Behind the curtain, Spain presents a clear and present danger. Private capital is fleeing the nation, weakening banks, worsening the recession and all but ensuring that there will be few buyers of Spanish debt let alone citizens to tax. Italy is one step ahead, hoping to curtail capital flight by stationing currency sniffing dogs at the departure points.

"Spain has suffered the worst haemorrhaging of bank deposits since the launch of the euro, losing funds equal to 7pc of GDP in a single month.

Data from the European Central Bank shows that outflows from Spanish commercial banks reached €74bn (£59bn) in July, twice the previous monthly record. This brings the total deposit loss over the past year to 10.9pc, replicating the pattern seen in Greece as the crisis spread...."

Read more:

http://www.telegraph.co....hes-record-in-July.html

Workers arrested at South Africa's Marikana mine have been charged in court with the murder of 34 of their colleagues shot by police.
The 270 workers would be tried under the "common purpose" doctrine because they were in the crowd which
confronted police on 16
August, an official said.
Police opened fire, killing 34 miners and sparking a
national outcry.
Police have not been charged because a commission of inquiry would investigate their actions, the official said.

http://bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19424484

Gold standard goes mainstream in US...

http://online.wsj.com/ar...577619383218788846.html

It's now a political debate in public as campaigns intensify!? Never thought I'd see this so soon. Ron Paul has been called a nuthead for such calls for many years. Does it mean that the politicians in US have now become nutheads for inclining towards the gold standard for the USD?

Is Buffett The Greatest Investor Of All Time?

A good read...