| New blow for Wendy Alexander as key aide quits
While we cannot comment on any individual case which may or may not be under investigation, we have no reason to believe that any member has been provided with erroneous advice from officials." Dr Dyer issued a statement yesterday insisting he had no option but to refer Ms Alexander's case to the procurator- fiscal once he believed the rules had been broken. He said: "I am not a final arbiter of what should be counted as a registrable interest - that is, in the end, a matter for the parliament and in some cases the courts." A former deputy leader of the SNP also waded into the row by claiming Dr Dyer owed Ms Alexander an apology. Jim Sillars said: "If I had been in Wendy Alexander's shoes this weekend, I would have sought judicial review of the administrative process and actions taken by the office, and person, of the Standards Commissioner in relation to this decision to make a referral to the procurator-fiscal." .
IID could face 200 job losses
More than 200 positions in the Imperial Irrigation District's energy department are at stake based on a pared-down 2008 budget revealed Tuesday.&t=imperial,%20el-centro,%20calexico,%20imperial-county&r=mexico&category=world_news","newsvine","toolbar=no,width=590,height=600,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes")'>
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Candy and Candy: Sweet dreams
These people, an assortment of oligarchs, Arabs and hedge-fund billionaires, wanted (and still want) properties that are unthinkably flash, reassuringly secure and occupy the most desirable urban sites on earth. And they don't care how much they pay for them. "Candy and Candy are the biggest arrival in the property industry this decade," said Giles Barry, editor of Property Week, recently. "The establishment has turned its nose up at them, saying that they are too young, and that they overpay for sites. But at the same time, it's secretly envious of their success." Today, the brothers' firm, which will both sell ready-fitted properties to the HNWs, or redecorate their existing properties, occupies rambling offices a stone's throw from Harrods. Acquaintances describe their business manner as a touch "wide".
Meeting demand for oil-pricing answers
Stephen Schork, a former New York commodities trader who lives in Villanova, is attracting a lot of attention with his three-year-old newsletter that analyzes the wild changes in oil prices. Only about 100 people have agreed to pay the upwards of $10,500 that he charges for a one-year subscription. He shows up regularly in newspapers and on national television as reporters seek help in making sense of this crucial and volatile commodity market. This exposure during the year when crude oil prices nearly doubled has produced "a ton of people on trial subscriptions," he said. Schork, 41, caught a wave when the collapse of Enron and other factors came together to drastically change the oil markets. In addition to supply-and-demand and what OPEC is thinking, people with oil-centered lives now "have to worry about what some 28-year-old hedge fund manager in Manhattan, with billions of dollars of other people's money, will do next," Schork said over coffee at the MilkBoy Cafe in Ardmore.
Aramex records best ever annual results as profits climb 28%
(DFM: ARMX) today released financial results for 2007, reflecting what is considered to be the company's best year yet.
For the year ending December 31, 2007, Aramex revenues rose from AED 1,364 million to AED 1,784 million, increasing by 31% over 2006, while net profits rose by 28% over the same period, from AED 95.2 million to AED 121.6 million.
Net profits for the fourth quarter went up by 20% to AED 32.1 million, from AED 26.8 million for the same period last year. Revenues for the period were further ahead at AED 495 million, 23% up on the AED 403 million for the same period in 2006.
"We can confidently say that 2007 was Aramex's best year ever. We grew in size, reach, capability, and reputation. And we did it in a thoughtful, measured, and sustainable manner that will enable us to continue leveraging our strengths as we move boldly into 2008," said Fadi Ghandour, founder and CEO of Aramex.
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