Europe

Nigel Farage: There is a Gathering Electoral Storm

"With 62% youth unemployment in Greece, and with Spain not far behind, it is perhaps about time we were honest and admitted we are causing it ourselves. And yet your recipe is more bureaucracy. A youth guarantee scheme, another six billion for the Youth Employment Initiative, the setting up of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships backed up by the Quality Framework for Traineeships, and the list goes on and on and on of yet more highly paid civil servants setting up organisations that will achieve nothing. Until the euro is broken up, until you reverse the social market model you will not help youth unemployment." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNigel Farage: There is a Gathering Electoral Storm

Portugal and Greece highlight eurozone fragility

"Political turmoil in Portugal and concerns about the pace of reform in Greece have raised fears that the eurozone crisis may be about to reignite. Nervous markets pushed up borrowing costs in Portugal to a painful 8 percent Wednesday (3 July) after the governing coalition of Pedro Passos Coelho saw the resignation of its finance and foreign ministers over the social and economic costs of austerity measures. Coelho's weakened position raises doubts about whether Lisbon - until recently routinely praised for putting into place a series of harsh budget-cutting measures - will be able to meet the terms of the its €78 billion bailout, agreed in 2011." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPortugal and Greece highlight eurozone fragility

Paul Craig Roberts: Lawlessness Is The New Normal

"Europe headlines are that 'NSA surveillance threatens the EU free trade deal' and 'Merkel demands explanations.' The protests are the necessary public posturing of puppets and will be regarded as such by Washington. The French government says the trade talks should be temporarily suspended 'for a couple of weeks to avoid any controversy.' However, the German government says, 'We want this free trade agreement and we want to start the talks now.' In other words, what Merkel describes as 'unacceptable Cold War-style behavior' is acceptable as long as Germany gets the free trade agreement." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Lawlessness Is The New Normal

Russia chides France, Spain and Portugal over Morales aircraft incident

"Russia has blasted the European countries which barred the Bolivian presidential aircraft from entering their airspace as unfriendly action, adding that such moves could compromise passengers’ safety. Russian diplomats added that they will continue to press for unconditional observation of international rules that guarantee the personal immunity of heads of state that prevent any attempts on their life, freedom and dignity. The Bolivian presidential aircraft had to land in Vienna, Austria, and remain grounded for 12 hours as France, Spain and Portugal closed their airspace for transit over a suspicion it could have been carrying NSA leaker Edward Snowden." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia chides France, Spain and Portugal over Morales aircraft incident

Snowden leaks now threaten U.S.-EU cooperation on travel, financial data

"The European Union is threatening to suspend two agreements granting the United States access to European financial and travel data unless Washington shows it is respecting EU rules on data privacy. Struck in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks and regarded by Washington as important tools in the fight against terrorism, the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP) provides the U.S. Treasury with data stored in Europe on international financial transfers, and the Passenger Name Record agreement covers data provided by passengers when booking tickets and checking in for flights. All such information is passed to Homeland Security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden leaks now threaten U.S.-EU cooperation on travel, financial data

US sends Irish government arrest warrant for Snowden

"The Government has received a request from the US authorities to arrest fugitive US intelligence analyst Edward Snowden. The provisional arrest warrant received by the Irish Government from the US authorities is now being handled by the extradition Unit in the Garda’s crime and security branch based in Garda headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin. The warrant has been issued as a pre-emptive strike against any effort by Mr Snowden to evade the US authorities by flying from Moscow to Havana on a commercial flight that stops off at Shannon for refuelling. The warrant would enable the Garda to arrest Mr Snowden under the Extradition Act 1965." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS sends Irish government arrest warrant for Snowden

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says no country will have to leave eurozone

"Pushing her message of the need for greater fiscal discipline, structural reform and strengthened competitiveness, she said: 'All of us have to jointly become better, and for that we need European unity.' Merkel, who faces elections on September 22 in Europe’s biggest economy, has long championed fiscal discipline that has forced painful spending cuts in countries such as Greece and Spain. More recently she has focussed on the need to help the victims of the crisis, almost six million jobless under-25-year-olds, and repeatedly said that 'Germany will only do well if Europe does well'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel says no country will have to leave eurozone

European Central Bankers Promise Monetary Inflation for Years

"It’s official: the Bank of England and the European Central Bank announced a policy of guaranteed counterfeiting on a permanent basis. They will keep short-term interest rates low for years. They did not say for how many years. The promise of unlimited counterfeiting pushed up European stock markets. This joint announcement makes it clear that Europe’s central banks have no exit policy, any more than the Federal Reserve does. Once a central bank adopts monetary inflation, it cannot stop without creating a recession. Europe’s central bankers have decided that they prefer risking price inflation as opposed to recession." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEuropean Central Bankers Promise Monetary Inflation for Years

French and British Spying Rivals NSA’s

"Reports are now getting out that the French government and the British government both run data-monitoring programs that involve spying as comprehensive as NSA’s. But this is not getting as much attention, because they have not had leakers with stolen documents that prove this. The protests of European governments against NSA spying on their people turns out to be turf war. The government’s politicians resent the fact that the NSA has invaded their turf. Only domestic spies are allowed to spy on domestic populations in European countries. Privacy is a thing of the past all over the world. The cost of spying on us keeps falling." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrench and British Spying Rivals NSA’s

Estonia tells European Union to rely less on U.S.-based ‘cloud’ storage

"IT hub Estonia on Wednesday urged the European Union to rely less on US firms for 'cloud' data storage, amid tensions over claims of US spying and data surveillance. 'Recent months have proven once again that it’s very important for Europe to have its own data clouds that operate strictly under European legislation,' Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said in a statement. Dubbed E-stonia, the tiny state of just 1.3 million people is known for being a trailblazer in technology and is one of the most connected countries in the world. Tallinn is also home to the NATO cyber-defence centre." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEstonia tells European Union to rely less on U.S.-based ‘cloud’ storage