Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/307680052?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Friday, May 24, 2013
Apollon Limassol FC won the Cyprus football Cup
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Apollon took the lead with Horacio Cardozo scoring in the 94th minute, whereas Romeo Surdu scored Apollon`s second goal with a penalty kick in the 117th minute. Vouho scored AEL`s only goal in the 135th minute. |
AEL was the team that had the opportunity to take the lead in the match with Patrick Vouho missing in the 84th minute a penalty kick blocked by Apollon`s goalkeeper Bruno Vale.
Apollon took the lead with Horacio Cardozo scoring in the 94th minute, whereas Romeo Surdu scored Apollon`s second goal with a penalty kick in the 117th minute. Vouho scored AEL`s only goal in the 135th minute.
This is Apollon`s 7th Cup in his history.
APOEL FC of Nicosia, Cyprus` first ever team to qualify in the last 16 round of the Uefa Champions League, won the Cyprus league title with Anorthosis FC of Famagusta second and Omonia AC of Nicosia third.
Source: http://famagusta-gazette.com/apollon-limassol-fc-won-the-cyprus-football-cup-p19394-69.htm
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Writer Chinua Achebe honored in Nigeria funeral
Pallbearers carry the coffin of late author Chinua Achebe at his funeral service, held at St. Philip's Anglican Church in Ogidi, Nigeria, Thursday, May 23, 2013. Writer Chinua Achebe shunned Nigeria?s corrupt politicians and twice turned down national honors, never fearing to criticizing those he felt ruined a country he once supported breaking away from. On Thursday, however, the lawmakers and the country?s elite came to him. Hundreds attended Achebe?s funeral among the rolling hills of his eastern Nigeria home, a service that saw even President Goodluck Jonathan literally hold up the writer?s books. The gold plaque on his coffin simply called him the ?eagle atop the Iroko tree? in his native Igbo language. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
Pallbearers carry the coffin of late author Chinua Achebe at his funeral service, held at St. Philip's Anglican Church in Ogidi, Nigeria, Thursday, May 23, 2013. Writer Chinua Achebe shunned Nigeria?s corrupt politicians and twice turned down national honors, never fearing to criticizing those he felt ruined a country he once supported breaking away from. On Thursday, however, the lawmakers and the country?s elite came to him. Hundreds attended Achebe?s funeral among the rolling hills of his eastern Nigeria home, a service that saw even President Goodluck Jonathan literally hold up the writer?s books. The gold plaque on his coffin simply called him the ?eagle atop the Iroko tree? in his native Igbo language. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
Traditional Igbo chiefs attend the funeral of late author Chinua Achebe in Ogidi, Nigeria, Thursday, May 23, 2013. Writer Chinua Achebe is being remembered in Nigeria as a fearless writer who bowed to no political pressure, as mourners gather in his hometown for a funeral Thursday. Among attendees was Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who held up copies of Achebe's books during the service at a local Anglican church ? including his famous essay "The Trouble With Nigeria" and Ghanaian President John Mahama. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
From left, Deputy speaker of the house of representative Emeka Ihedioha, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, centre, and Ghanaian President John Mahama, right, attend the funeral of author Chinua Achebe at his funeral service, held at St. Philip's Anglican Church in Ogidi, Nigeria, Thursday, May 23, 2013. Writer Chinua Achebe shunned Nigeria?s corrupt politicians and twice turned down national honors, never fearing to criticizing those he felt ruined a country he once supported breaking away from. On Thursday, however, the lawmakers and the country?s elite came to him. Hundreds attended Achebe?s funeral among the rolling hills of his eastern Nigeria home, a service that saw even President Goodluck Jonathan literally hold up the writer?s books. The gold plaque on his coffin simply called him the ?eagle atop the Iroko tree? in his native Igbo language. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
A hearse carrying the coffin of late author Chinua Achebe at his funeral service, held at St. Philip's Anglican Church in Ogidi, Nigeria, Thursday, May 23, 2013. Writer Chinua Achebe shunned Nigeria?s corrupt politicians and twice turned down national honors, never fearing to criticizing those he felt ruined a country he once supported breaking away from. On Thursday, however, the lawmakers and the country?s elite came to him. Hundreds attended Achebe?s funeral among the rolling hills of his eastern Nigeria home, a service that saw even President Goodluck Jonathan literally hold up the writer?s books. The gold plaque on his coffin simply called him the ?eagle atop the Iroko tree? in his native Igbo language. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
Policemen stand guard during the funeral service for author Chinua Achebe at his funeral service, held at St. Philip's Anglican Church in Ogidi, Nigeria, Thursday, May 23, 2013. Writer Chinua Achebe shunned Nigeria?s corrupt politicians and twice turned down national honors, never fearing to criticizing those he felt ruined a country he once supported breaking away from. On Thursday, however, the lawmakers and the country?s elite came to him. Hundreds attended Achebe?s funeral among the rolling hills of his eastern Nigeria home, a service that saw even President Goodluck Jonathan literally hold up the writer?s books. The gold plaque on his coffin simply called him the ?eagle atop the Iroko tree? in his native Igbo language. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
OGIDI, Nigeria (AP) ? Writer Chinua Achebe shunned Nigeria's corrupt politicians and twice turned down national honors, never fearing to criticize those he felt ruined his country. On Thursday, however, the lawmakers and the country's elite came to praise him.
