Separatists tighten grip on east Ukraine, EU agrees more sanctions on Moscow

BY THOMAS GROVE AND GABRIELA BACZYNSKA

SLAVIANSK/DONETSK, Ukraine Mon Apr 14, 2014 6:21pm EDT

(Reuters) - Armed pro-Russian separatists seized more buildings in eastern Ukraine on Monday, expanding their control after the government failed to follow through on threatened military crackdown leaving Moscow's partisans essentially unopposed.

European foreign ministers agreed to widen sanctions against Moscow and the White House said Washington was seeking ways to impose more "costs" on Russia, for what Kiev and its Western friends call a Russian plot to dismember Ukraine.

The Red Line and the Rat Line

London Review of Books

Seymour M. Hersh on Obama, Erdoğan and the Syrian rebels

In 2011 Barack Obama led an allied military intervention in Libya without consulting the US Congress. Last August, after the sarin attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta, he was ready to launch an allied air strike, this time to punish the Syrian government for allegedly crossing the ‘red line’ he had set in 2012 on the use of chemical weapons.​ Then with less than two days to go before the planned strike, he announced that he would seek congressional approval for the intervention. The strike was postponed as Congress prepared for hearings, and subsequently cancelled when Obama accepted Assad’s offer to relinquish his chemical arsenal in a deal brokered by Russia. Why did Obama delay and then relent on Syria when he was not shy about rushing into Libya? The answer lies in a clash between those in the administration who were committed to enforcing the red line, and military leaders who thought that going to war was both unjustified and potentially disastrous.

'Great Stretch' to secure Greek debt return

BY PAUL TAYLOR

PARIS Sun Apr 13, 2014 3:55am EDT

(Reuters) - Call it the Great Stretch.

Two years ago, Greece's debt crisis almost brought the euro zone crashing down.

Now European partners are preparing to ease Athens' debt burden without writing off their loans but by stretching them out into the distant future, extending maturities from 30 to 50 years and further cutting some interest rates, EU officials say.

During Hagel Visit, China Showed Its Military Might, and Its Frustrations

By HELENE COOPERAPRIL 10, 2014

The New York Times

ULAN BATOR, Mongolia — When Robert M. Gates visited China in 2011 as the United States defense secretary, the military greeted him with an unexpected and, in the view of American military officials, provocative test of a Chinese stealth fighter jet, a bold show of force that stunned the visiting Americans and may even have surprised the Chinese president at the time, Hu Jintao.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 searchers hear another possible black box ping from Indian Ocean

Last Updated Apr 10, 2014 2:07 PM EDT

PERTH, Australia -- An Australian aircraft Thursday detected what may be the fifth signal coming from a man-made device deep in the Indian Ocean, adding to hopes that searchers will soon pinpoint the object's location and send down a robotic vehicle to confirm if it is a black box from the missing Malaysian jet.

The Australian air force P-3 Orion, which has been dropping sonar buoys into the water near where four earlier sounds were heard, picked up a "possible signal" that may be from a man-made source, said Angus Houston, who is coordinating the search off Australia's west coast.

"The acoustic data will require further analysis overnight," Houston said in a statement.

Satellites Show Russia Mobilizing Near Ukraine, NATO Says

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORNAPRIL 10, 2014

The New York Times

MOSCOW — NATO released satellite photographs on Thursday showing Russian military equipment, including fighter jets and tanks, that it described as part of a deployment of as many as 40,000 troops near the border with Ukraine. The release came the same day that President Vladimir V. Putin reiterated a threat to curtail gas sales to Ukraine.

Merkel Returns to Greece as Germany Eases Up on Euro Area

By Patrick Donahue and Ian Wishart  Apr 11, 2014 11:15 AM GMT+0300

Germany is signaling its focus on austerity may be easing as Greece begins its rehabilitation with international investors.

Chancellor Angela Merkel travels to Athens today for talks with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, a day after Greece’s first bond sale in four years was oversubscribed. A joint news conference is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Athens time.

Rally expected in new Greek bonds when trade begins

LONDON, April 11 Fri Apr 11, 2014 5:12am EDT

(Reuters) - Yields on Greece's new five-year bonds, sold in the bailed-out country's return to markets after a four-year absence, were expected to fall below the sale price when they began trading on Friday.

Banks managing the sale said the bonds had already begun trading over-the-counter at yields below the 4.95 percent at which they were sold, although market participants were reserving their verdict on the deal until prices appeared on trading screens. That is expected to take place on Friday but depends on when the bonds are released to those who bought them.

Greek Bond Sale Said to Top $4 Billion in Market Return

By Marcus Bensasson and Hannah Benjamin  Apr 10, 2014 12:20 PM GMT+0300

Bloomberg

Greece is ending a four-year exile from international markets with a bond sale of at least 3 billion euros ($4.2 billion), more than the government estimated, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The order book for the issue, which carries a coupon of 4.75 percent, exceeded 20 billion euros, said the person, who asked not to be identified because he isn’t authorized to speak about it. A Greek government official told reporters in Athens yesterday that Greece sought to raise 2.5 billion euros in the five-year bond issue.

