Asia Stocks, Oil Drop on Europe Crisis

uggs on sale Asian stocks and oil dropped a third day, while the euro touched the lowest level in more than a decade against the yen, on concern Europe's debt crisis will worsen. The Australian dollar fell to a one-year low before the central bank meets to decide on interest rates. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 1.6 percent as of 9:05 a.m. in Tokyo, heading for its lowest close since July 2009. Standard & Poor's 500 Index futures were little changed. The euro traded at 101.09 yen after earlier dropping to 100.76, the weakest since June 2001. Crude sank 1.8 percent to $76.21 a barrel in New York, while copper tumbled 3.8 percent to $6,725 a metric ton in London.

uggs for sale European finance ministers meeting yesterday considered "technical revisions" to a July deal for a second Greek bailout, indicating that bondholders may have to take bigger losses on the nation's debt. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble opposed moves to increase the scale of the euro rescue fund, damping speculation of a breakthrough in Luxembourg talks to quell the debt crisis. "Investors are focused on European sovereign debt, they're focused on European banks, and they're worried about the end game for Greece and the possible contagion to Italy and Spain, and right now that's trumping everything else," Russ Koesterich, the San Francisco-based global chief investment strategist for the IShares unit of BlackRock Inc., said in a Bloomberg Television interview.

louis vuitton outlet His firm oversees $3.66 trillion as the world's largest asset manager. "The market is not likely to bottom until we see some signs of clarity in Europe." Almost eight shares fell for every one that gained on MSCI's Asia Pacific Index, which started the fourth quarter with a 2.6 percent drop yesterday. The gauge is down 21 percent for the year. Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average slipped 1.7 percent and the Kospi Index tumbled 4.8 percent in South Korea, where financial markets were closed for a holiday yesterday. China remains shut for the rest of the week.

www.uggsonsalemart.com The benchmark U.S. stocks gauge dropped 2.9 percent yesterday to close at the lowest level since Sept. 8, 2010. A Commerce Department report today may show factory orders were little changed in August, after a 2.4 percent gain the prior month, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Yields on 10-year Treasuries climbed one basis point to 1.77 percent after dropping 16 basis points yesterday. Thirty- year yields sank 19 basis points yesterday to 2.73 percent, the lowest level since January 2009, after the Federal Reserve bought $2.5 billion of longer-term debt.

Rangers beat Rays on road to take series lead

uggs for cheap It's too bad for the Texas Rangers that they can't play every postseason game against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg. At Tropicana Field, it seems, the Rangers are unbeatable. he Rangers - who won all three away games against the Rays in their American League division series win last season - defeated the Rays, 4-3, on Monday night in Game 3 of the ALDS in front of a sold-out crowd of 32,828. The win gives the Rangers a 2-1 series lead with the Rays facing elimination in Game 4 here on Tuesday, when the game begins at 2:07 p.m.

cheap uggs for sale Texas' Mike Napoli belted a two-run homer in the seventh inning to give the Rangers a 2-1 advantage. Later in the inning, Josh Hamilton lined a single to right, scoring two more runs and providing the Rangers a comfortable lead - a cushion they would need as the Rays scored a run in both the seventh and eighth innings. Texas starter Colby Lewis was almost flawless, striking out six batters in six innings and giving up only one hit - a Desmond Jennings solo homer in the fourth. Jennings homered again in the seventh inning off Mike Adams, cutting the Rangers' lead to 4-3 heading into the ninth inning. But Rangers closer Neftali Feliz held the Rays in the final inning and earned his second save of the series after Kelly Shoppach grounded into a double play to end the game.

louis vuitton outlet Tampa Bay starter David Price, who battled a fingernail issue on the middle finger of his pitching hand, gave up three runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He pitched well but still took the loss against the Rangers, the only team Price has never defeated. Price is now 0-6 in nine career starts against Texas. In last year's ALDS, Price lost home starts to the Rangers in Games 1 and 5. The Rangers, meanwhile, used five relievers to hold off the scrappy Rays, who stranded four runners in scoring position in the final three innings. Sam Fuld grounded out with runners on second and third bases with two outs in the seventh inning, while Ben Zobrist struck out with two men to end the eighth inning.

