Earth Changes and the Pole Shift
Sociological Changes
February 23, 2011. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/ahmadinejad-predicts-mideast-unrest-coming-to-america/ Iran's president said Wednesday he is certain the wave of unrest in the Middle East will spread to Europe and North America, bringing an end to governments he accused of oppressing and humiliating people. "The world is on the verge of big developments. Changes will be forthcoming and will engulf the whole world from Asia to Africa and from Europe to North America," Ahmadinejad told a news conference. Ahmadinejad said the world was in need of a just system of rule that "puts an end to oppression, occupation and humiliation of people." [and from another] This correlates with what the Zetas said about the 8 of 10, "These sociological and political dramas are part of the 8 of 10 scenarios, as well as geological and astronomical features. This is the next chapter." http://poleshift.ning.com/profiles/blogs/zetatalk-fame The Zetas did say that Ahmadinejad is STO . Did he got his information from reading ZT or is there more too it?
Ahmadinejad is speaking as a leader of a Muslim country, viewing the Arab Spring as an uprising against colonialism, imperialism, and western corporate influence. This stance is expected of him because of his political role in Iran. The article makes much of Ahmadinejad's criticism of Gaddafi and his brutal treatment of his people. This is to differentiate between an Arab leader who was considered a puppet, as was Mubarak, and Gaddafi who was considered a leader who resisted western influence and control and thus should be a brother to his people. Does Ahmadinejad read ZetaTalk and have an inside track on the Transformation, the pending 8 of 10 scenarios? Yes on both fronts, as despite disbelief that Ahmadinejad is a Service-to-Other individual, he is a sleeper like Obama, awaiting his opportunities to make a difference in the world. He gives a hint as to the sequence of revolt and discontent - from the Arab Spring to Asia, then Africa, then Europe and thence to N America.
Source: ZetaTalk for June 18, 2011
Note: This blog is about his prediction. Keep in mind that political debates are not allowed on the poleshift ning.
Tracie Crespo
www.rt.com/usa/323728-colorado-springs-gunman-parenthood/
Gunman continues firing as active shooter situation near Colo. Springs PP nears 3rd hour
At least five victims have been brought to Penrose-St. Francis Hospital, while at least three patients have arrived at Memorial Hospital, KRDO reported. The conditions of the transportees have not been announced.
Three hostages have been rescued from a bathroom, police said on the scanner. Live feed from the site shows several people being taken into ambulances.
Nov 27, 2015
Tracie Crespo
https://www.rt.com/usa/324372-san-bernardino-active-shooter/
San Berbardino shooting: Search for suspects underway, 14 killed, 17 injured
Police aren't treating the incident as a terrorist attack so far.
“We are here to essentially assure that all the injured are extracted. Safety is the number one goal at this point,” David Bowdich, the assistant director of the FBI’s LA Field Office, said. “We do not know if this is a terrorist incident. So we start from the beginning… it may be, it may not be.”
Burguan later contradicted Bowdich’s assessment, however: “At the minimum, we have a domestic terrorist-type situation here,” the police chief said, noting that the three suspects “came in with a purpose, they came in to do something.”
One suspect is down, according to police spokesperson SGT Vicky Cervantes, but officers are still unsure if this person was related.
It is unclear if the suspects were still in the building by the time San Bernardino police arrived at the scene, followed shortly by “a massive mutual aid response from nearly every jurisdiction in the region,” the chief said.
“Our police officers have not engaged or exchanged gunfire with anyone,” Burguan added.
They may also be wearing body armor, Sergeant Vicki Cervantes, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino Police Department, told reporters.
The attackers also had long guns.
“It’s a very active scene,” Cervantes said. “It’s very fluid.”
Live feed from the location showed many injured people being helped by emergency services.
At least 14 people were wounded and are being treated in hospitals. Their conditions vary.
Witnesses told police that the shooters were wearing ski masks, KABC reported.
Police have found multiple “devices” in the building, according to scanner traffic.
Injured victims are being brought to Loma Linda University Medical Center. The emergency room there is in disaster mode and expecting an influx of patients, the hospital told KABC.
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center is also expecting to receive patients, KCBS reported.
There are 12 fatalities so far, sources told KABC.
Relatives of the people who are in the area have been arriving to the scene.
“She said, ‘shooting at my work, people shot, in the office waiting for cops. Pray for us. I am locked in an office.’”
Injured victims are being brought to Loma Linda University Medical Center. The emergency room there is in disaster mode and expecting an influx of patients, the hospital told KABC.
Loma Linda has received four adult patients and is expecting three more, the hospital confirmed to KNBC.
“Alarms went off in the building and they were told to shelter in place. Eventually they came over the PA system and told them that they were supposed to evacuate and go to a different area, and come out with nothing in their hands, with their hands up. Now they’re being loaded up into buses to be taken somewhere else, it appears to be interviews,” the father of a worker who was in the building told KABC.
Inland Regional Center is a nonprofit organization that works with individuals with developmental disabilities. It has nearly 670 staff members who provide services to more than 30,200 people with disabilities and their families in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, its Facebook page said.
“We’re not allowing anyone on the golf course. We got a big helicopter sitting in the middle of the Number 1 fairway,” golf club employee Tom Brown told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re several hundred yards away from the area. We can see fire and SWAT from here, but we’re not allowed to go any farther.”
The Los Angeles Emergency Operations Center has been activated to Level 1 and is monitoring the situation in San Bernardino, the city of LA’s Emergency Management Department.
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Dec 3, 2015
casey a
I'm putting this here to put a light on the winds of change that is supporting Bernie Sanders. Note the average contribution to his campaign & how 99% of those contributed would contribute to his campaign again.
Jan 7, 2016
KM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3395246/Hundreds-far-right-...
Hundreds of far-right protesters rampage through German town, destroying ethnic restaurants and takeaways - hours after Merkel admits European migrant crisis is 'out of control'
Hundreds of anti-refugee rioters have gone on the rampage in the German city of Leipzig after a demonstration where they called for asylum seekers to be deported and their nation's borders closed.
The attacks come just hours after Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted that Europe had lost control of the crisis. The right-wingers broke away from a largely peaceful march in the eastern city to trash the suburb of Connewitz.
Doner kebab fast food stalls were destroyed, cars set ablaze and shop windows smashed by around 250 hooligans of LEGIDA - the local branch of PEGIDA, the anti-migrant, anti-EU organization which marched against the refugees earlier in the evening.
Doner kebab fast food stalls were destroyed, cars set ablaze and shop windows smashed by around 250 hooligans of Legida
Inside one of the doner kebab grills where some 250 masked hooligans attacked takeaway restaurants in Leipzig
At one point the demonstrators, who threw fireworks at police, attempted to build a barricade in a main street with signs and torn up paving stones before they were dispersed.
Firemen had to tackle a blaze in the attic of one building set alight by a wayward rocket fired by the rioters. A bus carrying leftist pro-asylum demonstrators was also attacked and seriously damaged.
Police said they have identified and arrested 211 of the crowd of right-wing hooligans, many of them with criminal records for violence.
'This was a serious breach of the peace,' said a police spokesman, confirming that several police officers were injured in the clashes triggered by simmering anger over the New Year's Eve mass sex attacks against women in Cologne and several other German cities.
'Rape Refugees stay away' was one of the banners carried during the march, the wording above a silhouette of women running from knife-wielding attackers, one of whom resembled a caricature from Aladdin.
Earlier in the day Mrs. Merkel said; 'Now all of a sudden we are facing the challenge that refugees are coming to Europe and we are vulnerable, as we see, because we do not yet have the order, the control, that we would like to have.'
She also said the euro was 'directly linked' to freedom of movement in Europe, adding: 'Nobody should act as though you can have a common currency without being able to cross borders reasonably easily.'
Merkel said that if countries did not allow their borders to be crossed without much difficulty, the European single market would 'suffer acutely' - meaning that Germany, at the centre of the European Union and its largest economy, should fight to defend freedom of movement.
Jan 12, 2016
casey a
Thousands march for Bernie, blame media for 'nearly nonexistent' coverage
https://www.rt.com/usa/329996-march-bernie-sanders-media/
Several cities had marches..
Jan 25, 2016
SongStar101
Tear gas, clashes, broken windows: Anti-labor reform protesters rally across France
https://www.rt.com/news/337851-france-protest-labour-reform/
Police have used tear gas to disperse activists in Paris who are protesting new labor reforms. In the city of Nantes demonstrators tried to storm the town hall and smash windows.
Scores of people have taken to the streets across France to once again voice their anger against recently proposed labor reforms. The demonstrators have reportedly clashed with police officers.
Students are rallying against labor law reforms recently proposed by Labor Minister Myriam El Khomri. The French authorities are desperately trying to battle high unemployment in the country, and have suggested cutting overtime pay for work beyond 35 hours.
Employers would pay only 10 percent of overtime bonus, instead of the current 25 percent, according to proposed reforms.
The protests were partially organized by a Facebook community called ‘Loi travail: non, merci’ (Labor reform: No, thanks). Arguing that the reforms concern all French citizens, the group has started a petition, which has so far been signed by over one million people.
Earlier, French President Francois Hollande said the reforms would help employees “have more job stability.”
“We must also give companies the opportunity to recruit more, to give job security to young people throughout their lives, and to provide flexibility for companies,” he said.
In the city of Nantes protesters have smashed the windows of local shops and the city hall, photos on social media show.
In Paris the protest started in Place de la Nation, the same place where previous anti-labor rallies took place. The demonstrators threw bottles with flammable liquid and stones at police officers.
“Everyone hates the police,” the protesters were shouting.
At least two protesters have been beaten by police officers in the city of Lille, according to photo reporter Julien Pitinome, who tweeted a picture of the incident.
The protesters in Lille also started a fire during the rally, local media said.
The head of the General Confederation of Labor, Philippe Martinez, promised "an enormous number of people" would take to the streets on Thursday.
"All workers are directly affected by the labor reform bill," he said.
Several arrests have been made during the protests, BFMTV reported, citing police sources.
----------------------------
Thousands take to streets in France to protest labor reform
http://www.theolympian.com/news/business/article69158187.html
PARIS
Tens of thousands of workers and youths took to the streets of France to protest, sometimes violently, a government reform meant to make it easier to hire and fire employees and to relax the country's strict 35-hour workweek.
As train drivers, teachers and others went on strike, student organizations and seven employee unions combined to condemn the Socialist government's bill, which they argue will badly erode hard-won worker protections.
"It's shocking that a Socialist government introduced this law," said Zoe Farre, 23, during a peaceful gathering in the driving rain in central Paris. About 28,000 people marched in Paris' streets, according to the police.
The government and businesses claim the reforms would help the economy and reduce unemployment, which is at a high 10 percent, by making it easier for companies to take on — and lay off — workers.
Farre, who is unemployed, said she understood the argument that more flexibility means more jobs, but she had doubts about the kinds of jobs officials were talking about. "It's going to be like the U.K. where you're on a zero-hour contract or like the U.S. where they make you hold a sign in the street and call it a job", she said.
Eric Beynel, spokesman for the Solidaires union, said "the reality is that it's already easy for companies to lay off their workers," referring to an administrative process that allows companies to pay off an employee.
Deborah Boke, a 26-year-old school worker, said she was "totally against this law."
Boke, who said she was going into teaching after struggling to find work after her master's degree, accused the government of "doing the opposite of what it was elected for. The exact opposite."
Earlier in the day, a few dozen protesters that were mostly hooded or wearing masks broke off a peaceful student demonstration in eastern Paris to hurl paint bombs at banks and stores. Some smashed cash machines with bats or set of off smoke canisters while confronting the police.
Clashes also broke out between a small group of young protesters and the police in the cities of Nantes, Rennes and Toulouse.
