Thursday newspaper round-up: BHP Billiton, ECB QE, Home prices

BHP Billiton faces worsening fallout from the Samarco mine dam disaster after the Brazilian government said the Anglo-Australian mining giant could face a fine for the “environmental catastrophe”. As BHP’s share price in Australia pushed near 10-year lows on Thursday, the government in Brasilia has become increasingly concerned over the rising death toll and contaminated mud flowing through two states as a result of the disaster. - The Guardian

The European Central Bank must end its unprecedented stimulus measures in order to prevent a new financial crisis from erupting in the Eurozone, Germany's top economic advisers have warned. Berlin's Council of Economic Experts - known as the country's five "wise men" - said the ECB must consider tapering its bond-buying measures early to avoid dangerous imbalances from building up in the bloc. - The Daily Telegraph

The chronic lack of homes for sale has pushed up prices across the country for the third consecutive month. Demand from potential buyers increased in October, with 12% more respondents experiencing a rise in inquiries, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The number of new instructions, which has been in decline since the middle of last year, fell for the ninth month in a row. - The Times

George Osborne is attempting to strip control of a £40bn programme to build four nuclear-armed submarines from the Ministry of Defence. The chancellor has sent an ultimatum to David Cameron that he will support funding for the next generation of boats to carry Trident missiles only if the project is given to a new body that will report to the Treasury. – The Times

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, has warned that the Paris climate change talks will not deliver a "treaty" that legally requires countries to cut carbon emissions, exposing international divisions over how to enforce the deal. The EU and many other countries have long argued that the accord should be an "international treaty" containing legally binding measures to cut emissions.- Financial Times

The pressure on Britain’s leading food retailers has been underlined this week, with Sainsbury’s reporting a double-digit fall in profits and Asda scaling back its Black Friday discounts. - The Guardian