Wednesday 21 January 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Football: Messi hands Barca slender Cup lead over Atletico

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MADRID (AFP) - Lionel Messi struck five minutes from time to hand Barcelona a vital 1-0 lead heading into the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final with Atletico Madrid.Atletico looked set to round off a fine day for the club after the confirmation that Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin will spend 45 million euros ($52 million) for 20 percent of the club by holding out for a 0-0 draw.However, Juanfran was penalised for kicking Sergio Busquets inside the area late on and Messi was relieved to slot home at the second attempt after seeing his penalty saved by Jan Oblak.The two sides will meet again at the Vicente Calderon in Madrid on Wednesday, January 28.Its a good result, but weve got the return leg to go and that will be another intense 90 minutes, said Barca midfielder Andres Iniesta.Weve put in a great shift against a team thats really difficult to overcome.Were happy to win 1-0. Keeping a clean sheet is very important, but it doesnt guarantee anything.Atletico boss Diego Simeone remains confident that his sides tremendous home form can see them turn the tie on its head.We still have a chance against an opponent that played very well. The tie is still very open, he said.Fernando Torres was paired once more with Antoine Griezmann up front for Atletico after the pair combined to allow Torres to score in the opening minute of each half as they secured a 4-2 aggregate win over Real Madrid in the last 16 a week ago.However, just like in their league meeting 10 days ago, it was Barca who made a fast start this time and Atletico goalkeeper Oblak was forced into a fine save to turn Neymars curling effort behind after just four minutes.Atletico weathered the early storm without any further scares and grew into the game. Torres saw a low shot deflect wide off Gerard Pique, whilst Guilherme Siqueiras cross from the left was just too high for Griezmann as the Frenchmans header sailed harmlessly over.Barcas best chance of the opening half arrived 10 minutes before the break when Ivan Rakitics ball into the box landed at the feet of Luis Suarez, but he somehow blazed over with just Oblak to beat from point-blank range.Torres then failed to find Griezmann as he gifted the ball to Pique to end a promising break and that was to be the former Chelsea strikers last involvement as he was replaced at half-time by Mario Mandzukic.A similar pattern ensued after the break as Barca enjoyed plenty of possession without being able to create many clear-cut chances against the well-organised ranks of Atletico defence.Oblak was alert to a low drive by Andres Iniesta from the edge of the area, but Barcas frustrations began to bubble over as both Suarez and Javier Mascherano were booked for taking the protests towards the referee too far.However, Jose Luis Gonzalez rightly pointed to the spot when Busquets was upended by Juanfran seven minutes from time and despite a fine save by Oblak to stop Messis penalty, the Argentine followed-up to slot home the rebound.Barca could have taken an even greater advantage to the Calderon had Miranda not got a touch to divert a Messi cross towards Neymar into Oblaks grateful arms moments later.

Oil rebounds ahead of ECB, US supplies report

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices rebounded a bit Wednesday from nearly six-year lows as investors took a breather on the eve of a highly anticipated European Central Bank decision on stimulus.Traders also were awaiting the weekly US oil inventories report, a gauge of demand in the worlds largest crude-oil consumer. The report was postponed a day, to Thursday, because of a public holiday on Monday. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for March delivery jumped $1.31 to finish trade at $47.78 a barrel, putting in only a partial rebound from Tuesdays $2.30 loss.In London, Brent North Sea crude for delivery March climbed $1.04 to settle at $49.03 a barrel. The February contract expired on Tuesday at $46.39, down $2.30 and not far from its lowest level since March 2009.There are two import matters for the energy market on Thursday, the ECB decision and the US storage report, said Bob Yawger of Mizuho Securities.Investors widely expect the ECB will announce a major asset-purchase program, or quantitative easing, after its monetary policy meeting Thursday, in a bid to revive growth in the ailing eurozone.If the ECB decides to launch it, this should lead to some kind of support, and in turn to some demand increase in the eurozone, Yawger said.The analyst said the market was expecting the US Department of Energys report to show crude-oil increased by 2.5 million barrels last week.But probably more interesting is the storage in Cushing, which has been up for six weeks in a row, and is seen up again, he added. Crude oil at the Cushing, Oklahoma storage facility serves as the price reference point for WTI. In the first full week of the year, Cushing supplies rose by 1.8 million barrels.The steep slide in oil prices since June, cutting more than half their value, will cost the powerful oil-producing economies dearly this year, the International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday.The members of the Gulf Cooperation Council could see about $300 billion in losses, threatening to send many of them into budget deficits, the IMF said in a new report.Most oil exporters need oil prices to be considerably above the $57 (a barrel) projected for 2015 to cover government spending, which has increased in recent years in response to rising social pressures and infrastructure development goals, it said.Iraqi Oil Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Wednesday predicted that world prices would not fall much further.Our estimate is that the prices have reached the bottom. It is very difficult to drop lower than this, Abdul Mahdi told a conference in Kuwait.We do not find any real justification for the big and persistent drop in oil prices, said the Iraqi minister, whose country is the second-largest OPEC producer, after Saudi Arabia.

