More Canadian employers seen hiring in 2013 first quarter: Manpower

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian employers have a brighter outlook for adding jobs in the new year, with transportation and public utility companies the most bullish, but a cautious mood on the economy still prevails, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

In a quarterly survey of more than 1,900 Canadian employers by staffing firm Manpower Inc, a net 13 percent expected to add new jobs in the first quarter of 2013.

The seasonally adjusted figure is up from 11 percent in the previous quarter, but marginally less than 14 percent a year ago.

"The mood out there is they're cautious. They're not necessarily optimistic," said Byrne Luft, a vice president with Manpower Canada, a unit of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based staff provider.

The survey measures the difference between employers who say they will add jobs and those planning to cut positions.

Seven percent of firms expected to trim jobs next quarter, while 78 percent planned to keep staffing levels unchanged, with 2 percent of companies unsure of their hiring plans.

Manpower's survey follows Canada's report on Friday that the country created 59,300 net new jobs in November - far above expectations and considered a surprising comeback during a period of sluggish economic growth.

The Manpower survey showed a significant turn in hiring intentions from the fourth quarter, when the construction and education sectors were among the only industries to show a net increase in hiring plans.

"There are a lot of vacancies today in Canada - over 300,000. It just goes to show you the gap we're seeing in Canada, as far as the skills we have available or the jobs that are open, that gap is widening and it's problematic," said Luft.

"We're really starting to see companies go abroad to hire outside of Canada to fill those vacancies with what they call 'economic immigrants.'"

RESOURCE COMPANIES EXPECT LESS HIRING

Transportation and public utility companies are the most bullish about the new year, with employers reporting a net employment outlook of 21 percent, up from 16 percent the previous quarter and 11 percent a year ago. Luft noted hiring in the utilities sector generally spikes in the first quarter because of the weather.

The resource sector was the only industry where there was a marked decline in companies planning to hire. Luft attributed much of the change to falling energy prices. Only 8 percent of firms were planning to add jobs, down from 17 percent a quarter earlier and 18 percent a year ago.

U.S. light crude oil futures are off more than 13 percent so far this year and down more than 6 percent this quarter.

More companies in services, construction, education, finance, insurance and real estate also expect to hire next quarter compared with the last quarter as well as a year ago.

"Finance and insurance in Canada is very strong. ... Our clients are constantly hiring in that space. A lot of it, too, is that they have positions they can't fill," said Luft.

Manufacturing companies, wholesale and retail trade firms and the public administration sector were steady in their hiring expectations from a quarter earlier, but plan to add fewer workers than a year ago.

In particular, 6 percent of manufacturers of non-durable goods plan to add new jobs next quarter, up from 5 percent last quarter, but down from 13 percent a year earlier.

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Asia stocks wane as US budget talks drag on

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian stock markets lost some steam Tuesday as efforts by U.S. leaders to reach a budget deal before the year's end appeared deadlocked and fears lingered that a leadership change in Italy could derail Europe's efforts to tackle its financial crisis.

Markets in Asia appeared to take in stride news that HSBC, the British banking giant, will pay $1.9 billion to settle a money-laundering probe by federal and state authorities in the United States. HSBC shares rose 0.3 percent in Hong Kong.

Jackson Wong, vice president at Tanrich Securities in Hong Kong, said investors were prepared for the bad news after rumors of a settlement leaked out Friday. Helping to calm nerves was HSBC's sale last Wednesday of its 15.6 percent stake in China's Ping An Insurance to a Thai conglomerate for about $9.4 billion.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell less than 0.1 percent to 9,529.48, with Japanese utilities coming under pressure a day after a team of geologists said that a nuclear power plant in western Japan is likely located on an active fault. Japanese guidelines prohibit nuclear facilities above active faults.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. fell 1.4 percent and Kansai Electric Power Co. shed 3.7 percent.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.2 percent to 22,322.70 and South Korea's Kospi added 0.3 percent to 1,962.30. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.4 percent to 4,576. Benchmarks in Singapore and Indonesia also rose while New Zealand, Taiwan and mainland China fell.

Investors also got a slight jolt after Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, who has been credited with restoring confidence in Italy's economy, announced he will resign by year's end. Monti said over the weekend that he found it impossible to lead after former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's party, Parliament's largest, dropped its support for the government.

Analysts fear Monti's unexpected resignation could spark a new round of Italian political turmoil and slow efforts to get one of Europe's largest economies back in shape.

