Home Sales Contracts Slip; Mortgage Rates Fall

Enlarge Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

A home for sale and "under contract" is seen in Rockville, Md. The National Association of Realtors said its index of sales agreements dropped 2.6 percent last month.

Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

A home for sale and "under contract" is seen in Rockville, Md. The National Association of Realtors said its index of sales agreements dropped 2.6 percent last month.

The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy previously occupied homes fell in August from a two-year high in July. Meanwhile, 30-year mortgage rates continued falling, hitting a record low of 3.40 percent this week.

The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that its index of sales agreements dropped 2.6 percent last month to 99.2. In July, the index rose to 101.9. That was the highest level since April 2010, when the market benefited from a federal home-buying tax credit.

A reading of 100 is considered healthy. The index is 10.7 percent higher than it was a year ago. The index bottomed at 75.88 in June 2010 after the tax credit expired.

Contract signings typically indicate where the housing market is headed. There's generally a one- to two-month lag between a signed contract and a completed deal. Last month, completed sales hit a two-year high.

Most recent data points to steady improvement in the housing market. Home prices rose nationwide in July

Whitmarsh: Hamilton move a mistake

Lewis Hamilton has been warned by McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh that leaving them for Mercedes is a mistake.

Mercedes confirmed on Friday morning that Hamilton would be joining them on a three-year deal from the start of the 2013 Formula One season, ending a 14-year association with McLaren.

Hamilton will replace Michael Schumacher at the German team, with Mexican driver Sergio Perez - currently with Sauber - stepping in for the Briton at McLaren.

Hamilton has described his move as a "fresh challenge" but Whitmarsh believes the switch makes it less likely he will achieve his ambition of matching his hero Ayrton Senna and becoming a three-time world champion.

"Mercedes is a great partner of ours and they are a great team," Whitmarsh said.

"But for anyone leaving McLaren, and he wants to win, I think that's a mistake because I have faith and belief in this team.

"Whether you measure it over the last four races, four years or 40 years, we're a fantastic team.

"So I would say to any

Pradaxa Lawsuit Moves Forward

Pradaxa Lawsuit Moves Forward

Pradaxa Lawsuit Moves Forward

09/27/2012 – Pradaxa Lawsuit Moves Forward: The Pradaxa Lawsuit multidistrict ligation certified by the the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict litigation earlier this year will continue to move forward despite defendants motions to stop the Pradaxa Lawsuit through various motions.

The number of Pradaxa Deaths that have been reported to the FDA and that the maker of Pradaxa has admitted to being aware of continues to increase. Many Pradaxa Internal Bleeding events, the more serious of the bleeding events linked to Pradaxa are more than likely responsible for the number of Pradaxa Deaths that have

Croatian initiative targets global water cleanup

By thinking globally and acting locally a Croatian-based environmental NGO aims to make a difference.

By Miki Trajkovski for Southeast European Times in Ohrid -- 27/09/2012

Environmentalists warn that regular cleanups of Lake Ohrid are a must due to dumping that endangers natural spawning of endemic fish. [Reuters]

Raising concern over the increasing pollution of the waters in the Balkans prompted a global initiative to clean the sea, lakes and rivers that have become solid waste dump sites.

The Global Underwater Awareness Association, based in Croatia, organised the first global action to clean the shorelines in more than 20 countries. In just a few hours, a total of 100,000 tonnes of solid waste was removed. Almost all of the Southeast Europe countries were involved in the action.

The association is a new, non-profit environmental NGO financed by British businessman Bernie Ecclestone, with an aim to raise public

Moldova rejects Russia's gas ultimatum

The pro-European administration in Chisinau is not willing to meet Moscow's conditions for cheaper gas exports.

By Paul Ciocoiu for Southeast European Times in Bucharest -- 26/09/12

If Moldova joins the Third Energy Package, Russian gas giant Gazprom will be forced to sell part of its gas infrastructure in the country. [Reuters]

Moscow's warning to Moldova to give up its co-operation with the EU in return for cheaper Russian gas was met with reticence in Chisinau and drew alarm calls from economic analysts who ruled out any possibility that the former Soviet republic will yield to the ultimatum.

During a visit to Russia earlier this month, Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat tried to negotiate lower gas prices with his counterpart Dmitry Medvedev

Kosovo launches trade agreement talks with Turkey

Negotiations with Ankara are expected to last for one year.

By Muhamet Brajshori for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 25/09/12

Turkish exports to Kosovo were more than 20 million euros in 2011. [Reuters]

The government of Kosovo has launched talks with Turkey on a free trade agreement, which would be Pristina's first since Kosovo became independent in 2008.