The strike affects public transports, schools, public hospitals and state-owned broadcasters. It is not affecting Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, though 20 percent of flights at Paris' Orly airport have been canceled.
State railway company SNCF has warned of disruptions to national and regional train traffic. International lines to London and Brussels are not affected.
Paris' Eiffel tower is closed all day. The company operating the monument said in a statement there are not enough staff to open the tower with "sufficient security and reception conditions".
"We are quite disappointed because we are here only for three days," said Zsolt Bencze, a tourist from Hungary who had already booked tickets to visit the tower. "So now we are planning to visit the Louvre. I hope it's open and not closed due to some strikes or something."
The government proposal technically maintains the 35-hour workweek but allows companies to organize alternative working times. Those include a workweek of up to 48 hours and 12-hour days. In "exceptional circumstances," employees could work up to 60 hours a week.
The bill is to be debated in parliament in April.
Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/news/business/article69158187.html#story...
Mar 31, 2016
Howard
Mass Fish Deaths Breath Life into Vietnam Protest Movement (May 22)
A massive fish kill along a 208-kilometer stretch of north-central Vietnamese coast in April has awakened a new emerging middle class of citizens who are willing to take a stand about environmental issues.
In a rare display of disobedience in this closely policed communist state, thousands of protesters have crowded the tree-lined boulevards of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in recent weeks to demand better environmental protections, bearing signs that read “Justice 4 Fish” and “Save Our Seas.”
Police, who warned the protesters to stay home, have arrested dozens of them, as a state-run broadcaster reported that “reactionary forces” were attempting to overthrow the government. Social-media platforms including Facebook and Instagram were interrupted during the protests, which activists attributed to the authorities.
The tension comes ahead of a landmark visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to Vietnam that is aimed in part at drumming up support here for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, which includes stronger environmental safeguards among its provisions. Over 140,000 people have signed a petition created on a White House website urging Mr. Obama to raise the dead-fish issue with Vietnam’s leaders next week.
Sources
http://www.wsj.com/articles/vietnams-dead-fish-breathe-life-into-pr...
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/president-obama-leaves-wee...
http://atimes.com/2016/05/vietnams-mass-fish-kill-isnt-simply-an-en...
May 23, 2016
SongStar101
Riot police crack down on Paris protests against labour reforms
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/26/riot-police-crack-down...
Thousands of protesters turn out on streets of French capital as refineries and nuclear power stations across the country come to a halt
Riot police arrested 16 people and fired teargas in violent clashes with protesters marching in Paris as striking workers continued to blockade refineries and nuclear power stations in an escalating stand-off over labour reforms.
Tens of thousands of people marched across France in protest against François Hollande’s planned labour bill, which aims to make it easier for companies to hire and fire workers and was forced through parliament without a vote this month following more than ten weeks of protests.
Police fired teargas at about 100 people on the edge of a protest march through Paris. Several masked people charged shop windows, smashing them, and cars were damaged near the route of the march. There were skirmishes at Place de la Nation as riot officers cordoned off protesters, some of whom complained of heavy-handed policing.
May 27, 2016
SongStar101
Civil Unrest Explodes In Berlin - Over 3500 People Riot Against Police
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-07-11/civil-unrest-explodes-berl...
The biggest and most violent protest in Germany erupted in Berlin over the weekend exactly with our models calling for an explosion in civil unrest.
Some 1800 police were called in and at least 120 policemen were injured in what is becoming a street battle. This has been the most aggressive and violent protest in Germany for the past five years.
Protesters were throwing bottles, cobblestones and fireworks, as well as they destroyed cars in addition to attacking police officers. It appears at least 3,500 rioters took part in the uprising and possibly more than 4,000.
The protest is against police operations and involved mostly young people who have risen up against the police operations in the Riga street area. Protesters wore black hoods carrying banners with slogans like “Riga defend 94” and “Housing solidarity against state terror.”
The demonstration went on with the crowd chanting repeatedly: “Bullenschweine get out of Riga!” Demonstrators were throwing firecrackers and police fired back with tear gas. The police also called in air support using helicopters and they had to call in for reinforcements from Bavaria, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and the Federal Police.
Interior Senator Frank Henkel (CDU) announced that the police will also be present at night after the demonstration, so riots and arson attacks should be stopped...calling the riot a "leftist orgy of violence."
With September's elections looming we suspect the tensions will only get worse.
Jul 13, 2016
Starr DiGiacomo
Hundreds Arrested as St. Paul, Baton Rouge Protesters Turn Violent
SUN, JUL 10 · CLIP 7 of 8
Protesters hurled Molotov cocktails, fireworks and glass bottles at police during demonstrations Saturday in response to recent officer-involved shootings of black men.
http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/hundreds-arrested-as-st-p...
Jul 14, 2016
KM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3692693/Turkish-military-la...
'We have taken control': Turkish military open fire on civilians as they launch coup to depose Islamist government – while President Erdogan 'hides in a hotel room' and Facetimes a TV station to urge his supporters to fight for him
President Erdogan has flown into Istanbul amid government claims that the Turkish military coup has failed.
The president is believed to have flown from Dalaman on board the government Gulfstream IV jet to Ataturk airport, which had earlier been seized by members of the military.
However, reinforcements in tanks were blocked from the area by unarmed civilians who lay down in front of the heavy armour.
Despite claims the civilian government had regained control, reports from near the parliament said tanks had opened fired and blasted the building.
There are also reports of explosions at the airport.
Police and soldiers have exchanged fire in Taksim square in Istanbul.
A number of soldiers have been taken into custody.
Earlier, the Turkish military killed 17 police officers in the first reported fatalities in the army's bid to overthrow the Islamic government of Recep Erdogan.
The state-run Anadolu agency said the victims died at the special forces headquarters in Ankara.
Earlier there were reports that he building had been attacked by helicopters.
Elsewhere troops have opened fire on civilians attempting to cross the river Bosporus in Istanbul in protest to the military coup.
Soldiers seized strategic locations across Istanbul and Ankara in an effort to overthrow the Islamic president Recep Erdogan.
Also, a bomb has hit the parliament building according to the state's press agency as the security situation in the country becomes more perilous.
Several police officers and parliament workers were wounded as an explosion ripped though the building.
An eyewitness claimed the blast was 'massive' and shook nearby buildings.
Intelligence sources close to Erdogan claim the situation is back under control while factions in the military insist they are now in charge of the county.
Amid the continuing chaotic scenes, soldiers have taken control of the headquarters of the Dogan Media Group. A journalist broadcasting live on the station said she did not know how much longer she will be able to continue on the air.
17 police are believed to have died after military helicopters attacked their headquarters building in central Ankara, pictured
A man lay down in front of a tank on the approach to Ataturk airport in Istanbul as citizens took to the streets to oppose the military coup
The man then stood up and took off his shirt in an effort the present the tank from taking position in the airport
Jul 16, 2016
KM
http://www.neonnettle.com/news/1574-germany-joins-france-as-citizen...
Germany is now joining France in the enormous build up to civil War as right-wing radicalization takes hold as a result of the migrant crisis and the recent Terrorist attacks. Street fighting has now erupted in Germany with citizens clashing with police across several german cities.
Speisa.com reports: In a build-up to what might end in a regular civil war, Germany now warns of a massive right-wing radicalization due to the migrant crisis - as street fighting and clashes erupt between left-wing and right-wing demonstrators in several German cities.
The migrant and refugee crisis has led to that right-wing extremists are mobilizing in Germany, warns the German security services BfV.
- What we see in connection with the refugee crisis is that right-wing extremists are mobilizing in the streets, but also that the radical left mobilize against them, says Hans-Georg Maassen, chief of Bundesamts für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), to German radio on Sunday.
The extreme groups show a greater willingness to use violence, he informs. This applies to both right-wing radicals, anti-racists (fascists) on the left, and Islamists.
On Saturday night, police and soldiers had to protect two buses with 100 immigrants and refugees who were taken to a reception center in the town of Niederau in the east German state of Saxony. Protesters gathered at the reception center, a former supermarket.
Demonstrations against refugees and immigrants gathered over 1,000 people in several towns in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on Friday.
In the coastal town of Stralsund, three people were wounded in clashes with counter-demonstrators. Also in Leipzig, regular street fights between demonstrators from left and right erupted.
So far this year there have been 22 attempts to set fire to reception centers, including reception centers which had not yet been taken into use, according to Maassen.
But not only the extreme groups protest the out-of-control migrant situation.
In Dresden, tens of thousands of ordinary Germans, men, women and children, gathered in the city center to peacefully protest this week.
Jul 23, 2016
Tracie Crespo
www.abcnews.go.com/US/charlotte-protest-turns-violent-riot-gear-wea...
Charlotte Protest Turns Violent, Governor Declares State of Emergency and Deploys National Guard
By DAVID CAPLAN
-
Sep 22, 2016, 3:02 AM ETWATCH Charlotte Rocked by Second Night of Violence, 1 Protester Shot as State of Emergency Declared
A prayer vigil in honor of Keith Lamont Scott turned violent Wednesday night in Charlotte, North Carolina, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency, as riot gear-wearing police fired tear gas at demonstrators who threw bottles at police, blocked an interstate, threw objects at passing cars, jumped on vehicles, looted businesses, vandalized a Hyatt hotel and attacked its employees.
And one of the protesters was in critical condition and on life support after being shot by another civilian.
Four police officers sustained non-life threatening injuries, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department tweeted early Thursday morning.
"Governor Pat McCrory has declared a State of Emergency upon the request Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney," read a statement from the governor's office. "The governor has also initiated efforts to deploy the North Carolina National Guard and the State Highway Patrol to assist local law enforcement."
Earlier in the evening, Gov. McCrory said, "Upon a very recent request of Chief Putney, the State Highway Patrol is sending in troopers to further help the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department."
Also on their way to Charlotte are officials from the White House and the Department of Justice, according to ABC affiliate WSOC, citing mayor Jennifer Roberts.
And the North Carolina NAACP State Conference said in a statement that it "will be in Charlotte to talk with the family, key members of the community and City leaders" on Thursday, followed by a press conference in the afternoon.
Roy Cooper, North Carolina's attorney general said in statement, "Violence will not bring justice ... We must come together as a community to get answers and find a better path forward."
WSOC reported that looters hit a Charlotte Hornets team store, which the NBA team confirmed. The Hyatt House hotel in the city's downtown also said protesters broke the property's windows and attacked two employees.
The protesters' wrath extended into cyberspace, as well: WSOC reported that the city of Charlotte's website had been hacked Wednesday evening.
Before midnight, protesters descended upon Interstate 277, which they blocked. According to WSOC, protesters also threw objects at passing vehicles.
Keith Lamont Scott is the armed man who was fatally shot by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police at an apartment complex Tuesday. His wife issued a statement Wednesday afternoon addressing the protesters, and urging them to exercise restraint against law enforcement officers.
"As a family, we respect the rights of those who wish to protest, but we ask that people protest peacefully," the statement read. "Please do not hurt people or members of law enforcement, damage property or take things that do not belong to you in the name of protesting.”
And governor Pat McCrory said in a statement Wednesday night, "Any violence directed toward our citizens or police officers or destruction of property should not be tolerated."
Hundreds of protesters Wednesday night shouted slogans, including "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" and "Black Lives Matter" while filling the streets of downtown Charlotte.
At least one person was injured in the confrontation, though it wasn't immediately clear how, according to The Associated Press. Firefighters rushed in to pull the man to a waiting ambulance, the AP reported.
