Northwest Moms

Famous Golf Courses Around the World

Often considered to be a sport of the elite, golf has been played since as early as the fourteenth century. Golf courses, with their endless expanse of green and their proximity to water bodies, make for a very picturesque sight. Let us take a look at some of the very best.”Golf is a day spent in a round of strenuous idleness.” ~ William Wordsworth

If walking on the deepest green turf, surrounded by the most amazing views becomes a part of that ’strenuous idleness’, wouldn’t it be picture perfect? Golfing is, without doubt, a hobby for the moneyed lot. This probably explains the presence of a golf course at almost every exclusively scenic corner of the world. The fame attached to a golf course is a by-product of its history and grandeur. Restricted access ups the prominence of a golf course by several notches. For now, we’re going to look at some of the best golf courses around the world, the ones which open their gates to the bourgeois (at a considerable price, mind you).
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Click on the images for an enlarged view.
Best Golf Courses in the World

Old Course, St. Andrews, Scotland
A rich golfing tradition of 600 years, the Old Course at St. Andrews is golf’s hallowed turf, and has rightfully earned the status of a pilgrimage site. It was way back in 1552 that a license was issued which allowed citizens to “play at golf, futball, schuteing … with all other manners of pastimes.” The highlight of the Old Course is the large double greens. The Swilcan Bridge here remains an icon for the game of golf to this day. The Open Championship has been played 28 times here, beginning in the year 1873.
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Pebble Beach Golf Links, California, USA
When you have a golf course lining the Pacific coast, it is bound to be a knockout beauty. Pebble Beach designers, Jack Neville and Douglas Grant used the peculiar ‘figure 8′ pattern to align maximum number of holes along the uneven Monterey coastline, that provides breathtaking views of the Pacific ocean. Pebble Beach has hosted the prestigious U.S. Open tournament five times, and is due to host it in 2019 for the sixth time. The year 2019 also happens to be this golf course’s centennial year.
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Royal Dornoch Golf Club, Scotland
We’re back in Scotland, the home of golf, this time at the Royal Dornoch Golf Club, Sutherland. It was in 1877 that the Dornoch Golf Club was formed, changing the landscape of this quiet town. Nine years later, the club sought the services of the legendary golfer Tom Morris and assigned him the job of formally designing the course. With a rich history and a spectacular course, it is rather odd that Dornoch has never hosted a national championship so far. Nevertheless, its place in the list of best golf courses remains undisputed.
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Pinehurst Resort, North Carolina, USA
Eight golf courses are a part of Pinehurst Resort, the highest among all resorts in America. Course number two is the foremost, having played host to the U.S. Open, the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship. It also hosted the North and South Open from 1902 to 1951. The year 2014 will witness the men’s and women’s U.S. Open Championships being played right here at Pinehurst No. 2.air max tn chaussures

Royal County Down Golf Club, Ireland
Nestled between the Irish Sea and the Mourne Mountains, the Royal County Down Golf Club is 90 miles away from the Irish capital, Dublin. The dense green cover, combined with the sea breeze make this a deceptively difficult turf to play on. Tournaments played here include the Senior British Open Championship, the Amateur Championship, the British Ladies’ Amateur Golf Championship, the Curtis Cup and the Walker Cup.
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Sperone Golf Club, France
Sperone Golf Club is situated on the southern tip of French Corsica. You get unrestricted views of the Mediterranean Sea and the Bonifacio Strait, and that’s not the only joy you experience while playing here. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., this course is deceptively tough to play on. Its first nines are a part of the bushland and pines, whereas the back nines are located on the rocky terrain that overlooks the Mediterranean. Tournaments like the AGF Golf Tour, the Grand Prix de Corse and the Pro Am have been played here.

