| TFN NEWS BRIEFING: Oil and utilities highlights to 09:15 GMT
2008-02-08 07:07:23 Shell faces call for new inquiry over leaking of ethelyne oxide gas - media AMSTERDAM (Thomson Financial) - Royal Dutch Shell said a larger amount of ethelyne oxide gas escaped from its Moerdijk location in the Netherlands than previously thought, prompting calls from a Dutch province for an independent inquiry into the incident, Dutch media reported. 2008-02-08 06:54:43 BROKERWATCH Veolia Environnement upped to 'buy' vs 'hold' at SG Secs PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Societe Generale has upped Veolia Environnement to 'buy' from 'hold' and added the waste and water group to its 'premium list', saying developemnts in 2007 are likely to fuel one of the best years to date in 2008. 2008-02-08 06:48:02 London shares outlook - higher after recent falls, overnight Wall Street gain LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Leading shares are expected to open higher Friday as investors seek out bargains following a 150-point drop yesterday, with the UK market taking its lead from Wall Street where moderate gains were seen overnight as buyers returned to the market.
Victoria Election Poll Vault Weblog
Working on the old tally boards was apparently a highly sought-after gig, and the people who turned the slats were known as the "Oompa Loompas". The VEC says the new high-tech screen, costing $80,000, is far cheaper than that system. The only problem now is, they've squished so many electorates onto the one screen, you need vision befitting a superhero to be able to see anything. Should be an interesting night for all involved. .
Don't drink if you want to be merry
As Dolan Cummings argued in a recent essay, when smokers say they welcome the ban on public smoking because it will help them quit, they 'express a peculiar sort of resolution: one which they claim to be incapable of exercising without external compulsion. By banning smoking in pubs, we collectively save ourselves from temptation.' (5) An Australian business venture provides a startling illustration of this increasing rejection of personal responsibility. In 2004, Virgin Mobile responded to an apparent Aussie epidemic of embarrassing drunken calls to exes and colleagues. Their service allowed customers, before drinking, to dial '333' followed by the number they wanted to avoid 'drunk dialling'. For 25 cents, attempts to phone blacklisted numbers initiate a message: 'This call cannot be connected; this is for your own good.' Psychologist John McIlroy believed 'it could come in handy for Americans who know themselves well enough to not have self-control over their impulses' (6).
Chinese-Canadian star apologizes for sex photo scandal
A Chinese celebrity sex scandal came to a head on Thursday, with Vancouver-born actor and singer Edison Chen apologizing for widely-circulated photos showing him and several women apparently engaged in sex acts. Chen held a press conference in Hong Kong to publicly address for the first time the ongoing controversy, which has shocked the Chinese-speaking world for weeks. Vancouver-born actor and singer Edison Chen admitted he took the racy photos and apologized for the controversy during a news conference in Hong Kong Thursday. (Kin Cheung/Associated Press) The scandal began when the 27-year-old performer sent his laptop computer to a shop for repair. The computer contained approximately 1,300 photos of Chen and a bevy of female Chinese celebrities either posed suggestively or engaged in sex acts, according to police.
Callers give O'Malley an earful
There's no politician in the state as deft in handling the media as Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley. Yesterday, O'Malley settled into his new role as rookie radio talk show host.
He got a polite earful.
On one line, Robert from Canton was complaining about a water leak. On another, Dorie from Northeast Baltimore described troubles with late property tax bills, while Fran from Phoenix vented because she couldn't get drug-dealing tenants evicted at a property she owns in the city.
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