It's the economy (February 2009)

The job losses mount, the banks continue to struggle in many parts of the world and the spectre of protectionism all of a sudden is the buzzword of the month. Once again we track the tales of the financial troubles from various sources of the world's business reporters.

New York Times

Feb 18-- A Swiss Bank Is Set to Open Its Secret Files
Feb 18-- $275 Billion Plan Seeks to Address Crisis in Housing
Feb 17-- Chrysler Seeks More Aid and Plans to Slash 3,000 Jobs
Feb 17-- Dow Drops Nearly 300 Points
Feb 17-- Dead End in Detroit for White-Collar Workers
Feb 17-- Signing Stimulus Bill, Obama Does Not Rule Out Another
Feb 17-- Recession Starts to Worry Silicon Valley, Report Finds
Feb 16-- Would a G.M. Bankruptcy Save Taxpayer Money?
Feb 16-- Obama Riding the Wave
Feb 15-- Decade at Bernie’s
Feb 14-- Yes, They Could. So They Did.
Feb 13-- Stimulus Plan Receives Final Approval in Congress
Feb 13-- Stimulus Plan Sets New Limits on Executive Pay
Feb 13-- Disposing of Assets of Failed Banks Tests F.D.I.C.
Feb 13-- A Recession Challenge at Saks
Feb 13-- Stimulus Bill Would Bestow New Aid to Many Workers
Feb 13-- Rainy Days in Paradise
Feb 13-- Bankers had no incentive to stress test the system, BOE's Haldane says
Feb 13-- Legacy of a Crisis: A Generation Shy of Risk
Feb 13-- Peanut Corporation of America to Liquidate
Feb 13-- Europe Slump Deeper Than Expected
Feb 12-- Failure to Rise
Feb 12-- Ailing Banks May Require More Aid to Keep Solvent
Feb 12-- Global Economy Top Threat to U.S., Spy Chief Says
Feb 12-- In Japan’s Stagnant Decade, Cautionary Tales for America
Feb 12-- Ex-G.M. Workers Try to Reboot Their Lives
Feb 12-- Rescue Plan for Housing in the Works
Feb 12-- Question of Control Over Banks Awaits Treasury Secretary at Group of 7 Meeting
Feb 12-- Bankers get paid too much, but please let's fix the bigger problems
Feb 12-- Union backlash over £7.5bn 'super express' train contract
Feb 12-- Even After the Deal, Tinkering Goes On
Feb 12-- Virgin Atlantic to cut 600 jobs amid long-haul downturn
Feb 11-- Chinese Exports Plummet in January
Feb 10-- Bailout Plan: $2.5 Trillion and a Strong U.S. Hand
Feb 10-- They Really, Really Don’t Like It
Feb 10-- Geithner’s Multitrillion Dollar Bailout
Feb 10-- ‘Vulture’ Investors Eye Bad Assets, but Warily
Feb 10-- Taking Stock of U.S. Bailout, Asian Stocks Are Down
Feb 10-- For Geithner’s Debut, a Lukewarm Reception
Feb 10-- The Open-Door Bailout
Feb 10-- Sirius XM Prepares for Possible Bankruptcy
Feb 10-- Trillion Dollar Baby
Feb 9-- Obama Says Failing to Act Could Lead to a ‘C
Feb 9-- Geithner Said to Have Prevailed on the Bailout
Feb 9-- Taking on Critics, Obama Puts Aside Talk of Unity
Feb 9-- A Better Stimulus Bill
Feb 9-- Calls for Clarity in New Bailout for U.S. Banks
Feb 9-- Losses Mount on Credit Cards for Retailers
Feb 9-- Stimulus Bill Bears Imprint of Technology
Feb 8-- The Destructive Center
Feb 6-- Senators Reach Accord on Stimulus Plan as Jobs Vanish
Feb 6-- Small Businesses Critical of Stimulus Bills
Feb 6-- New Plan to Help Banks Sell Bad Assets
Feb 6-- Economy Shed 598,000 Jobs in January
Feb 6-- Furloughs in California Close Many Agencies
Feb 6-- Toyota Expects Greater Losses
Feb 5-- Bipartisan Push to Trim Size of Stimulus Plan
Feb 5-- Japan’s Big-Works Stimulus Is Lesson for U.S.
Feb 5-- As Layoffs Surge, Women May Pass Men in Job Force
Feb 5-- China’s Unemployment Swells as Exports Falter
Feb 5-- On the Edge
Feb 5-- Trying to Help Financially Troubled Homeowners
Feb 5-- Getting Tough in Washington
Feb 5-- The Gang System
Feb 4-- Obama Calls for ‘Common Sense’ on Executive Pay
Feb 4-- At Madoff Hearing, Lawmakers Lay Into S.E.C.
Feb 4-- Foreign Firms Lining Up for Piece of Stimulus
Feb 4-- An Ode to the Stimulus Bill
Feb 4-- Boo Hoo in the Boardroom
Feb 3-- U.S. Plans to Curb Executive Pay for Bailout Recipients
Feb 3-- Dark Days for Green Energy
Feb 3-- How to Avoid a Tom Daschle Tax Problem
Feb 3-- Time to Steer ‘Forceful Course’ for Stimulus
Feb 3-- Well, That Certainly Didn’t Take Long
Feb 1-- Bailouts for Bunglers
Feb 1-- Risks Are Vast in Revaluation of Assets
Feb 1-- February Blues After the Worst of Januarys
Feb 1-- World Leaders Wary of U.S. Economic Measures
Feb 1-- G.M. Pleads for Relief on Taxes
Feb 1-- Herbert Hoover Lives
Feb 1-- Sins of Omission: Help for the Homeowner
Feb 1-- Sins of Omission: The Forgotten Poor
.
Globe and Mail