Euro firms against dollar on ECB stimulus expectations

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro firmed against the dollar Wednesday as the market expected the European Central Bank would launch its first full-scale asset-purchase program on Thursday to prop up the ailing eurozone.Omer Esiner said the greenback was on the defensive ahead of the ECB meeting after rallying to an 11-year peak against the euro from late last week.With expectations for additional policy easing by the ECB tomorrow currently so high, any disappointment in the result could see a violent rally in the euro as investors rush to cover short positions in the single currency, Esiner said.According to analysts at UniCredit, the market is expecting the ECB to unveil a program of quantitative easing worth between 500 and 800 billion euros.The euro rose 0.5 percent from Tuesday to $1.1607.Christopher Vecchio at DailyFX said the volatility in the forex market is only an appetizer for what may be seen tomorrow around the actual ECB decision.Central banks were front and center in the forex market Wednesday. The Bank of Japan lowered its inflation forecast and raised its growth outlook for the worlds third-largest economy after a two-day meeting, pushing the yen higher against the dollar and the euro.The Bank of Canada, in a surprise move, cut its key interest rate to 0.75 percent from 1.0 percent, the first change in Canadian rates in four years. This decision is in response to the recent sharp drop in oil prices, which will be negative for growth and underlying inflation in Canada, the Bank of Canada said.The Canadian dollar weakened against the dollar, which fetched CAN$1.2340 compared with less than CAN$1.20 late last week.

Imran Khan, Reham Khan perform Umrah

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and his newlywed wife Reham Khan on Thursday performed Umrah. The couple had left for Saudi Arabia on early Wednesday morning.Dunya news obtained exclusive images of Imran Khan wearing Ihram and performing Umrah.The PTI’s chief is also reported to meet Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s (PAT) chief Dr Tahir ul Qadri while in Saudi Arabia. Dr Tahir ul Qadri is also in Saudi Arabia for the past two days.Both leaders will discuss the political situation of the country.

South Africa cruise to series win over West Indies

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EAST LONDON (AFP) - On a pitch which captain Jason Holder admitted held no terrors, the West Indies collapsed to 122 all out and suffered a humiliating nine-wicket defeat in the third one-day international against South Africa at Buffalo Park on Wednesday.Marlon Samuels made 26 but no other West Indian batsmen reached 20 in a dismal performance on a good pitch.Man of the match Vernon Philander took two wickets inside the first two overs and finished with three for 27, while leg-spinner Imran Tahir claimed a career-best four for 28.South Africa needed just 24.4 overs to complete a series-clinching win. Hashim Amla took his tally for the series to 280 runs for once out with an unbeaten 61 not out, while Faf du Plessis made 51 not out.It was another crushing defeat for the West Indies following a one-sided encounter in the second match in Johannesburg last Sunday when South Africa made 439 for two on the way to winning by 148 runs.We batted poorly, said Holder.The pitch was a little slow but there was nothing wrong with it.Holder said the senior players in the side had not yet performed as they should have done.We need to show pride in the last two games now, he said.It was no surprise that the West Indies batted first on a dry pitch expected to get slower and lower in the second half of the match, especially after the punishment their bowlers took after South Africa were sent in to bat in Johannesburg.But the tourists were in trouble almost immediately and were unable to mount any substantial partnerships.Philander had opening batsmen Dwayne Smith and Chris Gayle caught behind inside the first four overs and fast bowler Dale Steyn followed up with the wickets of Narsingh Deonarine and Denesh Ramdin as the West Indies stumbled to 43 for four.Samuels looked the one batsman capable of playing a major innings before he was caught on the long-off boundary off Tahir.The South Africans were batting before the scheduled supper break and needed just an hour afterwards to secure the win.Amla cruised to his 61 off 63 balls with nine fours, while Du Plessis profited from two dropped catches in making his runs off 71 balls.South Africa fielded the same side for the third match in the row and captain AB de Villiers said it was an important win ahead of the World Cup next month.Weve said that in the knockout stages of the World Cup you need to win three matches in a row and weve done that, said de Villiers, who scored the fastest ever century in one day international cricket in the win last Sunday.With the series secured, De Villiers said the remaining members of the World Cup squad would get an opportunity to play in the two remaining matches.

