Raiffeisen eyes acquisitions in Poland-magazine

July 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 25 (Reuters) – Raiffeisen International (RIBH.VI) is eyeing Poland as a place for potential acquisitions, Chief Executive Herbert Stepic told Germany weekly magazine Wirtschaftswoche.

Raiffeisen only expands into markets where it can gain significant market share and strengthen its positioning, Stepic told the magazine.

“Poland is without a doubt a market where this is the case,” Stepic was quoted as saying in an advance copy of the magazine’s Monday edition. (Reporting by Edward Taylor; editing by Karen Foster)

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German labor office chief says crisis not over

July 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – It’s too early to say the economic crisis in Germany has passed because considerable risks to the recovery remain, the head of the Federal Labour Office, Frank-Juergen Weise, was quoted as saying on Saturday. Weise told German newspaper Rheinpfalz am Sonntag that while developments on the labor market were better than expected, he was worried “the economic crisis is being declared over,” he said in excerpts from an article due to appear on Sunday.

“There are still major uncertainties,” Weise said.

Adjusted for seasonal swings, unemployment fell for a 12th straight month in June to its lowest level since December 2008. However, concerns about the outlook for 2011 cast some doubt over whether the jobless total could fall much further.

The German economy suffered easily its biggest postwar recession in 2009, shrinking by some five percent. Since then, an export-led recovery has enabled the country to make up a substantial portion of the ground lost in the slump.

Many analysts believe Europe’s largest economy probably grew by at least one percent in the second quarter, accelerating from 0.2 percent in the January-March period. However, leading indicators suggest the recovery may slow in the months ahead.

(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

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Reuters Insider- Finance Minister Christine Lagarde on the euro

June 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

French Finance Minister, Christine Lagarde, takes part in a live Reuters Insider event to talk about the euro zone debt crisis, the impact on France and whether the future of the euro is now in doubt.

To watch live at 0630 GMT, go to insider.thomsonreuters.com and log in, or register for an account.

The show will also be available live and on demand on 3000 Xtra. Click on:

link.reuters.com/tef42m

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Reuters Insider- Finance Minister Christine Lagarde on the Euro

June 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

French Finance Minister, Christine Lagarde, takes part in a live Reuters Insider event to talk about the euro zone debt crisis, the impact on France and whether the future of the euro is now in doubt.

To watch live at 0630 GMT, go to insider.thomsonreuters.com and log in, or register for an account.

The show will also be available live and on demand on 3000 Xtra. Click on:

link.reuters.com/tef42m

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Users Must Stay Vigilant on Social Networking Sites, Says Punch

June 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

LEICESTERSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, Jun 09 (MARKET WIRE)
–
Users of social networks must become more vigilant when it comes to their
personal privacy according to Search, Social Media and PR Agency Punch
Communications.

Social media has grown a vast amount over the past few years and has
gradually increased in complexity, which has had implications on users’
privacy.

Facebook recently announced that it has simplified its privacy settings
following increased concern that they were too complicated to understand.
The changes have been made in order to make it more straightforward for
users to pick and choose what information they want to be made public.

These changes have been a reminder that users need to be extremely
cautious when it comes to what content they display on their personal
social networking pages.

Pete Goold, Managing Director of Punch Communications, remarked;
“Users can follow a few basic steps to ensure that they are happy
with the amount of privacy they have on social networking sites. Firstly,
users must make sure that they have a comfortable understanding of the
privacy settings on their social network pages; this is the only way to
ensure complete control over what the public can view. They must make
sure that they can change and amend any settings with ease should they
wish to.

“Secondly, users must be sensible over what content is shared. It is
prudent to keep personal photos off social media such as images of
children, any content that could risk the safety of the user or those
around them. This leads on to step three, users should not post content
that might have a detrimental affect should a potential employer see
them. There is little doubt that employers are increasingly using social
media as a key tool in recruitment therefore it is important to filter
the amount of content shared in the public domain.”

Founded in 2003 by Pete and Emma Goold, Digital PR agency Punch
Communications offer traditional PR services as well as is being a
leading social media and SEO agency. Punch successfully uses social media
to enhance a brands online presence, and enable them to improve their
consumer engagement.

Punch is currently recruiting for a number of roles, from Account Manager
to Account Director. For more information regarding PR jobs at Punch,
please call +44 (0) 1858 411600 or visit punchcomms.com.

Contacts:
Punch Communications
Pete Goold
+44 (0) 1858 411 600
pete@punchcomms.com
www.punchcomms.com

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

-0-

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Users Must Stay Vigilant on Social Networking Sites, Says Punch

June 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

LEICESTERSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, Jun 09 (MARKET WIRE)
–
Users of social networks must become more vigilant when it comes to their
personal privacy according to Search, Social Media and PR Agency Punch
Communications.

