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Nigeria unrest ‘recalls Biafra’

Posted by TerranceV | Uncategorized | Posted on April 30th, 2011

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said the violence following his election is a "sad reminder" of events that plunged Nigeria into civil war.

In an address to the nation, President Jonathan said the "horrific acts" of the last few days had been shocking.

But it is difficult to confirm what is happening in the south of the state where there have been reports of continuing trouble.

Kaduna's police say 32 people have died in the clashes – our reporter says the casualty figure may rise as Muslims tend to bury their dead quickly – sometimes before their deaths are officially reported.

He went to one hospital in the city and saw 25 charred corpses on a mortuary floor and was told there were another 25 bodies in the mortuary fridge but he had to leave without checking because of the stench.

On Wednesday, the Red Cross put the figure of those fleeing the violence at 48,000.

During his speech, the president said that security has been reinforced nationwide to quell any further unrest.

He added that there was no grievance that the law courts could not address.

Gen Buhari has said that his party will challenge some of the results – he maintains the election commission's computers were programmed to disadvantage his party in some parts of Nigeria.

But he urged his supporters to refrain from attacks, saying: "It is wrong for you to allow miscreants to infiltrate your ranks and perpetrate such dastardly acts as the mindless destruction of worship places.

"Needless to say, this act is worse than the rigging of the elections."

International observers have said the election was reasonably free and fair.

Mr Jonathan, a Christian from the oil-producing Niger Delta, was appointed to the presidency last year upon the death of incumbent Umaru Yar'Adua, a northern Muslim whom he had served as vice-president.

He staked his reputation on the election, repeatedly promising it would be free and fair.

Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here

Philippine 10-yr T-bond coupon set at 6.50 pct

Posted by TerranceV | Uncategorized | Posted on April 30th, 2011

April 26 (Reuters) – Following are the results of the
Philippine Bureau of Treasury’s auction of 10-year bonds on
Tuesday:

Tenor 10-yr

Coupon 6.50 pct

Average rate 6.445 pct

Highest rate 6.50 pct

Lowest rate 6.375 pct

Offer 9.0 billion pesos

Tenders 32.349 billion pesos

Awarded 9.0 billion pesos

($1 = 43.30 Philippine Pesos)

(Reporting by Karen Lema; Ediitng by John Mair)

Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here

Samsung earnings plunge by 30%

Posted by TerranceV | Uncategorized | Posted on April 30th, 2011

Samsung Electronics' has reported its lowest quarterly profit in almost two years as demand for its products continues to fall.

Net profit for the first three months of the year stood a 2.78 trillion won ($2.6bn; £1.6bn) a 30% drop compared with the same period last year.

The electronics maker has been hit hard by weak demand and falling prices of TVs and LCD panels.

Samsung is the world's largest maker of memory chips and flat screens.

The problems of falling sales and weak prices have been compounded by the strengthening South Korea's currency.

The Korean won has risen by almost 11% against the US dollar since June last year.

A stronger currency not only makes Korean products more expensive compared with its competitors in the region, it also hurts companies when they repatriate their foreign earnings back home.

Analysts have warned that if the Korean currency continues to rise, it will have a negative impact on the company.

"The firming won is a concern. Should the won fall below 1,050 won per dollar, it may cause trouble." said Kim Sung-In of Kiwoom Securities.

However, there was optimism among analysts that Samsung's trading performance would improve throughout the rest of the year.

"We expect the second quarter to be better than the first quarter. Semiconductors will lead the growth of the business," said Kim Young-Chan, fund manager at Shinhan-BNP Paribas Asset Management.

Kim Jang-Yeul, analyst at Mirae Asset Securities, added: "There are some concerns about foreign exchange rates, but Samsung's operating profits will likely improve."

Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here

Body of missing Maine mother found in New Hampshire

Posted by TerranceV | Uncategorized | Posted on April 30th, 2011

(CNN) — The body of a missing Maine woman was discovered in a New Hampshire pond Wednesday and police are treating the death as suspicious.

Krista Dittmeyer, 20, was found near Cranmore Mountain, New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General Jane Young said.

She was reported missing Saturday morning after a passerby found her car running and her 14-month-old daughter in the back seat. The child was unharmed, police said, but the car door was open and the hazard lights were blinking.

New Hampshire police, fire and rescue personnel worked with New Hampshire Fish and Game staffers and police dogs to search the area. The FBI in New Hampshire also joined the investigation Tuesday.

Earlier in the week, officials drained another pond in the area but focused Wednesday on Duck Pond, which is used for snowmaking at Cranmore Mountain.

Police are urging anybody with information about Dittmeyer’s whereabouts from Friday evening until Saturday to contact the Conway Police department of New Hampshire State Police.

Watch Nancy Grace Monday through Sunday starting at 8 p.m. ET on HLN. For the latest from Nancy Grace click here.

Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here

Best time of year for promotions?

