UK - MPs say consumers should be told when they have amassed more savings than are protected by the compensation scheme. Banks should be compelled to warn people when their savings breach the amount that would be protected if their provider went bust, a survey of MPs and consumers found today.
USA - Did you know that there are thousands upon thousands of homeless people that are living underground beneath the streets of major US cities? It is happening in Las Vegas, it is happening in New York City and it is even happening in Kansas City.
FRANCE - France, the eurozone's second biggest economy, has been singled out for harsh criticism by the European Commission with a warning that low French competitiveness and high debt threaten the EU's single currency.
VATICAN - The Vatican has admitted that the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict has deteriorated, after an experienced Holy See watcher claimed that "we won't have him with us for very much longer.” Benedict, 85, who made history by becoming the first Pope since the Middle Ages to voluntarily step down, has looked increasingly frail in his few public appearances since his resignation on February 28. Paloma Gomez Borerro, a veteran Vatican correspondent from Spain, claimed that “Benedict is in a very bad way. In the last 15 days he has undergone a tremendous physical deterioration.”
UK - The Church of England yesterday gave a green light to wedding-style services for couples in civil partnerships despite its official opposition to same-sex marriage.
GERMANY - Helmut Kohl, Germany's former chancellor, has admitted that he acted like a "dictator" to bring in the single currency to the country, otherwise he "would have lost" had he held a referendum.
NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, USA - A third of the US Air Force's active-duty force of combat planes including fighters and bombers will be grounded due to federal budget cuts, and only the units preparing to deploy to major operations, such as the war in Afghanistan, will remain mission-ready, a top general said Tuesday.
EUROPE - The EU has been warned against allowing Croatia to join as the 28th member state in July by a think tank that has accused the country of financial insecurity and corruption. In an open letter to Angela Merkel, an independent think tank urged the German Chancellor of the EU to reconsider Croatia’s entrance into the Union later this year. "Croatia includes rampant corruption, organized crime, persecution of media, fraudulent elections, and a depressed economy," the Croatian Adriatic Institute for Public Policy (AI) claimed. “We strongly recommend that Germany reject the entrance of Croatia to the EU," the letter said.
USA - All 104 nuclear reactors currently operational in the US have irreparable safety issues and should be taken out of commission and replaced, former chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory B Jaczko said.
IRAN - Gulf Arab states have raised fears about nuclear radiation following an earthquake that jolted the Iranian city of Bushehr, home to the country's only nuclear power plant.
USA - The Bitcoin virtual currency lost half its value on Wednesday because of a panic sell-off. From a high of $260 (£169) for each Bitcoin, the value dropped to about $130 (£84) in just six hours. The selling frenzy began as Bitcoin's main exchange, MTGox, struggled to keep up with the volume of trade in the virtual currency.
CYPRUS - Curious why every bank and their grandmother, and most recently Goldman today, has been lining up to push the price of gold as low as possible? Here's why: Cyprus to sell 400 million euros worth of gold reserves to finance part of its bailout...
USA - Executive Order 6102 - Forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion and Gold Certificates. It remained the law of the land for more than four decades. Only on December 31, 1974, was it finally repealed by President Nixon.
PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA/BERLIN, GERMANY - German foreign policy experts are recommending that the policy of confrontation vis à vis North Korea be renounced and replaced with new proposals to the Pyongyang leadership.
NORTH KOREA - A North Korean missile launcher has moved into the firing position with rockets facing skyward, Japanese media have said. The reports in the Kyodo news agency come as North Koreans celebrate the appointment of their leader Kim Jong-Un a year ago, and G8 foreign ministers discuss the crisis during a meeting in London. The Japanese government has been on high alert ahead of the expected test-firing of a medium-range missile by Pyongyang, deploying Patriot missile batteries in Tokyo as a defence measure.