CBI urges government to cut routine spending to spur investment

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's government needs to cut day-to-day spending more deeply in order to spur longer-term investment and get the economy growing more quickly, the head of a British employers' association said.

The British economy will probably grow by just 1 percent in 2013, underscoring the need for the government to work harder on boosting investment, John Cridland, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, said.

"The government's efforts have not had the momentum or the urgency that I have been looking for," he told reporters.

Cridland said he would make the case for more focus on capital spending, on areas such as road repairs and housing, when he meets Chancellor George Osborne ahead of his announcement of the next budget in March.

"Public sector capital has borne the most significant part of the cuts so far. We would like to see that rebalanced. I think that should come out of current spending," he said.

Osborne has staked his political reputation on largely eliminating a budget deficit that totalled more than 12 percent of GDP when he came to power, but a lack of economic growth has pushed his plans two years off track.

Cridland said the government's overall focus on reducing the budget deficit remained the right approach and it should not be tempted to issue more debt to fund investment.

This contrasts with the views of the Labour opposition and the International Monetary Fund that economic weakness means Osborne should seriously consider slowing his debt reduction plans to fund public investment.

Cridland said he was encouraged by signs the government would issue more guarantees for private-sector infrastructure projects. Such projects have included new railway lines to ease the crush on London's public transport.

The forecast for 1 percent economic growth this year was lower than the CBI's prediction for growth of 1.4 percent made as recently as November, before the British economy was shown to have contracted in the fourth quarter of 2012.

The lower growth forecast for 2013 meant the government would have to borrow more this year than previously expected.

The CBI kept unchanged its forecast for British economic growth of 2 percent in 2014.

(Reporting by William Schomberg; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/employers-urge-govermnent-cut-routine-spending-spur-investment-000729918--business.html

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SEC race will take shape when Florida, Kentucky meet

Kentucky doesn't have to be as deep, talented or efficient as last season's team. So don't bother comparing the two.

Or the year before that, or the year prior under John Calipari.

The rest of the country isn't comparable, either.

There are no dominant teams in college basketball, such as the Wildcats were last season.

Florida appeared to be on track for a dominant season in the SEC, but the Gators are looking much more mortal after flopping at Arkansas. An injury to Will Yeguete has taken away Florida's top defender on the press and created a potential crack in the efficiency of the Gators.

Kentucky has won five straight games against the Gators and enters Tuesday night's rivalry game only a game back in the loss column. A win over Florida would completely overturn the perception of the SEC race, as well as Florida's and Kentucky's fortunes.

"Coach [John] Calipari is great at improving individual players and about being unselfish," said sophomore Kyle Wiltjer. "We've been practicing really hard and it has translated into practice and into the game. We're always confident and the team has found its roles and identity."

Wiltjer said Kentucky took too many plays off early in the season, lost its intensity and didn't have the fire or defensive commitment for every possession.

That much was obvious in losses at Notre Dame and at home to Baylor earlier in the season, and even more so in a home loss to Texas A&M, when Elston Turner scored 40 on the Cats, and at Alabama in a low-scoring game Kentucky probably should have won.

But the focus has been there of late in winning five straight, finishing off at Ole Miss, holding on at Texas A&M in overtime and winning as expected against South Carolina and Auburn at home.

Remember, Calipari had to deal with Ryan Harrow being ill and ineffective early in the season at the point before settling down, incorporating a transfer in Julius Mays, getting Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress to become much more committed on the defensive end, working on Wiljter to become an all-around player and waiting on Nerlens Noel to figure out just how good he could become.

Noel is leading the country in blocks at 4.5 a game and 5.7 during SEC play. His 12 blocks at Ole Miss probably felt like 25 judging by the way the Rebels couldn't get anything going in the paint.

"He's become so much more aggressive on both ends of the court," said Wiltjer.

Look, the Gators are as efficient a team in the country in manufacturing points and even better on the defensive end.

But the competition will change with Kentucky's arrival on Tuesday in Gainesville.

Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario should have the advantage on the perimeter, but the wing and post play of Kentucky may well prove to be tougher. Erik Murphy may have a harder time finding open spots if Kentucky is committed to defense by using its length. Patric Young and Noel can tussle inside, but Noel's intimidation in blocking shots could be more effective then Young's strong man game.

A month ago, this game certainly would have been projected as a Florida win. That perception has changed and the reality is this could be the first of two games between these teams heading for a late-possession finish.

In an era with rivalries dwindling, Kentucky-Florida is the best the SEC has to offer. The reason is the two teams have separated themselves among the lot.

There is plenty at stake between two top-10 teams when No. 4 Michigan and No. 8 Michigan State meet on Tuesday in East Lansing because both teams have a shot at the Big Ten title.

But there may not be more intrigue than Kentucky-Florida. A Kentucky win in Gainesville would suddenly send a message to the rest of the country that this Kentucky team has what each of the past three Wildcats teams under Calipari had -- the makeup of a possible Final Four team.

A loss won't end that possibility, especially on the road to the Gators. But how the Wildcats play in this environment will go a long way toward proving whether a deep tourney run is possible again.

Source: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/8939201/florida-gators-kentucky-wildcats-face-pivotal-sec-matchup-college-basketball

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Report finds some gains for minority actors in NYC

FILE- This Jan. 19, 2012 file photo shows posters advertising Broadway shows, including the now closed "Sister Act," are displayed in Shubert Alley, in New York. The percentage of minority actors working on Broadway and at the top 16 not-for-profit theater companies in New York City rose to 23 percent during the 2011-2012 season. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file)

FILE- This Jan. 19, 2012 file photo shows posters advertising Broadway shows, including the now closed "Sister Act," are displayed in Shubert Alley, in New York. The percentage of minority actors working on Broadway and at the top 16 not-for-profit theater companies in New York City rose to 23 percent during the 2011-2012 season. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The percentage of minority actors working on Broadway and at the top 16 not-for-profit theater companies in New York City rose to 23 percent during the 2011-2012 season, but whites continue to be overrepresented, according to a new report.

The Asian American Performers Action Coalition released its second annual look at ethnic representation on New York stages and found that minority actors overall saw a 2 percent increase from the previous season.

It found that African-American actors were cast in 16 percent of all roles, Hispanics in 3 percent and Asian-American actors in 3 percent. Caucasians filled 77 percent of all roles, far outweighing their respective population size in the metro and tri-state areas.

According to 2010 U.S. Census numbers, blacks make up 23 percent of the city's population and 17 percent of the tri-state area; Hispanics made up 28.6 percent of the city and 22 percent of the tri-state area; and Asian-Americans comprised 13 percent of the city and 9 percent of the tri-state area. Whites are 33 percent of the city and almost 62 percent of the tri-state's population.

Black actors increased their representation by 2 percent compared to last season, while Hispanics stayed the same as last season, and Asian-Americans saw their numbers tick up by 1 percent.

For the second year in a row, the not-for-profit sector lagged behind the commercial sector when it came to hiring minorities. Minority employment for the non-profit companies fell below 20 percent for the second year in a row.

While the numbers of black and Latino actors on non-profit stages increased, the number of Asian-American actors hasn't budged from the 2 percent-mark for the past three years. By comparison, five years ago Asian-Americans represented 7 percent of working actors.

