In Thursday's Americas papers

07 August 2008 11:52  [Source: ICIS news]

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

 

Front Page

Chrysler, Nissan in talks to team up on key cars

Chrysler is in talks with Nissan Motor about jointly producing midsize cars, a partnership that would move the US auto maker toward a radical new business model.

 

US minority population increases, spreads out

Metropolitan areas across the US continue to get more diverse as minorities, especially Hispanics, increase their share of the population.

 

Collusion inquiry targets ice companies

Federal prosecutors are investigating an alleged criminal price-fixing conspiracy in the $1.8bn market for packaged ice, with the help of a former industry executive who told authorities the collusion was nationwide and forced up prices for consumers and businesses.

 

Money & Investing

 

Harvard endowment aces a brutal year

With endowments and pension funds struggling in a down market, Harvard University's endowment notched a strong gain for the fiscal year ending in June, up 7% to 9%, according to people familiar with the returns.

 

Tudor's Jones and Pallotta could end their partnership

Hedge-fund pioneer Paul Tudor Jones and veteran stock picker James Pallotta are considering changes to their 15-year partnership, including a possible parting of ways that could affect their $18bn fund empire.

 

Barclays's net falls 35% on further write-downs

Barclays said Thursday its first-half net profit fell 35%, hurt by additional write-downs, but the results beat expectations.

 

THE NEW YORK TIMES

 

Front Page

 

Officials say documents tie scientist to anthrax attack

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday outlined a pattern of bizarre and deceptive conduct by Bruce E Ivins, an Army microbiologist who killed himself last week, presenting a sweeping but circumstantial case that he was solely responsible for mailing the deadly anthrax letters that killed five people in 2001.

 

Panel convicts bin Laden driver in split verdict

A panel of six military officers convicted a former driver for Osama bin Laden of one of two war crimes charges on Wednesday but acquitted him of the other, completing the first military commission trial here and the first conducted by the United States since the aftermath of World War II.

 

Business Day

 

Freddie Mac’s big loss dims hopes of turnaround

The gloom over the nation’s housing market deepened on Wednesday as Freddie Mac, the big mortgage finance company, reported a gaping quarterly loss and predicted that home prices would fall further than previously projected.

 

Tempest for a bank that bet on risky loans

A cheerful sign outside the glistening offices of Bank United beckons consumers to tap into “Mortgage-ade.” Another promises a “59 Minute Mortgage.” But easy money, it turns out, has created enormous problems at Bank United, Florida’s biggest regional bank.

 

WASHINGTON POST

 

Front Page

 

Foreign activists manage to pierce China's broad security apparatus

China's intense efforts to block any protest that would mar the Olympic Games were challenged Wednesday by foreign activists equally bent on diverting attention to issues as varied as Tibetan independence, the crisis in Darfur and religious freedom

 

Obama hits back, too softly for some

Barack Obama released a television advertisement yesterday that questions John McCain's claims to be a "maverick," and he charged in a campaign appearance that the Republican displays independence only when it suits him politically

 

Business

 

In clean-up effort, Beijing moved factories to clog air elsewhere

Seven years ago, when Beijing won the privilege of hosting the 2008 Olympic Games, the Chinese capital promised to fix its environmental problems. Among the toughest measures it took was to eliminate hundreds of highly polluting factories.

 

Panel calls for new risk standards at Wall St firms

A Wall Street consortium led by Goldman Sachs managing director E. Gerald Corrigan recommended new standards Wednesday for monitoring and managing risk, saying the financial industry must be better equipped to contain the type of widespread damage wrought by the credit crunch.

 

GLOBE AND MAIL, Canada

 

Front Page

 

Dion 'ready to go' on PM's dare

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and his top strategists will meet next week at Stornoway, his official Ottawa residence, to devise a response to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's election dare.

 

Public supports shutting injection site, Ottawa says

Ottawa is determined to shut down Vancouver's safe-injection site because it's necessary to “draw a line” about which public health measures are acceptable, Canada's Health Minister says.

 

Business

 

Metro battles brand confusion with a $200m makeover

With more than 200 Metro stores in Quebec, Metro has built a solid brand with the province's grocery shoppers. The problem is that the company operates another 274 in Ontario under another six names.

 

AECL, SNC ask for billions for nuke plan

Atomic Energy of Canada and SNC-Lavalin are asking the government for billions in financing for their bid to build two nuclear reactors in Ontario, and the government has sent initial signals that some backing will be available.

 

BUENOS AIRES HERALD

 

Front Page

 

'Concertation far from dead’

Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo yesterday said that the ruling Plural Concertation coalition was “more alive and kicking than ever” and that the government would try to “rebuild” its relations with those Peronist party legislators who voted against a bill, sent to Congress by President Cristina Kirchner, seeking a hike in duties on grain exports. 

 

Bin Laden’s driver convicted on 1 count

A military jury yestterday convicted Osama bin Laden’s driver of supporting terrorism but acquitted him on more serious charges of conspiring with al Qaeda to wage murderous attacks, in the first US war crimes trial since World War II.

 

Bush chides China on rights

Just hours before flying to Beijing for the Olympics, US President George W Bush yesterday used some of his bluntest language yet in publicly pressing China to clean up its human rights record.

By: Staff Reporter
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