Posted by TerranceV | Top Stories | Posted on May 18th, 2012
Dubai: "The past 24 hours have been crazy," said Nareman Jawaid, still talking between calls on Wednesday afternoon.
The deadline for the release of her father Captain Jawaid Saleem Khan and 21 others held by Somali pirates expired on Tuesday. But well past midnight, no one was sure if the $2.85 million (Dh10.45 million) ransom money had been raised.
A financial consultant in Dubai, Jawaid, 28, was all alone in her apartment, tottering between hope and despair. Every few minutes she was phoning her mother and sister in Pakistan, her eyes fixed on the news breaking on her computer. Then, somewhere along the line, "a miracle happened".
Miracle
Article continues below
Ahmad Chinoy, Head of Pakistan Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, who has taken up the cause of the captured crew, informed the family that the ransom money had been arranged. People, known and unknown, had put together the impossible amount. It was now a question of working out the logistics to secure the crew’s release.
"I am tired but so relieved," said Nareman, who has pursued a relentless international media campaign to save her father’s life. While her family, with the help of Chinoy and others, worked on the ground to gather public support, Nareman and her sister Mishal used Facebook, Twitter and traditional media to get the word across.
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Humanity
"It is touching how sometimes relationships can grow in such critical circumstances and people who don’t even know each other come together for the sake of humanity," she said, grateful for the overwhelming support the campaign has received.
But she is careful not to get carried away. "You can never tell with surety what the outcome will be. We can only hope and act in good faith. I am still praying for my father’s safe release."
The last she saw Captain Jawaid was at Jebel Ali port days before his cargo ship MV Albedo was hijacked by Somali pirates near the Gulf of Aden on November 26, 2010. It had 23 crew members aboard — seven Pakistanis, seven Sri Lankans, six Bangladeshis, two Indians and one Iranian.
Died on board
"One Indian has died on board due to medical problems," said Nareman, adding that the plight of the crew has been a huge concern for families.
Speaking from Pakistan, Chinoy told XPRESS on Wednesday that he has been in touch with the pirates and the crew members.
"The pirates are online with us. I have spoken to four-five crew members as well since yesterday. They are out of danger as of now, but their condition is miserable as they do not have access to proper food, water, sanitation or medication," he said.
Chinoy expects the final round of talks with the pirates to take place this week.
"We are hoping that the logistics for the release of the crew will be worked out in another two weeks."
The captain’s wife Shahnaz Jawaid said: "I hope everything goes well. It’s been a chaotic time for all of us." Nareman, who draws inspiration from her mother’s strength, said she cannot wait for the family to be reunited. "I have been keeping myself busy by going to work and doing what I am supposed to do. But I hope I don’t have to wait much longer to be with my father — and family — again."
Fact Box
MV Albedo, a cargo ship loaded with cement, was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden after a 12-hour chase on November 26, 2010. The Malaysian-owned ship was on its way from Dubai to Kenya. It had on board 23 crew members — seven Pakistanis, seven Sri Lankans, six Bangladeshis, two Indians and one Iranian — when it was seized.
Posted by TerranceV | Top Stories | Posted on May 18th, 2012
Williams took just over an hour to take the 41st WTA singles title of her career in a 6-1 6-3 win over the world No. 1.
The in-form Williams, who has won all 13 of her matches on clay this year, set the tone for a dominant performance by winning the first four games against an opponent that had lost just one set in the tournament before the final.
Posted by TerranceV | Top Stories | Posted on May 17th, 2012
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (Dow Jones)–Las remesas provenientes de mexicanos que viven en el extranjero crecieron un 1,4% en marzo frente a igual mes del año pasado, a US$2.080 millones, según datos del banco central.
En marzo se registraron un 6,2 millones de transferencias a un promedio de US$336 cada una, y elevaron el total de remesas del primer trimestre a US$5.370 millones, un aumento del 5,3% frente al mismo período de 2011. La lectura representa un fuerte descenso en relación al alza del 8,5% registrada en febrero.
Las remesas son una importante fuente de ingresos de capital extranjero para México, inferior a las exportaciones de petróleo, pero mayor que el turismo extranjero.
Posted by TerranceV | Top Stories | Posted on May 17th, 2012
LONDON (Reuters) – Rebekah Brooks, a close confidante of Rupert Murdoch, was charged on Tuesday with interfering with a police investigation into a phone hacking scandal that has rocked the tycoon’s empire and sent shockwaves through the British political establishment.
