Hard Money Loans

Kris Alingod – AHN News Contributor
Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – The U.S. Postal Service plans to suspend payments to a pension fund, the latest step the cash-strapped agency is taking while it continues to push for legislation to adjust mandatory payments for employee benefits. In a statement on Wednesday, the Postal Service said it would stop its weekly $115 million contribution for the Federal Employees Retirement System annuity on Friday. The decision will save the agency about $800 million in the current fiscal year. It will have little effect on the pension fund, for which the Postal Service has an overpayment of $6.9 billion. Access to the surplus fund is one of the issues the agency has asked of Congress. In addition, the agency is seeking a bill giving it authority to determine frequency of mail delivery as well as ending pre-payments for retiree health [...] Continue Reading…

The International Monetary Fund urged on Monday European Union leaders to act now on Greece’s bailout request or trigger further global crisis.

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The strike of 3,800 Air Canada customer service and call center agents ended Thursday as the air carrier and the Canadian Auto Workers union reached a tentative agreement. The workers were scheduled to be back to their posts on Friday.

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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces a fateful decision as he tries to square the need to cool an overheating economy with plans for a constitutional overhaul, economists said a day after his Justice and Development Party (AKP) emerged victorious in elections.

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Tejinder Singh – AHN News Correspondent
Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The United States would lead the world in college graduates by the end of this decade according to the pledges made by the top executive of the country on Wednesday at a manufacturing plant in Alexandria, Virginia. Addressing an audience at Alexandria campus of the “Northern Virginia Community College,” during an event promoting the program, “Skills for America’s Future Manufacturing,” President Barack Obama touched upon ways aimed at enhancing skills through training workers and investing in research and technology to give the U.S. an edge in competing with other countries. Citing a student named David, President Obama emphasized the importance of the facility said, “David said whatever he ends up doing, the automotive training program here was “the spark (he) needed to get (his) career started.” “We’ve got to light more sparks all across America, [...] Continue Reading…

Vittorio Hernandez – AHN News
Paris, France (AHN) – McDonald’s in Europe said on Wednesday that beginning October its fish sandwiches sold across the continent will have a blue-eco label. The label, which will be on the wrapper of the fast food chain’s Filet-o-Fish sandwiches, will be issued by the Marine Stewardship Council. The council, a nonprofit organization, certifies if the fish used is sustainable. The council was established in 1995 by the World Wildlife Fund and Unilever. McDonald’s serves about 100 million Filet-o-Fish sandwiches yearly in Europe. The item is made of fried white fish, tartar sauces and cheese on a bun. Besides it Filet-o-Fish sandwiches, McDonald’s coffee in Europe has a certification from the Rainforest Alliance in response to criticisms from green groups which have accused the fast food giant of destructive practices for the food it serves. The Marine Stewardship Council upheld [...] Continue Reading…

Windsor Genova – AHN News News Writer
Manila, Philippines (AHN) – Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has signed a law ending excessive, unreasonable and unnecessary salaries and bonuses for officials and employees of government-owned corporations and banks. The Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation (GOCC) Governance Act of 2011 signed Monday also limits the terms of GOCC officials to one year and creates a governance commission for GOCCs that will change the compensation and remuneration system for such institutions. The law further provides that GOCCs maintain a website indicating its audited financial statements, budget and compensation package. The law covers 140 state-run corporations. Excluded from coverage are the central bank, state universities and colleges, cooperatives, local water districts and research institutions. The law was conceived in response to excesses of GOCC officials. For example, board members of the Government Service and Insurance System, which manages the pension fund [...] Continue Reading…

Vittorio Hernandez – AHN News
New York, NY, United States (AHN) – The battle to fill the top International Monetary Fund post vacated by the resignation of Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn has apparently been reduced to a war between Europe and developing nations. Mexico’s Central Bank Governor, Agustin Carstens, took the struggle to a higher level on Tuesday by seeking the vote of developing countries to counter the solid support enjoyed by French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde from European nations. Even the U.S. is apparently siding with Europe’s choice in a tit-for-tat political arrangement to ensure Washington keeps its grip on the top spot at the World Bank and the number two post in IMF. Carstens criticized European leaders for imposing Lagarde on the rest of the world. The governor said that if the selection of Strauss-Kahn’s replacement would be treated as “business as usual,” changes would [...] Continue Reading…

John Nestor – AHN Sports Correspondent
Boston, MA, United States (AHN Sports) – After a strong start, television ratings for the Stanley Cup took a dive for Game 2. Game 2 drew 3.37 million viewers and a 1.2 rating among Adults 18-49. That’s down a whopping 43% from Game 2 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. One of the main problems is that last year’s final featured Chicago and Philadelphia, big television markest both in the United States. Last year’s Game 2 was on a Monday and drew nearly 6 million viewers. Game 2′s rating for the Boston Bruins’ overtime loss at Vancouver was also down 27% from Game 1 of this series, which drew 4.56 million viewers on Wednesday. Saturday’s game, though suspenseful, was the least-watched Stanley Cup Final broadcast on network television since Game 5 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Final, which drew 2.87 [...] Continue Reading…

Windsor Genova – AHN News News Writer
Manila, Philippines (AHN) – A migrants group urged the Philippine government to prepare the evacuation of Filipino workers in Kuwait in case a political turmoil erupts in the emirate similar to what is happening in Libya, Syria and Yemen. Migrante-Middle East spokesman John Leonard Monterona said the evacuation plan must be set early because it takes time to process the repatriation of thousands of Filipino workers in Kuwait. There are about 50,000 Filipinos working in Kuwait half of whom are household helpers, according to Monterona. From the experience of the Philippine embassies in Syria and Yemen, the permission of employers to let workers leave must be sought to obtain exit clearance, which is required by the government before foreign workers can leave the country. Coordination with airlines and government agencies is also required to arrange the travel papers of Filipinos [...] Continue Reading…