A.J. expects to be A-OK in start for Yankees

ugg outlet Less than two innings into Game 1, A.J. Burnett was anointed the New York Yankees' pivotal player in their American League Division Series. Tonight, Burnett finally gets to play. "I've been proving people wrong my whole career," says Burnett, who will start Game 4 against the Detroit Tigers. "Obviously, I give them reasons here and there to doubt." Will his start allay the fears of Yankees fans and a significant portion of the New York news media that began cringing as soon as the suspension of Game 1 necessitated a Game 4 start by Burnett? Or will it be another of those games that calls into question why the 34-year-old right-hander has made more than $71 million for a 121-111 career record and is owed $33 million more for the next two seasons?

No one is certain.

ugg outlet store Not even manager Joe Girardi, who called Burnett's September "a complete turnaround from August." Burnett was 2-0 with a 4.30 ERA last month after going 1-2 with a 11.91 ERA in August and 0-3 with 4.83 ERA in July. That inconsistency was enough for Girardi to initially opt for a three-man rotation of CC Sabathia, rookie Ivan Nova and veteran Freddy Garcia, who made the team after coming to spring training on a minor league contract. It's all part of a season-long saga to fill out a rotation behind Sabathia, the starter for Game 1, which was suspended Friday after 1½ innings and picked up Saturday with original Game 2 starter Ivan Nova on the mound instead. "From the day I got to spring training, all we talked about was our rotation, our rotation, our rotation," Girardi said. "Our rotation did OK. We won a lot of games this year."

ugg outlet online Yankees starters won 71 games, five fewer than the Phillies' major league high, but had a 4.03 ERA, 14th-best in the majors and worse than every playoff team but one - the Tigers. Now, with a postseason game hinging on Burnett's unpredictable pitching, the manager is making sure to paint his original playoff rotation decision as anything but a slight. "A.J. was willing to do whatever we needed," Girardi said. "We explained to him what we were doing. We were only using three starters. That's why he wasn't going to start. He was never agitated."

louis vuitton outlet Burnett said he doesn't see the game as a chance for redemption."I have confidence in myself," he said. "Believe it or not, I have pretty good confidence every start. I try to go out and believe I can throw a no-hitter. I'm not going to go out and try to prove anything. I'm going to go out and try to win a ballgame." Burnett's career postseason record is 1-2 with a 5.67 ERA. That includes seven innings of one-run, four-hit ball to win Game 2 of the 2009 World Series, but he allowed at least five runs in three of his other five playoff starts. He said he planned to watch video of the 2009 success Monday, along with his two starts this season against the Tigers - 1-1, 3.75 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 12 innings.

A.J. expects to be A-OK in start for Yankees

ugg outlet Less than two innings into Game 1, A.J. Burnett was anointed the New York Yankees' pivotal player in their American League Division Series. Tonight, Burnett finally gets to play. "I've been proving people wrong my whole career," says Burnett, who will start Game 4 against the Detroit Tigers. "Obviously, I give them reasons here and there to doubt." Will his start allay the fears of Yankees fans and a significant portion of the New York news media that began cringing as soon as the suspension of Game 1 necessitated a Game 4 start by Burnett? Or will it be another of those games that calls into question why the 34-year-old right-hander has made more than $71 million for a 121-111 career record and is owed $33 million more for the next two seasons?

No one is certain.

ugg outlet store Not even manager Joe Girardi, who called Burnett's September "a complete turnaround from August." Burnett was 2-0 with a 4.30 ERA last month after going 1-2 with a 11.91 ERA in August and 0-3 with 4.83 ERA in July. That inconsistency was enough for Girardi to initially opt for a three-man rotation of CC Sabathia, rookie Ivan Nova and veteran Freddy Garcia, who made the team after coming to spring training on a minor league contract. It's all part of a season-long saga to fill out a rotation behind Sabathia, the starter for Game 1, which was suspended Friday after 1½ innings and picked up Saturday with original Game 2 starter Ivan Nova on the mound instead. "From the day I got to spring training, all we talked about was our rotation, our rotation, our rotation," Girardi said. "Our rotation did OK. We won a lot of games this year."

