(photo: Eric Parker)

The coffee’s freshly ground, there’s a wide variety of teas and the sticky buns are homemade.

  • “Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has said there was ‘total convergence’ among political allies on new austerity measures needed for a second bailout and debt cuts to avert default. ‘This will allow us to negotiate in the best conditions,’ Papademos said on Sunday after talks with his Socialist predecessor George Papandreou, Antonis Samaras, head of the centre-right New Democracy party, and far-right leader George Karatzaferis.”
  • “Greece has rejected outright German proposals for the EU to hold power over its budget. Culture Minister Pavlos Yeroulanos told the BBC it would be ‘impossible’ for Greece to cede control of its tax and spending powers.”
  • “French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced plans to introduce a tax on financial transactions. The 0.1% levy will be introduced in August regardless of whether other European countries follow suit. The tax is part of a package of measures set out by the president to promote growth and create jobs.”
  • “The largest political alliance in Iraq’s government has said that it would end its boycott of parliament. The decision by Iraqiya on Sunday, backed by much of the country’s Sunnis and some secular Shias, could ease an ongoing political crisis in the government of Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq’s Shia prime minister.”
  • “The Afghan government is planning to meet the Taliban in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to jump-start peace talks, the BBC has learned. The landmark meeting will come in the coming weeks, before the establishment of a Taliban office in Qatar, according to Western and Afghan officials.”
  • “The Syrian military has launched an offensive to regain control of suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus, storming neighbourhoods and clashing with groups of army deserters in fighting that sent residents fleeing and killed at least three civilians, activists said. Six soldiers were also killed when a roadside bomb detonated near the bus they were travelling in south of the capital.”
  • “Cuban President Raul Castro has reiterated a pledge to limit political terms in office to 10 years, as the country’s Communist Party ended its two-day national conference in Havana. In a closing speech to the party’s delegates on Sunday, Castro said a constitutional amendment would be required, but that leaders should begin to adopt the practice even before it formally takes effect.”
  • “Apple, the computer giant whose sleek products have become a mainstay of modern life, is dealing with a public relations disaster and the threat of calls for a boycott of its iPhones and iPads.”
  • “Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s iconic pro-democracy leader, has made a campaign visit to the coastal town of Dawei ahead of by-elections on Apr 1. Suu Kyi, 66, used her first political trip since ending a boycott of the country’s political system last year and announcing plans to run for parliament to call for changes to the military-drafted Constitution, Reuters reported.”

From Real News:

Prof Richard Wolff’s weekly radio broadcast, Economic Update. The main topic this week is the private sector vs the public sector. Scroll down to Saturday, 28 Jan, 12:00pm.

The truth will set you free but first it will piss you off.