Brooks, 43, was charged with conspiring to remove boxes of archive records from Murdoch’s London headquarters, concealing material from detectives, and hiding documents, computers and other electronic equipment from the police.
If found guilty she could face a prison sentence.
The charges against Brooks, her husband and four others are the first since police re-launched an investigation into alleged illegal practices at Murdoch’s British newspapers following accusations that the extent of wrongdoing had been covered up.
The news is a personal blow for the world’s most powerful media boss and also embarrassing for British Prime Minister David Cameron, who was close friends with Brooks and sent her text messages of support when the alleged offences took place.
Murdoch is facing increasing pressure in Britain.
He has been forced to close one newspaper, withdraw a major takeover bid for a lucrative TV group and been described in a parliamentary committee report as someone who is not fit to run a major international company.
Murdoch’s closeness to Brooks, instantly recognizable for her mane of flame-red hair, was highlighted last year when the mogul flew into London to tackle the hacking scandal, put his arm around her and declared that she was his top priority.
The charges relate to those frenzied days last July, when Murdoch shut the 168-year-old News of the World, a top-selling Sunday tabloid, and Brooks was first arrested.
Police said “unemployed” Brooks would face three charges of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. All six are due appear in court in London on June 13.
“I have concluded … there is sufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction,” said Alison Levitt, principal legal advisor to Britain’s director of public prosecutions, in a rare televised statement.
“All these matters relate to the ongoing police investigation into allegations of phone hacking and corruption of public officials in relation to the News of the World and The Sun newspapers,” Levitt said.
Also charged were Brooks’ racehorse trainer husband Charlie Brooks, her secretary and other staff including her driver and security officials from News International, the British newspaper arm of Murdoch’s News Corp media empire.
Rebekah Brooks said she was baffled by the decision to charge her. “I cannot express my anger enough that those close to me have unfairly been dragged into this,” she said, emerging from her lawyer’s offices with her husband, dressed in a dark trouser suit.
Charlie Brooks, who was at school with Cameron at the exclusive Eton College, said he believed his wife was the subject of a “witch hunt”, and that he and others were being used as scapegoats.
“I have grave doubts that my wife will ever get a fair trial, given the volume of biased commentary which she has been subject to,” he said.
CUSTODIAL SENTENCE
Earlier, photographers surrounded the London police station where Brooks was questioned, and chased her limousine down the street as she was driven away – something her newspapers routinely inflicted on others while she was in charge.
“Perverting the course of justice is a very serious offence,” said Mark Spragg, Consultant Solicitor at Keystone Law. “If found guilty, a custodial sentence is inevitable.”
The maximum sentence for the offence is theoretically a life prison term although that would be unlikely, with a sentence of between a few months and three or four years more common.
A spokesman for Cameron said the prime minister had not been informed in advance of Tuesday’s announcement, and would not be commenting further.
Ivor Gaber, professor of political journalism at London’s City University, said: “This is a symbolic moment for British media and politics.”
“This yet again raises questions about the prime minister’s judgment, that he chose to associate both professionally and socially with somebody who is facing charges which could result in imprisonment,” he said.
Prime Minister Cameron has also been criticized for hiring as his spokesman Andy Coulson, another ex-News of the World editor who resigned from the newspaper in 2007 after its royal reporter and a private detective were jailed for phone hacking.
News International long scapegoated the journalist as a “rogue reporter” and Coulson said he knew nothing of the illegal activities, but he quit Cameron’s office last year after police reopened their investigations. He has since been arrested.
More than 160 officers are examining claims that journalists at the News of the World routinely hacked into the phones of hundreds of celebrities, politicians and victims of crime to generate front-page stories.
They are also investigating whether staff hacked into computers and made illegal payments to public officials, including the police, to get ahead in their reporting.
Almost 50 people have been arrested, with a tax official and a woman the latest to be held by detectives on Tuesday morning.
“HORSEGATE” AND THE PYJAMA PARTY
The explosive saga has shone a light on close ties between the media, British politicians and the police, with Brooks one of the central characters.
Ministers who previously overtly courted Murdoch and the backing of his papers turned on him last year, forcing the 81-year-old to withdraw a $12 billion bid for British pay TV group BSkyB.
Under pressure, Cameron admitted he had gone riding with Charlie Brooks on a horse given to Rebekah by police, an admission that critics dubbed “horsegate” and seized on as evidence of an overly cosy relationship.