Posted by TerranceV | Uncategorized | Posted on April 30th, 2011

(CareerBuilder) — Looking for the best time of the year to get a promotion? According to data collected and analyzed by LinkedIn, January, June and July are the most popular months for U.S. workers to receive promotions.

Globally, January, July and September are the top three.

"It is not surprising that promotions tend to occur around these times," says Roy Cohen, a career coach and author of "The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide."

"In the U.S., promotions usually happen around new budget cycles and after holidays. January represents the start of a new calendar year and when performance evaluations are typically conducted. Some companies begin their new budget cycles in June or July, thus promotions occur in these months."

The worldwide tendency to promote in January can likewise be attributed to the turning of the calendar, marking a time of new beginnings. But while promotions in June and July in America may be due primarily to mid-year evaluations and fiscal calendars, many other countries have a special consideration.

"July represents the time before much of the world takes the month of August off for holiday, so decisions are made prior to vacation. And September is when they return," Cohen notes.

Other good times for promotions

The LinkedIn study also revealed that while certain months had a higher percentage of promotions compared to others, advancement is becoming less concentrated.

For example, during the 1990s, 22 percent of promotions occurred in January, but in the most recent decade that figure decreased to 16 percent.

"There are two types of promotions to consider. One is a promotion that fills a vacancy in a hierarchy. This can occur at any time that the vacancy occurs. For example, an editor retires and someone is promoted to fill the position," says John P. Millikin, a professor in the management department at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business in Tempe, Ariz., and a former vice president of human resources at Motorola Inc. in Phoenix.

"The other type of promotion is a step up in a hierarchy of jobs, such as a promotion from buyer to senior buyer. While it varies by company or industry, this usually occurs on a schedule that reflects an individual’s performance evaluation period. Frequently, this would coincide with the end of a business performance period such as a fiscal year."

Besides someone’s departure opening up opportunities for advancement, other situations can increase the odds for promotion at any time of the year.

"Strike when the iron is hot," Cohen says. "When you introduce a new idea that will increase productivity, save money or generate revenue, you’re golden. When you’ve successfully completed a special project, you’ve got their attention. Ask what new projects you can take on and how those projects will position you for expanded responsibilities."

Likewise, Cohen notes that promotions often happen when there’s a spike in business because there will be a focus on adding headcount to manage the expanded activity.

But are promotions out of the question when a company is having difficulty?

"Obviously, when times are tough as they are in most businesses today, you need to be sensitive to the needs of the business in asking about promotions," Millikin says.

"Do keep in mind, however, that tough times also present opportunities to shine. As people leave or are even laid off, showing a willingness to step up and take on additional responsibilities shows that you care about the organization."

Getting noticed

Regardless of the season, experts agree that there are things you can do throughout the year to make yourself more "promotable" including:

•Getting the extra training or experience needed for the position you desire.

•Letting managers know that you are interested in advancement.

•Asking superiors what steps they recommend to help prepare for a promotion.

•Looking at the big picture to see how your actions help your manager get her job done well.

•Making others aware of your contributions — without going overboard or constantly bragging.

Above all, it is critical that you are performing up to par on your current job. As Millikin notes, "No one is going to be impressed with someone who is focusing so much on the next job that he isn’t really doing the one he has well."

&copy CareerBuilder.com 2010. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority.

Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here

Software tycoon’s son ‘missing’

Posted by TerranceV | Uncategorized | Posted on April 30th, 2011

The son of Russian software entrepreneur Yevgeny Kaspersky has gone missing in Moscow and may have been kidnapped, Russian media report.

Secret service and regular police have been searching for Ivan Kaspersky, 20, for at least two days, a police source told Interfax news agency.

His father's firm, Kaspersky Lab, told a newspaper it could not confirm news he had been abducted.

Yevgeny Kaspersky made his fortune developing anti-virus software.

News of his son's abduction was reported by Russian news website Life News, quoting its own sources.

The kidnappers are demanding 3m euros (£2.6m; $4.3m) for Ivan's safe return, the website says.

According to the unconfirmed report, he was snatched while on his way to work in Moscow on Tuesday.

When contacted by Russian newspaper Gazeta, Kaspersky Lab said it could neither confirm nor deny the report.

There has been no official comment on the story.

Kaspersky Lab is regarded outside Russia as one of the country's few business success stories not related to the energy sector.

The US business magazine Fast Company recently ranked Kaspersky Lab among the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies worldwide.

Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here

Try One On For Size

Posted by TerranceV | Uncategorized | Posted on April 30th, 2011

Story By: by Will Shortz

On-Air Challenge: Every answer is a familiar proverb or saying that contains a word that starts with the letter T. You are given the T word and must guess the saying. For some words, there are multiple answers. For example, given the word “try,” the answer could be, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

Last Week’s Challenge: From puzzle writer Francis Heaney: Take the word “calm” and flip the letters A and L to get “clam.” Take the last name of a film director known for using profanity, and flip two pairs of letters in place to get a word used as a substitute for profanity. Who’s the director, and what’s the word?

