The Denver law firm of Fife and Associates now is called Fife, Charles, Mangall & Mossinghoff, the company reported Monday.
The names of attorneys Christ Charles, Darin Mangnall and Dan Mossinghoff were added to the firm's name.
The firm focuses on criminal law and DUI defenses.
Charles has been with the firm since 2004, and Mangnall and Mossinghoff have been with it since 2005.
South Korea's 10.5 trillion won ($10 billion) spending package to aid cash-strapped households and businesses may herald fresh measures by Asian governments to shield their economies from record oil prices.
Crude oil jumped $10.75, the largest one-day increase, to $138.54 a barrel in New York on June 6 and touched an all-time high of $139.12. Japan's Trade Minister Akira Amari, hosting a weekend summit of the world's biggest energy users, warned the global economy may slide into a recession.
“There's a greater risk of a more severe economic downturn across the region,'' said Shane Oliver, Sydney-based head of investment strategy at AMP Capital Investors, which manages about $108 billion. “We'll see more moves by governments to try and protect their populations against fallout from spiraling oil prices.''
Prime Minister Han Seung Soo yesterday announced income-tax rebates for three-quarters of South Korea's 13 million workers, and subsidies for truckers, farmers and fishermen struggling with soaring fuel costs. Malaysia's government will provide measures next week to ease the impact of rising energy prices, the Star newspaper reported on June 7.
“The steps show South Korea's government is very serious about rising oil costs and the impact on the economy,'' said Kwon Young Sun, an economist at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in Hong Kong. “The move will help reduce the risk of a further economic slowdown. It's likely to prompt other countries to follow suit.''
Japan Summit
Oil prices have more than doubled in the past year, stoking inflation and threatening to roil economies across the region already grappling with cooling export demand because of the U.S- led global slowdown.
Crude oil fell 0.6 percent to $137.68 a barrel in after- hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 11 a.m. in Singapore. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index of stocks lost 1.4 percent to 148.25 as of 12:03 p.m. in Tokyo.
Energy ministers from the Group of Eight industrialized nations plus China, India and South Korea said yesterday they'd establish the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Corporation aimed at increasing energy efficiency.
“If we leave this situation as it is, it could lead to a recession of the world economy,'' Japan's Amari said in an address yesterday.
`Below-Trend' Growth
The International Monetary Fund's John Lipsky said the gain in oil adds “downward pressure'' on global growth.
By the second half, all major economies will be growing “below trend,'' Lipsky, the IMF's first deputy managing director, said in a June 7 interview in St. Petersburg, Russia. Emerging markets will grow above the average of the last 10 to 15 years, although at a slower pace, he said.
“Governments are at the point where they have no choice but to reduce the burden on consumers,'' said Susumu Kato, chief economist at Calyon Securities in Tokyo paydayloans easy payday loans. “We are likely to see more of these moves to sustain growth by aiding consumers and companies.''
Japan, China, India and South Korea, together with the U.S., account for half of the world's energy consumption. Morgan Stanley forecasts oil prices may reach $150 within a month.
Japan's government announced plans in December to spend 215 billion yen ($2.1 billion) through March 2009 to ease the burden of higher oil costs on companies and households.
Decade-High Inflation
“It's inevitable as the price goes higher, you'll see more governments trying to offset the effect,'' AMP's Oliver said. “The trouble is oil prices also impact on inflation.''
Policy makers in Asia, where about 600 million people survive on less than $1 a day, have been divided between the need to shore up economic growth and to rein in surging prices. The region's inflation will reach a decade-high this year even as economic growth cools, according to the Asian Development Bank.
Central banks in Indonesia and the Philippines both raised interest rates on June 5 to quell price pressures. Vietnam and Pakistan boosted borrowing costs last month.
The Bank of Korea has left the nation's benchmark interest rate unchanged at a seven-year high of 5 percent since August, saying inflation remains a threat. Two board members at the April meeting called for a rate cut to buoy domestic demand.
Rising oil prices, along with the U.S. slowdown, are “jolting the economy,'' Japanese Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Hiroko Ota said on Asahi TV yesterday. “I'm very cautious about the outlook for the economy.''
Fewer Subsidies
Some Asian governments, facing mounting budget pressures, are winding down subsidies that have kept fuel prices below market rates and affordable for households.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said this month's fuel- price increase was “inevitable'' in helping to protect government finances and narrowing oil refiners' losses. “There are limits to which we can keep consumer prices unaffected by rising import costs,'' he said.
Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Taiwan over the past month raised fuel prices. Malaysia last week said the cost of 97-RON grade gasoline will now be adjusted monthly to track global prices, while Tenaga Nasional Bhd., the government-controlled power producer, will be allowed to raise electricity prices from July.
