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* stephen hawking's univers
* tiger woods * jim fur
Barack Obama, China, Hu Jintao,
Melinda Hackett, manhattan
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new zealand miners, louise heal
Vikram Pandit, bbc news, ft
Wilma Mankiller,
9/11, september 11, emily strato
Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman, bbc
afghanistan, bbc news, the econo
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, bbc news
Ai Weiwei, bbc news
aids virus, aids, * hiv
Airbus A330, suzanne gould, bbc
airline security, bbc news
airport security, bbc news, biod
al-qaeda, natalie duval, yemen,
al-qaeda, new york city, suzanne
algeria, bbc news
amanda knox, bbc news, italy mur
american airlines, natalie de va
ancient rome, bbc news
arab spring, bbc news
arizona immigration law, bbc new
arms control, bbc news
arms flow to terrorists, bbc new
Arnold Schwarzenegger, bbc news
aung song suu kyi, myanmar, bbc
australia floods, bbc news
australia, cookbooks
australian shipwreck, bbc news
baltimore shooting, bbc news
ban aid, bob geldof, bbc world s
bangladesh clashes, bbc news
bat global markets, bbc news
bbc 2, biodun iginla
bbc news
bbc news, biodun iginla, david c
bbc news, biodun iginla, south k
bbc news, biodun iginla, the eco
bbc news, google
bbc strike, biodun iginla
bbc world service, biodun iginla
bcva, bbc news
belarus, bbc news, maria ogryzlo
Ben Bernanke, federal reserve
Benazir Bhutto, sunita kureishi,
benin, tokun lawal, bbc
Benjamin Netanyahu, bbc news
berlusconi, bbc news, italy
bill clinton ,emanuel, bbc news
bill clinton, Earth day, biodun
black friday, bbc news
black-listed nations, bbc news
blackwater, Gary Jackson, suzann
blogging in china, bbc news
bradley manning, bbc news
brazil floods, bbc news
brazil, biodun iginla, bbc news,
british elections, bbc news, bio
broadband, bbc news, the economi
Bruce Beresford-Redman. Monica
BSkyB bid, bbc news
budget deficit, bbc news,
bulgaria, natalie de vallieres,
business travel, bbc news
camilla parker-bowles, bbc news
canada, bbc news, biodun iginla
carleton college, bbc news, biod
casey anthony, bbc news
catholic church sex scandal, suz
cdc, e coli, suzanne gould, bbc
charlie rangel, bbc news
chicago mayorial race, bbc news,
chile miners, bbc news
chile prison fire, bbc news
chile, enrique krause, bbc news,
china, judith stein, bbc news, u
china, xian wan, bbc news, biodu
chinese dipolomat, houston polic
chinese media, bbc news
chirac, france, bbc news
cholera in haiti, biodun iginla
christina green, bbc news
Christine Lagarde, bbc news
Christine O'Donnell, tea party
chronical of higher education, b
citibank, bbc news
climate change, un, bbc news, bi
coal mines, west virginia, bbc n
common dreams
common dreams, bbc news, biodun
commonwealth games, bbc news
condi rice, obama
condoms, suzanne gould
congo, bbc news
congress, taxes, bbc news
contagion, islam, bbc news
continental airlines, bbc news
Continental Express flight, suza
corrupt nations, bbc news
Countrywide Financial Corporatio
cross-dressing, bbc news, emily
ctheory, bbc news, annalee newit
cuba, enrique krause, bbc news,
Cuba, Raúl Castro, Michael Voss
dealbook, bbc news, nytimes
digital life, bbc news
dorit cypis, bbc news, community
dow jones, judith stein, bbc new
egypt, nasra ismail, bbc news, M
elizabeth edwards, bbc news
elizabeth smart, bbc news
embassy bombs in rome, bbc news
emily's list, bbc news
entertainment, movies, biodun ig
equador, biodun iginla, bbc news
eu summit, bbc news, russia
eu, arab democracy, bbc news
europe travel delays, bbc news
europe travel, biodun iginla, bb
europe travel, france24, bbc new
eurozone crisis, bbc news
eurozone, ireland, bbc news
fair, media, bbc news
fake deaths, bbc news
FASHION - PARIS - PHOTOGRAPHY
fbi, bbc news
fcc, neutral internel, liz rose,
Federal Reserve, interest rates,
federal workers pay freeze, bbc
fedex, racism, bbc news
feedblitz, bbc news, biodun igin
ferraro, bbc news
fifa, soccer, bbc news
financial times, bbc news
firedoglake, jane hamsher, biodu
flashing, sex crimes, bbc news
fox, cable, new york, bbc
france, labor, biodun iginla
france24, bbc news, biodun iginl
french hostages, bbc news
french muslims, natalie de valli
FT briefing, bbc news, biodun ig
g20, obama, bbc news
gabrielle giffords, bbc news
gambia, iran, bbcnews
gay-lesbian issues, emily strato
george bush, blair, bbc news
germans held in Nigeria, tokun l
germany, natalie de vallieres, b
global economy, bbc news
goldman sachs, judith stein, bbc
google news, bbc news, biodun ig
google, gianni maestro, bbc news
google, groupon, bbc news
gop, bbc news
Gov. Jan Brewer, bbc news, immig
greece bailout, bbc news, biodun
guantanamo, bbc news
gulf oil spill, suzanne gould, b
Hackers, MasterCard, Security, W
haiti aid, enrique krause, bbc n
haiti, michelle obama, bbc news
heart disease, bbc news
Heather Locklear, suzanne gould,
Henry Kissinger, emily straton,
Henry Okah, nigeria, tokun lawal
hillary clinton, bbc news
hillary clinton, cuba, enrique k
hugo chavez, bbc news
hungary, maria ogryzlo
hurricane katrina, bbc news
Ibrahim Babangida, nigeria, toku
india, susan kumar
indonesia, bbc news, obama admin
inside edition, bbc news, biodun
insider weekly, bbc news
insider-trading, bbc news
International Space Station , na
iran, latin america, bbc news
iran, lebanon, Ahmadinejad ,
iran, nuclear weapons, bbc news
iran, wikileaks, bbc news
iraq, al-qaeda, sunita kureishi,
iraq, nasras ismail, bbc news, b
ireland, bbc news, eu
islam, bbc news, biodun iginla
israeli-palestinian conflict, na
italy, eurozone crisis
ivory coast, bbc news
James MacArthur, hawaii five-O
Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, biodun igi
jane hansher, biodun iginla
japan, bbc news, the economist
jerry brown, bbc news
Jerry Brown, suzanne gould, bbc
jill clayburgh, bbc news
Jody Weis, chicago police, bbc n
John Paul Stevens, scotus,
juan williams, npr, biodun iginl
judith stein, bbc news
Justice John Paul Stevens, patri
K.P. Bath, bbc news, suzanne gou
keith olbermann, msnbc, bbc news
kelly clarkson, indonesia, smoki
kenya, bbc news, police
Khodorkovsky, bbc news
Kyrgyz, maria ogryzlo, bbc news,
le monde, bbc nerws
le monde, bbc news, biodun iginl
lebanon, nasra ismail, biodun ig
Lech Kaczynski
libya, gaddafi, bbc news,
london ftse, bbc news
los alamos fire, bbc news
los angeles, bbc news, suzanne g
los angeles, suzanne gould, bbc
LulzSec, tech news, bbc news
madoff, bbc news, suicide
marijuana, weed, bbc news, suzan
Martin Dempsey, bbc news
maryland, bbc news
media, FAIR, bbc news
media, free press, fcc, net neut
media, media matters for america
media, mediabistro, bbc news
melissa gruz, bbc news, obama ad
mexican drug cartels, enrique kr
mexican gas explosion, bbc news
mexican's execution, bbc news
Michael Skakel, emily straton, b
Michelle Obama, bbc news
michigan militia, suzanne gould,
middle-class jobs, bbc news
midwest snowstorm, bbc news
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, bbc news
minnesota public radio
moveon, bbc news, biodun iginla
msnbc, david shuster, bbc news
mumbai attacks, bbc news
myanmar, burma, bbc news
