Saturday, 14 February 2009

The Prince of hypocrites


Charles embarks on 16,000 mile ‘green’ crusade... aboard a private jet

Friday, 13 February 2009

Wellness group gets flak from customers


True Spa is being taken to court by a group of 16 disgruntled customers frustrated with its service

Jackie to donate houses


The Hong Kong star will give away the $100m houses from his collection to Singapore's 4th varsity

Thursday, 12 February 2009

Beijing to bail out shipping industry

Firms ordered to shelve new dockyard plans

Spa spat goes to the courts


They had complained of unprofessional service, unanswered phone calls to the spa and having to make bookings four weeks in advance.
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Flyer tenants fail to get compensation

The Singapore Flyer has rejected a demand for compensation made by a group of tenants at the attraction.

Probation’s better for shoplifter, says judge

‘A custodial sentence at this point in her life is more likely to negatively affect her recovery,’ said the judge.

No-frills housing please, say some MPs

No playgrounds or covered walkways in new HDB estates. Nor any barbecue pits. New flats should have very basic floor tiles, meanwhile.
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China Needs U.S. Guarantees for Treasuries, Yu Says

China should seek guarantees that its $682 billion holdings of U.S. government debt won’t be eroded by “reckless policies,” said Yu Yongding, a former adviser to the central bank.
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U.S. Taxpayers Risk $9.7 Trillion on Bailout Programs

The stimulus package the U.S. Congress is completing would raise the government’s commitment to solving the financial crisis to $9.7 trillion, enough to pay off more than 90 percent of the nation’s home mortgages.
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With evictions on the rise, deputies make the rounds to clear residents out of homes

The deputies have no power to give the homeowner an extra day, hour, even 15 minutes. Once they knock on the door, time’s up.
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Now for Pigs and Food – A Super Short Commodity Super Cycle

The commodity “super cycle” proved super short. The commodity “boom” is now officially a “bust”.
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A 10-Year Stretch That’s Worse Than It Looks

In the last 82 years - the history of the Standard & Poor’s 500 - the stock market has been through one Great Depression and numerous recessions. It has experienced bubbles and busts, bull markets and bear markets.
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Merrill Lynch’s bonuses made 696 millionaires

Merrill Lynch quietly paid out at least one million dollars bonus each to about 700 top executives even when the investment house was bleeding with losses last year, a probe has revealed.
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Increased commodity demand belies China’s economic recovery

“Beyond a potential short-covering rally, underlying demand will likely remain weak [until the] second half of 2010 and surpluses are forecast to increase across the complex for at least the next two years.”
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Mainland consumers risk nasty dose of demand flu

As a result, it looks unwise to pin too much hope on the robust health of mainland consumers. They may be about to catch a nasty dose of demand flu.
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Housing slump in US has just begun, says forecaster

His investment advice for this prolonged recession: hang on to cash and invest in gold or Treasury inflation-protected securities.

If he had to invest in stocks, he would put his money in China.
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Geithner goes for US$2 trillion big bang

New Treasury chief promises full force of government to get economy back on track
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The Madoff Scandal and the Future of American Jewry

Before December 11, 2008, few Americans had ever heard of Bernard L. Madoff. Yet after his arrest for running what authorities allege was the largest Ponzi scheme in history, Madoff not only achieved the sort of notoriety that is reserved for arch-criminals; he also became, in an instant, one of the most famous Jews in the world.
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On the Edge

A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to economic recovery. Over the last two weeks, what should have been a deadly serious debate about how to save an economy in desperate straits turned, instead, into hackneyed political theater, with Republicans spouting all the old clichés about wasteful government spending and the wonders of tax cuts.
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