Islanders’ DiPietro out indefinitely with a concussion
The 30-year-old netminder has struggled with injuries over the last three seasons, playing just 39 games in that span.He missed most of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons with a knee injury and several weeks if the 2010-11 campaign because of facial fractures and knee swelling.DiPietro did not play in the first three games of New York’s 2011-12 regular season.
PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - Oct 12
GENERAL AND POLITICS- The traffic police will impose a fine of 1,000 levs ($697)
and will take the driving licence for more than a year of
drivers who refuse to go though an alcohol and drug tests.
(Klasa, Novinar, Monitor, Trud, 24 Chasa, Sega)TRUD - Bulgaria ranks first in the European Union in number
of deaths due to heart attacks, the national public health
centre said.ECONOMY- The prices of natural gas will rise between 4 to 8 percent
as of next year if the government introduces the new tax on the
fuel, head of the state energy regulator said. The rise will
affect heating prices too. (Klasa, Dnevnik, Monitor, Pari,
Standart, Sega)- Bulgaria plans to cut the funds for security and increase
the spending for education, sports and culture, Finance Minister
Simeon Djankov said. (Klasa, Standart).- Bulgaria may start the production of electric cars this
spring at the new car plant near Lovech controlled by Litex
Motors, Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov said.
(Klasa, Dnevnik, Pari, Standart, Sega)- Environment Minister Nona Karadzhova declined to sign an
environment impact assessment of Canadian miner Dundee Precious
metals for a new open pit gold mine in southern Bulgaria and
returned it to the chief environment council for reassessment.
FACTBOX-Republicans vying to take on Obama in 2012
MITT ROMNEYFrontrunner Romney, 64, who lost the nomination race to
John McCain in 2008, has regained the lead in opinion polls as
Texas Governor Rick Perry has stumbled.Romney raised about $18 million in the second quarter of
2011, more than four times as much as any other contender, in
that period. Although he has not released his third quarter
report, he is expected to have raised $12-15 million.Romney, who co-founded private equity firm Bain Capital,
has touted his business experience as a way to attack Obama’s
handling of the struggling U.S. economy. Critics say he was a
corporate raider who cut jobs.While favored by pro-business Republicans, Romney is viewed
skeptically by some conservatives because he was governor of
liberal Massachusetts and is a Mormon, a religion some
evangelicals do not consider Christian.Republicans have attacked him because of a healthcare plan
he helped develop in Massachusetts that became a model for the
Obama’s healthcare law. Romney defends the state law and
attacks the federal version, which he has promised to repeal.RICK PERRYThe three-term Texas governor, 61, has lagged in recent
polls after shooting to the top of the field when he jumped
into the nomination race in August.A social and fiscal conservative, Perry has come under
heavy fire from Republican rivals for some relatively moderate
immigration positions and an order that young girls in Texas be
inoculated for a sexually transmitted virus.Although he has never lost an election and is the longest
serving governor in Texas history, his stumbling performance in
debates has raised questions about whether he would stand a
chance of defeating Obama next year.Perry has stressed his economic record in Texas, saying his
conservative leadership helped the state create more than a
third of all new U.S. jobs in the past two years. His record
also includes deep education cuts, low public service levels
and high numbers of people without health insurance.Perry has proven himself a formidable fund-raiser, reaching
$17 million for the third quarter, despite only entering the
race in mid-August.HERMAN CAINA radio talk show host and former chief executive of
Godfather’s Pizza, the 65-year-old Cain was chairman of the
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s board of directors. He
has never been elected to political office.Boosted by strong debate performances and drawing attention
for his “9-9-9” economic plan, Cain has jumped to the top tier
of Republican candidates in opinion polls and won support of
many fiscally conservative Tea Party voters.Cain’s signature plan would scrap existing U.S. tax codes
for a flat nine percent corporate, income and sales tax. Some
experts say the sales tax portion of the plan could shift a
heavier burden to lower-income earners.Cain has yet to prove he can attract major donors and
assemble the campaign team he would need to beat other
Republicans in the primary process, and then defeat Obama.RON PAULAn anti-war congressman from Texas who ran unsuccessfully
for the party’s 2008 nomination, libertarian Paul, 76, has for
years pushed many of the positions that are now part of the Tea
Party platform. His calls for steep cuts in the U.S. deficit
and the size of government have moved to the mainstream.A forceful debater, Paul has a dedicated following, raising
$8 million in the third quarter of 2011. He receives a steady
support of 8-10 percent in national opinion polls, but has not
broken through to the larger electorate.NEWT GINGRICHThe former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives,
68, was the main architect of the 1994 Republican congressional
election victory and author of its “Contract with America”
manifesto. Gingrich ended his 20-year congressional career
after Republican losses in 1998 elections.Leading members of Gingrich’s campaign team resigned in
June and he has had a poor showing in the polls.MICHELE BACHMANNBachmann, 55, reached the top tier of Republican candidates
after a strong performance in the first major debate in June.
But she has since fallen to single digits in opinion surveys.The Minnesota congresswoman won the Iowa straw poll in
August and is now focusing her campaign in the state, although
her support there has dropped to 10 percent or below.Known for strong religious views and uncompromising
positions on financial issues, Bachmann is seen as having
little appeal to moderate Republicans or independents. She is
leader of the Tea Party caucus in the U.S. House.RICK SANTORUMSantorum, 53, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania,
made a name for himself opposing abortion rights and gay
marriage while backing welfare reform. He has fought to enhance
his profile in early voting states but remains far behind.JON HUNTSMANHuntsman, 51, annoyed the White House by resigning in April
as Obama’s ambassador to China to plan his presidential run.Like Romney, Huntsman is a Mormon. The former governor of
Utah and member of a wealthy chemicals family is a moderate,
and he has not won over the conservative voters who play a big
role in the nominating process.
