Friday 18 September 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

US condemns Badaber terrorist attack

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WASHINGTON (Dunya News) United States has strongly condemned the terrorist attack at Pakistan Air Force (PAF) residential camp in Badaber near Peshawar on Friday.Briefing the newsmen in Washingtion, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark C. Toner said, “We strongly condemn this attack and extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.”He said that Pakistan has suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists, and the United States stands in solidarity with the people of Pakistan and all who fight terrorism.He further said that no country suffered more at the hands of terrorists and extremists than Pakistan. Today’s attack is horrible, reprehensible, but it’s not new. So we support Pakistan’s continued struggle against these extremist forces.

Lahore: Police detain 50 suspects during search operation

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – After the terrorist attack residential airbase camp of PAF in Peshawar, police conducted a massive search operation in different parts of Lahore on Friday night and arrested at least 50 suspects.According to details, police arrested 20 suspects during search operation in Thokar Miaz Beg area. Police also arrested 27 suspects during an operation in Ahata Maol Chand area of Ichhra while three suspects were arrested in separate operations in Riaz Colony, Mason Road and Lawrence Road.

Palestinians clash with Israeli forces on 'day of rage'

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JERUSALEM (AFP) - Palestinians clashed Friday with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank after the Islamist movement Hamas called for a day of rage over tensions at the Al-Aqsa mosque.In Jerusalem, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as protesters pelted them with stones in neighbourhoods around the Mount of Olives, including in Shuafat refugee camp.But the situation was calm in the Old City and at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Officials said about 3,000 police had deployed after three days of violence this week at the sensitive site during the Jewish new year.In the West Bank, however, an AFP correspondent reported that skirmishes were more intense than normal for a Friday, which have become a day of protests following weekly Muslim prayers.At Kafr Kaddum near Nablus, Israeli fire wounded three Palestinians in their arms and legs, said the Red Crescent.Youths hurled projectiles at police near Ofer prison, Qalandiya checkpoint and Jalazun refugee camp -- flashpoints in the long-running conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.The protesters adopted the same slogan everywhere.By our soul and our blood, we sacrifice ourselves for you Al-Aqsa, chanted hundreds of them gathered in Nablus and the Gaza Strip.Known to Muslims as Al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary), the compound houses the famous golden Dome of the Rock shrine and Al-Aqsa mosque.Believed to be where the Prophet Mohammed made his night journey to heaven, it is the third-holiest site in Islam after the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophets Mosque in Medina, both in Saudi Arabia.It is the most sacred site in Judaism, said to be the site of the biblical temples.Jews are allowed to visit, which they call the Temple Mount, but cannot pray there to avoid further raising tensions.Police had set up heavily manned checkpoints on streets leading up to the site on Friday, before an estimated 8,000-10,000 worshippers prayed, down from the average of 25,000-35,000. Its a frontline, said Mazen Shawish, 52. You have to go though 20 military checkpoints to get to the mosque. Hundreds of young men denied entry prayed just outside the Old City walls. Police said they had an intelligence warning that Arab youths were planning fresh confrontations and decided to keep them away by limiting the age of worshippers to 40 and above for men.In Jordan, thousands of protesters on Friday rallied in the capital Amman and other cities to denounced Israeli violence at the Al-Aqsa compound.Israeli authorities fear further trouble ahead when the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha coincides on Wednesday with the solemn Jewish fast of Yom Kippur.And Jews begin their seven-day Sukkot festival the following week, one of the holidays when more Israelis than usual are likely to visit the compound.Israel seized east Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised internationally.It claims sovereignty over the entire city, including holy sites.To the Palestinians, who want the mainly-Arab eastern side as their capital, the compound with its landmarks is a potent symbol of so-far unrealised statehood.They fear Israel will seek to change rules governing the site, with far-right Jewish groups pushing for more access and even efforts by fringe organisations to erect a new Jewish temple there.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday night, saying the Jewish state is strictly maintaining the status quo.Netanyahu has publicly declared war on those who throw rocks and petrol bombs, and became even more adamant after an Israeli motorist died at the wheel on Sunday night, apparently as a consequence of Palestinian stone-throwing, police said.Israeli-driven vehicles are frequently pelted with stones where Jewish and Arab neighbourhoods rub up against each other.One proposal is to let snipers with low-velocity rifles operate against stone-throwers in Jerusalem, as they already do in the occupied West Bank.Justice ministry spokesman Moshe Cohen said that was one of a raft of suggestions currently under scrutiny by legal experts ahead of a government decision.Israels parliament, the Knesset, said Friday that its foreign affairs and defence committee authorised the call-up of reservists from the paramilitary border police, in response to the deteriorating security situation in Jerusalem.It did not indicate when such a mobilisation would take place, or its likely size and duration.

