The president of the European Central Bank has welcomed additional measures unveiled by the Greek government on Tuesday (2 February) to reduce the country’s budget deficit.

Jean-Claude Trichet said that the reforms, which include overhauls of the Greek tax and pension systems, were “steps in the right direction”.

The measures complement a structural reform plan approved by the Greek government in January and endorsed yesterday (3 February) by the European Commission.

The Greek government has said that it will bring its deficit to within 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2012. This target is expected to be made binding on Greece by finance ministers on 16 February.

Greece estimates its deficit for 2009 at 12.7%, the largest in the eurozone.

Trichet said the bank was “confident” that Greece would take all the necessary measures to reach the 2012 goal. He said the planned reforms were crucial for “sustainable growth and job creation in Greece”.

Asked about what kinds of support the EU or eurozone could offer Greece in its budget consolidation efforts, Trichet said that Greece received “ex ante” support by being a member of the eurozone. He said that, as a eurozone country, Greece benefited from “very easy financing of its current account deficit”.

European Voice reported on 21 January that EU officials were considering ways of providing a heavy conditioned loan to Greece.

State of eurozone finances

The ECB’s president also sought to downplay the threat that the economic and financial crisis poses to the 16-country eurozone as a whole, saying that the weakness of the public finances should not be exaggerated.

He cited estimates from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the eurozone’s current-account deficit in 2010 will be around 6% of GDP, compared to over 10% in the US and Japan.

The same point was made by José Manuel Barroso, the president of the  Commission, on Tuesday (2 February).

Trichet said that the bank’s governing council would decide next month when to phase out extraordinary measures introduced by the ECB during the financial crisis. The extraordinary measures include the provision of unlimited liquidity to banks during the ECB’s main refinancing operations, increased provision of three-month loans to banks and, as an exceptional measure, to provide six-month and one-year loans.

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The ECB stopped providing one-year loans in December and it has already said that the next six-month loan operation (in March) will be the bank’s last.

“The governing council will…take decisions on the continued implementation of the gradual phasing out of the extraordinary liquidity measures,” Trichet said. He added that the measures were “not needed to the same extent as in the past”. 

Trichet made a strong call for member states to reduce their budget deficits, saying that “high levels of public deficit and debt place an additional burden on monetary policy and underline the stability and growth pact”.

“It is of paramount importance that the stability programme of each euro area country clearly defines the fiscal exit and consolidation strategies for the period ahead,” he said, adding that a “strong focus” should be placed on expenditure reforms.

• The ECB decided to keep interest rates on hold, the ninth month that it has opted to keep its monetary policy unchanged. The decision means that the bank’s main refinancing rate remains at 1%, a historic low. Trichet said the current rate remained appropriate given that price inflation remains “subdued”.

The European Commission is set to take the Council of Ministers to court after a majority of member states blocked a pay rise for EU officials. 

Twelve member states blocked a proposal from the Commission to increase officials’ pay by 3.7% at a meeting of deputy ambassadors yesterday (16 December). The UK, Germany, Poland and Latvia are leading opposition to the increase.

The Commission believes that if the Council fails to agree the pay rise based on the calculation method in the staff regulation, it will be in breach of its legal obligations to respect EU law and can be challenged in the European Court of Justice.

A senior Commission official said yesterday: “We have no choice but to go to court.” Commission President José Manuel Barroso said last week: “We have to respect the law. It’s not a political choice; it’s implementation of a legal commitment.” The Commission took the Council to court in 1972 when it failed to honour an agreement on the calculation of pay rises.

Staff unions at the EU’s Council of Ministers have called a one-day strike today (17 December) in response to the Council’s decision.

Speaking to an estimated 1,500 officials in the atrium of the Council’s Justus Lipsius building yesterday, Günther Lorenz, secretary-general of the Union Syndicale trade union, said: “There is no hope of any solution.”

“Our reaction is clear. We will go on strike tomorrow,” he said to loud applause.

Alternative proposals

Lorenz said that the Council had pushed for a number of alternatives to the 3.7% increase, but they were still not acceptable to the majority of member states.

Those alternatives included increasing pay by 2% with the remainder of the rise introduced over an undetermined period, or paying the increase in full but clawing part of it back through a levy. Lorenz said both options were “illegal” as they involved the Council reneging on its obligation to respect the method for calculating EU staff pay rises.

The strike today will coincide with a meeting of EU transport ministers. Lorenz said that Council staff unions would not prevent delegates entering the Justus Lipsius building. The interpreting service to ministers will not be affected, as the interpreters are employed by the Commission.

The Commission staff unions have lodged formal notice of their intention to strike but have not yet taken action, in large part because the Commission is sticking to its original proposal that for EU officials, pay should be raised by 3.7%. Commission staff unions are holding a general assembly today (17 December) at which they will discuss strike action.