FACTBOX-Republicans vying to take on Obama in 2012
MITT ROMNEYFrontrunner Romney, 64, who lost the nomination race to
John McCain in 2008, has regained the lead in opinion polls as
Texas Governor Rick Perry has stumbled.Romney raised about $18 million in the second quarter of
2011, more than four times as much as any other contender, in
that period. Although he has not released his third quarter
report, he is expected to have raised $12-15 million.Romney, who co-founded private equity firm Bain Capital,
has touted his business experience as a way to attack Obama’s
handling of the struggling U.S. economy. Critics say he was a
corporate raider who cut jobs.While favored by pro-business Republicans, Romney is viewed
skeptically by some conservatives because he was governor of
liberal Massachusetts and is a Mormon, a religion some
evangelicals do not consider Christian.Republicans have attacked him because of a healthcare plan
he helped develop in Massachusetts that became a model for the
Obama’s healthcare law. Romney defends the state law and
attacks the federal version, which he has promised to repeal.RICK PERRYThe three-term Texas governor, 61, has lagged in recent
polls after shooting to the top of the field when he jumped
into the nomination race in August.A social and fiscal conservative, Perry has come under
heavy fire from Republican rivals for some relatively moderate
immigration positions and an order that young girls in Texas be
inoculated for a sexually transmitted virus.Although he has never lost an election and is the longest
serving governor in Texas history, his stumbling performance in
debates has raised questions about whether he would stand a
chance of defeating Obama next year.Perry has stressed his economic record in Texas, saying his
conservative leadership helped the state create more than a
third of all new U.S. jobs in the past two years. His record
also includes deep education cuts, low public service levels
and high numbers of people without health insurance.Perry has proven himself a formidable fund-raiser, reaching
$17 million for the third quarter, despite only entering the
race in mid-August.HERMAN CAINA radio talk show host and former chief executive of
Godfather’s Pizza, the 65-year-old Cain was chairman of the
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s board of directors. He
has never been elected to political office.Boosted by strong debate performances and drawing attention
for his “9-9-9” economic plan, Cain has jumped to the top tier
of Republican candidates in opinion polls and won support of
many fiscally conservative Tea Party voters.Cain’s signature plan would scrap existing U.S. tax codes
for a flat nine percent corporate, income and sales tax. Some
experts say the sales tax portion of the plan could shift a
heavier burden to lower-income earners.Cain has yet to prove he can attract major donors and
assemble the campaign team he would need to beat other
Republicans in the primary process, and then defeat Obama.RON PAULAn anti-war congressman from Texas who ran unsuccessfully
for the party’s 2008 nomination, libertarian Paul, 76, has for
years pushed many of the positions that are now part of the Tea
Party platform. His calls for steep cuts in the U.S. deficit
and the size of government have moved to the mainstream.A forceful debater, Paul has a dedicated following, raising
$8 million in the third quarter of 2011. He receives a steady
support of 8-10 percent in national opinion polls, but has not
broken through to the larger electorate.NEWT GINGRICHThe former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives,
68, was the main architect of the 1994 Republican congressional
election victory and author of its “Contract with America”
manifesto. Gingrich ended his 20-year congressional career
after Republican losses in 1998 elections.Leading members of Gingrich’s campaign team resigned in
June and he has had a poor showing in the polls.MICHELE BACHMANNBachmann, 55, reached the top tier of Republican candidates
after a strong performance in the first major debate in June.
But she has since fallen to single digits in opinion surveys.The Minnesota congresswoman won the Iowa straw poll in
August and is now focusing her campaign in the state, although
her support there has dropped to 10 percent or below.Known for strong religious views and uncompromising
positions on financial issues, Bachmann is seen as having
little appeal to moderate Republicans or independents. She is
leader of the Tea Party caucus in the U.S. House.RICK SANTORUMSantorum, 53, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania,
made a name for himself opposing abortion rights and gay
marriage while backing welfare reform. He has fought to enhance
his profile in early voting states but remains far behind.JON HUNTSMANHuntsman, 51, annoyed the White House by resigning in April
as Obama’s ambassador to China to plan his presidential run.Like Romney, Huntsman is a Mormon. The former governor of
Utah and member of a wealthy chemicals family is a moderate,
and he has not won over the conservative voters who play a big
role in the nominating process.
99 Cents agrees to $1.6 billion buyout by Ares-led group
The latest offer represents a 32 percent premium to the stock’s trading levels prior to Leonard Green’s offer, which was made in March.In March, the Schiffer/Gold family said it was joining hands with Leonard Green to offer $1.34 billion to take the discount chain private, an offer some analysts said was too low.There have been media reports of possible interest by private equity firm Apollo Management as well, but the New York Post reported last week that Apollo dropped out of the race for the dollar chain.Last week, a source told Reuters that 99 Cents received a takeover offer from Ares Capital.Eric Schiffer will continue as its Chief Executive and Jeff Gold as its President and operation head after the deal, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.The Schiffer/Gold family will continue to hold a significant minority stake in the company.
