meticulously
reproducing paintings using the original techniques of the genuine artists.
BBC News
Figures show that the sale of new homes in the United States has fallen sharply to the lowest level since the government started keeping records 40 years ago. These new figures come a day after equally
dismal
news about the sale of existing homes which have reached a 15-year low. Paul Adams reports from Washington.
The housing market is still in trouble. New and existing homes sales are down with the bad news coming from all over the country. Prices are also falling. And in these jittery post-recession days, everyone is wondering just what it all means. Some economists
attribute the bad results to
the end of a federal tax credit which
expire
d earlier this year, but others warn that the economy is teetering on the edge of another recession. There could be more bad news on Friday when the government releases lower-than-expected growth figures for the second quarter of this year.
Medical officials in the Somali capital Mogadishu say 10 people have been killed in a third day of heavy fighting between government troops and Islamist militants. Thirty others were injured. A BBC correspondent in Mogadishu says it's likely many more people have been killed as both the military and the Islamists have reportedly suffered heavy casualties.
The communist government of Cuba has said it will stop funding heavily-subsidized cigarettes for its senior citizens. Traditionally, Cubans over the age of 55 could claim up to 80 cigarettes a month for just 30 US cents. But the government has now announced this