President Manuel Barroso, head of the European Commission, has issued a call for members of the EU to transform into “nation-states” as part of his annual address to the EU parliament.
If the group turned into a “federation of nation-states” then the group would be able to better withstand the economic crisis that is raging through the continent. He also laid out plans for a single supervisory entity for the banking system in all member nations.
“[The entity] is a quantum leap,” Barroso said in his speech. “The stepping stone to the banking union.” Continue reading →
A homicide bomber attacked a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia in an attempt to assassinate the country’s new President who had been staying at the hotel.
The bomber and four of the President’s security team were killed during the attack.
Al-Qaeda affiliated group Al-Shabab claimed credit for the attack. Continue reading →
Credit ratings agency Moody’s has issued a statement threatening to cut the United States debt rating if there is no debt deal by government officials to cut the overall debt to GDP ratio. If no deal is reached by the end of the 2013 Congressional legislative session. Continue reading →
The San Cristobal volcano began spewing ash and gas forcing the Nicaraguan government to evacuate around 3,000 residents from around the mountain.
Government officials say that up to 20,000 people could be displaced by the volcano. The volcano began to erupt on Saturday morning following the sound of violent explosions on the mountain. A 2.5 mile column of smoke and ash is being seen coming from the top of the mountain. Continue reading →
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has stated that he will not accept any outside conditions on bailout funds that could potentially save his nation’s economy.
“I am absolutely convinced that everyone will be reasonable but I insist that we haven’t taken a decision,” Rajoy said during a national television address. “I will look at the conditions. I would not like, and I could not accept, being told which were the concrete policies where we had to cut.” Continue reading →
One day after Al-Qaeda’s #2 leader in Yemen was killed in a drone strike, the terrorist group struck back in an attempted assassination of Yemen’s defense minister.
The attack near government offices in Sanaa killed 11 including 7 of Major General Muhammad Nasir Ahmad’s personal bodyguards. A car bomb detonated as the minister’s motorcade passed the booby-trapped vehicle. Continue reading →
Fighting in Syria has killed around 100 people and cut off water to large parts of the city of Aleppo.
In addition, a rocket fired from western Syria crossed the Iraqi border killing a child and wounding others in what the local officials say is one of the worst cross-border incidents since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War. Continue reading →
The second in command of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has been killed in an operation lead by Yemeni government forces.
Said al-Shihri, a Saudi Arabian national released by the US from Guantanamo Bay in 2007, was reportedly killed by a strike from a US drone along with six other terrorists. The Yemeni government has been fighting Al-Qaeda Islamist militants in the southern part of the country for the past few months. Continue reading →
Sixty-four people are dead and 715 injured after a series of earthquakes in south-west China. The USGS estimates the quakes at magnitude 5.6. The damage was complicated by the mountainous area which caused a number of landslides.
The death toll is expected to rise as roads to remote villages are cleared of debris. Rescuers have been climbing mountains to reach areas that cannot be accessed by vehicle due to the landslides. At least 100,000 people have been evacuated from areas that can be reached and an estimated 20,000 homes have been damaged. Continue reading →
Scientists at the Norwegian Polar Institute are reporting that the record-breaking ice melt this summer is part of an accelerating trend that could have significant long-term consequences on climate and ocean conditions.
The researchers are saying that the sea ice is becoming significantly thinner and more vulnerable than in any previous year since monitoring began 30 years ago. The peak for ice melting has yet to pass as mid-September has been the traditional peak time. However, temperatures in the region remain above freezing. Continue reading →