nancy pelosi, us congress, bbc n
nasra ismail, israeli-palestinia
Natalia Lavrova, olympic games,
Nathaniel Fons, child abandonmen
nato, afghanistan, bbc news
nato, pakistan, sunita kureishi,
nelson mandela, bbc news
nestor kirchner, bbc news
net neutrality, bbc news
new life-forms, bbc news
new year, 2011, bbc news
new york city, homelessness, chi
new york snowstorm, bbc news
new zealand miners, bbc news
News Corporation, bbc news
news of the world, bbc news
nick clegg, uk politics, tories
nicolas sarkozy, islam, natalie
nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, toku
nobel peace prize
nobel peace prize, bbc news, bio
noreiga, panama, biodun iginla,
north korea, bbc news, nuclear p
npr, bbc news, gop
npr, media, bbc news
ntenyahu, obama, bbc news
nuclear proliferation, melissa g
Nuri al-Maliki, iraq, biodun igi
nytimes dealbook, bbc news
obama, bill clinton, bbc news
obama, biodun iginla, bbc news
oil spills, bbc news, the econom
olbermann, msnbc, bbc news
Omar Khadr, bbc news
Online Media, bbc news, the econ
pakistan, sunita kureishi, bbc n
paris airport, bbc news
Pedro Espada, suzanne gould, bbc
phone-hack scandal, bbc news
poland, maria ogryzlo, lech Kac
police brutality, john mckenna,
police fatalities, bbc news
Pope Benedict XVI, natalie de va
pope benedict, natalie de vallie
popular culture, us politics
portugal, bbc news
Potash Corporation, bbc news
prince charles, bbc news
prince william, katemiddleton, b
pulitzer prizes, bbc news, biodu
qantas, airline security, bbc ne
racism, religious profiling, isl
randy quaid, asylum, canada
Ratko Mladic, bbc news
Rebekah Brooks, bbc news, the ec
republicans, bbc news
richard holbrooke, bbc news
Rick Santorum , biodun iginla, b
robert gates, lapd, suzanne goul
rod Blagojevich, suzanne gould,
roger clemens, bbc news
russia, imf, bbc news, the econo
russia, maria ogrylo, Lech Kaczy
san francisco crime lab, Deborah
sandra bullock, jess james, holl
SARAH EL DEEB, bbc news, biodun
sarah palin, biodun iginla, bbc
sarkosy, bbc news
saudi arabia, indonesian maid, b
saudi arabia, nasra ismail, bbc
Schwarzenegger, bbc news, biodun
science and technology, bbc news
scott brown, tufts university, e
scotus, gays in the military
scotus, iraq war, bbc news, biod
sec, judith stein, us banks, bbc
Senate Democrats, bbc news, biod
senegal, chad, bbc news
seward deli, biodun iginla
shanghai fire, bbc news
Sidney Thomas, melissa gruz, bbc
silvio berlusconi, bbc news
single currency, bbc news, the e
snowstorm, bbc news
social security, bbc news, biodu
somali pirates, bbc news
somalia, al-shabab, biodun iginl
south korea, north korea, bbc ne
south sudan, bbc news
spain air strikes, bbc news
spain, standard and poor, bbc ne
state of the union, bbc news
steve jobs, bbc news
steven ratner, andrew cuomo, bbc
Strauss-Kahn, bbc news, biodun i
sudan, nasra ismail, bbc news, b
suicide websites, bbc news
supreme court, obama, melissa gr
sweden bomb attack, bbc news
syria, bbc news
taliban, bbc news, biodun iginla
Taoufik Ben Brik, bbc news, biod
tariq aziz, natalie de vallieres
tariq azziz, jalal talbani, bbc
tea party, us politics
tech news, bbc, biodun iginla
technology, internet, economics
thailand, xian wan, bbc news, bi
the economist, biodun iginla, bb
the economsit, bbc news, biodun
the insider, bbc news
tiger woods. augusta
timothy dolan, bbc news
Timothy Geithner, greece, eu, bi
tornadoes, mississippi, suzanne
travel, bbc news
tsa (travel security administrat
tsumami in Indonesia, bbc news,
tunisia, bbc news, biodun iginla
turkey, israel, gaza strip. biod
Turkey, the eu, natalie de valli
twincities daily planet, bbc new
twincities.com, twin cities dail
twitter, media, death threats, b
Tyler Clementi, hate crimes, bio
uk elections, gordon brown, raci
uk phone-hack, Milly Dowler
uk tuition increase, bbc news
un wire, un, bbc news, biodun ig
un, united nations, biodun iginl
unwed mothers, blacks, bbc news
upi, bbc news, iginla
us billionaires, bbc news
us economic downturn, melissa gr
us economy, us senate, us congre
us empire, bbc news, biodun igin
us housing market, bbc news
us jobs, labor, bbc news
us media, bbc news, biodun iginl
us media, media matters for amer
us midterm elections, bbc news
us midterm elections, melissa gr
us military, gay/lesbian issues
us politics, bbc news, the econo
us recession, judith stein, bbc
us stimulus, bbc news
us taxes, bbc news, the economis
us, third-world, bbc news
vatican, natalie de vallieres
venezuela, bbc news
verizon, biodun iginla, bbc news
volcanic ash, iceland, natalie d
volcanis ash, bbc news, biodun i
wal-mat, sexism, bbc news
wall street reform, obama, chris
wall street regulations, banking
warren buffett, us economic down
weather in minneapolis, bbc news
white supremacist, Richard Barre
wikileaks, bbc news, biodun igin
wvirginia coal mine, biodun igin
wvirginia mines, biodun iginal,
xian wan, china , nobel prize
xian wan, japan
yahoo News, biodun iginla, bbc n
yahoo, online media, new media,
yemen, al-qaeda, nasra ismail, b
zimbabwe, mugabe, biodun iginla
|
Biodun@bbcnews.com
Saturday, 27 November 2010
Black Friday sales edge up only slightly
Topic: black friday, bbc news
by Suzanne Gould, BBC News Analyst, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla NEW YORK – Shoppers crowded stores on Black Friday but spent just a little more than last year on the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, according to data released Saturday by a research firm. Retail spending rose a slight 0.3 percent, to $10.69 billion, compared with $10.66 billion on the day after Thanksgiving last year, according toShopperTrak. Two factors behind the slim increase, a disappointment following bullish reports from stores Friday, were heavy discounts earlier in November and online shopping, which saw a big increase. Chicago research firm Shoppertrak, which tallies sales in more than 70,000 retail outlets across the country, said the total was still a record for the day. It stood behind its prediction for spending to rise 3.2 percent for the season. "It's hard to say Black Friday wasn't a success, it's just not the success we saw in the mid-2000s, when the day really became a phenomenon," ShopperTrak founder Bill Martin said. The slim sales increase came despite a 2.2 percent boost in store traffic, which Martin said suggests that consumers were in the stores searching for deals. "This means the American shopper has adapted to the economic climate over the last couple of years and is possibly spending more wisely as the holiday season begins," Martin said. ShopperTrak said spending for first two weeks of the month rose 6.1 percent over last year, as retailers promoted the sort of doorbuster deals that normally didn't appear until after the turkey dinner was finished. Traffic in stores the two weeks ended Nov. 13 jumped 6.2 percent. "Retailers were very conscious of driving traffic early in November and in doing so, some might have thinned Black Friday spending a bit," Martin said. "The reality is we have a deal-driven consumer in 2010 and that consumer responded to some of the earliest deep discounts we've even