: iStockAnalyst.com News Feed

BRIEF: Tufco Leads State Stocks Lower, As Dow Tumbles

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:12:00 GMT

Dec. 1--The stock market stumbled into December today with the Dow Jones industrials dropping more than 400 points by midday amid growing concerns about the economy and news that factory activity in the U.S. fell to a 26-year low in November.
The Dow's decrease was almost 5%.
The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was off about 6% and the Nasdaq Composite Index also was down about 6%.

Online air travel searches down sharply

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:00:00 GMT

U.S. consumers have cut back drastically on their online searches for air travel accommodations, an industry research group said.[More...]

Palin campaigns in Ga.'s Senate runoff

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:59:00 GMT

- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin implored Georgia Republicans to back Sen. Saxby Chambliss in his hotly contested Senate runoff, telling a cheering crowd Monday that the first step in rebuilding the GOP begins with the Southern state.
Last month in the general election, Chambliss fell short of crossing the 50 percent threshold in a three-way race against Democrat Jim Martin and a Libertarian candidate, Allen Buckley, who drew 3.4 percent of the vote.
Associated Press writer Russ Bynum in Savannah contributed to this report

[More...]

The Kansas City Star, Mo., Mike Hendricks Column: For Kansas GOP Chairman, Loyalty Means Unity

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:59:00 GMT

Dec. 1--When we last left the recurring family feud that is the Kansas Republican Party, 17 precinct captains in Johnson County and three from elsewhere in the state stood accused of giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
You know, the evil Democrats.
Since then, the GOP Loyalty Committee has met and decided that only half of the alleged traitors deserve hanging.

[More...]

Bush: `I'm sorry' the economic crisis is occurring

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:57:00 GMT

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush expressed remorse that the global financial crisis has cost jobs and harmed retirement accounts and said he'll back more government intervention if needed to ease the recession.
"I'm sorry it's happening, of course," Bush said in a wide-ranging interview with ABC's "World News," which was airing Monday.
The U.S. economy fell into a recession in December 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research reported on Monday.

[More...]

Missouri, Kansas Economies Slip Further

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:57:00 GMT

Dec. 1--Weaker business conditions in Missouri and Kansas drove a regional economic index to new lows last month, below its depths during the last recession.The Business Conditions Index, generated by economist Ernie Goss at Creighton University, surveys business supply managers about their expectations for the next three to six months.
A reading below 50 indicates a contracting economy.
Stark drops hit Missouri and Kansas versions of the index for November compared with October.

[More...]

Consumers 'Desperate' About Debt: Scottsdale-Based Company Analyzes Economic Factors

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:57:00 GMT

Dec. 1--The holiday shopping season has just begun, and an alarming number of consumers already are struggling with unmanageable debt.
Debt Settlement USA, a Scottsdale-based company that negotiates with creditors and financial institutions on behalf of consumers, reported Friday that its Consumer Debt Index stood at 13.55 for the third quarter, up more than 6.5 percent from the second quarter and nearly 30 percent from the third quarter of last year.
It is compiled from the Consumer Price Index, consumer credit reports from the Federal Reserve, the mortgage delinquency rate and the consumer loan delinquency rate.

[More...]

Roof Caves in on New Housing ; Starts Are Down By Almost Half From 2006, Forcing Builders to Focus on First-Time Buyers and Niche Markets.

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:57:00 GMT

Fewer new homes will be built in southern Maine this year than at any time since at least 1991, figures show.
From January through Nov. 15, builders took out 841 permits in the 38 communities tracked by Construction Data New England.
That's roughly one-third as many as were filed in the same period in 2000, the peak year for home building in the area, according to figures tallied by the firm for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.

[More...]