ugg outlet online Yankees starters won 71 games, five fewer than the Phillies' major league high, but had a 4.03 ERA, 14th-best in the majors and worse than every playoff team but one - the Tigers. Now, with a postseason game hinging on Burnett's unpredictable pitching, the manager is making sure to paint his original playoff rotation decision as anything but a slight. "A.J. was willing to do whatever we needed," Girardi said. "We explained to him what we were doing. We were only using three starters. That's why he wasn't going to start. He was never agitated."

louis vuitton outlet Burnett said he doesn't see the game as a chance for redemption."I have confidence in myself," he said. "Believe it or not, I have pretty good confidence every start. I try to go out and believe I can throw a no-hitter. I'm not going to go out and try to prove anything. I'm going to go out and try to win a ballgame." Burnett's career postseason record is 1-2 with a 5.67 ERA. That includes seven innings of one-run, four-hit ball to win Game 2 of the 2009 World Series, but he allowed at least five runs in three of his other five playoff starts. He said he planned to watch video of the 2009 success Monday, along with his two starts this season against the Tigers - 1-1, 3.75 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 12 innings.

Apple Ready to Talk iPhone at Event Tuesday

ugg boots sale Apple Inc. is expected to unveil Tuesday the newest version of a device that has helped bolster the company's fortunes more than any other in recent years: the iPhone. General expectations for what has widely and unofficially been dubbed the iPhone 5 are for a slimmer device with a larger touch screen, an improved camera and a relatively speedy chip of the same variety found in the current version of Apple's iPad tablet. There also has been some speculation about possible voice-command capability. The price is expected to remain consistent with the $199 to $299 charged for an iPhone 4, depending on the amount of memory included.

ugg boots uk An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment ahead of the event. Former Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled the current version of the iPhone at the company's developers' conference in June 2010. It wasn't immediately clear whether Mr. Jobs, who stepped aside in August as a result of health issues, would attend the event, which is occurring at Apple's Silicon Valley headquarters. Mr. Jobs, who went on medical leave in January for an undisclosed illness, has been replaced by current Chief Executive Tim Cook. Mr. Cook's performance Tuesday--should he stand in for his predecessor Jobs and lead the keynote address--will also come under intense scrutiny.

ugg boots uk sale Though known generally to have a more reserved demeanor than Mr. Jobs, Mr. Cook may yet prove to be a showman of the same order, Sterne Agee & Leach Inc. analyst Shaw Wu advised clients in a recent research note. The analyst added: "We don't think Steve Jobs picked Tim without him having somewhat of a 'vision thing'."In keeping with the Cupertino, Calif., technology giant's secretive ways, Apple distributed last week a vague invitation for the event, with the heading, "Let's talk iPhone." Analysts have sought to decipher Apple's invitation, and divine what the company has in store with the iPhone 5. Wu wrote in his research note that the invite featured a number "1," perhaps signaling that only one new device will be unveiled.

louis vuitton outlet The new iPhone is also expected to be available from Sprint Nextel Corp. Current versions of the device have only been available in the U.S. on the networks of AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, which is owned by Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC. Peter Misek, an analyst with Jefferies & Co., has projected that the new iPhone also will have an Apple A5 processor, the same chip found in Apple's iPad 2 tablet, along with an improved camera, slightly larger screen and a somewhat slimmer body design. The current iPhone includes an Apple A4 chip. In addition, Apple is seen possibly putting voice-command functions in the new phone, thanks to the company's purchase last year of Siri Inc., which had developed a voice-activated personal assistant.