Feb 28-- AIG near deal on new bailout terms: source
Feb 23-- 'There will be blood'
Feb 22-- The country's top executives see dark days ahead
Feb 22-- Hey Mr. Banker, why won't you spare a dime?
Feb 22-- Washington may take larger stake in Citi: report
Feb 22-- EU backs sweeping new financial rules
Feb 22-- Car makers warned not to ask for more
Feb 22-- Infrastructure left to rot may cripple Russia
Feb 21-- Economic nationalism rears its head
Feb 20-- As CanWest seeks credit, rivals target prized assets
Feb 20-- Sears Canada cuts 300 jobs, braces for tough 2009
Feb 20-- Canada, U.S. skirt edges of deflation
Feb 20-- GM's Saab unit files for creditor protection
Feb 18-- Buzz Hargrove, your timing's perfect
Feb 18-- How a high-flying Texas businessman came to have Canadian connections
Feb 18-- Western banks feel Eastern Europe's pain
Feb 18-- UBS to pay fine, reveal U.S. clients
Feb 18-- Obama housing rescue built on shaky ground
Feb 18-- Oil sands solidarity cracks under pressure
Feb 18-- Fed lowers economic forecast
Feb 18-- UAW deal limits overtime, raises, bonuses
Feb 18-- A happy worker is a cheaper worker
Feb 17-- Canadian Superior faces debt woes, shareholder revolt
Feb 17-- BCE chairman lauds Sabia role
Feb 17-- Texas financier charged with 'massive' fraud
Feb 17-- Auto makers in sprint to craft plans
Feb 17-- Chrysler and GM: Dead end or road to recovery?
Feb 17-- Harper confident GM won't quit Canada
Feb 17-- How the bailout fund has been spent
Feb 17-- Analyst downgrades IGM Financial after fourth-quarter plunge
Feb 17-- Russia, China sign $25-billion energy deal
Feb 17-- Abitibi says expropriation worth $300-million
Feb 17-- Trump casinos file for bankruptcy for third time
Feb 17-- Japan's government jolted as finance minister quits
Feb 17-- Japan braces as decline accelerates
Feb 16-- December manufacturing sales plummet
Feb 16-- Japan's economy shrinks at fastest rate in 35 years
Feb 16-- In Canada, G20 countries see the future of banking
Feb 16-- WestJet sets steady course for supremacy
Feb 16-- The shopping spree is over for consumption-mad countries
Feb 16-- Big employer pulls out, city pulls up bootstraps
Feb 16-- Energy security calls for a continental vision
Feb 16-- Tough times need tough thinking from not-for-profits
Feb 15-- Auto industry teeters as deadline looms
Feb 15-- Tentative agreement to avert strike at B.C. ports
Feb 14-- Report: GM considering Chapter 11 filing
Feb 14-- G7 ministers offer few fresh solutions for economic downturn
Feb 14-- Euro zone's fringe countries in a bind
Feb 14-- Bank dividends doomed? Scoff at your peril
Feb 14-- Resist populist protectionism, Flaherty urges G7
Feb 14-- G7 targets spectre of economic nationalism
Feb 13-- What's next?
Feb 13-- G7 targets spectre of economic nationalism
Feb 13-- CRTC looks to retool Canadian TV
Feb 13-- Home resales drop on woes of West
Feb 13-- Air Canada to shrink after $1-billion loss
Feb 13-- CPP loses but still outperforms markets
Feb 13-- Telus revenue rises but client growth slows
Feb 13-- The future is natural gas, Enbridge says
Feb 13-- CAE wins $329.5-million federal contract
Feb 13-- Tembec cutting more jobs
Feb 13-- RioCan profit dented by writedown
Feb 13-- Senate approves stimulus bill
Feb 12-- Oil sands report calls for increased focus on environment
Feb 12-- Chinalco to invest $19.5-billion in Rio Tinto
Feb 12-- Troubled Dow Chemical cuts dividend
Feb 12-- Sun Life's ‘horrendous' quarter
Feb 12-- Great-West Life loses $907-million
Feb 12-- Manulife loses $1.8-billion
Feb 12-- Can insurers get back on offence?
Feb 12-- Shoppers profit climbs 14.4 per cent
Feb 12-- Catalyst posts $221.1-million loss in '08
Feb 12-- Global trade collapse slams Canada
Feb 12-- Markets stage late rebound
Feb 12-- Facebook pegs company's value at $3.7-billion (U.S.)
Feb 12-- BorgWarner auto parts maker cuts 4,400 jobs
Feb 11-- Chrysler dealers share the pain
Feb 11-- Pratt & Whitney Canada to cut 1,000 jobs
Feb 11-- Vague rescue plan disappoints
Feb 10-- Canada's new recessionary consumer
Feb 10-- TV profits plunge nearly 93%
Feb 10-- Canada's recovery hinges on U.S. stimulus, Carney says
Feb 10-- Unions demand Buy Canadian policy
Feb 10-- Airlines sound alarm over passenger rights bill
Feb 10-- Sirius preparing possible bankruptcy filing: report
Feb 10-- GM to cut 10,000 salaried jobs
Feb 10-- Wal-Mart to cut up to 800 jobs at headquarters
Feb 10-- Hold the gloom, a sign of economic buoyancy on the high seas
Feb 9-- Consumer bankruptcy filings surge
Feb 9-- One quarter of Canadians fear layoffs
Feb 9-- Precision Drilling suspends distributions
Feb 9-- Home prices to fall by 8% this year
Feb 9-- Kingsway sells assets, cuts jobs amid shakeup
Feb 9-- Scotiabank expanding insurance operations
Feb 9-- France announces €6-billion auto maker loan
Feb 9-- AbitibiBowater finances ‘severely constrained'
Feb 9-- Public-private partnerships key to U.S. bailout
Feb 9-- Xstrata laying off 700 in Sudbury
Feb 9-- Falling stocks squeeze board ownership rules
Feb 9-- Activist hedge fund moves on Abitibi
Feb 9-- Charest government denies report it is set to fire seven top Caisse managers
Feb 9-- Rio Tinto's chairman-elect quits unexpectedly
Feb 9-- SEC freezes Madoff assets
Feb 9-- Air Canada unions demand pension funding
Feb 9-- U.S. stimulus bill clears Senate test
Feb 6-- Job losses won't alter stimulus plan, Harper says
Feb 6-- Scary job numbers for sure, but it's no Depression
Feb 6-- Dads opt for buyouts to spend more time with kids
Feb 6-- Ontario reviewing who qualifies for welfare
Feb 6-- Montreal feels the pain
Feb 6-- The oligarch shuffle
Feb 6-- Amcor eyeing Alcan Packaging
Feb 6-- Pressure rises to ease EI eligibility
Feb 6-- Caisse lost $38-billion in 2008: report
Feb 6-- U.S. senators reach deal on economic stimulus
Feb 6-- 'Buy American' mayhem
Feb 5-- What the fat cat dragged in
Feb 5-- Job losses pressure Flaherty to open stimulus taps further
Feb 5-- Restraint Takes a Vacation
Feb 5-- Teachers nearly quadruples Petrocan stake
Feb 5-- 'Buy American' battle not over, leaders warn
Feb 5-- U.S. to unveil bailout plan Monday
Feb 5-- Bombardier cutting 1,340 jobs
Feb 5-- CanWest puts E! up for sale
Feb 5-- Canada making headway in battle against Buy American provisions: Day
Feb 5-- Buffett invests in Swiss Re as insurers hurt
Feb 5-- U.S. retailers report dismal January sales
Feb 5-- Africa, once thought immune, succumbs to global crisis
Feb 4-- U.S. Senate agrees to soften ‘Buy American' plan
Feb 4-- Obama warns of ‘catastrophe' but stimulus bill isn't sure to pass
Feb 4-- Obama targets Wall Street excess
Feb 4-- He blew the whistle – and no one listened
Feb 4-- No simple answer to Obama's banking dilemma
Feb 4-- Central bank fails to sway analysts
Feb 4-- Bay puts faith in its Games plan
Feb 4-- RailPower gets creditor protection
Feb 4-- Circuit City ripples go beyond vacancies, layoffs
Feb 4-- Panasonic to cut 15,000 jobs worldwide
Feb 4-- IMF monitoring Central Africa bank losses
Feb 3-- China outruns U.S. in vehicle sales
Feb 3-- Obama moves to water down Buy America provisions
Feb 3-- Obama administration plans to mandate new executive pay limits
Feb 3-- CAW eyes labour cost cut
Feb 3-- Regulator, RIM officers in settlement
Feb 3-- ING to sell big piece of Canadian unit
Feb 3-- Credit card delinquencies jump
Feb 3-- Geithner, Flaherty discuss economic challenges
Feb 3-- Frozen salaries, no new jobs
Feb 3-- Tembec layoffs hit half of work force
Feb 3-- Disney profit falls by a third
Feb 3-- Chrysler's U.S. sales plunge 55 per cent
Feb 3-- BHP books 2.2 per cent profit rise
Feb 3-- Australia plans $26-billion stimulus package
Feb 1-- Ontario's pension plan safety net vulnerable: experts
Feb 1-- Rio says it's in asset sale talks to Chinalco
Feb 1-- Super Bowl ads play on economic woes