He also attended a Christmas party at the couple’s house in 2010, at a time when the government was deciding whether to approve the BSkyB deal.
Dubbed by some Murdoch’s “fifth daughter”, Brooks edited the News of the World from 2000 to 2003 and went on to become the first female editor of the Sun daily tabloid, Britain’s most widely read newspaper, for six years.
With her close links to the upper echelons of the British establishment including a string of prime ministers and senior police officers, Brooks was promoted to run Murdoch’s British newspaper arm from 2009 to 2011.
She had close ties with Cameron’s predecessor as prime minister, Gordon Brown of the now-opposition Labor party, whose wife Sarah hosted a sleepover in 2008 that was attended by Brooks and Murdoch’s wife Wendi and daughter Elisabeth.
Brooks was also close to Tony Blair.
But she was forced to stand down last July under a tide of revelations, and was arrested two days later over allegations of phone hacking and corruption.
Brooks was detained again in March this year, along with her husband, on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. Detectives have not concluded their investigations into the other potential offences.
During day-long questioning at a public inquiry into media ethics last week, Brooks said she and Cameron had frequently exchanged text messages and that he would occasionally sign them off “LOL”, by which he meant “lots of love”.
Chris Bryant, an opposition lawmaker and hacking victim, said: “I fear the prime minister will have some questions to answer about the kind of company he has been keeping.”
The others charged on Tuesday were Cheryl Carter, Brooks’s personal assistant, Mark Hanna, the head of security at News International, Paul Edwards, her chauffeur, and Daryl Jorsling, who provided security for Brooks.
(Additional reporting by Tim Castle, Clare Kane and Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Giles Elgood)
Posted by TerranceV | Top Stories | Posted on May 17th, 2012
A Elevation Partners, firma de investimento em participações que tem o roqueiro Bono, do U2, entre seus sócios, espera que dois de seus grandes sucessos ajudem os investidores a esquecer uma série de fiascos.
A empresa de Menlo Park, Califórnia, está nos estágios iniciais de um projeto de captar US$ 1 bilhão para um novo fundo de investimento, de acordo com pessoas a par da situação. Essa seria a primeira campanha de arrecadação de novos recursos desde o início da Elevation, que foi fundada em 2004 com um capital inicial de US$ 1,9 bilhão. Além de Bono, a firma conta com o apoio de vários veteranos da indústria de tecnologia.
Getty Images
Bono é um dos fundadores da Elevation, que tem hoje retorno médio de 11%
Os retornos do fundo de 2004 vinham sendo prejudicados por más apostas feitas na fabricante de smartphones Palm Inc., na editora de revistas Forbes Media LLC e em outras duas empresas. Os rendimentos nunca superaram o dinheiro investido pela Elevation.
Então veio o que um investidor da Elevation chama de “bilhete de loteria”. A oferta pública inicial de ações da Facebook Inc., anunciada no mês passado, pode resultar em um lucro de US$ 1,4 bilhão para o fundo, se o preço fixado para a ação na abertura de capital se mantiver na ponta mais alta das expectativas. Já o valor da participação da Elevation na Yelp Inc. quase triplicou desde que a empresa de resenhas on-line de restaurantes e comércio abriu seu capital, no início deste mês.
Os dois grandes sucessos impulsionaram o retorno médio do fundo de private equity para uma taxa anualizada de 11% depois de despesas e comissões, de acordo com um documento ao qual o The Wall Street Journal teve acesso. Os retornos dos investimentos foram calculados em 30 de setembro e, provavelmente, melhoraram desde então.
Sem esse impulso, a Elevation certamente não teria se incomodado em tentar lançar o novo fundo de US$ 1 bilhão, dizem pessoas próximas da empresa.
Por ora, os potenciais investidores parecem estar receptivos ao fundo, em grande parte devido à experiência da Elevation e às esperanças de que possa surgir outro sucesso como o Facebook, segundo pessoas a par do assunto. Muitas firmas de private equity obtêm seus lucros com a compra de participações em empresas em dificuldades para logo reestruturá-las, em vez de esperar por grandes retornos com aberturas de capital.
Redferns/Getty Images
Roger McNamee
Alguns investidores em fundos de private equity questionam o tempo que o cofundador e a imagem pública da Elevation, Roger McNamee, dedicará à busca de novos investimentos. Ele viaja bastante com sua banda de rock Moonalice e faz palestras sobre as tendências da tecnologia.