Des Afghans manifestent après que des soldats de l’Otan ont br?lé le Coran

Devant la base militaire de Bagram, des milliers d’Afghans ont manifesté mardi leur colère envers des troupes étrangères accusées d’avoir br?lé des exemplaires du Coran. Le général américain John Allen a présenté ses excuses au peuple afghan. Par FRANCE 24 (vidéo)
Dépêche (texte)

AFP – Des milliers d’Afghans, munis de cocktails molotov et de lance-pierres, ont manifesté violemment mardi devant la plus grande base militaire américaine d’Afghanistan, à 60 km au nord de Kaboul, accusant les troupes étrangères d’y avoir br?lé des exemplaires du Coran.
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Un portail a été incendié aux cris de “Mort aux Américains” ou “Mort aux infidèles”, ce à quoi des gardes ont répondu par des tirs de balles en caoutchouc, a constaté un photographe de l’AFP, lui-même touché au cou par un de ces projectiles.

Le commandant en chef de la force de l’Otan (Isaf), le général américain John Allen, a présenté ses “excuses” au “noble peuple d’Afghanistan” après des “informations” indiquant que “des soldats de la base de Bagram se sont débarrassés de manière inconvenante dans la nuit d’un nombre important de documents islamiques, dont des Corans”.
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“Nous avons eu connaissance de ces actes, nous sommes intervenus immédiatement et nous les avons stoppés. Les documents récupérés seront immédiatement pris en charge par les autorités religieuses compétentes”, a-t-il expliqué.

Le général Allen n’a toutefois pas confirmé si des Corans avaient bien été br?lés, comme l’assure la police afghane. Il a ordonné une enquête. Le photographe de l’AFP, lui, a pu voir plusieurs Corans aux bords partiellement calcinés que des salariés afghans de la base affirment avoir sauvés de la destruction.
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Ces mêmes employés auraient ensuite diffusé la nouvelle, d’après une source gouvernementale, provoquant un rassemblement d’”au moins 2.000 personnes” devant la base, selon un officier de police.

Le photographe de l’AFP a vu au moins sept manifestants touchés par des balles en caoutchouc, la plupart saignant.

Selon Sediq Sediqqi, un porte-parole du ministère de l’Intérieur, une seule personne a pourtant été blessée lors de la manifestation, qui s’est terminée en fin d’après-midi.
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Un autre rassemblement de 500 personnes a eu lieu à Kaboul, près des principales bases de l’Otan dans la capitale, sur la route de Jalalabad, mais il s’était déjà dispersé en fin de matinée (heure locale), a déclaré à l’AFP le porte-parole de la police, Ashamat Estanakza?.

“Nous enquêtons de manière approfondie sur cet incident et nous prenons les mesures nécessaires pour nous assurer que cela n’arrive plus jamais. Je vous assure… je vous promets… que cet acte n’était PAS du tout intentionnel”, lit-on dans le communiqué du général Allen.ugg bottes soldes

“Je voudrais remercier les Afghans qui nous ont aidés à mettre au jour cette erreur et qui nous ont immédiatement aidés à la corriger”, conclut le texte, dont la franchise vise vraisemblablement à limiter les débordements que les incidents de la nuit pourraient engendrer.

Des atteintes à l’islam, au coutumes et traditions afghanes ou tout simplement à des règles élémentaires de conduite par les troupes de l’Otan sont relativement fréquentes en Afghanistan. Elles déclenchent parfois des manifestations violentes.
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Début janvier, une vidéo de quatre marines américains urinant sur des cadavres de talibans présumés a été mise en ligne, provoquant une polémique énorme mais finalement non suivie d’effets, aucun rassemblement ne s’étant tenu à Kaboul ni ailleurs en Afghanistan.

Quelques jours plus tard, un militaire afghan ayant tué 4 soldats fran?ais et blessé 15 autres, qui l’entra?naient, a toutefois justifié son acte par le visionnage de cette vidéo.

Alibaba Plans to Take Web Portal Unit Private

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which is partly owned by Yahoo Inc., said it plans to take private its Hong Kong-listed e-commerce portal Alibaba.com Ltd. in a $2.3 billion deal.

Alibaba Group is offering HK$13.50 (US$1.75) per share for Alibaba.com, a 46% premium to its last traded price, but the price at which the Hong Kong unit was listed at almost five years ago.