seen for the holidays." Many retailers also offered those discounts and promotions on their websites. Online merchants saw a 16 percent revenue spike, according to research company Coremetrics. That increase came partly from shoppers who spent more per online purchase, the Web research company said. The average order rose to $190.80. That's a 12 percent increase over $170.19 on the same day last year. The solid increase followed a 33 percent online spending spike on Thanksgiving Day. "The season's off to a great start," said John Squire, Coremetrics vice president of strategy. "It really shows really strong consumer sentiment for buying and for going online." Meanwhile, PayPal reported an increase of about 27 percent in payment volume on Black Friday compared with last year. The eBay Inc. unit did not release a dollar amount for the sales it processed. Lots of shoppers made it an all-nighter online. "Even at 1 a.m. Pacific, there was still very strong buying across the U.S.," Squire said. Shopping on smart phones remained a small, though growing, piece of the pie. Coremetrics said about 5.6 percent of people logged onto a retailer's website using a mobile device. That compares with less than 1 percent on last year's Black Friday, Squire said. More dollars have shifted to online shopping over the years, but it's still a relatively small share of holiday spending, between 8 and 10 percent. But many shoppers have become converted to the comfort and convenience of browsing the Web for gifts. Kelly Hager, 30, of Baltimore, Md., is shopping exclusively online for the fourth year in a row. "It's nice to not have to fight for a parking spot and deal with 3 billion people who are all trying to get the same thing I'm trying to get," she said. Hager used to work at a mall, so she's seen Black Friday from both sides. Retailers and analysts also were encouraged that people seemed to be buying more items for themselves, a sign they're feeling confident enough to spend more money overall. Thanksgiving weekend is prime time for retailers. In recent years, Black Friday — called that because the surge of shoppers could take retailers into profitability, or "the black," for the year — has been the busiest shopping day of the year, according to data from ShopperTrak. Black Friday is generally not as big for online retailers as Monday after Thanksgiving, known as "Cyber Monday," which Coremetrics predicts will be the busiest online shopping day of the year, driven by heavy online promotions. The Black Friday blitz doesn't make or break the holiday season. In fact, shoppers seem to be procrastinating more every year, giving retailers some tense moments the last few days before Christmas. "I wait for the last minute," said Linda Majkowski of Queens, N.Y., who visited a Costco in Melville, N.Y. on Saturday, but said she hadn't started her holiday shopping yet. "I just found out what everybody wants on Thanksgiving." ___
Posted by biginla
at 10:35 PM GMT
Google News Compiled by the BBC's Biodun Iginla
Topic: google news, bbc news, biodun ig
The Associated Press - 1 hour ago WASHINGTON (AP) - The teenager accused of attempting to bomb a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Ore., was acting on his own initiative and not at the direction of any foreign terrorist organization, a law enforcement official said Saturday ... New York Magazine - KHOU - 9&10 News - Neon TommyUSA Today - 51 minutes ago The NFL fined the Denver Broncos and their head coach, Josh McDaniels, $50000 each on Saturday after the team voluntarily reported that a staff member had illegally videotaped a San Francisco 49ers practice in London in October. msnbc.com - New York Daily News - National Football Post -NESN.comReuters - 2 hours ago A quick-fix on the day's news published with Reuters videos and award-winning news photography and delivered at your choice of one of four times during the day. As last call loomed at barrooms on the East Coast early Saturday, one kicker's gaffes changed the complexion of the race for the Bowl Championship Series title game. Aljazeera.net - 1 hour ago Gun battles continue as security forces prepare to storm another shantytown in Rio de Janeiro. Police in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro have intensified a crackdown on drug gangs in the city's sprawling shantytowns, that has resulted in the death ... The president was playing defense when Rey Decerega, an opposing player, turned into him to take a shot and his elbow hit Obama in the mouth. 'He said he feels great,' Nelson's harmonica player tells Rolling Stone. 'He lost six ounces.' By Patrick Doyle Willie Nelson was arrested yesterday at a border patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas after agents reportedly found 6 ounces of ... Telegraph.co.uk - Nick Meo - 2 hours ago With unemployment high, debt worsening and a bailout looming, the young people Portugal needs to revive its stagnant economy look abroad for opportunity. KABUL, Afghanistan - Two suicide bombers wearing police uniforms blew themselves up inside the police headquarters of Paktika Province in southeastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least 10 officers and ... After just one season on the job, Vanderbilt's Robbie Caldwell is stepping down as head coach. The university announced the decision Saturday following a meeting between Caldwell and David Williams, Vanderbilt's vice chancellor of ... A demonstrator holds a picture of Prime Minister Brian Cowen of Ireland during a protest in Dublin on Saturday. By JOHN F. BURNS DUBLIN - After a week that brought Ireland a pledge of an $114 billion international rescue package and the toughest ... Chicago Breaking Sports - Tribune - Brad Biggs - 26 minutes ago 1. The Bears have touted their 3-0 record vs. Michael Vick even though linebacker Brian Urlacher is the only defensive player who was around when they faced him for the first time in 2001. Haitians queue for electoral identification cards the day before the country's presidential election on Sunday, November 28, 2010. USA Today - 1 hour ago The final weekend in November means the renewal of some of college football's top rivalries. And there's plenty today with important implications. In another blow to online file-sharing, a Swedish appeals court upheld on Friday the copyright convictions of three of the four founders of The Pirate Bay--perhaps the world's most well-known and notorious file-sharing Web site. General Motors inched further forward in its effort to repay taxpayers, announcing Friday that the banks backing its historic initial public offering had exercised their right to buy an additional block of shares in the restructured ... Visitors to dozens of Web sites purportedly linked to illegal file sharing and counterfeit goods were greeted by this message. The US government has launched a major crackdown on online copyright infringement, seizing dozens of sites ... Thanksgiving dispatched with (the menu included turkey, ham, six kinds of pie), the Obama family pivoted Friday toward the next national holiday with the arrival of