Russia: MH17 – The Open Source Evidence - by Eliot Higgins

After the downing of MH17 on July 17, a number of photographs and videos were shared online claiming to show the movements of a Buk missile launcher through separatist-controlled territory. It was possible to confirm the location where each image was recorded and discover additional information that further evidenced when and where the Buk missile launcher was on July 17. The following is an approximate timeline of where the Buk was and when:

• 10:45 am: Departed Donetsk eastbound along H21
• 11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Passed Zuhres and Shakhtersk en route to Torez along H21
• 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm: Entered and then passed through Torez (eastbound)
• 1:00 pm: Entered Snizhne
• 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Buk was unloaded from the Volvo low-loader truck in Snizhne; left the city (southbound)
• 4:20 pm: MH17 shot down

Before the first reports and images of the Buk missile launcher were recorded in Donetsk, communications intercepted by the Ukrainian Security Services (SBU) provided information on the earlier movements of the Buk missile launcher. Intercepts include separatists discussing the arrival of the Buk,[1] and references to a location inside Donetsk known as the “Motel.”[2] The Motel, located in the east of Donetsk and used by separatist forces as a base, is close to locations described in social media postings by Donetsk locals who reported sightings of a Buk missile launcher being transported through the city. These sightings are also close to the location where two images showing a Buk missile launcher being transported on the back of a red low-loader were taken, later published by Paris Match[3] and Bellingcat.[4]

Read more: MH17 – The Open Source Evidence

Elections: Swiss People's Party on track for record seats

Switzerland's largest party, the populist rightwing Swiss People's Party, is set for record results in Sunday's parliamentary election, with media projecting it will take a third of seats in the lower house. 
 

Based on final vote counts in half of Switzerland's 26 cantons, and partial counts in 11 others, the ATS news agency projected the party would take 11 additional seats in parliament with about 29.5 percent of the vote.

That would give it 64 of the 200 seats in the lower house, beating its previous record high of 62 seats after the 2007 election.

Along with advances made by the centre-right Liberal Party, Switzerland's third largest party, SVP's gain should tip the scale in parliament from the centre-left towards a centre-right majority.

The Socialists, the country's second biggest party, appeared set to lose two of their 46 seats, while the Liberals were poised to boost their representation to 33 from 30 MPs.

The Christian Democrats, meanwhile, were expected to lose one of their 29 seats.

The biggest loser, according to projections from the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation were the Green Liberals, on track to lose six of their 12 MPs, and the Greens (ten seats, down from 15).

Read more: wiss People's Party on track for record seats - The Local

Germany: Steinmeier looks for a Syrian solution in Middle East tour

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is on a four-day trip to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, with two of those days consecrated to the Iranians.

Steinmeier is hoping to persuade the Iranians to use their influence over Syria’s Bashar al-Assad to seek a diplomatic end to the war there. It is the first official visit to Iran by a German foreign minister in more than 10 years, and coincides with the Core Group meeting of the Munich Security Conference.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is on a four-day trip to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, with two of those days consecrated to the Iranians.

Steinmeier is hoping to persuade the Iranians to use their influence over Syria’s Bashar al-Assad to seek a diplomatic end to the war there. It is the first official visit to Iran by a German foreign minister in more than 10 years, and coincides with the Core Group meeting of the Munich Security Conference.

Read more: Steinmeier looks for a Syrian solution in Middle East tour | euronews, world news

Health Care: UK end-of-life care 'best in world' - by Nick Triggle

End-of-life care in the UK has been ranked as the best in the world with a study praising the quality and availability of services.

The study of 80 countries said thanks to the NHS and hospice movement the care provided was "second to none".

Rich nations tended to perform the best - with Australia and New Zealand ranked second and third respectively.

But the report by the Economist Intelligence Unit praised progress made in some of the poorest countries.

For example Mongolia - ranked 28th - has invested in hospice facilities, while Uganda - 35th - has managed to improve access to pain control through a public-private partnership.

Read more: UK end-of-life care 'best in world' - BBC News

Israel: At UN, Israel declines international Al-Aqsa guards

Israel has rejected an appeal by Palestinians for an international force to protect Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. On Friday, Israel's military opened fire on protesters in Gaza, killing one and wounding dozens.

UN Ambassador Danny Danon repeated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's commitment to not allowing international peacekeepers to watch over Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism and third-holiest in Islam.

"Israel will not agree to any international presence on the Temple Mount," Danon said ahead of a special meeting of the UN Security Council to address weeks of killings in east Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories.

Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour asked the council to deploy a force to protect worshippers. "It is the responsibility of the United Nations and the international community and Security Council to provide protection for our people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem," Mansour said on Friday.

Read more: At UN, Israel declines international Al-Aqsa guards | News | DW.COM | 16.10.2015

Development Aid: Why European countries give more aid than others

The best-known philanthropists may herald from the U.S., but the leading European nations send far more aid overseas in proportion to the size of their economies.

While the U.S. is much the biggest provider of overseas development aid (ODA) in absolute terms — sending $32.2 billion abroad in 2014 — it falls behind if its aid is considered as a proportion of gross national income (GNI) — a measure that aggregates gross domestic product (GDP) with income obtained from abroad.

"Europe has a long, if occasionally somewhat troubled, history of being strongly engaged in global affairs — aid and development is a part of this," Bond, a network of over 400 international development organizations and the U.K. Aid Network, said in a statement to CNBC this week.

Note EU-Digest: Maybe by cutting their inflated military budget and putting some of those funds into development aid the US could certainly get more "bang for their buck" than pouring it into the bottomless military budget, like they do now, with very little to show for?

Read more: Development Aid - Why European countries give more aid than others

Refugees: Syria and Iraq War Refugees: Very Few Allowed Into U.S.

The EU and Turkey carry the brunt of US failed Middle East Policies by successive Administrations from Reagan to Obama.

Syria and Iraq War Refugees: Very Few Allowed Into U.S. - The Globalist

Middle East: US failure in Iraq looms over Afghanistan

In late May 2014, President Barack Obama laid out his timetable for withdrawal. Nearly all American troops were scheduled to pull out of Afghanistan by the time he left the White House at the end of 2016. Fewer than 1,000 US service members would remain in the country to staff a security liaison office in Kabul.

Two weeks after Obama's announcement, Iraq nearly collapsed. The country's security forces evaporated in the face of advancing "Islamic State" (IS) militants. Washington intervened with airstrikes later that summer, halting the militants push toward Baghdad. The White House is now engaged in an open-ended air campaign in Iraq and Syria without any additional congressional authorization.

"It's generally acknowledged that it was a mistake to have invaded Iraq [in 2003]," James Dobbins, who served as the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told DW.

"But having invaded Iraq, having created a mess, having created the conditions that led to regional imbalance and increased radicalization, it was a mistake to have just walked away from it," Dobbins said. "Wars aren't over because you say they're over."

Read more: US failure in Iraq looms over Afghanistan | Middle East | DW.COM | 16.10.2015

US Presidential Election: Hillary Scores Debate Win -- Among Democrats - by Michael Barone

Going into the Democrats' first presidential debate Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton seems to have banked on one thing: that far fewer Americans would be watching than watched the Republican debates in August and September.