The company owns 73% of Alibaba.com, which operates websites connecting buyers and suppliers. ugg femme

Alibaba has said in the past it is interested in buying Yahoo’s stake in the online unit. Yahoo had for months held talks with China-based Alibaba and Japan-based Softbank Corp. to shed stakes in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan, a joint venture in which Softbank is a major shareholder. But earlier this month, people familiar with the situation said a proposed deal for Yahoo to sell a large portion of its stakes in Alibaba Group and Yahoo Japan Corp. was now off the table. The elaborate $17 billion deal was supposed to save the company a hefty tax bill. ugg femme

“Taking Alibaba.com private will allow our company to make long-term decisions that are in the best interest of our customers and that are also free from the pressures that come from having a publicly listed company,” said Jack Ma, founder, chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group, as well as the board chairman of Alibaba.com. “With this offer, we provide our shareholders a chance to realize their investment now at an attractive cash premium rather than waiting indefinitely during this period of transition.”
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The Hong Kong company’s shares last traded at HK$9.25 on Feb. 8, the day before they were suspended ahead of an announcement the company said was related to a transaction involving its controlling shareholder, but didn’t elaborate.

The news came as Alibaba.com Tuesday posted a 6% drop in fourth quarter net profit, as rising costs ate into earnings at a time when a global slowdown hurt demand from its customers, many of whom are small and medium-sized Chinese firms that rely on exports. Its net profit for the three months ended Dec. 31 was 385.95 million yuan, down from 410.4 million yuan a year earlier. Meanwhile, revenue rose 9.2% to 1.66 billion yuan from 1.52 billion yuan in the same period during 2010.
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Alibaba.com said Tuesday it remained cautious about prospects for its growth in the short-term, short-term growth as the global slowdown is likely to continue to hurt international demand for Chinese exports and force small and medium-size Chinese firms to face rising costs, ultimately hurting its customers.
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Yahoo owns about 40% of Alibaba Group and around 33% of Yahoo Japan.
Ending the coyote nuisance is going to be hard, even with endless measures like these. People na?ve enough to believe that killing them offers a final solution are in for a rude shock. Environmentalists are of the opinion that killing coyotes has no detrimental effect on their population, thanks to their prolific reproduction rates. In coyotes, we have been able to observe an adaptation drive that can only be called a natural marvel. With nature clearly on their side, it makes more sense to stick to these wimpy-but-effective methods, instead of reaching out for a gun. ugg pas cher

Affaire du Carlton :ces juges qui attendent DSK

Après son audition par les enquêteurs de police ce mardi matin, il pourrait être rapidement confronté aux magistrats en charge du dossier. Trois juges lillois instruisent l’affaire.

