Thursday, February 12, 2009
Big Brother Is Here !!!
New laws would let police eavesdrop on Internet
Updated Thu. Feb. 12 2009 9:57 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The federal government is preparing legislation that could force Internet service providers to let police eavesdrop on emails and chats.
Under the proposed bill, police would first have to get court approval before they could listen in.
Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan told the House of Commons Public Safety and National Security Committee Wednesday that the legislation is needed because current laws are out-of-date.
"We have legislation covering wiretap and surveillance that was designed for the era of the rotary phone," Van Loan said.
The current legislation was written in a time before text messages, Facebook and voice-over-Internet phone lines. Van Loan says there have been recent situations in which police wanted to act quickly to stop a crime, but couldn't because they were constrained by current laws.
"In some of these cases, time is of the essence," he said.
"If you find a situation where a child is being exploited live online at that time - and that situation has arisen before - police services have had good co-operation with a lot of Internet service providers, but there are some that aren't so co-operative."
Police agencies have been calling for new laws since at least the mid-1990s. They say the situation at present provides a digital "safe haven" for criminals, pedophiles and terrorists.
But some privacy advocates are worried about what the proposed bill would allow. In some countries, lawful-access legislation has forced Internet providers to routinely gather and store all electronic traffic of their clients. The stored data can then be obtained by police via search warrant, and effectively places users under constant police surveillance.
But RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said with recent Internet technology developments, it's often difficult or impossible for police to wiretap communication between suspected criminals.
He said the RCMP is supportive of any changes of legislation that would allow them to better intercept criminal communications.
Friday, February 6, 2009
U.S. job losses accelerate
By Glenn Somerville
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. job losses accelerated in January as 598,000 were slashed, the most in 34 years, and the unemployment rate soared to a 16-year high, pressuring lawmakers to act quickly to counter a deepening recession.
"The economy is just falling into oblivion and it will get worse," said Greg Salvaggio, vice president for trading at Tempus Consulting in Washington. The Senate resumed debate less than two hours after report was issued on a package of measures to spur the economy that could cost $800 billion or more.
Democratic leaders were pushing for a vote later on Friday on stimulus measures.
Republican leaders branded the proposals as excessive and bound to drive up U.S. deficits but President Barack Obamawanted a speedy vote to meet the economic crisis head-on.
Last month's job cuts were the most severe since December 1974, while the unemployment rate hit 7.6 percent, its highest level since September 1992. The jobless rate, which stood at a low 4.9 percent a year ago, has jumped a full percentage point over just the last three months.
HUMAN TOLL CITED
"Today's grim job numbers underscore the human toll of our economic crisis and add to the overwhelming evidence for getting a recovery package to the President's desk fast," said the chairman of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York.
Private-sector analysts agreed on the need for some action to try to slow the relentless slide in job prospects.
"These are huge, huge declines, said Nigel Gault, director of U.S. economic research for Global Insight in Lexington, Mass. "Hopefully it will concentrate some minds in the Senate so they can come to an agreement (on a stimulus package)."
Stock prices were higher at midmorning on investor hopes that lawmakers will be jolted into moving forward with stimulus measures, rather than arguing whether tax cuts or spending measures would be the best way to boost activity.
U.S. Treasury debt securities prices fell in anticipation that a wave of government borrowing will be required to fund any new spending or make up for revenue losses from tax cuts.
U.S. Commissioner of Labor Statistics Keith Hall emphasized the degree the deterioration in labor markets has gathered steam as a U.S. recession wears on.
"January's sharp drop in employment brings job losses to 3.6 million since the start of the recession in December 2007," Hall said in a statement, and "about half the decline occurred in the last three months."
MANUFACTURING SINKING
U.S. manufacturing bled jobs at the sharpest rate during January in more than 26 years, shedding 207,000 workers after cutting 162,000 in December. The last time more factory jobs were lost in a single month was in October 1982 when 221,000 were cut. An index measuring total paid hours for factory workers dropped to its lowest level since 1940, department officials said. Construction industries dropped 111,000 jobs in January after 86,000 in December and Hall said that pace of cuts was accelerating. Retail businesses cut another 45,000 positions after shedding 82,700 in December.
There were 121,000 job losses among professional and business services providers in January on top of 106,000 that were eliminated in December. Only education and health services added jobs as did the government.
Analysts said there was no sign of relief on the horizon, judging from the depth and breadth of January's labor market plunge.
"It is just another confirmation that we're are in a deep and long recession, and the bottom is not even in sight," said Robert MacIntosh, chief economist for Eaton Vance Management in Boston. "Manufacturing is incredibly weak -- it's going to be a long haul."
Canada’s Employers Cut Record 129,000 Jobs in January (Correct)
Feb. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Canada lost a record number of jobs in January, pushing the unemployment rate to a four-year high of 7.2 percent, as companies struggle to cope with the country’s first recession since 1992.
Employers cut a net 129,000 workers, three times the loss forecast by economists, after a drop of 20,400 in December, Statistics Canada said todayin Ottawa. It was the largest drop since the methodology for the survey was changed in 1976.
Today’s job losses may undermine the Bank of Canada’s forecast that the economy will recover more quickly than in previous recessions as credit markets and exports rebound.
“The optimists are taking body blows left, right and center,” said Derek Holt, an economist at Scotia Capital Inc. in Toronto. “The recovery phase will be long and muted.”
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg anticipated the unemployment rate would increase to 6.8 percent and employers would cut 40,000 positions, the median of 22 responses.
The Canadian dollar weakened 1.4 percent to 1.2494 per U.S. dollar at 8:55 a.m. in Toronto, from 1.2323 yesterday.
The economy will contract 1.2 percent this year and then grow 3.8 percent in 2010, the central bank predicts. That’s double the pace for next year predicted by the International Monetary Fund and more than a percentage point above the average of private sector economists surveyed by the finance department last month.
Bombardier Cuts
Employers reduced full-time employment by 113,900 positions in January, most of them in manufacturing, which lost 101,000 jobs. Factories have been crippled by plunging demand in the U.S., where three-quarters of the country’s exports are shipped.
Montreal-based Bombardier Inc., the world’s third-largest maker of commercial aircraft, on Feb. 5 said it plans to cut 1,360 jobs at its aerospace unit, or 4.5 percent of the division’s workforce, as business jet deliveries are projected to drop.
The job losses also have spread into construction and natural resources, amid a drop in demand for housing and falling prices for the country’s commodities. Retailers and other services-related industries are cutting back because of waning consumer confidence.
Hudson’s Bay Co., Canada’s largest retailer, announced earlier this week it is eliminating 1,000 jobs, or 5 percent of its full-time workforce. Mosaic Co., the second-largest North American fertilizer producer, may “temporarily lay off” about 65 percent of its Canadian workforce, or 1,000 employees, according toBrad DeLorey, spokesman for the company’s business unit.
The health care and social assistance industries led gains in today’s report, with an increase of 30,800 jobs.
More Stimulus
Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty last month announced C$84.9 billion in deficits over the next five years, ending a series of 11 straight budget surpluses, as the government tries to stimulate growth with tax cuts and spending. Yesterday, he said he’s “open” to more stimulus if needed.
The weakening economy may also lead the Bank of Canada to cut interest rates further at its next rate decision next month. At 1 percent, the central bank’s overnight rate is already at its lowest since it was founded in 1934 to battle the Great Depression.
“This bleak report will likely prompt a March rate cut by the Bank of Canada,”Benjamin Reitzes, an economist at BMO Capital Markets, said in a note to investors.
Canadian wage growth in January advanced at a pace of 4.8 percent, Statistics Canada said.
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