Japanese policy makers on Friday became increasingly vocal about the strength of the yen after the Japanese currency hit a 14-year high against the dollar, fueling speculation that the government may step into the market to artificially weaken the currency.
Brazilian stocks fell in early Thursday trade, as news that Dubai was moving to restructure its biggest corporate debtor sent investors across the world scurrying for cover from riskier assets.
Several congressional Democrats said on Wednesday they plan to introduce legislation next week to cap credit card interest rates.
Two international journalists were released Wednesday after more than a year in captivity in Somalia.
Big banks will have to disclose how many of their UK employees are paid more than £1million ($1.65M) under recommendations to be published today by City banker Sir David Walker.
Dubai has shocked investors by asking for a debt standstill at Dubai World, the government´s flagship holding company that has developed some of the world´s most extravagant real estate projects.
A US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit [official website] panel ruled [opinion, PDF] Tuesday that a school district´s policy prohibiting the performance of religious holiday songs does not violate the First Amendment Establishment Clause.
When Steve Franklin bought four plane tickets on Qantas last June, he faced an unexpected expense: a surcharge of 7.70 Australian dollars on each of the 136.70 dollar ($126) tickets — just for using his Visa credit card.
Any threat by the United States to slap fees on imports from countries it perceives as weak on cutting carbon emissions could hamper trade relations and delay international efforts to combat global warming.
Starbucks (SBUX.O) will see China become the company´s next major market after the United States in the near future, the firm´s China chairman said on Wednesday.
Hopes that Britain had climbed out of recession were dashed again today when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirmed that the country is still in a slump.
Millions of customers hoping for refunds on overdraft charges were left disappointed today after Britain´s high street banks won a landmark case.
Argentina´s Chamber of Deputies [official website, in Spanish] has passed a bill that would decriminalize defamation, bringing the government´s policies more in line with the American Convention on Human Rights [text] and garnering praise [CPJ press release] from international human rights groups. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner [BBC profile] proposed the bill [transcript, in Spanish; JURIST report] in September, but the Senate [official website, in Spanish] must pass the bill before it can become law. The legislation would eliminate prison terms and lessen fines [IPI press release] for libel and slander as part of a broader plan to increase freedom of expression in Argentine telecommunications.
Reported hate crimes in the US increased by approximately two percent in 2008, the greatest reported increase since 2001, according to the 2008 Hate Crime Statistics [report; press release] released by the FBI [official website] on Monday. The FBI reported 7,780 single-bias hate crime incidents in 2008, up from the 7,621 reported in 2007 [FBI report; JURIST report]. The FBI noted that the increase does not necessarily reflect an actual rise in incidents, because the number of law agencies participating in the study increased in the last year. Racial discrimination accounted for 51.3 percent of reported hate crimes, a slight increase over the 50.8 percent reported in 2007. Hate crimes motivated by religion also increased slightly while crimes motivated by sexual orientation were reported with approximately the same frequency as in 2007. The only category to show a decrease was in ethnicity- and nationality-based crimes. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) [advocacy website] responded by issuing a statement [press release] calling for "a coordinated campaign to prevent, deter, and respond effectively to criminal violence motivated by bigotry and prejudice."
The Kenyan Committee of Experts on Constitutional Review [official website] unveiled the initial Harmonized Draft Constitution [text, PDF] last week. The changes are intended [Xinhua report] to reduce the widespread injustice throughout the country, and specifically address issues that led to the violence following the 2007 presidential elections [JURIST news archive]. Following the issuance of the draft, the Kenyan public has one month to review and express concerns to the Committee of Experts. The Committee identified the executive and legislative branches, devolution of powers and bringing the constitution into effect as the most contentious issues [Committee materials]. The draft constitution alters the distribution of power [Daily Nation report] between the president and prime minister, reducing the power currently in the hands of the president, while putting the prime minister in charge of the daily operations of the government.
London´s Metropolitan Police Service (Met) [official website] and the family of Jean Charles de Menezes [BBC profile] on Tuesday announced [press release] an end to litigation stemming from de Menezes´ death, caused by two Met officers in 2005. No details were given about the compensation awarded to the family:
A Canadian woman on sick leave for depression said Monday she would fight an insurance company´s decision to cut her benefits after her agent found photos on Facebook of her vacationing, at a bar and at a party.
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and HBOS were secretly kept afloat with £62 billion of emergency Government support at the height of the credit crisis last year, it was revealed today.
General Motors GM.UL has paid back a loan from Germany and slightly lowered its target for job cuts at struggling European unit Opel.
For more young adults, there is no place like home for the holidays, and for the rest of the year, too. Ten percent of adults younger than 35 told the Pew Research Center that they had moved back in with their parents because of the recession.
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