Il avait demandé à être entendu dès l’automne mais a d? patienter jusqu’en février. Dominique Strauss-Kahn est, ce mardi, l’un des derniers à être questionné par la police dans l’affaire du Carlton de Lille. L’ancien directeur général du FMI est arrivé peu avant 9 heures à la caserne de gendarmerie de la ville, à bord d’une voiture aux vitres teintées.
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L’ancien patron du FMI va enfin pouvoir s’expliquer sur ses relations avec la ?bande des lillois?: le commissaire Jean-Christophe Lagarde, David Roquet et Fabrice Paszkowski, mis en examen notamment pour proxénétisme dans l’affaire du Carlton. La présence de DSK est citée à de nombreuses reprises dans ce dossier qui mêle prostitution et parties fines.
La jeune garde des juges d’instruction lillois
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Trois magistrats instruisent cette affaire. Première juge désignée sur ce dossier, Stéphanie Ausbart est une crack qui a réussi à la fois le concours des commissaires de police (5e au concours externe) et la magistrature. Mathieu Vignau, réputé ?pédagogue, impartial et respectueux?, a connu lui le fiasco d’Outreau. Quant à Ida Chafa?, la plus jeune, arrivée la dernière sur le dossier du Carlton, c’est à la fois une spécialiste des affaires financières et une syndicaliste engagée au Syndicat de la magistrature (SM), classé à gauche.
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Trentenaires, ces magistrats font partie de la jeune garde des juges d’instruction lillois. ?Cela n’a pas d? leur plaire que DSK demande par deux fois d’être auditionné?, souffle un magistrat local. Décidément bien s?r de lui, DSK a ainsi assuré au Monde qu’il n’y avait pas matière à mise en examen. Mais le ténor socialiste n’est pas le seul à avoir tenté de leur forcer la main. Les relations furent en effet tendues avec le parquet de Lille. Ce dernier avait ainsi demandé le dépaysement du dossier et s’était opposé au trio sur certains placements en détention. ?D’habitude, c’est plut?t le parquet qui demande un placement en détention, contre l’avis des juges?, souligne un magistrat.
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Si les relations avec le parquet semblent désormais détendues, ce sont aujourd’hui les avocats qui toussent au sujet de la gestion de l’enquête. Le pénaliste éric Dupond-Moretti s’est ainsi ému d’une ?dérive puritaine?. Des avocats s’interrogent sur l’absence de communication de certains procès-verbaux d’interrogatoire. ?Je ne sais pas qui est à l’origine de ce fait, commente Me Thierry Dalmasso. C’est une pratique totalement anormale qui engendre un état délétère?. A contrario, Me Didier Cattoir loue lui ?la collaboration complète des services de police?, qui avaient tout vérifié avant l’audition de son client.
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Les juges sauront-ils gérer la pression de ce dossier hors-norme? Stéphanie Ausbart, qui a débuté au parquet à Senlis, est décrite comme une ?forte personnalité? doublée d’une travailleuse acharnée. Quant à sa collègue Ida Chafa?, elle a déjà l’expérience de dossiers sensibles, comme celui du juge Pichoff, ce magistrat de Béthune soup?onné de corruption. Au barreau de Lille, certains fustigent pourtant un c?té ?ma?tresse d’école? exaspérant. ?Elle est estimée dure, mais s’en donne les moyens et conna?t ses dossiers sur le bout des doigts?, rétorque un avocat. DSK est prévenu.
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Dominique Strauss-Kahn en garde à vue dans l’affaire lilloise

Dominique Strauss-Kahn a été placé en garde à vue mardi dans une affaire de proxénétisme.

L’ancien patron du Fonds monétaire international est arrivé peu avant 09h00 dans une caserne de gendarmerie de Lille à bord d’une voiture, sans faire de déclaration, a constaté sur place un journaliste de Reuters.

La police judiciaire peut le garder jusqu’à 48 heures. L’interrogatoire peut déboucher sur une présentation à des juges d’instruction, dit-on de sources proches du dossier.
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L’enquête porte sur un réseau de prostitution organisé autour de l’h?tel Carlton de Lille, dont Dominique Strauss-Kahn aurait bénéficié en 2010 et 2011 en France et aux Etats-Unis.

Il est susceptible d’être poursuivi non comme client de prostituées – ce qui est légal en France – mais pour “recel d’abus de biens sociaux”, car les rémunérations des jeunes femmes ont été assurées par deux amis entrepreneurs du Nord, qui les ont présentées à leurs sociétés sur notes de frais.ugg femme

Huit personnes sont poursuivies dans ce dossier de Lille, parti d’une affaire de proxénétisme en Belgique où un Fran?ais, Dominique Alderweireld, surnommé “Dodo la saumure” a été arrêté.

Proche de Dominique Strauss-Kahn, le commissaire divisionnaire lillois Jean-Christophe Lagarde, poursuivi pour proxénétisme aggravé en bande organisée et recel d’abus de biens sociaux, est soup?onné d’avoir organisé des déplacements de prostituées à Paris et aux Etats-Unis pour Dominique Strauss-Kahn en 2010 et au printemps 2011, quand il dirigeait le FMI. nike pas cher

David Roquet, employé d’une filiale du groupe de BTP Eiffage et un autre ami de Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Fabrice Paszkowski, gérant d’une société de matériel médical et militant PS, sont aussi mis en examen et ont été écroués plusieurs mois comme organisateurs de ces rencontres, dont ils ont pris en charge les frais.

CONTRE-ATTAQUE DE DSK ?