National Post

Feb 18-- Protectionism could turn recession into a depression
Feb 18-- Strapped states may undercut stimulus
Feb 18-- Ford distances itself from Detroit rivals
Feb 18-- Obama unveils US$275B plan to stem foreclosures
Feb 18-- Fed cuts economic forecast
Feb 18-- Transcontinental slashes 10% of workforce
Feb 18-- The 'big lie' about executive compensation
Feb 17-- Harper confident GM will stay in Canada
Feb 17-- GM, Chrysler ask for more government aid
Feb 17-- GM shares fall before deadline for survival plan
Feb 17-- GM, Chrysler push concessions as deadline looms
Feb 17-- U.S. markets sink towards November lows
Feb 17-- Air Canada could face bankruptcy protection
Feb 17-- Nortel to present business plan in few weeks
Feb 17-- Canadian Superior’s bank demands repayment of loan
Feb 17-- Teck posts $607-million loss
Feb 17-- Nortel to present business plan in few weeks
Feb 17-- TD increases stake in Luxembourg's Internaxx
Feb 17-- Bank of Nova Scotia downgraded on credit concerns
Feb 13-- Canada's housing market still in the doldrums
Feb 13-- Air Canada battling to navigate turbulent times
Feb 13-- Ottawa won over, CAE seeks more contracts
Feb 12-- Canadian industry waiting for its ship to come in
Feb 12-- Ottawa must wait on U.S. economic recovery
Feb 12-- Life insurers looking to Ottawa for backing
Feb 12-- Alberta unveils plans for oil sands
Feb 12-- Oil settles below US$33 on supply glut
Feb 12-- Rio Tinto accepts massive China investment
Feb 12-- EnCana won't make 'bold moves'
Feb 10-- Markets go into a tailspin on U.S. bailout plan
Feb 10-- Focus on U.S. bond market
Feb 10-- North American stocks take a bath
Feb 10-- Oil prices fall 5%
Feb 10-- More government help needed: Geithner
Feb 10-- Rates uncertainty as Carney sticks to his guns
Feb 10-- Canada scolded for free trade attitude
Feb 10-- Unions push for a 'Buy Canadian' policy
Feb 10-- Gun put to the heads of auto workers
Feb 9-- Stimulus package clears key vote in U.S. Senate
Feb 9-- Obama, Pelosi in showdown on U.S. stimulus bill
Feb 9-- How to cure the U.S. economy, for just $500-billion (cheap!)
Feb 9-- Home sales won't rebound until 2010: CREA
Feb 9-- OSC probes hedge funds in wake of Madoff scandal
Feb 9-- Nortel scraps shareholder meeting as cost cuts continue
Feb 9-- Carney expected to stand firm on bullish outlook
Feb 9-- Strong yen crippling Japan's auto giants
Feb 9-- Loonie climbs on U.S. stimulus hopes
Feb 9-- Gartman visits Canada, predicts loonie-greenback parity
Feb 9-- Bankruptcies down in December, way up in year
Feb 6-- Canada posts record monthly job losses
Feb 6-- Will the economy drag down Harper?
Feb 6-- Jobless rate soars to 7.2% — analysts comment
Feb 6-- U.S. lost nearly 600,000 jobs in January
Feb 6-- Making the worst of it
Feb 6-- Loonie slides to two-week low
Feb 6-- Senate close to vote on stimulus plan
Feb 6-- Obama: 'Devastating' job losses show need for stimulus
Feb 6-- U.S. spiralling deeper into recession
Feb 6-- Ottawa must wait on U.S. economic recovery
Feb 6-- Major changes to competition, foreign investment laws planned
Feb 6-- Major layoffs likely for Alberta's petroleum services sector
Feb 6-- Sands shift for Chrysler's Canadian workers
Feb 5-- Opposition parties compete for most-panicked-by-recession prize
Feb 5-- Ottawa misses chance to fix EI scheme
Feb 5-- RIM executives agree to $68M settlement
Feb 5-- Did ING get 'taken to cleaners?'
Feb 5-- William Watson: The CAW’s protectionist racket
Feb 5-- Maurice Strong: Let China buy Detroit
Feb 5-- Bombardier cuts jobs as business jet demand slumps
Feb 5-- Bank of England slashes rates to record low
Feb 5-- Warren Buffett bails out Swiss Re insurance
Feb 5-- Husky slashes dividend, cuts reserves
Feb 5-- Domtar cuts U.S. output as losses widen
Feb 4-- Canadian dealers eye tax breaks to lure car buyers
Feb 4-- Has Obama shut down the party on Wall Street?
Feb 4-- Obama tramples over 'shameful' bonus system
Feb 4-- Bank of America shares near two decade low
Feb 4-- GM wants retirees' COLA to end: sources
Feb 4-- Scotia among world's top 10 stable banks
Feb 4-- Canada urged to forge energy ties with Russia, China
Feb 4-- Hudson's Bay Company to cut 1,000 jobs
Feb 4-- Canadian airlines encounter turbulence in buyer’s market
Feb 4-- Gartman likes loonie, Canadian stocks
Feb 3-- GM's Future In Doubt
Feb 3-- Canada's auto sales rout continues
Feb 3-- Tory budget easily passes House vote as N.L. Liberals break ranks
Feb 3-- Obama urges Congress to soften protectionist trade message
Feb 3-- Protectionism is the last refuge of the mediocre
Feb 3-- Canada may pale to Obama’s green plan
Feb 3-- Stimulus bill could trigger global protectionism, U.S. leaders warned
Feb 3-- Melnyk pays US$1-million to settle SEC claim
Feb 3-- ING selling most of its stake in Canadian unit
Feb 3-- Canadian companies will have to cut payrolls, economists warn
Feb 3-- BP, Husky put oil sands plans on hold
Feb 3-- Canada's auto sales rout continues
Feb 3-- Complacent Canadians now deep in debt
Feb 2-- Say no to trade wars
Feb 2-- Counterpoint: It’s time to start buying Canadian
Feb 1-- More job losses expected in week ahead
Feb 1-- 'Buy America' policy a veiled attempt to export unemployment