Sep 22, 2016
SongStar101
PARIS 2016: Scenes from the Apocalypse - African Mass Immigration ruins Streets of France
The Paris you know or remember from adverts or brochures no longer exists. While no part of Paris looks like the romantic Cliches in Hollywood movies, some districts now resemble post-apocalyptic scenes of a dystopian thriller. This footage, taken with a hidden camera by an anonymous Frenchman in the Avenue de Flandres, 19th Arrondissement, near the Stalingrad Metro Station in Paris as well as areas in close proximity, shows the devastating effects of uncontrolled illegal mass immigration of young African males into Europe.
If it weren't for the somewhat working infrastructure, the scene might as well have been the setting of movie shooting - or a slum in Mogadishu. The streets are littered in garbage, the sidewalks are blocked with trash, junk and mattresses, thousands of African men claim the streets as their own - they sleep and live in tents like homeless people.
If no portable toilets are in reach, open urination and defecation are commonplace. Tens of thousands of homeless Illegal immigrants, undocumented or waiting for a decision of their asylum application, waste away trying to pass the time in the city. Although their prospects of being granted asylum as Africans are bleak, they're hoping for a decision that would grant them an apartment, welfare and make France their new home.
The conditions are absolutely devastating. The police have given up trying to control these areas, the remaining French people avoid the areas at all cost, crime and rape is rampant, just recently mass brawls and riots made the news as fights broke out near the Stalingrad metro station.
If current trends continue and the French become minority in their own capital in even more areas, scenes like this might spread to areas frequented by tourists, forever changing the last romantic parts of Paris that match what most people have in mind when they think of the iconic city.
Oct 15, 2016
KM
http://beforeitsnews.com/banksters/2016/12/india-millions-rise-up-a...
India: Millions Rise up Against New World Order Ban on Cash
Bankers attacked and locked up by angry mobs as Indian government teeters on the brink of collapse after citizens revolt against draconian anti-cash laws that have thrown the country into chaos
Millions of protestors in India are rising up against a ruling class determined to take away their rights. There is anarchy in the streets as the Indian government continue to lean on mainstream media to suppress the scale of events and cover up the chaos caused by their draconian ban on cash.
Millions of Indians – the world’s second most populous country – are revolting against new anti-cash laws that are designed to protect and enrich the top tier of the wealthy global elite at the expense of ordinary people. The country is in chaos as hundreds of millions of ordinary people are unable to access their savings. In a country where 98% of transactions are performed using cash, the sudden ban on cash transactions, and the withdrawal of cash from circulation, has created outrage.
The protesters in India represent all working class people united, mobilized, and resisting the greed of globalist elites. There are reports of bankers being “locked up” by angry mobs and financial institutions across the country have appealed for police protection from the people.
There is anarchy in the streets as law enforcement are unable to contain the scale and intensity of the protests. Police involved are violently fighting against the people and protecting the interests of the ruling class. According to an opinion poll published Monday, 98% of the population is against the new laws.
The deeply unpopular move was not discussed with the public before being implemented by the elite, and the sudden introduction has caused chaos. Bloomberg reports that the situation isn’t expected to improve as “bankers are bracing for long hours and angry mobs as pay day approaches in India.“
“We are fearing the worst.”
Overnight, banks played down expectations of any improvement in currency availability, raising the prospect of queues lengthening as salaries get paid and people look to withdraw money from their accounts, the Economic Times reported.
The central bank has said the banking system has received more than Rs 8 lakh crore in deposits by way of exchange of the phased out 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. There’s no data on the value of new currency — in Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes — printed and distributed across the nation. The Prime Minister claims the initiative was aimed at tackling black money, counterfeit notes, corruption and terror financing, but detractors claim it is a New World Order tactic to gain control over the population.
The Rothschild controlled global banking lobby want a digital cashless system because this will give them even more control over us. India is being used a testing ground. Global bankers want to monitor and control every single transaction, while destroying real world currencies so they can issue money that doesn’t exist, creating impossible financial burdens for the masses, all the while accumulating extraordinary real wealth and power for themselves.
Populations relying on a fully digital cashless grid will be incredibly vulnerable in times of crisis. A terrorist or military attack, or even a storm or power outage, would mean the end of a functional economy. Payments would stop, the economy would grind to a halt, and life as we know it would end. A new, desperate climate would take hold, with entire populations left vulnerable and helpless, completely under the control of their government and the shadowy elites pulling the strings.
Why would Western governments ban cash when there are such disastrous consequences for humanity waiting just around the corner?
Because the shadowy elites and their banking cartels want us to be easily manipulated, cowed and controlled.
Dec 4, 2016
KM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4092608/Mexico-gas-protests...
Four people are killed and 700 are arrested as anger over gasoline price hikes in Mexico fuels looting and violent protests
Protests and looting fueled by anger over gasoline price hikes in Mexico have led to four deaths, the ransacking of at least 300 stores and the arrests of more than 700 people, officials said.
The country's business chambers said the combination of highway, port and terminal blockades and looting this week forced many stores and businesses to close and threatened supplies of basic goods and fuel.
The scenes of mass lootings came as parents faced the last shopping day to get presents for their children before the January 6 Epiphany or Three Kings Day holiday.
Two people were found dead near looting in the port city of Veracruz. An official with the state prosecutor said late Thursday that the killers had not yet been identified.
The official was not authorized to talk to the press and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Earlier, officials said a bystander was run over and killed by a driver fleeing police also in Veracruz, and a police officer was killed trying to stop robberies at a gas station in Mexico City.
Mexicans were enraged by the 20 per cent fuel price hike announced over the weekend as part of a government deregulation of the energy sector.
While acknowledging the anger, President Enrique Pena Nieto said Thursday he would forge ahead anyway with the deregulated price scheme, which would do away with fuel subsidies and allow gasoline prices to be determined by prevailing international prices.
'I know that allowing gasoline to rise to its international price is a difficult change, but as president, my job is to precisely make difficult decisions now, in order to avoid worse consequences in the future,' Pena Nieto said in a televised address.
'Keeping gas prices artificially low would mean taking money away from the poorest Mexicans, and giving it to those who have the most.'
Pena Nieto said the other big challenge for Mexico in 2017 was to 'build a positive relationship with the new U.S. administration,' something he said would be done with Mexico's 'unbreakable dignity'.
Police in Mexico's capital said they had arrested 76 people for looting about 29 stores.
People ransack a store in Veracruz, Mexico, on Thursday. Items are seen in disarray on the floor of the business
Protests and looting fueled by anger over gasoline price hikes have led to four deaths, the ransacking of at least 300 stores and the arrests of more than 700 people, officials said
Suspects are detained by state police after they were caught looting in Veracruz, Mexico, early Thursday
Jan 6, 2017
SongStar101
Romania protests continue over plans to revive corruption bill
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/06/europe/romania-protests-update/
(CNN)Demonstrations are expected to continue in Romania today despite a temporary government retreat over a bill that would have protected many politicians from being prosecuted for corruption.
'Government should resign'
Feb 8, 2017
Matt B
South Korea president Park Geun-hye impeached, could face criminal proceedings
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-10/south-korea-hands-down-verdic...
10 Mar 2017
In an historic ruling, South Korea's Constitutional Court has formally removed impeached President Park Geun-hye from office over a corruption scandal that has plunged the country into political turmoil, worsened an already-serious national divide and led to calls for sweeping reforms.
It was a stunning fall for Ms Park, the daughter of a dictator who rode a lingering conservative nostalgia for her father to a big win in 2012, only to see her presidency descend into scandal.
The unanimous ruling opens her up to possible criminal proceedings, and makes her South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be removed early from office since democracy in the country in the late 1980s.
The court's acting chief judge, Lee Jung-mi, said Ms Park had violated the constitution and law "throughout her term", and despite the objections of parliament and the press, she had concealed the truth and cracked down on critics.
"The removal of the claimee from office is overwhelmingly to the benefit of the protection of the constitution ... We remove President Park Geun-hye from office," Ms Lee told the hearing.
Ms Park denied any wrongdoing.
Overwhelmed by the biggest rallies in decades, the voices of Ms Park supporters were largely ignored. But they recently regrouped and have staged fierce pro-Park rallies since.
People on both sides have threatened not to accept a Constitutional Court decision that they disagree with.
One of Ms Park's lawyers told the court last month that there will be "a rebellion and blood will drench the asphalt" if Ms Park is booted from office.
Many participants at anti-Park rallies had said they would stage a "revolution" if the court rejected her impeachment.
"If Park accepts the ruling and soothes those who opposed her impeachment, things will be quiet," said Yoon Tae-Ryong, a political scientist at Seoul's Konkuk University.
"But looking at what she's done so far, I think that might be wishful thinking."
Ms Park, 65, was been accused of colluding with her friend, Choi and a former presidential aide, both of whom have been on trial, to pressure big businesses to donate to two foundations set up to back her policy initiatives.
The court said Ms Park had "completely hidden the fact of [Choi's] interference with state affairs".
Ms Park was also accused of soliciting bribes from the head of the Samsung Group for government favours, including backing a merger of two Samsung affiliates in 2015 that was seen as supporting the succession of control over the country's largest "chaebol" — or family owned — conglomerate.
Samsung Group leader Jay Y Lee has been accused of bribery and embezzlement in connection with the scandal and is in detention — his trial began on Thursday.
Apr 1, 2017
Matt B
Park Geun-hye: South Korea's former president arrested over corruption allegations
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-31/south-korea-ex-president-park...
31 March 2017
South Korea's disgraced former president Park Geun-hye — the country's first democratically elected leader to be thrown out of office — has been arrested over high-profile corruption allegations of bribery and abuse of power.
A convoy of vehicles, including a black sedan carrying Ms Park, entered a detention facility near Seoul after the Seoul Central District Court granted prosecutors' request to arrest her.
Ms Park can be held in a cell for up to 20 days while she is investigated over allegations that she colluded with a friend, Choi Soon-sil, to pressure big businesses to contribute to now-defunct foundations set up to back her policy initiatives.
A judge at the Seoul Central District Court said in a statement that "the cause and the need for the warrant are recognised as the main charges against her have been verified and as evidence could be destroyed".
Ms Park gave about eight hours of testimony at the same court on Thursday and was held at the prosecutors' office next door while the judge studied the evidence and arguments to decide on whether to issue the arrest warrant.
On Thursday, Ms Park, 65, arrived expressionless at the court to plead her case that she should not be arrested or held while prosecutors investigate the scandal.
Ms Park argues that she does not pose a flight risk and will not try to tamper with evidence
She and Ms Choi have both denied any wrongdoing.
Her impeachment this month has left a political vacuum, with only an interim president pending a May 9 election, at a time of rising tensions with North Korea over its weapons program and with China, which is angry over South Korea's decision to host a US anti-missile system.
Prosecutors said on Monday that Ms Park was accused of soliciting companies for money and infringing upon the freedom of corporate management by using her power as the president.
She was was questioned for 14 hours by prosecutors last week.
She could face more than 10 years in jail if convicted of receiving bribes from bosses of big conglomerates, including Samsung Group chief Jay Y Lee, in return for favours.
Ms Park may be given a bigger cell than other inmates in a Seoul detention facility, but she would be subject to the same rules on everything from meals to room inspections, former prosecution and correctional officials have said.
She was removed from office when a constitutional court upheld her impeachment by parliament.
The ruling sparked protests by hundreds of her supporters, two of whom were killed in clashes with police outside the court, and a celebratory rally by those who had demanded she be removed from office.
Apr 1, 2017
KM
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/world/americas/venezuela-riots.h...
At Least 12 Die as Rioting Breaks Out in Venezuela
At least a dozen people were killed as the streets of Caracas, Venezuela, erupted into a night of riots, looting and clashes between government opponents and the National Guard late Thursday and early Friday, with anger from two days of pro-democracy demonstrations spilling into unrest in working-class and poor neighborhoods.