Formula One: Hamilton relaxed over new Mercedes deal

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LONDON (AFP) - World champion Lewis Hamilton said Wednesday he felt no stress regarding signing a new Formula One contract with the Mercedes team.The German motorsport giants boss Toto Wolff suggested prior to Hamiltons title triumph last season that the 30-year-old British driver would sign a fresh deal as soon as the season was finished.However, talks have stalled over the past two months as Hamilton has completely switched off from Formula One.But Hamilton said he had no concerns even though he is in the final year of his initial three-season agreement with Mercedes.As soon as I left the last race I was at the factory for a couple of days, but I havent sat down with the team, said Hamilton.But we said last year were not in a rush, he added. Were relaxed. The team have acknowledged they want to continue with me and vice versa, so there is no stress.Im comfortable and confident and trust theyre not speaking to anyone else, and they know thats the case with me.Last season saw Hamilton win 11 races as he took his second world title but now he wants to match that achievement, starting with the first grand prix of the new season -- the Australian Grand Prix on March 15.For myself, naturally, and as an athlete I always want to be the best I can be, he said. So anything less than what I did last year is not going to be good enough.But I can be better. There are going to be 20 races this year, there were eight races that I didnt win (in 2014), so you can always get better.I plan to drive the way I drove last year, but hopefully with the knowledge and experience of last year and the growth, with turning 30 and everything.Whether its an inch, a foot, a metre or a mile, I want to try and make sure Im always moving forward.

Microsoft debuts hologram goggles

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REDMOND (AFP) - Microsoft unveiled headgear on Wednesday that overlays holograms on the real world, in what it touted as the next generation of computing.The US technology titan debuted its HoloLens capabilities built into its coming Windows 10 operating system and showed off goggles that let wearers use their hands to interact with virtual objects.Until now, weve immersed ourselves in the world of technology, Microsofts Alex Kipman said introducing HoloLens at a press event at the firms headquarters in the state of Washington.But, what if we could take technology and immerse it in our world?Windows Holographic creates three-dimensional images in the real world, then lets people wearing the headgear reach out and manipulate virtual objects.Kipman said he invited virtual reality innovators, including Facebook-owned Oculus VR, to explore adapting different applications for the goggles.Holograms can become part of our everyday life, he said.Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella touted HoloLens and Windows 10 as a mind-blowing experience that will open a new type of computing.Today is a big day for Windows, Nadella said as Microsoft provided a look at its latest operating system at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington.We want to move from people needing Windows, to choosing Windows, to loving Windows; that is our bold goal for Windows.

US panel clears way for duties on Chinese solar products

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US trade panel on Wednesday cleared the way for import duties on solar products made in China and Taiwan, saying they were unfairly dumped into the US market.The US International Trade Commission (ITC) said it had determined, after an anti-dumping investigation, that the solar products had been offered for sale in the US at below their market value, damaging the US solar sector.The trade panel also said it concluded from a countervailing duty investigation that the two countries were unfairly subsidizing the same class of products. It did not immediately provide further details.The decision by the independent federal government agency came a year after the Commerce Department launched the probes on imports of certain crystalline silicon photovoltaic products from China and Taiwan, another round in trade conflicts between the worlds two largest economies.At issue are imports of products that include crystalline silicon photovoltaic cell, module and panels, imported as separate components or integrated with other products.The value of the solar product imports under investigation was more than $2.1 billion in 2013, with an estimated $1.5 billion in imports from China and $656.8 million from Taiwan, according to the Commerce Department.The probe was requested by a large US solar manufacturer, SolarWorld Industries America Inc., of Hillsboro, Oregon.Following the ITC decision, the Commerce Department is expected to announce the punitive duties it will impose by the end of January.Todays decision confirms the facts set out in our initial filing, the commission staff report and our testimony at the agencys November hearing in the case. Manufacturers in China and Taiwan used illegal trade practices that harm the US industry, said Mukesh Dulani, president of SolarWorld, in a statement.