Kosovo Trade and Industry Minister Mimoza Kusari-Lila and Turkey Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan began negotiations on September 3rd in Ankara.

Kusari-Lila said that the Kosovo's economy is smaller than the Turkish economy, so Pristina will need to protect some of its strategic sectors for a few years.

"Since our economy about 70 percent is composed from services, we kindly ask that

Fighting Global Poverty With Business Strategies

More than a decade ago, The Economist magazine called Africa, "the hopeless continent," but a more recent cover story reads, "Africa Rising." The U.S. foreign assistance agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, has supported the turn around. The group's CEO Daniel Yohannes speaks with host Michel Martin.

Source: NPR : National Public Radio

FedEx and UPS Commit to Not Ship Research Mammals

Research beagles being air-freighted by Lufthansa before the carrier changed its policy. Image: PETA

The Best Science Writing Online 2012

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

Read More »

By Meredith Wadman of Nature magazine

For researchers who rely on lab animals shipped from distant sources, and for the companies that breed them, the options are narrowing again. This week, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will announce that it has obtained written assurances from the world’s two largest air-cargo carriers, FedEx and UPS, that they will not transport mammals for laboratory use. UPS says that it is also planning to further “restrict” an exemption that allows the transport of amphibians, fish, insects and other non-mammals.

Neither company currently ships large numbers of lab animals. But PETA, an activist group based in Norfolk, Virginia, sought the carriers’ written assurances as a way to foreclose alternatives for lab-animal breeders and their customers, who are increasingly being confronted with bans on transport by passenger airlines. “FedEx and UPS were not transporting many or any animals, but we felt it was crucial to go to them and discuss this as we knew that facilities trying to send non-human primates and other species would be going to them soon, as more and more passenger airlines refused to

BiH conference emphasises forgiveness and reconciliation

Regional politicians and heads of religions agree that the future of the Balkans lies in the co-existence of peoples and religions.

By Bedrana Kaletovic for Southeast European Times in Sarajevo -- 22/09/12

Strengthening interfaith dialogue was one of the focal areas of the recently held international peace meeting in Sarajevo. [Reuters]

Stevo Simic, a Serb, and Semsundin Osmanovic, a Muslim Bosniak, are among the returnees to Pozarnica, a small Serbian town in the northeast of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH). Both avoid pointing out their religious background because, as they say, being human is what

Balkan police co-operate to fight cybercrime

Officials seek greater collaboration to confront the wide-ranging opportunities computers and the Internet offers criminals.

By Drazen Remikovic for Southeast European Times in Sarajevo -- 21/09/12

Officials said training of police personnel is perhaps the most important factor in deterring cybercrime. [Reuters]

Police officials agree co-operation, as well as training, is needed to adequately address computer-conducted crime, which increasingly affects citizens' property and safety.

Cyber criminals are often felony offenders capable of operating locally as well as internationally, said Gojko Vasic, general director of police in Republika Srpska in BiH.

Vasic noted a recent internet fraud case that his department participated in included police from more

Biosphere reserve to include three countries

Implementing a biosphere reserve in a region that covers Macedonia, Albania and Greece aims to improve economic prospects and co-operation.

By Miki Trajkovski for Southeast European Times in Ohrid -- 20/09/12

The protected area includes lake, national parks and nature reserves in the three countries. [Miki Trajkovski/SETimes]

The Ohrid and Prespa region, which is spread over Macedonia, Albania and Greece, will be declared a cross-border biosphere reserve under the protection of UNESCO.

The 4,000-square-kilometer area provides institutional protection of the natural and cultural heritage of the region, as well as the possibility for economic progress and co-operation for about 200,000 people who live in this part of

Do Scores Go Up When Teachers Return Bonuses?

David Franklin/iStockphoto.com

An incentive system that gave bonuses to teachers upfront, with the threat of having to give the money back if student performance didn't improve, proved effective in one study.

In Chicago, parents were fuming over a weeklong strike by teachers. Around the rest of the country, in the face of growing evidence that many U.S. students are falling behind, administrators have tried to devise different ways to motivate teachers.

Among the contentious issues is whether teachers should be held accountable for their students' performance on standardized tests. Such efforts have produced enormous conflicts between school districts and teachers. In many parts of the country, administrators and teachers have fought one another to a standstill.

That's where a novel social science study may have the potential to shift the conversation.

Economist John List at the University of Chicago recently conducted an unusual field experiment in Chicago Heights, a school district near Chicago. List and his colleagues found a struggling school district: Only 64 percent of students met minimum state requirements on achievement tests. Nearly all the kids qualified for free or reduced-price school lunches, a measure of straitened socio-economic conditions.