McNamee “tem desempenhado um papel significativo no primeiro fundo da Elevation e continuará a fazê-lo no futuro”, disse uma pessoa próxima da empresa, que tem o mesmo nome que uma música do U2. Bono, cofundador da Elevation, nunca esteve envolvido no dia-a-dia das operações, mas às vezes corteja investidores e empresas.
O diretor-presidente da Yelp se reuniu com todos os sócios da Elevation antes de a empresa investir US$ 100 milhões na firma tecnológica em 2010. Estre os outros sócios estão o ex-diretor financeiro da Apple Inc., Fred Anderson, e o ex-executivo da Blackstone Group LP, Bret Pearlman.
Algumas empresas aproveitaram a oportunidade para converter em dinheiro novo os retornos gigantescos de seus investimentos iniciais na Facebook. Em meados do ano passado, a firma de capital de risco Accel Partners terminou de captar um total de US$ 1,35 bilhão para dois fundos, enquanto a Greylock Partners aumentou o tamanho de um de seus fundos de US$ 575 milhões para US$ 1 bilhão.
Essas jogadas foram feitas depois que a Facebook foi avaliada em US$ 50 bilhões, em janeiro de 2011. A iminente abertura de capital da empresa de rede social deve captar, segundo previsões, cerca de US$ 10 bilhões, dando à Facebook um valor de mercado de até US$ 100 bilhões.
A Elevation investiu US$ 270 milhões na Facebook em várias compras a partir do fim de 2009, adquirindo ações de empregados e de Peter Thiel, um dos primeiros investidores da rede social. Por sua vez, a posição inicial de US$ 100 milhões na Yelp agora vale cerca de US$ 270 milhões.
A Elevation prometeu aos investidores devolver seu dinheiro depois de 10 anos, mais retornos anuais de pelo menos 8%. Em 2010, a empresa não estava no caminho de chegar a essa meta, e produziu cerca de US$ 8 milhões em lucros para seus investidores antes que o rendimento dos fundos melhorasse.
O retorno de 11% gerado pela Elevation está muito aquém da meta de 20% que muitos investidores almejam em investimentos de private equity. Mas o fundo está superando o retorno médio de 9,4% registrado por firmas americanas de investimentos em participações lançadas em 2004, de acordo com a Cambridge Associates.
(Colaborou Laura Kreutzer.)
Posted by TerranceV | Top Stories | Posted on May 16th, 2012
Long known for its pyramids and ancient civilisation, Egypt is the largest Arab country and has played a central role in Middle Eastern politics in modern times.
Encouraged by the protests that overthrew the long-term leader of Tunisia, mounting popular anger burst to the surface in huge anti-government demonstrations in January 2011, which eventually led President Mubarak to step aside. He was arrested and put on trial in August 2011 over deaths during the demonstrations.
An interim military administration took charge, promising to effect a quick transition to democracy. Under continuing pressure from pro-democracy protesters, a new interim government was formed. In March 2011, a series of constitutional changes paving the way for early elections were approved.
But a key demand of the revolutionaries – the lifting of Egypt's emergency law – has not been fulfilled. The law was partially lifted after the January 2012 parliamentary elections, but only after having its provisions broadened.
There are also fears that the strong Islamist showing in the elections could threaten democratic gains, the status of Coptic Christians and women, and the crucial tourism industry.
Egypt's teeming cities – and almost all agricultural activity – are concentrated along the banks of the Nile, and on the river's delta. Deserts occupy most of the country.
The economy depends heavily on agriculture, tourism and cash remittances from Egyptians working abroad, mainly in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.
However, rapid population growth and the limited amount of arable land are straining the country's resources and economy.
Posted by TerranceV | Top Stories | Posted on May 15th, 2012
El presidente del banco central de Alemania, el Bundesbank, rechazó los llamados a que el Banco Central Europeo flexibilice sus exigencias de austeridad fiscal a pesar del creciente temor a que la estrategia esté causando profundos problemas económicos y agravando la agitación política en toda Europa.
En una amplia entrevista con The Wall Street Journal, el presidente del Bundesbank, Jens Weidmann, no se disculpó por sus repetidas advertencias sobre los efectos de políticas clave anti-crisis del BCE, como la compra de bonos soberanos y reglas más flexibles para aceptar colateral, que en su opinión amenazan la estabilidad financiera y podrían generar inflación.