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The Swedish presidency is planning to continue discussions with member states until Friday evening in order to get a deal. It is working on a compromise that would award EU staff the 3.7% increase, but spread over two years, rather than being paid out in full on 1 January. The presidency would need to get all member states to back the compromise in order to agree a proposal which did not have the support of the Commission. Staff unions consider that such a compromise would be illegal because it failed to respect the method.

LOS ANGELES, CA — After leading for most of the game, the Dodgers gave up two home runs on two pitches in the seventh inning, swinging momentum for the Nationals in their 7-3 Game 5 victory at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. Former Dodger Howie Kendrick hit a 10th-inning grand slam to put the Washington Nationals over the Dodgers, a stunning end for a team that dominated the National League all season.

The Nationals, the heavy underdogs of the series, notched their first Division Series win. An apparent collapse of the Dodgers bullpen after a stellar start by Walker Buehler brought their postseason to an early end — the earliest in four years. It was an ending made all the more bitter by the high expectations for the Dodgers after winning a franchise-record 106 games this season. Fans vented their disappointment by booing Manager Dave Roberts.

“Obviously very, very, disappointing is probably an understatement,” Roberts said. “But I think it’s just one of those things that we got beat and just disappointed for everyone.”

Roberts said he would have “no problem” if the blame for the loss falls on him.

“I feel that my job is to put guys in the best position to have success and if it doesn’t work out, there’s always going to be second-guessing and I got no problem wearing the brunt of that,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run homer by their second batter, Max Muncy, and increased their lead to 3-0 on Kike Hernandez’s second-inning homer.

But the Dodgers were held to three hits over the final 10 innings to lose the best-of-five series three games to two.

Starter Buehler allowed one run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings, struck out seven and walked three. Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg allowed three runs and six hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked one.

Roberts took out Buehler after he walked Trea Turner on his 117th pitch to put runners on first and second with two outs in the seventh and replaced him with Kershaw.

“Once he walked Turner … I thought Walker had had enough,” Roberts said. “I thought he emptied the tank. So to get Clayton to get us out of that spot, I felt good about it.”

Kershaw struck out Adam Eaton to end the inning, but allowed home runs to the first two batters he faced in the eighth.

The Nationals tied the score on home runs on consecutive pitches by Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto on consecutive pitches off Kershaw in the eighth inning.

Soto singled in Rendon, who doubled, in the sixth for Washington’s first run.

Kenta Maeda relieved Kershaw, striking out the next three batters before a sellout crowd announced at 54,159.

Joc Pederson led off the first for the Dodgers with what was initially ruled a home run, but the call was overturned after an umpire review determined it to be a ground-rule double. Muncy followed by hitting a 3- 1 fastball for his third homer of the series.

Soto singled in Rendon, who had doubled, in the sixth for Washington’s first run.

This was the first time Washington won a postseason series. The Nationals had lost four division series, three in Game 5, including in 2016 to the Dodgers.

Washington will face the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series, which will begin Friday in St. Louis. The Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Braves 13-1 Wednesday in Atlanta to win their division series three games to two.

The Dodgers won their seventh consecutive National League West title this season, but continued their postseason futility. They have not won the World Series since 1988. They lost the World Series in each of the past two seasons. The Dodgers never have reached the World Series in three consecutive seasons.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.

BURLINGTON, MA — The worker who died following a chemical accident at Burlington’s Buffalo Wild Wings Thursday evening was the restaurant’s general manager, officials confirmed Friday. According to interim Chief Michael Patterson, the manager was 32-year-old Ryan Baldera. He was one of 14 people affected by the incident.

The Burlington Fire Department responded to the South Avenue restaurant after receiving a call at 5:36 p.m. Firefighters found Armstrong Ambulance Service EMTs treating the Baldera, who was in serious condition and nauseous after breathing in fumes. He was taken to Lahey Hospital, where he died.

Baldera, of Lawrence, was a new dad to a three-month-old baby boy. Flowers have been left outside the restaurant.

The Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce set up a memorial fund for Baldera’s family. Those who would like to contribute can send a check payable to the “Ryan Baldera Memorial Fund” to:

Cambridge Savings Bank
214 Cambridge St.
Burlington, MA 01803

Patterson explained that the accident resulted from two cleaning products being mixed together.

“One of the employees was cleaning the floor of the restaurant, he used a product Super 8, and he also used a product Scale Kleen,” said Patterson. “When these two chemicals mix together, it caused a chemical reaction, which made a number of people sick.”

Super 8 is a concentrated chlorine bleach, while Scale Kleen is an acid-based cleaning product. Patterson said officials believe the employee was unaware of the danger of mixing them. That employee made it out to fresh air, but Baldera attempted to squeegee deadly mixture out of the building, at which point he was overcome. By the time first responders arrived, he was very sick, Patterson said.

Firefighters on the scene did what they could to ventilate the restaurant, opening windows and doors and setting up fans, said Patterson, in addition to calling the state hazmat team.

The state team inspected the site Thursday night around 9:30 and cleared it as safe, but the restaurant remained closed Friday. The state team took readings of the site, finding low levels of toxic fumes, and spread a neutralizer on the floor, Patterson said.

