It is funny as quite a few news…do not make the …news
– Ukraine. US is still pushing hard now accusing the Russian of shelling Ukraine. This pretty much made the news (even if without much clamour as everything is unverified).
What did not make the new s is that financial war is started in earnest.
The US Department seized a Cyprus Bank used by Russian oligarchs and Russia sued Mcdonald on the basis that their food does not meet Russian food requirement standards.
How does effect you? Well probably Mcdonald in the next corporate earning presentation will not meet the forecasts (as it just happened to VISA on Friday , as it as been boycotted by Russians. As more companies will be affected there will be more market issues.
There is also some increase of cyberwarfare against US Public institutions (Russians are some of the best in the game).
Putin said that the new sanctions will compromise intelligence sharing on terrorists (this could be nothing or a lot, depending what he does mean. During the cold war, the USSR was the major sponsor of terror organization that killed thousands in Europe).
Russia is prepping a new private army in Blackwater style (now Academi, the infamous private mercenaries that were contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan) in order to have its unofficial deniable army.
Israel is a mess with no solution in sight. But, as of now, with not much spill over as Lebanon and Hezbollah are engaged elsewhere against Islamic State (conveniently, I suppose).
Islamic State keep advancing on Baghdad and, worryingly-as there are the oil refineries, is starting to pick up activities in the South Iraq.
Qatar, Saudi, Jordan and Israel just received some massive weapon sales from the US (Iraq the same, from Russia). Saudis (Saudi Prince Mohammed) and Qatar (ex Qatar Ambassador in the US, Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad alKhalifa), gave string warning to the US and UK not to intervene in Iraq as they treat what is happening a settling of scores between Sunni and Shia…not to be meddle with.
Lybia is again in the throws of militia wars – hampering the resumption of oil sales
China is again flexing its muscles with live fire drill in the Gulf of Tonkin (near Vietnam, exactly where the US/Vietnam war escalated 40 years ago).
On the financial side of thinks there is a constant chatter of European banks in semi crisis, specially on Italy (Italian Banking Association warned that the bad loans where USD390 billion ($87 billion in 2008) and the top 40 Italian Banks had the third consecutive negative profit (translated: loss) and the banks could be pushed to sell their non performing loans.
By the way today is 100 years from the start of first war world.
investorpolitico 