Hillary Clinton at the EU with former EU Foreign Secretary Ashton

That assumption proved correct.

Early Nielsen ratings indicate that 13 million viewers tuned in. That's more than the previous Democratic record of 11 million. But it's not much more than half the 23 and 24 million who watched the Republican debates.

Clinton, in what National Journal's Ron Fournier called "a performance that was as dishonest as it was impressive," clearly spoke persuasively to that heavily Democratic audience. With a timely assist, it should be added, from the one rival with poll numbers high enough to have qualified him for prime time if were a Republican: Bernie Sanders.

"The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails," Sanders said. "Me, too! Me, too!" Clinton replied. The highly partisan crowd roared and the two candidates shook hands. The "damn emails" still trouble all Republicans and most Independents, but Democrats don't like dissent and relished Clinton's repeated attacks on Republicans.

Clinton was careful also not to leave much room between her 2008 vanquisher and 2009-2013 boss, Barack Obama. On foreign policy, she noted that "he valued my judgment and I spent a lot of time with him in the Situation Room, going over some very difficult issues." Not much room left for Joe Biden, reportedly watching the debate from the Vice President's house.

Note EU-Digest:  A Hillary Clinton-Donald Trump matchup still looks like it may be in the cards.
 
The latest Rasmussen Reports Trump Change national telephone survey finds that 58% of Likely Republican Voters again this week think Trump is likely to be the GOP’s presidential candidate next year, with 22% who say it’s Very Likely. These findings have held steady for three weeks now. 

Hillary Clinton didn’t get a bump from Tuesday night’s debate but still holds a two-to-one lead over her closest rival.  

READ MORE: Hillary Scores Debate Win -- Among Democrats - Rasmussen Reports™

Turkey - Migrant crisis: EU backs Turkey action plan

EU states have backed an action plan with Turkey, which it is hoped will ease the flow of migrants to Europe.

Nearly 600,000 migrants have reached the EU by sea so far this year, many of them travelling from Turkey.

The leaders agreed to speed up visa liberalisation talks for Turks if Turkey stems the influx and to "re-energise" talks on it joining the EU.

However, the Turkish foreign minister said the deal was still a draft and had not been agreed upon.
Feridun Sinirlioglu called the financial measures proposed by the EU "unacceptable", according to AFP news agency.

Meanwhile a migrant thought to be Afghan was shot dead by a Bulgarian border guard after entering the country from Turkey late on Thursday.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov left the Brussels talks on hearing the news.

Also on Friday, Hungary announced it was going to seal its border with Croatia at midnight (22:00 GMT) following a similar move last month to close its border with Serbia.

Read more: Migrant crisis: EU backs Turkey action plan - BBC News

Global Economy: Half of world's wealth now in hands of 1% of population – by Jill Treanor

Global inequality is growing, with half the world’s wealth now in the hands of just 1% of the population, according to a new report.

The middle classes have been squeezed at the expense of the very rich, according to research by Credit Suisse, which also finds that for the first time, there are more individuals in the middle classes in China – 109m – than the 92m in the US.

Tidjane Thiam, the chief executive of Credit Suisse, said: “Middle class wealth has grown at a slower pace than wealth at the top end. This has reversed the pre-crisis trend which saw the share of middle-class wealth remaining fairly stable over time.”

The report shows that a person needs only $3,210 (£2,100) to be in the wealthiest 50% of world citizens.

About $68,800 secures a place in the top 10%, while the top 1% have more than $759,900. The report defines wealth as the value of assets including property and stock market investments, but excludes debt.
About 3.4 bn people – just over 70% of the global adult population – have wealth of less than $10,000. A further 1bn – a fifth of the world’s population – are in the $10,000-$100,000 range.

Each of the remaining 383m adults – 8% of the population – has wealth of more than $100,000. This number includes about 34m US dollar millionaires. About 123,800 individuals of these have more than $50m, and nearly 45,000 have more than $100m. The UK has the third-highest number of these “ultra-high net worth” individuals.

Read more: Half of world's wealth now in hands of 1% of population – report | Money | The Guardian

Britain: The "Keep Britain in Europe" Campaign Starts - by Denis MacShane

“Britain Stronger in Europe,” the mainstream campaign to stop Brexit from happening, has now been launched.

Lord Stuart Rose, former boss of Marks and Spencer, once the UK’s most popular High Street store, launched the #StrongerIn movement with a scripted speech that is long on economics, short on politics and indifferent to the visionary lines of Winston Churchill’s still vivid appeal for a “United States of Europe” made exactly 70 years ago in Zürich.

Rose’s address started off what clearly is going to be a campaign based on Europe being good for British business.

Read more: The "Keep Britain in Europe" Campaign Starts - The Globalist

EU Social Dimenson: Reviving The EU Social Dimension: A Political Choice

The social dimension of the EU is on the verge of becoming insignificant. At practically all levels there has been a systematic weakening of Social Europe: aims, programmes and instruments have been reduced in the areas of employment policy, labour law and labour relations.

The Community is rolling back previous achievements. Workers and trade unions are losing out. This is particularly evident in three areas.

First, in the euro crisis the European Employment Strategy and the Open Method of Coordination were systematically subordinated to economic-policy aims. In the European Semester – the annual process of co-ordinating EU Member States’ economic policies – the economic and finance ministers have their hands firmly on the tiller. Half of all labour market and social policy recommendations for the Member States are based on legal provisions in the Stability and Growth Pact or the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure. Thus, they come within the competence of finance ministers.

Labour and social affairs ministers are marginalised when it comes to their proper concerns. The upshot of all this is recommendations to deregulate national labour markets, decentralise wage systems and restructure social insurance in line with budgetary criteria. The social partners, generally speaking, have weak consultation rights. Trade unions are bypassed.

The EU’s labour market and social policy measures have long amounted to a comprehensive “labour market strategy”. Acknowledging this reality would be a first step for social policy actors towards a stronger say. Instead of continuing to put up with the thematic constriction of the European Employment Strategy the relevant ministers should insist on equal footing with finance ministers. In an era of European inter-governmentalism, a Eurogroup of social and labour ministers is their best bet.

Read more: Reviving The EU Social Dimension: A Political Choice

Turkey: Grief-stricken Turks bury Ankara victims, venting anger at Erdogan

Grieving loved ones on Monday laid to rest some of the victims of the double suicide bombings in Ankara that left 97 dead, denouncing the government in the first funerals from modern Turkey's worst attack.

The bombings targeted a peace rally Saturday organised by trade union, leftist and Kurdish groups that had mobilised activists from across the country.

After being identified at the Ankara morgue, the victims' bodies were sent to their home regions for burial.
Funerals were held Monday in Ankara and Istanbul as well as in cities in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast.

The leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas attended several funerals in Istanbul where many coffins were draped in the yellow and red colours of the Kurdish flag.

Demirtas stood stony-faced and was seen solemnly embracing relatives. Two HDP members who were running in the upcoming November 1 parliamentary elections were killed in the twin blasts.

