Inggris akan Dilanda Hujan Darah

Ghiboo.com - Bertepatan dengan perayaan Halloween pada tahun ini, Inggris akan dilanda sebuah fenomena cuaca yang cukup aneh, yakni badai yang disertai dengan hujan darah.

Menurut pengamat cuaca setempat, badai hujan darah ini sama seperti badai debu yang melanda Sydney tahun lalu, dimana debu merah dari Gurun Sahara di Afrika akan terbawa angin ke arah Eropa.

Namun debu yang terbawa ke daerah Eropa akan bercampur dengan air, hal ini karena pada saat yang bersamaan wilayah Eropa sedang diguyur hujan. Oleh karena itu, hujan yang akan melanda Inggris akan berwarna merah seperti darah.

Dilansir dari News, Senin (22/10) kantor metereologi London mengatakan, bahkan sebagian wilayah Inggris, khususnya wilayah Tenggara Inggris akan mengalami badai salju darah.

"Udara yang hangat telah ditarik dari jauh selatan ke utara di Afrika, dan menyebar ke utara. Dengan tekanan yang cukup kuat maka badai ini akan menjadi badai salju dan akan melanda wilayah Skotlandia, Inggris utara, dan Inggris tenggara," ungkap staf badan metereologi London, Emma Sharples.

Fenomena cuaca yang menarik ini diperkirakan akan bersamaan dengan perayaan Halloween yang jatuh pada (31/10). Tentunya akan semakin menambah dramatis suasana perayaan yang bernuansa hantu dan monster tersebut.

Badai hujan darah ini akan semakin melengkapi fenomena alam yang terjadi di sebagian bumi. Diperkirakan pada saat yang bersamaan, dibelahan bumi lainnya langit-langit akan penuhi jutaan cahanya bintang, hal ini karena pada saat tersebut bumi sedang melewati puing-puing komet Hayley.

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"Barca Hebat, tapi Bisa Dikalahkan"

BARCELONA, KOMPAS.com - Bomber  Celtic, Miku, mengakui Barcelona sebagai tim terbaik dunia. Mesipun demikian, Miku menilai timnya tetap berpeluang mengalahkan Barcelona, pada matchday ketiga Grup G Liga Champions, di Camp Nou, Selasa (23/10/2012).

Menurut pemberitaan di Spanyol, Barca akan melawan Celtic tanpa dua bek tengah andalan, Carles Puyol dan Gerard Pique. Kedua pemain itu masih dalam masa pemulihan cedera. Hal ini disebut Miku sebagai salah satu keuntungan untuk timnya.

"Mereka memiliki beberapa pemain cedera dan kami mendapatkan peluang," ujar Miku.

Miku yang merupakan pemain pinjaman dari Getafe mengaku sangat mengenal karakter permainan Lionel Messi dan kawan-kawan. "Aku pernah menang, kalah, dan imbang dengan Barcelona. Pertandingan ini akan menjadi laga yang sulit. Mereka tim terbaik dunia saat ini," beber pemain asal Venezuela tersebut.

"Aku pernah melawan Messi dan dia selalu berpikir soal mencetak gol. Messi masih mungkin dihentikan. Namun, saat Anda berpikir bahwa Barcelona bukan hanya Messi, kami harus mewaspadai semua pemain," sambungnya.

Pada laga terakhirnya, Barcelona menang 5-4 atas Deportivo La Coruna, di Riazor, Sabtu (20/10/2012). Barcelona menang meski bermain dengan sepuluh orang sejak Javier Mascherano diganjar kartu merah pada menit ke-49.

Pertandingan itu disaksikan langsung oleh pelatih Celtic, Neil Lennon. Senada dengan Miku, Lennon menilai pasukannya punya kemampuan meraih poin di Camp Nou.

"Kami memiliki kecepatan dan kemampuan teknis. Laga ini adalah tantangan luar biasa bagi pemain," ulas Lennon.

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Agus Marto Sayangkan Jika BPK Bisa Diintervensi Terkait Hambalang

Jakarta - Menteri Keuangan Agus Martowardojo angkat bicara soal polemik dugaan adanya intervensi kepada Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan (BPK) terkait audit proyek Hambalang.

Agus menyayangkan jika BPK sampai diintervensi seperti yang diduga oleh anggota Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan (BPK) Taufiequrrachman Ruki.

