Hello.
International Developments
? “Russia withdraws its remaining personnel from Syria: Evacuation signals growing concern in Moscow about conflict between ally Bashar al-Assad’s regime and rebels.”
? “The Men Who Get Rich Off Syrian Refugees”.
? “US and Afghan officials say they are committed to talks with the Taliban, despite an assault on a CIA station and government buildings on Monday.”
? “Egypt’s Mohamed Morsi: I have made mistakes” and “pledges radical reforms to state institutions”.
? When President Obama arrives in South Africa this Friday, “South Africans plan protests over [his] administration’s funding of African dictators, revelations of NSA spying and economic agenda.”
International Finance
? Emperor European Central Bank Chief Mario Draghi “Fudged Italy’s Books to Secure Eurozone Entry, Italy Stuck With Derivative Losses”. Wonder what else he’s done.
? A package of EU reforms will reduce subsidies to big farms “up to 30% “. “Some” of the savings will be redistributed to smaller farms which “use eco-friendly methods.”
Money Matters USA
? The average payment to mortgage rip-off victims is $809, with two-thirds actually receiving $300. Banks hired consulting firms to process 500,000 foreclosure reviews but the “reviews were stopped with fewer than 104,000 completed”, at a cost of “about $2 billion”. Yves Smith has more.
? He wrote “anti-big bank messages . . . in water-soluble chalk outside Bank of America branches” in San Diego, CA and could get 13 years and $13,000 in fines for it. The judge has ruled his attorney cannot mention “the First Amendment, free speech, free expression, public forum, expressive conduct, or political speech during the trial.”
? John Hammergren, McKesson Corporation, has the largest pension “in corporate America”–$159 million. Meanwhile, “The average working household has virtually no retirement savings.”
? Originally estimated to be 2.4%, the US growth rate has been revised to 1.8%. [cont’d]
Photo by daphenator under Creative Commons license