Cette audition pourrait troubler la campagne présidentielle, dont Dominique Strauss-Kahn, ancien ministre de l’Economie (1997-1999) et directeur général du FMI (2007-2011) fut le favori avant son arrestation à New York en mai dernier pour une présumée agression sexuelle sur une femme de chambre. Il a bénéficié d’un abandon de poursuites en septembre.
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Le Parti socialiste et son candidat, Fran?ois Hollande, ont cependant pris leurs distances avec lui, notamment quand il a été à nouveau interrogé par la police à son retour à Paris sur la supposée agression sexuelle de la journaliste Tristane Banon en 2003. Le parquet de Paris a jugé les faits établis mais classé l’affaire sans suite pour cause de prescription.
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Le président d’honneur du Front national Jean-Marie Le Pen, a soutenu mardi que tout le monde connaissait les problèmes de comportement qu’il prête à l’ex-patron du FMI.

“Toute la France le savait, il serait vraiment étonnant que le seul endroit où on ne sache pas ce que faisait Dominique Strauss-Kahn, c’était le Parti socialiste, mais on avait une grande indulgence à son égard, compte tenu du fait surtout qu’il allait être candidat à l’élection présidentielle”, a-t-il dit sur I-télé.
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La radio RTL croit savoir que Dominique Strauss-Kahn entend mettre en cause le r?le à ses yeux ambigu des services de renseignements fran?ais, qui auraient eu connaissance de cette enquête et l’auraient exploitée pour lui nuire.

Retiré de la vie publique, Dominique Strauss-Kahn a engagé des poursuites judiciaires contre plusieurs médias et contre Henri Guaino, conseiller spécial de Nicolas Sarkozy, qui avait estimé que le comportement prêté à “DSK” était à la frontière “entre délinquance et vie privée” et pénalement répréhensible.

L’interrogatoire de police intervient alors que le président Nicolas Sarkozy vient de se déclarer candidat et doit se déplacer à Lille jeudi, échéance théorique de l’interrogatoire de Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Company suing Apple over iPad name open to talks

The lawyer for a Chinese company suing Apple Inc. in China over its use of the iPad trademark indicated Tuesday that his client would be willing to discuss a settlement.

Xie Xianghui, lawyer for Shenzhen Proview Technology, said that since no final decisions have been reached in various legal disputes over the issue, both sides are “still able to sit together and reach an out-of-court settlement.”
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Proview claims ownership over the iPad name. Apple says it bought the rights to the name in China and other countries in 2009, but that Proview failed to transfer the rights in mainland China as agreed.

Apple had no comment on the issue of a settlement. Its spokeswoman, Carolyn Wu, reiterated the company’s belief that Proview has failed to honor its agreement with Apple.
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Proview accuses Apple of acting dishonestly when it bought rights to the iPad name from its Taiwan affiliate and is seeking to prevent sales of the popular tablet computers in China. It has filed lawsuits in several places and has requested that commercial authorities in 40 cities block iPad sales.

A hearing is set for Wednesday in a Shanghai court. Meanwhile, Apple has appealed an earlier ruling against it in a court in Shenzhen, a city in southern China’s Guangdong. The Guangdong High Court is due to hear that case on Feb. 29.
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According to Xie, late last week a lower court in Huizhou, another city in southern China’s Guangdong province, ruled that distributors should stop selling iPads in China.

But that ruling may not have far-reaching effect since the High Court appeal is still pending.

Many in China expect the two sides to eventually reach a settlement rather than continue to battle in the courts. Chinese are just as crazy about iPads as consumers anywhere else and the devices are manufactured in China, employing hundreds of thousands of people.
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Apple, based in Cupertino, California, insists it holds the trademark rights to the iPad in China, having purchased them through a company set up for that purpose for 35,000 British pounds ($55,000).

A court in Hong Kong, which has a separate legal system from mainland China, ruled in July that Proview had acted with the intention of “injuring Apple.”
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Proview, a maker of LCDs, registered the iPad trademark in China in 2001 for an “Internet Personal Access Device” computer that employed touch panel technology. It contends that the 2009 sale was not legally binding.

