All that said, and following pressure from the European Commission, the centre-right government will commission two independent assessments of banks' balance sheets, to verify whether its rehabilitation plan is realistic.

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Centre-back Koscielny was left off balance on the edge of the area and tried to pull his foot out of the challenge but the winger hit the ground after minimal contact and the referee was quick to point to the spot.

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Unlike Mr Obama, Mr Ryan puts fiscal responsibility at the centre of his plan: it aims to bring the budget into primary balance as early as 2015 and federal government spending down to below 20% of GDP in 2018.

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The Primakov-promoters say he is tipping the balance back to the centre, thereby restoring to the country a bit of coherence and discipline.

ECONOMIST: A puzzling progress

But the new prime minister has to maintain a delicate balance between the policies of his own supporters and those of the centre-right, led by Mr Berlusconi.

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But at the heart of the scandal lay vital questions about how London strikes the balance between its ambition to be a global financial centre and its duty of care to ordinary investors.

WSJ: London Needs Full Inquest

But if the states do balance their books and end the tradition of bail-outs from the centre, the benefits could be profound.

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