President Greets Belgian Prime Minister

07.12.2011

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov has sent a congratulatory note to Elio Di Rupo on his appointment as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium.

Islam Karimov expressed conviction that Elio Di Rupo?s activities in that high-ranking position will help further enhance and reinforce Uzbek-Belgian relations built on principles of long-term partnership and mutually gainful cooperation.

Source: http://www.press-service.uz/en/news/show/main/president_greets_belgian_prime_minister/

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Fed sees risks from Europe, some improvement in U.S. (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Federal Reserve on Tuesday warned that turmoil in Europe presents a big risk to the U.S. economy, leaving the door open to possible further steps to boost growth even though it noted a somewhat stronger labor market.

The central bank said the U.S. economy was "expanding moderately" despite an apparent slowing in the world economy. But while there had been "some" improvement in the job market, unemployment remained elevated and housing depressed, it said.

"Strains in global financial markets continue to pose significant downside risks to the economic outlook," the Fed said after a policy meeting, alluding to pressures stemming from the debt crisis in the euro zone, which has raised concerns about tighter credit in the United States.

Some investors had speculated that the Fed might show more urgency about moving ahead with new measures to help the economy.

U.S. stock prices fell, while prices for government debt rose. The dollar, which has been pressured by the Fed's huge-bond-buying programs, gained against the euro.

The Fed's statement was little changed from the one made after its last meeting in early November, although the U.S. central bank pinned uncertainty for the U.S. economy more squarely on events in Europe.

While in November it said risks to the outlook included global strains, on Tuesday it cited only the risk of volatility abroad.

Most economists have said the Fed's next meeting on January 24-25 would be the more likely occasion for any new moves to add to the U.S. central bank's already extraordinary push to bring down borrowing costs and help growth.

FOCUSING ON RISKS

Tuesday's statement touched only lightly on signs of improvement in the economy's performance.

"They are certainly ready to lean against the wind should the economy falter," said Cary Leahey, managing director at Decision Economics in New York.

The Fed offered no new guidance on the changing way it communicates its policies to financial markets; Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has made increased transparency a hallmark of his six years in charge of the central bank.

It also repeated that it expects inflation to settle at levels at or below those consistent with its price stability mandate.

For a second time running, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans dissented against holding policy steady, saying he favored additional easing now.

The U.S. central bank has held overnight interest rates near zero since December 2008 and has bought $2.3 trillion in government and mortgage-related bonds in a further attempt to stimulate a robust recovery.

Fed officials are divided among those who think high unemployment and sluggish growth require more action and those who view the central bank's already-aggressive efforts as bordering dangerously on an invitation to inflation.

Some influential policymakers, including Vice Chair Janet Yellen, have suggested they would be inclined to take additional steps if growth fails to pick up.

LOOKING TO 2012

Changes to the Fed's voting line-up for 2012 will remove three policymakers known to favor a hard line against inflation, while adding only one such "hawk," suggesting support for further easing may strengthen in coming months.

The Fed's activist approach to pulling the economy out of recession and buoying a tepid recovery stands in contrast to the European Central Bank, which has been more tentative. The ECB held interest rates steady until November before delivering two rate cuts as the euro zone began to slide toward economic contraction.

Moreover, ECB President Mario Draghi disappointed financial markets last week by downplaying prospects the central bank would launch an aggressive bond-buying program to ease strains in the region.

So far, the U.S. economy has shown little impact from the events in Europe.

The jobless rate tumbled 0.4 percentage point to 8.6 percent in November, factory activity has quickened and businesses are restocking depleted shelves.

Consumer spending also appears reasonably solid, although a softer-than-expected report on November retail sales on Tuesday offered a hint that spending could be flagging.

The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.0 percent annual rate in the third quarter, a welcome acceleration from a sub-1 percent pace over the first half of the year. Forecasters hope growth will top a 3 percent rate in the current quarter.