Anxiety was also growing as talks drag on between President Barack Obama and Republican lawmakers over a way to avoid the "fiscal cliff," a series of tax hikes and spending cuts that will come into effect Jan. 1 if no agreement is in place to cut the budget deficit.

Stocks inched higher on Wall Street after a strong sales report by McDonald's boosted confidence in the consumer spending in the world's largest economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.1 percent to 13,169.88. The S&P rose 0.03 percent to 1,418.55. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.3 percent to 2,986.96.

Benchmark oil for January delivery was up 6 cents to $85.62 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 37 cents to finish at $85.56 per barrel on the Nymex on Friday.

In currencies, the euro rose to $1.2948 from $1.2938 in New York on Monday. The dollar rose slightly to 82.35 yen from 82.33 yen.

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Japan's LDP, partner on track for big election win: surveys

TOKYO/TAKATSUKI (Reuters) - Conservative former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's opposition Liberal Democratic Party  (LDP) and its smaller ally are heading for a resounding victory in Sunday's election, winning more than 300 seats in parliament's 480-member lower house, media surveys showed on Tuesday.

Abe, 58, who resigned abruptly as premier in 2007 after a troubled year in office, is pushing the Bank of Japan (BOJ) for more powerful monetary stimulus and promises to boost public works to rev up a stagnant economy.

Abe, the grandson of a wartime cabinet minister who became prime minister after World War Two, also favors a tough stance against China in a territorial row and loosening the limits of Japan's 65-year-old pacifist constitution on the military.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which surged to power in 2009 for the first time, could get fewer than 80 seats at the election, the papers said.

The conservative Sankei, whose poll was based on a smaller sample, said an LDP-New Komeito party coalition could even win the two-thirds majority needed to over-ride the upper house, where no party has a majority and which can block legislation.

That could potentially break the political deadlock that has plagued successive governments since 2007. But the paper warned that almost 40 percent of those surveyed had not decided how to vote.

DISILLUSIONED VOTERS

Many voters have become disillusioned with the ruling Democrats who promised to break the "iron triangle" of cozy ties between big business, bureaucrats and lawmakers, nurtured during the LDP's nearly unbroken half a century rule.

But while voters are returning to the long-dominant LDP, there is little tangible enthusiasm for Japan's main opposition.

"I feel betrayed by the DPJ which promised to change so much, but achieved so little. They came across as immature, disorganized and ineffective," said Junko Makita, 59, a housewife in Takatsuki, a city of 360,000 just outside western metropolis of Osaka.

"That said, I'm not putting my hopes up too high for the LDP either, but at least they are more experienced," she said.

Takatsuki is a microcosm of Japan's fragmented politics, where a DPJ incumbent is fighting a losing battle against a well known local doctor on the LDP's list and a young candidate from the right-leaning Japan Restoration Party.

The area is the power base for the Japan Restoration Party, founded by outspoken Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto, and polls suggest it could capture as many as 50 seats after it joined forces with an octogenarian nationalist Shintaro Ishihara.

A solid LDP-New Komeito lower house majority would make any formal coalition with the new Restoration party less likely, but a strong result could make it a force to contend with in future.

BANK OF JAPAN UNDER PRESSURE

Reviving Asia's second largest economy, which is slipping into its fourth recession since 2000, is a major election issue and has seen hawkish Abe pressure the BOJ for "unlimited" easing to achieve a 2 percent inflation, double the bank's target.

"I'm graduating next year, so I want politicians to boost our economy, particularly companies like Panasonic or Sharp which are in a very bad shape," said Takashi Nishida, 21, electronics student at Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University.

Japan's central bank will likely ease monetary policy next week, sources say, as looming risks such as the potential fallout from the U.S. fiscal cliff and weak Chinese growth cloud the outlook for an economy already seen as in recession.

The most likely option is for the central bank to expand its asset-buying and lending program, currently at 91 trillion yen ($1.1 trillion), by another 5-10 trillion yen, at the meeting on December 19-20, sources familiar with its thinking have said.

For now, many in the central bank want to hold off on any new initiatives unless the U.S. Federal Reserve, which holds its policy-setting meeting this week, surprises markets with a bigger-than-expected stimulus and triggers a sharp yen rise.

Abe has also tapped a nationalist sentiment in Japan to win voters and has promised to get tougher with Beijing in a territorial row and to loosen the pacifist constitution.

