Early Headlines: Drone Kill List, EU Members to Join Chinese Development Bank, Belgium says Grexit Okay and More

Early Bird Headlines 17 March 2015

Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.

U.S.

• Rights group sues White House over Obama’s drone ‘kill list’ (Al Jazeera)
  ACLU seeks disclosure of criteria used for placing individuals on targeted-killing program.
• Should Congress Save the Export-Import Bank? (The New York Times) Is it good for business or for crony capitalism?
• Missouri Lt. Gov. Claims The Justice Department Is More Racist Than Ferguson (The Huffington Post) Kinder said that the DOJ was staffed with “hard-left radical leftist lawyers“. And then admitted that DOJ report listed “legitimate grievances“. Huh?
• Boston breaks record for snowiest winter (BBC News) While California skiis on dirt.
• Oregon adopts nation’s first automatic voter registration law (Al Jazeera) Republicans opposed based on right to privacy concerns.
• California Announces Audit of Insurance Company That Took Away Home Health Aide (ProPublica) Update of a story featured in GEI News. A top labor official in California challenges characterization of changes to the state’s workers’ comp system and will audit a case spotlighted by ProPublica.

EU

• Europeans defy US to join China-led development bank (Financial Times) France, Germany and Italy will follow Britain’s lead and join a China-led international development bank opposed by the U.S.
• Push to extend Russia sanctions reveals EU rift (Financial Times) Sanction hawks are UK, Nordic and Baltic countries; Doves are France, Italy and Spain. Seems those further away from Russia’s borders are less concerned about the hungry Russian bear.

Greece

• Germans Tired of Greek Demands Want Country to Exit Euro (Bloomberg) Recent poll: 52% of Germans want Grexit. The Lords become impatient with the serfs.
• Greek tactics annoying eurozone partners, says Belgium (Financial Times) “Combative negotiating tactics” are annoying, euro can survive Grexit says Belgium.

Yemen

• Yemen militia leader says holding indirect talks with Saudi Arabia (Reuters)
  

Israel

• As Israel votes, Netanyahu government may be ousted by its own laws (The Conversation) A law that made it impossible for small parties to get seats in the Knesset has forced Arab parties to combine, drawing a record Arab turnout which will be heavily anti-Bibi.

Syria

• Assad says Syria waiting for US action on negotiations (Al Jazeera) Syria’s president says any change in international attitude welcome, after Kerry appears to signal change in US stance.

Iran

• Iran nuclear deal may open oil taps in months, not weeks (Reuters)
  

India

• India to emerge as fastest-growing large economy: Lagarde (Business Standard) IMF chief says country’s GDP might grow at 7.2% this year and 7.5% next year.

China

• What slowdown? Chinese firms most upbeat in a year (CNBC) Hat tip to Marvin Clark. Chinese companies are increasingly optimistic on business activity, especially in service sector. See also latest from GEI China correspondent Yuhua Zhang.
  

Brazil

• Prosecutor: Brazil ruling-party treasurer accused of graft (Al Jazeera) Accusation in Petrobras oil firm kickbacks scandal comes a day after millions took to streets in anti-government protest.
• United States and Brazil: Reaping What You Sow (Worldpress.org) A half-century since the U.S.-backed coup, Washington continues to interfere in Brazil’s domestic politics, operating mostly in shadow.

Mexico

• Reporter who broke Pena Nieto mansion story vows to fight sacking (Financial Times) Star reporter and her entire team fired after breaking story of a $7 million mansion allegedly given to president Enrique Peña Nieto’s family by Higa Group, part of a consortium awarded a contract to build a high-speed rail link.
  

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