Social media has grown a vast amount over the past few years and has
gradually increased in complexity, which has had implications on users’
privacy.

Facebook recently announced that it has simplified its privacy settings
following increased concern that they were too complicated to understand.
The changes have been made in order to make it more straightforward for
users to pick and choose what information they want to be made public.

These changes have been a reminder that users need to be extremely
cautious when it comes to what content they display on their personal
social networking pages.

Pete Goold, Managing Director of Punch Communications, remarked;
“Users can follow a few basic steps to ensure that they are happy
with the amount of privacy they have on social networking sites. Firstly,
users must make sure that they have a comfortable understanding of the
privacy settings on their social network pages; this is the only way to
ensure complete control over what the public can view. They must make
sure that they can change and amend any settings with ease should they
wish to.

“Secondly, users must be sensible over what content is shared. It is
prudent to keep personal photos off social media such as images of
children, any content that could risk the safety of the user or those
around them. This leads on to step three, users should not post content
that might have a detrimental affect should a potential employer see
them. There is little doubt that employers are increasingly using social
media as a key tool in recruitment therefore it is important to filter
the amount of content shared in the public domain.”

Founded in 2003 by Pete and Emma Goold, Digital PR agency Punch
Communications offer traditional PR services as well as is being a
leading social media and SEO agency. Punch successfully uses social media
to enhance a brands online presence, and enable them to improve their
consumer engagement.

Punch is currently recruiting for a number of roles, from Account Manager
to Account Director. For more information regarding PR jobs at Punch,
please call +44 (0) 1858 411600 or visit punchcomms.com.

Contacts:
Punch Communications
Pete Goold
+44 (0) 1858 411 600
pete@punchcomms.com
www.punchcomms.com

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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Portugal arrive with Nani in doubt for warm-up

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Portugal winger Nani is doubtful for their friendly against Mozambique due to a shoulder injury picked up in training in Lisbon, he said as the squad flew in to South Africa for the World Cup on Sunday.

The winger missed the squad’s final home training session in Portugal on Saturday after falling while attempting an acrobatic shot and causing a traumatism in his shoulder.

He is due to be re-examined before the warm-up match against Mozambique on Tuesday.

“I feel better already,” Nani told reporters during the flight from Lisbon to Johannesburg.

On playing in the friendly, he said: “I really don’t know, now we have to see. When we get there we’ll have to check again.”

The other main injury concern in the Portuguese squad is Pepe, who has been recovering from a knee injury he sustained in December.

He has not played since but was last week cleared by doctors from the national side and his club Real Madrid to travel to the finals.

The Brazil-born defender signalled he could already be an option for coach Carlos Queiroz against Mozambique.

“I’m in the group. I’m here to help and now the matter is in the coach’s hands,” Pepe said as he boarded the plane.

Portugal play their first tournament match on June 15 against the Ivory Coast in Group G, which also includes Brazil and North Korea.

(Editing by Jon Bramley; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Mexico’s peso weakens sharply after U.S. payrolls

June 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 4 (Reuters) – The Mexican peso weakened sharply on Friday after U.S. non-farm payrolls in May showed a sharp slowdown in private hiring, casting doubt on the strength of the recovery in the U.S. labor market.

The peso MXN= MEX01 hit a session low, losing 0.88 percent to 12.89 per U.S. dollar. (Reporting by Michael O’Boyle; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)

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Josh Duhamel, Fergie marriage ‘stronger than ever’

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 18 (ANI): Actor Josh Duhamel admits his relationship with wife Fergie has ‘changed so much’ over the years.

The Transformers star— who was last year accused of cheating on the Black Eyed Peas star with a stripper — insists their six-year marriage is ‘stronger than ever’.

“(The love) ebbs and flows. Fergs and I have been together for six years and our relationship has changed so much. I mean, the first three months, well, there”s nothing like it,” the Daily Star quoted him as telling Company magazine.

“But, after six years, our marriage is stronger than ever, and it can get even better… I believe in love, for sure. I don”t think there”s any doubt that love is real, but there are different levels,” he added. (ANI)

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Australian round-the-world teen sailor had doubts, SAI

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

SYDNEY (AP) A 16-year-old Australian who spent seven months sailing around the world said critics who doubted her abilities before she set sail in her pink yacht had some company: herself. Jessica Watson, who on Saturday cruised into Sydney Harbour to become the youngest person to sail around the globe solo, nonstop and unassisted, acknowledged in an interview aired Sunday that she shared some people’s concerns that she might not be ready for the 23,000-nautical-mile journey.

“It was driving me mad, because I hadn’t actually done any solo sailing. And here I was telling the world I was about to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world and I hadn’t actually been out by myself,” Watson told Australia’s Ten Network, which helped sponsor her trip.