The Philippines said on Monday that a stronger Japan would act as a counterbalance to the military rise of China, something that is worrying smaller Asian nations as territorial disputes heat up in the region.

Right-leaning parties' tough talk resonates with many voters, after a simmering dispute with China over a chain of East China Sea islets flared up earlier this year, culminating in anti-Japanese protests and boycotts of Japanese products.

"The most important thing is to show that Japan has its voice, show to the world what is our stance" said Isao Habe, 56, a manager at an electronics maker in Takatsuki, who plans to vote for the LDP candidate.

"I want the government to be more assertive."

Revising the pacifist constitution would require a two-thirds majority in both houses as well as a majority in a public referendum, but changes to how it is interpreted are easier to accomplish.

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2013 rings in more dovish Fed and maybe some dissent

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve  may tip toward doing even more to boost the U.S. economy in 2013 as two outspoken advocates for a super-easy monetary stance rotate into voting spots on its policy panel.

The annual shuffle of voters also raises the possibility of more dissents, analysts said, but not enough to offset the small but noticeable dovish shift.

Incoming voters Charles Evans, who leads the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank, and Eric Rosengren of the Boston Fed have argued that the central bank needs to go beyond its already aggressive easing of monetary policy to bring down unemployment.

They are also at the forefront of efforts to adopt numerical thresholds for unemployment and inflation that would underscore the Fed's willingness to keep policy easy for a long, long time.

The new lineup, which will be in place for the Fed's first meeting of 2013 in late January, "tilts slightly more in favor of further accommodation," said Michael Gapen, an economist at Barclays, in New York.

The Fed has kept interest rates near zero since December 2008 and expects to keep them there until at least mid-2015. It has also bought $2.3 trillion in long-term securities and is expected to announce more purchases on Wednesday after a two-day meeting.

Next year, it will wrestle with the question of just how far it should go.

GEORGE TO TAKE UP BATON OF DISSENT?

Each January, four regional Fed bank presidents rotate into voting spots on the policy committee and four rotate out.

This year, Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker made his discomfort with the central bank's easy stance known with dissents at every meeting.

He will be rotating off the voting roster, as will Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto, Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart and San Francisco Fed President John Williams.

Kansas City Fed President Esther George, who next year will cast her first votes since succeeding Thomas Hoenig in the job in 2011, could take up the baton of hawkish dissent.

While she has been less openly critical of current policy than Hoenig, who used all of his final votes to dissent against Fed easing, George has sounded a couple of skeptical notes.

"Only time will tell if George will assume the role of 2013 voting hawk," said Neal Soss, Credit Suisse economist in New York.

St. Louis Fed chief James Bullard, who has said he would have voted against the central bank's decision in September to embark on a new round of asset purchases, is also joining the voting ranks. In his last go-round in 2010, he voted with the consensus at every meeting.

"Bullard is a wild card, and so that might make the votes a little less predictable than they are in the current lineup," said JPMorgan's Michael Feroli.

And Evans could cast a dovish dissent - as he did during his last voting stint in 2011 - should the Fed pare asset purchases too early for his taste, some analysts said.

To be sure, the economic recovery does not appear to be gaining enough traction for the Fed to cut back any time soon.

In a Reuters poll on Friday, the median forecast of 32 economists was for the Fed to buy a total of $515 billion of Treasuries as part of the expanded purchase program expected to be announced this week.

"Given the environment that we are looking at ... I don't know that any of the hawks will have a strong argument because growth is likely to be slowing, and inflation is cooling," said Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo, in Charlotte, N.C.

WILL EVANS, ROSENGREN HELP ON THRESHOLDS?

Meanwhile, officials continue to debate whether to adopt numerical thresholds for unemployment and inflation to help guide their decision on when to eventually raise rates.

Both Evans and Rosengren have said the Fed should keep rates low until the jobless rate falls to at least 6.5 percent unless inflation heats up. The unemployment rate dropped to 7.7 percent in November from 7.9 percent in October, but only because thousands of Americans stopped looking for work.

It is unclear how far Evans' and Rosengren's status as voters will nudge the needle for the committee as a whole, although 33 of 55 economists polled on Friday said the Fed would eventually adopt thresholds.

"Thresholds will be a front-burner issue and will likely get done in 2013," said Eric Stein, a portfolio manager at Eaton Vance, in Boston.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Vice Chair Janet Yellen have both already indicated support for the threshold idea.