However, analysts say the recovery's current strength is partly a snapback from the weakness earlier in the year and caution that a return to more sluggish growth is likely, particularly with a European recession brewing.

INTERNAL DEBATE

Many observers believe the Fed will take steps to stimulate growth in 2012, first through communications measures that drive home the expectation that interest rates will not rise for a long time and then possibly through more bond buying.

Yellen has said the Fed could reinforce its ultra-accommodative monetary stance by publishing policymakers' forecasts for the path of interest rates. Officials are also debating whether to adopt an explicit target for inflation.

The first step would reassure skittish markets that the Fed is not about to tighten policy any time soon. The latter would aim to dispel any doubts about the central bank's commitment to keeping inflation low.

Top officials have also remained open to adding bonds to the central bank's already-bloated portfolio.

Some have said the Fed should resume purchases of mortgage-backed securities to help revive the depressed housing market; others would prefer to stick with purchases of U.S. government debt.

(Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Andrea Ricci, Tim Ahmann and Dan Grebler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111214/bs_nm/us_usa_fed

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Halliburton defends itself against BP spill claims (AP)

NEW ORLEANS ? Halliburton defended itself Tuesday against accusations it intentionally destroyed evidence about the quality of cement slurry in an oil well that blew out in the Gulf of Mexico.

The cement job on the Macondo well is expected to play a big role in the court battle of who should bear the blame for the blowout that killed 11 workers and led to the nation's worst offshore oil spill.

Investigators with a presidential commission said in February that Halliburton's cement slurry pumped into the bottom of the well was a leading technical cause for the blowout April 20, 2010. Hydrocarbons passed through the cement plug at the bottom of the well and entered the wellbore, the panel said.

Chevron tested Halliburton's cement mix for the commission and found it did not mix properly to be stable, the panel said.

Halliburton engineers have argued that hydrocarbons got into the well other ways. The company said the slurry used in the Macondo well was "designed to be stable."

Spokeswoman Beverly Stafford said testing after the spill was informal and "not conducted on rig samples or in a manner approved by Halliburton."

BP accused Halliburton employees of doing an internal investigation and discarding and destroying early test results after the blowout that found problems. BP said Halliburton's chief cement mixer for Gulf projects testified in depositions that the slurry seemed "thin" to him but that he chose not to write about his findings to his bosses out of fear he would be misinterpreted.

"I didn't want to put anything on an email that could be twisted, and turned," Rickey Morgan, the Halliburton cement expert, said in depositions, according to BP.

The blame game ratcheted up the showdown among BP PLC and its contractors, Halliburton, Transocean Ltd., the drilling company, and Cameron International Corp., the maker of the blowout preventer.

Tyler Priest, a University of Houston historian who specializes in the Gulf oil industry, said the cement failure will be a big issue.

"It seems like the big litigation is going to be between BP and its contractors," Priest said. "There's a lot of money at stake, and it's going to be decided in the courts."

So far, BP, the operator of the Macondo well, has footed the bill for the emergency response and cleanup.

Stafford, the Halliburton spokeswoman, called BP's allegations an attempt to divert attention from its own "poor engineering decisions ? decisions that increased the risks of a blowout to save time and money." She accused BP of withholding data needed to design the cement slurry for the Macondo well.

BP is facing the possibility of being found to have acted with gross negligence, a finding that could lead to punitive actions and criminal charges, experts said.

Eric Smith, of Tulane University's Energy Institute, said the stakes are particularly high for BP because a finding of gross negligence could force the company to suspend drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico, where it is the largest single leaseholder.

"BP doesn't want to be put in a position to not be able to drill in the Gulf of Mexico," Smith said.

The first trial over the Deepwater Horizon disaster is scheduled to start Feb. 27 in New Orleans.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111207/ap_on_re_us/us_gulf_oil_spill_evidence

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Judge allows New Orleans protesters to return

By The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS --? A federal judge is allowing Occupy protesters and homeless people to return to the New Orleans park where they had been camped since early October.