the official White House Christmas tree. The band goes deeper into dance music on its upcoming album. After that, it may be time for another reinvention. Singers Fergie, Will. BRUSSELS - After another week of turmoil for countries using the euro currency, negotiators were working Saturday to complete a multibillion-dollar bailout for Ireland as financial markets waited to see if a restructuring of Irish ... HipHopRX - 36 minutes ago Kanye West, who we all know isn't low on 'haters' and upset fans, received a somewhat 'icy cold' welcome from some un-happy New Yorkers at the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, New York. Now that the dust from Black Friday has settled in shopping malls and megastores across the country, small businesses are hoping for big returns on the country's first ever Small Business Saturday. | | Minneapolis Star Tribune - 2 hours ago - Woodbury Bulletin - Patrick Johnson - 1 hour ago - Minneapolis Star Tribune (blog) - Ben Welter - 54 minutes agoCNN - Amy Gahran - Nov 25, 2010CBSSports.com - Gregg Doyel - Nov 23, 2010Wall Street Journal - 18 hours agoCNN - Alan Duke - 18 hours agoNew York Magazine - Nov 23, 2010Politics Daily - Nov 23, 2010Newsweek (blog) - 5 hours agoNew York Times - Geraldine Fabrikant - Nov 25, 2010WSOC Charlotte - Nov 23, 2010CNN - Matt Cherry - 5 hours agoTelegraph.co.uk - Nick Squires - Nov 23, 2010Most popularNewsweek - 1 hour ago - Economic Times - 1 hour ago - National Post (blog) - 15 minutes ago - Oneindia - 7 hours ago - Philadelphia Inquirer - Gary Thompson - Nov 23, 2010 - New York Times - Geraldine Fabrikant - Nov 25, 2010 - USA Today - 2 hours ago - Daily Mail - 1 hour ago - Mediaite.com - Jon Bershad - Nov 22, 2010 - ESPN (blog) - Chris Low - 24 minutes ago - |
Posted by biginla
at 6:52 PM GMT
Wikileaks: US warns allies on potential diplomatic leak
Topic: wikileaks, bbc news, biodun igin
by Biodun Iginla, BBC Senior News AnalystWikileaks has previously released documents relating to Iraq and Afghanistan The US has briefed a number of foreign governments, including the UK, about the possible release of diplomatic files by whistleblower site Wikileaks. Reports say Turkey, Israel, Denmark and Norway have also been warned to expect potential embarrassment from the leaks. The top US military commander Adm Mike Mullen said the release of diplomatic cables was "extremely dangerous" and could put lives at risk. Wikileaks has said the US authorities are afraid of being held to account. It has not confirmed exactly when the documents will be made public. The website, founded by Julian Assange, said earlier this week that the release would be nearly seven times larger than the nearly 400,000 Pentagon documents related to the Iraq war it published in October. Analysts say the US and its allies have the potential to be embarrassed by the publication of candid assessments of foreign governments by its officials. State department spokesman PJ Crowley warned on Wednesday that the release could weaken trust in the US as a diplomatic partner. "When this confidence is betrayed and ends up on the front pages of newspapers or lead stories on television or radio, it has an impact," he said. 'Exposing lives' In an interview with CNN to be broadcast on Sunday but released as a transcript, Adm Mullen said Wikileaks' actions were "extremely dangerous". Continue reading the main storyAnalysisSteve KingstoneBBC News, Washington The intense activity at the state department over the usually-quiet Thanksgiving holiday indicates that the US government believes a release is imminent. Like Pentagon officials before them, state department spokesmen are warning Wikileaks that the disclosure of classified cables could prove harmful, both to American interests and to individuals. But they clearly expect that warning to fall on deaf ears. Hence, the round of somewhat cringey diplomacy, as the US warns foreign governments of what American officials have said privately about them. The question is: will the revelations be merely embarrassing or something much worse, in terms of concrete disclosures about policy and US sources, possibly from within foreign governments? From the safety of its Twitter page, Wikileaks is clearly relishing Washington's discomfort - tweeting regular updates on the hurried diplomacy. In what feels like a high-stakes poker game, Wikileaks must sooner or later show its hand. "We live in a world where just a little bitty piece of information can be added to a network of information and really open up an understanding that just wasn't there before," he said. Adm Mullen said the documents would endanger the lives of US troops and individuals working with them, both in Afghanistan and elsewhere. "I would hope that those who are responsible for this would, at some point in time, think about the responsibility that they have for lives that they're exposing," he said. A spokesman for UK Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday: "Obviously, the government has been briefed by US officials, by the US ambassador, as to the likely content of these leaks. "I don't want to speculate about precisely what is going to be leaked before it is leaked." The BBC's Steve Kingstone, in Washington, says the state department is clearly in high gear, contacting embassies around the world. The media does not yet know precisely what Wikileaks has - in what could be up to three million documents - and it is possible that the state department does not know exactly what the site has either, our correspondent says. Newspaper reports indicate the release will include papers suggesting that Turkey helped al-Qaeda militants in Iraq, and that the US helped Iraq-based Kurdish separatists who have been engaged in a long conflict with Turkey. The Russian foreign ministry told Interfax news agency that Moscow had not been officially contacted by the US state department over the possible leak of diplomatic correspondence. But Russia's Kommersant newspaper said the expected release included discussions between US diplomats and Russian politicians and "unflattering" opinions of some of the latter. The release is also thought to include cables concerning Israeli-American relations. 'Absolutely awful' Washington's ambassador to Iraq, James Jeffrey, is quoted by AFP news agency as saying Wikileaks is an "absolutely awful impediment" to US efforts to build trust with other nations. "I do not understand the motivation for releasing these documents," he told reporters in Baghdad. "They will not help, they will simply hurt our ability to do our work here." The source of the documents potentially involved in the latest Wikileaks release is not known. However, US Army Private Bradley Manning, a military analyst who was arrested in June on suspicion of leaking classified data, is currently in custody awaiting trial. He is alleged to have abused access to a secret-level network to obtain tens of thousands of US state department cables, some of them classified. More on This StoryThe BBC is not res
Posted by biginla
at 5:58 PM GMT
Feds: Somali-born teen plotted car-bombing in Ore.