“Many Asia countries face this quandary: they have artificially depressed prices but that is costing the governments more in terms of subsidies,'' AMP's Oliver said. “Whichever way you cut it, the rise in oil prices is going to cause economic problems and it's going to impact on inflation.''
Small business owners’ confidence in the economy has hit a five-year low, according to the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index (Index) survey conducted in April.
The index score fell to 48, the lowest level reported since the survey started in August 2003, when the score was 69. The results mark a 35-point drop from the previous survey in January 2008 and a 66-point drop from the Index’s highest score of 114 in December 2006.
"The nearly 50 percent drop in the index clearly reflects the intensified financial pressures small business owners have felt over the last three months," said Scott Anderson, Wells Fargo senior economist free credit report instantly pay day loan. "The decline in both the present situation and future expectations components doesn’t bode well for a swift recovery in small business conditions. However, as consumers begin to receive — and spend — their economic stimulus checks, this should soon begin easing the blow to small businesses in the third quarter of this year."
The Index score is compiled from small business owners’ views on their financial situation, cash flow, revenues, capital allocation, job hiring and credit availability.
Small business owners’ confidence in the economy has hit a five-year low, according to the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index (Index) survey conducted in April.
The index score fell to 48, the lowest level reported since the survey started in August 2003, when the score was 69. The results mark a 35-point drop from the previous survey in January 2008 and a 66-point drop from the Index’s highest score of 114 in December 2006.
"The nearly 50 percent drop in the index clearly reflects the intensified financial pressures small business owners have felt over the last three months," said Scott Anderson, Wells Fargo senior economist cash advance online payday loan. "The decline in both the present situation and future expectations components doesn’t bode well for a swift recovery in small business conditions. However, as consumers begin to receive — and spend — their economic stimulus checks, this should soon begin easing the blow to small businesses in the third quarter of this year."
The Index score is compiled from small business owners’ views on their financial situation, cash flow, revenues, capital allocation, job hiring and credit availability.
Funeral services will be held Thursday afternoon for James Griffin, the former four-term mayor of Buffalo who died May 25 at the age of 78.
Griffin, who had been ill for the past several weeks, died at Father Baker Manor in Orchard Park.
He took office in Buffalo Jan. 1, 1978, winning the job on the Conservative Party line and beginning a legacy marked by accomplishments but not without controversy. Griffin’s largest successes are downtown, most notably what is now Dunn Tire Park, home of the Buffalo Bisons and a franchise that he helped resurrect.
His tenure also included an FBI investigation involving the city’s parks’ department.
A Korean War veteran, Griffin served on the city council, starting in the 1960s and then returning a few years ago before giving up his South Buffalo seat in mid-term payday advances instant payday loan. He served multiple terms in the New York State Senate prior to his years in City Hall.
The feisty Griffin also made unsuccessful runs for Erie County Executive and the White House.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret, and three children — Maureen, Megan and Thomas, as well as brothers Thomas and Joseph, and a sister, Donna Gasuik.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Thursday at 1:30 p.m. in Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery.
Gov. Linda Lingle said her administration is closely monitoring Hawaii’s interisland cargo situation since the shutdown of Aloha Airlines‘ freight operation on Monday and that declaring an emergency is unnecessary.
"We are particularly focused on ensuring that critical supplies relating to health and safety continue to be transported uninterrupted," Lingle said in a statement. "At this time, there is no indication that any critical supplies are not being shipped and delivered in a timely manner."
Lingle, a Republican, also said she has rejected U.S. Rep. Neil Abercombie’s request that she declare an emergency or disaster, enabling the use of military aircraft to ship goods. Abercrombie is a Democrat who represents Honolulu.
"While I appreciate his concern, I have no plans to request an emergency declaration, and I believe his alerting the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Air Force, TRANSCOM, USARPAC and PACAF is an overreaction," Lingle said free credit report online cheap payday loans.
"As we saw when Aloha and ATA ended passenger service, other carriers are stepping forward to increase their cargo capacity," she said. "I am confident that in the near- to medium-term, the market will stabilize and correct itself, and both carriers and shippers will make the necessary adjustments to ensure cargo capacity meets the demand for service."
Venture capital investment in Colorado companies rose to a seven-year high in the first quarter of 2007, according to the MoneyTree report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association, released Saturday.
Another major VC report, the Quarterly Venture Capital Report by Dow Jones VentureSource, also released Saturday, showed a 145 percent surge in Colorado VC investment during the quarter.
According to MoneyTree, a total of $297.7 million was invested in 26 companies in the first quarter, the highest level since 2001.
The success of the quarter owed a lot to a $130 million investment in Range Fuels Inc. of Broomfield, a biotechnology company involved in cellulose ethanol production technology.
But the other 25 deals together brought in far more than the $100.4 million that was invested in 13 companies in the first quarter of 2007, according to MoneyTree data published last year.
