News on the Net

Mr. Whipple Left It Out: Soft Is Rough on Forests

- LESLIE KAUFMAN Americans like their toilet tissue soft: exotic confections that are silken, thick and hot-air-fluffed.

Where is the press?

The San Francisco Chronicle just announced they are about to close down. The New York Times are borrowing money at 14% interest from Carlos Slim. Many other papers are heading for bankruptcy. ABC, CBS and NBC are in financial trouble. CNBC and CNN are barely hanging on.

Outlook on China: peaceful partner or warmonger?

WASHINGTON - For more than 30 years, free and open markets have propelled China's labor-driven growth and lifted more than 200 million of its citizens out of rural poverty. But America's recent economic downturn has hit China hard. Exports from its booming trade sector dropped 17.5 percent in January from a year ago. In the past several months, an estimated 20 million rural Chinese migrant workers have lost their jobs.

NYPD hunts for suspect in immigrant’s death

Police hunted Thursday for a second man wanted in the beating death of an Ecuadorean immigrant, releasing a video of the suspect and offering a $22,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

U.S. is a vast arms bazaar for Mexican cartels

The Mexican agents who moved in on a safe house full of drug dealers last May were not prepared for the fire power that greeted them.

Express-News announces job cuts

San Antonio’s Hearst Corp.-owned daily newspaper says it will lay off 135 people and will not fill an additional 30 positions.

Nortel Networks to cut 3,200 more jobs

TORONTO (AP) — Telecom equipment company Nortel Networks Corp. plans to cut its work force by 3,200 jobs worldwide, or more than 10 percent of its global work force, in an effort to restructure its operations while under court protection.

California job cuts from ‘mass layoffs’ up 25% last month

More evidence of how the job market has fallen off a cliff this year: California was hit much harder in January by "mass layoff events" -- cuts of 50 or more jobs by a single employer -- compared with December.

RSA cuts 1,200 jobs as profit rises 13%

RSA, the UK's largest commercial insurer, revealed plans to cut 1,200 jobs in the UK by the middle of next year today as it aims to slash its cost base by £70 million.

More job losses in manufacturing, retail sectors

Taiwan's January seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose to a record high level of 5.33 percent as the island, caught up in the global downturn, suffers from possibly its longest recession.

China rights ‘worsened’, says US

The report accused China of harassing dissidents and increasing its repression of ethnic minorities.

Hong Kong Cuts Taxes as GDP Forecast to Shrink 3%

Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong will refund taxes, suspend property rates and boost spending on infrastructure as the economy heads for its first full-year contraction since 1998, the government said.

Clothing manufacturer cuts 1,850 jobs in Australia

SYDNEY (AFP) — Clothing manufacturer Pacific Brands said Wednesday it would cut 1,850 jobs in Australia after reporting a first-half loss of 150 million Australian dollars (98 million US).

Ahead of the Bell: Mass layoffs

WASHINGTON—A government report Wednesday likely will show that employers cut thousands of workers in "mass layoffs" in January as the recession deepened.

WINTERSLEEP

SILENCE REIGNS ACROSS THE GREAT WHITE NORTH WHERE

Seven Shot Along Mardi Gras Parade Route in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS — A Mardi Gras parade erupted into chaos on Fat Tuesday when a series of gunshots struck seven people, including a toddler. The child was not seriously injured and two suspects were in custody, police said.

Syracuse Teen Charged in Sniper-Style Shooting

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A 15-year-old boy was charged Tuesday in the sniper-style slaying of a Syracuse man after police learned his friend falsely confessed to the crime, possibly as part of a twisted loyalty test.

1987 tape may hold clue to serial killer

In the more than two decades since Los Angeles police detectives began the search for a serial killer stalking young prostitutes in South L.A., they have had few breaks. One night in 1987, however, offered a tantalizing, agonizing clue.

Four Moons to Cross Saturn’s Face Tuesday

In a rare cosmic event, four of Saturn's many moons will cross the ringed planet's face Tuesday morning, each casting a shadow on the gas giant's surface.

An Evening with Geert Wilders in Washington DC

Geert Wilders, chairman of the Freedom Party in The Netherlands (PVV), maker of the film Fitna, and brave fighter for Western values, will speak in Washington, DC, this week.