List and his colleagues, Roland G. Fryer, Steven Levitt and Sally Sadoff, divided 150 teachers into three groups. One group got no incentive; they just went about their school year as usual. A second group was promised a bonus if their students did well at math.

The third group is where

Injury forces Bartoli pull-out in Guangzhou

Top seed Marion Bartoli was forced to retire during the opening set of her first-round match at the Guangzhou International Women's Open.

Bartoli, currently ranked 10th in the world, was trailing 4-3 to qualifier Kai-Chen Chang before an injury led to her withdrawal from the match.

Jie Zheng of China, the tournament's second seed, also benefited from a retirement in her opening-round match when opponent Yung-Jan Chan pulled out while trailing 5-3 in the first set.

Zheng will meet Britain's Laura Robson in the second round after her victory over Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor on Monday.

The third and fourth seeds also

Venezuela and Argentina sign 24 agreements in the oil-food industries

Minister Ramirez Carreño: pointing south to further integrate to Mercosur

“We have signed 24 productive work agreements among the corporations attending the meeting”, said Venezuela’ Foreign minister Nicolas Maduro, adding that the two-day event was part of the “standing plan to develop bilateral relations”.

Maduro said the agreements are in the framework of Mercosur, to which Venezuela was admitted as a full member last July 31. Both countries are further ‘accelerating’ the union and diversification of their economies

Cholesterol Confusion: Researchers Closer to Understanding Which Forms of Cholesterol Can Really Hurt Us

The Best Science Writing Online 2012

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

Read More »

We have been hearing for years that high-density lipoprotein (HDL)—the “good cholesterol”—may not be all it's cracked up to be. Now a new study shows that a certain subclass of HDL may actually be “bad,” increasing the risk of coronary heart disease.

A small protein may be to blame. HDL with a small proinflammatory protein called apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III) on its surface may nearly double the risk

'Defenders' law shakes Macedonia politics

VMRO-DPMNE has given parliament a draft law on special rights for members of the country's security forces, but the Albanian coalition partner wants the legislation to cover the NLA as well.

By Klaudia Lutovska for Southeast European Times in Skopje -- 15/09/12

The draft law expands the benefits for the Macedonian Security Forces that participated in the 2001 conflict. [Reuters]

A draft law that would regulate the special and social rights of those who defended the sovereignty of Macedonia during the 2001 conflict was proposed to parliament on Tuesday (September 11th).

The legislation, tabled by the ruling VMRO-DPMNE, has prompted its coalition partner, the Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), to threaten to leave the governing coalition and call early

Srebrenica: A town on the mend

Seventeen years after the worse mass killings in Europe since WWII, the small town of Srebrenica is starting to mend ethnic tensions.

By Mladen Dragojlovic for Southeast European Times in Banja Luka -- 14/09/12

Almir Salihovic and his fiancée Ducisa Rendulic, with their son Jusuf, plan to marry next May. [Rick Westhead/Toronto Star]

Ethnic tensions in Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina are slowly being healed. The town, which was the scene of the worst mass killing in Europe since World War II, is slowly beginning to overcome the horror it lived through 17 years ago.

Bosnian Muslim Almir Salihovic, 28 and his Serbian Croat fiancée, Dusica Rendulic, who is Catholic, plan to get married next May. Theirs would be the first wedding of a multi-ethnic couple in Srebrenica since the 1995 massacre.

The couple, who met

Blast Walls Or Open Arms? Diplomacy's Delicate Mix

The order to tighten security at all U.S. diplomatic posts around the globe following attacks in the Middle East may be necessary, but it will come at a cost.

There has been an enormous increase in security precautions at American embassies and consulates over the past 30 years, and the bubble that many diplomats now operate under makes it more difficult for them to interact with people in other countries, limiting their ability to gather information and promote the American "brand."

"Sometimes I thought security restrictions were overly stringent," says Matthew Bryza, who served as ambassador to Azerbaijan until earlier this year. "We got into a mindset whereby we had a Fortress America concept and really did let hypersecurity take over."

"We could find a much better way to strike a balance between safety and security," he said.

Barriers And Blast Walls

Bombings, assassination attempts and terrorist attacks are a near-constant part of diplomatic work in parts of the world. Just this week, U.S. embassies were stormed in the capitals of Egypt and Yemen and an attack on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

Egyptian riot police stood guard Tuesday as protesters climbed down from the wall of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo during a protest over a film deemed offensive to Islam.