Sixth person charged in foiled Belgium terror plot

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BRUSSELS (AFP) - Belgian authorities have charged a sixth person with terrorism following a series of raids in Belgium last week that foiled a plot to kill police, the prosecutors office said Wednesday.The man, identified as Abdelmoumaim H. and who is in his 20s, was arrested Tuesday and charged with participating in the activities of a terrorist group, the prosecutors said.Five other people who were picked up during the January 15 raids face the same count of terrorism, including three Belgian nationals in their 20s who were placed in custody.The Brussels court prolonged for a month the custody of those three suspects, identified Wednesday as Marouan E., Mohamed A. and Billel H.The prosecutors office said the suspects are also charged with violating weapons laws, while Marouan E. is additionally accused of premeditated armed rebellion in a group.Belgian media identified him as Marouan El Bali, 25.During the police raid on a hideout in the eastern town of Verviers, terror suspects Sofiane A., a dual Belgian-Moroccan national, and Khalid B., a Belgian citizen were killed. Both were in their 20s.Belgian media said El Bali, who is suspected of providing logistics support to the cell, was detained during the raid on the house in Verviers.He has denied the accusations and his lawyer said the young man, who lives in Brussels, was just visiting a friend, according to Belgian media.In the house in Verviers, the authorities found a passport of a Dutch national, Zaiud K., and the information was handed over to the Dutch authorities who opened their own case, the prosecutors office said.Dutch authorities said Tuesday police in the city of Utrecht raided the family home of a young man believed to have links to the cell dismantled in Belgium.However, he is thought to have fled Belgium for Spain or France.Spanish media have identified the suspect as Zaid Kouliss, who was reported missing by his parents last year.Also, Belgium has asked for the extradition of two fugitives arrested in France.Another suspect who is an Algerian national, suspected of links to the cell, was arrested Saturday in Athens.He has agreed to be extradited to Belgium, with Belgian prosecutors saying his extradition could take place in the following days.

Germany's PEGIDA leader steps down after 'Hitler selfie'

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BERLIN (AFP) - The leader of Germanys anti-Islamisation movement PEGIDA stepped down Wednesday after a picture emerged of him sporting a Hitler-style haircut and moustache, along with racist slurs he posted on Facebook.Yes, I am stepping down from the board, Lutz Bachmann, 41, was quoted as telling Bild daily in an online report.Addressing his followers on Facebook, he said: I sincerely apologise to all citizens who felt attacked by my posts.They were thoughtless statements that I would not make today. I am sorry that I have damaged the interests of our movement with them and I am acting accordingly.A photo of Bachmann looking like Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had surfaced Wednesday, sparking a storm of protest and raising fresh questions about the groups alleged extremist leanings.Media reports also said that comments had been posted under Bachmanns name on Facebook in the past referring to refugees as beasts and filth.Dresdens public prosecutor was investigating whether to open a case against him on charges of incitement of hatred.PEGIDA spokeswoman Kathrin Oertel welcomed Bachmanns resignation, saying that his Hitler selfie had been satire, which is every citizens right but that sweeping insults against strangers went too far.She said Bachmann, who founded PEGIDA -- Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident -- in the eastern city of Dresden in October, had posted the picture on Facebook in September, before he became prominent.Bachmann took the picture, which shows him with a small black moustache and hair swept into a side-parting, around the time of the publication of a bestselling satirical audiobook about Hitler entitled Look Whos Back.The picture torpedoed PEGIDAs recent efforts at a charm offensive with the media to present a more moderate image.At their first-ever press conference Monday, Bachmann and Oertel had distanced themselves from the far-right and neo-Nazis who had joined their rallies and said that most of their supporters were citizens fed up with contemporary politics.- Protesters gather again -===========================Bachmann announced his resignation as thousands of right-wing protesters again started to mass, this time in another eastern city, Leipzig, separated by a large contingent of riot police from gathering anti-racist counter-demonstrators.The showing of PEGIDAs Leipzig spin-off LEGIDA was expected to top the previous record of 25,000 marchers PEGIDA set in the city of Dresden.LEGIDA announced it expected at least 40,000 people, while authorities expected that number could be matched or topped by 19 registered counter-rallies and vigils.The ranks of the nationalist protesters were expected to swell after a planned PEGIDA march Monday in Dresden was cancelled over fears of an Islamist murder attempt on Bachmann.More than 4,000 police were on duty in Leipzig, both to secure the LEGIDA march against possible attacks and to prevent street clashes between neo-Nazis and hooligans on the one side and left-wing, anti-fascist militants on the other.The train line between Dresden and Leipzig was earlier hit by two arson attacks, federal police told AFP. No one was injured, but the attacks closed part of the line and were expected to cause long delays for protesters travelling from Dresden.Police helicopters circled the skies over Leipzig from the afternoon, and most of the inner city was closed to car traffic and public transport.Amid the heightened tensions, President Joachim Gauck warned against a polarisation that could weaken trust between citizens and harm social cohesion.Germany, haunted by its Nazi past, prides itself on its efforts to come to terms with its history and is sensitive to any threat to the values and international standing it has fought hard to establish since World War II.Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned PEGIDA but within her conservative Christian Democrats a debate is raging over whether to engage in dialogue with the group.Merkels vice-chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, a Social Democrat, however earlier said Bachmann had disqualified himself for civilised discussion.Anyone who in politics disguises themself as Hitler is either a bit of an idiot or a Nazi, he said. Everyone should think about whether to walk behind such rabble-rousers.