The attorney general’s office in Venezuela said 11 people had died of electrocution and gunshot wounds “in acts of violence” in El Valle, a neighborhood of mixed loyalties, where armored vehicles struggled to contain crowds of looters. In Petare, a working-class section in eastern Caracas, a protester was shot dead at the entrance to the city’s largest barrio, said Carlos Ocariz, the district mayor.
Throughout the night, the sounds of banging pots and pans reverberated through the capital, a traditional form of protest known as the “cacerolazo,” which has taken on greater significance as the country struggles with shortages of food.
Liang-Ming Mora, 43, a resident of El Valle, described watching from the window of her high-rise apartment as her neighbors threw objects at National Guardsmen and residents of a nearby area descended onto the streets, burning tires and looting stores.
The crowd, she said, moved through the neighborhood, destroying a large supermarket, a liquor store and other businesses.
“They wanted to loot the bakery, too,” Ms. Mora said, but people shouted, “No, not the bakery, no!” — apparently sparing one of the few places that could still supply the neighborhood with bread.
The clashes are a challenge to Venezuela’s opposition politicians, who have been trying to channel resentment over President Nicolás Maduro’s growing power into a peaceful protest movement. Many thousands of people gathered on Wednesday and Thursday, flooding the capital and parts of other cities, to demand that elections be scheduled.
The government has responded by trying to repress the protests with rubber bullets and tear gas. Making matters worse, bitterness against the government has been boiling over as the country struggles with severe shortages of food and medicine, forcing Venezuelans to wait in lines for hours for basics like cornmeal.
The anger was apparent into the early hours on Friday. In videos posted on social media, people screamed as gunshots were fired into dark streets and looters broke store windows. Protesters were captured on videos in cat-and-mouse games, throwing stones and other objects at soldiers. Fires burned in the streets.
At one point during the night, clashes became so heavy that a nearby children’s hospital was evacuated after a ward filled with tear gas. The government said security forces were responding to an attack on the hospital by opposition protesters.
Mary Carmen Laguna Andrade, 23, who lives in El Valle, said she had watched as looters prowled the streets into the early hours of the morning.
“They passed my house with food, liquor bottles, shopping carts, computers and even a motorcycle they’d stolen,” she said.
Some residents took to the streets to support the government.
A crowd gathered in Fuerte Tiuna, a military base that is also home to large public housing complexes built by the government, chanting in defense of the country’s so-called Socialist revolution. “Neighbors, listen, join the struggle!” chanted the crowd, which was not interrupted by the security forces.
While both the government and the opposition have held protests this year, unrest surged after a decision last month by the Supreme Court, which is controlled by the president’s supporters, to dissolve the Legislature.
The move was widely condemned, and Mr. Maduro eventually ordered the court to reverse much of the ruling. It was not enough, though, to persuade large portions of the country that the president was still committed to democratic rule.
Apr 22, 2017
KM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4457290/Brazilians-clash-po...
Protesters fight pitched battles with riot police as general strike by 35million Brazilians turns ugly
Violent clashes between public and police marred a national strike in Brazil that saw 35 million citizens stay away from work.
Millions stayed home on Friday, and thousands flooded the streets in anger against labour law and pension reforms, raising questions about whether President Michel Temer will be able to push his proposals through Congress.
Temer's administration argues that more flexible labor rules will revive a moribund economy and warns the pension system will go bankrupt without changes.
Unions and other groups called for the strike, saying that the changes before Congress will make workers too vulnerable and strip away too many benefits.
Demonstrators and police clash during a strike in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, earlier today. Millions stayed home, but thousands flooded the streets in anger
A riot police officer fire tear gas toward demonstrators during the protest, which raises questions about whether President Michel Temer will be able to push his proposals through Congress
Demonstrators set barricades on fire in Vale do Anhangabau in Sao Paulo. Unions and other groups called for the strike, saying that the changes before Congress will make workers too vulnerable and strip away too many benefits
Demonstrators stand near a burning barricade on BR-116 road
A bus burns. Public transport largely came to a halt across much of Brazil on Friday
Apr 29, 2017
SongStar101
The Elites Have Destroyed The Status Quo's Ability To Self-Correct
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-03/elites-have-destroyed-stat...
May 4, 2017
SongStar101
Redefining The Middle Class: It Isn't What You Earn & Owe, It's What You Own That Matters
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-03/redefining-middle-class-it...
No wonder the "middle class" has lost political power - it has lost the economic power of the ownership of productive assets.
Longtime correspondent Mark G. observed that the key phrase in yesterday's excellent commentary by correspondent Ron G. is property-owning middle class. Mark wrote: "It appears to me that the income bracket method used today isn't very informative."
Here is Ron's commentary again:
"The American economy and people are not being served by a government that was designed to be a Democratic Republic, whose architecture and balance of power depended on a property-owning middle class to be the countervailing force against Oligarchy; given the irreversible nature of the market and technology that contributed to the decline of the US middle class, (globalization, automation and AI), it is apparent that we will stay on this downward track of the middle class for the immediate future, and therefore more disparity, dispossession, and coercion will be needed to maintain control, and to me this means a future of intimidation, censorship and continued involuntary servitude."
What does property-owning actually mean? to answer that, we have to tease apart earnings, debt and what assets are owned.
The core contradiction in the present-day version of capitalism is between production and consumption: The system must produce goods and services that can be sold at a profit, and there has to be consumers who are able to buy the goods and services.
Over time, the focus in our culture and economy has shifted from production to consumption, and from acquiring capital to credit-funded consumption. The balance between production and consumption is dynamic and can become dangerously asymmetric; if there are only producers and no consumers, the goods and services pile up unsold and enterprises go bankrupt. If there are only consumers and no producers, the system eats its seed corn (capital) and sinks into impoverishment.
As Mark noted, the income of a household reflects very little of this distinction. Many households enjoy incomes above $100,000 annually but they own essentially nothing. By income alone, we categorize the household as "middle class."
But if we consider their total debt load, their ownership of income-producing assets and assets they own free and clear--essentially nothing--then they must be re-categorized as well-paid proletarians.
So what happens when we redefine the qualifications of "middle class" from what you earn and owe to what you own free and clear that generates income? How many American households qualify as "middle class" under this new definition?
Longtime readers know I have addressed the characteristics of the middle class in some depth for many years. For example:
What Does It Take To Be Middle Class? (December 5, 2013)
The Destabilizing Truth: Only the Wealthy Can Afford a Middle Class... (May 6, 2014)
Under this new definition, every household one housing-bubble-burst away from the destruction of their home-equity "wealth" isn't really middle class. Neither are households a paycheck or two away from insolvency.
In Endangered Species: The Self-Employed Middle Class (May 2015), I reported on the results of poring over IRS income and deduction data. Of the 141 million taxpayers reporting income, only 7 million earn a middle class income from an enterprise they own (sole proprietorship or professional corporation).
Compare this to what the wealthy own. Note that the bottom 90%'s assets are largely the family home, an asset which is offset by a heavy burden of debt. The wealthy own income-producing assets: business equity, stocks, bonds, trusts and rental real estate.
No wonder the "middle class" has lost political power--it has lost the economic power of the ownership of productive assets, which is the foundation of political power. A class of well-paid proletarians burdened with debt is not middle class --it is a class of debt-serfs who have been persuaded that debt-fueled consumption is wealth because this delusion is politically useful to the self-serving elites who own the wealth and thus the power.
Mark's conclusion is sobering: "With no genuine middle class exerting power we are left merely with competing groups of oligarchs, with both groups recruiting supporters in the plebeian "mob". This most resembles Rome when the Republic was breaking down. I would therefore not rule out civil war, or even a political partition. Proletarians have much less to lose in such an event than a real middle class."
May 4, 2017
Gerard Zwaan
Greek parliament passes austerity cuts as Molotov-throwing protesters clash with police in Athens
The latest batch of austerity measures was passed late on Thursday with 153 votes secured by the ruling coalition government of PM Alexis Tsipras’ Syriza party and the Independent Greeks (ANEL), while 128 opposition deputies voted against the measures in the 300-seat parliament.
WATCH MORE: Protesters clash with police at anti-austerity protest ...
People took to the streets of Greece’s capital for the second consecutive day to protest new pension and tax-break cuts. The protest turned violent at some point as a small group of masked demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails and other projectiles at the police, who fired tear gas and pepper spray.
The protest was staged by the country’s major trade unions.
An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people gathered in front of the parliament building in Athens' Syntagma Square, AP reports. The situation escalated as a small group of masked demonstrators started to throw petrol bombs and other projectiles at the police. Police responded with tear gas and pepper spray.
Two people were detained and one arrested by the police in the aftermath of the clashes, according to ANA news agency. Law enforcement agencies reportedly confiscated an axe and a hammer from the arrested man.
A post of the iconic Evzones Presidential Guards near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located in front of the parliament, was set alight by a Molotov cocktail.
The clashes erupted as Prime Minister Tsipras was delivering a speech in parliament defending the controversial proposed legislation, which includes pension cuts and further tax hikes through 2020. The legislation is a part of measures to convince international creditors to release a €7.5 billion bailout tranche and grant Greece further debt relief.
While the ongoing protest will hardly have any impact on the ongoing political process, they indicate that the Greek society lost its faith in politicians, Professor of Social Anthropology in the VU Amsterdam University, Prof. Dr. Dimitris Dalakoglou believes.
“The reality is that unless the people storm the parliament there will be no real difference there. However, what you can see is a symbol and example of what is going on right now in Greek society,” Dalakoglou told RT.
“It is more relevant what happens outside the parliament than what happens inside, because the government has no consent, and the political parties have no consent, so whttps://on.rt.com/8c1rhatever they vote the society believes that they all are the same, they all are the same policy with a different name.”
“These people rioting and clashing with the police outside the parliament right now and protesting for the last two days, during the general strike yesterday, are the important political agent of the moment in Greece,” he added.
Source: https://on.rt.com/8c1r
May 19, 2017
Matt B
Vatican cardinal hit with sex assault offenses takes leave, will fight charges
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/06/29/vatican-cardinal-hit-with-s...
June 29, 2017
Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis' chief financial adviser and Australia's most senior Catholic, said in an early morning appearance at the Vatican that he would take a leave of absence as the Vatican's finance czar and would return to Australia to fight the charges. He denied the accusations and denounced what he called a "relentless character assassination" in the media.
Pell is the highest-ranking Vatican official to ever be charged in the church's long-running sexual abuse scandal.
Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton in Australia's Victoria state said police have summonsed Pell to appear in court to face multiple charges of "historical sexual assault offenses," meaning offenses that generally occurred some time ago. Patton said there are multiple complainants against Pell, but gave no other details on the allegations against the cardinal. Pell was ordered to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 18.
For years, Pell, 76, has faced allegations that he mishandled cases of clergy abuse when he was archbishop of Melbourne and, later, Sydney. But more recently, Pell himself became the focus of a clergy sex abuse investigation, with Victoria detectives flying to the Vatican last year to interview the cardinal. It is unclear what allegations the charges announced Thursday relate to, but two men, now in their 40s, have said that Pell touched them inappropriately at a swimming pool in the late 1970s, when Pell was a senior priest in Melbourne.
Patton told reporters in Melbourne that none of the allegations against Pell had been tested in any court, adding: "Cardinal Pell, like any other defendant, has a right to due process."
Specific details about the multiple complaints brought against Pell were not detailed by Victoria State Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton.
“The charges were today served on Cardinal Pell’s legal representatives in Melbourne and they have been lodged also at the Melbourne Magistrates Court. Cardinal Pell is facing multiple charges in respect of historic sexual offences,” Patton said, according to news.com.au.