U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey's order Tuesday allows the group, Occupy NOLA, to return for at least seven days.

About 150 officers marched into the encampment across from City Hall before dawn Tuesday. They forced about 150 occupants out and removing tents in a peaceful eviction that sometimes drew loud complaints but did not result in violence.

Their lawyer Bill Quigley said the move was a surprise and that city officials had said they would not evict the occupants until after Tuesday's court hearing.

"You people are treasonous!" one protester shouted as the uniformed officers moved through the makeshift camp grounds at Duncan Plaza, a city block of green space that has been home to the loosely knit Occupy New Orleans movement since Oct. 6.

City officials had accommodated the protesters for weeks, allowing the tents ? some nothing more than tarps or sheets of plastic thrown over ropes strung between trees ? to stand unmolested and even providing portable toilets. But New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu had warned Friday that it was time for the around-the-clock encampment to end. Police had been distributing flyers warning that the park could no longer be used as a camp ground and, on Tuesday around 4 a.m., began ringing the park with barricades in preparation for the eviction.

"This was a display of a very well organized, well thought out, and now well executed effort," Landrieu said at a Tuesday morning news conference.

Landrieu said police and representatives of the city had gone through the camp several times a day since Friday telling people they must leave and handing out flyers telling them to leave.

There was no immediate reaction Tuesday evening from protesters on the ruling.

Elsewhere across the country Tuesday:

For more on Tuesday's Occupy action, click here.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/06/9256541-judge-allows-new-orleans-protesters-to-return

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PROMISES, PROMISES: Securing US border impossible (AP)

AUSTIN, Texas ? Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have promised to complete a nearly 1,950-mile fence. Michele Bachmann wants a double fence. Ron Paul pledges to secure the nation's southern border by any means necessary, and Rick Perry says he can secure it without a fence ? and do so within a year of taking office as president.

But a border that is sealed off to all illegal immigrants and drugs flowing north is a promise none of them could keep.

"Securing the border is a wonderful slogan, but that's pretty much all it is," said Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute. "Even to come close would require measures that would make legal commerce with Mexico impossible. That's an enormous price for what would still be a very leaky system."

Perry, the longest-serving governor of a state that makes up roughly 65 percent of America's border with Mexico, already knows that. What he's actually pledging, clarifies spokeswoman Catherine Frazier, is achieving "operational control" of the border ? defined by the U.S. Border Patrol as areas where it can detect, respond to and interdict illegal activity either at the border or after entry into the U.S.

The U.S. Border Patrol says 873 miles of the border, about 44 percent, have been brought under operational control. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said that "the border is better now than it ever has been."

Still, that means full control isn't even half met. And even getting this far required bolstering the ranks of the Border Patrol to the highest levels ever, from about 9,500 along the border in 2004 to 18,152 today. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also has a record number of agents on the border, and five Predator drones now patrol strategic parts of it, with a sixth coming by the end of the year. About 650 miles of fencing has been constructed, and 1,200 National Guard soldiers dispatched last year to Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico have had their deployment extended through the end of the year.

Campaigning in Iowa last week, Gingrich signed a pledge to build a fence stretching the length of the border by the end of 2013. That may help him recover from a recent statement that illegal immigrants who have been established in the U.S. for many years should be allowed to remain in the country ? a position his opponents have likened to amnesty.

Perry has steadfastly opposed the fence, saying it would take 10 to 15 years to build, cost $30 billion and wouldn't work anyway. Instead, he wants to flood the border with more National Guard troops until the number of Border Patrol agents necessary to really secure the area are trained and deployed. He also wants to build strategic fencing in high-traffic areas and make better use of airborne surveillance. Perry claims that would mean full operational control by January 2014.

Romney, meanwhile, has publicly agreed with Perry that tackling larger immigration policy reform is impossible without first securing the border.

