IBS

May 17th 2007 | NEW YORK From The Economist print editionMid-range brands suffer as department stores focus on “private label” clothing THIS month Liz Claiborne, an American clothing firm, reported a 65% drop in profits for the first quarter, largely due to a 7% fall in sales in its…

Paul Wolfowitz agrees to quit the World Bank. His successor faces a double challenge AFP  IT WILL not be the first time the great powers have gathered in Potsdam to sort out the aftermath of a long-running conflict. The city, where the Allies divvied Germany up after the second world war,…

May 16th 2007 | JERUSALEM From Economist.comThe Palestinian disunity government Reuters  Get article backgroundAT LEAST 40 people have been killed, so far, in this week’s fighting between Fatah and Hamas gunmen in Gaza. It is the worst violence since the two parties formed a unity…

Your Ad Goes Here By STEVE LOHR THE Internet search engine is an indispensable tool of modern life and an advertising gold mine for Google, the favorite first stop on the Web. But searching accounts for only about 5 percent of the time people spend online; the other 95 percent is spent…

May 14th 2007 | MOSCOW From Economist.comThe view from the Kremlin AFP  RUSSIA is a strong, sovereign and prosperous country, surrounded by enemies and traitors who are bent on undermining its geopolitical power. Upstarts such as Estonia and Poland are trying to spoil Russia’s far more…

Putting the shine back on May 14th 2007 From Economist.comCan a private-equity firm repair Chrysler? AFP  FOR SALE: used Chrysler; one owner since 1998; was good runner but now in need of some attention; cost $36 billion; any reasonable offer considered. Call Stuttgart and ask for Dr Z.…

By MARK LANDLER and MICHELINE MAYNARD STUTTGART, Germany May 14 — DaimlerChrysler confirmed today that it would sell a controlling interest in its struggling Chrysler Group to Cerberus Capital Management of New York, a private equity firm that specializes in restructuring troubled…

What may be in the headlines EPA/AFP • RUSSIA gets a visit from Condoleezza Rice, America’s secretary of state, at the beginning of the week and an EU delegation led by Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, arrives later in the week. Ms Rice will have much to discuss with her…