Hundreds attended Achebe's funeral among the rolling hills of his eastern Nigeria home, a service that saw President Goodluck Jonathan literally hold up the writer's books. The gold plaque on his coffin simply called him the "eagle atop the Iroko tree" in his native Igbo language.
It was a fitting tribute to the respect Achebe carried among the people here and for many others around the world who knew him through his books, which many say is the first African voice heard in modern literature.
"Chinua Achebe gave Africa its confidence," said Emeka Anyaoku, an Igbo elder.
Achebe rose to acclaim with the publication of his 1958 classic novel "Things Fall Apart," a parable for the collapse of traditional society in Africa on the arrival of colonialists. The journalist's tense, short sentences recalled Ernest Hemingway, but offered a vision of Igbo culture before British rule ultimately united the regions that now form modern Nigeria.
"Things Fall Apart" has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 50 languages. Though describing himself in writing as a "British-protected child," Achebe became a forceful critic of Western literature about Africa, especially Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." His writings often focused on that split between cultures, serving at times as a bridge for those wanting to understand the those two worlds.
Achebe died in March at the age of 82 in Boston after an illness. Though a 1990 car crash left him paralyzed from the waist down, he continued writing and taught at universities in the United States, earning him the nickname "Prof" throughout Nigeria.
Achebe also could be just as harsh of a critic of Nigeria. When the Igbo lands of the east broke away from Nigeria to become the nation of Biafra, Achebe served as a roaming ambassador for the new nation. However, the war saw 1 million people killed, many through starvation in the waning days of the conflict. His friend, the poet Christopher Okigbo, also died but his family survived bombings and the war's horrors.
"As we reached the brink of full-blown war it became clear to me that the chaos enveloping all of us in Nigeria was due to the incompetence of the Nigerian ruling class," Achebe wrote in his recent civil war memoir, "There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra." ''This clique, stunted by ineptitude, distracted by power games and the pursuit of material comforts, was unwilling, if not incapable, of saving our fledging new nation."
Achebe later twice refused Nigeria's second-highest award, the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, over the lawlessness in his home state of Anambra. A spokesman for President Jonathan later said Achebe's decision to reject the honor "clearly flies in the face of the reality of Nigeria's current political situation." However, the problems raised in Achebe's polemic 1980s essay "The Trouble With Nigeria" ring true even today in this oil-rich nation beset by extremist violence, rampant poverty and poor governance.
Thursday, even Jonathan held up that essay before mourners at St. Phillip's Anglican Church, which sits just next to the primary school Achebe attended as a child in Ogidi. Jonathan mentioned how Achebe wrote that Nigeria's problem "is political leadership" and "tribal sentiments."
"He was making reference to what was happening in the 1950s and '60s," the president said. "Have we changed from that?"
The crowd loudly shouted back: "No!"
Yet Jonathan himself, toward the end of his 12-minute speech, referred to the 2011 elections that cemented him in power as a "significant improvement," without mentioning the 800 people killed in religious rioting and political violence afterward, nor the allegations of vote rigging. Many expect Jonathan to run for re-election in 2015 and some see his appearance at burials for Igbo leaders as an attempt to sway voters in a crucial powerbase.
Ghanaian President John Mahama also attended the service alongside Jonathan, as well as other politicians and leaders. In a scene reminiscent of Achebe's own complaints, the elite rushed out of the service and into tinted-glass SUVs. In the wake of their sirens, soldiers and police officers carrying automatic weapons pushed and fought with the surging crowds. Others scuffled over programs in the back of the church during the service.
