BUSINESS WORLD NEWS

U.S. House Passes Anti-Foreclosure Bill Facing Bush Veto Threat (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg - May 9 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to let a federal agency insure up to $300 billion in mortgages to help homeowners avert foreclosure, a day after the White House threatened to veto the measure.

Bulgaria fears dirty money streaming in as foreign investment (AFP)

AFP - As EU newcomer Bulgaria aims to attract ever larger flows of foreign investment, authorities and analysts have raised fears that part of the money streaming into the country may have been laundered.

Economy - Friday (Investors Business Daily)

Investor's Business Daily - The world's largest economy will grow by less than a percent this year due to falling consumer sentiment, according to the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. The U. Mich. confidence gauge hit a 26-year low in April. Consumers tend to believe the economy is in a recession when growth is near zero, said Richard Curtin, director of the survey. But economists are rethinking their recession forecasts in the face of resilient U.S. data.

Jobs are waiting for Wichita grads this year

It's a great year to be a Wichita college graduate.

Wichita companies are hiring them at a rapid clip, although demand in some fields is stronger than others.

The hottest majors include engineering, teaching, accounting, nursing and other health professions, and geology.

That's not the case nationally, as a cooling economy and damaged financial sector have slowed growth in college hiring, according to a national employee survey.

But that doesn't seem to be the case here, said David Gaston, director of University Career Services at the University of Kansas.

Oil-Rig Equipment Maker Goes Global As Energy Prices Keep Rising (Investors Business Daily)

Investor's Business Daily - High oil and natural-gas prices are making for blowout earnings for energy companies. T3 Energy Services is growing quickly by preventing blowouts.

Former ballplayer returns as stock guru for athletes

NEW YORK -- Lenny Dykstra speaks six languages.

The former All-Star lets this tidbit hang in the air for a few seconds, eyes twinkling mischievously, until he can't hold in the smile any longer.

Out comes the truth: "I'm still mastering the English language."

That's more like it. That's the Lenny Dykstra baseball fans knew and loved -- or loathed.

The diving, dirt-stained player as rough as his nickname, "Nails." Pretty much the last guy you'd expect to be staring out from a glossy magazine page, posed in an expensive suit and presented as the model for how ex-athletes can succeed in retirement.

Shell pulls out of Iran gas deal (Reuters)

Reuters - Oil major Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) has pulled out of a planned gas project in Iran, after coming under pressure not to participate from U.S. lawmakers who were concerned about Iran's nuclear programme.

How To Negotiate Like A Pro

Life is one negotiation after another; it's time for you to get equipped for battle.

Trade deficit narrowed sharply in March

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in March as demand for imports fell by the largest amount since the last recession was ending.

Toyota issues a bleak earnings forecast

Toyota said the strong yen and weaker U.S. sales took a bite out of January-March earnings and projected worse was to come — a 27 percent plunge in its full-year profit.

How Not to Change a Potential Lateral Hire Into the One That Got Away

Few law firms work as hard to develop a system for recruiting lateral talent as they do for recruiting at the law student level. In contrast to the recruiting of inexperienced law students, firms competing for lateral talent face a more educated, and often more skeptical, audience, which makes it even more critical that the process work smoothly and cohesively. Legal recruiter Stacy Humphries has compiled anecdotes drawn from actual incidents as a 10-step how-not-to guide on lateral recruiting.

Is ExxonMobils future running dry?

The petroleum giant is shying from risky exploration and spending money on buying back stock. Over the long haul, those moves could lead the company to go private or disappear.

Barfly: Alan Biggars wheeler (art) dealing

BARFLY is pleased to report that Alan Biggar, the Bell Lawrie director who is planning to drive his 50-year-old Morgan around all 39 of the firm's UK offices next month, i

Euro sinks to 2-month low against the dollar (AP)

AP - The euro declined to a two-month low against the dollar in Asia Thursday on speculation that weaker-than-expected euro-zone economic data might make the European Central Bank more pessimistic toward the region's overall economy.

Best Buy invests in U.K. cell phone retailer

Best Buy Co. Inc., the biggest U.S. electronics retailer, is paying $2.1 billion for a 50 percent stake in Europe’s largest cell phone retailer, the companies announced Thursday.

Vodacom names preferred BEE partners

I-Net Bridge Alan Knott-Craig, CEO of mobile services provider Vodacom Group, has announced the preferred strategic partners for the group's broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) transaction. Based on the comprehensive partner selection process undertaken, Vodacom. . . .

Sprint shares up on reports of D.Telekom interest

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp shares jumped on Monday on reports that Deutsche Telekom AG may be interested in buying the No. 3 U.S. mobile operator, but analysts said such a deal would be fraught with problems.

At Daimler, Sales Follow the World?s Oil Riches

Daimler AG, the maker of Mercedes-Benz automobiles, will deal with slowing auto sales in the U.S. in part by shifting sales to Russia, China and the Middle East, its chief executive said.

Oil pushes ever higher

Price of litre of petrol tops £1 for first time in UK as oil surges on a North Sea storm. By Graeme Wearden.

3,000 more post offices at risk

Thousands more post offices may be forced to close, the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters warns.

Icahn buys into Genzyme

Carl Icahn, the billionaire investor who recently helped put Biogen Idec Inc. in play, has taken a stake in another major Cambridge biotech - Genzyme Corp.

VoIP getting more effective out of the office

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony is getting more portable, according to a VoIP expert. Read

More talks planned on mill discharge

Tasmanian fishermen will continue to lobby the timber company Gunns to include a tertiary treatment plant in its plans for a pulp mill.

News Corp. Unexpectedly Drops Newsday Bid

Rupert Murdoch indicates he won't get in a bidding war with Cablevision for the Long Island newspaper

Checking In: Arriving in London: Hotels Made in China

The aggressive expansion plans of Travelodge, one of the largest budget hotel chains in Britain, hinge on the use of prefabricated hotel rooms, manufactured in China.

Work experience under threat

The government's policies on child workers are putting work experience opportunities for youngsters under threat, according to the Federation of Small Business (FSB). Read

Claims rejected as a bike is stolen every minute

A bicycle is stolen in the UK every 65 seconds, according to Halifax Home Insurance, at an average estimated cost to the victim of £337. But much of this crime goes unreported to the police as people believe it is unlikely to be investigated.

Catch up on the week

MONDAY Microsoft abandons its plans to buy Yahoo for $47.5bn (£24.1bn) after adding more than $5bn to the offer price, increasing the bid to $33 a share.