___

Online: http://www.aapacnyc.org

___

Follow Mark Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-12-US-Theater-Diversity/id-1d5357d90e0e410098184b1edf3c3b89

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VILLAGE MEMORIAL: Freedom in Dying

Last week, New Jersey cleared a Death with Dignity bill, Assembly Bill 3228, to reach their full assembly for a vote. Sadly, most of the nation still does not have Death with Dignity laws to protect patient choices. For example, in California where my grandfather died last year, there is no law protecting Death with Dignity. My grandfather had been ready to die and said as much. Following the death of my grandmother, he lost the will to live. He was unable to swallow foods or drinks anymore, and would have died had my mother not consented to a gastric feeding tube. He was losing consciousness, said goodbye to us, and he would have died in sedated delirium, but a feeding tube was inserted which re-nourished, and brought him back to suffer for an additional 2 weeks. My mother's belief system forced her to make the decision to keep him going, and he suffered until his death as a consequence. Some years ago my grandfather-in-law was determined enough to pull out his life-sustaining IVs, oxygen and feeding tubes in three separate incidents, only to have hospital staff reconnect him each time. His wishes were to die at home and not to be kept alive by machines. The Oregon ?Death with Dignity? law while progressive, could do more to protect patient choice for comfort in dying. First, the patient must be deemed ?capable? of making the decision to use the Death with Dignity Act. Secondly, the physician may refer the patient for psychiatric or psychological counseling if the physician believes the patient has a psychological disorder or depression. When this occurs, ?No medication to end a patient's life in a humane and dignified manner shall be prescribed until the person performing the counseling determines that the patient is not suffering from a psychiatric or psychological disorder or depression causing impaired judgment [1995 c.3 s.3.03; 1999 c.423 s.4]?. Additionally, there are also waiting periods between the patient?s initial oral request and the writing of the prescription. The patient must ask for the prescription orally, then submit a written request, and then reiterate an oral request to his/her attending physician at least 15 days after making the initial oral request. When one considers the fact that most patients want to live as long as they can, and enjoy what time they still have left while they?re still lucid and able to do things themselves, it?s easy to see why patients can often wait too long to use the law. With the law?s restriction on administration of the medicine being allowed only by the patient himself/herself, oftentimes the patient has become so weak that he/she cannot self-administer the medicine without assistance. At this point, because the law states that no one can administer the medicine to the patient but the patient himself/herself, the patient is no longer able to use the law. Even a doctor cannot be involved at this point. If a doctor were to administer the final medication to a patient he/she could be charged and imprisoned. Although advanced directives are important legal measures to document your end-of-life wishes, the truth is that health care facilities do not have to honor a patient?s wishes. According to ?The Patient Self-Determination Act? there is nothing in ORS 127.646 to 127.654 that requires any health care organization, or any employee or agent of a health care organization, to act in a manner inconsistent with federal law or contrary to individual religious or philosophical beliefs. No health care organization shall be subject to criminal prosecution or civil liability for failure to comply with ORS 127.646 to 127.654. [1991 c.761 ?4].?Also a lesser-known issue is that between hospitals and medical facilities, there is often an unsaid code of respect for when a family has been denied their choice in care in dying. For example if one facility declines to allow a patient their choice in dying, there is pressure towards other facilities to ?follow suit? should the family wish to move their loved one elsewhere. With medical facilities keeping a united front, the patient?s wishes are denied. As Dr. Kevorkian said on Fox News (in the video below), ?If a patient consults with a doctor who is opposed to what he wants, then he?s in the wrong place." The legal protections that health care organizations are given, also applies to physicians. Health care providers have no duty to participate in withdrawal or withholding of certain health care; duty of provider who is unwilling to participate according to ORS 127.625. (1) No health care provider shall be under any duty, whether by contract, by statute or by any other legal requirement to participate in the withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining procedures or of artificially administered nutrition or hydration. The healthcare provider, without abandoning the patient, either discharge the patient or make a reasonable effort to locate a different health care provider and authorize the transfer of the patient to that provider [Formerly 97.070; 1993 c.767 ?20].?As Dr. Jack Kevorkian said, ?You have a right to refuse to participate in anything that assaults your body or your conscience."?As a doctor, he saw patients suffering, and felt that his duty to help and follow his conscience was above the law. He discusses Einstein?s quote, ?Conscience supercedes the law? and Hippocrates? saying, ??You do what is best for the patient.? and the patient knows what?s best for the patient in most cases.? Yet, even Dr. Kevorkian used more stringent safeguards than the present Death with Dignity law before assisting patients with end-of-life wishes. Instead of two patient consultations, he would conduct anywhere from 6 to 8 interviews making sure the patient was rational. Sometimes the interviews were held with family and or psychologists present. Fear tactics by both the media and politicians have put a negative spin on end-of-life choice. Calling ?Death with Dignity? suicide or calling end-of-life consultation a ?Death Panel? stigmatizes the national dialogue and intimidates family and friends of individuals who?ve opted to use the Death with Dignity law from open discussion. Additionally, hospices even have their own points of view imposed upon their patients and volunteers. When we attended hospice training, we were told that hospice?s stance was that you were not allowed to be in the room with a patient who has opted to use the ?Death with Dignity? law during the time they are taking the final medication. The volunteer?s role in comfort care is to make the patient comfortable as well as provide compassion, presence and companionship. However, if one of our patients were to use the law, we were unable to support their decision by being present with them. We were actually told to either leave the patient?s home or wait outside. We believe this is intended to dissuade the patient?s confidence in using the law. Therefore, although we believe in the natural right to our choice in end-of-life, to die without suffering, there?s much work left to be done to improve and address the needs of the dying in providing the best care possible.
What do you think the future holds for end-of-life freedom? Will we look back on this time, in decades to come, and see this as a dark period in this nation?s history (akin to the pre-Civil Rights Movement era)?

