Mr. Hollande warned that the protracted downturn facing France and other euro zone countries "threatens the very identity of Europe".
Even Texas, which had been weathering the downturn, faces a gap that lawmakers say could top $21 billion over the next two years.
The unprecedented and rapid downturn faced by the car industry around the world will [have an] impact [on] our results in 2009".
The verdict: Mr. Buffett is a hands-off boss who invests in local journalism and provides a great pension plan, but The News hasn't been immune from the downturn facing the rest of the business.
But he added that the extraordinary downturn faced by the euro zone -- one in which a distressed financial system is amplifying the recession -- called for new, unorthodox measures to stimulate the economy.
New economic data once again underlined the scale of the economic downturn facing the eurozone: unemployment jumped to a record high of 10.7% in January, with some 185,000 more workers losing their jobs in the 17-country single currency bloc.
Dybul has wide support and, given the economic downturn facing the major donor countries and concerns about the fund's management, serious challenges ahead.
Dell Computer may be poised to reel in expectations for this year, as the computer maker, which has sidestepped the brunt of a technology sales downturn, faces the weak economy and fears of a war with Iraq.
Instead of taking into account the increased needs of their citizens, more of whom rely on public benefits during a downturn, legislators face a political problem created by large deficits that have resulted from a sudden and unforeseeable drop-off in revenues.
Detroit, devastated by the economic downturn, also faces blackouts.