So far, iPads have been pulled from shelves in some Chinese cities but there has been no sign of action at the national level.
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La zone euro éteint à nouveau l’incendie grec

Au bord du gouffre, la zone euro a de nouveau éteint mardi au petit matin l’incendie qui mena?ait d’emporter la Grèce mais la route reste longue et semée d’emb?ches avant que le pays n’émerge de deux ans d’une crise sans précédent.

Selon les termes de l’accord trouvé peu avant 4h00 mardi et après treize heures de négociations, la dette grecque sera ramenée à 120,5% du PIB d’ici 2020 grace à un nouveau programme de prêts publics de 130 milliards d’euros et à une restructuration de la dette détenue par les créanciers privés.pas cher ugg

Ces derniers ont finalement accepté une décote de 53,5% sur leurs obligations dans le cadre d’un échange de titres qui permettra d’effacer plus de 100 milliards de dette grecque.

La Banque centrale européenne et les banques centrales nationales de la zone euro participeront également au plan en renon?ant à certains bénéfices réalisés sur les titres grecs qu’elles détiennent.tn requin

“Nous sommes parvenus à un accord d’ampleur sur un nouveau programme pour la Grèce et sur une participation du secteur privé qui conduira à une réduction significative de la dette grecque (…) afin d’assurer le futur de la Grèce au sein de la zone euro”, a déclaré le président de l’Eurogroupe, Jean-Claude Juncker, à l’issue de la réunion.
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L’euro a bondi d’environ un demi-cent face au dollar après l’annonce de cet accord par Reuters. Vers 07h30 GMT, la monnaie unique se négociait autour de 1,3240 dollar, en hausse de 0,06%.

ATHèNES SOUS SURVEILLANCE

L’opération de restructuration de la dette grecque détenue par les créanciers privés s’engagera dès cette semaine, a déclaré le ministre grec des Finances, Evangelos Vénizélos. Elle devrait se conclure début mars.
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Le ministère grec des Finances a annoncé après l’accord qu’Athènes ferait voter une loi qui contraindra les investisseurs privés qui n’ont pas pris part à l’échange de dette à prendre leurs pertes.

“Le gouvernement grec soumettra sous peu au Parlement grec un projet de loi qui, s’il est adopté, introduira une clause d’action collective concernant les obligations soumises au droit grec émises par la République hellénique”, a expliqué le ministère dans le communiqué.
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D’ici mars, les autorités grecques devront également avoir mis en oeuvre une liste de mesures prioritaires contenues dans le programme si elles veulent obtenir le premier décaissement.

Ces fonds publics sont nécessaires pour qu’Athènes puisse rembourser 14,5 milliards d’euros d’obligations venant à échéance le 20 mars.

La tro?ka UE-FMI-BCE, qui supervise la mise en place des réformes et effectue des rapports trimestriels, sera renforcée et ses ressources accrues.

Dans le cadre du deuxième plan de sauvetage, la Commission européenne enverra bient?t des dizaines d’inspecteurs permanents à Athènes afin d’assurer la bonne marche technique du programme et d’en surveiller la mise en oeuvre.
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Cette présence sur le sol grec sera accompagnée de la création d’un compte spécial permettant de traiter de manière prioritaire les remboursements de dette grecque, dont le principe sera inscrit dans la constitution sous deux mois.

Mardi matin, le ministre allemand des Finances Wolfgang Sch?uble a confirmé que le groupe d’experts mandaté par la Commission européenne en Grèce serait renforcé, précisant par ailleurs être “très confiant” dans le fait que le Bundestag approuve ce deuxième plan d’aide.

“Nous nous sommes entendus avec la Commission pour (son) équipe en Grèce soit considérablement renforcée”, a-t-il dit au micro de la radio allemande Deutschlandfunk. “C’est une question de surveillance mais aussi, bien s?r, de soutien à la Grèce.”

Afghans protest over reported Koran desecrations

More than 2,000 Afghans protested outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Tuesday over a report that foreign troops had improperly disposed of copies of the Koran and other religious items, Afghan officials said.