Government bond yields hit fresh lows

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:57:00 GMT

NEW YORK - Yields on long-term U.S. government debt sank to record lows Monday as worries about mounting economic problems touched off another investor rush to safety.
Wall Street found fresh reason for concern about a protracted recession Monday following a slew of downbeat economic readings and assessments that the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season was mixed.
Demand for Treasurys rose as the latest economic reports reinforced fears that tightness in the availability of credit and a widespread hesitancy among consumers to spend will further choke the economy.

[More...]

Bernanke: lower interest rates are "feasible"

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:57:00 GMT

WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Monday that further interest-rate cuts are "certainly feasible," but he warned there are limits to how much such action would revive an economy likely to stay weak well into next year.
Bernanke, in prepared remarks to business leaders in Austin, Texas, noted that the bracing impact of the Fed's aggressive rate reductions has been somewhat stymied by the worst credit and financial crises to hit the world economy since the 1930s.
Despite lower borrowing costs ordered by the Fed, skittish banks have been reluctant to lend money to people and businesses, a vicious cycle that has seriously hobbled the U.S. economy.

[More...]

UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:56:00 GMT

AMPTP: SAG strike would be self-defeating LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 -- A group of TV and film producers says in an open letter printed Monday in the Los Angeles Times a Screen Actors Guild strike would be self-defeating.[More...]

Retailers Report Brisk Start to Holiday Season: Shoppers Spent Average of $372 Over the Weekend

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:54:00 GMT

Dec. 1--CHARLESTON, W.Va.
-- Many Charleston Town Center merchants are saying this past Black Friday was their best in 10 years, said Lisa McCracken, the Town Center's marketing director.
"I had apparel retailers tell me this, candle retailers, jewelry retailers," McCracken said.

[More...]

Shopping: Focus on the Little Things Elevates Apartment 202

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:54:00 GMT

Dec. 1--Remember the childhood game of asking your friends what animal they would like to be and why?
If Apartment 202, a cozy little women's boutique tucked into Salt Lake City's 9th and 9th area, were an animal, it would almost certainly be a dolphin: compact, lithe and agile, intelligent and a little bit talkative.
The store's shopping philosophy is apparent from the moment you walk in. Here is a store with an abundance of breathing room, where each section, from dresses to jewelry, is arranged with grace in mind over attitude, and where the quality of items takes precedence over quantity.

[More...]

Cyber Monday Deals Abound: Online Specials ? Anxious Retailers Will Try to Lure Customers

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:53:00 GMT

Dec. 1--You may want to check out the Web sites of your favorite retailers Monday, even if you don't do a lot of shopping online.
That's because Monday is Cyber Monday -- the official start of the online shopping season.
It's a day when retailers will be offering up some of their best deals of the season.

[More...]

Redstone sells interest in Midway Games

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:53:00 GMT

NEW YORK - Media mogul Sumner Redstone sold his majority stake in video game publisher Midway Games Inc. on Monday as his family's holding company looks to get out from under a $1.6 billion debt.
Redstone, the family's holding company National Amusements Inc. and another entity called Sumco Inc. sold their approximately 87.2 percent interest in Midway to a company led by private investor Mark Thomas, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The buyer, Acquisition Holdings Subsidiary I LLC, purchased about 80.3 million shares of Midway at $0.0012 per share.

[More...]

Clearwire to market WiMax under "Clear" brand

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:53:00 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Newly merged company Clearwire Corp. says it plans to sell its wireless broadband service under the brand name of "Clear."
The Kirkland, Wash.-based company said Monday the name will replace the "Xohm" brand used by partner Sprint Nextel Corp. in Baltimore.
Clearwire merged Friday with Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint's wireless broadband network.

[More...]

Online Retailers Offer Cyber Monday Deals in Bid to Boost Sales

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:53:00 GMT

Dec. 1--More e-commerce sites are using the made-up marketing term of Cyber Monday as a promotional event this year.
According to a Shop.org survey released Sunday, about 84 percent of retailers will have a special promotion for Cyber Monday, up from 72 percent last year.
Unlike the brick-and-mortar world's annual spike in sales on Black Friday, Cyber Monday isn't the busiest shopping day of the year for Web retailers, said Craig Berman, spokesman for Amazon.com.

