Mayors of Philadelphia, Phoenix seek bailout share

Three big city mayors asked the federal government Friday to use a portion of the $700 billion financial bailout to assist struggling cities. The mayors sought help with their pension costs, infrastructure investment and cash-flow problems stemming from the global financial crisis. The mayors—Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, Shirley Franklin of Atlanta and Phil Gordon of Phoenix—made their [...] "eliotcobb.com"

Financial crisis and weak economy push retail sales down by record amount in October Retail sales plunged by the largest amount on record in October as the financial crisis and the slumping economy caused consumers to sharply cut back on their spending. The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales fell by 2.8 percent last month, surpassing [...] "eliotcobb.com"

Britain is facing a sperm donor shortage after reversing confidentiality laws and limiting the number of women who can use sperm from one donor, fertility experts warned Wednesday. Britain in 2005 changed the law protecting anonymous sperm donors and allowed children to learn the identity of donor fathers - one reason, fertility experts say, there are [...] "eliotcobb.com"

Thick brown clouds of soot, particles and chemicals stretching from the Persian Gulf to Asia threatens health and food supplies in the world, the U.N. reported Thursday, citing what it called the newest threat to the global environment. The regional haze, known as atmospheric brown clouds, contributes to glacial melting, reduces sunlight, and helps create extreme [...] "eliotcobb.com"

The fortunes of India’s wealthiest have been slashed by more than 60 percent due to the global financial crisis which has sharply pulled down stock markets, according to a new rich list. Forbes magazine put Mukesh Ambani, chairman of India’s largest private sector firm Reliance Industries, as the country’s wealthiest man, with a net worth of [...] "eliotcobb.com"

The disturbance of human remains in burial grounds is to be allowed for the first time since the early Victorian era to deal with a shortage of graves, The Times has learnt. Under a test scheme to begin in the new year, local authorities across the country will be allowed to exhume remains and rebury them [...] "eliotcobb.com"

A bill to rescue the troubled auto industry with $25 billion in emergency loans inched forward Friday when Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Senate will begin debate Monday and hold a test vote two days later. Supporters scrambled for votes to break an expected filibuster. They expect to need 12 to 15 GOP votes to [...] "eliotcobb.com"

Osama bin Laden is alive and “putting a lot of energy into his own security,” the director of the CIA, General Michael Hayden, said today. He also claimed, without providing details, that the US intelligence community had disrupted an attack “that would have rivaled the destruction of 9/11.” A senior intelligence official said Hayden was referring [...] "eliotcobb.com"