In East Ukraine, Protesters Seek Russian Troops

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and ANDREW ROTHAPRIL 7, 2014

The New York Times

MOSCOW — Under the attentive eye of Russian state television, several hundred pro-Russian demonstrators in the city of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, declared on Monday that they were forming an independent republic and urged President Vladimir V. Putin to send troops to the region as a peacekeeping force, even though there was no imminent threat to peace.

Pro-Russia protesters seize Ukraine buildings, Kiev blames Putin

BY LINA KUSHCH AND THOMAS GROVE

DONETSK/KIEV, Ukraine Sun Apr 6, 2014 7:18pm EDT

(Reuters) - Pro-Russian protesters seized state buildings in three east Ukrainian cities on Sunday, triggering accusations from the pro-European government in Kiev that President Vladimir Putin was orchestrating "separatist disorder".

The protesters stormed regional government buildings in the industrial hub of Donetsk and security service offices in nearby Luhansk, waving Russian flags and demanding a Crimea-style referendum on joining Russia.

Protesters also later seized the regional administrative building in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, Interfax news agency reported. All three cities lie close to Ukraine's border with Russia.

China or America? Indians pick U.S.

12:52 AM ET

By Bruce Stokes, Special to CNN

Editor’s note: Bruce Stokes is the director of global economic attitudes at the Pew Research Center. The views expressed are the writer’s own.

During the Cold War, the Indian government attempted to position itself between Moscow and Washington by claiming leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement. As Indians head to the polls over the next six weeks, their country again finds itself in a world with two preeminent powers: this time, China and the United States.

And the Indian public is fairly clear where its sympathies lie: with America. Of course, how such attitudes will influence the views of the next Indian government remains to be seen. But, for now at least, there appears to be no evidence of broad anti-Americanism on the sub-continent.

Chinese Ship Hears Unidentified Ping in Search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

Report Says Vessel Detects Pulse Signal in Search Area, But Unclear if From Missing Aircraft

By ROSS KELLY

The Wall Street Journal

Updated April 5, 2014 12:19 p.m. ET

PERTH, Australia—A Chinese vessel searching for signs of missing Malaysia Airlines 3786.KU 0.00%  Flight 370 detected an unidentified pulse signal on Saturday in the southern Indian Ocean, according to China's state-controlled news agency.

Australian Defence Minister David Johnston said he was optimistic about the report. But he and other Australian and Chinese officials cautioned that there was no proof the signal is related to the jetliner, which authorities believe crashed into the ocean on March 8 with 239 people on board.

Earlier reports of potential signs of the plane, such as debris spotted floating in the ocean, have turned out to be false.

The euro-zone economy:Frost in spring

The Economist

The recovery may be warming but inflation is cooling

Apr 5th 2014 | From the print edition

VIEWED from one perspective, the euro area is a minor miracle. Instead of collapsing in a heap, as seemed possible two years ago, the currency club is not just intact but has a new member, Latvia, which joined in January. An economic recovery has been under way since last spring and appears to be strengthening. But seen from another standpoint the euro zone is an accident waiting to happen. As inflation slips ever lower, a slide into Japanese-style deflation looks increasingly likely. That would raise an already onerous debt burden in real terms and pull down growth.

Growing service sector won't avert China slowdown

BY ADAM ROSE AND XIAOYI SHAO

BEIJING Thu Apr 3, 2014 2:40am EDT

(Reuters) - A robust services sector will not stop China's economy from slowing into the middle of the year, analysts said after modest government stimulus was seen as a signal authorities want to steady growth to keep their reform drive on track.

Two surveys on Thursday showing growth in the service sector offered some relief after a run of disappointing data this year, but did little to alter the view that the world's second-largest economy has lost more momentum than expected in 2014.

Malaysia releases transcript of Flight 370’s communications between pilots and controllers

By Simon Denyer, Published: April 1 E-mail the writer

BEIJING — Malaysia on Tuesday released the full transcript of radio communications between the pilots on Flight 370 and air traffic controllers but reiterated that there was no indication of anything abnormal before the plane vanished last month.

The government said international investigators and Malaysian authorities still think the plane was deliberately flown off-course in the early hours of March 8 with 239 people on board.

But the possibility that the mystery of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane will never be unraveled appears to be growing, as the search in the southern reaches of the Indian Ocean continues to come up blank.

