Since crisis conditions erupted, it's number 19 and counting. Like earlier summits, they met. They talked. They agreed to talk more. They accomplished little more than before.

Four and a half years after crisis conditions erupted, nothing's been done to resolve them. The smartest guys around haven't fixed things.

Europe keeps sinking deeper into financial crisis. Eurozone straight-jacket rules force 17 dissimilar countries to live by one size fits all diktats. Flawed planning preordained eventual disaster.

By John Pilger - Znet

...[T]he attempt to extradite Assange is unjust and political. I have read almost every scrap of evidence in this case and it's clear, in terms of natural justice, that no crime was committed...If the Supreme Court in London rejects Assange's appeal, the one hope is the independence of the Swedish courts. However...Sweden and the US have already begun talks on Assange's "temporary surrender" to the US -- where he faces concocted charges and the prospect of unlimited solitary confinement. And for what? For telling epic truths.

By Stefan Steinberg - WSWS

In an interview with the British Guardian newspaper published Friday, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, vented her class hatred for the workers of Greece, denouncing them as tax scofflaws and ruling out any respite from the austerity measures that have devastated the country.

From: www.ruthlesscriticism.com

In succession, governments in the European Union are kicked out of office for having prescribed to their peoples rigid “savings programs” with the aim of regaining their national creditworthiness. The affected countries seem to be victims of finance capital, which downgrades their ratings, extorts them with unbearable interest rates, or turns their money spigot off completely by denying them new loans and the refinancing of their due debts.

The morning after election Sunday, French and Greek voters have major issues unresolved. Austerity harmed people in both countries. Technocrats remain in charge. Odds remain long for change.

By Clara Weiss - WSWS

On Wednesday, the Russian chief of the armed forces and deputy minister of defence, Nikolay Makarov, threatened pre-emptive attacks on missile-defence sites in Poland and other parts of eastern Europe...Makarov then gave a detailed description of the type of Russian short-range missiles that could target locations in eastern Europe. He complained that NATO has refused to offer any written guarantee that the missiles will not be directed against Russia and threatened to neutralize components of the defence system should NATO ignore Russia’s concerns.

By Andrew Gavin Marshall

The emergence and spread of education...is generally considered to be the result of the Enlightenment ideals and the emergence of democracies. The idea was that education was developed and designed for the purpose of enlightening individuals, spreading literacy and fostering intellectual pursuits which would yield for the benefit of the whole of society, a benevolent institution. Indeed, there are these elements to the history of education; but like with most things, there are other, deeper, elements to the story. So it begs the question: what is the purpose of education?

By Peter Schwarz - WSWS

Spain now faces the same fate that has befallen Greece. Under pressure from the European Union and the international financial markets, the country is sliding into a downward spiral of austerity and recession...Since the beginning of the year, the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy has adopted budget cuts of €37 billion...For the Spanish population, which is already suffering an unemployment rate of 23 percent and a youth unemployment rate of over 50 percent, this means unbearable hardship.

By Jordan Shilton - 18 April 2012

On day two of his trial, Anders Breivik gave an hour-long defence of his slaughter of 77 people...in Oslo and the island of Utoeya last July 22 and said that he would do it again...Calling his massacre “the most sophisticated and spectacular political attack” in Europe since the Second World War, Breivik described himself as commander in an anti-communist, anti-Islamic “resistance” movement, at war against immigrants, Muslims and what he called a “Marxist dictatorship” in Norway.

By Lynn Parramore - AlterNet

Before the 2007 global financial meltdown, suicides in European Union countries had fallen sharply among people under age 65. Now, thanks to misguided economic programs and the sheer greed of financiers, that trend has abruptly reversed...The new wave of suicides tracks closely with rising unemployment...Ever more draconian austerity measures that strip income and social aid act as a toxin, leaving the population so stricken that for some, dying seems the only relief.

Sunday, April 15 2012 - Infoshop News

In order to receive the latest ‘bailout’ from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank (ECB)...[T]he Greek state was told by the German, French and US ruling classes to once again reduce pensions by more than 15%, to fully privatize public utilities, to yet again cut social spending, and to implement more wage cuts...All of this has come on the back of earlier rounds of austerity measures and the Greek working class has been under severe pressure: homelessness has been growing at a rapid rate and the unemployment rate has shot past 20%.

By Bill Van Auken - WSWS

Tuesday’s ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) allowing Britain’s extradition of five alleged terror suspects to face trials in the US speaks volumes about the erosion of basic democratic principles throughout Europe...Clearly, the court’s decision was entirely political. It was determined not to antagonize the UK, which in turn was desperate not to antagonize the US, with which it shares a “special relationship” as a junior partner in imperialist plunder.

By Julie Hyland - 12 April 2012

The decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that [six] men detained on terror-related charges can be extradited to the United States is a major assault on democratic rights...Tuesday’s hearing concerned six men...All are currently held in the UK under US extradition warrants.