In Monday's Americas papers

28 May 2007 13:02  [Source: ICIS news]

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Front Page

 

Suit says Wal-Mart brass flout ethics

Julie Roehm, a fired Wal-Mart executive, accused the retailer's CEO and other senior executives of misconduct, including accepting sweetheart deals and engaging in improper personal relationships.

 

Facebook founder networks for Obama

Social networking is shaping up as a potent new force in the 2008 presidential campaign, and the change is being led by young people like Chris Hughes, the Facebook founder who is helping Barack Obama's campaign mobilise voters.

 

Historian reflects on war and his son's death

Andrew Bacevich, a Vietnam veteran and college professor, publicly opposes the Iraq war but didn't stand in the way when his son decided to enlist. His son was just killed in Iraq, but the father still believes in serving.

 

Money & Investing

 

Real-estate tax strategy hits rocky turf

A tax-deferral technique for real-estate investors, known as a 1031 exchange, is facing scrutiny as intermediaries in the strategy run into financial and legal woes.

 

A duel at Dow Chemical

Dow Chemical and two former officials are engaged in lawsuits over the pair's alleged effort to buy out the company. The SEC is looking into Dow stock trading.

 

New annuities offer low fees

Variable annuities have long suffered a bad reputation for their high costs and complexity. Now, a few insurance companies are hawking lower-fee annuities. While they're a big improvement in some ways, buyers need to take that sales pitch with a grain of salt.

 

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Front Page

 

Militants widen reach as terror seeps out of Iraq

The Iraq war, which for years has drawn militants from around the world, is beginning to export fighters to neighboring countries and beyond.

 

Wealthy enclave offers windfall for candidates

Greenwich, Conn. has joined New York, Los Angeles and California’s Silicon Valley as must stops on the presidential fund-raising tour.

 

Business Day

 

NBC said to be in talks to remove program chief

NBC Universal is in talks to sever its ties with Kevin Reilly, the president of its entertainment division and the network’s chief programmer, just three months after extending his contract for three years, several executives informed of the discussions said yesterday.

 

In fierce competition, Google finds novel way to feed hiring machines

On a spring Saturday, about 90 students from Stanford and as many from the University of California, Berkeley, converged on Google’s corporate campus for a day of spirited team competition over mind-bending puzzles, Lego building problems and video games.

 

THE WASHINGTON POST

Front Page

 

Immigration agency mired in inefficiency

Last June, US immigration officials were presented a plan that supporters said could help slash waiting times for green cards from nearly three years to three months and save 1m applicants more than a third of the 45 hours they could expect to spend in government lines.

 

US, Iran Meet to discuss Iraq security

US and Iranian diplomats met in formal, bilateral talks for the first time in more than a quarter century on Monday, seeking ways to reduce the level of violence in Iraq and help restore stability to this fractured country, where both have vital interests.

 

Business

 

Demand down, but rents up

Commercial vacancy rates climbed in the Washington area for the fifth straight quarter, but rents rose slightly and industry experts remained upbeat.

 

A road that led to national harbour

Hanging on the wall of the small waiting room in Carl D. Jones's unassuming office, under the photos of former Maryland governor Robert L Ehrlich Jr and President Bush, is a quote from Calvin Coolidge.

 

GLOBE AND MAIL, Canada

Front Page

 

US, Iran open talks in Baghdad

Iran and the United States resumed public diplomacy Monday for the first time in more than a quarter century. The meeting in Baghdad between ambassadors on security in Iraq could produce a chapter in world history for its success or a footnote for its failure.

 

Police lay murder charge in Toronto school shooting

In a series of dramatic raids Sunday morning in the northwest corner of Toronto in which police reportedly broke down a door, a 17-year-old suspect was arrested in the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Manners. A second suspect, also 17, later turned himself into police.

 

Business

 

Coal company wants to hire Chinese workers for BC mine

A Chinese-backed company pursuing a coal project in northeastern British Columbia wants to have a mine up and running by 2009 – and proposes to bring as many as 400 workers from China to build it.

 

Alcan may turn tables on Alcoa

State-backed Norsk Hydro ASA [NHY-N]of Norway is gearing up for a run at Alcan Inc. [AL-T] , while the Canadian company studies the possibility of bidding for a rival, as the battle for dominance of the aluminum industry heats up.

 

BUENOS AIRES HERALD

Front Page

 

Teachers OK wage hike in Santa Cruz

About 6,000 teachers in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz yesterday formally accepted a basic wage hike proposal by new Governor Daniel Peralta and decided to suspend as from tomorrow a strike that they started on 5 March.

 

Fianna Fail wins, short of majority

The Fianna Fail party of Prime Minister Bertie Ahern won 78 seats in Ireland’s 166-seat Parliament, a victory that falls five seats short of an outright majority, according to final results announced last night.

 

Argentina fight back to win Cup

Argentina came back from the brink to snatch a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in yesterday’s final and capture the World Team Cup for the third time.

 

($1=€0.74, $1=C$1.08)

By: Staff Reporter
+44 20 8652 3214

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