Lawlessness in the Republique, from Calais to Paris

This week Francois Hollande has promised to clear the “Jungle” in Calais as if he had forgotten that the Jungle was cleared completely in February this year. On February 29, 2016 the BBC wrote, “EU migrant crisis: Clashes as France clears Calais ‘Jungle'”. To think of it, while France is sending its army to Mali to restore order in the African country, the French leaders are incapable of restoring the rule of law around Calais and in Paris.

There is no reason to believe that France will succeed in solving the problems in Calais this time. The problems are not limited to Calais: on September 16th the French authorities cleared a camp near Stalingrad Metro Station in Paris but within a couple of days the migrants were back. Today it is said that there are currently around 2000 people camping in front of the apartment houses there.

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Russian Anti-Monopoly Service: State Doubles Presence Over Past Decade

The state has rapidly increased its presence in the economy. Together with state-owned companies, its share in GDP rose from 35 percent in 2005 to 70 percent in 2015. The state’s expanded presence in the economy has deepened monopolistic tendencies in the “economic space uncontrolled by the state,” the FAS lamented. Source: Moskow Times

Banks adopting blockchain ‘dramatically faster’ than expected: IBM

Banks and other financial institutions are adopting blockchain technology “dramatically faster” than initially expected, with 15 percent of top global banks intending to roll out full-scale, commercial blockchain products in 2017, IBM said on Wednesday. Source: Reuters

Russian banks climb back into profit

After two years of simply surviving, Russia’s banking sector is starting to make money again. The aggregate profit of the sector may exceed the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) forecast of RUB500bn ($7.9bn) in 2016, reports RBC. Source: bne Intellinews

The return of conscription to Sweden

As many as 4,000 18-year-olds in Sweden will be called for duty each year if the government passes legislation to reintroduce compulsory military service in 2018 – eight years after it was abolished. According to The Guardian, the measure is expected to be adopted by parliament. Source: New Europe

Catalonia leader promises 2017 independence referendum

The president of Spain’s Catalonia region said Wednesday he would call an independence referendum in September 2017, in a move likely to infuriate Madrid as the country endures a protracted political crisis. Source: Yahoo/AFP

The era of robots: thousands of builders to lose jobs as machines take over, says construction boss

Skyscrapers in the City of London could soon be built by robots rather than by people, according to the boss of one of the UK’s biggest construction firms. The result would be huge productivity gains as more work could be done by fewer people – but also mass layoffs. Source: Telegraph