"Audit BPK sekarang belum selesai tapi di minggu lalu, ketika baca harian Kompas, Taufiequrrachman Ruki sampaikan ada intervensi sangat saya sayangkan kalau sampai terjadi intervensi. Taufiequrrachman Ruki suatu figur yang mempunyai kredibilitas sebagai ketua KPK, terus kemudian menjadi anggota BPK, kalau sampai ada potensi internvensi jangan sampai terjadi," kata Agus di gedung DPR-RI, Senin (22/10/20120

Menurut Agus BPK tak boleh ada diintervensi karena badan ini adalah lembaga terhormat yang harus dihargai, bahkan sebagai auditor tertinggi di Indonesia.

"Yang jadi perhatian saya adalah Pak Taufiequrrachman Ruki di media itu bahwa sebelumnya ada draft dari audit kemudian terjadi perbedaan, jadi hal itu kalau sampai betul-betul seperti itu disayangkan," katanya.

Agus memuturkan soal proyek Hambalang sudah dianggarkan sebelum ia jadi menteri keuangan di pertengahan 2010. Seperti diketahui proyek ini sudah ada sejak akhir 2009.

"Tapi yang saya ingin yakinkan adalah tolong jangan sampai diintervensi, karena itu betul soal hasil audit yang menjadi referensi orang banyak," katanya.

"Kalau untuk di kementerian keuangan kami yakin kalau seandainya ada isu atau permasalahan tentang anggaran pasti ada hubungannya dengan kemenkeu, karena seperti yang saya sudah pernah jelaskan, itu kantor penanggung jawab proyek itu kurang lebih ada 24 ribu kantor ini penanggung jawab proyek berhubungan dengan Kemenkeu," katanya.

Seperti diketahui Taufiequrrachman Ruki sempat mengakui adanya intervensi dalam audit Hambalang cukup mengejutkan. Ruki menyebut nama Menpora dan korporasi yang menerima aliran dana dalam audit Hambalang ditiadakan.

Ruki memberi sinyal ada intervensi dalam hasil akhir audit terkait kasus Hambalang itu. "Tidak ada nama Menpora dan korporasi-korporasi yang menerima aliran dana dalam, laporan tersebut. Saya meminta tim pemeriksa untuk memperbaiki laporannya," jelas Ruki seperti dikutip dari Kompas, Jumat (19/10/2012).

Karenanya, Ruki mengaku tidak mau membubuhkan tanda tangan dalam laporan itu. Bukan hanya nama Andi, Ruki juga menuturkan dalam proyek itu, ada juga perusahaan PT Dutasari Citralaras, PT Adhi Karya yang namanya tidak tercantum.

PT Dutasari ini terkait dengan istri Ketum PD Anas Urbaningrum, Athiyyah Laila yang pernah menjadi komisaris. Athiyyah pun sudah diperiksa KPK.

Dalam berita Kompas juga disebutkan bahwa selaku pengarah pemeriksa investigatif, audit proyek itu sudah dilaporkan kepadanya beberapa minggu lalu. Dalam sidang anggota BPK pada 17 Oktober 2012, nama Andi dan korporasi itu tidak dimasukkan dalam kesimpulan laporan.

"Saya tidak habis pikir, mengapa nama Menpora dan perusahaan kontraktor tidak masuk. Sebagai menteri ia pasti mengetahui proyek tersebut. Saya menduga ada intervensi dalam pembuatan laporan tersebut," terang Ruki.

(hen/dru)

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Swinney unveils spending plans

20 September 2012 Last updated at 09:30 ET

Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney has started to outline his spending plans for 2013/14.

It is understood that the minister, who is presenting his budget to Holyrood, will signal an end to the public sector pay freeze.

Mr Swinney has said his plans will be a "relentless pursuit of economic growth", despite UK government cuts.

Opposition MSPs earlier warned the economy must be at the heart of the budget.

Continue reading the main story

• Follow as-it-happens video and text coverage of John Swinney presenting his 2013/14 budget to MSPs at Holyrood. The page will be live on the site from 14:30.
• Watch a special BBC 2 Scotland budget programme starting at 14:30.

The freeze on public sector pay for those earning more than £21,000 was implemented in the 2011/12 financial year and was due to come to an end in March 2013.

Mr Swinney has direct control over pay when it comes to Scottish government workers and staff at quangos, but local authority employees negotiate directly with council bosses.

The minister will tell MSPs how much money will be allocated to schools, the NHS, housing and other devolved areas from a total cash budget of £28.4bn.

Ahead of his budget address, he said: "At a time when we face significant economic challenges this government is focussed on jobs, economic growth, protecting public services and supporting Scotland's household budgets.

"The government has argued consistently that we need to have a strong programme of capital investment to support investment in the Scottish economy, in particular the construction sector."