Syria regime in deadly wave of strikes on Palmyra: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Syrian regime aircraft Friday carried out at least 25 strikes on Palmyra, killing eight civilians and 12 jihadists in the ancient city held by the Islamic State group, a monitor said.The barrage was one of the strongest attacks by Syrian warplanes against positions in Palmyra since IS captured it on May 21, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.Most residents had fled Palmyra since IS took over the famed city, leaving only a few of the original inhabitants and the families of militants.The jihadists have blown up the ancient Temple of Bel and several famed tower tombs in Palmyra, a UNESCO-listed world heritage site.Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have fought hard to edge closer to the historic town. In the past two days, the regime has intensified its air raids against areas controlled by the Islamic State group, Abdel Rahman said.On Thursday, government air strikes on Raqa city, ISs de facto capital of a caliphate it has declared straddling Syria and Iraq, killed 18 people, including jihadists and civilians. According to the Observatory, 17 people were killed Friday in government air raids on the city of Idlib, stronghold of the Army of Conquest, an alliance of Islamist and jihadist groups.Abdel Rahman said the dead included four women. Elsewhere, the Army of Conquest lost 17 fighters as it intensified its assault on the last two regime-held villages in the northwestern province of Idlib.Its fighters -- including those of Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front -- set off at least nine car bombs in the assault, of which at least seven were suicide bombings, said the Observatory.The blasts targeted positions held by the National Defence Forces, a pro-Assad militia, outside Kafraya and Fuaa, where the Army of Conquest seized three military positions.The rebel alliance also fired a barrage of more than 370 rockets and shells into the two villages, most of whose residents are Shiites. Since its capture of most of Idlib province, the Army of Conquest has surrounded and heavily shelled Fuaa and Kafraya.Fuaa, Kafraya and the rebel stronghold of Zabadani in Damascus province were at the centre of two failed attempts last month to secure broad ceasefire deals.