Source: http://villagememorial.blogspot.com/2013/02/freedom-in-dying.html

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Yemen demands Iran halt support for insurgents

SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's president has asked his Iranian counterpart to stop backing armed groups on its soil after coastguards seized a consignment of missiles and rockets believed sent by the Islamic Republic, a government official said on Thursday.

Iran has denied any connection to the weapons, found aboard a vessel off the coast on January 23 in an operation coordinated with the U.S. Navy.

But government official Abdel-Rashid Abdel Hafez said President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi had contacted Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to demand Tehran stop smuggling in weapons. Hafez gave no further details of the message.

"This is the most dangerous arms shipment being smuggled to Yemen," Yemeni Deputy Interior Minister Abdel-Rahman Hanash told Reuters. "It contained anti-aircraft missiles, C4 high explosives materials which only a few countries in the Middle East possess."

Yemen, a majority Sunni Muslim country, said last week the vessel had been loaded in Iran.

Yemen has complained to the U.N. Security Council and asked for the weapons shipment to be investigated by the council's group of experts that monitors compliance with the Iran sanctions regime. It includes a ban on arms exports, U.N. special envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, said on Thursday.

The council has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt its nuclear enrichment program, which the United States, European Union and their allies suspect is at the heart of a weapons program. Iran rejects the allegation and refuses to halt what it says is a peaceful energy program.

"The shipment contains weapons and some of the weapons are sophisticated weapons, surface to air missiles, for example. The government made a request to the sanctions committee for a full investigation," Benomar told reporters.

"They (the sanctions committee) will establish the facts on what happened, where the shipment came from, who were the recipients, et cetera," he said.

The 15-member council is also discussing whether to issue a U.S.-drafted statement on the weapons shipment.

Officials in Washington have said the shipment was believed to have been from Shi'ite Muslim Iran and destined for insurgents, likely to be Shi'ite Houthis mainly based in northern Yemen.

Yemeni state television on Wednesday showed Interior Minister Abdul Qader Qahtan and National Security Board head Ali al-Ahmadi inspecting the weapons including 122 mm Katyusha rockets, anti-aircraft Strella 1 and 2 missiles, RPG launchers, explosives materials and Iranian-made night vision goggles.

Hanash said that while the investigation into the shipment was still under way, it was certain that the weapons were destined for an insurgent group. He did not name the group.

A source at Hadi's office said the arms were destined for Houthi rebels.

STRAINED TIES

The discovery of the shipment will likely further sour ties between Tehran and Sanaa, already strained over charges that Iran was working with separatists in the south and Houthi rebels in the north to further destabilize Yemen as it tries to rebuild after two years of political upheaval.