"The funding of Range Fuels Inc. represents an exciting trend for the state," Bob Puls, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Denver, said in a statement. "This, along with ConocoPhillips' announcement of the creation of a Louisville-based facility devoted to the advancement of renewable energy technology, emphasize Colorado¹s presence in the clean tech/alternative energy industries nationwide. There is also a healthy diversification for the Denver-Boulder corridor, which has long been dominated by the data storage and software industries."
The medical devices and equipment industry had a strong quarter, with five companies receiving nearly $91 million faxless payday loans. Although software industry funding declined, nine software companies — many in early or expansion stages — received funding, Puls said.
Noteworthy deals mentioned in MoneyTree and/or the Quarterly Venture Capital Report included:
Nationally, venture capitalists invested $7.1 billion in 922 deals in the first quarter, down 8.5 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007. Despite the decline, the quarter was within recent quarterly investment levels, and was the fifth-highest quarter since 2001, according to MoneyTree, which bases its results on data obtained from Thomson Reuters.
Meanwhile, according to the Dow Jones VentureSource report, total of nearly $260 million was invested in 13 Colorado companies in the first quarter, up from $106 million in 11 companies in the same quarter a year earlier.
The proposed merger between Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines brings new uncertainty to Hawaii's air-dependent tourism business.
Northwest is the fourth largest airline serving Hawaii and carried about 840,000 passengers to the state last year. Based in Minnesota, the airline dominates the Midwest and also offers flights to West Coast cities including Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In addition, Northwest has the second most flights between Hawaii and Japan and flew about 350,000 international passengers last year, second only to Japan Air Lines.
Based in Atlanta, Delta is the sixth largest carrier serving Hawaii.
Together, the airlines carried 1.55 million passengers to Hawaii last year. Delta offers five daily roundtrips to Oahu and two to Maui; Northwest has six domestic roundtrips and three international roundtrips daily to Oahu.
Airline industry analysts say they expect the airlines to try to cut $1 billion in annual costs to make the merger work and those cuts will likely come by trimming staff and reducing service on duplicated routes quick payday loan.
Both airlines offer service from Hawaii to and from San Francisco and Los Angeles, potentially meaning more air capacity will be lost from California, where the shutdowns of Aloha and ATA airlines have already cost thousands of seats.
There's also uncertainty about how the airlines' two frequent flyer programs — Delta's SkyMiles and Northwest's WorldPerks — will be merged. The programs, popular with travelers to Hawaii, are significantly different and the merger could make it more difficult for customers to earn and redeem miles for free trips.
And there is already significant opposition to the merger by some unions, suggesting a more unsettled summer for travel. Northwest's 5,000 pilots oppose the deal as does the International Association of Machinists, representing 12,500 Northwest ground employees.
A measure to extend the mandatory retirement age for Hawaii’s state court judges is moving swiftly through the Legislature.
Senate Bill 3202 amends the state Constitution by changing the mandatory retirement age from 70 to 80 years for newly appointed judges.
The measure passed through its final hearings in the House and was sent back to the Senate on Thursday.
The measure is now headed into conference, where appointed members from the House and Senate will negotiate the bill’s final language freecreditreport.
If approved, it will be put on the ballot for voters to decide in November. Hawaii voters defeated a similar measure two years ago.
The new proposal would apply only to judges appointed after Nov. 5.
The Judicial Selection Commission testified against the measure, while the Department of the Attorney General and the Hawaii Government Employees Association supported it.
Chevron Corp. said Wednesday that it has nominated retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James L. Jones to its board of directors.
Jones, 64, will be considered for election to Chevron's (NYSE: CVX) board at the company's annual stockholders meeting May 28.
If he is elected, the San Ramon company's board will increase from 14 to 15 members, and Jones will serve on the Public Policy Committee and the Board Nominating and Governance Committee.
The reason for expanding the board is that a handful of existing board members are nearing the mandatory retirement age for directors of 72, said a spokesman for the company, Kent Robertson.
Jones is currently president and CEO of the Institute for 21st Century Energy, which is affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
In that position, Jones wrote letters to Congress arguing against mandating that investor-owned utilities provide a significant amount of their power from renewable energy sources by 2020, as well as opposing a move to raise CAFE standards for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon payday loan.
Prior to this job with the industry group, Jones served as the supreme allied commander, Europe, and commander of the United States European Command, NATO, from January 2003 to February 2007.
Among the directors reaching mandatory retirement age are Robert Eaton, retired chairman of the board of management of DaimlerChrysler AG, 67; Sam Ginn, retired chairman of Vodafone Air Touch PLC, 69; Franklyn Jenifer, president emeritus of the University of Texas at Dallas, 67; Sam Nunn, former U.S Senator from Georgia and co-chairman and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, 68; Donald B. Rice, CEO of Agensys Inc., 67; and Charles Shoemate, retired CEO of Bestfoods, 67.
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