Europe

Spain’s jobless now relying on pensioners to survive

"After a career spent repairing trains, Francisco Marcos Gallego once thought he and his wife would end their days in comfort. Instead they are struggling to support their unemployed son and his children. The couple must use their combined monthly pension of 1,300 euros ($1,760) to help feed their son Miguel, 49, who has been out of full time work since 2009, and the teenaged children who still live with him. Still suffering the effects of the economic slump triggered by the collapse of a property boom in 2008, more and more Spanish families are relying on their retired parents to survive as their unemployment checks run out and mortgage bills pile up." Continue reading →

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Plans for Political Union Unravel in Europe

"Advocates of tighter integration believe that the euro zone needs to go further by borrowing elements from the American system of federalism. Many proposals reflect a belief that the euro zone needs to partially mimic the U.S., where the dollar works well across all states partly because of budgets, bonds, financial oversight and depositor protection at the national level. Over the past year, however, the political winds have shifted. Interviews with more than a dozen officials across Europe reveal how plans for deeper integration have run aground as financial markets have calmed and mistrust has simmered between power centers including Berlin, Brussels and Paris." Continue reading →

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IMF Discusses A Super Tax Of 10% On All Savings In Eurozone

"One of the latest reports from the IMF discusses a super taxation of 10% on savings in the Eurozone. That would solve the debt problem in most sovereign countries. It would be an alternative of higher taxes or spending cuts. The economists who wrote the paper hasten to say that it is a theoretical proposal. Still, it appears to be 'an efficient solution' for the debt problem. For a group of 15 European countries such a measure would bring the debt ratio to 'acceptable' levels, i.e. comparable to levels before the 2008 crisis. One of the graphs (page 14) is also noteworthy: 'Relative to previous projections, fiscal deficits are somewhat larger in most countries, reflecting a weaker economic environment.'" Continue reading →

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How Bitcoin solved my startup’s international banking problem

"I spent literally months and hundreds of dollars trying to open a bank account in Europe. I called every bank I could find. Most of them were not willing to open an account for a US citizen due to recently tightened money laundering laws and the few banks that would allow me to open an account required that I travel to their country to submit my application in person. Some of the banks that wanted me to travel to the UK to open an account actually had a branch in the city I live in within the US. I decided to add the ability for users to buy & sell items using Bitcoins on my site in order to attract a niche audience. However, I had also solved my banking problem without even realizing it." Continue reading →

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Separatists chant ‘Death to Belgium’ at country’s new royal couple

"Though several hundred people lined up to greet Philippe, who ascended to the throne in July after his father’s abdication, an equally big crowd of republican separatists massed nearby shouting 'Death to Belgium' and waving the Flemish flag. Antwerp, Europe’s second biggest port located in the northern region of Flanders, is home to the powerful Flemish separatist N-VA party whose leader Bart De Wever won election as city mayor last year. Philippe and Mathilde are currently visiting Belgium under a medieval tradition that calls for new sovereigns to make 'a joyous entry' into the country’s major towns, and Friday’s protest was the first of its kind so far." Continue reading →

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Greek police arrest one of their own while raiding neo-Nazi party’s offices

"A 45-year-old officer, who is working as the bodyguard of a Golden Dawn lawmaker, was detained during the raid at party offices in central Greece, a police source said. The links between Golden Dawn and police have come under intense scrutiny in Greece after the murder of an anti-fascist musician by an alleged member of the party. Further raids of Golden Dawn’s offices are expected in coming days, the police source said. Capitalising on a rise in social tension in the debt-stricken country, Golden Dawn was first elected to parliament last year with nearly seven percent of the vote, winning 18 seats out of an overall 300." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGreek police arrest one of their own while raiding neo-Nazi party’s offices

NHS watchdog: Nurses in tears as ‘horrendous’ understaffing hits patients

"Nurses were reduced to tears by their workload at a Nottinghamshire hospital where understaffing contributed to patients being left hungry and dehydrated, the NHS watchdog has reported. Their report came as new figures revealed that 5,500 nursing posts have now been cut since the Coalition came into office, increasing pressure on the health secretary Jeremy Hunt to act on repeated warnings over under-staffing. Frontline staff at Kings Mill Hospital, part of the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, told CQC inspectors that they were concerned low numbers of nurses and poor senior doctor cover were harming patient safety." Continue reading →

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Germany’s government and media are bolstering bitcoin popularity

"Last month, BaFin (the German ministry of finance) announced it does not consider bitcoin to be e-money or a functional currency. Instead, it referred to it as 'private money' and a 'financial instrument'. Just last week, Bitcoin.de received confirmation from BaFin that it has no objections to the exchange’s partnership with Fidor Bank. The partnership means customers will soon be able to trade on bitcoin.de in near real-time using a free FidorPay giro account. Elsewhere in the world, bitcoin companies have been facing problems when it comes to finding banking partners. For example, US company Tradehill recently had to cease bitcoin trading due to 'operational and regulatory issues'." Continue reading →

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Anthony Gregory: The Cataclysm of World War II

"World War II was the great event of the 20th century. It greatly altered political boundaries, ushered in the Cold War, effected a total transformation in American governance, and consumed more lives than any other event of comparable duration. The Allied cause stands as the most celebrated of war efforts. U.S. mobilization for it is presented as the greatest government undertaking in American history. The evils of the Axis Powers, particularly Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, were so grave, their crimes so unspeakably brutal and vast, that it is just assumed that the force that violently opposed their reign of terror must have had justice on its side." Continue reading →

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