USA - The latest executive order (EO) emanating from the White House October 9 now claims the power to freeze all bank accounts and stop any related financial transactions that a “sanctioned person” may own or try to perform — all in the name of “Iran Sanctions.” The EO expands its authority by making the account holder unable to use any third party such as “a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, subgroup or other organization” that might wish to help them or allow them to obtain access to their funds. And if the individual so “sanctioned” decides that the ruling is unfair, they are not allowed to sue. In two words, the individual has successfully been robbed blind.

UK - The chances of Britain leaving the EU rose dramatically last night after it emerged that one of David Cameron’s closest Cabinet allies believes it is time to tell Brussels bluntly: ‘We are ready to quit.’ Education Secretary Michael Gove has told friends that, if there was a referendum today on whether the UK should cut its ties with Brussels, he would vote to leave.

GERMANY - Several top German economic institutes on Thursday warned that German growth is slowing as the country continues to be hampered by the ongoing euro-zone debt crisis. And Greece, they say, will be unable to "free itself from its debt burden" and will need another haircut.

EUROPE - The chorus of anti-austerity voices grows louder in Greece as Athens scrambles to form a coalition government. While eurocrats prepare to give Greece the boot, political analyst Alessandro Politi told RT, speculators are Europe’s real enemy. Greek President Karolos Papoulias has called on the leaders of the country’s three biggest parties in a last ditch effort to avoid new elections. With the Left Coalition SYRIZA party insisting that it will not participate in any government “that will implement the bailout,” Greece faces bankruptcy within weeks, and a likely ejection from the eurozone.

SWITZERLAND - The Swiss Army is preparing contingency plans for violent unrest across Europe. A nation mostly famous for its banks, watches and chocolate fears it may face a massive influx of European refugees in the near future. One of the world’s richest nations openly expressed concerns over the possible outcome of Europe’s continuing financial troubles, and is currently conducting army exercises against the possibility of riots along its borders. In September, the Swiss military conducted exercises dubbed ‘Stabilo Due,’ with scenarios involving violent instability across the EU.

EUROPE - European leaders greeted the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union on Friday, saying it would provide urgently needed motivation in the debt crisis. But euroskeptics could hardly believe their ears and are already ridiculing the jury in Oslo.

PARIS, FRANCE - If France’s new Socialist government has its way, mothers and fathers will cease to exist — in legal papers, that is. Legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage and give homosexual couples the right to adopt children also would replace the terms “mother” and “father” with “parent 1” and “parent 2” in all legal documents, including birth certificates. The proposal has outraged France’s religious establishment and triggered a wave of criticism from many who say such changes to French law should be put to a public vote.

EGYPT - The supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi emanated, called on Thursday for a jihad (holy war) to liberate Jerusalem from Israeli rule. "Jerusalem is Islamic ... and nobody is entitled to make concessions" on the Holy City, said Sheikh Mohammed Badie in his weekly message to supporters. "The jihad for the recovery of Jerusalem is a duty for all Muslims," he said, stressing that the liberation of the Holy City "will not be done through negotiations or at the United Nations."

USA - Will the most divisive campaign in modern American history culminate in massive riots in our major cities? Right now, supporters of Barack Obama and supporters of Mitt Romney are both pinning all of their hopes on a victory on November 6th.

JAPAN - A graceful yet compellingly powerful Japanese armada has embellished the country’s Sagami Bay, showcasing the latest firepower of seabound warfare. The tri-annual fleet review conducted special military maneuvers with more than 8,000 troops spread over 36 vessels.

MIDDLE EAST - An advisor to the Hamas government in Gaza urged his movement this week to refrain from emulating the PLO in making political concessions and adopting pragmatist policies. Instead, he called upon Hamas to declare that it was created to eliminate the State of Israel.

EUROPE - The European Union was today awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, despite being in the grip of an economic crisis which has sparked angry protests across the continent. The extraordinary decision was announced at a ceremony in Norway, where the five-member Nobel Peace Prize Committee said their choice was unanimous. But with the Eurozone still in the grip of a financial crisis, sparking riots and civil unrest in several countries, and growing calls for the EU’s powers to be curtailed, the decision attracted immediate derision and ridicule as a 'late April fools joke'.

JAPAN - THE head of the International Monetary Fund warned that the EU crisis was creating a 'ripple effect' that could spread to the entire globe. IMF Chief Christine Lagarde, speaking at an annual meeting of the IMF and the World Bank in Tokyo called for urgent action to tackle Europe's debt problems, warning that the world economy would be brought down if it was not. Lagarde warned that the struggling world economy was already falling short of even pessimistic expectations.

EUROPE - As Gary Jenkins from Swordfish says this morning: Spain is junked if it does, and junked if it doesn’t. A key reason for Standard & Poor’s two-notch downgrade of Spain to near junk last night is the refusal of Premier Mariano Rajoy to bite the bullet on a rescue. His "hesitation" is "potentially raising the risks to Spain’s rating". By contrast, Moody’s said earlier that it will cut Spain to junk if it DOES request a bail-out. What a marvellous mess. But feeling sorry for Spain is perhaps not the right emotion. The country can at any time restore control over its own destiny by leaving the euro.

USA/ISRAEL - The United States and Israel are already involved in discussions over how they could soon conduct a joint surgical strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, a source close to the talks tells Foreign Policy magazine.