Note EU-Digest: the Kurds who deserve a lot of sympathy following the Ankara murderous explosions and their efforts in helping the allied forces combating ISIS on the ground would get even more support from the non-Kurdish Turkish population and international community, if they would be waving also Turkish flags next to the Kurdish flag at their demonstrations, instead of mainly the Kurdish flag. Many people still associate the Kurdish flag with the outlawed terrorist PKK organization. This might only be a matter of perception, but it would certainly be good PR for the HDP if they want to get more Turkish voters to cast their vote for them in the upcoming Turkish election, and to eventually join a new Turkish coalition Government after Erdogan is ousted.

Read more: Europe - Grief-stricken Turks bury Ankara victims, venting anger at Erdogan - France 24

EU-Digest poll shows 78% consider total failure of US Middle East policy cause of EU refugee crises

In an EU-Digest poll held from September 14 to October 13 close to 79 % consider the total failure of  US Middle East policy as the major cause for the  EU refugee crises.

The lack of a strong EU- wides supported refugee policy is seen by 10.53% of those polled as the cause of the crises.

The fact that most Middle East governments are undemocratic and repressive is only seen by 5.26% as a potential cause for the crises. ISIS also ranks a low 5.26% as a factor influencing the EU refugee crises.

This month's EU-Digest poll looks at possible solutions for the Syria crises.

EU-Digest  

Alternative Energy: U.K. Green Investment Bank Raises 476 Million Euro's for Wind - by Alex Morales

The U.K. Green Investment Bank raised 475 million Euro's ($541 million) for its offshore-wind fund as it seeks to spur development of a technology in which Britain already leads the world.

AMF Pensionsforsakring AB and Strathclyde Pension Fund were among investors in the second round of fundraising, bringing the total cash to 818 million pounds, the GIB said Tuesday in a statement. The bank announced the fund in June 2014 and is seeking to raise 1 billion pounds from several rounds.

The fundraising “highlights the growing confidence that home-grown and international investors have in well-developed and well-managed offshore wind assets,” said Karl Smith, fund managing director at the bank. “We are in advanced discussions with other potential investors and progressing quickly towards final close and reaching our 1 billion-pound target.”

Britain already has more offshore wind power than the rest of the world put together, with 4,494 megawatts of installed capacity at the end of 2014. The GIB’s fund will buy into projects, freeing up cash for developers such as Dong Energy A/S to spend on new wind parks.

The fund also acquired the bank’s right to a 10 percent stake in RWE AG’s operating 576-megawatt Gwynt y Mor wind farm off north Wales, according to the statement. It already has a 24.95 percent stake in RWE’s 90-megawatt Rhyl Flats farm, also off north Wales, and a 20 percent interest in Statkraft AS’s 317-megawatt Sheringham Shoal farm off eastern England.

Read more: U.K. Green Investment Bank Raises 475 Million Euro's  for Wind - Bloomberg Business

Middle East: Syrian Kurds, Arab Rebels and Assyrians Form New Alliance - by Jack Moore

A U.S.-backed Syrian-Kurdish militia, a number of Arab rebel groups and an Assyrian Christian group in Syria have formed a coalition to build a democratic representation for a number of moderate parties within Syria, according to a statement seen by Reuters on Monday.

The new alliance, which is calling itself the Democratic Forces of Syria, includes the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) that beat back the Islamic State (ISIS) with the support of U.S. airstrikes in the Syrian-Kurdish border town of Kobani earlier this year. The YPG continues to battle the radical Islamist group in areas of northeastern Syria and the formation of this coalition may act as a step towards an offensive against the group.

The group also includes Syrian rebel groups such as Jaysh al-Thuwwar (Army of Rebels)—a coalition of seven groups of the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army that is fighting both ISIS and the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad—as well as three other rebel factions.

These Arab groups fall under the umbrella of the Syrian Arab Coalition. Christian Assyrian group named the Syriac Military Council (MFS) that is fighting ISIS in northern Syria has also joined the new alliance.

Read more: Syrian Kurds, Arab Rebels and Assyrians Form New Alliance

Morality begins at home: There Is no justification for killing, terrorism, collateral damage, torture or murder in any way or form

The Bible, Koran, and the Torah all explicitly mention : THOU SHALL NOT KILL

RE:. ISLAM: "Terrorism or hirabah is forbidden in Islamic law, which groups it with brigandage, highway robbery and extortion rackets– any illicit use of fear and coercion in public spaces for money or power. The principle of forbidding the spreading of terror in the land is based on the Qur’an (Surah al-Ma’ida 5:33–34).

‘Anyone who disturbs free passage in the streets and renders them unsafe to travel, striving to spread corruption in the land by taking money, killing people or violating what God has made it unlawful to violate is guilty of hirabah .

RE: JUDAISM : ” murder is "not the way of the Torah," declared Rabbi Lau in sharp condemnation of the murder, which is thought to have been an act of "revenge" for the murder of three Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Sha'ar by Hamas terrorists on June 12 this year.

RE CHRISTIANITY: "Even before the codification of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai the murder of other human beings was wrong (Genesis 4:8-12; 4:23-24; 9:4-6; Exodus 1:16-17). While on earth, Jesus spoke out against murder (Matthew 5:21-26; Mark 10:17-19).

We also see in the writings of Paul (Romans 1:18, 29-32; 13:8-10; Galatians 5:19-21), James (James 2:8-11; 4:1-3), Peter (1 Peter 4:15-16) and John (Revelation 9:20-21; 21:7-8; 22:14-15) that murder is wrong".

BOTTOM LINE:  there is no moral justification for murder, killing, terrorism, capital punishment, military "collateral damage",  or even for that matter euthanasia.

The pictures below are only a tip of the iceberg.

Unfortunately man is his own worst enemy and it only seems to be getting worse.

Ryan Lanza who shot  and killed 20 elementary school children and his mother at Sandy Hook CT, USA

Palestine victims after deadly Israeli Gaza bombing:

ISIS mass executionsions 

US Airforce "collateral damage: "Drs without borders" hospital Afghanistan

Turkey, Ankara more than 130 casualties bomb explosions

 EU-Digest

European Insurance Industry: Financial Assessment of the European Insurance Industry

The European insurance industry is struggling with the volatile macroeconomic environment and regulatory changes while also incorporating changes in technology and business model to be at par with its global peers.

While premium growth is accelerating, pressure on profitability continues due to low investment income and the uncertain economic environment. Growth in premiums is different for different countries in Europe, but is led by emerging economies in Eastern Europe.

 The European insurance industry has remained somewhat resilient to the 2008 financial crisis, which did not have much impact on its returns statistics.

Threats of deflation are rising in Europe and can have a negative impact on this industry. Changes in the preferences and demands of the consumer; corporate and technology developments creating new areas of risk to be insured; and industry consolidation in search for better distribution network (online or physical) are some factors that are likely to drive industry growth.

Life and health (L&H), and property and casualty (P&C) insurance revenues are growing at a steady pace despite the challenging macroeconomic situation. However, as situations are expected to worsen in the near future, decreased premium growth and lower investment income are expected unless insurers use diversification as a strategy to enhance returns.

Operational costs have decreased due to investment in upgraded technology, and the cost-effective online distribution structure has led to increased profitability in the industry. Underwriting ratios have witnessed improvement but the industry is not well placed in terms of policy holders surplus to cover future claims.