Bloomberg News
Jens Weidmann
“La crisis sólo puede ser resuelta al embarcarse en medidas estructurales que suelen ser difíciles y luego de una consolidación fiscal”, indicó Weidmann. “Si las autoridades creen que pueden evitarlo, lo intentarán. Por eso la presión debe mantenerse”.
El BCE volvió a quedar bajo la lupa en las últimas semanas luego de que los costos de financiación de España aumentaran marcadamente. El retorno sobre los bonos soberanos españoles a 10 años bordea 6%, un nivel que algunos analistas creen que es insostenible a largo plazo. Los retornos de los bonos italianos también han subido. Muchos analistas dudan de que estos países puedan generar el suficiente crecimiento económico para reducir sus enormes cargas de deuda, y creen que el BCE deberá volver a intervenir al comprar grandes cantidades de bonos españoles e italianos, inyectar liquidez en los bancos, o una combinación de ambas políticas.
Los pedidos de ayuda preocupan al Bundesbank, que teme que los mercados financieros y los gobiernos se estén volviendo demasiado dependientes del BCE. “Se tiene la impresión de que una vez que una tasa de interés supera el 6% el mundo colapsa y todos buscan alguien que lo salve. Actualmente, estas demandas son dirigidas casi exclusivamente” al BCE y sus bancos miembros, indicó Weidmann. “Es preocupante”.
El BCE intensificó la respuesta ante la crisis en los últimos meses para evitar una contracción de crédito, y prestó un total de 1 billón de euros a bancos con vencimientos a tres años en un par de tramos. Eso calmó a los inversionistas durante unas semanas, pero la renovada presión sobre los mercados de bonos sugiere que el efecto está desvaneciéndose.
“Hasta ahora, no he visto ninguna razón convincente para embarcarme en una tercera” operación a tres años, indicó Weidmann, quien votó a favor de los primeros dos tramos.
Weidmann desestimó sugerencias realizadas por prominentes políticos, incluido el candidato presidencial francés Francois Hollande, de que el BCE se concentre en estimular el crecimiento además de mantener bajo control la inflación. El mandato del BCE es velar por una inflación inferior al 2%. La inflación anual se ubica en 2,7%, lo que dificulta que el banco central pueda recortar las tasas de interés para ayudar a reducir el desempleo.
“En el contexto actual, los llamados a un mandato para el crecimiento básicamente apuntan a un mandato para la financiación monetaria” de los gobiernos, indicó Weidmann. “Ésto pasó antes… la consecuencia fue inflación alta e incertidumbre”, sostuvo.
Las posturas del Bundesbank llevan un peso simbólico en Alemania y a lo largo de Europa. El BCE fue fundado a fines de los años 90 sobre el principio alemán que separa estrictamente a los bancos centrales de los gobiernos, arraigado en la propia historia alemana. A comienzos de los años 20, su banco central de ese entonces, llamado Reichsbank, compró enormes cantidades de bonos gubernamentales e imprimió dinero para pagarlos. El resultado fue una inflación fuera de control, un episodio que atemoriza a la psiquis alemana. El Bundesbank resguardó la recuperación alemana luego de la Segunda Guerra Mundial al concentrarse en un solo mandato para mantener la inflación en niveles bajos, un deber que ahora es consagrado por la carta orgánica del BCE.
Posted by TerranceV | Top Stories | Posted on May 14th, 2012
Mashreq Qatar, a financial institution in the region, has engaged with students at the Commercial Independent Secondary School through a series of career development programmes.
The Independent Business Secondary School for boys was established in 2010 under Qatar Central Bank’s sponsorship, with Mashreq Qatar as one of the contributors to its establishment and development.
This latest initiative at the school is running under the umbrella of the Qatar Central Bank and follows a generous contribution by Mashreq Qatar to the school last year, which reaffirms Mashreq Qatar’s commitment towards the human development pillar of Qatar National Vision 2030.
The programme, which was conducted over a period of three weeks, included orientation briefings on Mashreq Qatar’s departments including human resources, Mashreq Learning Systems, operations, corporate & investment banking, retail banking and compliance, amongst others. Students were also provided opportunities to study the day-to-day functioning of a full-service bank through job-observation programmes enabling them to develop their understanding of key banking concepts. High school students were also briefed about all the available career opportunities in Mashreq Qatar.