U.S. helicopters fired flares to try to break up the demonstrators, some of whom were chanting anti-foreigner slogans and throwing stones.

Roshna Khalid, the provincial governor’s spokeswoman, said Korans had been burnt inside Bagram airbase, an hour’s drive north of the capital Kabul, citing accounts from local laborers. uggs on clearance

“The laborers normally take the garbage outside and they found the remains of Korans,” she said.

The top NATO general in Afghanistan attempted to contain fury over the incident, which could be a public relations disaster for the U.S. military as it tries to pacify the country ahead of the withdrawal of foreign combat troops in 2014.

“When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped them. The materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religious authorities,” said General John Allen, head of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), in a written statement, as well as in a video released on a U.S. military website.
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“This was NOT intentional in any way.”

The protests took place outside Bagram.

“There are about 2,000 to 3,000 demonstrators, throwing stones at the base and chanting down with the foreigners,” said Rahman Sayedkhili, a senior police officer in Parwan province, where Bagram is located.

A Reuters reporter at one of Bagram’s gates said flares were fired from U.S. helicopters in a bid to disperse the crowd.

Bagram also houses a prison for Afghans detained by American forces. The centre has caused resentment among Afghans because of reports of torture and ill-treatment of suspected Taliban prisoners, with President Hamid Karzai demanding the transfer of prisoners to Afghan security.ugg boots outlet

Allen did not provide details on the incident. The Koran is the holy book of Islam.

Winning the hearts and minds of Afghans is critical to U.S. efforts to defeating the Taliban, but critics say Western forces often fail to grasp Afghanistan’s religious and cultural sensitivities.

“I offer my sincere apologies for any offence this may have caused, to the president of Afghanistan, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan,” said Allen.
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Protests raged for three days across Afghanistan in April last year after a U.S. pastor burned a Koran in Florida.

Eleven people were killed when demonstrators stormed a U.N. compound in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, including seven foreign U.N. workers. Another riot in the southern city of Kandahar left nine dead and more than 80 wounded.
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But to reach a successful outcome, the finance ministers had to fight on many fronts.

The representatives of private holders of Greek debt had to agree to steeper losses than they had previously said was possible in a voluntary debt relief. The Institute of International Finance said that the bond swap could see Greece’s debt reduced by euro107 billion immediately, while longer repayment deadlines and lower interest rates will cut its debt servicing costs over the next decade.
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Releases The Hour of Tiamat and Book of Dreams and Nightmares

We’ve all heard of the Mayan predictions of a vast change coming in the year 2012; but it turns out the ancient Sumerian people had a very similar prophecy…

The dreaded Necronomicon, a book of fable said to contain all the ancient knowledge of the Sumerian civilization has surfaced and fallen into the hands of four teenagers in a small Texas town. Tonight, after years of studying its dark teachings in secret, they gather to call back to Earth those Gods that tried to enslave humanity over ten thousand years ago, and in turn become rulers themselves.
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Under threat of his life, Tristan helps them complete the ritual; but does that mean it is too late to stop this apocalypse? With Evelyn, whose past and future seem inextricably linked to Tristan, their friend Hunter and a host of surprising paranormal helpers, Tristan will race against murderers, monsters, and time itself to shut the ancient gate before our evil creators are upon us again.
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Book of Dreams and Nightmares

This book of poetry describes in vivid imagery the fantastic landscapes and dark creatures from beyond your worst nightmares and your most beautiful dreams! A memoir of my own imagination, these sometimes sinister, sometimes breathtaking, but always intense dreams will leave you thinking twice about closing your own eyes at night!
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Crystallized-Book 1 of the Crystal Chronicles (Coming soon)

Rachael Elizabeth can proudly say that she isn’t a typical fifteen year old girl.