“I knew I could do it, but there was just that niggling doubt .

but yeah, it was fine in the end, obviously.

” Watson, who has been sailing since age 8, spent 210 days successfully maneuvering her 34-foot (10-meter) yacht, Ella’s Pink Lady, through raging storms, 40-foot (12-meter) waves and seven boat knockdowns. “All of a sudden you’re sort of upside down or on your side and then time sort of stops and you’re going, ‘Oh my goodness,’” she said of the knockdowns.

“You just don’t know what’s going to be left on deck.” Still, she found the days leading up to storms the most unnerving.

“I was completely exhausted at the time. I was sort of a bit numb.

So I wasn’t actually thinking it was possible to get that scared,” she said. “But before a storm, before you know it’s gonna get bad, it worries you it hangs over your whole life for a few days until it happens.

” Watson, who will celebrate her 17th birthday on Tuesday, amassed a large following of armchair adventurers during her seven months at sea. She regularly updated her blog with details of her journey, from the dramatic knockdowns, to the simple joy of watching the sun set over glassy waters.

Thousands lined the harbor to cheer on the teen as she cruised past the finish line Saturday, and she was greeted by the Prime Minister after docking at the Opera House. All the attention was overwhelming, she said, but the support made it possible to survive the solitude.

“Just knowing that there were so many people thinking of me out there, that made a difference,” she said. “You couldn’t get lonely knowing that there were so many people thinking of you.

” Watson sailed northeast through the South Pacific and across the equator, south to Cape Horn at the tip of South America, across the Atlantic Ocean to South Africa, through the Indian Ocean and around southern Australia. The teen’s feat will not be considered an official world record, however, because the World Speed Sailing Record Council discontinued its “youngest” category.

Australian Jesse Martin holds the record for the youngest person to sail around the world solo, nonstop and unassisted, after he completed the journey in 1999 at the age of 18. The lack of record-holder status has done little to quell the adoration of Watson’s fans or her sponsors.

She already has a book deal, a television documentary is in the works and her handlers have booked her for a series of public appearances. By Sunday, she had already achieved one of her most immediate goals: getting a long, uninterrupted night’s sleep in a bed that didn’t move.

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Man City plotting 40 m pound move for Gerrard

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 10 (ANI): Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is in Manchester City”s sights.

The Mirror has reported that mega bucks City’s Arab rulers have given the go-ahead for a 40 million pound bid for the England star as soon as possible.

Gerrard’s future has been in doubt because of the Anfield”s financial troubles, and City’s up-front money may be too much to refuse for the club”s beleaguered owners.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez may reluctantly accept a sale if he is given assurances that he will get the funds to transform a squad that has missed out on the Champions League.

But when Benitez was asked if Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres wanted to stay he admitted: “That’s a ­question for them.”

The final word will be with Gerrard, who is 30 in three weeks’ time and has been a Kop idol since his teens. (ANI)

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Pre-budget cash splash goes to road upgrade

April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Northern Territory Treasurer say this year’s budget will focus on infrastructure, social welfare, health and housing.

The Government made its first pre-budget announcement for the year today, saying it would spend $3 million to upgrade Vanderlin Drive in Darwin.

Treasurer Delia Lawrie says she will highlight how the Government plans to get out of deficit when she delivers the budget next month.

But she says a cut in GST revenue is making the recovery harder.

“There are certainly impacts in terms of our reduced GST relativity that is making it more difficult in terms of the step-out,” she said.

“But we’ll still be climbing back into health in the forward years.

“It’s tougher without a doubt because of a reduction in the GST.”

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Doubt lingers over Penola bypass

April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Penola residents are still unsure if a bypass will be built on community land south of the township despite a supreme court hearing on Friday.

Justice Kevin Duggan decided to reserve his judgement after hearing from lawyers for the Penola Ratepayers and Residents Association and the Wattle Range Council.

The resident’s association says pastoral pioneer Alexander Cameron and his forebears left the land, south of Penola for the community to use.

It claims locals do not want it converted to a heavy vehicle bypass, and that Wattle Range Council is trying to push ahead with its plans regardless.

The Association resorted to court action in a bid to reverse the decision.

Residents may have to wait more than a month for the outcome.

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Lazard stock could get bump if it cuts pay -Barron’s

April 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

NEW YORK, April 11 (Reuters) – Shares in Lazard Ltd (LAZ.N) could rise more than 35 percent if the financial advisory and asset management firm lowers the compensation it pays to employees, said financial weekly Barron’s.

Stocks | Funds News | ETFs News | Financials

The paper, in its April 12 issue, said the firm paid 86 percent of its revenue into compensation and benefits in 2009, compared with 36 percent at Goldman Sachs (GS.N) and above the industry standard of around 50 percent.