Overall, the insurance industry is well positioned financially and ready to face the challenges that lie ahead.

Insure-Digest.

Syria - Russia: Putin adds diplomatic strand to bolster Syrian air strikes

Russian President Vladimir Putin has gone on the diplomatic offensive as Moscow’s jets continue to pound anti-government positions in Syria.

Putin held meetings with the Saudi defence minister as the Kremlin seeks a political solution to the violence in Syria.

The Western-backed opposition group echoed again over the weekend that Russian air raids would undermine efforts to reach a settlement.

Putin disagrees, speaking on Russian state television he said: “The active phase of our job in Syria will be limited to coincide with the offensive operations by the Syrian army. Our task is to stabilise the legal government and create the right conditions for reaching a political compromise.”

He added that Russian troops would not be deployed in Syria:“No we are not going to do that and our Syrian friends know it.”

Read more: Putin adds diplomatic strand to bolster Syrian air strikes | euronews, world news

European Wind Farms: Houston Texas based RigNet wins major contract for European wind farm infrastructure development

Off-Shore Windparks

The Houston, Texas's based RigNet TSI has been awarded a multi-million EURO contract to deliver communications systems and infrastructure for a high-voltage transmission platform in an offshore wind farm located in the German sector of the North Sea.
 
The award of this contract by a leading UK-based offshore contractor continues RigNet’s long-term success in the delivery of integrated telecommunications and operations support systems for a diverse range of applications and industries.

“As modern wind farms grow in scale and move farther offshore, they begin to resemble deepwater drilling operations in terms of complexity and technology requirements,” said Mark Slaughter, RigNet’s CEO and President. “Through our TSI business unit, RigNet applies its significant track record for offshore performance to help these renewable energy developments meet safety and production targets.”

RigNet TSI’s scope of work includes the integration and delivery of critical facility communications infrastructure, including Structured Cabling, Local Area Network (LAN), Wireless LAN (WLAN), Telephony, Public Address / General Alarm (PAGA), Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), Access Control (ACS), Meteorological Systems, Navigation and Lifeboat Radio support for the platforms.

RigNet TSI is a leading global Provider of managed remote communications, telecoms systems integration and collaborative applications dedicated to the oil and gas industry, focusing on offshore and onshore drilling rigs, energy production facilities and energy maritime vessels. RigNet is based in Houston, Texas.

Read more: RigNet wins Telecoms EPC contract for European wind farm infrastructure development

US Economy: Record Global Sell-Off of U.S. Debt Could Trigger Economic Collapse

Foreign governments buy U.S. debt because of the dollar's status as the world's reserve currency – the American economy has long been viewed as a safe place to invest. That's why the amount of U.S. debt held by foreign nations has increased more than six-fold since 2001.

But that's all changing now – events that could spark a U.S. economic collapse are already underway…

The Wall Street Journal revealed recently that China – the largest holder of U.S. investments – is ridding itself of its U.S. government bonds at the fastest rate in history.

In fact, a global sell-off of epic proportion is taking place.

Central banks in China, Russia, Brazil, and Taiwan are selling U.S. government bonds at such a pace that it's caused the most dramatic shift in the $12.8 trillion Treasury market since the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

Foreign official net sales of U.S. Treasury debt maturing in at least one year hit $123 billion in the 12 months ended in July, according to Deutsche Bank Securities Chief International Economist Torsten Slok, reported WSJ. That's the biggest decline since data started to be collected in 1978.

By contrast, foreign central banks purchased $27 billion of U.S. notes and bonds in the prior 12-month period.

Foreign central bankers' massive offloading of U.S. debt sends this dangerous signal…

Read more: WARNING: Record Global Sell-Off of U.S. Debt Could Trigger Economic Collapse

Turkey: Manhunt begins in Turkey for authors of nation’s worst-ever terrorist atrocity | euronews, world news

Turkey is reeling from its worst-ever terrorist attack, which left 95 people dead and nearly 250 injured, 48 seriously.

Eyewitnesses say two suicide bombers attacked a peace rally held by the progressive HDP party, which supports the Kurds, but this has not been confirmed. No-one has yet claimed responsibility.

A general election looms on November 1, and this atrocity could change the course of the campaign. The prime minister went to hospitals in Ankara overwhelmed with the victims, and soon after spoke to the nation, naming his government’s main suspects.

“We will continue our investigation regarding this attack. At the moment, potential groups that can carry out such an attack are obvious: ISIL, the PKK, and the Leftist MLKP and DHKP-C,” said Ahmet Davutoglu.

The HDP’s leader Selahattin Demirtas had few doubts that the government was to blame for the attack, either by negligence or design, an accusation Davutoglu slammed as a “provocation”.

For his ruling AK party the HDP is the force stopping it from getting an absolute majority, and in this climate it may enable the AKP to scare voters to the polls in its favour. But for the moment all campaigning has been suspended.

Read more: Manhunt begins in Turkey for authors of nation’s worst-ever terrorist atrocity | euronews, world news

The Netherlands has sixth richest population in the world - by Parvinder Marwaha

People in the Netherlands have been ranked sixth in a listing of the world’s richest countries, by net assets per capita, according to this year's Allianz Global Wealth Report.

Compared with 2014, the Netherlands increased its wealth per capita from 71.430 to 78.063 euros per person, placing the country sixth globally, with Switzerland taking first place with 138.710.

In addition, the world’s top 10 rich list includes three other western European countries: the UK (86.230), Belgium (84.770) and Sweden (82.920).

In the Netherlands, gross financial assets grew from last year by as much as 12,3 percent, driven by a strong increase in insurance and pension assets. The growth in net financial assets was even more exceptional: 21,6 percent.

Allianz Global Wealth Report

Top 10 countries' wealth per capita in 2015
Rank    Country    Net assets in euros

1    Switzerland    157.446
2    USA    138.714
3    UK    86.233
4    Belgium    84.771
5    Sweden    82.925
6    The Netherlands    78.063
7    Canada    76.508
8    Japan    73.547
9    Singapore    73.328
10    Taiwan    72.636

People in the Netherlands have been ranked sixth in a listing of the world’s richest countries, by net assets per capita, according to this year's Allianz Global Wealth Report.
Compared with 2014, the Netherlands increased its wealth per capita from 71.430 to 78.063 euros per person, placing the country sixth globally, with Switzerland taking first place with 138.710.
In addition, the world’s top 10 rich list includes three other western European countries: the UK (86.230), Belgium (84.770) and Sweden (82.920).
In the Netherlands, gross financial assets grew from last year by as much as 12,3 percent, driven by a strong increase in insurance and pension assets. The growth in net financial assets was even more exceptional: 21,6 percent.
- See more at: http://www.iamexpat.nl/read-and-discuss/expat-page/news/netherlands-sixth-richest-population-in-world#sthash.TM4auYCy.dpuf

Read more: The Netherlands has sixth richest population in the world

Turkey train station bombings kill dozens in Ankara

Two powerful bombs exploded at a peace rally near the main train station in Ankara on Saturday morning, killing at least 95 people and wounding 246 others in the deadliest attack in the Turkish capital in recent memory.

The number of casualties announced late Saturday by the prime minster's officer was lower than the figures given earlier by the Turkish Medical Association. That agency said 97 people had died and more than 400 were wounded. 