The restaurant was turned over to the Buffalo Wild Wings district manager. Cleanup by Servpro was ongoing Friday afternoon, and the restaurant will need to be cleared by the Burlington Board of Health before it can reopen.

A Buffalo Wild Wings spokesperson released this statement:

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of this horrific accident at our franchise-owned sports bar and are working closely with our franchisee and the authorities while they conduct an investigation. Because the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to share any additional comment at this time. Any further questions will need to be referred to the local authorities.”

Of the people who were hospitalized, two were diners, said Patterson. Their symptoms included difficulty breathing, runny/watery eyes and shortness of breath.

“Patients are being treated and monitored. They were placed on oxygen,” Patterson said. “I do not believe anybody is in serious condition right now.”

Other than the manager who died, all the other people who were hospitalized took themselves to the hospital, officials said.

Autochlor, which manufacturers both cleaning agents SUPER 8 and Scale Kleen, released the following statement:

“We understand the concerns, fears, and questions you may have following the Buffalo Wild Wings chemical incident which may have involved Auto-Chlor’s product SUPER 8, and took place on the evening of Thursday November 7th, 2019 in Burlington, MA.

First and foremost, our condolences are with the individual and their family as well as those affected yesterday during the incident. The safety and well-being of our customers are our first priority, always.

At this time, working with OSHA , local authorities, and emergency teams on site, we are doing everything we can to determine all details behind this incident. We appreciate your patience as we work to understand all details that led to such an unfortunate outcome.”

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at [email protected] and 412-265-8353.

L’armée britannique est déployée, mercredi 9 janvier, à l’aéroport londonien d’Heathrow après les perturbations causées la veille par un drone. “La nuit dernière, à la demande de la police londonienne, nos forces armées ont été déployées pour l’aider et la soutenir”, a déclaré sur Twitter le ministre de la Défense, Gavin Williamson. L’aéroport d’Heathrow, le plus fréquenté d’Europe, a suspendu mardi soir ses vols au départ pendant près d’une heure, après “un signalement de drone”.“Des officiers de police font partie des personnes qui ont vu le drone, et une enquête criminelle a été ouverte, a annoncée Scotland Yard. Nous effectuons des recherches approfondies dans les alentours d’Heathrow afin d’identifier toute personne pouvant être responsable.” “Une aide militaire est mise à disposition pour nous soutenir. Toutefois, nous ne fournirons aucun détail sur les tactiques possibles parce que cela ne pourrait que nuire à leur efficacité”, a affirmé un chef de la police londonienne. Des moyens sont affectés afin de “détecter rapidement et perturber toute activité illégale de drone”, a-t-il cependant ajouté.Un “acte criminel extrêmement irresponsable”Le ministre des Transports, Chris Grayling, a dénoncé mardi à la Chambre des communes un acte “délibéré” et prévenu que les responsables “s’exposent à la peine de détention maximale pour cet acte criminel extrêmement irresponsable”. Un incident similaire avait déjà créé la pagaille à l’aéroport de Gatwick, le deuxième aéroport le plus fréquenté du Royaume-Uni, entre le 19 et le 21 décembre. Un millier de vols avaient été annulés ou détournés, affectant 140 000 voyageurs. L’armée avait alors été appelée en renfort pour assurer la sécurité du site.Le gouvernement avait annoncé mardi matin des mesures renforcées contre les drones, après avoir été la cible de critiques pour ne pas avoir suffisamment pris au sérieux le risque éventuel posé par ces appareils. Ils seront notamment interdits dans une zone de cinq kilomètres autour des aéroports, contre un kilomètre jusqu’à présent. De leur côté, les aéroports d’Heathrow et Gatwick avaient annoncé vendredi investir plusieurs millions de livres dans des équipements antidrones. Un porte-parole de Gatwick avait précisé à l’AFP qu’il s’agissait d’“une protection équivalente” à celle fournie par l’armée, sans fournir davantage de détails.Click Here: Kangaroos Rugby League Jersey

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C’est la fin d’un terrifiant cauchemar pour les clients et employés qui viennent d’être évacués d’un hôtel touristique de Nairobi, la capitale du Kenya. Quinze heures après l’attentat revendiqué par le groupe islamiste somalien des Chebab, un premier bilan fait état de quinze morts. Parmi les victimes figurent deux ressortissants étrangers : un Américain et un Britannique. Des tirs se font entendreMardi 15 janvier, il est 15 heures quand une première explosion intervient dans un complexe hôtelier de Nairobi. Une attaque terroriste est en cours. Scènes de panique. Des personnes parviennent à s’échapper. Elles sont évacuées sous escorte militaire. Mercredi matin, la situation est encore confuse. Des tirs se font toujours entendre, des gens se font toujours secourir. Les forces de sécurité n’auraient pas terminé leur intervention. Deux à trois assaillants seraient toujours présents.Le JT

• JT de 8h du mercredi 16 janvier 2019 L’intégrale

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