CAA issues Bhoja aircraft crash report, holds pilot responsible

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Wednesday has issued the final report regarding the investigation of Bhoja aircraft crash on April 20 2012. The report holds the pilot responsible.The report declares the pilot of the aircraft responsible for the crash that killed at least 127 people. The flight was on way from Karachi to Islamabad.The report states that the first officer kept on warning the pilot about bad weather while the pilot wanted to land the aircraft anyway. Moreover, the pilot was not qualified to operate the automatic system in the plane, according to the report.No passenger had survived the crash including the pilot and the first officer.

Petrol supply betters on day-9 into crisis

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – The petrol supply on Wednesday in Punjab improved following the severe petrol shortage in the last at least eight days. However, petrol pumps still have long queues of the customers but they do not have to wait for very long.The petrol supply in the province improved on the ninth day of the petrol crisis. Earlier, the petroleum dealers’ association had claimed that the petrol supply would be increased within as many as three days. Minister for Petroleum Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said that the petrol shortage would be contained within a week. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson Shireen Mazari demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister (PM) and the ministers holding them responsible for the petrol crisis in the country.Earlier, the committee formed to probe the matter in its report gave a clean chit to the government while held the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) responsible for the petrol shortage. The report further stated that OGRA was supposed to keep a check on the 20-day petrol stock by the marketing companies which it did not.

European Central Bank stimulus faces hurdles compared to Fed

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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- Big bang or disappointment? Markets are waiting to see just how much financial firepower the European Central Bank will unleash Thursday, when it is expected to announce large-scale purchases of government bonds with newly printed money to stimulate a sluggish economy.The decision to use bond purchases, or so-called quantitative easing, follows in the footsteps of the U.S. Federal Reserve as well as the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan. The Fed bought bonds from 2008 to 2012 and got credit for helping jump-start an increasingly robust U.S. recovery.Europe could definitely use a push. Growth is weak, unemployment is 11.5 percent and inflation is minus 0.2 percent annually, which has raised fears the region could face chronic deflation. Bond purchases would fight that by pumping new money into the economy, raising inflation and making credit cheaper and easier to get. The euro would fall, boosting exports.Yet the Fed and the ECB inhabit different economic landscapes. The ECBs job is complicated by a host of factors. Heres a look at the differences:WHAT TO BUYThe Federal Reserve could buy bonds in well-established, reasonably safe markets for Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities. The ECB has 19 governments and bond markets to choose from ranging from super-safe Germany to shaky Greece. It needs to decide whose bonds to buy and whether or not to include risky ones too.They have a problem: Should they buy Italian debt or Spanish debt or Greek debt? said Edwin Truman, senior nonresident fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington D.C. and a former Fed official. Theres not much to be gained by buying German debt but they cant really not buy German debt for political reasons. Its as if the Fed had to buy bonds proportionally from all 50 U.S. states, he says.THE POLITICSDraghi has a political battle on his hands with Germany, which has clout because of its dominant role in the European Union. Two German members of his 25-member governing council have expressed public skepticism about bond purchases and are expected to oppose it Thursday. They worry such a move would mean German taxpayers would be handed the bill in case of bond default from less prudent Italians and Greeks. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has neither endorsed QE nor condemned it.Draghi appears to have the skeptics outvoted, but lack of clear consensus could undermine the markets perception of the ECBs resolve to stick with it until inflation reaches its goal.In the U.S., Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and successor Janet Yellen faced sharp criticism from Republican politicians. But inside the Fed, they received support from a majority of members of the central banks policymaking committee and as the unemployment rate fell to 5.8 percent in October 2014 from 10 percent in October 2009, the naysayers were easily outvoted.LATE TO THE PARTY:The ECB would be commencing purchases after bond market interest rates have already fallen substantially since the height of the eurozone crisis in mid-2012. That means purchases to drive yields down further will have less effect than they would have had three years ago.THE SIZEThe political criticism leads some analysts to worry Draghi may be forced to compromise on the size of the program, leaving it too small to impress markets. Analyst Frederik Ducrozet at Credit Agricole says markets are already expecting at least 500 billion euros ($580 billion) and anything less would disappoint. A program of at least 500 billion euros per year, with flexibility to do more, would be a positive surprise.The best hope, Ducrozet said, is a compromise with the skeptics, where Draghi gets a bigger program in return for not sharing default risk among countries.By contrast, the Feds program added $3.6 trillion in assets to the banks balance sheet, in three rounds of purchases. And when the Fed plunged in with its third round, it simply promised $85 billion in purchases a month for as long as it took no limit.THE ECONOMYThe European and U.S. economies are set up differently, particularly when it comes to credit. European companies get most of theirs from banks, not from the bond markets as do U.S. firms. That means driving down bond market interest rates doesnt help as directly. Banks will get the QE money by selling their bonds but whether it gets into the economy depends on whether businesses see enough growth ahead to risk borrowing.HOME TRUTHSThe Feds QE boosted the economy by raising the prices of homes through cheaper mortgage rates. That let Americans tap home equity loans they could spend. They could refinance and reduce monthly payments and they felt wealthier and more willing to consume.Yet rising house prices have the opposite effect in France and Germany, says John Muellbauer, senior research fellow in economics at Oxford Universitys Nuffield College. Home owners there generally cant get affordable home equity loans due to more conservative banking practices. In Europe, your home is not an ATM machine, he said. So when the value of your home goes up, its very hard to translate that into more borrowing and to go out and spend it.In fact, says Muellbauer, an increase in home prices in Europe tends have the opposite effect than in the States: it leads to less spending, as people who want to buy a home scrimp more, and renters begin to expect increases and hold back on spending.

