In Wednesday's Americas papers

21 November 2007 11:17  [Source: ICIS news]

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Front Page

For Petraeus, a balancing act
US and Iraqi forces have made significant progress against al-Qaeda in Iraq in recent months, contributing to a sharp improvement in the country's security, the top US commander in Iraq said.

Big buybacks begin to haunt firms
Driven by billions of dollars in share buy-backs, record-setting buy-outs and a wave of mergers, the amount of stock in the market shrank by hundreds of billions of dollars in the past four years.

Mortgage mess curtails Wagoner's honeymoon
The meltdown in the mortgage market and slumping car sales have combined to sour General Motors' chief executive Rick Wagoner's brief honeymoon with Wall Street.

Money & Investing

XM-Sirius Radio merger may live
The proposed merger between XM Satellite Radio Holdings and Sirius Satellite Radio looked dead on arrival back in February, with federal regulators appearing unlikely to give their approval of the $5bn merger. Nine months later, Wall Street is picking up a different signal: That the deal might somehow pass muster.

Oil surges above $98 a barrel
Crude oil futures surged to a record settlement high above $98 a barrel as the dollar fell, potentially paving the way for another run at $100.

Maguire responds to critics
Maguire Properties, a Los Angeles-based real-estate investment trust, is fighting back against criticisms lobbed by a hedge fund that has taken a sizable position in the company - in the first jabs of what could become a rare proxy fight in the REIT world.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
Front Page

Justices will decide if handgun kept at home is individual right
The Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it would decide whether the constitution grants individuals the right to keep guns in their homes for private use, plunging the justices headlong into a divisive and long-running debate over how to interpret the second amendment’s guarantee of the "right of the people to keep and bear arms".

For Edwards, a relationship that never quite fit
John Edwards, accepting his party’s nomination for vice president, roused a cheering crowd at the 2004 Democratic convention with the kind of buoyant refrain that had become his trademark: "Hope is on the way."

Business Day

Travellers’ odds decline on airline baggage
Why do so many passengers get off the plane only to discover that their baggage did not make the trip with them? American Airlines started asking that question with greater urgency a year ago and its search for answers led to, among other problems, dirty printer heads.

Fed expects slowdown to deepen
The Federal Reserve expects economic growth to slow sharply next year and policy makers there are worried that even this forecast may prove too optimistic, according to an assessment that the central bank released on Tuesday.

THE WASHINGTON POST
Front Page

Afghan slayings stir grief, fury and suspicion
Mohammed Asadullah, a high school teacher in this quiet northern town, was lining up his students to greet a group of visiting legislators from the capital when the bomb went off, hurling bodies into the air and sending up a cloud of thick, dark smoke.

Justices to rule on DC gun ban
The Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will determine whether the District of Columbia's strict firearms law violates the constitution, a decision that will raise the politically and culturally divisive issue of gun control just in time for the 2008 elections.

Business

Freddie Mac, a buffer against crisis, posts $2bn loss
The mortgage funding giant Freddie Mac said yesterday that it lost $2bn in the third quarter, offering fresh evidence that the declining housing and credit markets are taking their toll on companies that were once thought to be bastions of stability.

Groups expose hidden toy hazards
Despite a record number of toy recalls and promises of more-aggressive testing by toymakers and retailers, toys with high levels of lead and dangerous small magnets are still for sale in stores, two public interest groups said yesterday.

GLOBE AND MAIL, Canada
Front Page

Irving brothers look to break up empire
The legendary Irving family is moving to break up its $6bn business empire as it struggles to accommodate the demands of new generations, thus ending a 125-year-old Canadian dynasty.

Ottawa orders review of RCMP rules for taser use
The federal government has asked the RCMP complaints commissioner to review the way the force uses tasers and to deliver a first report in three weeks, as public outrage over the death of a man at Vancouver's airport continues to reverberate.

Business

Ontario car plant to cut production
Cami Automotive is planning to scale back vehicle production next year, a move that will wipe out an estimated 500 jobs as the downturn in the US auto market batters Canadian vehicle assembly plants again.

Bank eyes new weapons to fight liquidity crunches, Duguay says
The Bank of Canada is considering broader powers to keep the country's financial markets functioning during future credit crunches. But economists warn that the central bank must avoid the impression that it is there to bail out bad investment decisions.

BUENOS AIRES HERALD
Front Page

CFK, Lula set joint goals
President-elect Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner visited Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, yesterday with most of her appointed cabinet to meet President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva and set goals for both governments to deepen the "strategic association" between the two nations.

ARI 8 bolt Civic Coalition
In announcing the new independent block, the so-called "group of eight" ARI congresspeople declared their autonomy from the Civic Coalition - one of the the main parties of the opposition - which is led by ARI founder Elisa Carrio.

Iranian arms in cache discovered in Iraq
Major-General Jamil Kamel al-Shimari, a senior Iraqi officer, said the cache was the biggest store of weapons found in Operation Lion Pounce, launched on Saturday.

ICIS Copyright © Reed Business Information 2009

Author: Staff Reporter
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