IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ
Greece: Whose Proposal Is It Anyway?
Tensions seemed to be easing in the European war of words as Eurozone leaders meet in Brussels today to discuss a solution to the Greek crisis… just one problem, Greece “brought no written plans” for everyone to discuss. That little snafu didn’t stop Greek PM Alexis Tsipras from being all smiles and optimism as he left yesterday’s meeting. Greek banks will probably remain closed, but the European Central Bank (ECB) will maintain the same level of support for them (not much) until this Sunday when Eurozone leaders have set a conference to make a final decision. The long hours were clearly taking their toll on the attendees with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite exclaiming that “with the Greek government, it is always manana.” Manana is Spanish (not Greek*) for tomorrow…
Reasons why Greece didn’t bring a proposal today:
- “Sorry, I spilled olive oil on it.”
- “Cerberus ate it… you naughty three-headed dog, you.”
- “To be honest, we were secretly hoping everyone would vote ‘yes,’ and that it wouldn’t come to this.”
- “Oh! Was that today?”
*The word for tomorrow in Greek is avrio
Informative (we hope) Read: The Pnut’s guide to the Greek crisis |
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| China Builds Wall To Keep Panic In, Huns Out
Things are heating up in China as measures by the government proved unable to stop a stock market route in the world’s second largest economy as it crashed over 8% at some point today. Over the past few weeks the Chinese government has tried almost everything to buoy the price of shares on the Shanghai stock exchange. The crash has wiped out over $3 trillion (or two Indias) of paper wealth. A crash in China could make the Greek crisis look like child’s play for the markets. The sell off is so bad that one half of all stocks are suspended from trading. There are mixed responses to the central bank’s panic, though, given that the market is still up 80 percent this year. However, their actions certainly have caused other investors to think that they should also be panicking (efficient markets they said…).Useful Read: Timeline of events |
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| Afghanistan Starts Process To Start A Peace Process…
Looks like the never-ending Afghan war could finally be coming to a halt at some point in the (probably distant) future. Afghan government officials and Taliban representatives embarked on two days of “high-level” talks in the Pakistani capital Tuesday. US and Chinese officials were also present on a participant observer basis (someone has to take notes) signaling a willingness to involve other major players and engage in possible peace talks. This meeting is viewed as a breakthrough, given that it’s the first official time the Afghan government sent a team to meet with the Taliban (because, you now, the Taliban would have killed them otherwise). Discussion topics include the presence of US troops in the region, the threat of the Islamic State and the rise of extremism (not the Taliban style of extremism though)… and just generally speaking, the Taliban’s insurgency in Afghanistan. Should be a fun couple of days. |
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NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ
Confederate Flag Take Down Update
The South Carolina Senate voted 36-3 Tuesday to remove the Confederate flag from the State House grounds. The push to take down the flag came after the deadly and racially-charged shooting at an AME church in Charleston carried out by Dylan Roof, the 21-year-old who posted photos of himself waving the Confederate flag. The vote now moves to the House where a two-thirds majority vote is needed to bring it to Governor Nikki Haley’s desk. The vote in the House is TBD.Noteworthy & Related: Dylan Roof was indicted Tuesday on nine counts of murder. |
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Coders Try To Limit US And British Access To Your Nude Photos
Sounds complicated, but here are the nuts and bolts: some important techies, coders, etc. published a paper Tuesday that objects to the US and Britain maintaining “exceptional access” to encrypted digital communications, warning that such access poses a serious threat to some of the world’s most confidential information. FBI Director James Comey, Jr. and Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian will testify Wednesday, countering that restricting this access — or “going dark” — will make it difficult to monitor terrorists and kidnappers, etc. But the US information security is not always hacker-proof… just ask China. |
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London 7/7 Bombings 10th Anniversary
Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings in London. The terror attacks claimed 52 lives after four British men from the north of England coordinated suicide bombings across the capital. Since July 7, 2005, 50 deadly attacks have been stopped according to the UK’s most senior counter-terrorism official. Police leaders and UK intelligence warn that the fight isn’t over — in fact, the threat of terrorism has only escalated. The country honored the victims with a minute’s silence and Prince William joined survivors and family members at Hyde Park for a memorial service.
Recommended Read: From 7/7 to ISIS: how the terrorist threat in the UK has evolved |
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LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT
Police Raid Subway Jared’s Home…
Remember Subway Jared? He’s the sandwich chain’s spokesman who claimed to have lost 235 pounds back in 2000 by eating only Subway. Well now he’s back in the news for a slightly different reason. Investigators (including the FBI, State Police, and Postal Service… yes, the Postal Service) showed up at Jared Fogle’s home yesterday in Zionsville, Indiana. Although the exact nature of the investigation has not been confirmed, it is suspected that it’s related to the arrest of the the former executive director of Fogle’s foundation, Russell Taylor, on federal child pornography charges. The Jared Foundation was founded to fight childhood obesity. Fogle is said to have been shocked by the news of Taylor’s arrest in May and to have severed all ties with him… might he be joining him? And do they serve Subway in prison? |
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Team Pnut: 1
You: 0 |
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