Scottish Conservative finance spokesman, Gavin Brown, warned though that the budget had to put the economy centre stage and not just pay "lip service" to it.

Growth and fairness

He said: "In the past the SNP has simply talked about prioritising the economy without actually doing it. It is time for them to stop harming areas that help economic growth such as housing and colleges, and stop introducing Scotland-only taxes such as the damaging retail levy."

Labour's finance spokesman Ken Macintosh said he wanted to see a budget for jobs, growth and fairness.

He added: "It is scandalous that rather than putting in place a substantial employment programme, the SNP have now laid off more than 30,000 public sector workers in little more than a year.

"John Swinney needs to stop hiding behind Westminster or trying to blame our local authorities and start taking responsibility for his own budget decisions."

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-19653187#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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US manufacturing growth 'modest'

20 September 2012 Last updated at 09:39 ET

Growth in the US manufacturing sector remained "modest" during September, according to a closely-watched survey.

The Markit Flash US Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) was unchanged from August's figure of 51.5. A reading above 50 implies growth.

While manufacturing output continued to rise, "growth was only marginal and the weakest for three years", Markit said.

Input price inflation reached a four-month high, the survey found, but there was a slight increase in employment.

New domestic orders continued to rise, but the number of export orders experienced its steepest fall since October 2011.

The index score for new export orders was 47.9, down from 48.8 in August, reflecting poor economic data from China and the eurozone.

Earlier on Thursday, separate PMI surveys indicated that China's manufacturing sector declined for the 11th month in a row in September, although the rate of decline slowed.

Meanwhile activity among eurozone firms suffered its steepest contraction since June 2009, the PMI survey for the region found.

Stimulus measures

The PMI data follows earlier reports from the US Labor Department that initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 3,000 last week to a seasonally-adjusted figure of 382,000.

The four-week moving average of new claims rose by 2,000 to 377,750, its highest level since June.

The Federal Reserve, led by Ben Bernanke, recently announced another round of quantitative easing to help stimulate the US economy.

It intends to buy $40bn (£24.7bn) worth of mortgage-backed securities every month until the jobs market recovers.

The US unemployment rate has been over 8% for three years and currently stands at 8.1%.

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19660959#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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TNK-BP Rosneft deal edges closer

20 September 2012 Last updated at 07:49 ET

BP, the British oil giant, is reportedly close to selling its 50% stake in Russian joint venture TNK-BP to Rosneft, the state-owned oil company.

Under the terms of the deal, BP would take a 12.5% stake in Rosneft worth about $10bn (£6.2bn) plus $15bn in cash, said Russian newpaper Kommersant.

BP and Rosneft are keen to explore the Russian Arctic for oil together.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladmir Putin held talks with both firms.

But a BP spokesman told the BBC: "Talks with all interested parties are continuing. No formal offers have been received, so any figures being bandied about are pure speculation at this stage."

According to other reports, Rosneft has been sounding out US banks for loans to finance the deal.

Strained relations

TNK-BP is jointly owned by Alfa Access Renova (AAR) and BP, after a deal struck in 2003.

On 1 June, BP said it was putting its half of the TNK-BP business up for sale after relations with its fellow shareholder became strained.

Then in July, AAR expressed an interest in increasing its share of the joint venture to 75%, valuing the extra 25% at about $10bn.

This gave it "preferred bidder" status and triggered a 90-day period in which no other interested party would be allowed to conclude a deal with BP.

This period ends mid-October.

Last year, AAR, which is owned by four Russian-born billionaires led by tycoon Mikhail Fridman, was unhappy with BP's attempt to form an exploration alliance with Rosneft and secured a High Court injunction blocking the plan.

TNK-BP is important to BP financially as it accounts for almost a third of the London-based oil firm's total crude production and about 10% of its net income.

Rosneft directors had a board meeting on 17 September at which they agreed to call an "extraordinary meeting" of shareholders, to be held on 30 November in Khabarovsk, Russia.

Item five on the agenda will be "approval of related party transactions" - a possible reference to the TNK-BP deal.

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19659111#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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Spain in successful bond auction

20 September 2012 Last updated at 05:55 ET

Spain's borrowing costs eased at the country's latest bond auction where it raised 4.8bn euros (£3.84bn) after selling three and 10-year bonds.

There was strong demand for the 10-year bonds, with investors bidding for nearly three times the amount on offer.

The average yield was 5.66%, down from 6.65% at the previous auction, and below the 5.95% average for the year.

The government's borrowing costs have fallen since the European Central Bank announced its bond-buying plan.

