Falciani strikes again
Having already supplied French authorities with a list of 3,000 French citizens with Swiss bank accounts last August, Hervé Falciani is planning a similar initiative in Germany. The former HSBC computer engineer is offering German tax authorities a CD-rom containing the names of 1,300 Germans who stashed money in accounts held at the Swiss subsidiary of the British bank. In exchange for the 2.5 million euros demanded by Falciani, Berlin will be able to recover between 100 and 200 million euros in lost tax revenue. "But should the state make use of stolen goods? Can data that was acquired illegally be used in a trial in a state of law?" wonders Frankfurter Rundschau. After a quick wrestle with its conscience, the daily finally concludes that tax authorities have a right to self defense to recover money that is being illegally withheld.
Two camps, two theories, and two visions of France: 18 years after the massacre of 800,000 Tutsis, the precise role played by Paris is still the subject of heated debate, fueled by the findings of successive criminal investigations. 
Agree to new austerity measures or risk being kicked out of the eurozone: that’s the alternative presented to Athens on the day the euro group is meeting. It’s a situation Greek politicians have failed to avoid, regrets To Vima. 
At a time when Athens is still involved in debt restructuring negotiations with its private creditors, Neelie Kroes’ recent allusions to a Greek exit from the euro are a sign that European leaders are intent on preparing the terrain for such an eventuality.