Word: firm
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...even if the cream of the Bush Administration had shown up, they would not have shaken the firm conviction in Davos that, in the wake of the fiasco in Iraq and the mauling Republicans received in the midterm elections, the U.S. is no longer the all-powerful hegemony, the hyperpower, that it seemed to be after the end of the cold war. To some, the schadenfreude was too much to resist: "They've been knocked off their perch," said one Brit, with grim and evident satisfaction. But much more often, the relative decline of American power was discussed with...
...paid in bribes each year, lining the pockets of officials at the expense of economies, distorting competition and giving business a bad name the world over. The U.S. tried to outlaw the habit with its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, which makes it unlawful for any American firm to make a corrupt payment to a foreign official. But that was long the exception; many other rich countries simply turned a blind eye. In Germany and Luxembourg , bribes used to be tax deductible. In many countries, and for many firms, bribes were just the way things were done...
...hundred and forty governments have now signed a 2003 United Nations convention against corruption. There are currently more than 100 foreign bribery investigations under way worldwide, according to Angel Gurría, the o.e.c.d.'s secretary-general. One of the cases with the highest profile involves the huge German firm Siemens, which is under investigation for allegedly paying bribes to win telecommunications contracts. The company said recently that, on checking its books for the past seven years, it has found $550 million in payments it could not clearly identify...
...combined sales of video and PC games hit $13.5 billion, a record for the industry and more than $4.5 billion above Hollywood's total box-office receipts. Competitive gaming is currently insignificant in that universe, with sales between $15 million and $20 million, according to industry consulting firm Parks Associates. But big players are entering the market. In January, DirecTV announced the formation of its own Championship Gaming Series. The matches will be viewable in 100 million homes worldwide, and the prize money will exceed $1 million...
...presidential side of the party, Hillary Clinton has gone at breakneck speed from being a mild critic of the war to calling for a legislated troop cap and threatening to cut off funds for the Iraqi army. Obama and John Edwards are cheerfully one-upping her by demanding a firm schedule for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. What happened...