Airbus confirmed Wednesday that it will cut 10,000 jobs across its European operations as it struggled against a weak dollar and costly delays to its flagship A30 superjumbo. The European plane maker said it will sell or close facilities at Saint-Nazaire-Ville in France and Germany's Nordenham and Varel. Operations at Filton in Britain, Meaulte in France and Nordenham in Germany would be thrown open to investors. CEO Louis Gallois said the four-year restructuring plan would see 3,700 jobs go from Germany, 4,300 from France, 1,600 from the United Kingdom, and 400 from Spain. Gallois said Airbus had been hit hard by the weak dollar, the currency in which it trades its planes, but was also burdened by high costs, poor communication and inefficiency. Development costs for the A380 -- the Airbus superjumbo project that has been beset by major delays -- had placed a significant drain on the company, Gallois said.... http://www.cnn.com censor News |
Editor - 09:29:00 02-28-07 |
Pakistan denies bin Laden is regrouping there U.S. has not backed up claim with evidence, interior minister says |
Pakistan on Wednesday rejected a claim by the U.S. intelligence chief that Osama bin Laden and his deputy were hiding in northwestern Pakistan, and that al-Qaida was setting up camps near the Afghan border. Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao told The Associated Press there were no al-Qaida training camps in his country and U.S. officials had not provided any intelligence suggesting there were. "We will act on any such intelligence, but so far they have not" provided any, he said. Sherpao's comments came a day after Mike McConnell, the new U.S. intelligence chief, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that al-Qaida was trying to set up operations in largely ungoverned parts of Pakistan's northwest, along Afghanistan's eastern border. U.S. intelligence officials believe that bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, were trying to establish an al-Qaida base in the region, he said. McConnell noted the camps are in an area that has never been governed by any state or outside power.... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17380397/
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Editor - 09:26:00 02-28-07 |
Iraq's Neighbors, Including Iran and Syria, Agree to Baghdad Summit With U.S., British Envoys |
Iraq's neighbors, including Iran and Syria, have agreed to join U.S. and British representatives at a regional conference here on the Iraqi security crisis, government officials said Wednesday. Deputy Foreign Minister Labid Abawi told The Associated Press that Russia and France were studying the invitation, but "I don't see any sign they will refuse." "Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, even the U.S and Britain have informed us they will participate," he said, although Tehran has said publicly it has made no decision. Abawi also said China had agreed to attend. Abawi said the date would be set within two days. Iraqi state TV said the tentative date was March 10. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's adviser, Sami al-Askari, also said neighboring countries had agreed to come. Iran has publicly said it is studying the invitation. "The conference will be important. It will prove that Iraq is politically capable of holding such a conference. It will send a message to the world," Abawi said. ... http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2911771
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Editor - 09:18:00 02-28-07 |
Church's bankruptcy filing derails priest abuse trial |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection a few hours before it was to go to trial Wednesday in the first of more than 140 lawsuits accusing priests of sexual abuse. The bankruptcy filing, put in at five minutes to midnight, automatically halted the court proceedings. In a letter posted on the diocese's Web site, Bishop Robert H. Brom said the diocese made its decision because any damage awards in the earlier trials could deplete "diocesan and insurance resources" and leave nothing for other victims. The diocese claimed in the filing late Tuesday $95.7 million in property holdings and another $60.4 million in liquid assets, including stocks, bonds and operating accounts. San Diego is the fifth diocese in the nation to file for bankruptcy protection. ... http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/28/church.bankruptcy.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us
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Editor - 09:16:00 02-28-07 |
US accused on 'missing' prisoners |
Thirty eight people believed to have been held in secret CIA prisons - or black sites - are missing, according to a report by a US human rights group. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) report also details allegations of torture by a terror suspect who was held in secret custody for more than 2 years. The group has asked Bush to reveal the location of these detainees and close all US black sites. Last year Mr Bush said the prisons had all closed and had not used torture. In a televised address in September, Mr Bush admitted that 14 detainees had been held at secret CIA prisons that used interrogation methods that were "tough" but "lawful and necessary". "The United States does not torture," Mr Bush said at the time. "It's against our laws, and it's against our values. I have not authorised it - and I will not authorise it." He said the prisoners had since been transferred to the US military camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the CIA was not holding any more terror suspects. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6405089.stm
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Editor - 09:14:00 02-28-07 |
Pa. Middle School Principal Accused of Dealing Meth, Police Find Drug in His School Office |
A middle school principal was charged with dealing crystal methamphetamine after police found the drug in his school office. John Acerra, 50, of Allentown was arrested Tuesday in his office at Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem, where police said they found meth on his desk. There was no indication that Acerra sold the drug to students, but Acerra did allegedly sell the drug from his school office after hours and on weekends, said Dennis Mihalopoulos, an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Police said they began investigating Acerra in early February after an informant told them the principal was using and distributing the drug. Acerra, who was in custody in lieu of bail, has an unlisted phone number and it wasn't clear if he had an attorney. Joseph Lewis, the Bethlehem Area School District superintendent, did not immediately return a call Wednesday. ... http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2911811
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Editor - 09:11:00 02-28-07 |
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