Brazilian surfer killed by police officer is buried

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SAO PAULO (AP) -- The Brazilian surfer who was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer was buried Wednesday after more than 1,000 people attended his wake.Ricardo dos Santos, who won international surfing awards, was shot three times in the abdomen Monday in front of his home on the Guarda do Embau beach, near Florianopolis. He died a day later at the hospital.Investigator Marcelo Arruda said the officer who shot the unarmed surfer claimed he did so in self-defense. Other witnesses have said that Officer Luis Brentano shot dos Santos after they got into an argument.The suspect is in jail, but has not been charged. Under Brazilian law, prosecutors only file charges once a police investigation is complete.Fellow surfers paid tribute to dos Santos on social media sites.This was truly a senseless loss of life. It unfortunately brings to light the number of murders yearly in Brazil, officially documented at over 50,000 with many thousands more going unreported, American surfer Kelly Slater, an 11-time world champion, wrote on his Instagram page.Condolences to Ricardos friends and family around the world. Our small community has lost another way too soon, Slater added.Dos Santos countryman world champion surfer Gabriel Medina Pinto also posted his condolences on Instagram.You didnt deserve this. Why does this kind of thing happen to good people? Medina wrote.Two-time U.S. Open of Surfing champion Brett Simpson, of the United States, wrote: Wish everyone close to this great Man my condolences and may you get some more HUGE barrels in Heaven.

PM stresses close coordination among provinces to counter terrorism

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday has stressed a close coordination among the provinces for efficient implementation of the National Action Plan.He expressed a resolve to win the war against terrorism.He expressed these views while chairing a high level meeting of the provincial apex committees to review the implementation of the National Action Plan against terrorism.He said that the implementation of the national plan is the key to counter terrorism. PM Nawaz said that the National Action Plan has been formed by the national leadership, not by the federal government. As many as seven meetings of the apex committees have been held until today, he added.On the occasion, the Chief Ministers (CMs) of the provinces briefed the meeting regarding progress in implementation of the plan in their respective provinces.Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General (DG), Interior Minister and others participated in the meeting.Reportedly, Sindh CM has asked the federal government to help the provincial government in operation against illegal residents. CM Qaim Ali Shah said that at least 20 lac people are residing illegally in Karachi. He said that the Sindh government’s budget has been utilised to purchase weaponry and vehicles for the police. The PM directed Chaudhry Nisar to schedule a meeting with Shah and resolve the issue. Shah claimed that the crime rate of Karachi has been decreased by at least 60 percent.
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