The charges are a new and serious blow to Pope Francis, who has already suffered several credibility setbacks in his promised "zero tolerance" policy about sex abuse. The charges will also further complicate Francis' financial reform efforts at the Vatican, which were already strained by Pell's repeated clashes with the Italian-dominated bureaucracy. Just last week, one of Pell's top allies, the Vatican's auditor general, resigned without explanation two years into a five-year term, immediately raising questions about whether the reform effort was doomed.
Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Pope Francis had learned with "regret" of the charges and had granted Pell a leave of absence to defend himself. He said the Vatican's financial reforms would continue in his absence.
Pell's actions as archbishop came under intense scrutiny in recent years by a government-authorized investigation into how the Catholic Church and other institutions have responded to the sexual abuse of children. Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse -- the nation's highest form of inquiry -- has found shocking levels of abuse in Australia's Catholic Church, revealing earlier this year that 7 percent of Catholic priests were accused of sexually abusing children over the past several decades.
Last year, Pell acknowledged during his testimony to the commission that the Catholic Church had made "enormous mistakes" in allowing thousands of children to be raped and molested by priests over centuries. He conceded that he, too, had erred by often believing the priests over victims who alleged abuse. And he vowed to help end a rash of suicides that has plagued church abuse victims in his Australian hometown of Ballarat.
Australia has no extradition treaty with the Vatican. But in a statement from the Sydney Archdiocese, Pell said he would return to Australia "as soon as possible," following advice and approval by his doctors. Last year, Pell declined to return to Australia to testify for the third time before the Royal Commission, saying he was too ill to fly. He instead testified via video conference from Rome.
The Blue Knot Foundation, an Australian support group for adult survivors of childhood abuse, said the decision to charge Pell sent a powerful message to both abuse survivors and society as a whole.
"It upholds that no one is above the law, no matter how high their office, qualifications, or standing," the group's head of research, Pam Stavropoulos, said in a statement.
The charges put the pope in a thorny position. In 2014, Francis won cautious praise from victims' advocacy groups when he created a commission of outside experts to advise him and the broader church about "best practices" to fight abuse and protect children.
But the commission has since lost much of its credibility after its two members who were survivors of abuse left. Francis also scrapped the commission's signature proposal -- a tribunal section to hear cases of bishops who covered up for abuse -- after Vatican officials objected.
In addition, Francis drew heated criticism for his 2015 appointment of a Chilean bishop accused by victims of helping cover up for Chile's most notorious pedophile. The pope was later caught on videotape labeling the parishioners who opposed the nomination of being "leftists" and "stupid."
Francis appointed Pell in 2014 to a five-year term to head the Vatican's new economy secretariat, giving him broad rein to control all economic, administrative, personnel and procurement functions of the Holy See. The mandate has since been restricted to performing more of an oversight role.
Jun 29, 2017
jorge namour
https://www.facebook.com/MikeCernovich/videos/1239060086223041/?pnr...
https://www.facebook.com/Fox32Chicago/videos/10155949361273797/?pnr...
PROTESTS ERUPT in Hamburg, Germany regarding the G20 Summit where President Trump today met with Vladimir Putin and several other world leaders.
Jul 7, 2017
Tracie Crespo
www.nbcnews.com/storyline/venezuela-crisis/venezuela-vote-oppositio...
Venezuela Vote: Opposition Taken From Homes After Controversial Poll
by REUTERS
Anti-government demonstrators hold candles during a vigil in honor of those who have been killed during clashes between security forces and demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela Ariana Cubillos / AP
Venezuelan security officials seized two opposition leaders from their homes in overnight raids, their families said on Tuesday, after they urged protests against a new legislative superbody widely denounced as anti-democratic.
Leopoldo Lopez and Antonio Ledezma were both under house arrest, the former for his role in leading street protests against President Nicolas Maduro in 2014 and the latter on charges of plotting a coup.
"12:27 in the morning: the moment when the dictatorship kidnaps Leopoldo at my house," Lopez's wife Lilian Tintori wrote on Twitter.
She posted a link to a video that appeared to show Lopez being led into a vehicle emblazoned with the word Sebin, Venezuela's intelligence agency.
The Information Ministry did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Lopez and Ledezma are both former mayors in Caracas, and high-profile critics of Maduro.
They had called on Venezuelans to join protests over Sunday's election of the constituent assembly, which supersedes an opposition-controlled congress that a pro-Maduro Supreme Court had already stripped of its powers.
At least 10 people were killed in unrest during the vote, which was boycotted by the opposition and criticized around the world as an assault on democratic freedoms.
"They have kidnapped @leopoldolopez because he simply would not break under the pressures and false promises of the regime," wrote Freddy Guevara, a legislator from Lopez's Popular Will party.
Vanessa Ledezma said she held Maduro responsible for what happened to her father.
"The Sebin just took him," she wrote on Twitter, posting a video of intelligence agents taking Ledezma, who was dressed in pajamas.
He was granted house arrest in 2015 after being imprisoned on charges of leading a coup against Maduro.
Lopez was granted house arrest in July following three years in prison for his role in anti-government street protests in 2014. His release was considered a major breakthrough in the country's political standoff.
Lopez's lawyer, Juan Gutierrez, wrote on Twitter that "there is no legal justification to revoke the house arrest measure."
Aug 2, 2017
jorge namour
CAUGHT ON VIDEO: LOOTING BEGINS IN HOUSTON
AUGUST 29 2017
FROM A LINK:
The looters are descending on Houston. And they rob and steal what they can according to a video repot of Blue Live Matters. A video, uploaded to YouTube, shows people walking back and forth between vehicles and stores that have had the front doors broken in. Two young males could be seen walking away with TVs over their heads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2e6L_66QSY
Looting Begins In Houston
Aug 29, 2017
jorge namour
A woman's desperate plea for help in St. Maarten: "people are killing themselves for water and bread" HURRICANE IRMA
SEPTEMBER 12 2017
http://www.lagaceta.com.ar/nota/744370/actualidad/desesperado-pedid...
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=y&...
"We are alive today, but if they do not get us out of here, I do not know how much we are going to put up with. The street is war," he said.
The desperate request for help from a Spanish woman has shaken the world. Sara Cerezo is a young woman living on the island of St. Maarten, which has been totally devastated by Hurricane Irma.
In her facebook account, the 27-year-old girl sent a shocking message asking for help to her contacts after the devastating hurricane.
We're alive today, but if they do not get us out of here, I do not know how much we're going to put up with, the street is war." People kill each other. ... The people are desperate, there is no food, there is no water, there is no gas, they only have to kill each other, "says the woman in a video he posted on the social network.
The young woman - in addition - assures that the information that arrives is not real and that they are not protected because, she says, St. Maarten is already a dangerous zone. It is that after the passage of the hurricane hundreds of looting and serious disturbances took place that caused the deployment of the military forces.
In the recording, which shows how her house on the island has been completely devastated, this woman, by profession odontologist, explains that they are not safe and denounces that the information that is being given from that place is not true.
"There are not ten dead, there are thousands dead. The bodies are floating in the streets, in the sea, everywhere," he says.
And he adds: "The information you are getting is not true, the dead are not true, the protection is not true.We have nothing.Please, we are desperate, come help us.
"
St. Maarten is a small island just 87 km2 that is 240 kilometers east of Puerto Rico.
Until the arrival of Irma was one of the most important destinations of the Caribbean;
now its inhabitants do not know how to return to normal.
Sep 12, 2017
Tracie Crespo
www.nbcmontana.com/news/kcfw/threats-close-multiple-nw-montana-scho...
Threats close multiple NW Montana schools
MISSOULA, Mont. - Update: The Flathead Valley Community College campus is closed and classes are canceled Thursday. All offices and the Early Childhood Center are closed.
----
Multiple school districts are closed in northwest Montana for Thursday morning because of threats to schools.
Steve Bradshaw, the superintendent of Columbia Falls schools, would not elaborate on what those threats were but he told NBC Montana Wednesday night that his main concern is the safety of students and staff, so he has canceled all classes for Thursday.
Bradshaw said that the threats are being investigated by the Columbia Falls police and the Flathead County Sheriff's Office.
All schools in Columbia Falls, Kalispell, Whitefish, Evergreen, West Valley, and Bigfork are closed, according to Flathead County Superintendent of Schools Jack Eggensperger.
Here is the full list of closures:
Public
Status
BIGFORK ELEMENTARY
Closed
BIGFORK HIGH SCHOOL
Closed
CAYUSE PRAIRIE
Closed
COLUMBIA FALLS ELEMENTARY
Closed
COLUMBIA FALLS HIGH SCHOOL
Closed
CRESTON
Closed
DEER PARK
Closed
EVERGREEN
Closed
FAIR-MONT-EGAN
Open
FLATHEAD HIGH SCHOOL
Closed
GLACIER HIGH SCHOOL
Closed
HELENA FLATS
Closed
KALISPELL ELEMENTARY
Closed
KALISPELL MIDDLE SCHOOL
Closed
KILA
Closed
MARION
Closed
OLNEY-BISSELL
Closed
PLEASANT VALLEY
Open
SMITH VALLEY
Closed
SOMERS/LAKESIDE
Open
SWAN RIVER
Open
WEST GLACIER
Open
WEST VALLEY
Closed
WHITEFISH ELEMENTARY
Closed
WHITEFISH HIGH SCHOOL
Closed
Private
Status
KALISPELL MONTESSORI
Closed
ST. MATTHEW'S
Closed
STILLWATER CHRISTIAN
Closed
TRINITY LUTHERAN
Closed
WHITEFISH CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Closed
WOODLAND MONTESSORI
Closed
Sep 14, 2017
KM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4958772/IAN-BIRRELL-Barcelo...
Spain braces for an explosive week as thousands join the great white tide to halt potential bloodshed: IAN BIRRELL reports from Catalonia as the region's push for independence puts Spain on the brink
They came in their thousands wearing white, releasing balloons and begging their leaders to start peace talks to prevent Spain’s crisis over Catalonia’s push for independence spiralling out of control.
Demonstrations in 50 Spanish cities highlighted the seriousness of the situation confronting one of Europe’s most important nations.
In Barcelona 5,500 protesters chanted ‘Let’s talk’ in Catalan.
Thousands of people gathered yesterday in Sant Juame square in Barcelona urging
There were violent scenes last week as riot police tried to prevent people voting in Catalonia
Thousands of people wearing white took to the streets of Barcelona calling for talks rather than a unilateral declaration of independence in front of the Generalitat of Catalonia
Oct 8, 2017
KM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5023203/Catalonia-explode-v...
Madrid imposes direct rule on Catalonia just 40 minutes after the region FINALLY declared independence as Spanish Prime Minister calls for 'calm' amid fears of violence on streets
The Catalan Parliament has voted to declare independence from Spain, prompting the national government to impose direct rule on the region just 40 minutes later.
But before the vote, opposition parties stormed out of parliament in protest - with pro-independence MPs draping their empty seats with Catalan flags.
In response, the Spanish government in Madrid has invoked article 155 of the country's constitution, dismantling Catalonia's autonomy.
Carles Puigdemont may now face arrest for sedition following the vote.
Independence was approved with 70 MPs in favour, 10 against and two blank ballots in the 135-member parliament.
After the vote, Puigdemont said: 'Today our legitimate parliament, that came out of a democratic election, has taken a very important step. The legitimate representative of the citizens have followed the people's mandate.
'Now we are facing times when we will need to keep calm and peaceful and always keep dignity, as we've always done.
'Long live Catalonia!'
Pro-independence groups have vowed a campaign of civil disobedience to protect public buildings on the event of a crackdown by Madrid, which may involve the feared national riot police and even the army.
Thousands of Catalans gathered outside the parliament building and cheered and danced after the motion passed.
The Spanish prime minister wrote on Twitter immediately after the vote: 'I ask all Spaniards to remain calm. The rule of law will restore legality in Catalonia.'