"Overall the auctions today were taken comfortably," said Nick Stamenkovic of Ria Capital Markets, "but a sustainable decline in yields really depends on the Spanish government coming up to the plate and asking for a sovereign bailout."

Investors bid for 1.6 times the amount of three-year bonds on offer, with an average yield of 3.85%, slightly higher than the year average of 3.82%.

This auction follows an earlier round of fundraising on Tuesday, when the Spanish government raised 4.6bn euros in 12- and 18-month loans on the bond markets.

On 6 September, ECB president Mario Draghi unveiled details of a bond-buying plan aimed at easing the eurozone's debt crisis.

Under the plan, the ECB would agree to buy a potentially unlimited amount of bonds of debt-stricken eurozone members on the condition that these countries made a formal request for bailout funds and stuck to the terms of any deal.

The German Bundesbank remains opposed to the idea.

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19660955#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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Eurozone business activity falls

20 September 2012 Last updated at 05:20 ET

Activity among eurozone firms suffered its steepest contraction since June 2009, according to a survey.

The Markit Flash Eurozone Purchasing Managers' (PMI) Composite Output Index fell to 45.9 in September from 46.3 in August, its lowest level for 39 months.

The composite figure combines services and manufacturing activity, and a figure below 50 indicates contraction.

Markit said the results indicated the eurozone was heading back into recession.

The services PMI activity index fell from 47.2 to 46, but the manufacturing PMI output index rose to 45.5 from 44.4 in August.

"The eurozone downturn gathered further momentum in September, suggesting that the region suffered the worst quarter for three years," said Chris Williamson, Markit's chief economist.

"The flash PMI is consistent with GDP contracting by 0.6% in the third quarter and sending the region back into a technical recession."

However, while there were falls in production and new orders across the eurozone as a whole, Germany's rate of decline slowed "substantially".

"Services even saw a marginal upturn in activity for the first time since May," the report said.

But employment fell for the ninth consecutive month across the eurozone, with French payroll numbers being cut at the fastest rate since November 2009.

Chinese manufacturing

Earlier, the flash PMI manufacturing measure for China had indicated another fall in output in the sector, adding further to eurozone woes.

The survey of factory managers found that while the rate of decline had slowed, manufacturing still fell in September for the 11th month in a row.

The HSBC flash China manufacturing PMI rose from 47.6 in August to 47.8 in September.

China has given the go-head for infrastructure projects worth more than $150bn (£93bn).

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19659506#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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Homes market 'flat like economy'

20 September 2012 Last updated at 05:23 ET

Activity in the UK housing market was subdued in August as the economy was flat and household confidence low, lenders have said.

Gross mortgage lending fell slightly from £12.7bn in July to £12.6bn in August, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said.

This was 4% lower than August last year, the lenders' group said.

It predicted that new schemes to encourage lending could inject some life into the market.

These included the NewBuy scheme, which aims to match newly built properties in England with buyers unable to offer a large deposit.

More significant, the CML argued, would be the Funding for Lending scheme, in which the Bank of England will lend money at below-market rates to the financial institutions in order for them to lend the funds to potential homeowners and businesses.

"The scheme is a bold move that has the potential to greatly influence the course of the housing market over the next year or so," said CML chief economist Bob Pannell.

"While not a panacea for all housing market problems, the scheme does offer the potential to improve the lending environment. Unfortunately, it will be towards year-end before any initial assessment of its impact can be reached."

But there have been some reservations about the scheme.

"The Funding for Lending scheme is bold but there has also been a fair bit of bluster," said Ashley Brown, director of mortgage broker Moneysprite.

"It may have triggered some activity but unfortunately none of it has been in the right areas. It has seen better deals for the people who do not really need them, and little of note for those that do."

In the meantime, the CML is reporting a slow market at present.

"This should not be a big surprise, during a period when the UK economy is pretty flat and household confidence is in the doldrums," Mr Pannell said.

20 Sep, 2012

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UK retail sales hit by Olympics

20 September 2012 Last updated at 04:51 ET

Retail sales in the UK fell during in August as people put off shopping to watch the Olympics, figures show.

Sales fell 0.2% in August from July, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ONS said lower sales were driven by a fall in online sales as consumers watched the Olympics instead of shopping on the internet.

However, sporting goods stores saw a sales boost from the Olympics and the new football season.

Analysts said the weak overall sales figure underlined persistent worries over the strength of the economy.

"With retail sales there may have been a lot of distortions due to the Olympics and the risks are to the downside... there is no sign the UK will bounce back strongly," said Paul Robson, currency strategist at RBS.

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19659806#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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