Oil & gas
Oil & gas .SXEP took the most points of the FTSEurofirst300 index by midday on Thursday A bigger-than-expected rise inU.S. gasoline stocks and renewed global financial weaknessconcerns pushed the crude oil price CLc1 below $68 a barrel.[ID:nSYD481718] Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) shares fell 2.1 percent, Total(TOTF.PA) was down 2 percent and ENI (ENI.MI) dipped 0.9percent. But Repsol shares (REP.MC) rose 2.8 percent after theSpanish oil major said it had received several offers for astake in its Argentine unit, YPF. [ID:nL2565269] The DJ Stoxx European auto index .SXAP was the topsectoral loser, down 2.8 percent, after Credit Suisse downgradedthe European auto sector to "market weight" from "overweight",warning of increasing risk to automakers' cash flows in thefirst half of 2010. [ID:nBNG476355] Daimler (DAIGn.DE) fell 2.9 percent, Volkswagen (VOWG.DE)lost 4.3 percent and Renault (RENA.PA) traded 3 percent lower. In what looked like a partial rotation into steady-cashflowdefensives, food & beverages .SX3P, up 0.4 percent, was theonly DJ Stoxx sector index in positive territory by midday. Diageo (DGE.L), the world's biggest spirits group, whichsaid on Wednesday it will cut jobs to cope with the downturn[ID:nL1225622], was the top blue-chip gainer in Europe with arise of 1.7 percent.(Additional reporting by Joanne Frearson in London; editingby John Stonestreet) Stocks Global Markets.
It's Time to Clean Up This Mess: Texas Surgeon Points Out Numerous Flaws inAmerican Health Care IndustryHOUSTON, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The insurance industry, lawyers and theFederal Drug Administration -- "The American Medical Mess" (published byiUniverse), by Charles Peter, MD, holds nothing back against nearly everyoneinvolved in the health care industry in the United States.Peter, a surgeon in Houston for more than 30 years, begins by telling thestory of Ephraim McDowell and his work in the medical field many years ago andthen relates it to the nearly two trillion dollars being spent yearly in theU.S on health care today and the waste involved. With each chapter he showsthe inefficiency and the maximizing of profits by nearly everyone who takespart in the process. "Not only are there exorbitant liability premiums for doctors, nurses andhospitals, the cost of defensive medicine is even more," Peter said."Everything that the government does is counterproductive -- health care is noexception."He also points out that the FDA does little to serve the general populace aswell as the pharmaceutical industry when it takes nearly 1.4 billion dollarsto bring a new drug to the market that could help so many. Readers will alsoenjoy the example doctor bills that are included to help them see where everydime of their treatment would go. Peter also points out to look at your ownbill carefully as they are many times inflated with procedures that never eventook place!But it's just not about what is being done wrong.
Peter also lays out someideas and answers on how the whole system can be changed and improved so thatthe waste, fraud and inefficiency is addressed.ABOUT THE AUTHORCharles Peter graduated from Tulane Medical School and completed a Tulanegeneral surgical residency that was interrupted by two years of duty in theU.S Air Force. He has worked as an emergency room doctor in a small hospitalas well as practicing general surgery in Houston for more than 30 years. iUniverse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors.For more information, please visit http:// For review copies or interview requests, contact:Promotional Services DepartmentTel: 1-800-AUTHORSFax: 812-355-4078Email: (When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)This release was issued through eReleases(TM).For more information, visit http:// Services Department of iUniverse, +1-800-AUTHORS, Fax:+1-812-355-4078, . London & Associated Properties PLC ANNUAL INFORMATION UPDATE 2008-2009London & Associated Properties PLC ("the Company") is pleased to provide anannual information update in accordance with the requirements of the ProspectusRule 5.2. This update refers to information that has been published or madeavailable by the Company to the public over the period 17 May 2008 to 30 June2009. To avoid an unnecessarily lengthy document, information is referred to inthis update rather than included in full.In accordance with Article 27(3) of the Prospectus Rules, the informationreferred to in this update was up to date at the time the information waspublished but some information may now be out of date.