Spain's government will meet at 5pm UK time to discuss the crisis.
Thousands of protesters in Barcelona cheer in response to the news that the Catalan parliament has voted to declare independence from Spain
President Puigdemont and Vice President Oriol Junqueras exchanged congratulatory embraces and handshakes after the vote.
He added in his remarks after the vote: 'It is the institutions and also the people who have to work together to help build a country, a society…'
The European Union will only deal with the central government in Madrid, according to the president of the European Council Donald Tusk.
'For EU nothing changes. Spain remains our only interlocutor. I hope the Spanish government favours force of argument, not argument of force,' Tusk wrote on Twitter.
The US State Department, meanwhile, said Catalonia is an integral part of Spain and backed the Spanish government's measures to keep the country united.
There are fears the developments could lead to violence as Spain attempts to impose direct rule on the rebellious region.
The main secessionist group in Catalonia, the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), called on civil servants not to follow orders from the Spanish government after Madrid authorised direct rule over the region.
The ANC called on Catalan civil servants to respond with 'peaceful resistance'.
Shares in Catalan banks fell sharply in response to the news - dragging the entire stock market with them.
CaixaBank, Spain's third largest lender, fell by around five per cent while Sabadell, the country's fifth biggest bank, fell roughly six percent.
Nearly 1,700 companies have moved their headquarters outside of Catalonia since the referendum.
Speaking to senators earlier today, Rajoy said Spain had to force Catalonia to submit to the Spanish constitution.
He also attacked the region for 'mocking democracy' in a way reminiscent of the era of fascist Spanish leader Francisco Franco, and said he wanted 'a return to legality'.
The prime minister urged lawmakers to 'proceed to the dismissal of the president of the Catalan government, his vice-president and all regional ministers' during a widely applauded speech.
It comes after the region held an independence referendum on October 1 that the Spanish government deemed illegal and during which over 800 people were hurt in clashes.
The approved proposal for independence made by the ruling Catalan coalition Junts pel Si (Together for Yes) and their allies of the far-left CUP party said: 'We establish a Catalan Republic as an independent and sovereign state of democratic and social law.'
MPs from the opposition Socialists and Citizens parties, who walked out before the vote, had announced earlier that they would boycott the vote.
Oct 27, 2017
SongStar101
As America Gives Thanks, Homelessness Continues To Set New Records In Major Cities All Over The Nation
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/as-america-gives-thanks...
Things are particularly bad in southern California, and this year the Midnight Mission will literally be feeding a small army of people that have nowhere to sleep at night…
Overall, the Midnight Mission serves more than a million meals a year, and Berkovich says that homelessness hasn’t been this bad in southern California “since the Great Depression”…
And of course the official numbers confirm what Berkovich is claiming. According to an article published earlier this year, the number of homeless people living in Los Angeles County has never been higher…
If the California economy is truly doing well, then why is this happening?
We see the same thing happening when we look at the east coast. Just check out these numbers from New York City…
For New York, this is the highest that the homeless population has been since the Great Depression, and city leaders are trying to come up with a solution.
Meanwhile, things are so bad in Seattle that “400 unauthorized tent camps” have popped up…
Are you noticing a theme?
Homelessness is at epidemic levels all over the U.S., and this crisis is getting worse with each passing day. Some communities are trying to care for their growing homeless populations, but others are simply trying to force them to go somewhere else. They are doing this by essentially making it illegal to be homeless. In some cities it is now a crime to engage in “public camping”, to “block a walkway” or to create any sort of “temporary structure for human habitation”. These laws specifically target the homeless, and they are very cruel.
Many of us tend to picture the homeless as mostly lazy older men that don’t want to work and that instead want to drink or do drugs all day.
But the truth is that women and children make up a significant percentage of the homeless. In fact, the number of homeless children in our country has increased by about 60 percent since the end of the last recession.
And there are thousands upon thousands of military veterans that are homeless. For example, a 34-year-old man named Johnny that served in the Marine Corps recently used his last 20 dollars to buy fuel for a woman that had run out of gas and was stranded along I-95 in Miami…
Deciding that they wanted to do even more for Johnny, they started a GoFundMe page for him and have since raised approximately $250,000.
So it looks like there is going to be a happy ending to Johnny’s story, but the truth is that more people are falling into homelessness with each passing day.
If things are this bad now, how much worse will they become as the economy really starts slowing down? Already, we have shattered the all-time yearly record for retail store closings, and we still have more than a month to go. The following is from a CNN article entitled “Is This The Last Black Friday?”…
Sadly, analysts are projecting that the number of store closings could be as high as 9,000 next year.
Yes, there are some areas of the country that are doing well right now, but there are many others that are not.
Let us always remember to have compassion on those that are struggling, because someday we may be the ones that end up needing some help.
Nov 27, 2017
SongStar101
Israel: Thousands take to the streets to protest corruption
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5060849,00.html
As the evening began, some 500 people arrived at Zion Square in Jerusalem. They held up signs saying "We want a personal example," and "We deserve clean politics" and called out "Shame, shame!"
Protest organizer journalist Yoaz Hendel was the first to speak, clarifying: "I'm here today not because I'm against Netanyahu, but because I'm in favor of the State of Israel. I'm here because this is how I was raised in the religious Zionist sector, with a mix of Jabotinsky and Rabbi Kook. I'm here because we cannot live with 'divide and conquer.' We cannot live while my leadership doesn't see the value of setting a personal example and walking humbly."
"There is no contradiction between supporting the settlement enterprise and supporting morality," Hendel stressed.
Former defense minister Moshe Ya'alon called for unity. "When we fought, was wounded and lost soldiers and family members, we didn't ask, nor did our enemies, whether we were Right, Left, or from other ethnicity," he said.
"This kind of unity is needed not just in the IDF and not just in war, but unfortunately short-term political interests led to division. Leadership needs to unite and not divide," Ya'alon continued.
"Why do politicians turn the issue of morality into a matter of Left and Right?" he lamented. "We need to demand our leaders to set a personal example. In my experience, setting a personal is a condition of trust. And I'm warning that when this trust is shaken, state security is also shaken."
Ya'alon added that when asked what keeps him up at night, it is not the Iranian nuclear threat, but rather "the corruption that is chipping away at society, hurting equal opportunities, and comes at the expense of our health," he said. "Corruption gives citizens the feeling injustice is being done. This is a bigger danger than the threats posed by Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas or ISIS."
Former Otzma LeYisrael MK Aryeh Eldad, meanwhile, asserted that "No honest man can agree with a corrupt government. Netanyahu is trying to convince us that if he falls, the Left wing will rise to power, and I share this fear. If the national camp chooses a trustworthy candidate, there is no reason the exchange of government will lead to the rise of the Left."
The Likud Party rejected the Jerusalem protest: "The right-wing is not buying this bluff. Everyone knows this is not a protest against corruption, but rather a satellite protest of the left-wing demonstration on Rothschild Boulevard, the entire purpose of which is to bring down the Likud government. Right-wing voters are unimpressed by a handful of naïve and interest-driven people who collaborate with the Left, and they will not repeat the mistake of bringing down a Likud government and leading to a disaster of another Oslo Accod."
In Tel Aviv, several thousand people gathered on Rothschild Boulevard for the fourth week of protests, calling out "Mandelblit is a failure, he won't get to the Supreme Court," "We'll send the mafia to history's garbage can," "the country is ours, not Netanyahu's" and "Bibi Netanyahu, go to Maasiyahu Prison."
They held up signs saying "Corrupted, go home" among others.
Social justice activist Aybee Binyamin, one of the organizers of the Tel Aviv protests, praised the rally in Jerusalem. "The victory this week is much bigger because the moral right-wing realized it must join us and fight corruption and the corrupted," he said.
"A year ago, outside Mandelblit's home in Petah Tivka, there were only a few of us. Today, we're here and in 16 other locations, more determined than always," Binyamin added. "The gatekeepers, the Knesset and the opposition let us down."
Some 300 people gathered in Haifa to protest, including elderly people, parents with children, national religious Jews. They chanted slogans such as: "Corrupted Bibi, we'll see you in court" and "Mandelblit, we'll never forgive or forget the cover up."
"This struggle is not just against corruption, but in support of a different kind of culture to serve democracy," said one of the speakers, Motti Ashkenazi, who spearheaded a protest against the government following the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
"It's not about whether the prime minister is corrupted, but whether Netanyahu's conduct corrupts others," he added.
Ashkenazi noted in regards to the Haifa Bay ammonia crisis that the prime minister "allows endangering the lives of the residents of Haifa, only to increase the profits of the Trump brothers (who own Haifa Chemicals). It's not just corruption, but horrible disregard of human lives."
Also in northern Israel, close to 200 people also demonstrated at the Tzemach Junction, some 300 in Afula and some 100 in Rosh Pina.
Dec 24, 2017
KM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5223609/Two-Iranian-protest...
'Death to the Ayatollah': Iranian protests get bloody as two demonstrators are 'shot dead' after angry crowds burn down a government building and torch cars while thousands take to streets to call for revolution in biggest revolt since 2009
A videos posted on social media appeared to show two young Iranian men lying motionless on the ground and covered with blood and a voiceover said they had been shot dead by police.
It claimed security forces fired on protesters in the western town of Dorud and killed at least two as other protesters in the same video were chanting, 'I will kill whoever killed my brother!'.
Other videos showed protesters setting fire to a government office in the city of Khorramabad while in the capital Tehran, demonstrators were filmed tearing down a picture of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Protesters set fire to a government office in the city of Khorramabad as the protests continued into the night
Demonstrators burnt cars in Tehran after violent clashes earlier in the day at the city's university
Demonstrators attacked a town hall in Tehran as protests spilled into a third night despite government warnings against any further 'illegal gatherings' and moves to cut off the internet on mobiles.
After a day of clashes between rock throwing protesters and riot police, who responded with tear gas, at Tehran University, the demonstrations continued after dark and spread across the country.
There was chaos earlier around the capital's university as hundreds took to the streets, blocking traffic and shouting slogans against the regime.
Travel restrictions and a near-total media blackout from official agencies, made it difficult to confirm the reports.
The demonstrations appear to be the largest to strike the Islamic Republic since the protests that followed the country's disputed 2009 presidential election.
Thousands already have taken to the streets of cities across Iran, beginning at first on Thursday in Mashhad, the country's second-largest city and a holy site for Shiite pilgrims.
Dec 31, 2017
SongStar101
Israelis continue protests against Netanyahu ‘corruption’
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180101-israelis-continue-protes...
This is the fifth week of protests against the Israeli Prime Minister
The demonstrators have been calling for the speeding-up of legal procedures related to the investigations into the allegations of bribery and the misuse of public funds. Demonstrators are reported to be calling for Netanyahu to step down after accusing him of sitting on top of official corruption in Israel.
According to reports, financial and ethical corruption among senior Israeli officials has reached a record level. As well as Netanyahu, the former Chairman of the Government Coalition, David Bitan, and Interior Minister Arie Deri are implicated.
Netanyahu first served as Prime Minister of Israel from 1996. On 31 March, 2009, he was sworn in for the second time and is now serving his fourth term in office.
Jan 3, 2018
SongStar101
‘Crime minister’ Netanyahu seems unmoved by 6 weeks of protests
https://www.rt.com/news/415265-israel-protest-netanyahu-defiant/
Thousands of people marched against the Israeli PM in Tel Aviv over the weekend, denouncing Netanyahu as a “crime minister.” There are currently two cases against him being investigated by the police: one alleges that Netanyahu improperly accepted luxury gifts, while the other alleges that he abused power by cracking down on a newspaper in exchange for favorable coverage from its competitor.