Occupying Wall Street, demanding accountability

ugg boots clearance Hero Vincent has a dream: to see the titans of Wall Street trade their palatial office suites for a row of dank prison cells. The crime? Theft. Stealing billion-dollar, taxpayer-funded bailouts. Getting rich on your dime while you struggle to make ends meet. And if you're tired of standing by while the rich get richer and the middle class crumbles, he has a suggestion: Take it to the streets. Vincent, 21 and unemployed, has suddenly become one of several unofficial spokesmen for Occupy Wall Street, a leaderless protest movement made largely of twenty-somethings upset with the state of the economy, the state of the war in Afghanistan, the state of the environment, and the state of America and the world in general.

uggs clearance If that sounds vague, it's meant to be. In less than three weeks, the movement has become a magnet for countless disaffected Americans. And at a time when an overwhelming majority of Americans say the country's on the wrong track, there's no shortage of new potential recruits. On Saturday, more than 700 protesters were arrested for blocking the Brooklyn Bridge. A splinter group called Occupy Chicago touted a "huge afternoon march." In Boston, 34 groups -- unions and other organizations focused on everything from foreclosure prevention to climate change -- marched for "an economy that works for all of us," according to one website. Over on the West Coast, Occupy Los Angeles kicked off with a march to City Hall. In Seattle, demonstrators touted "a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors (and) genders."

ugg clearance On Monday, a live video feed from Occupy Wall Street was featured at the start of a three-day conference of progressive leaders in Washington. What does it all mean? "We're here for different reasons," said Vincent, whose father is also unemployed and recently went through a home foreclosure. "But at the end of the day, it all boils down to one thing, and that's accountability. We want accountability for the connection between Wall Street and the politicians." "Something has to change," he told CNN. "We're out here because we're tired of what's been going on."

louis vuitton outlet Giles Clarke, a 46-year-old freelance photographer and father of two, echoes Vincent's call for greater accountability. "People have simply had enough," Clarke said. "We're living in an age where the inequality between high-end Wall Street and the (rest of us) is simply a gap that has become too big. Millions of people have lost their jobs. Millions of people have lost their homes." There's been, Clarke said, "way too much cloak-and-dagger activity within the corridors of Wall Street" in recent years. "This is about raising awareness and a change of political discourse."

Obama calls for Syrian leader to step down

Louis vuitton backpack The demand for President Bashar Assad's ouster is echoed by the governments of Canada and the European Union. The U.S. also expands its sanctions. The pressure may have a limited effect, however.

replica louis vuitton sunglasses After months of criticism that he was too soft on Syria's government, President Obama led a choreographed call by Western governments for President Bashar Assad to give up power, a move that leaves the autocratic regime more isolated, though not necessarily less dangerous.

fake louis vuitton sunglasses The demand for Assad's ouster, echoed by the governments of France, Britain, Germany, Canada and the European Union, followed weeks of diplomatic talks aimed at presenting a common front against Assad's government. lv277 forever watch replica The Obama administration had hoped that Turkey and Saudi Arabia, two regional powers that hold greater influence over Syria, would join the coordinated diplomatic press.

louis vuitton sunglasses uk Those countries neither supported nor condemned Obama's call for Assad to go, a silence widely interpreted as an expression of frustration over the Syrian leader's unfulfilled promises to end the violence.

On Thursday, Assad's government showed no sign of ceasing its attacks on protesters, who have steadily built a widespread movement in the teeth of the violence.

louis vuitton sunglasses Until now, the administration had suggested that Assad still held enough legitimacy to preside over reforms that would loosen his autocratic grip. But with the killing and mass arrests showing no signs of abating, Obama said Thursday for the first time that Assad was unfit to lead the country.

replica lv sunglasses uk Assad's pledges of reform have "rung hollow while he is imprisoning, torturing, and slaughtering his own people," Obama said in a statement.

"For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for President Assad to step aside."

fake louis vuitton sunglasses uk European governments made the call a chorus and said they were open to further EU sanctions on Syria.

