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Breaking News

Assad says Syria in a 'real state of war'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said today his country was in a state of war and ordered his newly appointed government to direct all its efforts towards 

British special forces inside Syria

Unconfirmed reports say that Britain’s special operations forces have crossed from Turkey into Syria advancing up to ten kilometers inside the country.

Global economy

EU unveils plan to prevent future euro zone crises


European authorities have unveiled their plan to save the euro, which includes the creation of a European treasury that would have powers over national budgets.

Germany's credit rating cut by Egan-Jones


Small US credit rater Egan-Jones has lowered Germany’s rating, saying the European powerhouse’s finances will suffer significantly whether or not Greece quits the eurozone.



Cyprus rescue package may equal half its economy

Cyprus, the fifth euro zone country to seek emergency funding from Europe, may need a bailout that is more than half the size of its 17.3 billion euro economy, euro zone officials said today even though the government declined to speculate on the amount.

Bank bailout to spark firesale of corporate Spain

The European bailout for Spain's banks will push them to sell an empire of stakes in the nation's top companies, ending a cozy culture of corporate-banking links and prompting a wider shake-up in ownership of the company landscape.

GREEK DEFICIT: How Berlin encouraged Papandreou to big-up the 2009 Greek deficit

The Western MSM have never questioned the ‘received truth’ that Athens understated its liability and obligations for several years following the launch of the euro. But few if any outside observers know the truth behind what happened when Papandreou took over the Premiership in Greece….and for Machiavellian reasons, the debt was suddenly overstated.

Eurozone crisis: Spain’s borrowing cost triples in one month

JPMorgan trading loss could hit $6B

JPMorgan Chase has lopped more than two-thirds of its London Whale-trading blubber, but the debacle still could cost CEO Jamie Dimon $4 billion to $6 billion in trading losses, according to people familiar with the matter.

Turk - Capital Controls, Panic, The Great Depression & Gold



Military/intelligence

Clashes at Republican Guards HQ near Damascus, reports of British forces in Syria


Syrian government forces and the armed opposition are fighting in two Damascus suburbs, while there were also reports of overnight shelling in the capital.


British special forces inside Syria


Unconfirmed reports say that Britain’s special operations forces have crossed from Turkey into Syria advancing up to ten kilometers inside the country.


Turkey puts armed forces on alert over Syrian attack


"We would like to see more pressure from our allies, particularly more leadership from the United States" ... a senior Turkish official. Photo: Reuters
TURKEY'S armed forces have toughened their rules of engagement in response to Syria's ''heinous'' destruction of an air force jet, the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said.


Report: Turkey deploys tanks on Syrian border; Assad says country in a 'real state of war

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Local media reports at least 15 tanks deployed on border following the downing of a Turkish fighter jet.




Turkey deploys tanks near Syrian border over jet downing: Report


Turkey has deployed a large number of tanks and other armored vehicles to the Syrian border amid rising tensions with Damascus over the downing of a Turkish fighter jet by the Syrian army.


Furious Turkey mobilizes tanks, troops to Syrian borderErdogan slams ‘murderous’ Assad, warns Damascus that rules of engagement have changed following downing of its jet


NATO chief condemns Syria over jet downing


Rasmussen expresses solidarity with Turkey at special summit as Erdogan describes Assad government as "illegitimate"

Turkish PM warns of 'wrath' over jet shooting

Syrian army stable despite defections


US intelligence officials have said that Syria's military remains loyal despite recent high-profile defections, while the opposition remains fragmented and unable to attack as a unified force, indicating a long, protracted conflict ahead.


Syria’s new cabinet takes oath before Bashar al-Assad

Syria Neighbors Should Be Involved in Conflict Resolution - Putin


Arab Spring 'luring jihadis'


THE last 18 months of upheavals in the Arab world have spawned a new generation of British-born terrorists after al-Qaeda moved into unstable countries and began training potential bombers, Britain's domestic intelligence chief has warned.



Russia halts plans to supply S-300 missile system to Syria - reports


Russia’s main weapons producer has allegedly suspended its contract with Syria to supply S-300 long-range missile systems. Russia’s ‘Vedomosti’ daily published the report, citing unnamed sources within the military-industrial complex.



