Europe

U.S. allowed Italian kidnap prosecution to shield higher-ups, ex-CIA officer says

"A former CIA officer has broken the U.S. silence around the 2003 abduction of a radical Islamist cleric in Italy, charging that the agency inflated the threat the preacher posed and that the United States then allowed Italy to prosecute her and other Americans to shield President George W. Bush and other U.S. officials from responsibility for approving the operation. De Sousa is one of only a handful of former CIA officers who’ve spoken openly about the secret renditions in which suspected terrorists overseas were abducted without legal proceedings and then interrogated by other nations’ security services. More than 130 people were 'rendered' in this way." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. allowed Italian kidnap prosecution to shield higher-ups, ex-CIA officer says

On the Ground in Cyprus with Doug Casey

"Cyprus is perhaps the best most-recent example of the actions that a desperate government can take—and why you need to internationalize your savings, yourself, your income, and your digital presence. As you are no doubt aware, earlier this year on a seemingly ordinary Saturday morning (when most people would least suspect it), the government of Cyprus swiftly closed the banks, imposed capital controls, and announced a confiscation of customer deposits. While these actions came as a surprise to many, it should not have. The actions of a desperate government usually follow a predictable pattern and can happen in any country." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOn the Ground in Cyprus with Doug Casey

Overpicking threatens Greek herbs

"Forestry officials on the Greek island of Crete have slapped a five-year ban on the collection of a variety of wild herbs snipped to near-extinction, the state-run ANA agency said. The forestry department of Hania, one of the island’s main towns, placed restrictions on picking sage, marjoram, oregano and sideritis, better known as Cretan mountain tea, in protected areas. Special permission is required for commercial collection, and an allowance of up to 500 grammes is made 'for personal use'. And Cretan dittany, a therapeutic plant prized since antiquity that is exclusive to the island, is off the table altogether." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOverpicking threatens Greek herbs

Europe’s ‘recovery’ is a conjuring trick

"Stock market indices in Portugal, France and Spain are up by about 30 per cent. That’s pretty impressive for economies running on empty but is completely outshone by Greece, where the main index is now 64 per cent higher than in June 2012. There’s a temptation to look at the direction of travel and conclude that, even for the eurozone’s weaklings, the point of maximum danger is history. This is what EU leaders and the European Central Bank would like us to believe. At the core of this 'recovery' is a bluff that has yet to be called. In August last year, the European Central Bank’s president, Mario Draghi, promised to do 'whatever it takes' to defend the euro." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEurope’s ‘recovery’ is a conjuring trick

IMF approves 1.7 bn euro loan payout to Greece

"The International Monetary Fund released 1.72 billion euros ($2.29 billion) in aid for Greece on Monday after completing a review of the country's performance under the international rescue program. The latest disbursement means that Greece has received a total of roughly 8.24 billion euros ($10.94 billion) from the IMF under the bailout coordinated with the European Union and the European Central Bank in March 2012. Greece was first bailed out for 110 billion euros in 2010 but when that failed, got a second rescue worth 130 billion euros plus a private sector debt write-off totaling more than 100 billion euros." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIMF approves 1.7 bn euro loan payout to Greece

Paris tax hunt sends French to Switzerland

"France has made highly publicized efforts in recent months to crack down on tax evaders including French nationals who inherit from wealthy Swiss residents. However, some say the move will simply persuade French to up sticks and take their wealth with them. The change still needs to be ratified by both the Swiss and French parliaments and which is not set to take effect until 2015 at the earliest. But when it does it will dramatically increase the tax burden on French heirs of estates in Switzerland, which caps its inheritance tax at 7.0 percent, compared to 45 percent in neighbouring France." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingParis tax hunt sends French to Switzerland

Mondragon Corporation (Wikipedia)

"Currently it is the seventh-largest Spanish company in terms of asset turnover and the leading business group in the Basque Country. At the end of 2012, it employed 83,321 people in 256 companies in four areas of activity: Finance, Industry, Retail and Knowledge. The determining factor in the creation of the Mondragon system was the arrival in 1941 of a young Catholic priest José María Arizmendiarrieta in Mondragón, a town with a population of 7,000. In 1943, Arizmendiarrieta established a technical college that became a training ground for generations of managers, engineers and skilled labour for local companies, and primarily for the co-operatives." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMondragon Corporation (Wikipedia)

German president, contra chancellor Merkel, says whistleblowers like Snowden merit respect

"Germany's president, who helped expose the workings of East Germany's dreaded Stasi secret police, said whistleblowers like U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden deserved respect for defending freedom. Weighing in on a debate that could influence September's federal election, President Joachim Gauck struck a very different tone from that of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has assured Washington that Berlin would not shelter Snowden. Gauck, who has little power but great moral authority, said people who work for the state were entitled to act according to their conscience, as institutions sometimes depart from the law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGerman president, contra chancellor Merkel, says whistleblowers like Snowden merit respect

BMW takes ‘great leap forward’ into electric car market

"BMW on Monday took the bold strategic step of revealing its first all-electric car, and said it plans to clinch a significant share of a market still in its infancy. The series-produced model will go on sale in Europe in November to be followed in the United States, China, Japan and several other markets in the first half of 2014. It will hit the German market at a price of 34,950 euros ($46,438) and has a range of 130 to 160 kilometres (about 80 to 100 miles). The Munich-based company trumpeted technological features of the model, which can seat four, including a carbon fibre passenger cell to help offset the weight of the batteries and an aluminium chassis." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBMW takes ‘great leap forward’ into electric car market

European Court Backs Journalist Harassed Over Speed Camera Criticism

"Ilze Nagla's prime-time Sunday television news program infuriated the Ministry of the Interior with coverage of the bungled photo enforcement procurement that became a national scandal. The government wanted details of the contract to operate 160 speed cameras to be kept secret. The deal was handed to the German firm Vitronic, which would take a 35 percent cut of the tickets. At 9:30pm on May 11, 2010, Nagla's home was ransacked by a plain-clothes police officer who pushed his way through her door. Two other officers joined in the search of her residence, taking her laptop, hard drives, memory cards and flash drives." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEuropean Court Backs Journalist Harassed Over Speed Camera Criticism