But Bernanke probably would want broad backing for such a significant change in the Fed's policy framework. When officials adopted an inflation goal of 2 percent this past January, all regional Fed bank chiefs were afforded a say.

"To make credible long-run programs, (Bernanke) wants a broader consensus, not just the voting members," said former Fed Governor Randall Kroszner, a professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

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Brent eases to near $107 as US, Italy rattle investors

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude edged down towards $107 a barrel on Tuesday as a stalemate over fiscal talks in the United States and political uncertainty in Italy rattled investors, even as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East supported prices.

Investors shied away from riskier assets as U.S. politicians squabbled over ways to reduce debt, while Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti's decision to resign early raised fears that the country could stray from economic reforms needed to steer itself out of the financial crisis.

Brent crude edged down 3 cents to $107.30 a barrel by 0506 GMT. U.S. crude was at $85.63, up 7 cents.

"There is a bearish tone in the market going into the year end with nothing much to support oil prices except geopolitical risks," Tony Nunan, a risk manager at Mitsubishi Corp said,

"The focus is on the fiscal cliff," he said, adding that the bad news from Italy also weighed on oil prices.

More talks were held on Monday between the White House and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner's office to break the "fiscal cliff" stalemate, although neither side showed any public signs that they were ready to give ground.

In Italy, borrowing costs soared and share prices tumbled on Monday as the markets took fright at Monti's announcement that he will step down early.

The news came just as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said on Monday that economic growth in Italy and China may be about to turn up.

China's crude imports rose in November while refinery runs reached a record of more than 10.1 million barrels a day (bpd), although foreign trade data disappointed.

"Despite China's improving economy, prices could come under some pressure today as fresh uncertainty over Europe tempers sentiment," ANZ analysts wrote in a note.

Yet, tensions in the Middle East that threaten to disrupt oil supply have supported prices throughout the year. The region is facing fresh unrest in Egypt, fighting in Syria and global pressure on Iran to stop its nuclear programme.

"The geopolitical risk is higher than ever," Nunan said. "It's going to be nasty when Damascus falls."

Traders also will be keeping a close watch on any changes in OPEC supply as the group meets in Vienna on Wednesday, while scouring weekly U.S. oil inventories data to be released over the next two days.

"The only thing that could come out of OPEC would be bearish as most people agree they have to address oversupply next year," Nunan said.

OPEC members collectively are producing about 1 million barrels a day of crude more than needed, swelling oil stocks at a time of weak demand, Iranian OPEC governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi said.

The 12-member group is expected to stick with its target of 30 million bpd when it meets on Wednesday.

In the United States, commercial crude oil stockpiles were forecast to have fallen last week amid high refinery demand, while gasoline inventories were expected to rise, a preliminary Reuters poll of five analysts showed.

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Tanks deploy to Egypt's presidential palace amid lull in deadly protests

• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

After a night of violent protests across Egypt that left at least five dead and hundreds injured, Egyptian tanks deployed this morning to protect the presidential palace, marking the first time since Mohamed Morsi's power grab that the military has gotten involved.

Reuters reports that at least seven tanks and 10 armored personnel carriers from the Republican Guard, the military unit tasked with protecting the government organs, now surround the palace. The Republican Guard is ordering all demonstrators to leave the palace environs. The unit's commander, Gen. Mohamed Zaki, told the state news agency that "The armed forces, and at the forefront of them the Republican Guard, will not be used as a tool to oppress the demonstrators."

Reuters notes that small numbers of protesters against and supporters of President Morsi remain in the area around the palace, but have largely been limited to shouting at each other from afar.

RELATED: Think you know the Middle East? Take our geography quiz!

The lull stands in sharp contrast to last night, when thousands of Egyptians from both sides took to the streets and engaged in violent clashes, resulting in several deaths – Agence France-Presse reports that five people were killed, while Reuters puts the toll at seven – and hundreds of injuries. The Monitor reported last night that protesters and supporters clashed with rocks, firebombs, and the occasional gun around the palace, in a conflict that both sides see as an extension of the Tahrir Square protests last year that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.

Pavement is broken up into makeshift missiles, Molotov cocktails are thrown, and fireworks are fired horizontally at the other side. At one point, a protester runs through the anti-Morsi crowd shooting in the air with a handgun. The pro-Morsi crowd appears to be firing teargas canisters, something usually reserved for the police forces....

