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International Developments

❖ Turkey is adamant that it will not return Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemia to Iraq where he has been sentenced to death in absentia.

❖ Within hours of handing Bagram over to Afghan authorities, the airfield was hit by four rockets, killing three Afghans and destroying a NATO helicopter.

❖ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is upset that the US will “not set deadlines or draw ‘red lines’ for Iran over its disputed uranium enrichment activities”. Meanwhile, the White House rejected meeting with Netanyahu at a UN conference in New York later this month.

❖ “ Egyptian demonstrators climbed the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo today and pulled down the American flag to protest a film they say is insulting to the prophet Mohammad.”

❖ Where is China’s Vice President Xi Jinping ? He’s been out of sight for over a week with no explanation–through rumors abound.

❖ President Obama has nominated Robert Stephen Beecroft (career diplomat) as US ambassador to Iraq.

❖ Over 1,000 pages about the massacre of some 22,000 Poles by Russian forces in WW II have been released by the US National Archives. They are said to support the contention that the US “helped cover up Soviet guilt ” for the massacre.

❖ The Italian Supreme Court’s President “has raised the call for a criminal investigation of 9/11 . . ..”

International Finance

❖ Oh, noooos. “ Several UK-based investment banks have been accused of mis-selling financial products [derivatives] to Italian cities and regions.” Normura, UBS and Deutsche are accused of “mis-selling” to the tune of about 35 billion euros. Italian prosecutors have brought the charges, though it seems “London’s financial watchdog was made aware of the mis-selling, but failed to act.”

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