It said Lazard shares recently trade around 16 times 2010 earnings of $2.25 a share, which the paper said was at a discount to the stocks of rival financial advisory specialists Evercore Partners (EVR.N) and Greenhill (GHL.N) because investors doubt that Lazard is serious about trimming compensation.

Barron’s said at a 50 percent compensation ratio Lazard 2010 earnings could hit $3.34 a share. (Reporting by Yinka Adegoke; editing by Gunna Dickson)

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Lazard stock could get bump if it cuts pay -Barron’s

April 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

NEW YORK, April 11 (Reuters) – Shares in Lazard Ltd (LAZ.N) could rise more than 35 percent if the financial advisory and asset management firm lowers the compensation it pays to employees, said financial weekly Barron’s.

Stocks | Funds News | ETFs News | Financials

The paper, in its April 12 issue, said the firm paid 86 percent of its revenue into compensation and benefits in 2009, compared with 36 percent at Goldman Sachs (GS.N) and above the industry standard of around 50 percent.

It said Lazard shares recently trade around 16 times 2010 earnings of $2.25 a share, which the paper said was at a discount to the stocks of rival financial advisory specialists Evercore Partners (EVR.N) and Greenhill (GHL.N) because investors doubt that Lazard is serious about trimming compensation.

Barron’s said at a 50 percent compensation ratio Lazard 2010 earnings could hit $3.34 a share. (Reporting by Yinka Adegoke; editing by Gunna Dickson)

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Haase casts doubt over air route deregulation

April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The federal Member for Kalgoorlie says the deregulation of air routes to Exmouth will do little to bring down the cost of airfares.

The Western Australian Government is considering deregulating some routes, insisting smaller destinations will not be adversely affected.

But Barry Haase says people travelling to Exmouth will pay higher fares if the Government forces airlines to continue to provide stopovers in Kalbarri and Monkey Mia.

Mr Haase says Exmouth deserves a direct service from Perth because it has worked hard to raise its profile as a tourist destination.

“Small regional centres need quite frankly to paddle their own canoe just as the population of Exmouth have done,” he said.

“Other destinations need to do the same thing and the industries want to ply those particular routes rather than being forced to do so by the Government, by regulation.”

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Crows injury list grows with Sloane out

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Adelaide’s injury list has further grown with young utility Rory Sloane sidelined for six AFL matches with an ankle injury.

Sloane strained ligaments in his left ankle during the Crows’ loss to Fremantle last Sunday.

Adelaide has 10 players on its injury list, with Scott Stevens another addition on Tuesday with concussion.

Stevens, who was also injured against the Dockers, is in doubt for Adelaide’s home match against Sydney on Sunday.

But the Crows hope forwards Chris Knights and Brett Burton, who have both been sidelined by knee injuries, will return to full training this week.

-AAP

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Charity sinks ferry purchase plan

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Sale Rotary Club has decided not to buy a paddleboat from Ballarat after receiving a marine surveyor’s report.

The club was considering buying the Begonia Princess ferry to operate from the port of Sale.

But spokesman Alan Lewis says the boat has been grounded since 2002 and regulations to register boats with the marine board have changed since then.

“Regulations with respect to survey of boats have changed and there was some doubt expressed whether – even if we did refurbish it – we could in fact get it back into survey,” he said.

“In light of that we considered it inappropriate to proceed.”

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Slater in doubt for Panthers clash

March 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne will travel to Penrith for its round three NRL clash without star full-back Billy Slater, who has fallen ill.

The Test custodian failed to train with the Storm before their departure and a decision will be made early on Saturday whether he will fly to Sydney for the Saturday afternoon match.

Gareth Widdop is set to make his NRL first grade debut if Slater does not play.

- AAP

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Bligh foreshadows her arguments on national health overhaul

March 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says she is keen to tell state and territory leaders today what Queensland wants from the proposed national health overhaul.

The issue will be discussed during a national telephone hook-up, as the Prime Minister debates the Federal Opposition Leader over health policy at the national press club.

Ms Bligh says the Government’s changes are an opportunity to improve Australia’s health system.

“I will be certainly indicating Queensland’s priorities and they are to secure a formula that guarantees the protection of small regional and rural hospitals in a state like ours and how the GST calculation might be done, and every Premier I think will be wanting to explore that issue,” she said.

Ms Bligh says while the participation of Tasmania and South Australia is in doubt because of their elections, the teleconference must go ahead today.

“I think it is very important that Premiers talk with each other in the lead up to COAG,” she said.

“This will not be the last conversation with Premiers – this will be the first all-in hook up,

“I think it’s important that we get that rolling and there will be other opportunities over the next couple of weeks.”

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