OFFBEAT MAIL

Despite regional political turmoil and the continuing global economic slowdown, demand for foreign workers remains high in the Gulf region, according to a study sponsored by Western Union (NYSE:WU), a leader in money transfer and global payment services. "Despite the political uprisings and civil unrest in some parts of the Middle East and North Africa, the region is still witnessing moderate growth, and in the Gulf countries there is an even stronger imperative to sustain economic growth and meet social needs. We expect opportunities for international workers to remain strong and with that remittance flows from host to home countries," said Jean-Claude Farah, Western Union's Senior Vice President for the Middle East and Africa. "The Asia Pacific region has been a significant source of labour for Gulf countries -- led by India, Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand and Nepal.  This study should instill greater confidence for global worke...

Tar sands' excavation in Alberta. The battle as to whether the construction of pipelines designed to run across the United States, from Alberta, Canada, is raging hot. No hint of prediction yet is in the offing that could tell if this oil infrastructure is bound to happen in the soonest possible time. Recently, the Obama administration has considered constructing the Keystone XL pipeline which would take Alberta's tar sands oil to Gulf coast refiners. But this plan was held in adyance for environmental reasons. However, TransCanada, Keystone's promoter is still hoping that the project will be approved, says May 26th issue of The Economist. As the battle rages on, the National Energy Board of Canada is in the process of conducting public hearings to make sure that the pipeline construction will be acceptable to both the governments and the environmentalists in Canada and the United States. The environmentalists' petitions came after Enbridge, an energy distributor, s...