US and Russian militaries launch talks on Syria

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and Russia renewed high-level contacts between their militaries on Friday to discuss how to deal with the war in Syria.US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Russias Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke by telephone, spokesmen from their ministries said.Washington and its NATO allies broke off ties with the Russian military in April last year in protest at Moscows intervention in Ukraine.But now the rivals find themselves enmeshed in Syria, where they face an opportunity to work together but also the danger of an accidental clash. For a year, the United States and a coalition of Western and Arab allies have been carrying out air strikes against Islamic State jihadists.The United States has also, with limited success, been training Syrians who are fighting the extremist IS group but who are also in revolt against the Damascus regime. Russia, meanwhile, is providing support to Bashar al-Assads government and building up its own military presence at an airbase and a naval depot in western Syria.The secretary and the minister talked about areas where the United States and Russias perspectives overlap and areas of divergence, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian agencies that the call had lasted an hour and that contacts would continue.The necessity to coordinate bilateral and multilateral efforts to combat international terrorism was at the center of attention, he said.The conversation showed that the two points of view are similar or the same on most of the issues discussed.In Washington, Cook said: They agreed to further discuss mechanisms for deconfliction in Syria and the counter-ISIL campaign. In military terms, deconfliction means rival armies will talk to one another to avoid accidental encounters between their forces. The secretary emphasized the importance of pursuing such consultations in parallel with diplomatic talks that would ensure a political transition in Syria, Cook said, in a statement. He noted that defeating ISIL and ensuring a political transition are objectives that need to be pursued at the same time. Both the secretary and the minister agreed to continue their dialogue. The White House said Thursday it was open to limited talks with Moscow following what Washington believes is the deployment of Russian troops and heavy weapons to war-torn Syria.White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obamas administration was willing to hold tactical, practical discussions on operations in Syria and the fight against the Islamic State group.The decision signals a newfound willingness to engage with Russia, after months of giving President Vladimir Putin the cold shoulder over his actions in Ukraine.Putin has provided vital support to Assad throughout a popular uprising against his regime and as the conflict has metastasized into a brutal civil war that has killed 240,000 people and displaced four million.But Moscow has also sought to portray Assads army as a bulwark against Islamist rebels, including IS, which has seized a vast swathe of eastern Syria and northern Iraq and declared a so-called caliphate.Washington and its European, Turkish and Arab allies view Assad as a pariah who they blame for plunging Syria into chaos and allowing the Islamic State group to thrive.But, with Western efforts to tackle the Islamic State group floundering, and the moderate Syrian opposition losing ground to radicals, the US officials have suggested Russia may have a role to play in the fight.

UN envoy says hurdle cleared towards Libya peace deal

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SKHIRAT (AFP) - Lawmakers from Libyas internationally recognised parliament agreed Friday to return to peace talks after resolving an internal dispute, reviving hopes that a deal is within reach, a UN envoy said.Spanish diplomat Bernardino Leons plan calls for an accord on the formation of a national unity government to be reached by Sunday, in time for the UN General Assembly in New York which continues through October 6.But successive proposals have met with resistance from one side or the other and the internationally recognised parliament based in Tobruk in Libyas far east on Tuesday said it was withdrawing from the latest session of talks.A relieved Leon announced on Friday in Morocco that the Tobruk parliamentarians had bridged their differences and agreed to re-engage in the process, describing it as very good news.But he said work still remained to reach a final agreement between the Tobruk parliament and the rival General National Congress (GNC) based in the militia-held capital.Libya has been torn apart since the 2011 overthrow of veteran leader Moamer Kadhafi, with two rival administrations and militias battling for control of the oil-rich North African nation.The advance of the Islamic State jihadist group and Libyas emergence as a smuggling hub for migrants risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean have added to the urgency of the long-running peace talks.The Tobruk legislature signed a draft deal in July but changes were made at the request of the Tripoli-based GNC.Amendments suggested by the GNC -- including a call to respect a judgment by the Tripoli-based supreme court invalidating the internationally recognised government -- were then rejected by the Tobruk-based administration.Leon said the GNC delegation was expected to return to the talks in the Moroccan seaside resort of Skhirat later Friday.We still have to reach a final agreement on the other issues, he said. We have little time, a lot of work to do and we will continue to inform on the evolution.

Air strike kills 14 Yemen pro-govt fighters by 'mistake'

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MARIB (AFP) - At least 14 pro-government troops were killed when a Saudi-led coalition air raid targeted their position by mistake, tribal and military sources said Friday.The air force bombed a gathering of fighters in the region of Harib believing them to be Huthi rebels, a military source said.A tribal chief confirmed the overnight strike, saying that those killed appeared to be local tribesmen fighting on the side of the forces loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.Harib is around 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Marib, the capital of the central province.Loyalist forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, say they are advancing on the ground in Marib as part of a major counter offensive against Shiite Huthi rebels, who last year stormed Yemens capital and seized large parts of the country.Coalition aircraft launched a series of raids Friday morning on rebel positions in the south of the province, military sources said.The United Nations says nearly 4,900 people have been killed and around 25,000 wounded since late March, while 21 million out of Yemens population of 25 million have been affected by the conflict.