Toronto Star

Feb 18-- Could Canada escape deeper auto layoffs?
Feb 18-- Harper warns U.S. against protectionism
Feb 18-- U.S. production, housing starts plunge
Feb 18-- Oil falls below $35 on more bad economic news
Feb 18-- Rogers records loss of $138M
Feb 18-- Goodyear to cut nearly 5,000 jobs
Feb 18-- CAW set for crunch time talks
Feb 18-- Three Trump casinos seek third bankruptcy
Feb 17-- GM, Chrysler could miss deadline
Feb 17-- Sliding demand sends oil below $35
Feb 17-- Auto crisis, economy alarm markets
Feb 17-- GM shares plunge before plan submission
Feb 17-- Metals collapse gives Teck $607M loss
Feb 17-- Lutz's exit shuts door on car history
Feb 17-- Japan spurs fall in world markets
Feb 13-- Home resales fall 40.9%
Feb 13-- Air Canada posts $727M loss
Feb 13-- TSX closes down on financials
Feb 13-- Oil breaks out of weeklong price slide
Feb 13-- Canada Pension Plan value drops $8.5B
Feb 13-- Pearson Airport hikes passenger fee 25%
Feb 13-- OPEC cuts 2009 oil demand forecast again
Feb 13-- Tembec cuts 100 more jobs, slashes spending
Feb 13-- G7 converge on Rome as crisis rages
Feb 13-- Telus revenues up five per cent
Feb 13-- Euro zone economy has record contraction
Feb 12-- Toyota slows Ontario assembly
Feb 12-- Americans' net worth hammered by recession
Feb 12-- Bank woes keep Irish crisis simmering
Feb 12-- Strong sales good medicine for Shoppers' profit
Feb 12-- Canadian Tire's Q4 profit falls 22.9%
Feb 12-- Auto credit 'critical' for ailing industry
Feb 12-- U.S. retail sales up 1 per cent in January
Feb 12-- Chinalco to invest $19.5B in Rio Tinto
Feb 12-- Oil slips below $36 as inventories rise
Feb 12--Pioneer to cut 10,000 jobs globally
Feb 10-- GM to cut 10,000 salaried jobs
Feb 10-- U.S. bank bailout set to top $1 trillion
Feb 10-- Loonie falls two cents
Feb 10-- Oil tumbles after U.S. rescue plan unveiled
Feb 10-- More rate cuts to come
Feb 10-- Economic rebound next year, Carney says
Feb 10-- Unions seek 'buy Canadian' stimulus policy
Feb 10-- Stop screening for credit, income, auto insurers warned
Feb 10-- Stronger dollar, lower sales hurt Molson Coors profit
Feb 10-- China overtakes U.S. in car sales
Feb 10-- Loss of confidence swamps house market
Feb 10-- Car market has further to fall: Magna CEO
Feb 10-- Obama out selling stimulus package
Feb 9-- Housing starts down 11% in January
Feb 9-- Nissan to cut 20,000 jobs
Feb 9-- Bankruptcies soared in late 2008
Feb 9-- Nearly 700 miners laid off in Sudbury
Feb 9-- Nortel gives up corporate jets
Feb 9-- Syncrude charged after 500 ducks perished on oilsands pond
Feb 9-- Job losses feared as earnings revealed
Feb 9-- Stimulus efforts eclipse bank plan
Feb 9-- Scaling wall over Canada's trade complaint against China
Feb 9-- Manufacturers look to future
Feb 9-- Housing market 'correction' in full swing
Feb 8-- GM may want Delphi plants back
Feb 8-- Economic meltdown hits home
Feb 8-- These signs say you got bad investment advice
Feb 8-- Rays of sunlight in economic gloom
Feb 7-- Province urged to hike deposit ins
Feb 7-- Real estate council freezes more bank accounts
Feb 6-- Job losses worst on record
Feb 6-- Chrysler to idle Brampton plant
Feb 6-- Cap payday loan costs, board urgesCap payday loan costs, board urges
Feb 6-- Tim Hortons, Cold Stone to create new stores
Feb 6-- U.S. employers slash 598,000 jobs
Feb 6-- `Buy American' controversy forged in Chinese steel mills
Feb 6-- Learning to live with uncertainty
Feb 6-- A chance to trim bloated paycheques
Feb 5-- Federal budget overly optimistic: Page
Feb 5-- Actors, sports legends on Madoff client list
Feb 5-- Bombardier cuts 1,360 jobs
Feb 5-- U.S. retail sales plunge in January
Feb 5-- December building permits slip
Feb 5-- U.K. central bank cuts rates to record low
Feb 4-- Hudson's Bay cuts 1,000 jobs
Feb 4-- Obama imposes salary caps for bailout CEOs
Feb 4-- Canadian car sales crash
Feb 4-- Magna-owned plant closing after contract rejection
Feb 4-- Madoff tipster says he feared for his safety
Feb 4-- ING Canada shares tumble on fire sale
Feb 4-- U.S. planned layoffs hit 7-year high
Feb 4-- China auto sales may outpace U.S.
Feb 3-- CAW worries GM will pull out of Canada
Feb 3-- GM offers buyouts to all hourly employees
Feb 3-- Toyota's Canadian sales rebound
Feb 3-- More big job losses in store for Canada
Feb 3-- Canadian credit card delinquencies rising
Feb 3-- 60 Globe and Mail staffers take buyouts
Feb 3-- A Liberal budget in all but name
Feb 3-- 'Buy North American' a better course
Feb 1-- Trade war is avoidable, says Stockwell Day
Feb 1-- Porter tries to fly above economic turbulence
Feb 1-- All the news that's fit to fund
Feb 1-- Employment will weight on investors' minds this week