Read more: Turkey train station bombings kill dozens in Ankara - CNN.com

Syria: Pentagon Ends Program to Train Syrian Rebels, - by im Miklaszewski, Erik Ortiz and Laura Saravia - NBC News

 The Pentagon on Friday announced it was ending its failed $500 million program to "train and equip" Syrian rebels and replacing it with a far less ambitious plan, defense officials said.

The "training" part of the program — which managed to field only "four or five" Syrian rebels into the battle against ISIS at a $50 million price tag — has been halted, according to senior defense officials
.
Instead of combat training for the rebels, they will now be used as "enablers" to identify ISIS targets on the ground for U.S. and coalition airstrikes. They will also be advised on how to interact with U.S. military "at a distance," and there will be no American forces on the ground in Syria

The "equip" part of the program, which provided small arms, ammunition and vehicles, will be dramatically reduced to providing weapons to some 5,000 friendly moderate Syrian rebels to carry on the fight against both ISIS and presumably, the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Read more: Pentagon Ends Program to Train Syrian Rebels, Starts Revamped Initiative - NBC News

France - Tourism: visitors to France complain unable to pay with local credit card at most French toll roads

French toll roads not user friendly for tourists

If you are touring France by car, you could be in for a big surprise, specially when using one of their overpriced toll roads, and need to pay for the toll.

The shock will not only come for the high cost of the toll, but also when you want to use your  "home bank" credit card to pay  for the toll, and finding out it won't work. 
Basically the French want you to pay with cash, which is quite inconvenient, because it requires you to carry a large amount of cash with you, which in general is not always a safe thing to do. 

France is quite different in that respect to most other countries in Europe were foreign credit cards are widely accepted with  the exception of the Netherlands, where non-European credit cards are also often frowned upon.

EU-Digest

Migrant crisis: EU to begin seizing smugglers' boats

The EU is beginning a new operation in the southern Mediterranean to intercept boats smuggling migrants.

Under Operation Sophia, naval vessels will be able to board, search, seize and divert vessels suspected of being used for people smuggling.

Until now, the EU has focused on surveillance and rescue operations.

So far this year, more than 130,000 migrants and refugees have crossed to Europe from the north African coast. More than 2,700 have drowned.

However, many more migrants and refugees - mainly Syrians fleeing the country's civil war - are taking a different route. They are crossing overland into Turkey, before a short journey by sea to European Union member

Read more: Migrant crisis: EU to begin seizing smugglers' boats - BBC News

US-Turkey: How Turkey Fell Out of Favor - by Soner Cagaptay

When I came to Washington in 2002, the Department of Defense was among Turkey’s best friends inside the U.S. government
.
The Pentagon considered Turkey a staunch ally and uniformed U.S. personnel had a deep affection for Turkey, going back to U.S.-Turkish cooperation in the Cold War and in the Balkans in the 1990s.

Today, the Pentagon has, for the most part, lost its fondness for Turkey. This change is a result of America’s shifting sense of Turkey’s identity and role in the NATO alliance.

The transformation of Turkey’s standing in the eyes of the U.S. military is due to Turkish and American dynamics.

Following the September 11 attacks, the U.S. government, including the military, became preoccupied with identifying moderate Muslim allies.

Turkey benefited from this endeavor as the ruling pro-Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the elections in 2002, taking office on a platform of moderation.

The AKP upset its potential allies in Washington, however, when it refused to help Washington in the 2003 Iraq War.

Raed more: United States: How Turkey Fell Out of Favor - The Globalist

EU-US Safe Harbor Pact. European court invalidates EU-US Safe Harbor pact - by Peter Sayer

The Safe Harbor agreement on which many businesses rely for the transatlantic transfer of personal data is invalid, the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled

While the decision will affect companies like Facebook and Google, it is bad news for small and medium-size companies transferring data from the EU to the U.S., said Mike Weston, CEO of data science consultancy Profusion.

"American companies are going to have to restructure how they manage, store and use data in Europe and this will take a lot of time and money," he said.

The CJEU  provided a summary of the ruling, the full text of which will be published later.

Note EU-Digest: Good move - but the obvious question is what will the US do with all the information they have already collected about and on EU Citizens ?

Read more: European court invalidates EU-US Safe Harbor pact | Computerworld

Syria: NATO rejects Russia explanation on Turkish air space - but what is really behind this?

NATO on Tuesday rejected Moscow's explanation that its warplanes had violated alliance member Turkey's air space by mistake and said Russia was sending more ground troops to Syria and building up its naval presence.

With Russia extending its air strikes to include the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he was losing patience with Russian violations of his country's air space.

"An attack on Turkey means an attack on NATO," Erdogan warned at a Brussels news conference.

Note EU-Digest: This all is starting to look like a prepared scenario. Act one: Netanyahu goes to Russia and has meetings with Putin : Act two: Putin goes to UN and on the sidelines has a one on one meeting with Obama.. Act three: Russia starts bombing targets in Syria. The only unknown in this scenario is President Erdogan of Turkey - but in reality he is probably being used as a sideline "prop" by the powers in play, who have all come to the conclusion that Erdogan's idea of toppling Assad is destabilizing the Middle East even further, but except for Russia,  can not say so openly.

Given the actual political developments in Turkey it also seems likely the US does not see Turkey as a reliable partner anymore unless Erdogan is toppled in the upcoming election and replaced by a more secure and less autocratic democratic regime.  


Read more: NATO rejects Russia explanation on Turkish air space | Reuters

Insurance Industry: 3 Options for Rental Car Insurance in Europe

Renting a car for your vacation in Europe is just the first step in planning a road trip. Now you have to make some key decisions: whether to buy rental car insurance and, if so, whether to purchase a specialty policy or get insurance at the car rental counter.

If you are traveling to Europe and renting a car, you have three main insurance options for your trip.

1. Free coverage through your credit card

2. Stand-alone insurance policies

3. Buying at the rental car counter

Insure-Digest

Middle East Inside A Mid-East Coup: A Closer Look At The Russia-Iran Power Play

Earlier, we ventured to characterize the breakdown of Washington’s strategy in Syria as the worst US foreign policy blunder since Vietnam.

To be sure, that’s a bold claim, but it’s supported by the sheer number of missteps, bad outcomes, and outright absurdities that have developed in the Mid-East as a result of the effort to oust Bashar al-Assad.

At the most basic level, the support provided by Washington, Riyadh, and Doha for the various Sunni extremist groups battling for control of Syria has created a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions.

 Hundreds of thousands of people are dead and millions are displaced. As tragic as the situation already is, the conditions are ripe for it to get even worse if the move by Brussels to force recalcitrant EU countries into accepting a migrant quota system they are opposed to ends up triggering a dangerous bout of xenophobia in the Balkans.

Washington’s move to train and arm the Syrian opposition has of course also led directly to the creation of a group of black flag-waving jihadists that have taken the term “extremists” to a whole new level on the way to producing a series of slickly-produced videos depicting the murder of Westerners. 

This same group is now stomping around between Syria and Iraq wreaking havoc on civilians and committing acts so heinous that even al-Qaeda has condemned them.