Protests have now continued for six weeks, although demonstrations last weekend were attended by fewer people than in its first weeks. Activists say the protests against the PM will continue.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister since founding father David Ben-Gurion, was dismissive about the protests and the cases that triggered them. He denied any wrongdoing and said that, even if Israeli police recommend indictment in either of the cases, it may be simply thrown out, which happens to 60 percent of such recommendations.
The Israeli parliament passed a bill on Thursday, which forbids the police from submitting written recommendations to the state prosecutor’s office. The bill was somewhat watered down after protest and will not apply to current cases, but critics of Netanyahu see it as undermining the rule of law in Israel and potentially shielding him from future accusations.
Netanyahu and his allies have accused the police of engaging in a campaign to undermine the prime minister by leaking details of the probe to the media.
Jan 9, 2018
KM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5262257/Starving-mob-beat-c...
Starving mob beat cattle to death with rocks in desperate search for food and four people are killed during looting in Venezuela as country's economic collapse continues
A shocking video showing a starving Venezuelan mob beating a cow to death with stones has gone viral amid violent protests that have left four people dead.
Dozens of men shout 'we are hungry' and 'people are suffering' as they surround the cow in the field, throwing stones at it and beating it with a stick.
The helpless animal was slaughtered at the Hacienda Miraflores, in the fishing village of Palmarito in Merida, during a day deadly of civil unrest and looting in the state.
Dozens of men shout 'we are hungry' and 'people are suffering' as they surround the cow in the field (pictured), throwing stones at it and beating it with a stick
The helpless animal was slaughtered at the Hacienda Miraflores, in the fishing village of Palmarito in Merida, during a day of civil unrest and looting in the state. Pictured: The mob chasing it down
Looting has been increasing in the provinces since Christmas, with food shortages and hyperinflation leaving millions of people hungry, though the capital, Caracas, has so far been largely unaffected. Pictured: Men appearing to loot a petrol tanker elsewhere in Venezuela
When the animal finally falls to the ground in the footage, more villagers gather around - presumably to begin the distribution of its meat.
According to local media, dozens of cows were killed by the crowds at several different ranches.
'They're hunting. The people are hungry!' says the narrator of the video, who filmed the incident from his car.
When the animal finally falls to the ground in the footage, more villagers gather around - presumably to begin the distribution of its meat. Pictured: A man carrying what looks like part of the cow away from the field
Jan 12, 2018
Starr DiGiacomo
http://keranews.org/post/venezuelas-deepening-crisis-triggers-mass-...
Venezuela's Deepening Crisis Triggers Mass Migration Into Colombia
Venezuela's downward economic spiral has led to widespread food shortages, hyperinflation and now mass migration. Many Venezuelans are opting for the easiest escape route — by crossing the land border into Colombia.
There were more than half a million Venezuelans in Colombia as of December, according to the Colombian immigration department, and many came over in the last two years. Their exodus rivals the number of Syrians in Germany or Rohingya in Bangladesh. Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, a political risk consulting firm, calls it the world's "least-talked-about" immigration crisis.
"I appreciate the offers of financial and other aid from the international community," Santos said last week. "We need it because unfortunately this problem gets worse day by day."
Santos suggested that the crisis will last as long as Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's increasingly authoritarian president, remains in power. His socialist economic policies have led to a collapse of the local currency and inflation expected to hit 13,000 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. Still, Maduro is widely expected to secure another six-year term in the April 22 election, in part, because the most popular opposition candidates have been banned from running.
Earlier this month, Santos announced measures to tighten the border but the immediate result has been a spike in new arrivals as Venezuelans rush to cross the frontier before the new rules take hold. Families clog the bridge spanning the Táchira River, the busiest border crossing between the two countries, as they push baby strollers, carry boxes and drag roller luggage into Colombia.
For many, their first stop comes a few feet inside Colombian territory, in the Norte de Santander region, where they unload their jewelry to dealers who purchase precious metals. At one shop, newcomers pull off their rings and unpin their brooches and necklaces. Workers use files and acids to check the purity of the metal. Then shop owner José Alvarado negotiates prices.
He offers the equivalent of about $7 for a woman's silver bracelet and $275 for a man's gold ring, but he rejects a watch for its dubious quality. A Venezuelan who fled his homeland two years ago, Alvarado says he understands what his compatriots are going through. He says the most heartbreaking case was a couple that sold their wedding rings after 40 years of marriage.
"People cry a lot when they sell their jewelry. But they have no choice," he says.
Indeed, Venezuelans need the cash as they travel deeper into Colombia or journey south to Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina.
On the border bridge, several Venezuelans employed by Colombian travel agencies hawk bus tickets. Passage to Lima sells for $241, while Buenos Aires costs twice as much. These freelance agents live on the Venezuelan side of the border and say they too want to get away. But lacking money and passports, they can only dream about the destinations they are trumpeting.
A few miles up the road, in the Colombian border city of Cúcuta, a new business has sprung up to take advantage of the crisis. In the city plaza, hair dealers are looking for clients to sell them locks for making hair extensions. They wear signs around their necks stating, "we buy hair," and shout out the same message.
Nearly all their customers are penniless Venezuelans, including Jefferson Márquez. He arrived two days ago from the Venezuelan city of Mérida with the hair of his 14-year-old cousin in a plastic bag. He sells it for about $4, which he plans to send back to his family.
Another potential vendor is Karelis Nieves. She worked at a supermarket in the Venezuelan city of Maracay but says the business collapsed after it was expropriated by the government. Nieves, 23, came to Colombia last month and is trying to scrounge up money to support her parents and 2-year-old daughter back home. But the hair broker requires locks that are at least a foot-and-a-half long. After pulling out his measuring tape, he informs Nieves that her flowing brown hair is a few inches too short.
There are other ways to get by, including selling street food, working construction and busking.
Street musician Jesús García says he fled to Colombia four months ago. Due to the collapse of Venezuela's currency, his salary as a mechanic on an oil rig was no longer enough to feed his family of four. Masterly on the harp, García has teamed up with a Venezuelan guitarist and the duo plays Venezuelan folk music, called llanero. The spare change people toss into their open guitar case adds up to about $10 a day — more than García made for a week's work in Venezuela.
But others resort to prostitution or street crime to survive, says Carlos Luna, head of the Cúcuta Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he points out that throngs of Colombians who moved to Venezuela during that country's periodic oil booms — or to escape from violence during Colombia's long-running guerrilla war — are now returning.
Luna says Cúcuta must not open refugee centers because he says they would only attract more Venezuelan migrants and exacerbate the problem. However, churches and charities now run a few soup kitchens and shelters where migrants are allowed to stay for 48 hours until they move on to their next destination.
One of the kitchens near the border bridge serves 1,000 lunches per day, including today's meal of chicken and spaghetti. Among the diners is Danny Márquez, who arrived the day before. He used to run a thriving business selling cleaning supplies in Venezuela. But the economic crisis drove him bankrupt. He used to be solidly middle class and is clearly distraught at having to ask for food.
"This is the first time in my life that I've set foot in a soup kitchen," says Márquez, who has tears in his eyes.
He plans to resettle in Chile. But Márquez is bitter about having to abandon his homeland.
"I resisted for two years," he says. "I vowed to myself: 'I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving.' But then things became impossible."
Feb 21, 2018
Ovidiu Pricopi
Social unrest, Kandel, Germany 4 March 2018 , People marching against Merkel immigration policies . https://www.facebook.com/554887781512295/videos/609111376089935/?hc...
Mar 5, 2018
jorge namour
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SAUDI ARABIA? GUNFIRE ERUPTS NEAR ROYAL PALACE
4/21/18
http://www.newsweek.com/what-happening-saudi-arabia-king-flees-gunf...
Updated | Gunfire was heard near Saudi Arabia's royal palace Saturday, prompting widespread speculation as authorities said a toy drone drone was downed.
"An official Riyadh district police spokesman said that at about 19:50 p.m. on Saturday, 5/8/1439 a security screening point in the Al-Khuzama district of Riyadh noticed a small, remote-controlled recreational aircraft (drone) flying without being authorized to do so, which required security personnel at the security point to deal with it in accordance with their orders and instructions in this regard," the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
"The competent authorities have initiated investigative action on the circumstances of the incident," it added, without commenting on any potential casualties.
As photos and videos of the gunfire emerged on social media, London-based Saudi human rights activist Ghanem al-Masarir claimed that King Salman was moved to the King Khalid Military City in northeastern Saudi Arabia. Some twitter accounts, especially those visibly supportive of Saudi rival Qatar, suggested a coup attempt was unfolding, while others dismissed this, saying they believed a drone had flown too close to the palace, prompting security forces to open fire and down it.
Apr 21, 2018
SongStar101
'Time for a Moral Confrontation': Poor People's Campaign Launches With Local Rallies Nationwide
"We cannot continue to have a democracy that engages in the kind of policy violence that we see happening every day."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/05/14/time-moral-confrontati...
The campaign, with an emphasis on voter mobilization and civil disobedience, will include 40 days of demonstrations culminating in a massive protest on June 23 in Washington, D.C. The movement calls for wage laws that are "commensurate for the 21st century economy," a repeal to the tax plan the Republican Party pushed through Congress last year, universal healthcare, and the expansion of public housing as well as guaranteed "fair and decent housing."
Led by the Rev. William Barber, organizer of North Carolina's Moral Mondays protests, the Poor People's Campaign will focus on weekly themes under the larger issue of poverty and economic inequality, including women and children in poverty, voting rights, healthcare, and housing.
"We cannot continue to have a democracy that engages in the kind of policy violence that we see happening every day," Barber told Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! on Monday. "All over this country we continue to see what is not often seen or talked about in our politics, in our political debates, or even in the media...250,000 people are dying every year from poverty and low wealth."
King's Poor People's Campaign aimed to petition the government to pass an Economic Bill of Rights, guaranteeing Americans an annual wage and full employment, allocating $30 billion to combat poverty, and establishment of low-cost housing for the poor.
Today, Barber and the Institute for Policy Studies estimate that 140 million Americans are living in poverty—about 100 million more than the census estimates.
The new Poor People's Campaign demands far-reaching policy changes that aim to alleviate the economic burdens placed on poverty-stricken Americans.
The movement follows a widespread national focus on the labor movement, as teachers across the country have staged walkouts to protest chronically low wages and underfunded schools, and Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) introduction of a bill to strengthen the nation's unions.
On Democracy Now!, Barber stressed that the prevalence of poverty in the U.S.—one of the world's wealthiest countries—and the abandonment of American workers indicates a profound moral failing of the government.
"It is time for a moral confrontation, a non-violent moral confrontation," Barber said. "It is immoral to have 37 million people without healthcare, it is immoral not to pay living wages when we know we can do it...Our first goal is to break through the moral narrative to where we're talking about it. We're not even talking about these issues in the country."
The 40 days of protests will be the launch of a "multi-year campaign," Barber added.
On social media, participants in cities across the country shared images and videos of the Poor People's Campaign's launch.
Washington, D.C.
Massachusetts
Pennsylvania
Florida
May 17, 2018
Matt B
All of Chile's 34 bishops RESIGN over a sex abuse and cover-up scandal after crisis meeting with the Pope
19 May 2018
The bishops also apologised to Chile, the victims of abuse and the pope for the scandal as they released an extraordinary joint statement.
It was not immediately clear if the pope had accepted their resignation.
The bishops announced at the end of an emergency summit with Pope Francis that all 31 active bishops and three retired ones in Rome had signed a document offering to resign and putting their fate in the hands of the pope.
Francis can accept the resignations one by one, reject them or delay a decision.
It marked the first known time in history that an entire national bishops conference had offered to resign en masse over scandal, and laid bare the devastation that the abuse crisis has caused the Catholic Church in Chile and beyond.