International Newspapers

England/Scotland/Ireland

Feb 19-- Rising debt may overwhelm Barack Obama's effort to rescue the economy
Feb 19-- Rio Tinto at risk of turmoil as investors eye return of Jim Leng
Feb 19-- Gordon Brown hints at fresh tax cuts in the Budget
Feb 19-- Toyota to seek voluntary redundancies in Britain
Feb 19-- Peter Mandelson stands by F-word outburst
Feb 19-- Future of Saab uncertain as GM prepares to cut off support
Feb 18-- Gordon Brown promises new curbs on bank bonuses
Feb 18-- Chrysler and General Motors need $21bn in aid ‘to survive’
Feb 18-- Barack Obama gambles billions to save homes and jobs
Feb 18-- Shares plunge as investors fear global slump
Feb 18-- Spectre of deflation stalking the economy
Feb 18-- Windmills flap helplessly as coal remains king
Feb 18-- Taoiseach pressed on key details over €300m Anglo loans
Feb 18-- Irish recovery plan provokes harsh criticism from Brussels
Feb 18-- Brussels provides a wake-up call to Government
Feb 17-- Donald Trump's New Jersey casinos file for bankruptcy protection
Feb 17-- MPC's Tim Besley says more action needed to avoid deflationary spiral
Feb 17-- Trichet refuses to rule out further interest rate cuts
Feb 17-- ABI summons Rio Tinto to discuss pre-emption rights
Feb 17-- Gold hits record against euro on fear of Zimbabwean-style response to bank crisis
Feb 17-- Rio Tinto's sabre rattling on Chinalco deal could backfire
Feb 17-- UK inflation falls to lowest in almost 50 years
Feb 17-- Weak sterling will help economy
Feb 17-- FTSE 100 falls sharply as doubts over US stimulus plan hits global markets
Feb 17-- New fears on fate of economy
Feb 17-- Warning as UK heads for deflation
Feb 17-- Japan's finance minister departs after 'drunken' TV appearance
Feb 16-- Japan's economy shrinks most since 1974
Feb 15-- China digs into Rio’s debts
Feb 14-- Gordon Brown to scrap final salary pensions for MPs
Feb 14-- The return of Brown the Brooder
Feb 13-- Lloyds stuns City by revealing potential HBOS loss of £11bn
Feb 13-- Barack Obama warns economic recovery will take years
Feb 13-- Loans scandal claims Irish Life chief
Feb 13-- ITV staff braced for hundreds more job cuts
Feb 13-- Alistair Darling risks rift with Germany and France over bank rescue
Feb 13-- Rio shareholders want China deal scrapped in favour of rights issue
Feb 13-- Taking stock of the LSE's Dame Clara
Feb 13-- Pressure on Lloyds chief as shares dive
Feb 13-- Lloyds shares tumble as HBOS slumps to £10bn loss
Feb 13-- IL&P refuses Casey resignation, two directors step down
Feb 13-- Inflation decline first in 50 years
Feb 13-- Gordon Brown vows to 'claw back' bonuses amid backlash against the bankers
Feb 13-- Beware of the dog: Gordon Brown's nearly at the end of his tether
Feb 13-- European finance ministers to attack Alistair Darling over sterling's slide
Feb 13-- Bit by bit, Gordon Brown's fantasy is being pulled apart by the facts
Feb 13-- High debt levels endanger Britain's AAA credit rating for first time
Feb 13-- Europe's industrial base may never recover from crisis
Feb 13-- Rio Tinto digs in its heels over deal with China
Feb 13-- German economy dives as France admits slowdown
Feb 13-- Agencies poised to inflict painful cut in AAA downgrade
Feb 13-- Diageo shares hit on global job cuts and falling profit forecasts
Feb 13-- Peter Jones: Just how healthy are Scotland's exports?
Feb 13-- Gordon Brown's tough talk fails to hide his lack of action over remuneration
Feb 13-- Black day at airport as firms shed 1,300 jobs
Feb 12-- Fleet Street cuts jobs as advertising slump bites
Feb 12-- Brian's banking blind spot bears hallmarks of a Greek tragedy
Feb 12-- What the Government's bailout means and will it actually work
Feb 12-- North Sea oil and gas jobs on the line as investment falls
Feb 11-- Unemployment to exceed 2m for first time under New Labour
Feb 11-- Nicolas Sarkozy's bailout of carmakers sparks EU summit
Feb 11-- Credit Suisse records worst than expected loss
Feb 11-- Gordon Brown ally Sir James Crosby ‘ignored risk alert at HBOS’
Feb 11-- President Barack Obama team rolls out $3 trillion plan to save economy
Feb 11-- Tim Geithner's 'conceptual' banking rescue fails to reassure investors
Feb 11-- Standard Life bows to pressure over Pension Sterling Fund compensation
Feb 11-- Treasury committee MPs miss chance to grill bankers in detail about their role in crisis
Feb 11-- Bentley and GM announce more UK job losses
Feb 11-- Jobcentres given new mission to save the middle-class jobless
Feb 10-- Stocks plunge as Timothy Geithner fudges detail of economic rescue
Feb 10-- So, just how bad will the recession be?
Feb 10-- Chinese economy: Sparks of revival amid the collapse of a Chinese steel town
Feb 10-- RBS and HBOS executives to apologise for collapse of banks
Feb 10-- Rio Tinto stands by sale of assets to Chinalco
Feb 10-- President Barack Obama breaks Republican resistance over $820bn plan