But the Europeans, who buy 90% of Syria's oil exports, did not announce any decision to halt those imports.

louis vuitton shoes uk That reluctance highlighted the limited leverage Washington has been able to bring to assist a widening popular revolt that has seen an entrenched regime deploy combat troops, tanks and warships against unarmed civilians, killing thousands of people.

fake louis vuitton shoes Washington officials have ruled out any U.S. military action.

louis vuitton shoes The Obama administration recently imposed several rounds of sanctions targeting Assad and other top officials. Obama expanded those efforts Thursday with an executive order that freezes all Syrian government assets in U.S. jurisdictions and bars Americans from any business with the regime, including trading in Syrian oil and selling it refined petroleum products.

replica louis vuitton shoes But administration officials pointed out that Washington has kept sanctions on Syria for decades with little effect, and there is little American trade with Syria to stop. As a result, officials made it clear that Obama's announcement may have a limited effect, and Assad's downfall is far from assured.

replica louis vuitton handbags "Nothing about this is going to be easy," a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters in a telephone briefing.

Administration officials said they still are urging Saudi Arabia, other Arab governments and Turkey to take a greater role in helping steer Syria toward a new order.

louis vuitton sale This week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared to play down the importance of a U.S. call for Assad's departure. But, she added, "if Turkey says it, if [Saudi] King Abdullah says it, if other people say it, there is no way the Assad regime can ignore it."

It was unclear how forcefully those governments would act, however.

cheap louis vuitton bags uk The Turkish government, Syria's biggest trading partner, is ambivalent about the crisis, in part because of its economic interests. Although Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other leaders have harshly condemned Assad, they have not moved as aggressively as the Obama administration would like.

louis vuitton replica Saudi Arabia, which has powerful influence with the Sunni Muslim majority of the Alawite-led country, also has condemned Assad and recently withdrew its ambassador. It did not react immediately to the U.S. and European actions.

rother of Libya's information minister reported killed in NATO strike

louis vuitton scarves uk Moussa Ibrahim was breaking his fast when he heard reports of his younger brother's death.

Official: Hasan Ali Ibrahim was on foot in a square in Zawiya

fake louis vuitton scarf uk He was hit by fire from a NATO Apache helicopter, the official says

He was checking on friends after hearing reports of fighting in Zawiya, the official says

Moussa Ibrahim was breaking his fast when he heard the news

louis vuitton scarves uk Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- A brother of Moussa Ibrahim, the spokesman for the government in Tripoli, was killed Thursday night by NATO aircraft, a government official here said.

Hasan Ali Ibrahim, the younger sibling, was working as a civilian volunteer for the Gadhafi government, the official said. replica louis vuitton belts The 25-year-old university student had departed Tripoli with a group of people to check on friends in Zawiya after hearing reports of fighting there; he and the others were struck by bullets fired from an Apache helicopter while on foot in Zawiya's central square, the official said.

replica louis vuitton belts uk Moussa Ibrahim received the news as he was breaking his Ramadan fast with members of his family at a Tripoli hotel housing journalists. The elder Ibrahim was in the dining hall when he received a call, jumped from his chair, knocking it down, and ran from the room yelling.

replica lv belts uk Afterward, a government official approached a reporter for CNN and asked her to report the news, and to explain why Moussa Ibrahim had reacted the way he did.

NATO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier in the day, lv travel bag replica Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi renewed the Gadhafi government's call for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

louis vuitton replica wallet "It is high time for an immediate cease fire," he said, adding that his government was ready for a cease fire "as always."

Al-Mahmoudi said that the military is "powerful enough to finish this battle" to its advantage, but said that the cost would be too high. He called again for dialogue to resolve the crisis peacefully.

The prime minister added that, despite "hardships," the Gadhafi government was "able to provide the necessary services" for the people.

louis vuitton purses uk As for Moammar Gadhafi himself, the prime minister repeated that neither the Libyan leader nor his relatives would leave the country.

Al-Mahmoudi's comments came after the weekly cabinet meeting and as his government's troops were battling rebel forces on a number of fronts, louis vuitton travel luggage replicas including in the west, where fighting has raged for days over the strategic city of Zawiya, about a half-hour's drive west of the capital.

cheap fake louis vuitton purses His remarks coincided with continued air strikes by NATO forces. As the ministers were meeting Thursday afternoon, four explosions rocked the capital, including the building where the meeting was being held. replica louis vuitton watches Government officials said the explosions were caused by NATO air strikes on Tajoura on the eastern outskirts of Tripoli. The strikes resumed late Thursday and continued into Friday.

cheap louis vuitton purses uk Al-Mahmoudi said the call for a peaceful resolution came from "a position of power, not weakness... we are able to continue the fight, but from the very beginning we chose peace."

