PNUT GALLERY
Remember remember the 5th of November… also, remember to share the Pnut with just one or two friends/neighbors/strangers. We are finalists for a big start-up competition (Y Combinator) and we need all the help we can get. Thank you!
IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ
Russian Plane Downed By A Bomb?
Both the US and UK are indicating that a bomb might have exploded and downed a Russian plane in Egypt’s Sinai Desert last week. The announcement came as Egyptian President Sisi arrived in London. So far Russian officials say it is too early to determine if it was a bomb. The investigation is still underway.
What if it was a bomb?
This would be the biggest terror attack in Egyptian history and risks damaging its tourism sector. The UK has already grounded all flights to Sharm El-Sheikh (the Middle East’s Cancun). It would also be the first major blowback to Russia for its intervention in Syria. Putin would almost certainly feel under pressure to up the ante and widen his war on terror… because the Middle East needed some more instability.
 Nutshell: Syrian Civil War
Romanian PM Resigns Because No One Likes Him
Romania’s Prime Minister, Victor Ponta, resigned yesterday following some of the largest street protests in the country since the fall of Communism in 1989. An estimated 20,000 demonstrators protested corruption and poor governance following a nightclub fire last Friday which killed 32 people.
Mr. Ponta, who has been previously accused of being a spy by the former President and is the first sitting Prime Minister to face trial for corruption, decided he’d had enough. The President must now choose an interim Prime Minister with general elections scheduled for December 2016. As if the EU didn’t have enough problems.
NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ
Drama At The Fed: Rate Rise A ‘Possibility’
Chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen, a major voice behind the scenes (literally) for years, told a Congressional committee that a December rate rise is a “live possibility.” The unexpected statement precedes the Fed’s December meeting to decide on interest rates, which have been near zero since December 2008. Low global growth and weak jobs data have delayed a rate rise. This is as exciting as monetary policy gets.
Facebook Results Get Thousands of Likes From Analysts
The company gradually eating the internet announced stellar Q3 2015 results with revenue up 41%, earnings up 11% and daily users up by 17%, crossing the 1 billion threshold. Facebook is winning the war against everyone (growing 20 times faster than poor Twitter) and now sees 8 billion daily video views (likely 99% cat videos). Meanwhile, they are also developing Artificial Intelligence capabilities… be afraid?
Canada PM: Out With The Old, In With The New
Canada’s new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was sworn in yesterday, bringing with him Canada’s first “gender-balanced” cabinet. Only six out of 31 cabinet ministers have experience being ministers before (the Liberals have been out of power for nine years). The rookies will have their work cut out for them as the Canadian economy falters due to low oil prices and the government promises to absorb 25,000 refugees. But fret not Canadians, because you are now the freest people in the world.
Mexico To Legalize Weed, Reverse Migration Underway
The Mexican Supreme Court took the country closer to legalizing marijuana yesterday after declaring that individuals have a right to grow and distribute cannabis for personal use. Mexico has been the victim of a failed and brutal “war on drugs” that has left thousands dead and missing. Advocates argue that the move will help stem the violence. Mass immigration from Ohio likely to follow.
Keeping Our Eye On…
- Syria: Government forces captured a key road into Aleppo yesterday. A Russian bombing campaign is helping government forces reassert control over the country’s second city.
- Speed: BAE Systems and the UK Government invested in a company developing the scary sounding “Sabre” engine. By 2025 you could soon be flying at five times the speed of sound.
- Uber: The company is rolling out mandatory sexual harassment training for its drivers in Egypt to teach them how not to harass women as part of an initiative to make public spaces safe for women.
LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT
Sorry Mr. President, I Think You Got The Wrong Number
Think your day is going badly? A bodyguard for Iceland’s Prime Minister accidentally re-directed all the Premier’s calls to a local woman living in a suburb of the country’s capital, Reykjavik. Ingibjorg Sigurvinsdottir woke up to find that she was fielding queries directed at Iceland’s main ministries. The PM’s spokesman said it was a “classic mistake“….maybe in Iceland.
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