Feb 10-- Rush for ships feeds hope of revival in commodities
Feb 10-- Half of China's toy factories close after exports slump
Feb 10-- Ed Balls: minister fears rise of fascism amid economic gloom
Feb 10-- New Rio chairman resigns after debt disagreement
Feb 10-- Bank of England challenged by new independent Monetary Policy Forum
Feb 10-- EU meeting to tackle 'toxic assets' of banks
Feb 10-- McCreevy warns against dangers of protectionism
Feb 10-- PM to banks: give back your bonuses
Feb 9-- Bank of England to warn recession will last far longer than Government's forecast
Feb 9-- House prices have much further to fall and that is no bad thing
Feb 9-- Life as an economic liberal is almost untenable at the moment
Feb 9-- Weakened banking system is creaking further, warns City watchdog
Feb 9-- Barclays defends accounting policies as it reveals £6.1bn profit
Feb 9-- Ireland links €7bn bank rescue to cuts in pay and bonuses
Feb 9-- Latter-day Onassis could rescue debt-laden Olympic Airlines
Feb 7-- Barclays set to give big bonuses to bankers who scuttled Woolworths
Feb 7-- UK company collapses up 124% in three months
Feb 6-- Shorts set to lay off 300 temporary staff as jet orders decline
Feb 6-- Iceland: downfall of 'a foolish little nation'
Feb 6-- Manufacturing falls at fastest rate for 28 years
Feb 6-- Royal Mail looks to shed 16,000 jobs as it aims to cut costs
Feb 6-- Obama unveils economic panel of experts
Feb 6-- It’s not the first time the market has been declared dead
Feb 5-- Bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland bankers set for millions in bonuses
Feb 5-- High street on the skids after collapse of Icelandic retailer Baugur
Feb 5-- Gradual sell-off gives staff some breathing space
Feb 5-- Devaluation threat to rouble: Russia props up banks with $40 billion
Feb 5-- Heading down into uncharted territory, The Times MPC is divided on how to steer a safe course
Feb 5-- D-Day for Gordon Brown as he says world is already in a depression
Feb 5-- China outraged after India bans all toy imports
Feb 5-- Number out of work could hit 400,000 this year, says Cowen
Feb 4-- President Obama to water down 'Buy American' plan after EU trade war threat
Feb 4-- Services data show worst of recession could be behind us
Feb 4-- Jim Rogers got it wrong - UK and the pound are not 'finished'
Feb 4-- Alistair Darling tells peers: we slipped up on economy
Feb 4-- Wanted: foreign jobs for British workers
Feb 4-- High-street shake-up on way as Hamleys and House of Fraser investor collapses
Feb 4-- Bank must act fast to stop plunging inflation
Feb 4-- Poll points finger at Greenspan
Feb 4-- Kremlin to inject $40bn into Russia's banks
Feb 4-- Britain 'headed' for deepest slump in 60 years
Feb 4-- RBS chairman McKillop quits as new regime strengthens its hold
Feb 4-- BP boss says 'no' to mega-mergers
Feb 4-- BP reports first quarterly loss for seven years
Feb 4-- Warren Buffet injects $300m into Harley-Davidson
Feb 4-- Exchequer returns show 19% fall in tax take
Feb 4-- €2bn cuts: Cowen lays it on the line
Feb 4-- Tax revenue slump leaves €750m hole in finances
Feb 3-- Cowen proceeds with public sector pension levy despite talks failure
Feb 3-- Europe and Canada warn US over 'Buy America' clause
Feb 3-- Alistair Darling blames bankers for not coming clean
Feb 3-- Funding crisis forced lenders to access Bank for £185bn
Feb 3-- Spain's downward spiral spooks bond investors
Feb 3-- Jim Rogers and his theories of relativity
Feb 3-- BP dividend cash pledge cheers British pension funds
Feb 3-- EU threatens legal action over American car industry bail-out
Feb 3-- Private equity 'next bubble to burst', unions warn
Feb 3-- Buy the flat and we'll throw in the job to pay for it
Feb 2-- Thousands may strike over 'British jobs' dispute
Feb 2-- US department store Macy's cuts 7,000 jobs
Feb 2-- Downturn in China leaves 26 million out of work
Feb 2-- Glaxo workers braced for 10% job cuts
Feb 2-- Chinese premier to meet Brown on crisis
Feb 2-- More strikes loom in row over hiring foreign workers at low wages
Feb 2-- Chinese premier: Greedy bosses on huge salaries to blame for financial crisis
Feb 2-- State to step in as credit insurance drought imperils small businesses
Feb 2-- Rio faces clash with Canberra over stake sale to China
Feb 2-- Economists express doubts over Brown's ring-rencing plan for toxic debts in British banks
Feb 2-- 'Jobs for British' protesters threaten strike against power supplies
Feb 2-- PPF look set to raise pension fund levy
Feb 2-- Let banks fail, says Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz
Feb 2-- Rio Tinto urged to come clean on £10bn China deal
Feb 1-- Gordon Brown says: London is not 'Reykjavik on the Thames'
Feb 1-- Ministers to look at 'distorted' EU employment law
Feb 1-- Rio Tinto confirms talks over Chinese cash injection
Feb 1-- Little room for optimism in the snow
Feb 1-- We must prepare for the recovery - whenever it comes