Ayesha al Kuwari, Human Resources Manager at Mashreq Qatar commented, “Mashreq Qatar has been very successful in it’s Qatarization efforts, which is driven by the comprehensive approach that we employ to develop Qatari talent. Working with local schools and exposing Qatari students to the idea of working in a bank is just one of many initiatives where we work to ensure that students gain a competitive edge and improve their confidence and skill-sets. Other Qatarization by Mashreq include recruiting the best talent and appointing them at senior positions in the bank, training Qataris on banking concepts at our state of the art learning facility, providing Qatari students university sponsorship, internship programs, job opportunities, and much more.”
Posted by TerranceV | Top Stories | Posted on May 14th, 2012
Just two of the park’s five gorilla patrol posts remain open after the fighting intensified and rebels reportedly moved into the area.
Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest national park, is home to roughly 25% of the world’s mountain gorillas.
“We are deeply concerned with the safety of the mountain gorillas who are exposed to the dangers of artillery fire, but we must also take care of our staff who have to be evacuated from the combat zone. As soon as there is a lull in the fighting, we will return to check on the gorillas,” Emmanuel de Merode, chief warden for Virunga National Park, said in a statement.
Tourist attractions will remain closed until the security situation improves, the park said.
Mountain gorillas are critically endangered with fewer than 800 left in the wild in the mountains of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Some 200 are thought to live in the Virunga National Park.
Despite its rich resources, Congo battles violence and poverty. A decade of conflict between government forces and armed militias left millions dead as a result of the fighting, and as a result of hunger and diseases.
The east remains the epicenter of attacks by anti-government militias. The international community has spent massive amounts of money in an effort to stabilize the vast nation.
The world’s largest mountain gorilla population, thought to number less than 500 animals, is found in a mountainous region known as the Virungas, incorporating Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Virunga National Park. A second, smaller population can be found in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in another region of Uganda.
Mountain gorillas are not frequently hunted for their meat, but can be maimed or killed by poachers leaving traps or snares for other animals. They have also been killed for their body parts to be sold to collectors.
Posted by TerranceV | Top Stories | Posted on May 14th, 2012
Superhero movie The Avengers has topped the US and Canadian box office for the second week in a row, taking $103.2m (£64m), studio estimates suggest.
The film is now the first in Hollywood history to ring up more than $100m in its second weekend of release.
It is the movie's second record, after scoring the biggest-ever US opening weekend, with takings of $207.4m.
The blockbuster sees a team of Marvel comic-book heroes team up to fight an extra-terrestrial threat.
Among the cast are Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth – who have appeared in previous Marvel movies as Iron Man, Black Widow and Thor, respectively.
Globally, the film looks set to top the $1bn mark this weekend, distributor Disney said on Sunday.
The Avengers' performance this week left Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's Dark Shadows standing in the dust.
Their spoof horror movie, which opened on Friday, made an otherwise-respectable $28.8m, taking second place at the box office.
Romantic comedy Think Like a Man finished in third place with ticket sales of $6.3 million.
The Avengers was directed and co-written by Joss Whedon, creator of the TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
An Oscar-winner for his work on Toy Story, Whedon has had a notoriously rough decade – with TV series Firefly and Dollhouse cancelled, and his horror film Cabin In The Woods delayed by three years due to financial trouble at MGM.
After The Avengers took $207.4m in the US last week – the biggest opening weekend on record – Whedon posted a public letter on his website, thanking his supporters.
"Topping a box office record is super-dope," he wrote.
"People have told me that this matters, that my life is about to change. I am sure that is true. And change is good – change is exciting.
"What doesn't change is that I've had the smartest, most loyal, most passionate, most articulate group of – I'm not even gonna say fans. I'm going with 'peeps' – that any cult oddity such as my bad self could have dreamt of."
Whedon also faced up to the fact that his box office success could soon be eclipsed by The Dark Knight Rises – the heavily-anticipated final chapter of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.
"I will feel sad," he admitted, "but let's look at the bigger picture".
"I can't say this enough: This is not a zero sum game. Our successes, whoever has the mostest, are a boon to each other."
Elsewhere in the US box office, The Hunger Games held on to the number four spot, bringing its total domestic takings to $388m.
Zac Efron's romantic drama The Lucky One was at number five, while two British films took spots in the top ten.
Aardman's Pirates! was at number six, taking $3.1m, while comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel jumped from 16 to eight, taking $2.7m.