Topic: somalia, al-shabab, biodun iginl
PORTLAND, Ore. – Federal agents in a sting operation arrested a Somali-born teenager just as he tried blowing up a van he believed was loaded with explosives at a crowded Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, authorities said. The bomb was an elaborate fake supplied by the agents and the public was never in danger, authorities said. Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, was arrested at 5:40 p.m. Friday just after he dialed a cell phone that he thought would set off the blast but instead brought federal agents and police swooping down on him. Yelling "Allahu Akbar!" — Arabic for "God is great!" — Mohamud tried to kick agents and police after he was taken into custody, according to prosecutors. "The threat was very real," said Arthur Balizan, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon. "Our investigation shows that Mohamud was absolutely committed to carrying out an attack on a very grand scale," The FBI affidavit that outlined the investigation alleges that Mohamud planned the attack for months, at one point mailing bomb components to FBI operatives, whom he believed were assembling the device. It said Mohamud was warned several times about the seriousness of his plan, that women and children could be killed, and that he could back out, but he told agents: "Since I was 15 I thought about all this;" and "It's gonna be a fireworks show ... a spectacular show." Mohamud, a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Corvallis, was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. A court appearance was set for Monday. Few details were available about him late Friday. Authorities allowed the plot to proceed in order to build up enough evidence to charge the suspect with attempt. Officials didn't say if the suspect had any ties to other Americans recently accused of trying to carry out attacks on U.S. soil, including alleged efforts in May by a Pakistan-born man to set off a car bomb near TimesSquare or another Pakistan-born Virginia resident accused last month in a bomb plot to kill commuters. U.S. Attorney Dwight Holton released federal court documents to The Associated Press and the Oregonian newspaper that show the sting operation began in June after an undercover agent learned that Mohamud had been in regular e-mail contact with an "unindicted associate" in Pakistan's northwest, a frontier region where al-Qaida and Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents are strong. The two used coded language in which the FBI believes Mohamud discussed traveling to Pakistan to prepare for "violent jihad," the documents said. In June an FBI agent contacted Mohamud "under the guise of being affiliated with" the suspected terrorist. But the documents did not say how federal officials first became aware of Mohamud. An undercover agent met with him a month later in Portland, where they "discussed violent jihad," according to the court documents. As a trial run, Mohamud and agents detonated a bomb in Oregon's backcounry earlier this month. "This defendant's chilling determination is a stark reminder that there are people — even here in Oregon — who are determined to kill Americans," Holton said. Friday, an agent and Mohamud drove to downtown Portland in a white van that carried six 55-gallon drums with detonation cords and plastic caps, but all of them were inert, the complaint states. They left the van near the downtown ceremony site and went to a train station where Mohamud was given a cell phone that he thought would blow up the vehicle, according to the complaint. There was no detonation when he dialed, and when he tried again federal agents and police made their move. Omar Jamal, first secretary to the Somali mission to the United Nations, condemned the plot and urged Somalis to cooperate with police and the FBI. "Talk to them and tell them what you know so we can all be safe," Jamal said. Somalia Foreign Minister Mohamed Abullahi Omaar said his government is "ready and willing" to offer the U.S. any assistance it may need to prevent similar attempts. He said the attempt in Portland was a tragedy for Mohamud's family and the "people he tried to harm." "Mohamud's attempt is neither representative nor an example of Somalis. Somalis are peace loving people," said Omaar, whose government is holed up in a few blocks of the capital, Mogadishu, while much of the country's southern and central regions are ruled by Islamist insurgents. Tens of thousands of Somalis have resettled in the United States since their country plunged into lawlessness in 1991, and the U.S. has boosted aid to the country. In August, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed an indictment naming 14 people accused of being a deadly pipeline routing money and fighters from the U.S. to al-Shabab, an al-Qaida affiliated group in Mohamud's native Somalia, At the time, Attorney General Eric Holder said the indictments reflect a disturbing trend of recruitment efforts targeting U.S. residents to become terrorists. Officials have been working with Muslim community leaders across the United States, particularly in Somali diasporas in Minnesota, trying to combat the radicalization. U.S. counterterror officials have been warning for more than a year and a half about the escalating threat from al-Shabab, which they say has been recruiting young Somali-Americans, luring them home to fight and train. Because they often carry U.S. passports, officials worry that they may be returning to the U.S. to form sleeper cells and carry out terror attacks. If Mohamud is found to have ties to al-Shabab, including travel to Somalia or training in camps there, it would be the realization of the long-held fear that the group can successfully coordinate and inspire attacks on U.S. soil. The alleged plot in Portland follows a string of terrorist attack planning by U.S. citizens or residents. In the Times Square plot, Faisal Shahzad allegedly tried to set off a car bomb at a bustling street corner. U.S. authorities had no intelligence about Shahzad's plot until the smoking car turned up in Manhattan. Late last month, Farooque Ahmed, 34, of Virginia was arrested and accused of casing Washington-area subway stations in what he thought was an al-Qaida plot to bomb and kill commuters. Similar to the Portland sting, the bombing plot was a ruse conducted over the past six months by federal officials. A year ago in another federal sting, 19-year-old Jordanian Hosam Smadi was arrested on charges he intended to bomb a downtown Dallas skyscraper. Federal officials said he placed what he believed was a car bomb outside the building but was instead a decoy device given him by an undercover FBI agent. "I think we've been extremely lucky so far in the United States that many of the incidents have been amateur," said Bruce Hoffman, terrorism expert at Georgetown University. "But even if their skill level is not enough that they can pull off a successful attack, what is clear that the intention or motivation to cause mass homicide or destruction is certainly genuine." ___
Posted by biginla
at 5:18 PM GMT
Updated: Saturday, 27 November 2010 5:23 PM GMT
Breaking News Details of Irish bail-out to be announced on Sunday
Topic: ireland, bbc news, eu
by Natalie de Vallieres, BBC News EU Desk, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla The outline of an €85bn bail out deal for Ireland will be published on Sunday, in an effort to calm the turmoil inEurope’s financial markets, a Dublin minister has indicated. “There has to be some clarity on our deal before Monday because what we’ve seen is a real uncertainty affecting markets, affecting this country, affecting other countries,”Eamon Ryan, the communications minister, told Irish radioon Saturday. The loan – from the International Monetary Fund and members of the European Union – was likely to be for nine years, not the 3 year duration of the Greek bail out loan, anIrish government officials told the Financial Times.
