Salem-News.com Business articles

USD 800 Million Acquisition of House of Fraser, China`s Largest Foreign Retail Investment to Date

Clyde & Co has a presence in four locations in Greater China, namely in Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

(LONDON) - The law firm Clyde & Co has advised Sanpower Group Co. Limited (Sanpower Group) in relation to its acquisition of an 89% stake in British retailer House of Fraser.

The deal, signed on 3 April 2014 and valued at approximately GBP 480 million (USD 800 million), is the Sanpower Group’s first major investment in the UK retail sector and China’s largest foreign retail investment to date.

Sierra Club: Fracking California... A Disaster Waiting to Happen

The environment is essential, especially since we don’t know the potential health risks associated with fracking.

(SAN LUIS OBISPO) - Sometimes fact is so much stranger than anything even the best novelist could write. Take California, which sits atop a 1,700-square-mile oil shale deposit that is threatened to be accessed by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Fracking is an ugly, largely unregulated process that forces massive amounts of water, sand and an unknown cocktail of chemicals into the ground, the end result of which is to release more dirty fossil-fuel pollution into our environment.

Salem Saturday Market Showered with Fun

Spring is in the air, and it was in full bloom in downtown Salem this weekend.

(SALEM) - The opening day of Salem Saturday Market 2014 was a great success with 85 vendors welcoming old friends and new to the area’s biggest outdoor market. The skies were heavy laden with clouds, and rain was in the forecast, but the sun broke through and very few drops fell. Salemites were ready for the market, and turned out by the hundred, rain or shine, umbrellas in tow.

“There are a lot of new vendors this year, and almost twice as many on opening day as we had last year,” said Kerry Jackson, the assistant Marketing Director for Salem Saturday Market. “Everyone is very enthusiastic and looking forward to a terrific season.”

More Troubles for Criminally Indicted PG&E

After all the sound and fury is over, PG&E will probably start operating as usual.

(SAN FRANCISCO) - Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) was recently criminally indicted for twelve violations of the federal Pipeline Safety Act. No executives of PG&E were indicted.

The federal indictment follows PG&E's alleged negligence in safely maintaining its natural gas pipeline infrastructure which resulted in a massive explosion in the Crestmoor residential neighborhood of San Bruno on September 9, 2010.

Here Comes Ukrainian Hemp

Isn't the precedent of connecting U.S. foreign policy in any way to a substance that benefits, rather than destroys, the environment of potentially great value?

(WASHINGTON DC) - So the United States wants to buy hemp from the Ukraine. I suppose we should be happy. Anytime the U.S. government gives a country money that is not earmarked for weapons, we probably shouldn't too closely examine the unelected neo-liberals and neo-Nazis handling the cash.

Nobody pays attention to the Saudi government or the oil, wars, and terrorism it provides in exchange for U.S. largesse.

Small Oil Companies Eye Huge Prize in Ghana

Bigger companies continue to make significant headway in with Ghana's oil, despite a few setbacks, including delays to the country's gas infrastructure, which means that associated gas is being lost to flaring or has to be re-injected into wells.

(LONDON) - Since the first discovery of the massive Jubilee oilfield in Ghana by a start-up company, the West African playing field has begun to change, and so too have investor sentiments, disappointed most recently by the low fourth-quarter 2013 results of major integrated oil companies like Exxon, Shell, Chevron and BP.

But while the supermajors are struggling with soaring project costs and poor balance sheets, innovative juniors and start-ups are increasingly swooping in...

The Frustration of Media Power

Our crews often report straight from the source of the action, in places like Egypt, Sri Lanka, Palestine, Israel, the open expanses of the US and ancient cities of Europe and Asia.

(SALEM) - Who ever would have imagined that the power of media would fall to the people in the new millennium? The Internet has allowed this.

Sadly, Americans are so well ingrained at this point that it is hard to bring them back. This nation, the United States of America, has moved from being a world liberator, to a world threat. The dollars all flow to the media groups that nod their head accordingly; cash fills the coffers of those who don't ruffle the bed, and that is a proper descriptive because the corporations are only whores in this world of over control.

Oregon Can`t Afford Another Job-Killing Trade Agreement

Much as with the TPP, the White House and other boosters claimed that the Korea Free Trade Agreement would expand U.S. exports and create American jobs. The reality has been just the opposite.

(PORTLAND) - There are lots of reasons to believe the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Free Trade Agreement will be bad for Oregon’s working families. Leaked texts raise concerns about everything from higher medicine costs to lower environmental protections.

Still, for most Oregonians, there is one TPP concern that likely rises to the top: jobs.

Salem Puppy Sales Laws Should Remain Open

I personally have found excellent homes for several puppies on Salem city sidewalks legally and safely. I can assure you that these puppies were not abused or treated cruelly in any way.

(SALEM) - I am writing concerning an article that I recently read in the Statesman Journal newspaper on March 10th concerning the sale of puppies on the public right of way.

The first thing that concerns me is that a dozen emails received by city councilman Chuck Bennett can affect the lives of thousands of Salem residents in such a negative way.

Oregon`s Dirty Engine Problem

Oregon Governor: Stop Oregon from being the DUMPING GROUND of dirty DIESEL engines.

(PORTLAND) - As our neighbors on the West Coast push for stronger emission reductions and reduce the legal use of older diesel engines, it is time for action.

Oregon is already becoming the dumping ground of these outlawed diesel engines, based on DEQ calculations showing a current attrition rate of 4%, or half of what is expected.