Everyone, including Jonathan, however, waited for Achebe's body to be first carried out of the church. Pallbearers later entombed the writer's casket in a mausoleum next to his home, as traditional dancers and others gathered. Outside, hawkers continued to sell Achebe's books, a sign that the writer's influence will continue long after these ceremonies come to an end.
Said Ikechi Nwachukwu Nwosu, the Anglican archbishop who eulogized Achebe: "There are some people who cannot be buried."
___
Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
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Thursday, May 23, 2013
Ewok Infographic: Learn All About The Creatures For 'Return Of The Jedi' Anniversary
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi" (May 25th), we are celebrating all things Ewok. For those readers new to the "Star Wars" universe, the Ewoks are tiny tree-dwelling creatures who assist in the film's climactic battle between the good guys (the Rebel Alliance) and bad guys [...]
Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/05/23/ewok-infographic-return-of-the-jedi/
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Japan bond yields jump following Fed comments
Associated Press
Posted on May 23, 2013 at 2:02 AM
Updated today at 2:02 AM
TOKYO (AP) ? Yields on 10-year Japanese government bonds briefly topped 1 percent for the first time in a year on Thursday, unnerving some investors at a time when Japan's already overburdened government finances are vulnerable to rises in interest rates. Japanese shares fell sharply.
The spike in long-term debt comes despite the Bank of Japan's aggressive efforts to keep interest rates down. It followed overnight news that some officials of the U.S. Federal Reserve are willing to scale back the American central bank's stimulus effort as soon as June if the economy perks up.
The benchmark long-term bond yield later dropped back to about 0.9 percent, near its recent trading level.
Like the Fed, the BOJ is buying massive amounts of government bonds, seeking to keep interest rates low to encourage people and businesses to borrow and spend more ? the main tenet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" economic strategy.
The aim is to break out of a deflationary rut of sagging prices that has slowed investment and is thought to be discouraging consumers from spending. By raising expectations that rising prices mean their savings will go further now than later, the government hopes to get Japanese to step up spending, especially for big ticket items like cars and houses.
So far, the effort to "reflate" the economy has pushed share prices sharply higher: the benchmark Nikkei stock index has surged past 15,000, its highest level in over five years, though mid-afternoon Thursday it was down more than 6 percent because of the spike in bond yields and weak Chinese manufacturing figures. Meanwhile, the value of Japan's currency has fallen by 25 percent against the U.S. dollar since late last year. The yen was trading at about 102.6 to the dollar on Thursday after briefly passing 103 to the dollar.
If the central bank succeeds in reviving inflation, it will eventually have to raise interest rates to keep price rises in check. But low long-term rates are a priority for Japan because its government debt amounts to over twice the size of the economy. Higher rates would vastly increase the government's repayment burden as it continually sells new bonds to finance its deficits.
"Japan really has a long-term debt problem," said Franklin Allen, a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. "If the long-term JGB (Japanese government bond) goes to 2.5 percent to 3 percent, there will be a financial stability problem."
The central bank has been grappling with unexpected swings in the market for Japanese government bonds since its new governor Haruhiko Kuroda announced in early April a drastic shift in policy aimed at doubling the amount of cash circulating in Japan's economy. The goal of the policy is to attain a 2 percent inflation target within two years.
"We've never seen this volatility in percentage terms on a daily basis that we're seeing today in the Japanese market," said Ken Courtis, a former Goldman Sachs vice chairman and investment banker.
The volatility raises questions over how much influence the BOJ wields over the market, despite soaking up about 70 percent of all new bond issuance.
Paying interest on the government debt already takes a quarter of government spending, he said.
"What will Japan do, he said, "when interest rates go up and debt servicing starts to swallow the entire budget?"
The level of Japan's debt is higher, relative to its economy, than even some of the crisis-stricken European countries. But because it is mostly owned by domestic investors, especially huge banks and insurance companies, the country's credit rating has remained steady.
But many Japanese financial institutions, especially regional banks and credit cooperatives, would be unable to keep such large holdings of government bonds if the value of those bonds drops too far, Allen said.
Japan's economy expanded at a faster-than-expected annual pace of 3.5 percent in the last quarter, a development many supporters view as a vindication of Abe's approach. The Bank of Japan ended a two-day policy meeting on Tuesday with no change in policy, saying the economy was "picking up," despite the lack of any change in price trends so far.