http://link.ft.com/r/IOCBMM/0GQEA6/CZNU2/26SN4H/FXU35J/MQ/h?a1=2010&a2=11&a3=27 |
Posted by biginla
at 4:38 PM GMT
Dublin protesters march against cuts as bail-out looms
Topic: ireland, bbc news, eu
27 November 2010 Last updated at 10:42 ETThe state's austerity plan is hugely unpopular by Natalie de Vallieres, BBC News EU Desk, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla Tens of thousands of people have marched through Dublin in protest at the government's austerity programme. Protest leaders said it was the first of many demonstrations over plans to raise taxes and cut public spending. The austerity programme is designed to cut the Irish Republic's massive government deficit, exacerbated by the rescue of the country's banks. The march came as officials met to hammer out the final details of a financial bail-out for the country. The EU and the IMF are set to lend the country more than 85bn euros ($113bn; £72bn), with the terms of the deal expected to be announced on Sunday ahead of the markets re-opening on Monday. State broadcaster RTE has reported that the interest rate to be paid on part of the loan could be as much as 6.7%, higher than the rate charged to Greece for its bail-out, which has raised concerns from opposition parties. The austerity package, announced on Wednesday by Prime Minister Brian Cowen, includes proposals to cut the minimum wage, slash the number of public sector jobs and increase taxes in order to save 15bn euros over the next four years. 'No support'Organisers said more than 100,000 people took part in Saturday's protest, while the Irish police (Gardai) estimated that "in the region of 50,000" people marched to Dublin's General Post Office, site of the nationalist uprising against British rule in 1916. Continue reading the main story- The 1990s were good for the Irish Republic's economy, with low unemployment, high economic growth and strong exports creating the Celtic Tiger economy. Lots of multi-national companies set up in the Republic to take advantage of low tax rates.
BACK1 of 6NEXT A spokesman for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions president, Macdara Doyle, told the BBC that the protest was designed to send out a clear message: "We're trying to convince government and show government that there's no support for their plan amongst civic society and that every measure they have taken to date has been exactly the opposite of what they need to do. "Our fears about the new budget is that it's deflationary multiplied by ten. It's taking far too much money out of the economy and whatever possible chance there is of, some sort of growth taking hold in the economy will be killed by this proposed budget." Mr Cowen's government insists the austerity plan and next month's budget are crucial steps to show fellow members of the 16-nation eurozone that the Irish Republic is putting its finances in order. The BBC's Mark Simpson, in Dublin, says it is believed that Mr Cowen has now joined government ministers in talks with delegations from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. The money is expected to come from a number of different sources, with the IMF loan expected to be the cheapest money but European money likely to more expensive, particularly the money from the European Stability Facility. Mr Cowen's coalition government suffered a setback with a by-election defeat on Friday which leaves the coalition government with a majority of just two. Worries about the government's ability to push its budget through parliament on 7 December have further unnerved financial markets. Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions (Required)Name(Required)Your E-mail address(Required)Town & Country(Required)Your telephone number(Required)
Posted by biginla
at 4:05 PM GMT
France 24 Newsletter by Biodun Iginla, BBC News, The Economist, France 24
Topic: france24, bbc news, biodun iginl
| Saturday November 27, 2010 08:16 (Paris time) |
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| WORLDTwo days after Portugal staged a crippling general strike, its parliament adopted unpopular spending cuts which it says will save the country from financial ruin and keep it from seeking an international bailout. The campaign rhetoric has been poisonous and personal in the run up to Sunday’s presidential run-off vote. But Thursday’s polite TV debate between the two main candidates has calmed frayed nerves in Ivory Coast. China urged North and South Korea, as well as the United States, to work to restore dialogue and avoid an escalation of violence in the Korean peninsula. The North shelled a South Korean island on Tuesday, killing two civilians. Washington is briefing foreign governments before WikiLeaks makes public classified diplomatic cables that contain damaging state secrets, according to the whistleblower website. Saudi Arabia's interior ministry said Friday that security forces had arrested 149 people with links to al Qaeda, most of whom were Saudi nationals, over the past eight months. The ministry also stated that several terror attacks had been foiled. BUSINESSTwo days after Portugal staged a crippling general strike, its parliament adopted unpopular spending cuts which it says will save the country from financial ruin and keep it from seeking an international bailout. The Japanese parliament has approved a new $58 billion stimulus package which will include job programmes, welfare spending and schemes to help small businesses. Tokyo approved a $61.3 billion stimulus package last month. Chancellor Angela Merkel told weary investors on Thursday that Germany considered the euro zone to be more stable today than one year ago, echoing other leaders' assurances that euro countries stood together and the common currency would not fail. A Swedish appeals court has rejected the appeal by the men behind file-sharing website Pirate Bay, but did reduce their jail terms. The court also increased their fines to more than $6 million. The EU Commission has announced that the next round of banking stress tests will be held in Spring 2011. This time they are expected to be tougher as the banking crisis in Ireland occurred after the first tests and none of the Irish banks failed it. SPORTSBritain’s Andy Murray eased into the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday, dismissing Spaniard David Ferrer in straight sets. But the Briton was surprisingly downbeat about his chances in the next round. Despite losing 3-0 to Schalke 04, Lyon moved into the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday after Hapoel Tel-Aviv secured its first-ever win in the competition against Benfica to dash the Portuguese side's hopes of qualifying. Peter Siddle's hat-trick at the Gabba on Thursday put Australia firmly in command on the opening day of the first Ashes Test against England. Spain's Rafael Nadal remained on course to win his first ATP World Tour Finals after a straight-sets dismissal on Wednesday of Serbia's Novak Djokovic, who struggled with an irritation to his right eye. Former winners AC Milan secured a spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League Tuesday, along with Olympique Marseille. This is the first time the French side has reached the final 16 since they took the trophy home in 1993. CULTUREHe is one of the world's most celebrated fashion and portrait photographers. Rare prints of Richard Avedon's iconic fashion and portrait shots fetched 5.5 million euros at a Christie's auction in Paris on Saturday. For some wine drinkers and diehard Francophiles, the yearly arrival of the Beaujolais nouveau is a day they await with gusto. For more discerning palates, and most people in France, it’s at best an excuse to throw a party. UNESCO has chosen the “gastronomic meal of the