Australia
.
Feb 5-- We're waging economic war: Premier
Feb 5-- MacBank profit shocker
Feb 4-- Time to fire the fiscal cannon
Feb 4-- Chinese economy shows signs of life
Feb 4-- Inquiry call after Turnbull bombshell on $42b package
Feb 2-- Rio in talks with Chinalco
Feb 2-- Rudd reveals $115b loss
Feb 2-- From rates to Ruddbank, this dip is distinct
Feb 2-- China's Premier pays heavy price for national insecurity
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Japan/China/Asia

Feb 10-- Asia: The coming fury
Feb 5-- Panasonic terminating 15,000 jobs worldwide
Feb 5-- Fujitsu allows workers to moonlight to make ends meet
Feb 2-- Pansonic's losses to exceed Y300 billion
Feb 2-- Theme's of adulthood, inclusiveness set tone for remaking America

Nine classrooms in Prince Rupert above the 30 or less rule

Both Prince Rupert High schools feature classes above the normal guidelines listed by the Ministry of Education, with both Prince Rupert Secondary and Charles Hays tipping the totals in nine separate cases, mainly in the Grade 10-12 range.

For the most part each class is over the fixed number of thirty by one or two students, with a number of reasons provided for the exemption from the rule, a situation that isn't quite as dire as in other locations in the province, but still one that is an issue of concern for local educators and their union.

The report from the Ministry outlines a number of findings and is broken down by District and is available on line for those seeking out further detail on the number crunching in the province's classrooms.

Across the district, the average class sizes include 15.4 for kindergarten, 20.3 for Grades one through three, 23.7 for Grades four to seven and 20.4 for grades eight to twelve.

The findings provided some of the background in the Daily News article from Friday's paper, which highlighted the reaction to the report from both the BCTF and North coast MLA Gary Coons.

Crowded classrooms breaking provincial gov's rules
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, January 30, 2009
Pages one and two

The numbers are in, and they show that more than 3,300 classrooms across British Columbia have 30 or more students in them, a figure that has teachers unions outraged.

The Ministry of Education recently released a report on class sizes for all 60 school districts in the province, acknowledging that nine Grade 8-12 classrooms in Prince Rupert violate provincial legislation by having more than 30 students.

The report also showed that nearly 11,000 classrooms across the province have four or more students with special needs, with 126 of those coming from Prince Rupert's 361 classes.

The British Columbia Teachers' Federation said the data is proof that the government has "no plan to help students in overcrowded classrooms," and that the data shows "students are worse off today than in 2005 when B.C. teachers first went on strike."

"Once again, the government is breaking their own legislation," said BCTF President Irene Lanzinger.

"Even worse, Premier Gordon Campbell and Minister of Education Shirley Bond are once again breaking their promise to B.C.'s students, parents, and teachers.

"There are more overcrowded classes now than in 2005-06 when the government first created the Learning Round Table and set limits in legislation. The data put forward by the minister shows her government has no plan and the round-table continues to fail."

But B.C.'s Education Minister Shirley Bond countered by highlighting the fact that overall class sizes are smaller today than in the 2005-06 school year when the class size legislation was enacted, dropping from 9,253 to 3,336 in 2008-09.

"We are the first government to enact class size and composition legislation, and all 60 school districts are meeting the requirements," said Bond.

"Schools need a degree of flexibility to organize classes that best meet the needs of students, and these decisions are best made locally," added Bond.

"When classes exceed 30 students, administrators are expected to provide appropriate, educationally sound rationales for these decisions, and the province will continue to review and monitor these classroom arrangements."

The NDP also took notice of the increased number of classrooms with more than four IEP students, commenting that Gordon Campbell was leaving children behind.

"The number of classrooms with four or more special needs students has ballooned to a number greater than post-Bill 33 numbers in May 2006," said North Coast MLA Gary Coons.
"A dismal failure of a bill that had so much potential.

"These appalling numbers show that this government has done nothing to improve our children's education in the last eight years. When all eyes are on the federal budget, the Campbell government tries to sneak in the latest numbers."

