Europe

Britain has left the European Union in all but name

"The UK is preparing to pull out of almost all areas of 'Justice and Home Affairs', the so-called Pillar III of EU jurisdiction. (Pillar I is the single market, and Pillar II is foreign affairs). This is revolutionary. We are withdrawing from 130 directives, covering everything from the European Arrest Warrant, the European Public Prosecutor, to the European justice department (Eurojust). Luckily, Tony Blair negotiated the right to a mass opt-out on this Pillar III corpus to be exercised before it all becomes justiciable at the European Court (ECJ) in 2014, a move that would transform the ECJ into Britain's supreme court." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritain has left the European Union in all but name

Nigel Farage: ‘Bailouts’ are a means for total subjugation of nation states

"No, this is now a divided, split Europe, with neo-Nazi politics on the rise, with violent demonstrations in the streets. And I frankly think that the award of that Nobel Prize devalues that whole organisation. Well, it's not all bad news, because in Britain the opinion polls are clear that a clear majority of Brits now want to leave this Union, leaving David Cameron as piggy-in-the-middle, trying to pretend to be a Eurosceptic when he comes over here, going back home and claiming victories - but he's stuck. And I predict one thing: Big political change is coming in Britain because he's losing the support of millions of his own voters." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNigel Farage: ‘Bailouts’ are a means for total subjugation of nation states

Reverse brain drain: Economic shifts lure migrants home

"The financial crisis that began in 2008 has tested middle-class America's sense of stability and the European right to social welfare. It has also caused many to question whether the developed world is still the only land of opportunity worth migrating to. Emerging economies not only are faring better than most of the developed world in the current recession, they also continue to grow, drawing back their expatriates and, in some cases, even luring new high-skilled citizens of the US and Europe. Those countries losing their allure could also lose their competitive edge." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReverse brain drain: Economic shifts lure migrants home

Zurich eyes halving corporate tax

"Zurich, Switzerland's largest city and financial hub, may cut its corporate tax rate nearly in half if foreign firms lose fiscal benefits amid EU pressure, the regional financial chief said on Tuesday. By doing so, Switzerland's economic centre would aim to convince foreign companies to remain in the canton even if Switzerland bows to EU pressure and alters a system allowing such firms to pay less taxes than Swiss companies. The Zurich proposal follows a similar proposal presented in Geneva last week, suggesting that Switzerland's second-largest business hub should cut its corporate tax rate from around 24 to 13 percent." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingZurich eyes halving corporate tax

Spanish savers move money to Switzerland

"Crisis-hit savers in Spain are transferring their their money to Switzerland for safety, the head of Geneva's 80-strong banking association said on Wednesday. In addition to an increase in Spanish funds, Droux said Geneva banks had seen an inflow of cash from other eurozone countries so far this year, as well as from the Middle East and developing countries including those in South America. Switzerland is not a member of the European Union and so is not a member of the eurozone." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSpanish savers move money to Switzerland

Spain To Ban Photos of Police on Duty

"Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said after months of television and Internet scenes of sometimes violent clashes between police and demonstrators, a balance had to be struck 'between citizens' right to protest' and the need 'to uphold the integrity of state security forces.' The government's plans were unveiled a day after Spain's director general of police, Cosido Ignacio, said efforts are under way to secure such a ban. Television images of clashes near Parliament on Sept. 25 showed several protesters bloodied and in need of medical attention." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSpain To Ban Photos of Police on Duty

Tens of thousands rally in London against austerity

"Government spending cuts brought some tens of thousands of people onto the streets of London and other British cities on Saturday in protest, with union leaders expected to call for a general strike. Marchers carried signs reading 'No cuts' and 'Tax justice not tax havens', condemning the austerity measures introduced by Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government in a bid to reduce Britain’s huge deficit." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTens of thousands rally in London against austerity

Disinformation and the CIA

"The ten-page Makhov article is probably the most detailed and comprehensive description of CIA and its works in the open Soviet literature. It includes a biography of the evil genius Dulles himself, stressing his Wall Street background and his status as an agent for the monopolists in all foreign and military affairs from insuring the domination of U.S. capital abroad to establishing naval strength ratios. It affirms, on the basis of captured Nazi Foreign Ministry documents and other evidence, that his chief wartime mission in Switzerland was to see to the preservation of German economic and military might as a bulwark against the USSR." Continue reading →

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Scientists confirm water extraction helped trigger deadly 2011 quake in Spain

"The investigation adds to anecdotal evidence that human activities, ranging from exploration for shale gas, quarrying and even water reservoirs, can cause quakes. 'Our results imply that anthropogenic [man-made] activites could influence how and when earthquakes occur,' said the study. In a commentary, Jean-Philippe Avouac, a geologist at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) said water extraction at Lorca probably accelerated a natural process of stress accumulation rather than unleashed the earthquake by itself." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingScientists confirm water extraction helped trigger deadly 2011 quake in Spain

Another Eurozone Country Bites The Dust

"What's unique in the collapsing housing bubble in Cyprus is a title-deed scandal of unimaginable proportions. And it has embroiled waves of foreign buyers. The banks aren't talking. And they aren't writing down their assets to reflect the layers of mortgages that are worthless. Developers are going bust. The money they pocketed has disappeared. Expat homeowners who don't hold title deeds are terrified of losing their homes, even if they paid cash. There are no legal processes in place to resolve this. Estimates of the missing money range from €3 to €6 billion—enough to take down all Cypriot banks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnother Eurozone Country Bites The Dust