There is nothing uplifting about the mood here tonight, which seems eons away from the jubilant crowds in Tahrir on Feb. 11, 2011, the night Mubarak stepped down. Just before the fighting started, the crowd beat up a salafi passerby (a conservative Muslim), despite his protestations that he was “not with the Brotherhood.” A minivan stuck in traffic was attacked on the suspicion that it was carrying Muslim Brotherhood supporters.

If any comparisons are made with the uprising that brought down Mubarak last year, it is with the infamous “Camel Day,” when Mubarak supporters and police attacked the peaceful pro-democracy protestors in Tahrir Square.

The Monitor noted that Essam al-Arian, head of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, last night on Al Jazeera called the protests “the last battle of the revolution against the counterrevolution.”

A presidential aide told AFP that Morsi would address the current crisis in a speech later today, though no time was given. But as the Monitor's Dan Murphy wrote last night, there have been no indications from Morsi or the Brotherhood that they are backing down from plans to hold a referendum on the rushed, Islamist constitution on Dec. 15.

Egypt's sputtering transition from a military-backed, secular dictatorship to, well, something else, has now hit its rockiest point in the nearly two years since it began. Morsi's spokesman and backers have not offered any specific compromise. His Vice President Mahmoud Makki today addressed the nation, saying a referendum scheduled for Dec. 15 will move forward. Gehad el-Haddad, a senior adviser for the Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood's political wing, summarized Mr. Makki's remarks as "No moving of Referendum date, no cancellation of Constitutional Declaration. Crowds do not dictate course of country, elected bodies do." ...

Michael Hanna at The Century Foundation is worried, and fears that Morsi has been emboldened by his successful role in brokering a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel last month.

"If approved in a hastily called referendum, that slipshod [constitution] will bound Egypt's political future and institutionalize its crisis. With a significant portion of the country's judges declaring a strike in response to Morsy's declaration and dueling protesters mobilizing on opposing sides, Egypt's flawed transition now risks tipping into outright civil strife and prolonged instability," he writes. "Rather than using his burnished reputation as a regional leader to forge a more consensual and stable transition back home, Morsy capitalized on the favorable international political climate by making an untenable and unjustifiable power grab that has plunged Egypt into crisis."

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Syrian refugees decamp for tough life in Jordan's cities

Sitting cross-legged on the floor of her chilly, unfurnished home, a Syrian widow explains how she sneaked out of Jordan's Za'atari refugee camp. It cost 50,000 Syrian pounds, about $700, to pay someone from outside to sneak her past the camp's security. She was allowed to pay half up-front, and had a relative in Jordan who could lend her the money.

From there she found an apartment in an urban slum: two dark, bare concrete rooms, crawling with damp. She says she lives mostly off her neighbors, who are also Syrian refugees. One of them found her a television in the garbage, and now it sits in the corner, tuned to a Syrian opposition TV station showing ghastly images of the war against Bashar al-Assad's regime back home. When a sheikh came through the neighborhood giving charitable donations to refugees, she spent hers paying off her debts.

Asked if she is glad she left Za'atari, she gestures at her surroundings.

"To live this way? It's not worth it," she says. "I will go back to Bashar, and die as a martyr. That would be much better than here, and dying in this situation."

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Though much attention has been paid to the camp, refugees in Jordan's cities outnumber those in Za'atari at least 3-to-1. And while camp life is hard, urban refugees have problems of their own.

They have to pay rent, for one thing – often on apartments that are in terrible condition, and freezing in the winter. To stay fed and housed, urban refugees need jobs, and Jordan already has 30 percent unemployment. Without work permits, refugees are vulnerable to exploitation, and many end up working for next to nothing.

Interviewees in Jordan's poor neighborhoods describe scrounging for assistance: traveling around the city and waiting in long lines to register with charities or the UN, or to pick up occasional food packages, or gifts of furniture. For those who sneaked out of the camp, accessing even the most basic services seems impossible, because they lack proper identification.

"I always encourage people in Za'atari not to leave the camp," says Massara Srass, head of the Syrian Women's Organization, which provides assistance to refugees in Amman. "The problems you will face outside of Za'atari are bigger than in Za'atari."

WAYS OUT OF CAMP

There are lots of ways out of Za'atari. Some 6,000 refugees have voluntarily returned to Syria. For some others, the government employs a system of kefala, or sponsorship: Syrians who can find a Jordanian citizen to vouch for their whereabouts and welfare can leave the camp. They call it being "bailed out."

