China Panic: Overnight Rate Hits 25%

China Panic: Overnight Rate Hits 25%


China Panic: Overnight Rate Hits 25%

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:42 PM PDT

The overnight repo rate in China has just hit 25%, an indication the credit market is now frozen. This month, liquidity tightened considerably.  Two government bill auctions failed, and several banks defaulted on their interbank obligations.  Overnight rates in the last few weeks surged to about 15% but had fallen back, settling in at just north of 7%.  The 25% rate indicates credit is becoming unavailable. Nothing is going right for China at the moment.  In the last few hours, the HSBC Flash PMI for June came in at 48.3, down considerably from the 49.2 final reading for May.  The country's problems are now starting to feed on themselves. What the People's Bank of China, the central bank, does in the next few hours could be critical.  One wrong move and defaults could roll through the country's banking system and take down struggling enterprises and debt-laden local governments. Follow me on Twitter @GordonGChang

India battles devastating monsoon floods

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:17 PM PDT

Early monsoon rains in northern part of country have left 120 dead, besides stranding thousands of Hindu pilgrims.

Chinese astronauts deliver lecture from space

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:40 PM PDT

Three astronauts take questions from 330 elementary and middle school students while in orbit.

Cuba and US to resume talks on migration

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:16 PM PDT

Official in Washington says negotiations between the Cold War-era enemies will take place on July 17.

Siemens Exits Solar Industry, Suffers $1 Billion In Losses

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:18 PM PDT

Siemens, the industrial conglomerate based in Munich, Germany, is shutting down its solar power division, which has suffered nearly $1 billion in losses over the past two years.

Neverwinter Review (PC)

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:15 PM PDT

If you're a Dungeons & Dragons purist looking for the latest PC adaptation of the classic fantasy tabletop game, Perfect World Entertainment's Neverwinter probably isn't what you're looking for.  If you're looking for a modern MMORPG with fantastic combat and high accessibility in the world of Forgotten Realms – Look no further.  Neverwinter combines aspects of traditional MMORPGs such as EverQuest or World of Warcraft and blends them with qualities of fast-paced ARPGs.  It's an electric mix that succeeds admirably, marking Cryptic Studios' best MMO to date.

State Of The Game: NVIDIA Talks SHIELD, GRID, Android, And The Future Of Gaming (It's Not Consoles)

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:03 PM PDT

NVIDIA has been a busy technology bee recently. Its Tegra SoC (System on a Chip) is at the heart of an increasing number of Android-based gaming products, including the Kickstarted OUYA and (likely) Mad Catz' MOJO, announced last week at E3—not to mention numerous smartphones and tablets. But NVIDIA, which issued the first Tegra chip back in 2008, is is no longer content to produce components for other vendor's products. At the end of June, the Santa Clara-based company will be releasing its SHIELD game controller/console, which it showcased to the public at E3.

China jails 19 Uighurs for religious extremism

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:40 PM PDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - Courts in China's far western region of Xinjiang have sentenced 19 ethnic Uighurs to up to six years in jail for promoting racial hatred and religious extremism online, in the latest crackdown on what China sees as violent separatists. All but one of those jailed were from the heavily Uighur southern part of Xinjiang, including eight from the old Silk Road city of Kashgar, the official Legal Daily reported on its website. ...

US Fed weighs slowing down bond-buying

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:37 PM PDT

Investors sell both stocks and bonds after Bernanke cites strengthening economy as reason for winding down programme.

China jails 19 Uighurs for religious extremism

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:40 PM PDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - Courts in China's far western region of Xinjiang have sentenced 19 ethnic Uighurs to up to six years in jail for promoting racial hatred and religious extremism online, in the latest crackdown on what China sees as violent separatists.

Where CEOs Are Most Confident In 2013

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:38 PM PDT

China Lending Crisis? Not For New Industries, Says Premier

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:38 PM PDT

China's Premier Li Keqiang said the government has to be mindful of lending, and where it should lend more is to new high tech manufacturing and not to manufacturers facing overcapacity. Of which there are many, by the way.

As Sanctions Bite, Iran Invests in Georgia

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:32 PM PDT

Economic sanctions against Iran have made it hard for Iranians to do business abroad. But Iranian businessmen are flocking to Georgia, a U.S. ally in the Caucasus region, to pursue profits.

Trial Begins for Finmeccanica Ex-CEO

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:39 PM PDT

The trial of Finmeccanica's former chief executive began, in which he faces fraud and corruption charges for allegedly overseeing the use of bribes to win a helicopter contract in India.

The Stuffed Brown Fox Wins Over Russia's Underdogs

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:31 PM PDT

A taxidermic fox—sitting cross-legged, with a vacant stare on its face—posed in satirical scenes is a sensation on the Web.

Fierce fighting for control of Syria's Aleppo

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:14 PM PDT

FSA fighters say they are trying to defend northern stronghold from government force armed with superior artillery.

India Second Asian Nation To Get Google Store

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:17 PM PDT

Not to be outdone by smartphone rival Apple, Google has taken to create their own stores and will have a foot in one of the biggest mobile markets in the world -- India --when it partners with Singapore-based Spice Global to open Android Nation in New Delhi's Select Citywalk Mall later this year.