Seeking our share of the infrastructure kitty.

The requirement to have matching funds, could in the end slow the progress of any plans for Prince Rupert to capitalize on the recent Conservative Federal budget.

With the finances for the city as tight as they are these days, providing for our share of the infrastructure kitty is something that the Mayor is trying to find a way around in order to take part in that great trans-Canadian quest for money.

A number of items would be on the Prince Rupert wish list, from the much discussed Hays Creek Sewer project, to the usual fall back of infrastructure programs the paving of city streets.

He outlined some of his thoughts and concerns in a front page, headline story in Friday's paper, including the observation that staff shortages may be playing a role in the slow pace of grant acquisition, funding and progress for local projects.

A suggestion that former Mayor Herb Pond was fond of reminding us over the last few years as the city struggled with its budget and the dwindling tax base of the city itself. It will be interesting to see how the public reacts to the prospect of more staff being required, funded from a tax base that is already among one of the highest of tax payers in the province.

MAYOR HOPES CITY CAN FIND A WAY GRAB FED'S FUNDS
Budget offers cash for infrastructure projects but city will need way to find matching funds.
By George T. Baker
The Daily News
Friday, January 30, 2009
Pages one and three

Benjamin Franklin once said "he that can have patience can have what he will," and Mayor Jack Mussallem is hoping that there will be some truth to that.
Mussallem isn't writing off the budget yet.

The city could see a 60-job benefit through federal funding if the province steps up to help the local government's shallow coiffures.

The Mayor of Prince Rupert said he is taking a long hard look at what the federal government is offering to municipalities through its Budget 2009 and while he isn't happy with the lack of access to grants, he said the City of Prince Rupert is in place to move forward in 2009.

"We are of a slightly different mind than the (federal) government is and, obviously, they could not come to terms with our requests with grants and how you have to have shelf-ready projects," said Mussallem.

When federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced this week that municipalities could apply for infrastructure grants through matching grants, Ottawa effectively rejected what many smaller and rural communities were begging for: federal money without the need to match it with local funds.

Flaherty ignored that request, suggesting that it was up to local communities to show they could pay for at least one-third of any infrastructural project on their own.

But the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has conveniently made a list available for Prince Rupert - and other B.C. communities - that is accessible online.

According to the list, Prince Rupert is looking at $5.25 million worth of shovel-ready projects that could use federal funding, the biggest one being the $4 million required for the Hays Creek Sewer Project.

That project is estimated to create 46 local jobs, and combined with the other two projects (landfill development and residential road paving) would create a total of 60 jobs for the local economy.

Competition for federal funding will be fierce.

And cities will have to go up against Metro Vancouver, with a population base of 2.3 million people, which is looking for $40 million worth of funding for a regional organics processing facility alone. That project would create 457 jobs.

Mussallem said the city is talking to the province about infrastructure projects and was in meetings with BC Rural Secretariat representatives. He said Prince Rupert had also been looking for funding through Community Futures.

The city is looking to move forward on some projects, including the Mariners Memorial Park project, which was announced last year when Premier Gordon Campbell stepped up with a cheque of more than $182,000 for upgrades to the park.

Among the upgrades slated for the park is a bandstand.

Mussallem said he wouldn't discuss the other projects on hold for fear of partners not getting the funding on time, which might delay improvements for another year.

"The city has received funding on certain projects that we haven't enacted upon," said Mussallem.

According to Mussallem, staff shortages are part of the problem, slowing down some of the projects that need to be implemented.

Not everyone seems to understand the facebook thing

For a nineteen year old from Laval, Quebec it would seem that the whole concept of facebook isn't quite getting through.

The social networking service makes its impact by building up list upon list of contacts, helping users to make new "friends" or link up with old ones, in the case of Philippe Duquette, he's made a bunch of new ones, guys and gals in uniforms, with badges, guns and hand cuffs. And a group which took a rather interested view of his postings.

Duquette is alleged to have created an on line group, in which he outlined his plans to blow up a police car and the police station in the Montreal suburb of Laval, he proved to be a popular facebook contact, as over 300 had signed onto his group, more than a few no doubt of whom were Laval police officers who took him into custody to face three charges including uttering threats.

While he waits for his march 19 court appearance he'll have to make do without his connection to facebook, as part of the conditions of release he is to refrain from using his computer.

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One wonders if his "friends" from the page are standing by him now or have become co-conspirators or witnesses for the prosecution, most, if they've figured out this was one place not to be, have probably moved on to less troublesome pursuits on facebook.

Blustery weather plays havoc with BC Ferries schedule

The Queen of Prince Rupert has only been back on its regular run for a week now, but Mother Nature seems to have other plans for residents of the Islands and North coast to connect.

The Sunday night sailing of the vessel has been pushed back at least three hours, with a new departure time from Prince Rupert of 3:30 Monday morning, as the vessel has experienced some weather delays over the last twenty four hours, turning its schedule upside down in the process.

BC Ferries has updated information available on their website, from the site this service notice for Sunday night/Monday morning...

Service Notice - Sailing Delay - Weather - Revised Schedule
Posted Sunday, February 1, 2009

Note: This Service Notice applies to the following route(s):

- Prince Rupert - Queen Charlotte Islands (Skidegate)

Updated as of 4:30 pm

Please be advised that the Queen of Prince Rupert has been experiencing delays due to weather. Please find the revised schedule for the Queen Charlottee Islands below:

Depart Prince Rupert at 3:30 am (Monday, February 2nd)Customers are asked to check-in at the Prince Rupert terminal by 2:00 am (Monday, February 2nd).

Arrive Skidegate at 10:00 am (Monday, February 2nd)Depart Skidegate at 2:00 pm (Monday, February 2nd)

These times are estimates and may need to be revised due to weather. At this time we are asking customers to check-in at the Skidegate terminal by 12:00 (noon) on Monday, February 2nd.

For up-to-date information please call 1-877-223-8778 or check our vessel tracking web page.