He said talks with all parties involved were under way. "These few days we are communicating with everyone in order to reach a peaceful solution soon," the premier said.

replica louis vuitton jewelry But Al-Mahmoudi declined to comment on reports of recent meetings with rebel representatives. "You will hear good news in the next few days, if you are for peace," he said, without elaboration.

louis vuitton jewelry uk Al-Mahmoudi's comments come after humanitarian groups have raised concerns that the fighting in Zawiya and the closure of the coastal road between Tripoli and Tunisia, a lifeline for the regime, replica watches louis vuitton bags uk could worsen already serious shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies.

louis vuitton jewelry replica News reports on Thursday quoted rebels as saying they had seized control of the oil refinery in Zawiya. The prime minister denied the reports, saying the refinery was "under our full control."

louis vuitton travel bags replica Al-Mahmoudi also denied that government forces launched a short-range missile on Sunday. A U.S. defense official said this week that forces loyal to Gadhafi fired the Scud missile on Sunday at a rebel stronghold, but that the missile failed to reach its target.

cheap louis vuitton travel bags But Al-Mahmoudi said the only rockets that fall on Libya are from NATO.

Euro Problems Need Fixing Before Financial Markets Lose Their Faith: View

louis vuitton scarves uk The U.S. Congress may have narrowly avoided a government-debt disaster, but financial troubles are resurging across the Atlantic. If European leaders can't find the political will to implement the drastic measures needed to stem their crisis, markets could soon put them in an untenable position.

replica louis vuitton belts The market for Italian and Spanish government bonds offers an indication of how little confidence Europe's most recent package of rescue measures has inspired. As of Wednesday, the yield on the 10-year Italian bond stood at 6.08 percent, near its highest point since the introduction of the euro. The yield was about 3.7 percentage points higher than the yield on 10-year German bonds -- a spread that suggests rising concern that Italy might default. The comparable spread on Spain's 10-year bond was 3.9 percentage points, up from 3.2 a month earlier. Belgium's spread hit a euro-era high of 2.1 percentage points.

louis vuitton replica wallet Investors' jitters are dangerous, because they can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. As worries about default push up governments' cost of borrowing, debts that were once manageable can become unsustainable. No wonder European Commission President Jose Barroso, while calling the rising yields in Italy and Spain unwarranted, voiced "deep concern" Wednesday about the market developments.

Debt Burden

louis vuitton purses uk Consider Italy, which carries the euro area's second- largest debt burden after Greece. At a 5 percent cost of borrowing, the government must run a budget surplus of about 29 billion euros a year -- not including interest payments -- to stabilize its gross government debt at its current level of about 120 percent of annual economic output. At a 10 percent cost of borrowing, the required surplus rises to about 125 billion euros, or one-sixth of all government revenue. That's roughly what the government spends every year on Italy's largely state-run health system. At some point, default becomes a necessity.

replica louis vuitton jewelry To restore confidence, Europe's leaders -- specifically German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy -- must demonstrate they are willing and able to fix the flaws in the currency union that the crisis has laid bare.

As Bloomberg View has advocated, any comprehensive solution will probably entail creating a finance ministry with the sole power to issue euro bonds backed jointly and severally by all the nations of the union. It will also involve fiscal transfers that, like earned-income tax credits and unemployment insurance in the U.S., ease the pain of wage and competitiveness adjustments that states in a currency union inevitably must undertake.

