7 August 2012 Last updated at 03:18 ET

Syria PM Riad Hijab defection

Opposition activists report intense attacks on rebel-held areas of Aleppo

Syria's new cabinet has met in emergency session, after Prime Minister Riad Hijab defected and denounced Damascus's "terrorist regime".

The White House said the defection showed that President Bashar al-Assad's government was "crumbling from within".
But Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said Mr Hijab had not appeared in person and he rejected reports of other ministerial defections.
Meanwhile, reports suggest the army has stepped up its bombardment of Aleppo.
Government forces are trying to dislodge rebel fighters who have taken control of some areas of Syria's second city.
Opposition activists report intense attacks on rebel-held areas on the north-east and south-west sides of the city.
State TV said troops had clashed with "terrorist groups" in several places, inflicting heavy losses and recapturing two police stations.
Further deaths were reported in Damascus on Tuesday and an unconfirmed report from Syrian rebels said three of 48 Iranians being held as hostages had been killed by army shelling.
The rebels have claimed that the Iranians, abducted from a bus in Damascus on Saturday, are members of the Revolutionary Guard. Tehran says they are pilgrims who had been heading for a Shia religious site.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has said it holds the US responsible for the group's safety.
He said the US was supporting "terrorist groups" and despatching weapons to Syria, and was therefore responsible for the lives of those abducted.
'Business as usual' Caretaker Prime Minister Omar Ghalawanji headed a cabinet meeting on Monday, stressing that all the ministers were there.

Riad Farid Hijab

• Born in 1966 in Deir al-Zour, eastern Syria
• Married with four children
• Holds a PhD in agriculture
• Joined the local branch of the Baath Party command in 1998
• Named governor of the southern province of Qunaytira in 2008
• Transferred to head the Latakia governorate around the time protests were first reported - credited in state media with negotiating an end to a sit-in
• Appointed minister of agriculture on 14 April 2011

The BBC's Jim Muir, in neighbouring Lebanon, said state media were giving the impression of it being business as usual in Damascus.

Opposition activists said that apart from the prime minister, two other ministers had also defected and a third - Finance Minister Mohammad Jalilati - was arrested as he tried to escape.
But Syria's information minister played down the significance of Mr Hijab's departure and denied there had been further defections.
"We haven't heard anything from the former prime minister and he didn't appear on TV," Omran al-Zoubi was quoted as saying by Syrian state news agency Sana.
The finance minister was said to have given a phone interview saying he was still in his post and working from his office.
According to Sana, Religious Endowments Minister Mohammad Abdul-Sattar al-Sayyed also denied he had defected.
Syria was a state of institutions, the information minister said, and the flight of some of its individuals would not affect the state, however prominent they were.
'Safe location' Riad Hijab, appointed as prime minister less than two months ago, is the most prominent Syrian figure to defect so far.
Although his whereabouts are unclear, his spokesman appeared on al-Jazeera TV in neighbouring Jordan saying that the prime minister had fled Syria with his family and was in "a safe location".
"I have defected from the terrorist, murderous regime and [am] joining the holy revolution," ran Mr Hijab's statement read by his spokesman Mohammed el-Etri.
France said the Assad government was "doomed" and White House spokesman Jay Carney said such high-level defections signalled that President Assad's grip on power was "loosening".
"If he cannot maintain cohesion within his own inner circle, it reflects on his inability to maintain any following among the Syrian people that isn't brought about at the point of a gun," he said.

7 August 2012 Last updated at 03:41 ET

Philippine capital paralyzed by floods

Authorities said half of Manila had been hit by flooding

Flooding caused by torrential rain has paralyzed parts of the Philippine capital, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes and closing schools, offices and the stock exchange.

Casualties have been reported, with a number of people buried in a landslide in Manila and reports of other deaths elsewhere.

Officials said that water was up to waist and neck levels in some areas.

More than 50 people died after Typhoon Saola struck over a week ago.

Widespread flooding has been reported in the capital and the surrounding provinces, according to a statement from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

It said "the south-west monsoon enhanced by Tropical Storm 'Haikui' located 300km [184 miles] north-east of Taiwan" was expected to bring more rain.

"Expect landslides/flash-floods in mountainous areas and floods in low-lying areas."

President Benigno Aquino met civil defense officials to discuss the situation. "Everybody who is supposed to do something is doing what he is supposed to do," he said.

The severity of the rain since Monday afternoon - in an already saturated city - has led officials to issue the highest level of alert, says the BBC's Kate McGeown in Manila.

