their appetite for risk. The upshot is that some homeowners who are coming off fixed-rate mortgage deals may find it difficult to get new loans.
Corrections, clarifications
A Friday Tulsa World Sports story incorrectly referred to Eddie Sutton's time at Central High School in Tulsa. Sutton was a basketball coach at Central.
A Friday Dow Jones Newswires Business story about the sale of Clear Channel Communications Inc. erroneously reported that the Federal Communications Commission approved the $19.5 billion deal without conditions. According to the FCC order, Clear Channel must transfer control of 48 radio stations to a divestiture trust so that the new owners will comply with FCC ownership limits.
A Wednesday Tulsa World Southside, Westside and Broken Arrow Community World story about two students earning perfect scores on their ACT college entrance exams incorrectly reported the name of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, in which one of the students participates.
Lowe guilty of ignoring financial realities of relegation he presided ...
The following is from a Daily Echo comment story which appears in today's newspaper ... EIGHTEEN months down the line, and the words "Rupert' and Lowe' are still guaranteed to spark furious debate among Saints fans. Saints can lose 5-0 away and the Daily Echo website can attract 50 or 60 comments; Lowe speaks publicly and there's almost 100. Sadly, that says a lot about the situation at St Mary's in recent years. The off-field politics of the club have deflected attention away from events on the pitch. Fans know as much about the current and former directors as they know about George Burley's squad. Lowe, in his radio interview the other night, was deflecting attention away from himself by naming individuals who should be answering tough questions.
Loan Scandal Escalates
When Andrew M. Cuomo started asking questions about the relationships between lenders and colleges, many in higher education scoffed (off the record) that this was a case of an ambitious politician looking for headlines and that there wasn’t much for his inquiry to find. There’s no doubt that Cuomo, New York State’s new attorney general, is an ambitious politician looking for headlines, but he’s finding more and more to investigate. And some experts on aid are increasingly worried that the scandal is going to scare some students and families away from borrowing or from getting advice from financial aid offices. .
Nikkei Slumps to 7-Week Low on Continued Subprime Concern
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From Radical to Reformed Muslim
I later met with Afghan resistance leader Gulbeddin Hikmetyar and gave him thousands of dollars collected from Turkish merchants, who later became notorious for his destruction of Kabul and the brutal killing of thousands of Afghanis from other tribes. I had zeal, charisma, courage and plenty of stupidity. I was going to make a revolution in my country. Enough was enough for the rule of a secular, oppressive government and its ally the Great Satan, U.S.A. We were going to have an Islamic government that would bring economic and political justice, freedom and peace. "Shah, Butto, Hoveyda; which infidel is next to die?" "Sharia will chop and aggression will stop!" "Down with America!" "Allah-u Akbar!" I was recruited in the late 1970's by Iranian Islamic fundamentalists, who sought to cultivate me as an agent of the same revolutionary movement then sweeping Iran.
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