Moody's downgrades France rating citing slow growth

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Moodys cut Frances sovereign debt rating one notch to Aa2 on Friday, saying the country will struggle with slow growth and a high debt burden for the next five years.The current economic recovery in France has already proven to be significantly slower -- and Moodys believes that it will remain so -- compared with the recoveries observed over the past few decades, Moodys said.France faces material economic challenges, such as a high rate of structural unemployment, relatively weak corporate profit margins and a loss of global export market share that have their roots in long-standing rigidities in its labour and product markets, Moodys said.The result will be slow growth over the medium term that will stand in the way of any material reversal in Frances elevated debt burden in the foreseeable future, the agency said.The downgrade was by one notch from the previous Aa1 rating. France lost its top-flight Aaa rating in November 2012 as the eurozone sank into crisis, and the new rating is two steps below that.Moodys said that overall Frances credit-worthiness remains extremely high and gave the new rating a stable outlook.Supporting that is the countrys efforts to stabilize its public sector finances and initiatives recently deployed or announced to arrest the erosion of the economys competitiveness.

Oil prices drop as Fed worries about global economy

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices sank Friday after the US Federal Reserve expressed doubts about the strength of the global economy as it held off from an interest rate hike.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in October dropped $2.22 to $44.68 a barrel from Thursdays close.Brent North Sea crude for November delivery lost $1.61 to $47.47 a barrel in London trade.The Federal Reserve held its key interest rate locked near zero Thursday, citing worries about how the slowdown in China will hit the US economy.China is weighing on the demand side. Everything that is negative out of China is even more bearish than I am, said James Williams of WTRG Economics.We are still in an oversupplied market by at least 1.5 million barrels a day. Oil prices had surged on Wednesday after the US Department of Energy revealed a 2.1 million barrel drop in inventories, fuelling hopes of a pick-up in demand in the worlds biggest economy.In the case of oil, the expected fall of US output should in theory help to support prices, even if major upward moves seem unlikely for the foreseeable future, said Fawad Razaqzada, analyst at Gain Capital trading group.

Dollar rebounds after Fed-induced plunge

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The dollar bounced back Friday a day after the Federal Reserves reluctance to hike interest rates sent it tumbling.The dollar powered up 1.2 percent to $1.1299 against the euro and scored a modest gain on the pound while holding flat against the yen.Most analysts said the US currency overshot the mark Thursday in sinking after the Fed declined again to move off the zero mark for its benchmark federal funds rate.While the Fed said it had its eye on the global economic slowdown and market volatility, it also noted US growth remains solid and generally foresaw a rate increase by the end of the year.The euro meanwhile fell against the yen and pound, as well as the Swiss franc, as polls showed leftist former prime minister Alexis Tsipras holding a slim lead over his conservative rival in hard-up Greece.The results of the poll could determine how the countrys third EU bailout program -- which again requires painful reforms -- goes ahead.

Don't run after India for cricket, Afridi tells Pakistan

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LAHORE (AFP) - Pakistans Twenty20 captain and popular all-rounder Shahid Afridi urged authorities not to chase after sporting arch-rival India to play a cricket series against his country, saying his team can play against other sides.Earlier this month the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wrote a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) seeking confirmation as to whether or not India would play a proposed two Tests, five one-day and two Twenty20 matches in the United Arab Emirates in December and January. But India has so far not replied and current political tension between the two countries, with frequent ceasefire violations on the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region, has cast serious doubt over the first full series between them since 2007.I cant understand why we are running after India, Afridi told media during a training camp. There are other bigger teams who we can play because we have invited India many times and if they dont want to play we are still happy.The proposed series in the United Arab Emirates was agreed in a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two boards last year, but is still pending clearance from New Delhi. Pakistan paid a short visit to India to play two Twenty20 and three one-day internationals in December 2012 but that failed to revive the bilateral series.In July BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur had said cricket was not possible under the current strained relationship between the two countries.But Afridi added that people of both countries want to watch an Indo-Pak series.The way Pakistan welcomed India was never seen before, said Afridi of the 2004 visit by India -- their first tour in the neighbouring country for 15 years. People of both the countries want to watch Indo-Pak contests because its a series bigger than the Ashes (played between Australia and England).Afridi said he did not know what the Indian governments decision will be.Pakistan always supported India in difficult times but I dont know what will be Indian governments decision and the series depends on their decision, said Afridi.

