| Housing affordability plunges to record lows
HOUSING affordability has continued its downward spiral, sinking almost 2 per cent in the final three months of last year to yet another record low, figures show. A report published by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the Housing Industry Association (HIA), released today, shows housing affordability fell by 1.7 per cent in the final three months of 2007. Housing affordability conditions in the December quarter were 5.2 per cent lower than the same period a year earlier, and the lowest since the report was first published in 1984.The report pointed to higher interest rates and strong growth in established house prices as the chief reasons behind the deterioration in affordability."This latest fall was a result of a 1.4 per cent increase in the median first-home price, and a 0.25 percentage point increase in interest rates in November, both of which offset strong household income growth for the quarter,'' the report said.
Veterans' suicide toll dwarfs deaths
MORE US military veterans had killed themselves in one year than the number of American soldiers who have died in Iraq since 2003, it was claimed yesterday. At least 6256 US veterans took their own lives in 2005, at an average of 17 a day, according to figures broadcast last night. Former servicemen are more than twice as likely than the rest of the population to commit suicide. Such statistics compare to the total 3863 US military deaths in Iraq since the invasion in 2003 -- an average of 2.4 a day, according to the website icasualties.org. The figures came as the US backed down on its policy of forcing diplomatic staff to serve in Iraq. Three foreign service officers who signed up for the last of the 48 vacancies had won tentative approval, officials said.
Traveling Workers Told to Trim Expenses
Faced with a weakening economy, more companies are targeting travel and entertainment expenses. "Everyone's starting to think about what's going to happen if there's an economic downturn," says Adam Weissenberg, who heads Deloitte's travel industry consulting division. .
Name the Catch finalists
Cheaper than the legal fees when we all join in a class action. Mr. Vacchiano, I would say you have about 25 hours to fix this. Mike & The Mad Dog go on the air at 1pm tomorrow, and this will be a topic all day long. The callers will make sure of that. .
Weather: P/CLOUDY
On the back wall of a bar on Raeford Road, behind a pool table, hangs an American flag with note cards placed carefully along the white stripes. Each card bears the name of a soldier who used to be a regular but is now in Iraq or Afghanistan. The bar, Bourbon Street East, opened about 18 months ago. Since then, there has never been a time when all of Fort Bragg’s soldiers were home at once. These days, though, the post is about as close to empty as it has ever been. Half of Fort Bragg’s 48,000 troops are overseas. All four 82nd Airborne Division brigade combat teams are gone. And that’s a huge subtraction from Fayetteville’s social scene. Soldiers have been a big part of the city’s nightlife since the post boomed in World War II.
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