Dip in coal prices slice B.C. mine profits in half

Lower coal prices sliced the British Columbia mining industry's profits almost in half last year, but the sector still put a total $1.2-billion on the bottom line, PricewaterhouseCoopers says in its annual industry report. Wed, May. 14, 2008

Inflation threat seen as limited to food, energy

When China posted a near-record inflation rate of 8.5 per cent yesterday for April, the hand wringing about the rise in global prices began all over again. But there is a growing school of thought that - at least in North America and probably Europe - inflation is confined to fuel and food, with little prospect of it spilling over. Tue, May. 13, 2008

Livent ruined me, witness tells court

A private contractor working for Livent Inc. told a court yesterday that his career was ''destroyed'' by his association with the theatre company.Peter Kofman, an engineer whose firm did project development work for Livent's theatres, said Livent was his only client when it collapsed in 1998, leaving him with hundreds of thousands of dollars of unpaid bills. Tue, May. 13, 2008

A rallying greenback? Welcome news beyond U.S. borders

A funny thing has happened since Ben Bernanke hinted a couple of weeks ago that he wasn't inclined to continue slashing U.S. interest rates indefinitely.The battered U.S. dollar has enjoyed a mini-bounce. It's up about 3 per cent since late April. Tue, May. 13, 2008