Raft of Measures

louis vuitton jewelry uk The latest raft of measures takes some steps in the right direction. For one, European leaders have essentially said they're ready to backstop governments and recapitalize banks throughout the euro area. By lowering the interest rates on loans from the European Financial Stability Facility, and by aiming to channel more infrastructure investment toward Greece, they've also moved toward fiscal transfers.

louis vuitton travel bags replica Still, the package isn't nearly comprehensive enough. Even the relatively ambitious debt relief provided to Greece is a half-measure. It's enough to make credit-rating services call Greece in default, but probably not enough to put Greece's finances on a sustainable path.

cheap louis vuitton travel bags If political will is lacking, Europe does have some options. Instead of replacing the debt of strapped governments with euro bonds, leaders could push the European Central Bank to step in and buy large quantities of troubled governments' outstanding debt. But that would risk undermining the ECB's independence and inflation-fighting mandate, and in any case would be only a temporary solution.

replica louis vuitton watches Ultimately, like the debt crisis in the U.S., Europe's challenge in resolving its problems boils down to a fundamental social question: Can Germans and Greeks, rich and poor, find common ground? If they can't, the advanced world is headed down the path to polarization. History suggests it wouldn't end well.

Sydney police say device attached to teen not bomb

replica louis vuitton uk The bizarre attack seemed straight out of a Hollywood thriller: A disguised man breaks into a suburban home in the middle of the day, chains an apparent bomb to a teenage girl's neck, and leaves a note with instructions for her wealthy family. But after 10 frantic hours working to free her, fake louis vuitton scarf uk Australian police say it was all an elaborate hoax.

Sydney bomb squad specialists managed to free 18-year-old Madeleine Pulver from the bomb-like device around midnight on Wednesday, and later determined it contained no explosives. Pulver was not hurt in the incident, which still had police hunting for answers Thursday.

replica louis vuitton sunglasses "A very, very elaborate hoax as it turned out," New South Wales state Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch told reporters. "But it was made and certainly gave the appearance of a legitimate improvised explosive device. We had to treat it seriously until we could prove otherwise and that's exactly what we did and that's why it took so long."

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fake louis vuitton sunglasses The drama began on Wednesday afternoon in the upscale Sydney suburb of Mosman when Pulver's family contacted police saying their daughter had been attacked and there was a strange device attached to her. Bomb technicians, negotiators and detectives rushed to the scene. Nearby homes were evacuated, streets were closed and medical and fire crews waited nearby.

louis vuitton sunglasses uk Pulver told police a man wearing a disguise broke into her home and attached what appeared to be a bomb to her neck. When officials arrived on the scene, they found Pulver alone in the house with the suspicious device tethered to her neck "by a chain or something similar," Murdoch said. Officers spent hours painstakingly trying to free the girl .

Police did not know how the man managed to get into the house. Murdoch declined to describe the disguise the attacker wore.

louis vuitton shoes uk Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she was shocked when she heard about the case on Thursday.

"When I looked at it this morning, the first thing I said was, 'It's like a Hollywood script _ the kind of thing you would see at the cinema or on TV,'" Gillard told Fairfax Radio. "You would never expect it to happen in real life in Australia."

Police said they had no idea why Pulver was targeted, but they said the attack did not appear to be random.

fake louis vuitton shoes "I hardly think that the elaborate nature and sophistication of this device was the result of someone who picked on someone randomly," Murdoch said.

replica louis vuitton handbags The harborside suburb of Mosman is one of the ritziest parts of Sydney and the girl's father, William Pulver, is a successful businessman who serves as the chief executive of an information technology company. The case is being handled by the police department's robbery and serious crime squad, which deals with extortion, among other crimes. But Murdoch said it was too soon for police to determine whether the device was left as part of an extortion attempt on the family.

louis vuitton sale The family also was at a loss to explain the bizarre attack, he said.

"The offender went to a lot of trouble for a particular reason, but what that reason was, police are still working to determine," Murdoch said.

Murdoch said a note was left inside the house, but did not release details on what it said.

"There were some instructions left by the offender at the scene last afternoon and those instructions will provide us with further lines for inquiry," louis vuitton scarves uk Murdoch told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "Those instructions also limited us somewhat last night in how quickly we could proceed. Certainly the instructions were precise, they were such that led us to believe that we were dealing with a very serious and legitimate threat."

cheap louis vuitton bags uk Pulver was examined and released from a Sydney hospital on Thursday. Students at the private girls' school she attends were being offered counseling.

"The school community is united behind the student and her family, and we thank God that she is not hurt," Wenona School officials said in a statement.