News Links 03/02/2012
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Fannie Mae seeks $4.6 billion in aid after Q4 loss | Reuters
Fannie Mae (FNMA.OB), the biggest source of money for U.S. home loans, said on Wednesday it would seek $4.6 billion in additional federal aid after reporting a fourth-quarter loss.
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Greek banks continue to hemorrhage deposits: ECB data | Reuters
Firms and consumers continued to pull their money out of Greek banks at a rapid rate in January, European Central Bank data showed on Monday, underscoring the ongoing lack of trust the country’s banking system faces.
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Italy 6-month borrowing costs plummet at auction | Reuters
Italy’s cost of borrowing over six months sank towards 1 percent at an auction on Monday, the lowest in 17 months, as cheap loans from the European Central Bank fuelled banks’ interest in lending to euro zone governments over the short-term.
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Euro zone factory activity falls, periphery pain intense | Reuters
The euro zone’s manufacturing sector contracted for the seventh straight month in February, with factories in the bloc’s struggling indebted states facing some of the toughest conditions on record, a business survey showed on Thursday.
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February auto sales rise to highest level in 4 years | Reuters
U.S. auto sales rose nearly 16 percent in February and the annual sales rate leapt to its best level in four years
The Raspberry Pi: reviving the lost art of children’s computer programming https://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/29/rasperry-pi-childrens-programming