"American ambassadors around the world are targets," says Ross Wilson, a former ambassador to Turkey. "They're targets of would-be assassins and terrorist groups and people with more or less serious grievances."

Security for overseas missions became a more pressing issue following the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon. A major study released in 1985 by the State Department, known as the Inman Report, recommended changes to diplomatic facilities overseas.

Such concerns were underscored by the simultaneous bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, linked to al-Qaida, that left more than 200 people dead and 5,000 wounded. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, led to further precautions and restrictions for diplomatic personnel at American embassies and consulates.

Today, it's commonplace for U.S. missions to be surrounded not just by Marines and indigenous security personnel, but by traffic barriers and blast walls.

Some security choices are made for budgetary reasons, says John Campbell, a former ambassador to Nigeria. It costs less to build a new, high-walled embassy in a corn field, for example, than to retrofit older facilities in capital cities and hire the necessary security personnel.

"Embassies have been increasingly moved out of the center of cities to less settled areas where you can have bigger setbacks, greater distance from the roads and other buildings," says James Dobbins, a former assistant secretary of state.

Free-Range Diplomacy

Pig Flu Virus Strain Shown to Have Pandemic Potential

Pigs are one of several potential sources of deadly new strains of influenza. Image: JEON HEON-KYUN/epa/Corbis

The Best Science Writing Online 2012

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

Read More »

From Nature magazine

The emergence of the H1N1 influenza virus that leapt from pigs to humans in 2009, triggering a global pandemic, reminded us of the need to monitor animals such as pigs that can host the development of dangerous viral strains.

A study published today re-emphasizes that need. Young-Ki Choi at Chungbuk National University in Cheongju, South Korea, and his colleagues have isolated a new strain of H1N2 influenza from Korean pigs that kills infected ferrets — the model

Changes to doctors’ pay splits health care sector in Macedonia

Efforts to reward hard-working doctors are being disputed by the health care sector.

By Aleksandar Pavlevski for Southeast European Times in Skopje -- 11/09/12

About 90 percent of the Skopje Clinical Centres staff said they will strike against the plan. [Aleksandar Pavlevski/SETimes]

A proposed payment system for Macedonian doctors that would give bonuses to those who meet a monthly quota – and dock the pay for those who do not – is the latest effort in the region to modify physician salaries.

The Macedonian Health Ministry's performance-based pay system gives doctors a 20 percent monthly bonus if they meet a required number of patients. Those who do not meet the

Balkans celebrate peace with musical tribute

A campaign promoting peace and unity marks the 100th anniversary of the Balkan Wars with a concert series.

By Biljana Lajmanovska for Southeast European Times in Skopje -- 10/09/12

A series of concerts to promote peace and unity includes performers from nine Balkan countries. [Biljana Lajmanovska/SETimes]

Turkish Radio Television (TRT) kicked off of a concert series in Skopje last week marking the 100-year-anniversary of the Balkan Wars. Under the theme "From Balkan Wars to Balkan Peace," the project's goal is to stress the value of peace as well as to point out the strong ties between Turkey and the rest of the Balkan countries.

After almost six months of preparation, the launch of the series brought together performers from nine Balkan countries -- united through music, love for country and peace -- on the same stage with a shared philharmonic orchestra.

Northern Ireland sweat on Evans fitness

Jonny Evans played through the pain in Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifying defeat to Russia but remains a doubt for Tuesday's home clash against Luxembourg.

Evans underwent ankle surgery in the summer, forcing a lengthy rehabilitation and a belated start to the domestic season with Manchester United.

He has yet to feature for the first team this term but was thrust straight into Michael O'Neill's starting XI for the 2-0 defeat in Moscow.

The 25-year-old limped off at half-time but, despite admitting he had been in discomfort from almost the start of the game, he went on to play the

Web broadens public accessibility to the media

Traditional media have accepted the internet as new channel for content distribution even though television is still considered most relevant media.

By Ivana Jovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade -- 08/09/12

Reading and working outside offices is a new trend in the Balkans. [Nada Bozic/SETimes]

The internet has increasingly broadened the accessibility of online media in the region but a debate has ensued about the veracity of information and the usefulness of the diverse internet venues to news consumers, experts said.

Users list the speed, convenience in obtaining and checking information as well as the ability to choose or exclude content, as online media's advantages.

"Online media's most important advantages are interactivity and the possibility to communicate with numerous consumers at the same time," Jelena Zugic, associate professor of business at the Montenegro Business School in Podgorica,

Hummer Driver Diverts Potentially Fatal Crash

Darrell Krushelnicki was waiting at an intersection in Alberta, Canada, when he noticed a speeding Pontiac careening toward four pedestrians. The driver appeared to be talking on his phone, and wasn't slowing down. That's when Krushelnicki eased his Hummer into the street, took the hit himself, and saved some lives.

