Free Republic

Portugal's EDP-Energias de Portugal SA (EDP.LB) said Monday that it signed a €800 million ($1.04 billion) loan with Bank of China Ltd. The three-year loan has a margin of 350 basis points over the three-month Libor rate and will be used for general corporate purposes, EDP said in a statement. …

April 30, 2010 Greeks face tax, pensions and pay misery in austerity plan Emily Ford An increase in the retirement age from an average ago of 53 to 67, a three-year wage freeze and cuts in public sector pay are understood to be among the austerity measures agreed to by the Greek Government in exchange for a €24 billion (£21 billion) rescue package. The measures include severe cuts in Civil Service wages, with public servants losing their “13th and 14th” months’ salary and pension entitlements, a reduction of state benefits and tax increases on alcohol and tobacco to help cut...

Our thanks for Newsbusters’ Noel Sheppard for this one. According to the results of the latest Gallup poll, George Bush had a higher approval rating after one month in office than Barack Obama. “For the first time since Gallup began tracking Barack Obama’s presidential job approval rating on Jan. 21,” the poll revealed, “fewer than 60% of Americans approve of the job he is doing as president…59% of Americans give Obama a positive review….” In a similar poll conducted a month after President Bush’s first inauguration, his approval rating was 62%...

Like something in a B-horror flick, Janet Jackson's radioactive right breast has morphed into the monster that's eating Hollywood. In the past 24 hours: • Jackson's name was stricken from the official list of presenters for Sunday's Grammy Awards telecast on CBS. That's the same network that beamed us the Super Bowl game during which Jackson's breast made its broadcast TV debut in a stunt that duet partner Justin Timberlake called a "wardrobe malfunction." According to one source close to the production, CBS and the Recording Academy are waiting for her to graciously bow out; if she does not soon,...