Σε ποια Ελλάδα θα «ξαναγυρίσουμε»;

ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΗ 02.04.2014 : 12:01

Π Μανδραβέλης

Καθημερινή

Και για να ’χουμε το καλό ρώτημα: όταν ο κ. Ευάγγελος Βενιζέλος λέει ότι «η Ελλάδα μπορεί να γίνει και θα ξαναγίνει μια κανονική, ισότιμη, κυρίαρχη ευρωπαϊκή χώρα» (18.3.2014), τι ακριβώς εννοεί; Εχει δίκιο ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ όταν λέει ότι η χώρα είναι «αποικία χρέους» και συνεπώς πρέπει να ξαναγίνει «ισότιμη και κυρίαρχη»; Ή εν τη ρύμη του ακατάσχετου λόγου του (που δεν προσέχει πλέον κανείς) λέμε και κανένα ΣΥΡΙΖΑίικο παραπάνω; Κι όταν λέει, «να ξαναγίνουμε κανονική ευρωπαϊκή χώρα», πώς ακριβώς εννοεί το «ξανά»; Με όρους του 2009, όταν το έλλειμμα έφτασε στα ουράνια και στέλναμε ψεύτικα στοιχεία στη Eurostat; Με αθρόες προσλήψεις ημετέρων στο μετρό, και μαϊμού Stage; Διότι αυτό το «ξανά» προϋποθέτει ότι η προ του μνημονίου Ελλάδα ήταν κανονική ευρωπαϊκή χώρα, που ξόδευε με φειδώ τα χρήματα των φορολογουμένων, οι κυβερνήσεις δεν έκλειναν νύχτα τη Βουλή, επικρατούσαν συνθήκες ανταγωνισμού στην αγορά και στις δημόσιες προμήθειες και στις δημόσιες υπηρεσίες όλοι σχίζονταν για να εξυπηρετήσουν τους πολίτες.

Μάθετε τι λεφτά έχουμε δώσει για τις τράπεζες

Τετάρτη, 12 Φεβρουαρίου 2014 - 00:01

Πηγή:www.capital.gr

Πόσα χρήματα έχουμε δανειστεί για να σώσουμε τις τράπεζες; Μήπως 230 δισεκατομμύρια ευρώ όπως λένε διάφοροι ευαγγελιστές του αντιμνημονίου; Είναι γνωστό ότι το χρέος μας φτάνει τα 300. Σύμφωνα με τη λογική τους, το πραγματικό χρέος είναι 70 δισεκατομμύρια ευρώ, αφού τα 230 τα δώσαμε για τους τρισκατάρατους τραπεζίτες. Άρα; Κρεμάλα στους προδότες! Θάνατος στο μνημόνιο! Πριν αφανίσουμε όμως τη μισή Αθήνα, ας κάνουμε τη χάρη στους εαυτούς μας να αναζητήσουμε την αλήθεια των αριθμών στους ισολογισμούς των τραπεζών!

Πρόγραμμα δόσεων προαπαιτούμενων

Από την εφημερίδα ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ

(πλήρες άρθρο http://www.tovima.gr/finance/article/?aid=582404)

Σημειώνεται, ότι, σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες, η δόση των 8,3 δις. ευρώ από την Ευρώπη, θα κατανέμεται σε τρεις υποδόσεις: Μια ύψους 6,3 δις. ευρώ τον Απρίλιο, μια ύψους 1 δις. ευρώ τον Ιούνιο και μία ύψους 1 δις. ευρώ τον Ιούλιο.

Οι προαπαιτούμενες δράσεις για την εκταμίευση των συγκεκριμένων ποσών, έχουν ως εξής:

Δημόσιο χρέος: «Μαξιλάρι» 18 δισ. από τράπεζες!

των Αριστείδη Μπιτζένη(*) και Ιωάννη Μακέδου(**)

Δημοσιεύθηκε: 07:54 - 08/01/14

Εφημερίδα Euro2day

Η ανακεφαλαιοποίηση των συστημικών τραπεζών και η ελπίδα για τουλάχιστον 18 δισ. ευρώ απομείωση του δημόσιου χρέους μέσα από την πώληση των warrants. Αναλυτικοί πίνακες.

Το Ταμείο Χρηματοπιστωτικής Σταθερότητας ιδρύθηκε τον Ιούλιο του 2010, σύμφωνα με τον Νόμο 3864/2010, ως νομικό πρόσωπο ιδιωτικού δικαίου, που όμως δεν ανήκει στον δημόσιο τομέα, διαθέτοντας διοικητική και οικονομική αυτοτέλεια. Απώτερος στόχος του Ταμείου κατά την ίδρυσή του ήταν η διατήρηση της σταθερότητας του ελληνικού τραπεζικού συστήματος μέσω της κεφαλαιακής επάρκειας των τραπεζών. Η Επιτροπή Ελέγχου εποπτεύει την Υπηρεσία Ελέγχου, συγκροτείται µε απόφαση του Γενικού Συμβουλίου και αποτελείται από δύο μη εκτελεστικά µέλη του Γενικού Συμβουλίου και έναν εξωτερικό ειδικό εγνωσμένου κύρους και πείρας σε θέµατα ελεγκτικής λογιστικής.