Of course the outright chaos the West has managed to create in Syria has now come full circle, providing Iran and Russia with a unique opportunity to tip the scales and seize power in the Mid-East.

What's important to understand here, is that this isn’t confined to Syria

Read more: Inside A Mid-East Coup: A Closer Look At The Russia-Iran Power Play | Zero Hedge

Russia in Syria: Chinese J-15 fighter jets to join Russian air campaign against Isis?

In a bid to strengthen the Russian air campaign, another Syrian ally -- China -- is now planning to deploy Shenyang J-15, a carrier-based fighter aircraft, in Syria..

Several reports have stated that Beijing has agreed to join the Russian air campaign. The development has come mere days after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a UN Security Council meeting that the world can no longer afford to stand by and look on with folded arms but must also not "arbitrarily interfere" in the Syrian crisis.

The Israeli military and intelligence news website DEBKAfile has now claimed that the Chinese are preparing to join Russia. The Jerusalem-based news website noted that the "J-15 warplanes will take off from the Chinese Liaoning-CV-16 aircraft carrier, which reached Syrian shores on 26 September.

Read more: Russia in Syria: Chinese J-15 fighter jets to join Russian air campaign against I\\\

EU Privacy Laws: Top EU court backs student in landmark Facebook privacy case

Europe's highest court has ruled in favor of an Austrian law student who claims a trans-Atlantic data protection agreement doesn't adequately protect consumers.

The case, which cites data Facebook allegedly provides to US intelligence agencies, has far-reaching implications for tech companies doing business in Europe.

Read more: Europe - Top EU court backs student in landmark Facebook privacy case - France 24

US Economy: US jobs growth stumbles, fueling economy fears

American employers shied away from hiring over the past two months and wages fell in September.
What one analyst describes as “a pig of a report” could fuel fears that the Chinese-led economic slowdown is stifling the US recovery.

Payrolls outside of farming rose by 142,000 last month and August figures were revised sharply lower to show only 136,000 jobs added that month, the Labor Department said on Friday.

Economists had expected more than 200,000 new jobs to be created in September.

The figures represent the smallest two-month gain in employment in over a year.

Job growth should have been enough to push the unemployment rate down, but it held steady at 5.1 percent.

Read more: US jobs growth stumbles, fueling economy fears | euronews, economy

Refugee Crises: EU, Turkey agree on refugee action plan

Brussels and Ankara have set up an action plan on regulating the flow of refugees to Europe, according to media reports. New camps and coordinated border controls are the cornerstones of the plan

Read more: EU, Turkey agree on refugee action plan: reports | News | DW.COM | 04.10.2015

Dutch love democracy, dislike politics - by Graeme Kidd

Roughly 93 percent of the Netherlands thinks that democracy is the best possible form of government, and 95 percent think it is important to live in a democratically governed nation, a new survey from the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) revealed. Released on Friday, the report also found that 73 percent of people living in the country have a negative view of politics there.

“The main reasons put forward for dissatisfaction were that politicians do not listen and simply do what they want, that citizens have too little say and that politicians talk too much and act too little; or else they were dissatisfied with current policy at the time of the survey,” the research noted. Citizens are wanting to have a greater say through more public debate and the collection of public opinion information about democracy itself.

The SCP quoted one 30-year-old man as saying, “Generally Democracy as a state form works well, it is unfortunately the politicians that make a mess of it.”

Some 22 percent support more direct democracy where people vote on many referenda as oppose to representative politics, with 45 percent wanting to vote on a selection of referenda chosen by elected representatives. “This would seem to suggest that at least a proportion of the Dutch public see direct democracy mainly as a way of adding to or improving representative democracy rather than as an alternative to it,” the report noted.

The research was carried out by Dr. Diana den Ridder and Prof. Paul Dekker, and published under the title, “More Democracy, Less Politics?” The report was commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relation to gauge the perception of the Dutch public into democracy and politics.

They also found that while people in the Netherlands deeply value equal treatment by the courts, opinion is divided about whether or not that exists. At the same time, 90 percent value both a free press and freedom to oppose government, with 70 percent saying they are satisfied with both.

Read more: Dutch love democracy, dislike politics - NL Times

Spain: Catalans among the pigeons - 51.7% of Catalans voted “no” to independence

Catalonia's election proved a personal triumph for regional president Artur Mas, whose separatist Together for Yes platform was a clear winner though it fell short of an absolute majority in Barcelona‘s parliament.

Barring last minute warfare amongst the component parts of a platform that included his centre-right Catalan Democratic Convergence party, the left-wing Catalan Republican Left and a varied array of independent separatists, Mr Mas will continue to head the regional government of this wealthy corner of north-east Spain.

That was the easy part. Watched intently by other fervent separatist movements around Europe, Mr Mas now plans to follow the “roadmap” to independence that brought this disparate group together for the election—a poll that he billed as a plebiscite on separation from Spain. With the backing of the far-left Popular Unity Candidacy, the separatists have a comfortable parliamentary majority.

But Catalonia's unequal voting system, which favours less-populated rural areas, means this majority was won with fewer than 50% of votes. When looked at as a plebiscite, the result changes. In fact, 51.7% of Catalans voted “no” to independence.

That will make life tricky for Mr Mas as he bids for international support. The roadmap foresees negotiations with Madrid that could prevent a unilateral declaration of independence scheduled for Spring 2017. But Spain must conduct a general election before the end of the year. Only then will we know how Madrid plans to handle the situation

Read more: Daily chart: Catalans among the pigeons | The Economist

Banking Industry: How the banks ignored the lessons of the crash - by Joris Luyendijk

Ask veteran at a small credit rating agency who spent his whole career in the City of London told me with genuine emotion: “It was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. We came so close to a global meltdown.” He had been on holiday in the week Lehman went bust. “I remember opening up the paper every day and going: ‘Oh my God.’

 I was on my BlackBerry following events. Confusion, embarrassment, incredulity ... I went through the whole gamut of human emotions. At some point my wife threatened to throw my BlackBerry in the lake if I didn’t stop reading on my phone. I couldn’t stop.”

Other financial workers in the City, who were at their desks after Lehman defaulted, described colleagues sitting frozen before their screens, paralysed – unable to act even when there was easy money to be made.

Things were looking so bad, they said, that some got on the phone to their families: “Get as much money from the ATM as you can.” “Rush to the supermarket to hoard food.” “Buy gold.”

“Get everything ready to evacuate the kids to the country.” As they recalled those days, there was often a note of shame in their voices, as if they felt humiliated by the memory of their vulnerability. Even some of the most macho traders became visibly uncomfortable. One said to me in a grim voice: “That was scary, mate. I mean, not film scary. Really scary.”

Read more: How the banks ignored the lessons of the crash | Joris Luyendijk | Business | The Guardian

EU Migrant Crises: Nearly 200 African migrants rescued off Spain

Almost 200 migrants from North and sub-Saharan Africa were rescued overnight as they tried to reach southern Spain in makeshift vessels, Spanish coastal rescue officials said Sunday.

"Maritime rescue services picked up 188 people from seven craft," a spokesman told AFP.

A Red Cross spokesman told AFP that 103 Algerians, half of them minors, were aboard five craft off the southern port of Almeria.