South Korea plans new naval base near North Korea border



Egyptian court rules army cannot arrest civilians


An Egyptian court has overturned a government decree allowing the army to arrest civilians. The decision comes after human rights activists rose up against the decree issued by the Justice Ministry.


Iran urges EU to reconsider oil embargo: 'Nobody benefits from confrontation'
Salehi said he hoped that Cyprus, which takes over the rotating EU presidency on July 1, could help "mitigate and alleviate" obstacles in the relationship between Iran and the bloc.

Cyber attack costs UK firm £800m


The head of Britain’s intelligence agency MI5 has revealed that a British company has incurred revenue losses of £800 million due to cyber attacks by a foreign state.


Fraud Ring In Hacking Attack On 60 Banks

Some 60m euro is stolen from bank accounts in a massive cyber raid, after fraudsters raid dozens of banks around the world.

Environmental/disasters

Harmonic seismic tremors continue under El Hierro volcanic island

Moderately strong eruptive acvity reported at Italy’s Stromboli volcano

Uganda tragedy: 450 people missing and believed to be buried under mountains of mud

As wildfires rage in U.S. West, scientists predict worse blazes to come – ‘Consistent disruption of current fire patterns for over half the planet’

When lightning struck Saturday in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies, 15 miles northwest of Fort Collins, conditions could hardly have been better for the wildfire that ensued.

Energy/resources

South Korea gives up Iranian oil


South Korea will halt crude imports from Iran from July 1 because of the European Union sanctions, which includes a ban on insuring tankers carrying Iranian oil.


Europe

Factory prisons will allow inmates to support families on the outside


New factory jails are to be built that allow prisoners to earn money for their families and to save up a nest egg for their release, it has been revealed.


Greece names a new Finance Minister


Economist Yannis Stournaras has been appointed as the new Greek Finance Minister after Vassilis Rapanos resigned on Monday due to health problems.

Top economist is appointed finance minister (Ekathimerini)


Japan

Fukushima's fishermen back to work at last, but there's a catch


The first seafood has gone on sale at local supermarkets since commercial fishing resumed off Fukushima since last year's nuclear catastrophe.



USA

Firefighters battle to contain Colorado blazes


Thousands of US firefighters are battling some of the worst Colorado blazes in a decade, with more than 350 square kilometres burnt along with 248 houses. And in Florida, Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency as tropical storm Debby threatened to flood wide areas of the state during the coming days.



Christian school in Louisiana: Loch Ness Monster exists, disproving theory of evolution


A taxpayer-funded Christian school has become embroiled in a controversy for using a textbook that claims the Loch Ness Monster is real, to prove that evolution does not exist.



Stockton, Calif. to take up bankruptcy budget plan


Stockton, California was poised on Tuesday to take a major step toward becoming the largest U.S. city ever to file for bankruptcy after talks with its creditors on Monday at midnight.


Climate scientists routinely face death threats, hate mail, nuisance lawsuits, and political attacks

As wildfires rage in U.S. West, scientists predict worse blazes to come – ‘Consistent disruption of current fire patterns for over half the planet’

When lightning struck Saturday in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies, 15 miles northwest of Fort Collins, conditions could hardly have been better for the wildfire that ensued.

BREAKING: U.S. Appeals Court Upholds EPA Greenhouse Gas Emission Rules




Australia/NZ 

MF Global recovery hearing continues (Australia)


The local fallout from the collapse of international derivatives trader MF Global is being played out in the New South Wales Supreme Court, where the liquidator, Deloitte, is asking how it can allocate available sums to clients who are owed $309 million



Asset sales 'fight not over', vows Opposition (NZ)


The Government will now begin its controversial asset sales after legislation scraped through Parliament by one vote last night, but the Opposition is vowing it won't give up the fight.


Fairfax staff to learn of restructure, job cuts


Staff at Fairfax Media, including at the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne's The Age, will be told today how the company plans to overhaul its newsrooms to survive in the digital age



Media/internet

News Corp could split off UK newspapers


Murdoch's News Corporation is considering dividing into two companies, separating its publishing arm from its far bigger entertainment division, according to US reports.



Assange Episode 10: Noam Chomsky and Tariq Ali


With the Arab Spring, the Euro crisis, and mass protests in Russia and the US, the world has become a different place in less than two years. Two prominent public thinkers – Noam Chomsky and Tariq Ali - help Julian Assange make sense of it all.