[More...]

BRIEF: It's CyberMonday, and the Deals Are Hot

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:53:00 GMT

Dec. 1--It's CyberMonday and online retailers are hoping that consumers spend their day shopping at their computers instead of working.
Here's a look at some of the deals being offered online today:
Borders.com: 40 percent off entire stock of DVD box sets --Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic: free shipping on any purchase and up to 40 percent off --White House Black Market: additional 25 percent off every style including sale items and receive a $25 reward card with orders of a $100 or more --Ann Taylor Loft: 30 percent off plus free shipping on any order --PiperLime: 20 percent and free shipping --Pottery Barn: 20 percent off any single item of your choice --Bed Bath & Beyond: 20 percent off one single item online --Barnes & Noble: 15 percent off one item and a free winter throw blanket if you spend $75 or more

[More...]

German chip maker Qimonda could face bankruptcy

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:53:00 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany - Qimonda AG, the memory chip company majority owned by Infineon Technologies AG, said Monday it may face bankruptcy if it fails to find new investors or the cash needed to operate in the coming weeks.
Ralph Heinrich, a Qimonda spokesman, told The Associated Press that if the memory chip maker doesn't cut costs and fails to find new capital through an investor partner, that it could not exclude bankruptcy by the end of the first quarter of 2009.
Qimonda said it would delay its fourth-quarter and 2008 year-end results until December though its fiscal year ended Sept. 30.

[More...]

India demands 'strong action' from Pakistan

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:52:00 GMT

MUMBAI, India - India demanded Pakistan take "strong action" against those behind the 60-hour siege that left at least 172 people dead, as new details emerged Monday about the gunmen and the survival training that enabled them to thwart Indian commandos.
Pakistan's high commissioner to India was called to the foreign ministry and told that "elements from Pakistan" had carried out the attacks, ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash told reporters.
While the attacks could keep tourists and foreign investors away, some analysts attributed Monday's declines to shock and anxiety in the immediate aftermath rather than a loss of confidence in India's economic prospects.

[More...]

Iraq: Key figures since the war began

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:52:00 GMT

U.S. TROOP LEVELS:
Confirmed U.S. military wounded (hostile) as of Nov. 28, 2008: 30,840.
Confirmed U.S. military wounded (non-hostile, using medical air transport) as of Nov. 1, 2008: 34,618.

[More...]

French first lady joins global fight against AIDS

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:52:00 GMT

PARIS - France's glamorous first lady threw her considerable star power behind the global fight against AIDS on Monday, as the world tallied the victims of the HIV virus that infects a new person every 15 seconds.
As ceremonies marked World AIDS Day, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy signed on to become a goodwill ambassador for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which said it has provided lifesaving treatment to two million people living with HIV worldwide.
Bruni-Sarkozy, who lost her brother Virginio to AIDS two years ago, said her work will focus on helping women and children infected with HIV, the virus that causes the disease.

[More...]

Dover-Foxcroft Voters to Consider Water District Debt

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:51:00 GMT

DOVER-FOXCROFT - More than $500,000 in grants will be at stake when residents in the Dover-Foxcroft Water District vote in January on a request to increase the debt limit from $1.5 million to $3.5 million.
Voters rejected the same request in a referendum vote of 647-579 on Nov. 4, but water district officials consider the matter so urgent that a second vote will be presented when residents go to the polls on Jan. 27 to vote on a school administrative reorganization plan.
"It's very important for the infrastructure of Dover-Foxcroft to get the project done for future growth," Scott Taylor of the water district said Sunday.

[More...]