Two other vessels were crammed with 85 sub-Saharan Africans.

Read more: Nearly 200 African migrants rescued off Spain - Yahoo News

Middle East -Syria: How Putin blindsided the US over Syria - by Jon Sopel

They have consistently made clear their support for President Assad. It was hardly a great secret that they had moved military assets into Syria - and the Russian pilots hadn't flown their fighter aircraft over to the Eastern Mediterranean to earn some extra air miles.

President Vladimir Putin had a meeting with President Barack Obama on Monday night to explain what Russia's plan was - and although there were profound differences, US officials said they understood better what Russia's intentions were.

And yet. - Isn't there something totally jaw-dropping, gob-smacking, eyebrow-arching, ear twitchingly extraordinary - and not to mention, casual - about the way the Americans learnt about Russian plans?

It began with a phone call from a Russian diplomat to his counterpart in Baghdad to say "we've got something interesting to tell you".

Then a three-star Russian general leaves the Russian embassy compound and knocks on the door of the American one, and asks to see the US military attache.

He tells the American military man that bombing starts in an hour, so you'd better get out of Syrian airspace now and move any assets you have off the ground. And 60 minutes later, the bombing started.

Wow. To say the Americans were blindsided by this unorthodox line of communication is to put it mildly. Having had their "clear the air" meeting on Monday night there was an anticipation that though there might be big policy differences, there would be a degree of co-ordination and openness.

Read more: How Putin blindsided the US over Syria - BBC News

Global Economy: Europe Appears Poised Not for Economic Collapse but Steady Rebound - by Martin Currie

The global media may be obsessed with the seemingly imminent collapse of the European economy, but the investment professionals at Legg Mason affiliate Martin Currie instead see significant – and growing – opportunities for investors. To them the European "story" is a great deal more positive than the naysayers want us to believe.

"Even amidst the noise, this is the best outlook for Europe we have seen in 20 years," said Martin Currie investment director Michael Browne, who co-heads European long/short strategies. "We had the most astonishing level of economic reform and regulation changes. Plus money was created. It takes time to create opportunity, and that is most definitely occurring."

Martin Currie sees the European economy as less like the speedy hare of Aesop's fable than the steady tortoise. Mr. Browne cited quantitative as well as qualitative factors to justify their optimism.

"During the Industrial Revolution, which made Europe into a powerhouse, economic growth was 1.3 to 1.4 percent a year," he reported. "This year it's at 1.4 to 1.5. Next year the consensus projections are 1.9 to 2. Luxury brands are doing especially well. Economic growth overall is already positive and continuing to improve."

As a result of all the turmoil, living standards in Europe – on a relative basis – have recently experienced what Martin Currie considers "a big fall."

"Europe has faced a debt crisis stemming from certain countries overspending, of that there is no doubt, but when situations like this happen the size of the state often shrinks. That can be very positive for the private sector, which can move more freely to fill the voids governments leave."

"In a big swath of history, this led to major restructurings," Mr. Browne said. "It's tied together with historically low interest rates and falling oil prices. Yet at the same time corporate balance sheets have been cleaning up to some of the best debt levels we've seen since the early 1990s."

"The question is will it bite and take hold, or is this yet another false alarm? We think it's real." Continued pessimism on Europe's outlook results from media interests, in Martin Currie's view.

Read more: Europe Appears Poised Not for Economic Collapse but Steady Rebound - MarketWatch

Doomsday Scenario: Mega-tsunami warning: Natural disaster warning that could wipe out cities - by Oli Smith

 A crew of scientists recently discovered the sudden collapse of a giant volcano 73,000 years ago unleashed a wave nearly 1,000ft in height, the largest ever seen on geological record.

Experts have warned a similar catastrophic mega-tsunami could happen again.

The Fogo volcano at Cape Verde, which triggered the unprecedented wave, remains one of the world's largest and most active island volcanoes.

The volcano suddenly became active late last year.

Seismologists said the eruption in November was one of the strongest ever recorded on the island.
Experts fear another powerful eruption could send a devastating mega-tsunami across the Atlantic Ocean.

Scientists have recently uncovered the terrifying details behind the ancient natural disaster.
The waves were so powerful they launched boulders the size of delivery vans into mountains more than 30 miles away.

Academics from Bristol University's School of Earth Sciences believe the threat of an incident on a similar magnitude "still exists".

Lead researcher Dr Ricardo Ramalho has warned such a wave, twice as high as Big Ben, would wreak untold destruction.
 
He said: "Our point is flank collapses can happen extremely fast and catastrophically, and therefore are capable of triggering giant tsunamis.

"We need to take this into account when we think about the hazard potential of these kinds of volcanic features.

"Fogo Island presently towers 9,281 ft (2,829m) above sea level, and erupts about every 20 years.

Read more: Mega-tsunami warning: Natural disaster warning that could wipe out cities | Science | News | Daily Express

USA: America's Gun Business, By the Numbers - by Ben Popkin

Before a gun can be used to hunt, for protection, or in a mass school shooting like Thursday's tragic killing at Umpqua Community College that left 10 dead, it must be bought. That one sale is a single dot in a multibillion-dollar industry, one that is coming under new scrutiny during the post-massacre gun control debate. Here's a by the numbers breakdown.

$13.5 billion

Annual revenue of gun and ammunition manufacturing industry, with a $1.5 billion profit. (IBIS World)

$3.1 billion

Annual revenue of gun and ammunition stores, with a $478.4 million profit. (IBIS World)

10,847,792

The number of pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns and miscellaneous firearms manufactured in the U.S. in 2013, the latest full year available. That's 4,441,726 pistols, 725,282 revolvers, 3,979,570 rifles, 1,203,072 shotguns, and 495,142 miscellaneous firearms. (ATF)

4%

Percentage of the above guns which were exported. Of those 10.84 million guns, 10,413,880 stay in America. (ATF)

270-310 million

Estimated of number of guns in the U.S. (Pew Research Center)

263,223

Number of full-time jobs related to the firearm industry, up from 209,750 in 2012. (NSSF)

$42.9 billion

Estimated overall economic impact of the firearms and ammo industry in the U.S. (NSSF)

20,968,273

Number of firearm background checks initiated in 2014. Because a background check is required before a gun is bought, this numbers gives insight into gun sale trends. However, just because a background check was initiated doesn't mean a gun was purchased. (FBI)

9,138,123

Number of firearm background checks in 1999. (FBI)

5

Average number of firearms owned by a gun owner once you toss out the top 3% of gun owners who own more than 25 guns. (Journal of Injury Prevention)

31%

Percentage of American households with guns. (NORC)

29%, 43.7%, 55.9%

Adults living in a household with firearms: percentage by suburbs, other urban areas, and rural counties, respectively. (NORC)

60%

Percentage of Americans who say personal safety/protection is the reason they own a gun. (Gallup)

$229 billion

The cost of fatal and non-fatal gun violence to the U.S. in 2012, representing 1.4% of total gross domestic product.(Mother Jones)

Read more: America's Gun Business, By the Numbers - NBC News

EU Labor Relations: Juncker vows tighter EU labor laws

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday that a package of workers' rights which the EU executive will propose next spring would reduce differences among labor markets across the bloc.