World Digest: June 19, 2013

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:48 PM PDT

Seven al-Qaeda-linked gunmen detonated a pickup truck rigged with explosives at the gate of the U.N. compound in Somalia's capital Wednesday morning, launching a bombs-and-gunfire assault that saw militants pour into the complex, killing at least 13 people, including three foreigners, officials said.

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Anti-Putin Activists Could Face 10 Years In Prison For Protests

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:29 PM PDT

Add two more activists to Russian President Vladimir Putin's most wanted: Left Front members Sergei Udaltsov and Leonid Razvozzhayev were charged by federal prosecutors with organizing anti-United Russia parties on May 6, 2012, two months after the election of Putin. They might face 10 years behind bars as a result.

Vladimir Putin

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:29 PM PDT

Casino Referendum Planned by New York Leaders

Casino Referendum Planned by New York Leaders


Casino Referendum Planned by New York Leaders

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:10 PM PDT

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and top legislators have agreed to ask voters in November to amend the State Constitution to allow seven nontribal casinos.
    

Congo attacks over arrests in India

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:46 PM PDT

Shops belonging to Asians are targeted in a violent protest in DR Congo's capital over the arrest of Congolese students in India over the weekend.

Iran says appeals for 'jihad' in Syria fuel radicalism

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:34 PM PDT

KUWAIT (Reuters) - Calls by Sunni Muslim clerics for a holy war against the Syrian government and its Shi'ite allies are fuelling radicalism in the region, a senior Iranian official said on Wednesday.

US denies talks planned with Taliban

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:33 PM PDT

State Department denies scheduled meeting hours after Afghan president threatened to boycott peace talks with Taliban.

Before-and-after satellite photos from Darfur show entire villages wiped off the map

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:12 PM PDT

On April 8, one of Sudan's most infamous militia leaders, a man who fights under the name of Ali Kushayb, descended on the the town of Abu Jeradil, in Darfur. He was traveling with a convoy of khaki-uniformed men, some of them armed with anti-aircraft weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, according to survivors who spoke to Human Right Watch. The men opened fire shortly after arriving, firing indiscriminately. Then they set houses and fields on fire. After looting some of the livestock, they left.

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Kerry calls Karzai to defuse tension

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:35 PM PDT

The US Secretary of State John Kerry calls the Afghan leader to defuse tension over the opening of a Taliban office, an Afghan official tells the BBC.

Brazil protests proceed as smaller cities join the fray

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:54 PM PDT

SAO PAULO/FORTALEZA (Reuters) - Protesters blocked roads in Sao Paulo and marched toward a stadium hosting a major international soccer game in Brazil's northeast on Wednesday in a growing wave of nationwide demonstrations against poor public services, inflation and other woes in Latin America's biggest country.

China completes monitoring scheme for Tibet

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:43 AM PDT

Beijing rolls out campaign to crack down on what officials term "rumours" in the remote western region.

Greek party leaders to meet Thursday over ERT impasse

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:55 AM PDT

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's ruling coalition leaders will meet again on Thursday to resolve an impasse over last week's closure of state broadcaster ERT after failing to reach agreement during talks on Wednesday, PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos said.

Britain fails to get EU backing for Hezbollah blacklisting

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:46 AM PDT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A British drive to put Hezbollah's armed wing on the EU's terror list again ran into resistance on Wednesday from governments concerned it would fuel instability in the Middle East, diplomats said.

State of the Art: Microsoft Office for the iPhone Is Here. Yawn.

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:30 AM PDT

Microsoft's application falls short of duplicating the everyday functions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Some outside apps do it better.
    


Financier Leon Black Buys $48 Million Raphael Drawing

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:39 PM PDT

New York financier Leon Black was the mystery buyer of a $47.9 million Raphael drawing auctioned by Sotheby's London last December, according to several people familiar with the matter.

New clashes in Brazil before match

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:45 AM PDT

Police fire tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza, ahead of a football match against Mexico.

Gyula Horn, the man who tore the Iron Curtain, dies at 80

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:07 PM PDT

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Gyula Horn, who as Hungary's last communist foreign minister ripped a hole in the Iron Curtain in 1989, has died at the age of 80 after long illness, the government said on Wednesday.

VIDEO: Afghanistan to boycott Taliban talks

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:16 AM PDT

The Afghan government will not take part in peace talks with the Taliban unless the process is "Afghan-led", President Hamid Karzai has said

Kerry calls Karzai to defuse tension

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:35 PM PDT

The US Secretary of State John Kerry calls the Afghan leader to defuse tension over the opening of a Taliban office, an Afghan official tells the BBC.

Kosovo's first envoy to Serbia quits after two days

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:25 AM PDT

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Independent Kosovo's first envoy to Serbia resigned on Wednesday, pre-empting his dismissal just two days into the job for exceeding his powers and making remarks likely to irritate Belgrade.

Michael Hastings, Award-Winning Journalist, Dies at 33

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:03 AM PDT

Mr. Hastings, an intrepid war zone reporter in Afghanistan and Iraq, won a Polk Award in 2010 for his Rolling Stone magazine cover story, "The Runaway General."
    

UAE charges 30 over 'Muslim Brotherhood ties'

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:13 AM PDT

Gulf state charges group of Egyptians and Emiratis for setting up illegal branch of Egyptian Islamist group.

Fed Outlines Timeline for Winding Down Stimulus

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:28 PM PDT

Federal Reserve policy makers, more confident about the economic recovery, said they intended to reduce their monetary stimulus program later this year if unemployment continues to decline.