| Not the finest hour
All in all, not the first minister's finest hour in the Holyrood chamber. Indeed, notably uncomfortable as he faced persistent questioning over the Trump golf resort application. To recap, the plan affects Alex Salmond's own Holyrood constituency. He is therefore barred from intervening as first minister. As a minister, he cannot comment either in favour or against the plan. The scheme was rejected by an Aberdeenshire Council committee on the casting vote of that committee's convener. Mr Salmond subsequently met representatives from the Trump organisation at their request, at the Marcliffe Hotel in Aberdeen where the Trump team has based itself. Mr Salmond says he was duty-bound, as a local MSP, to respond to that request. The following day, the application was called in by the Scottish Government for decision.
TOSH McKINLAY: Celtic goal could have Barca in el of a sweat
YOU have to be realistic and say the odds are rightly stacked on Barcelona to win in the Nou Camp tonight, but if Celtic can keep things tight enough early on and snatch a goal it could get interesting. I think Celtic earned Barcelona's respect by having a real go at Parkhead in the first leg and it was unfortunate they couldn't hold onto the lead. .
Loonie surpasses $1.10 US
The Canadian dollar continued its lofty flight as it passed $1.10 US on Wednesday while the U.S. dollar continued to weaken. Shortly after the start of trading in North America, the loonie was up more than 1.75 cents at $1.1027 US. The U.S. dollar continued to lose ground against other currencies. The greenback fell to another record low of $1.4703 US against the euro, while the British pound hit $2.1051 US, a level not seen since since May 1981. The latest of advance of the loonie will most likely send economists back to the drawing board to redo their forecasts for the dollar. The currency has appreciated much faster than many observers had been expecting. The Canadian dollar regained parity with the U.S. greenback in September. The loonie has been setting new records since Oct.
401(k) debit draws red flags
A new debit card that lets consumers use ATMs to withdraw money from their 401(k) plans is drawing a sharp reaction from financial planners.
The ReservePlus card is marketed by Reserve Solutions Inc., a New York financial firm that says it has 10,000 cardholders already.
The debit cards allow cardholders to take out loans from their employer-sponsored 401(k) retirement funds. Normally, restrictions on the funds discourage account holders from making withdrawals before they are 59½ years old.
Early withdrawals from 401(k) plans come with taxes and fees, which could deprive account holders of their nest eggs if they fail to replace the money promptly.
Financial planners warn consumers to be cautious about taking money out of retirement plans, especially as the nation's economic slowdown makes withdrawals more tempting.
Owner of Henrietta church plans to restore it
It was sold for back taxes after ownership could not be determined. Bidding started at $2,151.98. Lyde and one other bidder competed for the property. In addition to his bid, Lyde must pay the $67 in taxes owed for 2007. The church was once home to the community's only black church but has been unused for many years and had fallen into disrepair. The sale was conducted by Constable Toby Davis and the Clay County Appraisal District. Four other properties were also sold that day. Lyde said he wants to restore the church as much as possible and would eventually like to make a chapel out of the building, which could serve as a meeting place for Bible studies, family reunions and such. He said he didn't think there was any interest in it being used as a church again.
Tougher checks to greet travellers
They will check biometric identity information from visa applicants against criminal and counter-terrorism records. - ID cards for foreign nationals are to be introduced from the end of next year to strengthen borders. - Liaison officers in overseas airports will be able to cancel visas of suspicious travellers. .
Pro-Death: Religious Conservatives Are Responsible for High Abortion ...
Who carries the greatest responsibility for the deaths of unborn children in this country? I accuse the leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales, His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. I charge that he is partly to blame for our abnormally high abortion rate. Let me begin with a point of agreement. "Whatever our religious creed or political conviction," Murphy-O'Connor writes, the level of abortion in the UK "can only be a source of distress and profound anguish for us all". Quite so. But why has it climbed so high? Is it the rising tide of liberalism? The absence of abstinence? Strange as it may seem, the evidence suggests the opposite. Last week the cardinal sacked the board of a hospital in north London. It had permitted a GP's surgery to move on to the site, and the doctors there, horror of horrors, were helping women with family planning.
3 held for plot to attack dera chief
Meanwhile, it was learnt that Jaswant Singh, who worked is a driver of a school bus, had recently been nominated president of a local gurdwara, following which he became quite vocal against the dera chief. He had even started giving siropas (robe of honours) to motivate people against the dera chief, the police said. Jaswant was a drug addict and had been spending huge amounts of money on drugs despite the fact that he was drawing a salary of Rs 3,200. The SSP said the credentials of the other two were being verified. The three had been arrested by a police team on the basis of a tip-off. They were riding a motorcycle when the police arrested them near Nandpur Kalaur village. The police recovered two 315 calibre revolvers and a 12 caliber pistol from their possession. The three have confessed to having robbed at least 17 persons in and around the district.
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