For many Manila residents, these rains will be a reminder of the deadly floods caused by Typhoon Ketsana in 2009, which killed more than 400 people, our correspondent adds.

Casualties

Local media said several members of one family had been killed or were missing after a landslide hit shanty houses in Quezon City in Manila.

A local police official was quoted as saying four people had drowned in a province close to Manila, but this has not been confirmed.

Weather officials warn that the floods could get worse as the overflowing La Mesa dam, which holds back Manila's main reservoir, spills more water.

"If we put it in a percentage, at least 50% of Metro Manila is flooded," Jean Navarez, from the state weather service, was quoted by AFP as saying.

Residents living in slums and shanty-towns on low ground have taken shelter in community buildings, reports said.

Several key roads were impassable and power had also been cut in some areas, mostly as a precaution, officials said.

Dams and waterways in affected areas are also being closely monitored. Rescue efforts are now underway to help stranded residents.

"As of now, it's difficult to rescue the trapped residents, as we are battling strong currents with our life crafts," police rescuer Eric Baran told Reuters news agency.

COULD USE A HELPING HAND

Please donate a few bucks if you can thank you.

Entry 2 homeless thoughts.

When you have money there are a great deal of things you really don’t worry about. And I know that way to well I used to make pretty damn good money I had a wife that would spend most of it but none the less I had money.

This should open your eyes a little bit if you have a heart of any kind. Ok your poor you bairly have enough money to keep electric on your m-power box the only food you get is from the free food box donation places that you have to find and get to because you don’t have a car so you have to walk. Now the ones within walking distance only allow you to get a food box once a month and let me tell you one little box is not going to last a month so you walk the 7 miles to get the free food box at another location. Now you have just used up both boxes and its still only been one week into the month.

Now let’s throw this at you, you are in your house you have money in the bank a nice new car 5 bedroom house with 2 people living in it. and let’s just say you have to go to the bathroom. You go to the closest one because you have 4 and you sit down and start making your bowel movement when you’re done you reach over to your nice Charmin toilet paper and do your business. Then you get up wash your hands and leave the bathroom. That’s what you do. 

A poor person has to walk to the nearest gas station get the key and make there bowel movement there, why? You ask, because they don’t have any toilet paper they can’t afford it and there is no water so they can’t flush the toilet. 

Think about that for one second most of us take for granted the simple necessities like let’s say, laundry detergent or even dish soap or for that matter bar soap. These simple little things are out of reach for a poor person. It’s either have electric for a couple days if you leave the thermostat on 80 or 82 or you buy toilet paper. Myself, I used to keep my thermostat at a chilling 75 I loved it cool.

There are so many more things that we shrug off as unimportant when in fact to some it’s like gold. Yes I have been there I know what it’s like to not have to worry about where I’m going to take my next dump. But now I’m experiencing the ruff life of a poor person first hand and let me tell you it really sucks.

Life is not easy in these times especially if you have a family to take care of. See the thing is, I am not a government resource sucking whore I work for my money and if I need help I ask my friends or family for help. The government can kiss my Lilly white ass. 

What I’m getting at here is. I’m writing these informational newsletters because it’s my way of contributing to the needs of the poor and besides I need some laundry soap if you can donates a few bucks to the poor me fund that would be awesome.

I Need Work ASAP

Try and imagine this, you are paying your bills with what’s left of a small check you received two weeks ago and that’s it nothing else is coming in. You are good for one month, that’s it, and you have a half a tank of gas. When that month is up you have zero money and you can’t buy food or pay any bills.

Now just sit back and think about that for a second….. There are thousands of families that experience this every day. And now I’m experiencing it. let me tell you it’s not a very good feeling at all. But the difference is I am not worried. Why? You might ask; well I have pretty strong faith. The God I serve has always been what I like to call my last minute God he always comes through at the last minute.

There is a scripture that I stand buy and I’m sure a great deal of people have herd it.

“ faith without works is dead” well I have the faith and I have been busting my tail trying to find ways to make money. So I have the work part covered as well.

In the business that I’m in it’s hard to gain new contracts because this is a very tight industry, but; longevity is key to success so I am trying to hang on as long as possible. I have only been doing this kind of work for about 7 years and there are companies out there that have been in business for 20 plus years, so those are the ones that have the contracts.

The reason I’m writing this letter, is to inform the ones that own businesses about my qualifications. I have faith that there are people out there that need an employee like me to become part of their team.