Yemen said in July it had rounded up a spy ring led by a former commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard, according to the state news agency Saba.

Washington also believes Iran was working with Yemeni insurgents to expand its influence at the expense of Yemen's Gulf Arab neighbors, according to comments by the U.S. envoy to Sanaa published in the pan-Arab al-Hayat newspaper last year.

Iran has denied interfering in Yemen, a U.S. ally in its fight against al Qaeda militants.

The Houthi movement, named after the tribe of its leader, says it represents the claims of Zaydi Shi'ite Muslims who ruled Yemen for more than 1,000 years. Most Iranians follow a different Shi'ite sect but Yemeni officials say Houthis have travelled to Iran's seminary city of Qom for indoctrination.

Houthis have survived repeated government attempts to crush them. They fought a brief war with Saudi Arabia in 2009 after their conflict with Yemeni forces spilled across the border.

(Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations, Writing by Sami Aboudi, Editing by William Maclean and Xavier Briand)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/yemen-demands-iran-halts-support-insurgents-131809500.html

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Ross Asset Management Collapse May Hit Apartment... | Stuff.co.nz

The collapse of Ross Asset Management, which snared more than 900 investors in a suspected Ponzi scheme, looks to have spilled over into Wellington's high-end apartment sector.

Three independent sources have told The Dominion Post at least 10 people who put down deposits for properties on yet-to-be built developments will be unable to proceed to settlement because they have been financially wiped out by RAM.

Two highly placed sources within Wellington's property sector have separately reported people losing deposits, but the sources declined to go on the record.

And John Fisk, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, who was appointed as the receiver of RAM, said he had heard similar stories on a second-hand basis, but had not had cause to follow them up.

It comes as a double blow to RAM investors as they are likely to lose their deposits too.

And, should property values fall before the development is complete, they could be liable for the shortfall between the final resale price and its original cost.

High-end apartments in the city sell for $2 million to $5m, and developers typically ask for a 10 per cent deposit when buying off the plan.

Property developer Willis Bond & Co managing director Mark McGuinness said he was aware of two RAM investors who put down deposits at the firm's Clyde Quay Wharf development.

However, McGuinness stressed that it had not affected their ability to settle on his development, situated in Oriental Bay. So far the firm has sold 66 properties on the 76-apartment development, with construction already well under way.

RAM, owned and managed by David Ross, was put into receivership late last year after investors were unable to access their funds.

A PwC investigation into the fund, which Ross claimed was worth $450m just before the collapse, found about $10m in assets to back it.

While Willis Bond & Co has said its Clyde Quay was not affected by the RAM case, it is unclear who the other firms are.

Pierre Limn, a real estate agent at Tommy's in Wellington, said it was almost an "inevitability" that the high-end side of the market would be affected by the RAM collapse. "If I was a developer, I certainly wouldn't be broadcasting the fact I have a property where people were unable to settle," he said.

A sharp rise in buyers unable to pay settlements could also potentially affect developers' funding lines.

Property lawyer Fintan Devine said banks often premised their loans on specific criteria, particularly among less established operators, and indications of settlement problems would raise concerns.

"The banks are quite cautious with lending to developers," Devine said.

However, Wellington's high-end apartment market is starting to pick up momentum in the wake of the global financial crisis.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/8270746/Ross-saga-may-hit-apartment-sales

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West Virginia gas prices jump 16 cents

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Gas prices have jumped 16 cents in the past week across West Virginia.

AAA East Central says the price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline averaged $3.67 this week.

Prices range from $3.63 in Charleston and Parkersburg to $3.72 in Martinsburg.

A year ago, prices in West Virginia averaged $3.60.

Nationally, average prices rose 17 cents per gallon this week to $3.53. AAA says recent increases are due to higher oil prices, refinery issues and preparations for switching to summer-blend gasoline.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/west-virginia-gas-prices-jump-161109419.html

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