Unfortunately, she’s surrounded by people who want her to be. In a world that doesn’t reward individuality, she leads a frustrating existence. Between parents who want her to get married and peers that want her to stop asking questions, she is thankful for her only friend Annalise.ugg bottes soldes

But if she thought she was strange before, that’s nothing compared to after the dream. Rachael is used to having strange dreams, but when a powerful crystal necklace jumps from her dreams to real life, her world is turned upside down. Add a book with no writing, a cryptic message from a vanishing woman, and a faery named Ki who seems to know more about Rachael than Rachael does, and she is soon doubting her sanity; at least until Annalise has the same dream.ugg bottes soldes

Now a darkness is growing in the forest and Rachael and Annalise are finding that powers in a structure driven society are hard to hide. Driven out of their town and with nowhere to run, they must find a way to stop a demonic takeover that could destroy their world. Discover the beginning of an epic journey in which the girls will not only begin to discover other worlds, but the magical origins of their own. Book 1 of the Crystal Chronicles.
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Lisa Taylor

Lisa Taylor has been writing since she was only nine years old. Moving around the country as a child, books were her constant friend and learning new things was her favorite pass time.

At eighteen years old, Lisa was accepted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She graduated in May of 2010 with a degree in physics. During her time in the military she traveled all over the world. Unfortunately, she was soon medically discharged from the military, and after a short time at graduate school, she began to publish her writing.

Her debut novel, The Hour of Tiamat and the poetry anthology Book of Dreams and Nightmares are currently for sale. She also wrote an action series of short stories, the Shana Black series. She lives in Kentucky with her sister and two beautiful Border Collies, and she is currently writing the first book of her upcoming fantasy trilogy The Crystal Chronicles.

Holding Banks Accountable

Too often, real progress in Washington can be stymied by bureaucratic red tape, turf fights, or conflicts between federal and state authorities. Unfortunately, it has become a place where partisan deadlock and political games can threaten to crowd out substantive debate.

In times of crisis — when people’s livelihoods are in jeopardy and families are losing their homes to foreclosure — they deserve better than intransigent bureaucracy. They need and deserve a government that actually solves problems.

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This week, the Obama Administration and a bipartisan coalition of 49 state attorneys general demonstrated what can be accomplished when people put aside turf wars and focus on what they can do to make things better. By working closely with one another across federal agencies, state boundaries, and party lines, we reached a historic mortgage servicing settlement on behalf of American homeowners.

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This $25 billion joint federal-state civil settlement — the largest ever obtained — addresses foreclosure processing violations by the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers. It will provide immediate relief to 1.75 million homeowners, in part by forcing banks to reduce the principal balance on many loans, refinancing loans for “underwater” borrowers, and paying billions of dollars to states and consumers.

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The need for a settlement on this scale has long been clear. Some five years after the housing bubble burst, America continues to pay a steep price. Lenders sold loans to people who couldn’t afford them and packaged mortgages to make profits that turned out to be nothing more than a mirage. Their actions hurt millions of families who did the right thing, but still lost their houses or saw their home prices drop. And, unfortunately, as our extensive investigations found, abuses continued long after consumers bought their homes.
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In response to thousands of mortgage servicing complaints fielded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), state attorneys general, and banking regulators across the country, HUD initiated a large-scale review of the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) ten largest servicers in the summer of 2010. Devoting some 6,000 hours to reviewing servicing files for thousands of FHA-insured loans, the scope of this review soon broadened to encompass a long list of mortgage servicing issues, including lost paperwork, long delays, and missed deadlines for loan modifications.
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The Justice Department’s U.S. Trustees Program reviewed more than 37,000 bankruptcy claims and motions filed by the top five servicers. And HUD’s Office of the Inspector General, the Justice Department, and state authorities discovered that the country’s five largest loan servicers routinely signed foreclosure-related documents without knowing whether the facts they contained were correct.

Some have asked why we don’t address these actions by taking the banks to court. But rather than pursuing hundreds of lawsuits with varying degrees of success, the goal of this settlement has been to benefit struggling homeowners and to do so now — not sometime in the future, when it may be too late to help many families.
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That’s why first and foremost, this agreement puts billions into the hands of consumers – helping roughly a million families who owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth by reducing the overall balance of their loan. Principal reduction on this scale will not only help underwater homeowners start to build equity again — it will aid their neighbors, many of whom watched their own property values plummet by $5,000-10,000 simply because they lived on the same block as a foreclosed home.