BRIEF: Man Dies in Single-Vehicle Wreck in Fort Worth

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:51:00 GMT

Dec. 1--One man died Sunday evening from injuries he received in a single-vehicle wreck in the 3600 block of Hemphill Street, police said.
The man, believed to be in his mid 20s, died at John Peter Smith Hospital following the wreck around 9 p.m. Sunday, said Fort Worth Police Sgt. Rodney Bangs, supervisor of the Traffic Investigation Unit.
The wreck happened about a mile south of Hemphill Street's intersection with West Berry Street.

[More...]

Mexico sells off foreign reserves to help peso

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:49:00 GMT

MEXICO CITY - Mexico's central bank has sold off $400 million in foreign reserves to stabilize the peso as it continues to weaken against the U.S. dollar.
The peso has stayed the same since Monday's auction, trading at 13.6.
Bank analysts expects the peso will settle around 12.7 for all of 2009.

[More...]

Swiss court imprisons ex-manager of Israeli bank

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:49:00 GMT

ZURICH, Switzerland - A Swiss court has sentenced a former branch manager of Israel's Bank Leumi to eight years in prison for a string of fraud-related offenses.
The district court in Zurich says 57-year-old Ernst Imfeld is guilty of mismanaging and embezzling customer funds as well as falsifying documents.
Prosecutors says Imfeld lost about 150 million Swiss francs (now worth $125 million) over the course of a decade while he was the head of Bank Leumi's branch in Switzerland.

[More...]

Oil at $50 with US economy officially in recession

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:48:00 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Oil prices tumbled below $50 a barrel Monday as National Bureau of Economic Research reported that the U.S. economy has been in a recession since December 2007.
Light, sweet crude for January delivery fell 7.5 percent, or $4.07 to $50.36 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after sinking as low as $49.52.
Manufacturing and consumer spending has eroded quickly and lowered demand for energy.

[More...]

Gas Prices Revealed: What Are We Really Paying For?

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:48:00 GMT

Dec. 1--Prices have eased up quite a bit, but buying gas remains a necessary evil, especially in today's economy.
The Energy Information Administration, a division of the U.S. government that provides statistics for all energy sources, offers a breakdown of gas prices.
Four components compose the retail price of gasoline, according to the EIA.

[More...]

Woman Not Seriously Hurt After Crash Sends Vehicle 25 Feet into Air

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:47:00 GMT

Dec. 1--"It doesn't sound possible, but that's what happened."
Beaver Police Sgt. Ken McCoy, describing a crash Wednesday in which a woman's SUV soared more than 25 feet in the air and clipped off the top of a utility pole.
BEAVER -- A woman escaped serious injury in an incredible crash Wednesday afternoon in Beaver in which her sport utility vehicle flew more than 25 feet in the air and clipped off the top of a utility pole.

[More...]

Dexter Seeks Compromise on Boat Launch

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:47:00 GMT

DEXTER - The Town Council and the Dexter Utilities District will meet this week in an attempt to reach a compromise regarding the primitive boat launch on Lake Wassookeag.
The issue came to a head in 2005 when the Dexter planning board first granted a permit to the state to make the primitive launch into a permanent boat launch.
The primitive launch site has been used over the years by owners of larger boats who can't access the big lake from the state's boat launch on the smaller part of the lake.

[More...]

Family of 7 Bearing Load of Bad Luck ; Fearing Foreclosure, a Jobless Couple is Trying to Make the Holidays Happy for Their Kids.

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:47:00 GMT

Bad luck has been one southern Maine family's constant companion.
"We bought a new house, and everything was looking great," said the mother of this family of seven, which includes two children with special needs.
Now they are worried about losing another home - this time, to foreclosure - and are asking the Bruce Roberts Toy Fund for help with gifts, so they can soften the blow for their children.

[More...]

BRIEF: Building Evacuated While Gas Leak Repaired

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:47:00 GMT

Dec. 1--JANESVILLE -- A four-unit apartment building had to be evacuated after a natural gas leak.
At 2:24 p.m. Sunday, Janesville police and fire departments responded to a call about a broken gas line at 203 N. Washington St., Janesville.
Investigation showed that a car had pulled in, struck the meter and then pulled back into a parking spot, Janesville Police Sgt. Terry Sheridan said.