Tennis: Nadal victorious on Davis Cup return

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ODENSE (AFP) - Rafael Nadal shrugged off his recent struggles to give Spain a 1-0 lead in their Davis Cup Group One relegation play-off against Denmark with a straight sets win over Mikael Torpegaard.Nadal will end the season without a Grand Slam title for the first time in 10 years after losing for the first time in a major from two sets up against Fabio Fognini on his last outing at the US Open.However, the 14-time Grand Slam champion was far too good for the world number 909 despite a patchy performance to win 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.Especially on this surface that is fast I had to be aggressive. I had some problems, especially in the first set, but I am happy to get the victory and the first point, Nadal told Spanish Tv channel Teledeporte.The 29-year-old hasnt played a Davis Cup tie since 2013 and his country has suffered in his absence with three consecutive defeats to Germany, Brazil and Russia propelling them out of the World Group.Nadal was also critical of the appointment of Gala Leon Garcia as Spains Davis Cup captain and didnt play during her short-lived reign, but has returned with 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez now in charge.The last couple of years I had some injuries during the Davis Cup matches, but we have to accept we are in the second division now and fight back, he added.World number eight, David Ferrer, who is also making his Davis Cup return after a three-year absence, takes on Frederik Nielsen in Fridays second rubber.

SSudan president complains of being treated like 'schoolboy'

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JUBA (AFP) - War-torn South Sudans president will snub a UN meeting aimed at boosting peace efforts because he feels he was summoned there like a schoolboy, a minister said Friday.United Nation Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon invited President Salva Kiir and his arch-rival, rebel leader Riek Machar, to New York later this month in a bid to bolster their struggling peace accord.Machar has said he will attend the September 29 meeting, but Kiir will only be sending his deputy.You cannot just invite a president and give him short notice like a schoolboy to come and attend your meetings, Information Minister Michael Makuei told reporters.He also said there may be a problem related to Kiir travelling to the United States.Going to America, as you know is a problem, in terms of visa. Yes they can give the president the visa, but they can obstruct the going of others who are accompanying the president, so in order to avoid all this embarrassment, the Vice President James Wani Igga is going to attend, he added.Kiir and Machar signed a peace deal last month, but fighting has continued despite a ceasefire that was due to take hold on August 29.The United States has been pushing for the UN Security Council to impose a travel ban and assets freeze on South Sudans army chief Paul Malong and rebel commander Johnson Olony for their role in the continued fighting, although Russia and Angola have blocked the sanctions.The worlds youngest nation, South Sudan descended into bloodshed in December 2013 when Kiir accused Machar, then his deputy, of planning a coup.The violence has left tens of thousands of people dead and the impoverished country split along ethnic lines.

