IntelBrief: July 3, 2009

WHO warns swine flu 'unstoppable'

The UN's top health official has opened a forum in Mexico on combating swine flu by saying that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable. World Health Organization head Margaret Chan added that the holding of the meeting in Cancun showed confidence in Mexico, which has been hard hit.

UK: Swine flu cases in Britain 'could top 100,000 a day' Related: Shutting down the economy (The link between Peak Oil, biowarfare and demand destruction)

The number of swine flu cases could reach more than 100,000 per day by the end of August, Andy Burnham, the Health Secretary, told the Commons.

EU could withdraw all envoys from Iran

IRAN risks diplomatic isolation from the European Union, as European officials discuss whether to withdraw the ambassadors of all 27 member nations in a dispute over the detention of the British embassy's Iranian personnel.

Mossad Might Be Implicated in Honduras Military Coup (Comment: Mossad is CIA's subcontractor :))

Venezuelan deputy Adel El Zabayar revealed Thursday the implication of Israeli intelligence service (Mossad) in the perpetrated coup d'Etat last Sunday against Honduran constitutional President Manuel Zelaya.

Two weeks before the action Israeli diplomacy was active among representatives of the opposition in Honduras, mainly the sector represented by facto ruler, Roberto Micheletti, stated the Venezuelan deputy in an interview with Prensa Latina.

America's Effective Unemployment Rate at 18.7%? (Comment: If America is this bad, imagine what kind of a toll the criris is taking on other nations!)

Here is a June 2009 version of the summary that calculates the Effective Unemployment Rate, which is now 18.70%, and the Effective Number of Unemployed, which is now 30,172,000.

There are currently 14,729,000 officially unemployed workers, as just announced. However, this figure does not include the combined 15,443,000 workers either (1) in the "labor force reserve" because they have abandoned their job searches (i.e., 4,278,000) or (2) underemployed because they are "part-time of necessity" (i.e., 8,989,000) or "otherwise marginally attached" (i.e., 2,176,000).

The effective unemployment rate is therefore 18.70%, instead of the official 9.51%.

Jobs data dash recovery hopes

The US economy shed another 467,000 jobs last month, signalling aggressive government stimulus measures are failing to unshackle the labour force from the grips of the recession, official figures showed

Entrepreneurship and new small businesses are supposed to lead us out of the recession, just as they have in prior downturns, right? Sure. Your neighbor's grand idea will persuade a bank to lend her start-up money; she'll open for business in six weeks; and money will immediately flow from customers to her to her employees. Taxes will be paid, and the national economic engine will hum effortlessly in no time. If only.

The Unemployed Couple

The cell phones were canceled; so were all subscriptions and outside entertainment. We didn't go skiing this winter, and we won't be golfing over the summer. No more wine. We used our severance and some savings to pay off Kevin's 2008 Saturn and pay down the house. We debated whether to cancel the local newspaper, but in the end kept it for the Sunday coupons. We now eat every single item in the house until it's gone. If that means we have curly pasta and penne and spaghetti all mixed up, so be it. I have 101 ways to use half-eaten boxes of pasta. We're much more careful shopping — no more running in to get one or two things. We wait until we have a big list, and then buy only what's on that list — and at the local grocery warehouse, not the food boutique

Italy adopts law to curb migrants

Italy's parliament has given final approval to a law criminalising illegal immigration and allowing citizens' patrols to help the police keep order. The new measures have been strongly criticised by human rights groups and the Vatican. Illegal immigration will be punishable by a hefty fine and those who knowingly house illegal migrants will face up to three years in prison.

France passes new law to ban 'gangs'

On Monday, the French legislature passed a radical new law making it illegal to be part of a "gang" – if it's one that has been or may be violent. The move is part of a recent law-and-order initiative by President Nicolas Sarkozy that the French palace is tying to new forms of youth crime at a time of economic crisis. Earlier this month, France banned the wearing of masks during public protests.

Plant disease hits eastern US veggies early, hard

Tomato plants have been removed from stores in half a dozen states as a destructive and infectious plant disease makes its earliest and most widespread appearance ever in the eastern United States.