French” to feature on its list of the world’s intangible cultural treasures. But what exactly is French cuisine? Eva Longoria, star of the hit American TV series "Desperate Housewives", filed for divorce in Los Angeles Wednesday from her French basketball-player husband Tony Parker. The TV star cited "irreconcilable differences". Sarah Palin’s participation in a new television show about her life in Alaska has political commentators scratching their heads. Is reality television stardom compatible with presidential aspirations? SCIENCEPope Benedict XVI’s suggestion that the use of condoms may be acceptable in certain circumstances does not reverse the Catholic Church’s long-standing ban on contraception, says the head of France's leading Catholic daily. Pope Benedict XVI says that condom use can be justified "in certain cases", according to an interview to be published on Tuesday, an apparent reversal of the Vatican's longtime ban on contraception even to prevent sexually transmitted disease. FRANCEFormer French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin told a court he had "strong suspicions" that French officials received kickbacks from arms sales to Pakistan, but saw no link between the freeze of kickbacks and a deadly 2002 attack. Lawyers for Air France have told investigators that European aerospace giant Airbus and French manufacturer Thales failed to heed warnings concerning speed censors in the months preceding the crash of flight AF 447 between Rio and Paris. As the head of the French Army’s psychological unit, Lieutenant-Colonel François-Xavier Marchand’s job is to address mental health issues in the military. With the war raging in Afghanistan, he is a very busy man. In his first address after last week's cabinet reshuffle, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon on Wednesday promised to continue pushing through austerity measures, despite criticism over pension reforms and other budget-cutting policies. Exasperated by questions on a scandal linking him to kickbacks from arms sales, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters last week that by their own logic he could accuse them of being paedophiles. It is not Sarkozy's first public outburst. EUROPETwo days after Portugal staged a crippling general strike, its parliament adopted unpopular spending cuts which it says will save the country from financial ruin and keep it from seeking an international bailout. Chancellor Angela Merkel told weary investors on Thursday that Germany considered the euro zone to be more stable today than one year ago, echoing other leaders' assurances that euro countries stood together and the common currency would not fail. Across Europe, students and school children have been taking to the streets this week in unprecedented numbers, angry at planned government cuts to education budgets. As austerity looms, Europe’s youth is getting political. Ireland's drastic austerity plan has caused dismay among the public and drawn little enthusiasm from investors, leaving the government vulnerable to angry voters in forthcoming elections. Scuffles with the police broke out as thousands of students staged another day of street protests in cities across the UK on Wednesday, voicing their opposition to the British government's plans to almost triple university tuition fees. MIDDLE-EASTSaudi Arabia's interior ministry said Friday that security forces had arrested 149 people with links to al Qaeda, most of whom were Saudi nationals, over the past eight months. The ministry also stated that several terror attacks had been foiled. Voter turnout in Sunday’s elections is expected to be very low. According to political analyst Amr el-Shobaki (pictured), the opposition Muslim Brotherhood will be the big loser. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (pictured left) has been formally tasked with putting together a new government, more than eight months after an inconclusive election plunged Iraq's fledgling democracy into chaos. Israel's security cabinet has agreed to withdraw troops from part of a disputed village on the Lebanese border and hand over control to a UN peacekeeping force, resolving a key issue between the two countries. Lebanon is a multi-faith country home to 17 Muslim and Christian groups, as well as a tiny Jewish community older than the country itself. The latter has not had a place of worship for the past 30 years. AFRICAThe campaign rhetoric has been poisonous and personal in the run up to Sunday’s presidential run-off vote. But Thursday’s polite TV debate between the two main candidates has calmed frayed nerves in Ivory Coast. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai (left) has filed a lawsuit against President Robert Mugabe (right) over the latter's appointment of provincial governors in October, which the PM says violated the constitution and the terms of a power-sharing deal. The Paris public prosecutor's office has opened an inquiry into whether the president of Cameroon Paul Biya (pictured) had misappropriated public funds and had purchased assets in France. Biya's office has denied the complaint. South Sudanese officials accused the northern army of conducting an air strike on the southern side of the border on Wednesday in order to disrupt a Jan. 9 referendum on secession. The northern army denied it had carried out an attack. A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and a Nigerian accomplice were charged with the illegal shipment of mortars and rockets by a Nigerian court on Thursday. The illegal arms were seized in the port of Lagos in October. AMERICASWashington is briefing foreign governments before WikiLeaks makes public classified diplomatic cables that contain damaging state secrets, according to the whistleblower website. Police in Rio say they have gained control of a sprawling slum after five days of violent clashes with gang members who have run the shantytown for decades. At least 23 people have been killed and over 150 arrested during the operation. Military tanks were sent into a slum in northern Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, as suspected gang members attempting to reclaim lost turf clashed with heavily armed police for a fifth straight day, leaving as many as 30 people dead. The massive earthquake that devastated Haiti in January caused much of Port-au-Prince to collapse, including the city's main prison. The result has been chronic insecurity and a steep rise in sexual violence. Haiti is in ruins following January's devastating earthquake, and a worsening cholera epidemic is sweeping the country. Amid the chaos, voters are still preparing to go to the polls this weekend. ASIA-PACIFICThe Japanese parliament has approved a new $58 billion stimulus package which will include job programmes, welfare spending and schemes to help small businesses. Tokyo approved a $61.3 billion stimulus package last month. China urged North and South Korea, as well as the United States, to work to restore dialogue and avoid an escalation of violence in the Korean peninsula. The North shelled a South Korean island on Tuesday, killing two civilians. The son of former Taiwanese Vice President Lien Chan was shot in the face while speaking Friday at a campaign rally in suburban Taipei, but the island’s leader says his life is not in danger. Three teenage boys who were discovered floating in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean by fishermen on Friday survived 50 days on a diet of rainwater, coconuts and a seagull they managed to catch on their aluminium boat. British intelligence paid a Pakistani shopkeeper posing as a Taliban leader and introduced him into sensitive talks with senior Afghan officials including President Hamid Karzai, reports say.