[More...]

Prepping for a Nuclear Rebound

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:47:00 GMT

Dec. 1--Laid off from the Dorsey Corp. after five years on the job, Paul Talbott wanted a more stable career.
Mr. Talbott is enrolled this fall in a new program at Chattanooga State Technical Community College that could put nearly 40 radiation protection technicians in the field by 2010, each with the potential to earn more than $50,000 a year.
"Nuclear power looks like an industry that is going to be recessionproof, and it's a well-paying industry with a bright future," he said.

[More...]

EKU Gets $4.65 Million to Start Alternative-Fuels Research Program

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:47:00 GMT

Dec. 1--Eastern Kentucky University is launching a new alternative-fuels research program in tandem with a San Diego energy firm that will look at producing diesel -- and potentially jet fuel -- from plant matter.
Eventually, officials hope to use EKU's research as a springboard to start a production plant that would be based in Clark County and run by the firm, General Atomics.
The main goal of the first phase of the project, said EKU President Doug Whitlock, is for researchers to determine what type of non-food plant materials -- such as wood, tobacco, corn stalks or switch grass -- is most efficiently broken down and easily converted into bio-diesel.

[More...]

Area Energy Projects Still on Schedule

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:47:00 GMT

Dec. 1--From Montana to Florida, attempts to expand the nation's cramped power grid have been hampered by the recent economic downturn.
But the country's financial turbulence hasn't harmed several large-scale energy projects in southern Idaho, developers of those projects said last week.
If anything, the economy has just led Idaho Power Co. officials to be a little more cautious about large-scale plans to build new interstate transmission lines and a natural gas plant over the next few years, said Echo Chadwick, the utility's director of corporate communications.

[More...]

North Korea restricts border crossings

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:34:00 GMT

North Korea has moved to severely curtail the number of South Koreans it allows into the country for joint industrial and tourism projects, officials said.[More...]

Stimulus package form follows function

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:31:00 GMT

A U.S. stimulus package that spent directly on projects would have a multiplying benefit on the economy, a prominent economist has said.[More...]

CEO Pay Lucrative in Carolinas

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:12:00 GMT

Dec. 1--CHARLOTTE -- Last year was lucrative for CEOs of the largest Carolinas companies.
Nearly 20 percent of the leaders at the Carolinas 50, some of the states' biggest public companies, received more than $10 million in total compensation, the highest rate since the Charlotte Observer began its annual compensation review.
The total increased by 30 percent between 2005 and last year, when it stood at $276 million.

[More...]

Weapon workers weren't denied benefits

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:02:00 GMT

A Florida lawmaker is criticizing a government investigation of charges that workers at a nuclear weapons plant were being denied compensation for illness.[More...]

RBS plans to delay home repossessions

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:59:00 GMT

The Royal Bank of Scotland plans to allow troubled homeowners a six-month grace period before repossessing their homes, sources said.[More...]

Local Retailers Stay Optimistic: Deep Discounts Drive Shoppers Out of Hibernation to Boost Stores' Weekend Receipts

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:53:00 GMT

Dec. 1--Lisa McKee, owner of Hugs & Hissyfits, drew shoppers into her Destin Commons store with a simple business plan: "More things on sale earlier," said the children's clothing store owner.
The deep discounts drove shoppers out of hibernation for the Thanksgiving weekend and rewarded patient shop owners in the process.
Hugs & Hissyfits had their highest sales ever for Black Friday and the rest of the weekend.

[More...]

Savvy Drivers Seek Out Cheap Gas

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:52:00 GMT

Dec. 1--BANGOR, Maine -- Local drivers who paid around $4 a gallon for gasoline just a few months ago have become savvy in finding the cheapest prices around, and don't plan to make any changes even though gas prices have dropped.
Some drivers filling up on Saturday at the Dead River Co. convenience store, which was one of two Main Street stores selling the petroleum product at $1.899 a gallon for regular, said they used the Internet to find the cheapest gas around.
Others keep track of local prices while driving around going to work or shopping, and another driver said she heard about the low-priced gas by word of mouth.