Addressing a European trades union gathering in Paris, the conservative former Luxembourg premier also criticized a trend away from long-term employment contracts toward short-term hiring and said the latter should not become the norm.

"We, the European Commission, will propose in spring 2016 a pillar of minimum labor rights, a protective cordon around the labor market," he said, adding that it would set labor norms that "cannot be adjusted downwards".

"In doing so," he said, "We will add to convergence in the employment sphere in Europe."
Juncker, who took over the EU executive 11 months ago, has said recently he would propose harmonizing employment standards, though there has so far been little detail on the plan.

The issue is particularly sensitive at present since Britain's conservative government is trying to negotiate terms of membership before holding a referendum on whether to stay in the EU. Employment regulation from Brussels is unpopular on the right in Britain, though favored by many opponents on the left.

In a reference which an EU official said was to workers being posted abroad, Juncker said he wanted to see a level playing field on pay: "In Europe, we must finally agree on a simple principle: the same pay for the same job wherever it is."
 
Read more: Juncker vows tighter EU labor laws | Reuters

Refugees: European Refugee Crises: Migrant Influx Costs Europe, But Economy Could Benefit - by Henry Ridgwel

The influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants is testing Europe’s ability to respond — especially in the poorer Balkan states. But some analysts argue that Europe will benefit by welcoming the huge numbers of young people  — many of them well educated and willing to work.

Germany expects up to 1 million asylum seekers this year alone. The upfront costs of housing, education and social care are considerable — but it could stimulate the economy, argues Christian Odendahl of the Center for European Reform.

Read more: Migrant Influx Costs Europe, But Economy Could Benefit

Syria: Russia’s Unguided Weapons in Syria Could Ricochet on Moscow

The Syrian air force has been bombing anti-government rebels—as well as innocent civilians—with crude barrel bombs that rarely hit their targets. But the arrival of the Russian air force isn’t bringing a big increase in accuracy. Their bombing technology is a generation behind American weapons, and that could end up pinning a target on the back of every Russian soldier in Syria as well as back home.

The U.S. has claimed that the Russian air strikes that began this week appear aimed at Syrian rebel forces fighting to topple President Bashar Assad instead of the Islamic State in Syria and Greater Iraq. But they may not be very effective. Video released by the Russians—and U.S. intelligence reports—indicate the bombs being dropped are unguided, and that at least some of them are going astray.

That could lead to big problems for the Russians, according to Lieut. General Bob Otto, the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. “Those aren’t precision weapons,” Otto said Thursday of the Russian bombs. “We can tell what’s hanging off the airplane” via intelligence imagery, he said. They’re “dumb” bombs, guided to their targets only by gravity and the plane’s position and velocity when they’re released. Such weapons are notoriously inaccurate.

Read more: Russia’s Unguided Weapons in Syria Could Ricochet on Moscow | TIME

Europe’s Powerlessness in the Middle East - (but why not ?) - by Judy Dempsey

Russia’s recently launched bombing of opposition targets in Syria is a brutal reminder of the decline of Western influence in the Middle East and North Africa.

In Afghanistan, the growing military might of Taliban fighters, who are now in open warfare with Afghan security forces, has exposed the weaknesses of the NATO-led mission in that country. Since the alliance’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in December 2014 after an eleven-year stint there, the country is lurching into another war.

Meanwhile, the United States’ decision to leave Iraq in December 2011, when the government in Baghdad was paralyzed by sectarian interests and the security forces were unprepared for later taking on the so-called Islamic State, has plunged the country into a new war.

And don’t forget Libya, where in March 2011 a NATO-led mission used its United Nations mandate, anchored in the responsibility to protect, to get rid of Libyan strongman leader Muammar Qaddafi. But NATO didn’t bother to consider the day after. The vacuum was filled by a plethora of competing tribes, Islamist forces, and a handful of genuine democrats. State building is not their priority, nor was it NATO’s.

The European Union’s 28 member states are now collectively faced with three unpalatable truths that expose Europe’s appalling lack of strategy, foresight, and understanding of crisis management.

Russia’s recently launched bombing of opposition targets in Syria is a brutal reminder of the decline of Western influence in the Middle East and North Africa.

In Afghanistan, the growing military might of Taliban fighters, who are now in open warfare with Afghan security forces, has exposed the weaknesses of the NATO-led mission in that country. Since the alliance’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in December 2014 after an eleven-year stint there, the country is lurching into another war.

Meanwhile, the United States’ decision to leave Iraq in December 2011, when the government in Baghdad was paralyzed by sectarian interests and the security forces were unprepared for later taking on the so-called Islamic State, has plunged the country into a new war.

And don’t forget Libya, where in March 2011 a NATO-led mission used its United Nations mandate, anchored in the responsibility to protect, to get rid of Libyan strongman leader Muammar Qaddafi. But NATO didn’t bother to consider the day after. The vacuum was filled by a plethora of competing tribes, Islamist forces, and a handful of genuine democrats. State building is not their priority, nor was it NATO’s.

The European Union’s 28 member states are now collectively faced with three unpalatable truths that expose Europe’s appalling lack of strategy, foresight, and understanding of crisis management.

Note EU-Digest: The question which should be asked is if Europe really needs to be involved militarily in the Middle East and even in the NATO for that matter. Not that the EU has  to rupture the "Atlantic Alliance" but it should rather define more precisely what Europe's objectives should be in this alliance. Reviving the old cold war ideology of us and them is certainly not a valuable anymore in the world of today. 

Read more: Strategic Europe - Carnegie Europe - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

European Banking Industry: McKinsey warns European private banks over fees - by Chris Flood

Private banks in Europe must overhaul their fees to show they offer value for money or risk being squeezed out, says McKinsey, the consultancy.

Europe’s private banking sector registered an 8.9 per cent rise in profits last year but McKinsey’s latest survey of the industry highlighted big challenges.

Almost a third (29 per cent) of providers in Europe’s €9.2tn industry recorded net investor withdrawals in 2014. One in six lost money.

Further consolidation appears “inevitable” and a number of banks could disappear over the next five years, said McKinsey.

“All private banks will have to sharpen their competitive positioning,” said Sébastien Lacroix, leader of McKinsey’s European private banking practice.

Read more: McKinsey warns European private banks over fees - FT.com

France and Netherlands to jointly buy rare Rembrandts

The Netherlands and France will together buy two rare Rembrandts for a total of €160m, the Dutch culture minister has announced, after the two countries defused a potential bidding war.

The 17th-century paintings, which belong to the Rothschild banking family and have rarely been seen in public, will alternate between the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Louvre in Paris, Jet Bussemaker said in a letter to the Dutch parliament.

“We believe these two rare portraits should always be allowed to be admired together, alternately between the Rijksmuseum and the Louvre, so they are accessible to the broader public, both young and old,” she said, adding that the deal was cemented by Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, and the French president, François Hollande, at the United Nations this week.

The two full-length portraits of a young couple – Portrait of Marten Soolmans and Portrait of Oopjen Coppit – were painted by the Dutch master to mark their wedding in 1634. Wrangling over the future of the paintings had threatened to sour relations between the two European allies.

Read more: France and Netherlands to jointly buy rare Rembrandts | Art and design | The Guardian