Critics contend that keeping interest rates artificially low to encourage borrowing merely encourages companies to waste money and avoid improving their efficiency and competitiveness.
Source: http://www.kvue.com/news/business/208604881.html
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U.S. may boost Syria rebels if Assad won't talk peace
By Arshad Mohammed and Erika Solomon
AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States and its allies are ready to increase support for Syria's rebels if President Bashar al-Assad refuses to discuss a political solution to his country's civil war, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday.
Rebels called for reinforcements to combat President Bashar al-Assad's forces, which have launched an offensive in recent days against a strategic town backed by Assad's allies from Lebanon's powerful Shi'ite militia Hezbollah.
The battle has brought the worst fighting in months, and by drawing in Hezbollah militia has raised new fears that a war that has killed 80,000 people could surge across borders and ignite sectarian conflict across the Middle East.
Washington and Moscow are scrambling to revive diplomacy, compelled to step up peace efforts by new reports of atrocities on both sides, suspicions that chemical weapons have been used and the rise of al Qaeda-linked fighters among Assad's foes.
Kerry said several thousand Hezbollah fighters were taking part in the conflict, with active support on the ground from their - and Assad's - main regional backer, Iran.
Forces loyal to Assad had made gains in recent days but those were "very temporary", Kerry told a news conference in Amman before a meeting of the "Friends of Syria" group, made up of Western and regional countries lined up against Assad.
"Just last week, obviously, Hezbollah intervened very, very significantly. There are several thousands of Hezbollah militia forces on the ground in Syria who are contributing to this violence and we condemn that."
Kerry is in Jordan for the "Friends of Syria" meeting seeking support from European and Arab states for the latest peace initiative - a call he issued jointly with Russia for a conference, expected in Geneva in coming weeks.
The United States and Europe have so far shied away from directly arming the rebels but have given them "non-lethal" support, while Arab backers like Qatar and Saudi Arabia send them weapons. Western countries have had to balance their opposition to Assad with their concern that arms for rebels would reach al Qaeda-allied Islamist fighters.
The U.S.-Russian proposal for a peace conference has raised suspicion among Arab countries that Washington is watering down support for Assad's opponents, who had long refused to negotiate unless Assad is excluded from any future settlement.
Russia says talks must include Assad's government and Iran. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised the Syrian government's response to the U.S.-Russian proposal, while saying the opposition was too divided to agree on its participation.
"INVASION"
Rebels fighting for control of Qusair, now the main battle front, called for reinforcements to repel forces loyal to Assad and what they described as an "invasion" by Hezbollah and Iran.
"Everyone who has weapons or ammunition should send them to Qusair and Homs to strengthen its resistance. Every bullet sent to Qusair and Homs will block the invasion that is trying to drag Syria back to the era of fear," George Sabra, acting head of the opposition National Coalition, said in a statement.
Opposition fighters said air strikes and shelling rocked the small town on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
Assad's forces are intent on seizing Qusair to cement their hold on a belt of territory that connects the capital Damascus to Assad's stronghold on the Mediterranean coast, heartland of his minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.
Seizing Qusair would also allow Assad to sever links between rebel-held areas in the north and south of Syria.
Some opposition sources privately said they believed that the army, led by Hezbollah ground units, has seized about 60 percent of the town. But they say rebels are fighting back hard in a battle that could determine the fate of the uprising.
"If we lose Qusair, we lose Homs, and if we lose Homs, we lose the heart of the country," said Ahmed, a rebel speaking by Skype from the nearby town of Homs as explosions and gunfire crackled in the background.
After months of warnings from regional and international experts, violence is now spilling over Syria's borders, with clashes between pro- and anti-Assad factions in the Lebanese city of Tripoli and exchanges of fire between Syrian and Israeli forces in the Golan Heights.
After a night of violence in Tripoli, the death toll in five days of fighting stood at 13, security sources said.
Alarmed by the prospect of a wider conflict, the United States and Russia have agreed to back the international talks intended to bring the rebels and Syrian government back to the table, although expectations of a breakthrough are low.
Security fears following bombings that killed 51 people in the Turkish town of Reyhanli earlier this month prompted Turkey on Wednesday to close a nearby border crossing with Syria. Turkey has accused Syria of involvement in the attacks. Damascus has denied any role.
