United Kingdom

It has now become compulsory for dogs to be microchipped throughout the United Kingdom. Dog owners in the U.K. have a just a few weeks to comply and should local authorities catch dogs without a microchip, the owners could face a fine of up to £500. But as the Daily Sheeple point out, if it’s such good idea, why must it be mandatory?: The government in the United Kingdom has just claimed further ownership of your dog. In a new law, the Crown has granted her subjects the privilege to own a dog but only if the beast is microchipped.

Following the release of the Panama Papers, and UK PM David Cameron's admission that he had a stake in his father's offshore trust, earlier today the Prime Minister admitted that he "mishandled the fallout" from his links to the Panama offshore fund scandal, SkyNews reports.  

The PM has been accused of "misleading the public" after admitting he made money from the sale of those shares, which he disposed of in 2010.  Downing Street had initially said Mr Cameron's financial affairs were a "private matter", before backtracking.

An investigation has uncovered Britain’s secret mission in Yemen using special forces to help American covert operations. Britain has used a loophole to get around its human rights obligations and has deployed soldiers under the guise of special intelligence operatives rather than special reconnaissance soldiers. Russia Today reports: Embedded with British foreign intelligence agency MI6, undercover troops from the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) operated in support of the Yemeni regime and US foreign policy goals before the 2014/15 revolution.

14 Caribbean nations are suing their former colonizers (including Britain, France, and the Netherlands) in a landmark lawsuit demanding reparations for the slavery trade. According to Time.com: Fourteen Caribbean nations have resolved to sue their former colonizers — Britain, France and the Netherlands — for lingering harms that they attribute to the slave trade. The AP reports that the leaders of the Caribbean Community, a regional consortium, adopted a 10-point plan that would seek an official apology, a cancelation of debts and assistance for cultural and educational institutions.

Hot money flows into real estate have become an issue in some of the world’s largest markets, as prices have skyrocketed. As we’ve repeatedly noted before, China is experiencing massive capital outflows (even if technically, overnight the PBOC said that in the last month these flows reversed to inflows for the first time in 5 months), which have mostly targeted foreign real estate, especially that in major UK, US, and Canadian urban centers.