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New $1 coins are stacked together during an event launching its circulation in New York

IMF cuts value of dollar, yen in SDR basket; euro, pound value hiked

The US dollar and Japanese yen lost a part of their weighting while that of euro and British pound increased in the basket of currencies that make up the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Special Drawing Right (SDR), the Fund said on Tuesday. The changes will be effective on January 1 next year.

Fed likely to buy all $600 bln for QE2, open to QE3

Federal Reserve vice chairwoman Janet Yellen
The Federal Reserve is likely to spend the entire $600 billion allocated for the second round of quantitative easing (QE2) and is open to a third round (QE3) if the economy performs worse than expected.
You're paycheck won't get their on time...

Lawmakers seek enhanced security for air cargo

According to government figures, in 2008, merchandise shipped into the U.S. by airplane accounted for 20 percent of the nation’s imports, with a value of $417 billion. That’s a great deal of items and only one, or two, would have to explode to have, through terror, a crippling effect upon the nation’s economy, to say nothing of the nation’s spirit.
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U.S. President Barack Obama (left), South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (center), and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper sit during an awards presentation for small and medium sized businesses after the end of meetings at the G20 Seoul Summit on Nove

How to interpret G20?

How much was accomplished at the just-concluded G20 summit in Seoul, South Korea likely depends upon whom you are asking. While some observers feel the summit cannot really do anything to address the fundamental differences between diametrically opposed economies (see: U.S. vs. China), others feel that progress of any such summit has to be measured in slow, patient doses.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski speaks at a campaign rally in October.

Murkowski close to triumph

The hand counting of write-in and absentee ballots continues in Alaska today, where incumbent Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski appears on the verge of a historic victory over tea-party Republican nominee Joe Miller.
William C. Dudley, President and Chief Executive of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York

NY Fed chief downplays debt monetization label

William Dudley, president of the New York Federal Reserve, downplayed the charge that the Federal Reserve is monetizing U.S. government debt. The Fed is accused of doing so because it is engaged in quantitative easing.
A U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer

See Something? Say Something!

In anticipation of a busy holiday travel season ahead of the Thanksgiving and Christmas, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is launching a campaign -- If You See Something, Say Something -- to raise public awareness and strengthening security.
A Barclays Bank branch is seen in central London

Why is it good to pay bankers more bonuses?

Taking home less in benefits was the fitting catharsis for the bankers whose hubris was a generous sanctioning of risky loans, it was agreed. And it made everyone, except the bankers, happy. But the there is a twist in the tale.
Suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout is escorted by members of a special police unit after a hearing at a criminal court in Bangkok October 5, 2010.

‘Merchant of Death’ Viktor Bout extradited to US

Storied Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who faces trial in the U.S. for plotting to kill Americans by making weapons available to terror outfits, was extradited to the U.S. on Tuesday, almost three months after a Thai court overturned his plea contesting an earlier extradition verdict.
Pedestrians pass by the Bank of Japan building in Tokyo

Japan's lawmakers pass new stimulus plan

Japan's Lower House on Tuesday passed a new stimulus plan even as experts believe that the country's surprise economic performance in the third quarter will stall in the fourth quarter due to slowing exports and a stronger yen.
bank

EU inflation rose in October: Eurostat

Annual inflation in the European Union rose during October, for both the euro area and the EU, according to a report by the Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
King

UK Oct. inflation rises to 3.2%

Inflation in the U.K. rose during October, mainly pushed by fuel and lubricant prices, a report by the U.K. Office for National Statistics.
World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy

WTO chief optimistic about global trade talks

WTO director-general Pascal Lamy said statements from G20 and APEC leaders last week “provided a clear signal that they expect the Doha Development Round to be a deliverable next year.”
Daily wage workers wait for employment on a street side at an industrial area in Mumbai

India's unemployment rate at 9.4 pct in 2009-10: Govt survey

The unemployment rate in India is estimated at 9.4 percent or 94 percents out of 1000 persons in the labour force for the fixed reference period of financial year 2009-10, according to employment-unemployment survey by the Labour Bureau under the Labour and Employment Ministry.
U.S. Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) speaks during a hearing of the House Adjudicatory subcommittee at Capitol Hill in Washington, November 15, 2010.

Rangel denied postponement

A two-year investigation into possible ethics violations by U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-NY, led today to the beginning of a trial before an eight-member, bipartisan House subcommittee. Rangel’s first move was to request a postponement.
Brian Cowen

Specter of Irish bailout looms

Europe's sovereign debt crisis is flaring up again and Ireland, the center of focus this time around, is pushed closer to needing a bailout.
US says troop withdrawal from Afghanistan not an 'exit strategy'

US says troop withdrawal from Afghanistan not an 'exit strategy'

The Obama administration is to present a transition plan for Afghanistan at the upcoming NATO summit in Lisbon. A gradual reduction of troops is to begin in July next year and all combat operations will end in 2014 as scheduled. The plan is also expected to suggest stepping up the efforts to build up the Afghan security forces.
U.S. President Barack Obama (C) shakes hands with China's President Hu Jintao as they walk next to other world leaders during the family photo session at the G20 Summit in Seoul November 12, 2010.

Critics blast Obama's ineffectual waltz through Asia

President Barack Obama's 10-day Asian tour has been dubbed a failure by media owing to key failures in binding together the much-awaited free trade pact with South Korea and the inability to persuade a majority of the G-20 nations to support the U.S. position on current account imbalances.
Berlusconi govt. wobbles as Fini loyalists quit

Berlusconi govt. wobbles as Fini loyalists quit

In an attempt to topple Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government, four top officials, including two ministers, are set to resign on Monday afternoon. Even as the move might not be able to bring down the administration, it is likely to prompt early elections in the country, analysts say
Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a building in Shanghai

Blaze kills 12 in Shanghai high-rise, dozens still trapped

At least 12 people have been killed and dozens more are awaiting rescue as a huge fire engulfed a high-rise residential building in Shanghai. Several residents including elderly citizens are believed to be trapped in the 28-storey building located in the Jing'an district. Reports in the Chinese media state that the witnesses have spoken of hearing loud explosions.
Somali pirates free British couple

Somali pirates free British couple

A British couple taken hostage by the Somali pirates last year was released on Sunday. Reports suggest that the couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler, paid a ransom amount of $300,000 to their captors. The pirates reportedly handed them over to officials in Adado, a central Somali town near the Ethiopian border.
Israel mulls US offer on West Bank 'settlement freeze'

Israel mulls US offer on West Bank 'settlement freeze'

Israel is to discuss a 90-day construction freeze in West Bank proposed by the United States, sources say. At the recent Washington meeting between Israeli Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, US reportedly proposed an incentive package to reinstate a moratorium on West Bank settlement building. However, the proposal does not include a suspension of settlement activity in East Jerusalem.
Aung San Suu Kyi calls for unity among democratic forces

Suu Kyi speaks to supporters, calls for unity among democratic forces

In her first major speech to the supporters, Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi called upon the democratic forces in the country to work together. Thousands of cheering supporters flocked the headquarters of the National Democratic league (NLD) in Yangon on Sunday afternoon to catch a glimpse of their leader.

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