Canada's employment outlook looking up: Manpower
10 March 2010 - Canadian employers plan to hold staffing levels steady in the second quarter, though hiring intentions are up from a year ago, according to a survey released on Tuesday by employment services company Manpower Inc. The survey also showed 17 per cent plan to increase their staffing in the second quarter. The global company's quarterly employment survey showed hiring intentions were up in 19 of 35 countries. (more)

Egypt's Mediterranean coast protected in reserve
10 March 2010 - Egypt wants visitors to discover its Mediterranean coast at a marine reserve being established near the border with Libya, the government said on 9 March. 'The goal is to protect endangered species ... and encourage ecotourism in the reserve area, putting it on the global ecotourism map,' Environment Minister Maged George said. (more)

February exports jump 45.7 per cent for China
10 March 2010 - China's exports rose in February in a new sign of growing global demand that could help persuade officials to let the Chinese currency rise. February's growth rate was boosted by comparison with last year's weak trade amid the global downturn and came despite the weeklong Lunar New Year holiday, when many companies shut down. (more)

France: 40 nation deforestation conference to turn plans to action
10 March 2010 - French President Nicolas Sarkozy will open a daylong conference Thursday of some 40 nations to start turning plans into action to save the world's forests and help rein in the noxious gases blamed for climate change. Ministers from countries of the Amazon and Congo river basins and Indonesia -- whose massive forests, most at risk, are at the heart of efforts to end deforestation -- were among those attending the one-day conference. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for May in Oslo, Norway. (more)

Gabon centralizes taxes in bid to help business
10 March 2010 - Gabon has banned the levying of taxes by all agencies except by the central treasury in a bid to eradicate the plethora of local charges squeezing the margins of small businesses. It is the latest in a series of measures by new President Ali Bongo Odimba aimed at stimulating enterprise and weaning the Gabonese economy away from dwindling oil revenues. (more)

German fishing boat flies giant kite to save fuel
10 March 2010 - Germany's largest fishing vessel will leave the Netherlands this week, towed by a giant kite harnessing trade winds for South America that will help cut its fuel consumption by up to a third. The 15,000 tonne 'Maartje Theadora' is the first fishing vessel to use the system, in which a 160 square meter blue and white kite similar to a paraglider pulls the ship on a 300 meter rope, assisting its main engine. (more)

Millionaires are making a comeback in United States
10 March 2010 - The number of US households with a net worth of at least $1 million jumped 16 per cent last year after dipping sharply during the financial crisis, an industry consulting group said on 9 March. The study also found ultra high net worth families -- those with at least $5 million -- grew 17 per cent last year. Last year's spike came as US stock markets rallied. (more)

Secret Giotto uncovered in Florence chapel
10 March 2010 - Restorers using ultra-violet rays have rediscovered rich original details of Giotto's paintings in the Peruzzi Chapel in Florence's Santa Croce church that have been hidden for centuries. 'We have uncovered a secret Giotto,' said the head of Florence's Opificio delle Pietre Dure, one of the world's most prestigious art restoration laboratories. Under ultra-violet light, all of a sudden all the very faint paintings that were ruined by old restorations took on a new life, the project co-ordinator said. Giotto's paintings in the chapel are believed to have had a major influence on Michelangelo. (more)

Shanghai declares indoor smoking ban ahead of World Expo
10 March 2010 - Restaurants and office buildings in China's commercial capital Shanghai are scrambling to set up nonsmoking areas as the city bans lighting up in indoor public spaces ahead of the World Expo. There is rising awareness of the health risks of smoking in China, and this modern city of 20 million is cleaning up its act as it prepares to host the Expo, which begins 1 May. That six-month event is expected to attract 70 million people, with exhibits from 192 countries. (more)

US Job openings up sharply in January to 2.7 million
10 March 2010 - Job openings rose sharply earlier this year, evidence that US employers are slowly ramping up hiring as the economy improves. The report is a sign that the economy is soon likely to generate consistent job gains. (more)

US Justice Department set to hear seed industry complaints
10 March 2010 - Scrutiny of the US seed industry takes centre stage in the top corn-growing state of Iowa this week as the Justice Department probes complaints about alleged illegal restraint on development and sales of corn, soybeans, and other crops. The 12 March gathering is part of a government probe into allegations that large US seed companies, most notably Monsanto Co, have gained dominance of the US commercial seed market through unfair, and in some cases possibly illegal, practices. (more)