I have a wide range of qualifications. Here are a few of them.

·         Associates in business administration and management

·         6 years of supervisory and management experience; including staff management, scheduling, project management, hiring, marketing, and finances.

·         Superior customer service, relationship building, leadership and problem resolution skills.

·         Recent management program Graduate with academic training in FOH, BOH and ITF skills.

·         Writing Skills

·         Proficient in MS Office

·         Voice over experience

·         Digital photography

·         Logo design

·         Short movie and video sound tracking

·         Customizing blogger sites to look like websites with a web URL

·         Extensive driving experience within Arizona and beyond.

If there is someone out there that can use someone with these kinds of skills please contact me ASAP thank you and God bless.

3 August 2012 Last updated at 16:17 ET

US economy adds 163,000 new jobs

US Economy

The US economy added an extra 163,000 jobs in July, according to official figures, beating analysts' forecasts.

However, the unemployment rate rose from 8.2% to 8.3% last month, as more people re-entered the workforce but failed to find a job.
The US Department of Labor also said 6,000 fewer jobs were created in May and June than first estimated.
The US economy has to generate 100,000 new jobs a month just to stand still, according to the Federal Reserve.
The total number of unemployed people was 12.8 million last month, unchanged from June.
Private sector firms hired an extra 172,000 staff, which more than offset the 9,000 fall in government payrolls.

Analysis Mark Mardell North America editor

President Obama's basic argument is simple. Without his actions, including spending to stimulate and save industries, the economy would have gone down the drain.
The president claims what is needed is more Obama. Notably "an extension of middle-class tax cuts" and a Congress that will pass his American Jobs Act, to help public sector hiring. Even if he is absolutely right, as a campaigning position it is pretty lame. "It could have been worse" is not a great rallying cry.
While blaming Congress may be popular, it is peculiar as an argument for re-election. If Obama wins he is likely to face an even more intransigent bunch on Capitol Hill. But even though America may feel let down by Mr Obama, it has yet to be convinced by Mr Romney. This election really is wide open.

The figures were better than most economists had forecast.

"We are not seeing large-scale layoffs, so job destruction is pretty limited," said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James & Associates.
There were also signs that Americans were optimistic about finding a job. The number of discouraged workers - people not looking for work because they believe there are no jobs - fell 267,000 to 852,000.
The number of involuntary part-time workers, those whose hours have been cut back or who could not find full-time jobs, was unchanged at 8.2 million.
Candidates for the November presidential election have been watching the jobs reports closely, as the economy remains a top voter concern.
President Barack Obama said: "Let's acknowledge, we've still got too many folks out of work. We've got more work to do on their behalf."
The White House's chair of economic advisers, Alan Krueger, said: "Any increase in the unemployment rate is unwelcome but we do see an economy that is continuing to add jobs."
He added that the private sector had added jobs for 29 months in a row, for a total of 4.5 million.
But Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney described the slight increase in US unemployment to 8.3% from 8.2% last month as "a hammer blow to struggling middle-class families", as he said his jobs plan would add 12 million new jobs by the end of his first term.

Jobs figures explained

Michelle Fleury BBC business correspondent, New York

To understand why more jobs didn't lower the unemployment rate, you have to look at how the figures are compiled. The US Department of Labor uses two surveys to measure employment.
One survey asks companies and government agencies how many staff they employed during the month. In July, firms said they were hiring. This is the measure economists tend to focus on most.
The unemployment rate comes from a survey of households. Government employees ask the adults in each household if they are working. Those who don't are asked if they're looking for a job. Last month, more people said they were unemployed. Less people have given up looking for a job, but that number is still high, revealing the continuing struggle many Americans face finding work.

"You know this," Mr Romney said. "These numbers are not just statistics. These are real people, really suffering, having a hard time."

Mr Romney went on to criticise the president's policies, saying "This is an extraordinary record of failure."
Last week, official data showed the US economy grew at an annual rate of 1.5% in the second three months of the year, that was slower than the 2% pace at the start of 2012.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve said its programme to reduce long-term borrowing costs for firms and households would continue for the rest of the year.
Under Operation Twist, the Fed buys long-term bonds from retail lenders and swaps them for shorter-term bonds.
But it disappointed some investors by not announcing any fresh measures to stimulate economic growth.
The Fed has kept base interest rates at close to zero for nearly four years and pumped $2.3bn into the economy.