By some measures, U.S. authorities already have made strides toward that goal. The Pew Hispanic Center says the number of illegal immigrants in the United States peaked at 12 million in 2007, but then dropped by almost 1 million through 2009, and has largely held steady since then at about 11.1 million.

Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal immigrants have also fallen sharply. In fiscal year 2011, which ended Sept. 30, the Border Patrol captured 327,577 illegal immigrants on the southwestern border ? the lowest total in four decades.

The poor U.S. economy makes would-be illegal immigrants less likely to come, and those who do must contend with Mexico's drug war, which has seen cartel gunmen slaughter people heading north and dump their bodies in mass graves. Jeff Passel, the Pew Center's senior demographer, said the trip is now so risky that the number of illegal immigrants using pricey people smugglers has spiked.

"It's hard to separate the effect of the economy and increased enforcement," Passel said. "It's a lot harder physically to get across the border, but it's also more expensive and more dangerous, and you're faced with the prospect of having no job when you get here."

Spillover into the U.S. of Mexican drug violence is also difficult to measure. In terms of violent crime, El Paso, Texas, ranks among the safest cities in the U.S. ? even though it's across from violence-torn Ciudad Juarez. Drug crime aside, Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who heads a Homeland Security subcommittee, said he's worried about cartels teaming with international terrorists.

"It's not secure," McCaul said of the border, "and anybody that lives down there, I think, will tell you that." U.S. intelligence officials counter that they know of no case in which a terrorist has sneaked across the border to plot actively against the U.S.

Carpenter, who has written extensively on the increasing brutality of Mexican drug cartels, called the presidential candidates' pledges to secure the border "mainly defensive."

"If you don't take a strong position on border security, you leave yourself open to allegations that you're soft on immigration or drugs," he said.

Michael Lytle, a former consultant on border security and counterterrorism, said it's hard to even conceptualize a fully secure border since the Arizona desert presents different challenges than the millions of commercial trucks rumbling north into Laredo, Texas, or than pedestrians streaming from Tijuana to San Diego. Tracking would-be terrorists also has little to do with stopping migrant workers sneaking into the U.S., or coping with well-armed drug smugglers.

"You can't look at it as `the whole border,'" he said.

Lytle, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Brownsville, said a deployment of 15,000 National Guard troops could make an impact ? but it would be a hard sell for a Defense Department facing budget cuts.

"A troop surge there, would that seal the border? Probably not," Lytle said. "And even if it did, how long could you sustain that?"

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111206/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaigns_securing_the_border

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LSU locks up BCS title spot; Cowboys make case

A fan hangs from the goal post it was tore down in celebration of Oklahoma State's 44-10 win over Oklahoma in an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

A fan hangs from the goal post it was tore down in celebration of Oklahoma State's 44-10 win over Oklahoma in an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Michigan State's Keshawn Martin is tackled by Wisconsin's Chris Borland during the second half of the Big Ten conference championship NCAA college football game on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

LSU head coach Les Miles reacts after their 42-10 win over Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (7) reacts to a fumble recovery against Georgia during the second half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Texas running back Jeremy Hills (5) leaps over an attempted tackle by Baylor safety K.J. Morton (8) as Sam Holl (25), defensive tackle Tracy Robertson center rear, and Texas' David Snow (78) look on during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Waco, Texas. Baylor won 48-24. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

LSU did its part to make sure both the Tigers and Alabama get into the BCS national title game. Then Oklahoma State gave the voters a reason to rethink the rematch.

The top-ranked Tigers locked up a spot in the championship on Jan. 9 in New Orleans with a 42-10 victory against No. 12 Georgia in the Southeastern Conference title game in Atlanta on Saturday.

Oklahoma State followed that with a 44-10 blowout of rival Oklahoma in Stillwater.

"They had their shot," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said of Alabama. "Give us ours."

LSU (13-0) will be first in the BCS standings when they come out on Sunday. And this latest rout by the Tigers fortified Alabama's chances of holding on to the second spot and holding off Oklahoma State, which was third last week.

