"Recovery at Risk" Warns Road Haulage Association

October 14th, 2009 SOUTHAMPTON, England - - With Photos The problem of lorries striking low or narrow bridges, causing hold-ups on the road, disruption to train services and costing millions of pounds every year to repair, could be drastically reduced according to the sat nav expert Garmin. It comes after a recent report by the Office of Rail Regulation found that nearly 2000 railway bridges across Britain were hit by vehicles in 2008.

September 1st, 2009 NEW YORK and LONDON - The Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP, www.garp.org) today announced that its Financial Risk Manager (FRM(R)) program registered 22,854 certification candidates as of the close of its standard registration period ended August 31, 2009. This represents a 70% increase from the number of FRM candidates registered to take the exam at this time a year ago.

July 8th, 2009 LONDON - The Road Haulage Association has reacted strongly to the news that supermarket giant ASDA is to slash the cost of a litre of unleaded and diesel to less than GBP1. "This move is intended to bring relief to the motorist but surely it's time that the UK haulier was granted the same opportunity?" said RHA Chief Executive Geoff Dunning.

June 29th, 2009 LONDON - The global upturn could stall as governments turn off the money tap and consumer demand fails to recover - threatening a W-shaped recession. Robin Bew of the Economist Intelligence Unit points out that while data on production and inventories may look favourable, it may not be matched by equally rosy data on consumption.

June 14th, 2009 QUEBEC - The Organizing Committee for the XIII International Winter Road Congress is inviting all winter road experts to register now to take part in this international congress. Under the theme "Sustainable Winter Service for Road Users", road system managers, researchers and specialists are invited to take part in the World Road Association's (PIARC) XIII International Winter Road Congress, taking place in Québec February 8 to 11, 2010.

May 6th, 2009 LONDON - Today's grim figures from the Department of Transport come as no surprise to the Road Haulage Association. Although the figures are provisional, they show a decrease of 3.5 per cent in overall traffic levels between the first quarters of 2008 and 2009 with a 12 percent decline in heavy goods traffic - that's a further 5 per cent decrease on the 7 per cent announced the end of last year.

April 21st, 2009 LONDON - There may be good news for some in today's Budget but hauliers face a severe double hammer blow as a direct result of yet another tax hike - 2 pence per litre next September, followed by a revised fuel duty escalator effective next March of inflation plus half a pence per litre. "This will further damage the UK haulage industry and the competitiveness of UK industry and it will lead to further increases in the cost of everything we buy, including food and other essentials.

April 19th, 2009 LONDON - It is the hope of every UK road haulier that this week's Budget will see no further increase in fuel duty. At a time when hauliers are literally fighting for survival, a halt to duty rises will prevent a bad situation becoming even worse, according to the Road Haulage Association.

March 31st, 2009 NEW YORK and LONDON - The Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP, www.garp.org) today published the premiere issue of its bi-monthly Risk Professional magazine. Both the print and digital editions of the magazine's premiere issue will be sent to over 30,000 Association members.

March 26th, 2009 FOREST ROW, England - Revival of Limerick Writing Leads to Road Safety Challenge From GEM GEM Motoring Assist, which works for the safety of all road users, is challenging the public and its own 60,000 members to turn to verse to get a strong and sometimes amusing message across that will persuade people to consider their driving style. It says that the increasing popularity of limerick writing in the style of past masters like Edward Lear has led to a revival in simple, stylish, verse writing with an unusual bent that gets people thinking.

September 14th, 2009 Obama warns Wall Street againt high-risk behaviorNEW YORK — President Barack Obama says he sees new signs of the kind of high-risk business behavior that nearly caused a financial meltdown a year ago and is warning Wall Street there won't be another bailout. In a widely anticipated speech in the heart of New York's financial district, Obama also said he feels confident that the country's financial system has been steadied.

October 15th, 2009 Geithner warns against pulling stimulus too soonNEW YORK — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday the economy is in the midst of a recovery that could be imperiled if the government's support systems are removed too quickly. "A classic pattern in past financial crises is governments tend to put on the brakes too soon, withdraw support too early, and that's been a very costly mistake and we're going to be very careful to avoid that mistake," Geithner said at a conference sponsored by The Economist magazine in New York.

March 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - About 40 percent of the country's road projects put up for competitive bidding have found no takers due to the economic slowdown, a Planning Commission member said here Friday. 'Of the 60 road projects that had been put up for competitive bidding, 40 percent received no bids,' Planning Commission member Kirit Parikh said.

December 29th, 2008 ISLAMABAD - Overland haulage of supplies for US and Nato troops in Afghanistan through Pakistan's famous Khyber Pass was suspended Tuesday when security forces sealed off the region before launching an operation against militants, officials said. Government troops backed by tanks, artillery pieces and helicopter gunships entered the Jamrud area in the Khyber tribal district early Tuesday to target armed insurgents involved in a spate of kidnappings in the north-west and attacks on trucks carrying food and military supplies into land-locked Afghanistan.

October 3rd, 2009 G-7 finance ministers warn of fragile recoveryISTANBUL — The world economy is growing again, but the recovery remains fragile, according to the finance ministers from the Group of Seven rich countries. In a joint statement in Istanbul on Saturday, they say that decisive actions have helped the global economy to recover and financial market conditions to improve.

November 10th, 2009 Energy agency warns of falling investmentPARIS — The global financial crisis has led to a dangerous drop in energy investment around the world which could choke off the nascent economic recovery, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday. The warning from the Paris-based agency comes just a month ahead of the major UN climate conference in Copenhagen, where world leaders hope to agree on so-called climate finance to help developing countries cut emissions by switching from fossil fuels to cleaner energy such as wind and solar.

September 30th, 2009 GE's Immelt warns US recovery slowest in decadesSINGAPORE — General Electric Co. chief executive Jeffrey Immelt warned Tuesday that high unemployment and slower lending will drag on U.S.

September 30th, 2009 Lockhart: No rush for Fed to raise ratesWASHINGTON — A Federal Reserve official sees no need to rush to boost interest rates and rein in the extraordinary support for the economy, suggesting there are still dangers to the unfolding recovery. In a speech in Mobile, Ala., Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart says: "I think it may well be some time before (a) comprehensive exit need be under way." In recent days, other Fed officials have raised the prospect of having to raise rates quickly once the economy gains traction to ward off inflation.

February 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - People with healthy or sound hearts should avoid going in for various scans, warns an advisory committee convened by the American Heart Association. The panel cautioned that cardiac scans that use ionizing radiation should, in all cases, be used judiciously, and are not recommended for people without chest pain or other symptoms who are at low risk for heart disease.

November 5th, 2009 Iraq election head warns again of vote delayBAGHDAD — Iraqi lawmakers are discussing a controversial election law needed to carry out the January 16 vote. But the head of Iraq's election commission warns that a deadline is looming.