Video: ‘News blackout’ to hit Italy

(PressTV) – Italian journalists say they will stage a “news blackout” to protest a proposed law that could hinder the media freedom in the European country.

Some 2,000 journalists filled Rome’s Piazza Navonna on Wednesday to protest the move, and pledged a news blackout on July 9 to protest the law, which is seen as a threat to the free flow of information, The Boston Globe reported.

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Economy

(CNBC) – Market Tips: Get Out of Stocks and Bonds

Global stocks were mixed Friday, with European shares paring earlier gains after preliminary data showed the euro zone economy’s recovery faltered in the fourth quarter, on top of investors still uncertain as to what will happen to Greece. Read More Here

(Fox) – After Rare Bipartisan Deal, Reid Slashes Jobs Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid abruptly announced Thursday that he had drastically slimmed down the bill from $85 billion to just $15 billion, tossing out key priorities of both Republicans and Democrats. Read More Here

(WaIndep) – Credit Suisse Declares the U.S. a Riskier Investment Than Indonesia

Amid fears that Switzerland might come to an agreement with the United States on banking privacy and tax evasion disclosures, Credit Suisse issued a report identifying those countries it determined to have the highest risks of default on their sovereign debts. Number 16 on the list was the United States, based primarily on its 2009 budget deficits and government debt. Read More Here

(Reuters) – German halt, Italian reverse hit euro zone recovery

Europe’s post-recession recovery hit a roadblock on Friday as German economic growth unexpectedly halted and Italy went into reverse in the final quarter of 2009, knocking total euro zone GDP growth almost flat. Read More Here

(HindustanTimes) – India’s food inflation inching to 18 per cent

Even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stressed last week that the worst was over on rising prices of essential items, India’s annual food inflation based on wholesale prices rose to 17.94 per cent for the week ended Jan 30. Read More Here

(Fox) – Obama Signs Bill Lifting Federal Debt Limit to $14.3 Trillion

President Obama has signed legislation lifting the cap on government borrowing to $14.3 trillion. Read More Here

(Bloomberg) – Beijing Seen Vacant for 50% as Chanos Predicts Crash

Jack Rodman, who has made a career of selling soured property loans from Los Angeles to Tokyo, sees a crash looming in China. He keeps a slide show on his computer of empty office buildings in Beijing, his home since 2002. The tally: 55, with another dozen candidates. Read More Here

Stick a Fork in it, The Dollar is Done

News junkies, currency buffs, and economists of an Austrian tilt have been having quite an entertaining few weeks. Between massive blizzards from Virginia to New England, another baseless Dollar rally, and the hilarious notion that a little Greek debt could unwind the Euro, there certainly has been plenty to talk about. Read More Here

(Aletho) – New Phase, Not Just Another Recession

It is becoming increasingly clear that the financial meltdown of 2008 and the subsequent economic contraction that continues to this day represent more than just another recessionary cycle. More importantly, they represent a structural change, a new phase, the phase of the dominance of “finance capital,” as the late Austro-German political economist Rudolf Hilferding put it. Read More Here

(Portfolio) – Danger Ahead for Small Banks

The small banks that do much of the lending to small business face a crisis in the near future that could force thousands of them to cut back on loans. Read More Here

(StarTribune) – Foreclosure numbers may foretell delinquency surge

The number of U.S. households facing foreclosure in January increased 15 percent from the same month last year, and a surge in cash-strapped homeowners who’ve fallen behind on mortgages could be on the way. Read More Here

(AJC) – Metro Atlanta foreclosures skyrocket this month – Read More Here

(ABC15) – Report: Valley foreclosures not slowing down – Read More Here

(DallasBiz) – Dallas/Fort Worth quarterly foreclosure postings jump 22% – Read More Here

(NYDaily) – Number of New Yorkers at risk of losing their home to foreclosure surges, new statistics show – Read More Here

(MarketTicker) – 30 Year Auction – A Solid ‘F’ – Read More Here

(DailyMail) – Welcome to boarded-up Britain: One in eight shops now stand empty as recession hits high streets

The number of empty shops blighting our high streets has trebled since the start of the credit crunch, it was revealed yesterday. Read More Here

(MailOnline) – Did Goldman Sachs rig the bank-tax vote? Foul play suspected in Richard Curtis internet campaign – Read More Here

(DailyExpress) – Housing Minister: It’s Ok to Lose Your Home

LABOUR’S housing minister yesterday insulted millions struggling to survive the recession by claiming that having their homes repossessed might be their “best option”. Read More Here

(DailyExpress) – Labour’s ‘100 %’ Death Tax

MILLIONS of people could lose almost every penny of their assets under a new “death tax” being considered by Labour to fund care for the elderly. Read More Here

Video: Italy turns the tables on the CIA – Webster Tarpley

(RussiaToday) – Nearly two dozen CIA agents have been convicted for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping and rendition of Muslim cleric Abu Omar. He was allegedly kidnapped on a Milan street in 2003 and sent to an Egyptian “black site” with the approval of the CIA and the Italian intelligence service. Though the CIA agents may not have to serve any prison time, the ruling could set a precedent that no government is above basic human rights.

Italy Ex-President – CIA And Mossad Ran 9-11

Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga, who revealed the existence of Operation Gladio, has told Italy’s oldest and most widely read newspaper that the 9-11 terrorist attacks were run by the CIA and Mossad, and that this was common knowledge among global intelligence agencies. In what translates awkwardly into English, Cossiga told the newspaper Corriere della Sera:

Japan secretly trying to divest out of their US debt?

From the original article:

Two Japanese nationals were detained by Italian financial police last week after trying to enter Switzerland with $134 billion worth of undeclared U.S. bonds, mostly Treasury bonds, an Italian daily said Wednesday.

Berlusconi Says Leaders May Close World’s Markets

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said political leaders are discussing the idea of closing the world’s financial markets while they “rewrite the rules of international finance.”