The UN issued a statement this week that the US is violating international human rights law by holding detainees indefinitely and without charge.

AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou described Cyprus’ treatment by the troika as “vindictive and neo-colonial,” adding that his party would discuss proposing the island’s exit from the eurozone.

Cypriot website 24h revealed on Sunday that the Central Bank of Cyprus wrote to Cypriot lenders on Saturday, March 16 to ask them to stop all form of payments from their accounts, even those that were from one account at the bank to another.

Q: But aren‘t savers meant to be insured against losses when banks go bust?

Absolutely. Cyprus‘s deposit protection scheme states deposits up to €100,000 are protected. But in this case the banks haven‘t collapsed, so it doesn‘t apply.

The only person the Mail managed to speak to that was not full of indignation was Andreas, a 27-year-old physiotherapist (…)

“Personally I don’t have much money saved away so I don’t really have much to lose,” he concluded.

Addressing an election rally on Saturday night, Merkel said that “anyone having their money in Cypriot banks must contribute in the Cypriot bailout.“

It‘s now become clear: the threat to European savers and banks isn‘t anti-austerity parties but the Troika

A European Central Bank official on Sunday asked President Anastasiades for a decision on a levy on deposits to be taken today, so that commercial banks open on Tuesday, the Cyprus News Agency has reported.

In other words, if there is going to be a new wave of crisis in Europe, historians will be able to trace its starting point back to today’s Cyprus bank bailout.

The chancellor says on Sunday British government workers and military serving in Cyprus and will be compensated for the levy on savings introduced in the country.

By comparison the German-led group of EU officials who engineered this weekend’s Cyprus bank bailout don’t have a leg to stand on. Although they had years to consider their options (Cyprus’s problems are closely related to those of Greece and have long been almost as obvious), they have opted for a “solution” that amounts to probably the single most inexplicably irresponsible decision in banking supervision in the advanced world since the 1930s.

Money had to be found to prevent its financial system from collapsing. But imposing a 6.75 percent tax on insured deposits is a type of legalized robbery.

Anders als bei früheren Hilfspaketen entscheidet der Bundestag bei Zypern nicht mehr nach den Regeln für den zeitlich begrenzten Rettungsschirm EFSF, sondern nach jenen für den dauerhaften Euro-Rettungsfonds ESM. Diese sehen eine Art zweistufiges System mit einer Grundsatzentscheidung und einer späteren weiteren Abstimmung über das konkrete Hilfsprogramm vor.

…

Das Schwurgericht von Bologna stellte in einem Strafverfahren fest, dass die Loge P2 Kriminelle angestiftet, bewaffnet und finanziert habe, um mit Mitteln der Subversion und des Terrorismus im Rahmen einer „Strategie der Spannung“ die Vorbedingungen für einen Staatsstreich zu schaffen. Einige der mutmaßlichen P2-Mitglieder sollen direkt oder indirekt an den zahlreichen Attentaten, Putschversuchen oder terroristischen Aktionen der 1960er und 1970er Jahre beteiligt gewesen sein.[5]

Eine wichtige, bis heute nur teilweise aufgeklärte Rolle spielte dabei die von der CIA und der NATO aufgebaute Untergrundorganisation Gladio, eine sogenannte Stay-behind-Organisation.

Here’s the great idea after two „sacred cows“ like Dini and Pisanu expressed their worries that the M5S could get the position of president of important committees

Zehn Jahre nach der Irak-Invasion hat sich nichts geändert. Der Präsident des Bundesnachrichtendienstes, Gerhard Schindler, folgt wieder einmal den Vorgaben aus den U.S.A.

On Friday, a three-judge federal appeals court panel unanimously ruled that the CIA gave an inadequate response to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union seeking records about drone strikes. The CIA had said it could neither confirm nor deny whether it had drone records because of security concerns.

Cyprus‘s parliament has postponed an emergency session on a controversial bailout deal for the country‘s banks.

„It is important that in Europe, and in the exercise of whatever initiatives are possible and needed especially for the economy and jobs, the government remains under the authoritative leadership of Mario Monti until a new government is formed,“ Napolitano said in a statement.

Grasso still did not get an absolute majority in the upper house.

German policymakers have outlawed use of the European Stability Mechanism in rescuing Cyprus, fearing the country will remain unable to repay debts.

Nicht nur die zypriotischen Banken, sondern auch die Niederlassungen ausländischer Geldinstitute auf Zypern spuren nach Wunsch. Das Einfrieren von Vermögenswerten, sonst bei Kriminellen, Terroristen oder blutrünstigen Despoten in Einzelfällen geübt, wird erstmals weltweit auf ein gesamtes Land und auf Millionen unbescholtener Bürger angewandt.

Obama arrives in Jerusalem on Wednesday for his first trip to Israel as president. His first priority will be resetting his oft-troubled relationship with now-weakened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and evaluating the new coalition government Netanyahu laboriously cobbled together.
The president also will look to boost his appeal to a skeptical Israeli public, as well as to frustrated Palestinians.