Answer: Tarantino (as in Quentin Tarantino) and tarnation

Winner: Jaxon and Arlene Teck of Rockaway, N.J.

Next Week’s Challenge: Assign every letter of the alphabet a numerical value: A=1, B=2, C=3 and so forth. Think of a classic work of literature that has eight letters in its title. When the letters are given a numerical value, they add up to 35. What’s the title? Clue: The title has two words.

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to next week’s challenge, submit it here. Listeners who submit correct answers win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Originally Published On: www.npr.org – Original Article Here

Mubarak to move to Cairo hospital

Posted by TerranceV | Uncategorized | Posted on April 30th, 2011

The former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, is to be moved to a military hospital in Cairo after a doctor declared him well enough to travel.

He has been in hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh since falling ill during questioning about corruption allegations and protesters' deaths.

Prosecutors said the 82-year-old was supposed to go to Tora prison hospital, but it was not ready to receive him.

The military council that took power in February is under pressure to try him.

Mr Mubarak's two sons, Gamal and Alaa, along with a number of senior officials and business figures close to him are already being held at Tora prison.

For the past two weeks, the former leader has been in a private wing of a hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh after being admitted with heart problems.

But the public prosecutor, Abdul Maguid Mahmoud, said Mr Mubarak was now fit enough to be transferred to the Mazraa hospital at Tora prison.

He will first be moved to a military hospital in the capital, the International Medical Centre, and then to the prison hospital once proper preparations have been made. The facility is not equipped with intensive care facilities that could deal with any sudden deterioration of his heart condition.

Once there, Mr Mubarak will face questioning over allegations of corruption, including charges that his government supplied gas to Israel at below market prices.

He will also be questioned about his role in ordering the violent response to anti-government protests, in which more than 800 people died.

The prosecutor's office cited a doctor's report as saying Mr Mubarak could be moved without endangering his health, as long as he was given appropriate medical treatment.

An official source cited by the state news agency Mena said he could be transferred to the military hospital with 48 hours.

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Cairo says many Egyptians doubted that the country's new military rulers would be willing to hold the man many soldiers regard as a war hero to account for the abuses of the old regime.

But the incarceration of his sons, many of his closest associates and now Mr Mubarak himself may push those doubts aside, he adds.

Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here

Last lather

Posted by TerranceV | Uncategorized | Posted on April 30th, 2011

Fans have reacted angrily at the axing of two long-running daytime soap operas.

It was a captive audience which was particularly attractive to the manufacturers of soap, who sponsored the then hugely popular shows.

In those days there was no competition. But now, with the advent of satellite, cable and the internet, viewers have a bewildering array of choice.

"Soaps used to do something that you couldn't get elsewhere and that was a story that went on for ever," says Professor Thompson.

But audiences, perhaps with shorter attention spans and a yearning for a different style of drama, are turning to reality formats that create their own cliffhangers.

As a business model, Professor Thompson argues that daytime soaps have little to offer the major networks.

"They have virtually no value once you have played them the first time, but a sitcom can be worth a fortune in re-runs."

Real-life drama

While US daytime soaps look certain to fade into history, industry professionals are more upbeat about the future of episodic dramas at other times of the day, notably primetime.

"The future of the daytime-type soap opera is not in the daytime," argues Professor Thompson.

"That ship has sailed and I think they are going to be gone pretty soon.

"However, I think there is a possibility, especially in the new economics of television that the telenovela model, the five days a week, cheaper budget kind of thing could at some time be tried in this country and work."

The telenovela format, which is popular in Latin America, is one in which TV dramas run daily, over a long period, but have a distinct ending.

The traditional British soap opera is also being hailed as a possible saviour of the format in the US.

Mal Young, who is currently in Los Angeles developing a soap opera for primetime US TV, says Americans are yearning for more dramas about real life.

"One of the shows that I'm developing out here is to tap into that," he says.

"A British-style soap opera, with real people, real issues, working class blue collar families and not the Dallas and Dynastys and the Desperate Housewives."

Mr Young believes US viewers would buy into a Coronation Street or EastEnders set in small town America.

"I think they're ready to go on story-telling journeys in drama and see themselves."

"We haven't seen the demise of the soaps. We've seen the demise of a certain type of them but as a machine, as a business, a cost model, they're so effective as long as they're done with a great heart and they're relevant to the audience."

Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here

Calif. Debates Ban On Shark Fin Trade

Posted by TerranceV | Uncategorized | Posted on April 30th, 2011

Story By: by Krissy Clark

A proposed ban on shark fin consumption has environmentalists facing off against many Chinese restaurants in California. A state assemblyman says harvesting shark fins is brutal since often the fins are cut off and the living shark is dumped back into the ocean.

Originally Published On: www.npr.org – Original Article Here