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Posted by biginla
at 1:27 PM GMT
What recession? Shoppers eat up Black Friday deals
by Rochelle van Amber and Judith Stein for the BBC's Biodun Iginla
| Fri, Nov 26, 5:28 PM A long line of shoppers are seen as they wait for Black Friday sales in the early morning at a Target store Friday, Nov. 26, 2010, in Chicago. The store opened at 4 a.m. on Friday. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) View more photos For one day at least, you could almost imagine the recession never happened. Millions of the nation's shoppers braved rain and cold to crowd stores while others grabbed online bargains on what could be the busiest Black Friday ever. Early signs pointed to bigger crowds at many stores including Best Buy, Sears, Macy's and Toys R Us, some of which had earlier openings than past years or even round-the-clock hours. Minnesota's Mall of America and mall operators Taubman Centers Inc. and Macerich Co. also reported more customers than last year. But the most encouraging sign for retailing and for the economy was what Americans were throwing in their carts. Shoppers still clutched lists and the buying frenzy was focused on the deals on TVs and toys, but many were treating themselves while they bought gifts for others, adding items like boots, sumptuous sweaters, jewelry and even dresses for special occasions. Elayne Breton and her daughter Michelle got to Maryland's Mall in Columbia around 7 a.m. A few hours later, Michelle had picked out several presents for herself, including a pair of UGG boots, perfume and an iPod Touch. At Nordstrom, she scored a long-sleeved purple shirt that her mother let her wear out of the store. "Last year we were careful," said Elayne, whose husband's beer distribution business has started to pick up again. "This year we'll do more." The strong Black Friday builds on retailers' momentum after a solid start to November. Shoppers who can afford it are buying more nonessentials, like jewelry and luxury goods. "Last year, consumers were extremely into the basics, the socks, the pillows," said Keith Jelinek, director of the global retail practice at consulting firm AlixPartners. "This year, they're hungry to dress up their wardrobes, their homes. Shoppers were buying items with a little more pizazz, trendier sweaters, sheets in higher thread counts." He cautioned that they're not looking to replace everything -- just looking for a few special items. "They're still very value-conscious," he added. Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren said there were 7,000 people outside its Manhattan flagship store for its 4 a.m. opening, up from 5,000 people a year ago. "The difference between this year and last year was that last year, people had a budget and a list. They're doing the same thing this year but they're also buying for themselves," he said. Among some of the hot sellers were a luggage set for $49.99 and $39.99 cashmere sweaters. He noted that two groups that helped fuel customer traffic were young shoppers, ages 15 to 25, and men, both of whom were buying for themselves. Sharply reduced prices on flat-screen TVs helped fuel many stores' sales, according to Marshal Cohen, market research analyst at NPD Group Inc. Stores were grappling with a glut of TVs heading into the season because they had overestimated consumer demand. Research firm ShopperTrak is expected to release Black Friday data on Saturday, but a full picture of how retailers fared for the overall weekend won't be known until Thursday when major retailers report their monthly sales results. For the economy, the question remains: Will shoppers keep it up? Nearly 15 million people remain unemployed, and concerns about job security cloud consumer confidence. Spending is picking up but has not returned to pre-recession levels. And shoppers haven't let go of many cautious habits learned from the Great Recession. Many purchased with cash, and layaway remained popular as shoppers try to budget. Sears reported that consumers were setting aside items like Nordic treadmills that were on sale for $399, a savings of $400, to be delivered after the holidays. Credit cards were staying inside many wallets. "Now that I'm debt-free, I want to keep it that way," said Desiree Banks, who was at Best Buy in Macedonia, Ohio, with a stack of DVDS for $3.99 each. Shoppers did their homework, researching deals on websites. Stores made planning easier by touting their bargains last week. "Every year, we get more refined," said Deb Brown, 42, who was at the Bellevue Square Mall in Bellevue, Wash. She came from White Rock, British Columbia. Many teens bucked the bargain-hunting trend, shopping full force -- and paying full price -- at high-end stores like Hollister and American Eagle Outfitters, according to mall officials. That suggests that parents, feeling more financially secure, are giving their children extra spending money, said Jharonne Martis, director of consumer research at Thomson Research. A big worry is that some of the solid buying earlier in November could steal thunder from the rest of the season and leave a deeper lull between Thanksgiving weekend and the few days before Christmas. Clearly, stores worked hard to draw shoppers in for Black Friday and earlier, with more deals and expanded hours that allowed people to get shopping soon after their Thanksgiving dinner. A number of stores including Old Navy, Toys R Us and Sears opened on Thanksgiving Day. Toys R Us was counting on getting an extra boost by opening 24 hours straight, starting at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Many stores had trotted out the "Black Friday" label on sales as far back as October. Best Buy Co. started its holiday TV ads 11 days earlier this year than last year. CEO Brian Dunn said customer counts were showing high-single-digit percentage increases Friday morning compared to last year. He said shoppers were throwing in items like Blu-ray players to go with early morning bargains that started at 5 a.m. "Traffic was fast and furious. ... We started earlier and we have more TV (commercials). I think both of these things helped," Dunn said in an interview with us at the BBC. Wal-Mart, which had most stores open around the clock, reported the top five selling electronic items included an Emerson 32-inch LCD HDTV for $198. Hot toys included $10 Barbies and $4 Zhu Zhu pets, which were last year's hot hit. Thanksgiving weekend is huge for retailers. In recent years, Black Friday -- called that because the surge of shoppers could take retailers into profitability, or "the black," for the year -- has been the busiest shopping day of the year, according to data from ShopperTrak. Black Friday is generally not as big for online retailers as Monday after Thanksgiving -- known as Cyber Monday -- but many were already off to a good start. By mid-afternoon Friday, eBags sales soared 69.5 percent compared with a year ago. The retail blitz doesn't make or break the holiday season. In fact, shoppers seem to be procrastinating more every year, giving retailers some nail-biting moments waiting for sales the last few days before Christmas. Last year, the Thanksgiving shopping weekend accounted for 12.3 percent of overall holiday revenue, according to ShopperTrak. Black Friday made up about half of that. ___
Posted by biginla
at 1:06 PM GMT
Updated: Saturday, 27 November 2010 1:12 PM GMT
Friday, 26 November 2010
US says joint South Korea war games 'not directed' at China
Topic: south korea, north korea, bbc ne
by Xian Wan, BBC News Southeast Asia Desk, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla Nov 27, 2010, 02.23am IST WASHINGTON: The United States sought Friday to reassure China over joint US-South Korean military exercises, with the Pentagon insisting the war games were "not directed" at Beijing. The four-day exercises starting Sunday come in the wake of North Korea's artillery bombardment of a South Korean island, and will include a US aircraft carrier in a bid to deter the North. "The Chinese government was informed of our intent to conduct this naval exercise in the areas west of the Korean Peninsula," said Pentagon spokesman Darryn James. "It is important to point out that this exercise is not directed at China. As with previous exercises in this series, these operations are defensive in nature and designed to strengthen deterrence against North Korea," he said. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters on Thursday that Beijing had "concern" over the action, saying China opposes "any act that undermines peace and stability on the (Korean) peninsula." Tensions in the region have escalated after North Korea shelled a South Korean island on Tuesday, killing at least four people, and prompting retaliatory fire from the South.
Posted by biginla
at 10:17 PM GMT
New or updated articles by Biodun Iginla of The Economist and of the BBC
Topic: bbc news, biodun iginla, the eco
November 26th 2010
Posted by biginla
at 9:37 PM GMT
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