Tuesday April 14 Housing and Economic stories

TOP STORIES:

Call made in China for national housing bank to prop up property - (www.reuters.com)  China should establish a national housing bank to optimize use of the country's housing provident funds, which have over 3.7 trillion yuan ($597.45 billion) at their disposal, according to an article written by an official with Ministry of Housing and Urban, Rural Construction. A national housing bank could offer low interest rate housing loans to help middle and low income home buyers, bolstering demand in a sluggish real estate market, and reducing risks for commercial banks, the official said in the article cited by Xinhua News Agency on Monday. Zhang Qiguang, head of the Ministry's housing provident fund supervision department, also proposed the housing fund include rural workers who seek jobs in urban areas and offer government support to help them buy homes, Xinhua said. Just a week ago, China offered tax breaks to home buyers and reduced down payment requirements for the second time in six months, in a bid to halt a slide in house prices that is threatening to undermine the world's second-biggest economy.

Children 'banned from running in playground' of Gravesend primary school - (www.newshopper.co.uk)  Children at a Gravesend primary school have been "banned from running in the playground", in a move branded "a step too far" by an angry mother. Rachael Sparks says her son, 11-year-old Diesel, returned home from Riverview Juniors in Cimba Wood on March 27 upset because he and other children had been told they could no longer run in the playground. Ms Sparks, 41, of St Hildas Way, told News Shopper: "My son came home on Friday and said 'they've banned running in the playground mummy'. "I thought I am not going to react too much, too quickly, because kids do get it wrong sometimes. "I thought I'd check with the receptionist when I took him to school on Monday. "I went in to school to speak to them as I thought he must have misunderstood, I mean, what else is a playground for in a primary school if not for running around and letting off a bit of steam?

POLICE STATE - Virginia Cops Arrest Woman For Cursing On Facebook - (www.fedgeno.com) A Facebook feud ends with a Chesterfield woman in police custody. She was charged with harassment by computer. "I feel like it's ridiculous because we were all guilty," said 26-year-old Kristin Holmes. "And I admit...I was childish and argued as well. Everybody was arguing." Kristin says she was mistaken for another woman. She decided to post a photo with her holding a gun. "I'll post a few actual pics of me so you know the difference when you 'come find me,'" read the Facebook caption. "What happened to freedom of speech?" said Holmes. "And it was just a picture. It wasn't a threat. I thought it was a funny picture, and then I realized later that it was a little bit intimidating. So I took it down." Holmes now faces a Class 1 misdemeanor that could lead to one year in jail and up to a $2,500 fine. "And there is no such thing as a petty crime," said Kevin Carroll with the Fraternal Order of Police. "There is no such thing as a petty offense." According to state code, using a computer to send vulgar or indecent language or to threaten illegal or immoral acts could get you slapped with the same charge.

WORLD RENOWNED PIANIST CENSORED IN TORONTO FOR QUESTIONING UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT  - (www.infowars.com) Virtuoso pianist Valentina Lisitsa has been replaced by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and accused of engaging in public incitement of hatred after she posted political opinions critical of the Ukrainian government’s conduct in the country’s civil war. Lisitsa, who was born in Kiev, is a world renowned pianist, with some of her performances garnering millions of views on YouTube. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s aggressive attempt to censor her is a chilling insight into how perfectly legitimate political views that challenge the mainstream can be treated as “offensive” or “hate speech” and used to cripple someone’s career. The TSO canceled Lisitsa’s concerts after the pianist drew attention to the plight of citizens in eastern Ukraine, who have been the victims of bombing raids carried out by the Ukrainian military. Lisitsa originally supported the Maidan uprising but later realized that it had been hijacked by corrupt interests.

'One Of The Worst Journalistic Catastrophes Of The Last Half-Century' - (www.dailycaller.com)  Fox News’ Howard Kurtz called the false Rolling Stone story on rape at the University of Virginia “one of the worst journalistic catastrophes of the last half-century.” Kurtz, who made the comments on “The Kelly File” to host Megyn Kelly Monday night, said it’s “unimaginable” that the story made it to print. “It’s not just that the magazine didn’t talk to the alleged attackers and there was no deal with the accuser named ‘Jackie’ to do that; the magazine didn’t talk to ‘Jackie’s’ friends, who would have shot down this fraudulent scheme had they been contacted,” Kurtz said. “The editors didn’t even know the name of the alleged date that took her to the alleged frat party where the alleged assault took place. Not surprising, in retrospect, since no such person exists.” “You have the founder and publisher of this music magazine saying, Well, we were taken in by an expert fabulist. Well, OK, but irrelevant,” Kurtz told Kelly. “Anybody who’s been in the journalism business for three weeks knows that people tell all kinds of false stories. It’s your job to check and to double check, especially with such heinous allegations that roiled the University of Virginia campus, that set back the whole sensitivity about sexual assault, that libeled this fraternity.

OTHER STORIES:

In Greenspan Conundrum Redux, Odds Are on Bond Traders’ Side - (www.bloomberg.com)
Dudley Says Fed Tightening Pace Will Probably Be Shallow - (www.bloomberg.com)
Larry Summers: The Past Month May Go Down as a Turning Point for U.S. Economic Power - (www.bloomberg.com)
China Gets 2nd Onshore Default as Cloud Live Date Missed - (www.bloomberg.com)
[AP] Strikes Proliferate in China as Working Class Awakens - (www.ap.org)

Russian Inflation at Fastest in 13 Years After Ruble Crisis - (www.bloomberg.com)
Overflowing Corn Bins Spur Most Bearish Outlook Ever on Grains - (www.bloomberg.com)
Once Over $12 Trillion, the World’s Reserves Are Now Shrinking - (www.bloomberg.com)
The Golden Boy of Brazilian Finance Faces His Biggest Threat Yet - (www.bloomberg.com)