But kefala, government and UN sources say, is reserved for refugees with humanitarian issues like illness, or those with relatives in Jordan. Since the camp opened, roughly 6,000 people have been bailed out, according to the government's spokesman for Syrian refugee affairs, Anmar Hmoud.

But in the camp, stories abound that kefala can be bought, for prices ranging from $70 to $1,400. Officials say that's not so.

"What's happening now: Some Jordanians, and most of them are criminals ... try to convince the Syrians, if they give them 500, 1,000 [Jordanian] dinars, they can bring them out of the camp in a legal way," says police department spokesman Mohammed al-Khatib.

Refugees described different ways of sneaking out of the camp: Some paid visiting workers to help them escape; others simply slipped around the fence at moments when security was lax. Most are fully aware they've gamed the system, but others seem to actually believe they've been let out legally. One woman said she had bought a kefala from a taxi driver at the entrance to one of the transit camps – but the document she produced was a photocopy of a blank kefala form, which did not have the name of a sponsor on it.

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In early November, police reported breaking up a smuggling ring that was bringing refugees out of the camp. At the time, Mr. Hmoud told the partially state-owned "Jordan Times" that 4,000 people had been taken out illegally – but that number might be low. Estimates of the number in the camp are rough at best, but of the 60,000 refugees who have entered, around half remain.

CAMP LIFE

Za'atari was opened to take some of the strain off Jordan's cities, which were overflowing with refugees. At the start, it was a bleak place: baking during the day, freezing at night, and ravaged by dust.

Today, conditions have improved. The dust problem has abated. Many of the camp's residents have been moved from tents into trailers. Heating systems, insulation, blankets and clothes are being distributed. Lines at the distributions are long, and refugees still complain bitterly of the cold, but the atmosphere is less dire.

The food, too is a subject of complaint, but the UN provides basic caloric needs, and the main street of the camp is now a thriving avenue of makeshift shops selling clothing, household goods, produce, and homemade food to those with a little cash. There are three hospitals, five clinics, and a 4,000-capacity school.

And there has been a trickle of refugees returning to Za'atari from the cities. Their number is still far fewer than those leaving: a handful a day, Hmoud says. But it may grow, as winter stretches refugees' thin budgets.

"People will always complain about the camp, but ... it provides people with protection that they don't otherwise have," says Andrew Harper, the Jordan head of the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. "Winter works both ways: It's going to be tough in the camp, but it's also going to be tough living in an unheated apartment [in a city]. So as we bring in more and more support in the camp, you'll have more and more people coming in."

But at the moment, UN officials say the majority of refugees are still happier to be outside – and there are signs that that outflow is shifting some of the burden of assistance back onto local communities. The number of people outside continues to increase, and the refugees who have been here longer are exhausting the meager resources they came with. The UN and its partners are now distributing regular cash assistance to some 4,600 families, and emergency supplements to about 1,000 more.

But for the refugees who have sneaked out of Za'atari, getting access to that aid can be a major problem. When refugees sneak across Jordan's borders at night, the police confiscate their identification papers. Those who are bailed out are supposed to be able to get their documents back, but those whose kefala is irregular often have nothing.

"If I left my home in flames and escaped to here, how am I supposed to be able to give them my passport?" she asks. "These people that have papers ... get assistance straight away … but those of us who are really in need can’t get anything … because we don’t have the right documents!"

On Tuesday, the Jordanian government announced that it would soon start giving ID cards to Syrian refugees, which they could use to access services. Announcements in local newspapers asked Syrians to come and register at their local police stations. Details of the plan are still sparse, so it is not clear whether another ID will help those most in need, or just be one more hurdle that urban refugees will need to leap.

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Bladder Control Formula Now Available to Men and Women Courtesy of Flotrol

 Bladder control formula is now available to men and women  courtesy of Flotrol. This new and all-natural support product is designed to limit the amount of restroom visits that a man or women might have without using a system of bladder support.

Houston, Texas (PRWEB) December 08, 2012
Bladder issues can happen to men and women from age or irregularity with digestion. The Flotrol company has released its new bladder control formula to help offer natural support without a prescription. Traditional treatments for weakened bladders can include medical surgery both invasive and non-invasive types.

This new and improved formula is one of the first offered to men or women that seek assistance without a treatment from a doctor.

