Around the World (November 19, 2008)

[Kamal_Farran]

***GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 2008***
Central European stocks drop to a three-week low on expectations of slowing economic growth. Poland forecasts economic growth to drop to 2.3% in 2009 from 5.4% in 2008 and the Warsaw Stock Exchange's WIG 20 index falls 3.5% in two hours. Bulgaria's Sofia Stock Exchange is at a 5-year low. Both Bulgaria and Romania may need International Monetary Fund loans to repay $100 billion of external debt.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aLOQtPdEdwOo

HSBC Holdings announces 500 layoffs in Hong Kong.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/depressing-times-hsbc-set-to-shed-500-jobs-in-asia/78415-7.html?from=search

Pepsi announces 3,000 layoffs in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pepsi-bottling-group-inc-to-cut-over-3000-jobs/78435-7.html


***2008 RUSSIAN FINANCIAL CRISIS***
Trading remains suspended at the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange for another two days or until the Federal Financial Markets Service instructs otherwise.
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews+articleid_2795052.html


***OTHER NEWS***
Democrat Mark Begich defeats Republican senior Senator Ted Stevens in the highly contested United States Senate race in Alaska. Begich will be the first Democratic senator representing Alaska in twenty-eight years.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27789536/

Takehiko Yamaguchi, a former Japanese Vice Minister for Health, and his wife are found stabbed to death in Saitama near Tokyo.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7736706.stm

War crimes are reported in the Nord-Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after a ceasefire is broken and fighting resumes, with at least 100 civilians dead.
http://www.newssafety.com/index.php?view=article&catid=25%3Adrc-security&id=10537%3Amore-than-100-civilians-killed-in-dr-congo-fighting-rights-groups-&option=com_content&Itemid=100168

WORKERS STRUGGLES - THE AMERICAS
*LATIN AMERICA*
Chile - Public employees’ strike
Hotel workers strike Acapulco Hotel
New protests by Mexican teachers
Colombia - More than 500 students march on Bogota
*UNITED STATES*
Lockout at Minnesota foundry
Industrial accident at Ohio warehouse injures worker
*CANADA*
Canada Post set to strike
Metal workers locked out in Brantford
http://wsws.org/articles/2008/nov2008/wkrs-n18.shtml


***YOUTUBE TODAY***
Intifada of Sugar in Miami
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%202Mz1ULX52zE