Nigeria's Buhari condemns Burkina Faso coup

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ABUJA (AFP) - Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari, who seized power in a military takeover more than 30 years ago before winning democratic elections this year, on Friday condemned the coup in Burkina Faso.The former military ruler and his government in Abuja said they unreservedly condemn the takeover, which saw Burkina Fasos interim president and prime minister detained with members of the administration.The takeover by elements of the Burkinabe Presidential Guard was a brazen contravention of the constitution and transitional charter, according to a statement from Buharis office.Abuja welcomed the release of interim president Michel Kafando.Elections had been due to take place next month, more than a year after former president Blaise Compaore was ousted in a popular uprising.Nigeria said it supported efforts by regional bloc ECOWAS and the African Union to resolve the crisis and promised its fullest possible support to mediators presidents Macky Sall of Senegal and Thomas Boni Yayi of Benin.Buhari, 72, is a former army general who came to power in a military coup in December 1983, overthrowing a civilian government widely seen as riddled with corruption.He stayed in power for 20 months before being ousted himself in a bloodless barracks coup.He defeated sitting president Goodluck Jonathan in elections in March, scoring the first win by an opposition politician since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999.He has acknowledged his past as a coup leader but rejected descriptions of himself as a dictator and vowed to operate under democratic rules, calling himself a converted democrat.He has also said he would no longer be referred to as General Buhari.

Renzi gambles on EU backing Italy bumper budget

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ROME (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Friday presented his cabinet with a draft budget which could inject 27 billion euros into the countrys sickly economy next year -- if he can get it past Brussels.The plan for an ambitious programme of tax cuts and investment financed partly through an increased deficit represents Renzis biggest challenge yet to the way in which the European Commission applies the eurozones supposedly strict budget rules.Economists are sceptical that Renzi will be granted the leeway he wants, which he says could potentially free up some 17 billion euros ($19.3 billion) for measures to promote jobs and growth.Brussels will allow some fiscal slippage, but not 17 billion euros, Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, told AFP.But the centre-left premier bullishly insists that his plans are both within the rules and vital to secure the growth Italy needs to put its public finances in order.We cannot cut the deficit purely by cutting spending, that is foolish, he said earlier this week.On top of the funds released by the EU rules being applied flexibly, Renzi is counting on higher growth to finance his plans.The budget presented to the coalition government Friday evening includes revised GDP growth predictions of 0.9 percent for this year and around 1.6 percent for 2016.Pierre Moscovici, EU economics affairs commissioner, was in Rome on Friday to begin the haggling over the detail of the Italian tax and spending plans.There is concern in Brussels that Renzis widely-trailed plans will slow the pace at which Rome reduces its 2.2-trillion-euro debt mountain -- equivalent to more than 130 percent of the countrys entire annual economic output.- Respect the rules -Moscovici diplomatically rejected suggestions that Renzi was regarded as the naughtiest boy in the euro class.Firstly there have been reforms in Italy, which are bearing fruit, notably in the labour market. This is positive and has to be taken into accountSecondly, in the Stability and Growth Pact (EU rules) there is provision for flexibility which Italy has already benefited from. We will see under what conditions it can continue to benefit from this or even request further flexibility.At the same time, let us be aware that we have to respect the rules, all the rules. It is in that spirit that I am negotiating, with the desire to reach an accord.Italy said earlier this year that it would aim to bring its deficit down to 1.8 percent of GDP in 2016.But Renzi has now jettisoned that target in order to fund a fiscal giveaway involving the abolition of a loathed tax on primary residences as well as charges on municipal services and farm buildings.Officials in Brussels question whether these politically popular measures are the most efficient use of public finances to fuel growth.I dont want to comment on internal Italian politics, Moscovici said. But tax cuts must be the most economically efficient and for the Commission that is through a reduction in labour costs. And in any case, where there are tax cuts, there must also be corresponding cuts in public spending.- Growth the priority -Renzi aides say the tax cuts should be seen as part of a broader 2013-18 programme designed to ease Italians total tax burden by some 50 billion euros -- the bulk of which will involve reductions in corporate and payroll taxes.Economists expect the 2016 measures envisaged by Renzi to result in the deficit for next year coming in around 2.2 percent.This is comfortably under the EUs three percent ceiling but means the reduction in Italys debt level is likely to be very marginal -- and may not happen if growth turns out to be weaker than the government anticipates.The European Central Bank this week criticised Italy for failing to use its recent windfall gains from lower debt servicing costs to cut its deficit.But Renzi maintains the priority has to be growth in an economy which has barely expanded in the last decade and a half.
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