In a boost to the rebels, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on Tuesday for legislation that would send arms to moderate members of the Syrian opposition, the first time U.S. lawmakers have approved such military action in Syria.
There is less enthusiasm for arming the rebels in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, so it is not clear whether a Senate bill would ever get through Congress and reach Obama and be signed into law.
The outcome in Qusair will determine the status of important rebel supply routes across the Lebanese border into Syria and whether Assad can ensure access to important northern areas. It could also mean devastation for areas of nearby Lebanon.
REVENGE ATTACKS
Sunni rebel leaders have warned of sectarian revenge attacks against Shi'ites and Alawites on either side of the Syrian-Lebanese border if rebels lose Qusair. Fighters speak of a tacit agreement among their units to launch village by village attacks should they lose the town of 30,000.
Hezbollah's involvement risks turning Syria's civil war - which already pits mainly Sunni Muslim rebels against an Alawite-led army - into a more regional sectarian conflict.
Pro-Assad media have reported major advances for Hezbollah and state forces in Qusair. Rebels deny they have lost ground.
(Writing by Giles Elgood; Editing by Peter Graff)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-opposition-calls-reinforcements-embattled-qusair-110745749.html
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Vacation Home Sales Sizzle, Rentals Booking Fast | AOL Real Estate
By Diana OlickIn the kitschy community of St. Michaels on the Maryland shore, businesses are gearing up for the official start of the season, Memorial Day weekend. Trucks carrying dozens of bicycles are unloading into waterside racks and shopkeepers are moving their bright-colored wares out onto the sidewalks. For real estate rental agents, however, the hard work is largely done. The biggest houses already are booked.
"Those houses do tend to book up in January," said Deborah Lipscomb, owner of Eastern Shore Vacation Rentals. "Because of the Jersey Shore and the things going on there, we are seeing more of a demand for this area."
The recession hit homebuying in this area, which actually increased competition in the rental market, but that may be about to change. Low mortgage rates, returning consumer and investor confidence, and the new migration from New Jersey are all combining to turn this Maryland market around. "We're getting the calls again from people looking to really buy -- buy into the market and start renting again," said Lipscomb.
The impact of Hurricane Sandy is less apparent farther south on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. "It's a great time to buy, it's a bad time to sell, is what I tell people," said James Wedgeworth, who has been selling real estate on the island for over a decade. "There is a light at the end of the tunnel. "The rental market on Hilton Head, which largely caters to the golfing set, has remained strong throughout the recession, likely because so few people wanted to buy. Confidence is slowly returning here, but prices are not.
"It hasn't really started going up, but at least it's not going down. We had seven straight years of prices going down. That's no fun," added Wedgeworth.
Vacation home sales rose 10 percent nationally in 2012, according to the National Association of Realtors, but as with all things real estate, location is key. Prices are just stabilizing in South Carolina, but in the tiny towns of eastern Long Island, N.Y., better known as the Hamptons, home prices are roaring back and rentals are fully booked for the season.
"We've seen bidding wars in the four-to-five-million-dollar range as well as in the overall market," said Laura Nigro, a real estate broker in Bridgehampton. "It's so much better than when the 2008, 2009 economy shrank and people were very much afraid to invest in anything." Nigro pointed to the potential of rising mortgage rates as the key driver. She said the Hamptons are not seeing too many migrants from the Jersey Shore. The newest clients are coming from much farther away: China.
"In the Hamptons, there is a new influx of Chinese buyers. In the past, they haven't been prevalent in this Hampton marketplace, but this season, for whatever reason there is, they are out looking for properties," she said. Neither the Chinese nor the locals seem particularly concerned about more storms coming to the coast. Potential buyers are, however, looking more closely at FEMA flood requirements and coastal erosion zones, according to agents, but they are still ready to buy.
On Hilton Head, James Wedgeworth said clients are asking more questions about storms, but he has the perfect answer: "If you look at a NOAA map of all named hurricanes since 1950, the safest place, believe it or not, is Jacksonville, Fla., to Hilton Head. For whatever reason, they always hit up north."
See more on CNBC:
Fannie Mae in the Black: Now What?
America On the Move
Apartment Growth to Boom
More on AOL Real Estate:
Find homes for rent.
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find homes for sale in your area.
Find foreclosures in your area.
Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.
Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/05/21/vacation-home-sales-rentals/
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