Pregnant women could develop a weakened bowel area from the pushing and pulling of the midsection that often takes place during nine months of pregnancy. Urination issues can be common regardless of age according to research.

The muscle contractions that take place upon the emptying of bodily fluids can be one of the issues that lead to frequent urges of relief. The new control formula released is designed to promote a healthier bladder.

One of the side effects that many people receive from frequent restroom visits is emotional and psychological feelings. Research has confirmed that some conditions that involve a disruption in the natural body mechanism can be challenging emotionally if the problem persists without correction.

The all-natural ingredients that are used by Flotrol in its new formula to promote urinary tract health provides a safe alternative to surgeries or other medical corrections.

Flotrol has combined more than one ingredient into its new product that can be useful to men and women. The addition of soy and pumpkin seeds in an extract form represent two natural ingredients that have been shown to help improve excessive urination. The overactive bladder issues that men, women or mature adults can experience could be corrected using this new natural alternative exclusively sold online.

To celebrate the new announcement of this natural solution, two free bottles are now offered in select packages that are ordered directly online. These capsules are designed to provide sufficient relief for an extended period to help men and women that rely on this natural solution to observe the benefits. A complete 90-day guarantee is offered to every person that completes a purchase of this newly released product.

About Flotrol

The Flotrol parent company was founded in 2002 and offers its all-natural solutions to help men and women find better health and wellness. The ingredients used provide one of the safest ways to obtain relief outside of traditional medical procedures. The Flotrol brand is exclusively sold on the Internet to provide easy ways to purchase these relief capsules. With a team of dedicated experts, this company is helping to introduce its line of wellness and health products to more consumers in the U.S. and the rest of the world searching for holistic solutions.

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Final Day For Jason's Hope And GiveForward.com's Fundraiser To Help Jason And His Fight From A Rare Form Of Muscular Dystrophy Called Emery Dreifuss

 Today is the final day of fundraising for Jason's Hope and his fight for a rare form of muscular dystrophy called Emery Dreifuss.

(PRWEB) December 08, 2012
Jason's Hope is a fundraiser developed by Jason's mother Teresa Stokes to help raise $5,000. This morning an anonymous donor that has been emailing Jason's mother every day this week has made a final donation of $3,000 to put Jason's Hope at $6,965.00.

"In 2006, Jason was diagnosed with an unknown form of Muscular Dystrophy. Over the past six years, doctors performed DNA tests, Muscle Biopsies, Nerve Condition Tests and Echo Cardiograms, and still had no idea what form of MD Jason had." said Teresa Stoke's Jason's mother, "Jason's muscles were slowly breaking down, but his heart was healthy."

Even though this puts the Jason's Hope fundraiser well over the $5,000 they were seeking, it is still encouraged to continue to give.

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Katalistik Digital Agency Offers Clients Top-Performing SEO Solution, "LOCAL CHECKMATE"

 Katalistik has expanded the array of revolutionary digital marketing solutions the agency offers with Local Checkmate, the ultimate search engine optimization program designed to help local businesses gain the competitive edge they deserve.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) December 08, 2012
Recognizing that many local businesses lacked the time, manpower, or expertise to manage a full-scale local SEO campaign—one that boosts brand awareness, draws in fresh sales, and offers the best quality of online content—Katalistik decided to launch a tool that allows them to accomplish all that and more on their clients’ behalf.

A 9 stage process completed over 6 months, Local Checkmate employs over 240+ of the best SEO tactics through website optimization, keyword and phrase integration, reviews, testimonials, and content linking across numerous media platforms. This comprehensive and proven approach allows Local Checkmate to provide such outstanding results.

Marc Trimble, Katalistik’s co-founder, stated: “One of the best things about Local Checkmate is that while other agencies might be able to make big claims about their SEO performance, this program lets us prove we’re delivering on our goals every step of the way. It’s truly an unbeatable platform that we’re thrilled to offer all local business clients who want to win the battle for market dominance in their area.”

Ongoing performance reports detail every phase during all 9 stages, so local clients can remain confident that Katalistik is placing them in an ever-better position for constant growth, profits, and success!

Learn more about this new and proven SEO campaign platform at LocalCheckmate.com.


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Katalistik is devoted to producing polished, innovative intelligence that makes a meaningful difference for companies, consumers, and the online ecosystem—faster, more aggressively, and with a deep sense of responsibility for the growth and success of every client. Visit Katalistik at http://katalistik.com/ or email them at signmeup@localcheckmate.com.

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