Merkel, Monti Show Unity Over Euro Crisis

Courtesy of Google Translate, via a link posted on the Guardian Live Blog, please consider this choppy clip from Monti: EU summit difficult But Knight gives the alarm Perhap

Der Spiegel has published an inane article about Europe's 10 Most Dangerous Politicians. Top 10 List

BERLIN — Fears are growing in Berlin that Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi may return to centre-stage after this weekend’s election, imperilling Rome’s reform drive and the euro zone’s tentative emergence from its debt crisis. It is unclear whether 76-year-old Berlusconi, a scandal-ridden media tycoon and four times prime minister, will win enough support to wield influence, but even the possibility of a comeback is a nightmare for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Yield on 10-year Spanish bonds remains stubbornly high near 7%, but yield on 2-year bonds is in the midst of a breathtaking crash. click on any chart for sharper image Spain 10-Year Government Bond Yield

The G-20 summit is over. As expected, the two-day summit produced nothing but bickering. On day one, European Commission president Jose Barroso kicked things off by sniping at a Canadian reporter and blaming the US for Europe's problems. UK Independent Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage responded by calling Barroso a "delusional idiot".

Merkel Hardens Position The EU summit is a day away and pre-summit bickering is so intense that it will be difficult if not impossible to get any major agreements. Two days ago, in a speech in German parliament, Bloomberg reported Merkel Hardens Resistance to Euro-Area Debt Sharing