Source: NPR : National Public Radio

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Preview

United States forward Clint Dempsey admits he is glad to be back training among a group after his stand-off with Fulham this season.

Having made his desire to leave the Cottagers clear, Dempsey had been spending a lot of time doing solo sessions over the past few weeks.

The situation was brought to an end on Friday when the 29-year-old completed a move to Tottenham and he joined up with his US colleagues soon after ahead of the team's CONCACAF World Cup qualifying Group A double-header against Jamaica.

The first of those games is in Kingston tomorrow and speaking about

Relief for Piñera: congress approves tax reform to provide funds for education

The approval comes ahead of municipal elections in October

The tax overhaul driven by Piñera's conservative coalition will increase state revenue by some 1 billion dollars per year - about 0.4% of GDP in the world's biggest copper producer.

Businesses in Chile will face a higher tax rate of 20% and fewer loopholes to evade them, though the tax rate remains well below Latin America's average rate of 25.06% in 2011, according to accountancy firm KPMG.

Hefty tax cuts

Police accuse travel agent of 'abortion tourism'

Swift action by the Turkish Tourism Ministry has left one travel agency without a license.

By Tulin Daloglu and Bedrana Kaletovic for Southeast European Times in Ankara and Sarajevo -- 04/09/12

More than 3,000 women took to the streets in June in Istanbul to protest a plan to change Turkey's abortion law. [Reuters]

Weeks after a proposed tightening of Turkey's abortion law sparked public protests, officials have stripped a tourism agency of its license for allegedly suggesting out-of-state travel destinations where women could have the medical procedure.

Barracuda Tours and its owner, Cen Polatoglu, deny the allegation that the

New Twist In Pakistan Quran Burning Case

Pakistani police are investigating whether a Muslim cleric who allegedly tried to frame a Christian girl for blasphemy should be charged with insulting Islam himself and potentially face life in prison, a police officer said Monday.

Khalid Chisti was arrested Saturday after a member of his mosque accused him of stashing pages of a Quran in a Christian girl's bag to make it seem like she burned the Islamic holy book. He allegedly planted the evidence to push Christians out of his neighborhood in Islamabad. He has denied the allegations.

The case has generated significant international attention because of reports that the girl is as young as 11 and is mentally handicapped.

Human rights activists have long criticized Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws, saying they are misused to persecute non-Muslims and settle personal vendettas. They have hailed Chisti's arrest as unprecedented and hope it

Premier League Sunday LIVE!

Liverpool will take on Arsenal, with both sides looking to pick up their first win of the season. Who will come up on top? Find out as we cover the action LIVE!

Liverpool may still be winless in the Premier League, having lost their first game and drew their next, but Reds defender Jose Enrique is confident that despite their nondescript start to the campaign, they will be able to beat Arsenal, who are yet to score a goal, when the Gunners take to the pitch at Anfield.

"I think we play better against these types of teams, we'll play at Anfield, which is good for us, and if we play as

In Bike-Friendly Copenhagen, Highways For Cyclists

Slim Allagui/AFP/Getty Images

Many Copenhagen residents already travel by bike, and now the city is building high-speed routes designed to encourage commuters even in the outlying suburbs.

Every day, one-third of the people of Copenhagen ride their bikes to work or school. Collectively, they cycle more than 750,000 miles daily, enough to make it to the moon and back. And city officials want even more people to commute, and over longer distances.

So a network of 26 new bike routes, dubbed "the cycling superhighway," is being built to link the surrounding suburbs to Copenhagen.

Lars Gaardhoj, an official with the Copenhagen capital region, says the routes will be straight and direct.

"It will be very fast for people who use their bike," he says. "This is new because traditionally cycle paths have been placed where there is space for them and the cars didn't run. So now the bike is going to challenge the car."

The first highway, to the busy suburb of Albertslund some 10 miles outside the city, was completed in April.

To test it, I got a rental bike and went out for a ride.

No Place For Slowpokes

One of the first things you learn about these bike lanes is that you have to move in fast. This is not leisurely biking — this is serious stuff in Copenhagen.

It's a parallel world of transportation: You've got the cars on the roads and the people on their bikes. There are thousands and thousands of people on their bikes here in this city.

Enlarge Courtesy of Eleanor Beardsley for NPR

NPR reporter Eleanor Beardsley rides in one of the new bike lanes in Copenhagen. The city is building more