News Headline Feb. 23, 2013

Egypt orders $2.5mln worth of teargas from US despite plunging economy Egypt's Interior Ministry has ordered shipments of 140,000 teargas canisters from US in January. The total cost of the shipment amounts to nearly US$2.5 million, despite the country's collapsing economy and calls for a 'freer' state. 7
Floods sweep through Greece and Italy, 1 dead (VIDEO, PHOTOS)  Unusually heavy rains have caused floods in Greece and southern Italy with torrents of water strong enough to carry away vehicles. One woman died of shock after being trapped in her car surrounded by raging waters. 6
'Miserable destruction': N. Korea threatens US over joint drills with Seoul  North Korea has warned the US military against conducting scheduled joint drills with South Korean troops, accusing them of “igniting war” and threatening them with “miserable destruction.”
Cholera immunity: UN denies compensation to Haiti disease victims  The United Nations has announced it rejects a damage claim for victims of a cholera epidemic in Haiti, believed to have been caused by UN forces. Since its outbreak in October 2010, the disease has claimed over 7,750 lives.
Syrian opposition to pick PM, form own government  The leaders of the Syrian opposition are set to pick a prime minister to lead a provisional government in rebel-held parts of the country. It comes as the group refuses several international invitations to talks after unabated violence.

Currency wars Are Starting To Look A Bit Much Like 1931 A Currency War Has Broken Out And Is Intensifying: Japan Will Keep Printing Until Nikkei Hits 13,000, The Fed Is Buying $85 Billion A Month Until Unemployment Hits 6.5%, ECB Launched Unlimited Bond Buying To Cap Governments’ Borrowing Costs, Venezuela And Egypt To Devalue Their Currency…

Current Nuclear Scenario In India M V Ramana, a physicist by training, currently working with the Nuclear Futures Laboratory and the Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University discusses with Newsclick the current nuclear scenario in India. He speaks on how, in terms of cost and in terms of safety, dependence on nuclear energy is not feasible. He cautions that imported light water reactors are problematic and India should not rely on them.

UK spends fortune on army ‘as if it still had Empire’ Earlier this week, Prime Minister David Cameron announced he was “very open” to spending money from the UK's 10-billion-pound ($US15.2 billion) aid budget on peacekeeping and other security operations. The move sparked a wave of criticism in Britain, with opponents insisting that money should be spent on things like hospitals rather than the military.