"I would certainly understand if college football decides it should be two SEC teams playing for the national championship," LSU coach Les Miles said. "It's a very special conference with very special teams."

The Tigers beat the Tide (11-1) 9-6 in overtime at Tuscaloosa, Ala., a month ago. Alabama is the only team in the country to stay within 13 points of LSU this season. Other than the Alabama game, the Tigers' closest game since September was a 24-point victory against Arkansas.

The Cowboys can claim to have more quality wins than the Tide ? Oklahoma State now has five victories against teams in the BCS top 25, Alabama has two ? but their double-overtime loss at Iowa State (6-6) two weeks ago has been a drag on their resume.

"I don't think there's any question Oklahoma State should play in the big game," Gundy said.

He added: "And if we'd have won this game 17-14, I don't know if I'd have said it. ... When you win by 34 points, we deserve the right."

Oklahoma State was fifth in both the Harris and coaches' polls, while Alabama was an overwhelming No. 2 behind LSU. The Cowboys caught another break when Virginia Tech, which was ahead of them in both those polls last week, was beaten 38-10 by Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game.

If the voters need any help making their decisions, Oklahoma State provided a mass email titled The Case for Oklahoma State in the BCS Title Game, which hit sports writers' inboxes a little after 1 a.m. EST.

There's no doubt Oklahoma State will move up Sunday, but will it be enough to catch Alabama?

Clemson's surprisingly easy victory in the ACC title game send the Tigers to the Orange Bowl with their first conference title in 20 years.

Oregon locked up its spot in the Rose Bowl by winning the Pac-12 title game Friday night.

The Ducks will face Wisconsin, which beat Michigan State 42-39 in a memorable first Big Ten championship game. The Badgers will be making their second straight trip to the Rose Bowl. The Ducks are in it for the second time in three seasons, with a national championship game trip in between.

Championship Saturday started with an upset.

Case Keenum and No. 7 Houston were pounded 49-28 by Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA championship game, a loss that will cost the Cougars a spot in the BCS and the millions of dollars that goes with it.

The high-scoring Cougars needed to complete their perfect regular season and win the league to become this year's BCS buster, and the first team from C-USA to reach the BCS.

A BCS bid would have netted the league about $7 million dollars.

With Houston out of the picture, it TCU has a shot to go back to the BCS for a third consecutive season.

TCU, which beat lowly UNLV 56-9, would need to move into the top 16 in the final BCS standings on Sunday to earn an automatic bid, because the Big East's conference champion ? West Virginia ? will most likely not jump ahead of the Horned Frogs.

TCU was No. 18 in last week's BCS standings.

The Big East was first to resolve its title race Saturday. When Cincinnati beat Connecticut 35-27, it moved West Virginia into position to earn a BCS bid by winning a three-way tiebreaker between the Mountaineers, Cincinnati and Louisville.

The Mountaineers are likely heading to the Sugar or Orange bowl.

Houston's drop in BCS standings could also affect how the at-large bids shakeout on Saturday.

Stanford seems like a lock for an at-large to the Fiesta Bowl, and speculation was that Michigan would receive an at-large bid to the Sugar. But the idle Wolverines need to move into the top 14 of the final standings. They were 16th coming into the final weekend.

____

AP BCS Projections

BCS championship game ? LSU vs. Alabama

Fiesta Bowl ? Oklahoma State vs. Stanford.

Rose Bowl ? Oregon vs. Wisconsin.

Orange Bowl ? Clemson vs. West Virginia.

Sugar Bowl ? Michigan vs. Kansas State.

____

AP Sports Writers Jeff Latzke in Stillwater, Okla., and Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-04-FBC-T25-BCS-Rdp/id-f3204a8c6c7040489ae25f7c08abd581

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Japanese Mobile Social Gaming Startup Gumi Raises $26 Million ...