[More...]

BRIEF: Kansas Business Conditions Drop

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:51:00 GMT

Dec. 1--A survey of Kansas supply managers said the state's business conditions fell precipitously in November.
The Creighton University survey, released today, said Kansas' Business Conditions Index fell to 32.7 from 50.5 in October.
Creighton professor Ernie Goss, the survey's author, said in a news release that a combination of layoffs in the aircraft industry and "a pullback in growth among the state's trading partners" led to the index's steep decline.

[More...]

Aston Martin laying off 600 employees

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:51:00 GMT

LONDON - Aston Martin, maker of James Bond's luxury sports car, said Monday that it is laying off as much as a third of its work force because of falling sales during the economic slump.
The cuts involve a mix of full-time and temporary jobs at its plant in Gaydon in western England.
Aston Martin sold 110 cars in Britain in October compared with 164 in the same month last year.

[More...]

Panel says US has been in recession since Dec. '07

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:51:00 GMT

WASHINGTON - A panel of the National Bureau of Economic Research says the U.S. economy fell into a recession last year.
The NBER says its group of academic economists who determine business cycles met and decided that the U.S. recession began in December 2007.
Many economists believe the current downturn will last until the middle of 2009 and will be the most severe slump since the 1981-82 recession

[More...]

U.S. Manufacturing Declined in November

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:51:00 GMT

U.S. manufacturing activity declined for the fourth consecutive month in November, the Institute for Supply Management said Monday.
The institutes's headline index, the Purchasing Managers Index, fell 2.7 points to 36.2; but new orders, a component index, dropped for the 12th straight month to 27.9, the lowest reading since June 1980, ISM said.
In addition, the prices index at 25.5 percent "indicates that commodity prices continue to decline at a rapid rate," said Norbert Ore, chair of the Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Business Survey Committee.

[More...]

Canadian 3Q Economy Surprises With Gain

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:51:00 GMT

The Canadian economy surpassed expectations in the third quarter, with an annual gain of 1.3 percent, the Statistics Canada agency reported from Ottawa Monday.
The year-over-year increase was fueled largely by gains made in July, the report said.
"Economic growth has been weak since the beginning of the year, as foreign demand has weakened and growth of domestic demand has slowed," StatsCan said.

[More...]

It's official: US is in recession

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:51:00 GMT

WASHINGTON - The U.S. economy has been in a recession since December 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday.
The NBER - a private, nonprofit research organization - said its group of academic economists who determine business cycles met and decided that the U.S. recession began last December.
The White House commented on the news that a second downturn has officially begun on President George W. Bush's watch without ever actually using the word "recession," a term the president and his aides have repeatedly avoided.

[More...]

South Africa emerges from AIDS denial

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:51:00 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Church bells tolled and workers put down their tools on Monday as South Africa observed a minute of silence for AIDS victims and ended a decade of denial about the epidemic.
As ceremonies marked World AIDS Day around the world, the top U.N. official dealing with the disease, Peter Piot, joined South African political leaders and hundreds of activists to show his support for a government that has broken with the discredited AIDS policies of former President Thabo Mbeki.
"With the young and working age dying in droves, South Africa's death statistics resemble those of a country in a terrible war," the Confederation of South African Trade Unions said.

[More...]

Thai crisis deepens as airport siege intensifies

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:51:00 GMT

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's leader attended a Buddhist ritual Monday, seemingly indifferent to a deepening political crisis that has paralyzed his government, shut down two main airports and stranded 300,000 foreigners in the country.
The protesters have vowed to stay until Somchai steps down but he has refused.
Neither the army, a key player in Thai politics, nor the king has offered Somchai the firm backing he needs to resolve the crisis.

[More...]