Calls had mounted for the resignations after details emerged of the contents of a 2,300-page Vatican report into the Chilean scandal leaked early Friday.
Francis had accused the bishops of destroying evidence of sex crimes, pressuring investigators to minimize abuse accusations and showing 'grave negligence' in protecting children from paedophile priests.
In one of the most damning documents from the Vatican on the issue, Francis said the entire Chilean church hierarchy was collectively responsible for 'grave defects' in handling cases and the resulting loss of credibility that the Catholic Church has suffered.
'No one can exempt himself and place the problem on the shoulders of the others,' Francis wrote in the document, which was published by Chilean T13 television and confirmed as accurate Friday by the Vatican.
In a statement in response, the Chilean bishops said the contents of the document were 'absolutely deplorable' and showed an 'unacceptable abuse of power and conscience,' as well as sexual abuse.
They asked forgiveness to the victims, the pope and all Catholics and vowed to repair the damage.
Francis summoned the entire bishops' conference to Rome after admitting that he had made 'grave errors in judgement' in the case of Bishop Juan Barros, who is accused by victims of Chilean priest, the Rev. Fernando Karadima, of witnessing and ignoring their abuse.
But the scandal grew beyond the Barros case after Francis received the report written by two Vatican sex crimes experts sent to Chile to get a handle on the scope of the problem.
Their report hasn't been made public, but Francis cited its core findings in the footnotes of the document that he handed over to the bishops at the start of their summit this week.
And those findings are damning.
(continued)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5744503/Chilean-bishops-off...
ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for May 31, 2018
http://zetatalk.com/ning/31ma2018.htm
Pope retirement
Once again the enigmatic Q shows his insights and accuracy. It is May, and the Pope is murmuring about resigning. It was early April that Q predicted a “terrible May” for the Pope. What would the issue be? The rampant pedophilia in the Catholic church was in the past hidden from the public as the Church threatened the victims and paid them for silence. Then there was a period of time where these practices were exposed in the media, with many priests being expelled. Past practices haunt those still in charge of the Church, and even the innocent are tainted by what others have done.
May 18, 2018
Juan F Martinez
Federal court rules Constitution gives right to carry guns in public. Just in time for the expected LAWLESSNESS and CHAOS headed our way during the coming Cataclysms. JULY 25, 2018
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2018/07/federal-court-rules-consti...
A U.S. federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled that the Second Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right to openly carry a gun in public for self-defense.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reached a two-to-one decision, finding that the state of Hawaii infringed on plaintiff George Young’s rights when it denied him a permit the state requires to openly carry a gun in public on two occasions.
The federal appeals court ruled that the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment guarantees the right to openly carry a gun in public for self-defense, making the San Francisco-based court the sixth U.S. appeals court to interpret the Second Amendment that way.
Hawaii is one of 15 states that requires a license or permit to openly carry a handgun.
In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the Second Amendment protected an individual’s right to keep guns at home for self-defense.
Jul 25, 2018
Recall 15
Honduras Border, Central America:
A caravan of Honduran migrants arrives at the border with Guatemala
The goal of more than a thousand immigrants, including entire families, is to reach the United States.
The objective of the more than one thousand immigrants, among which there are entire families, is to arrive in the United States, which has already warned that it will not let them pass, as well as the Guatemalan and Mexican authorities.
A group of a thousand and a half Honduran migrants heading to the United States, to which they are increasingly joining, came to the border with Guatemala this Sunday (14.10.2018), according to organizers and witnesses.
From:
https://translate.google.com/?hl=es#es/en/Am%C3%A9rica%20Latina%0AL...(Reuters%2FJ.%20Cabrera%20)%0A%0AUn%20grupo%20de%20un%20millar%20y%20medio%20de%20migrantes%20hondure%C3%B1os%20en%20direcci%C3%B3n%20a%20Estados%20Unidos%2C%20a%20los%20que%20cada%20vez%20se%20van%20uniendo%20m%C3%A1s%2C%20lleg%C3%B3%20a%20la%20frontera%20con%20Guatemala%20este%20domingo%20(14.10.2018)%2C%20seg%C3%BAn%20organizadores%20y%20testigos.
Oct 15, 2018
Recall 15
Caravan continues at Guatemala-Mexico Bridge Border:
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=y&...
Oct 20, 2018
jorge namour
FRANCE Yellow vests Gilets jaunes
BREAKING NEWS - The "yellow vests" take action (1 dead, +400 wounded)
http://www.wikistrike.com/2018/11/les-gilets-jaunes-passent-a-l-act...
http://video.lefigaro.fr/figaro/video/revivez-les-moments-forts-des...
Review on 18 November
1 death
409 wounded including 14 people in serious condition
Nearly 300,000 protesters
The "yellow vests" began to gather on Saturday, November 17 at dawn to block roads and strategic points across the country. This unprecedented "general mobilization" of citizens against rising fuel prices is to be followed live on franceinfo.
About 1,500 ACTIONS are expected in the territory, of which only a hundred were reported: blocking roads, supermarkets, gas stations ...
Near the Paris ring road, Porte Maillot, protesters with a few signs gathered before 7am.
Three-quarters of the French support the movement and 15% plan to participate, according to an Odoxa survey conducted for Franceinfo and Le Figaro.
Grounds for grievances have widened beyond the rise in fuel prices to a more comprehensive denunciation of the government's taxation policy and lower purchasing power.
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Yellow vests, the contagion: Belgium and Bulgaria have started!
http://www.wikistrike.com/2018/11/gilets-jaunes-la-belgique-et-la-b...
Vests make children across Europe, as the movement of yellow vests pushed in the streets of France 1.2 million protesters according to the union of "police angry" and that brought together 10.5 million people in total (activists and sympathizers) is exported beyond the borders of France.
In Belgium, yellow vests have blocked roundabouts and fuel depots , especially in Wallonia, blocking traffic. In this country, a political movement will be launched for the next elections , which can give ideas to the French, only missing a leader.
In Bulgaria too, yellow vests took to the streets in Sofia as in other big cities of the country.
Thousands of Bulgarians blocked on Sunday the main roads and border posts between Bulgaria and Turkey and between Bulgaria and Greece to protest the soaring fuel prices in a context of dissatisfaction due to the low standard of living in the country. the poorest country in the European Union.
Embryos of calls for demonstration are also born in other EU countries. What is happening in France could well be anchored in time thanks to the participation of our European neighbors.
The rising cost of living is the common denominator. And this problem goes beyond France alone.
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British army prepares to quell anti-Brexit riots
http://www.wikistrike.com/2018/11/l-armee-britannique-se-prepare-a-...
According to the Sunday Times of November 18, 2018, the British Army was tasked with preparing to maintain order in the big cities of the United Kingdom alongside the police.
Nov 18, 2018
Matt B
Australian Court Finds Cardinal Pell Guilty of Sexual Abuse.
A Melbourne court has reportedly convicted the Vatican’s finance chief, Cardinal George Pell, of sexually abusing two choir boys in the 1990s when he was archbishop of Melbourne.
By Thomas D. Williams, 12 Dec 2018.
https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2018/12/12/australian-court-finds-c...
After more than three days of deliberations, the court handed down a guilty verdict Tuesday by a unanimous consent of the jury. If the verdict is confirmed, it will be the highest-ranking condemnation of a Church official for a crime of sexual abuse.
Last year, Cardinal Pell requested a dispensation from his duties in Rome to travel to Melbourne to defend himself against the charges against him, which he has always denied. The Holy See has not yet commented on the reports.
The trial has been kept under strict secrecy, after a judge placed a gag order on all press coverage of the trial in Australia. Now, however, several Australian media outlets have reported that Pell has been found guilty of all charges.
The gag order, which still remains in place in Australia, was reportedly granted to “prevent a real and substantial risk of prejudice to the proper administration of justice.”
Pell continues to maintain his innocence and will almost certainly appeal the decision.
“All along I have been completely consistent and clear in my total rejection of these allegations,” Pell said last year. “News of these charges strengthens my resolve and the court proceedings now offer me an opportunity to clear my name and then return back to Rome to work.”
During the course of the trial, the cardinal has resided in a house of the diocese, although the Australian Church has noted that Pell personally paid for all the expenses of his defense.
The cardinal will face a second trial early next year on separate charges that he “sexually offended” two boys while playing games in a swimming pool in his home town of Ballarat, Victoria, in the 1970s when Pell was a priest in the area.
The prelate has always forcefully denied these accusations as well, and his lawyer, Robert Richter, said in 2017 that there is “voluminous” evidence to show that “what was alleged is impossible.”
Pell had been tapped by Pope Francis in 2014 to conduct a serious reform of Vatican finances, but met with increasing resistance as he began discovering large sums of money that had not been recorded in financial statements: 94 million euros in the Secretariat for State, later followed by nearly 1 billion euros in various other departments.
The Secretariat of State, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See (APSA), and the Governorate of the Vatican City State reportedly resisted implementing tighter rules on transparency, compliance, and accounting, “largely because they might reveal corrupt practices or involve a loss of power among the so-called ‘old guard.’”
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Q post - Dec 12 2018 11:00:11 (EST)
https://8ch.net/qresearch/res/4272091.html#4272168
Q post - Dec 12 2018 11:29:43 (EST)
https://8ch.net/qresearch/res/4272091.html#4272632
Dec 13, 2018
Juan F Martinez
CHINA PREPARES FOR 'PERIOD OF MAJOR CHANGE NEVER SEEN IN A CENTURY' IN 2019 NEW YEAR'S SPEECH 12/31/18
Chinese President Xi Jinping has shared his aspirations for the upcoming year in a speech signaling an era of great change as his country prepares to celebrate seven decades of communist rule.
Wishing viewers and listeners an early Happy New Year from Beijing, Xi recalled Monday that "time stops for no one, and the seasons keep changing." He praised the country's rapid economic development, efforts to combat poverty and pollution, as well as "the hard work of people from all of China's ethnic groups, who are the trail-blazers of the new era." The Chinese leader said the nation would continue to support peaceful initiatives worldwide, such as his ambitious "One Belt, One Road" project to expand Beijing's economic footprint abroad.
"Looking at the world at large, we're facing a period of major change never seen in a century," Xi said. "No matter what these changes bring, China will remain resolute and confident in its defense of its national sovereignty and security. And China's sincerity and goodwill to safeguard world peace and promote common development will remain unchanged.
"We will continue to push ahead with the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and continue to advocate for the development of a community of shared future for mankind. And we will work tirelessly for a more prosperous and beautiful world," he added.
https://www.newsweek.com/china-major-change-2019-new-years-1276040
Jan 3, 2019
SongStar101
General Strike in India: 200 Million Workers Oppose the Government’s Labor Law
http://www.leftvoice.org/General-Strike-in-India-200-Million-Worker...
On Wednesday, 200 million workers took part in the second day of a general strike in India against the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose labor law worsens working conditions and prevents unionization.
A strike called by a dozen union federations in India has for the second day affected several cities throughout the country, including its capital, New Delhi, paralyzing part of public transportation, trade and banking services.
The strike was called in protest against the labor policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Diverse unions that organized 200 million workers throughout the country led the strike, with a strong presence in the states of Kerala (south), Bengal (east), Odisha (east), Maharashtra (west), Karnataka (southwest) and Delhi (north), authorities and local media reported.
In the capital, hundreds of workers also called a demonstration at Parliament to demand that lawmakers oppose the central government’s labor policies.
According to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), one of the strike’s organizers, the workers are protesting unemployment, the rising price of food and other basic goods and the government’s measures that roll back employees’ health care benefits.
The rising unemployment and prices of basic products were already damaging the life conditions of the Indian working class. In this context of discontent, the new labor law makes the workers’ situation more desperate.
The unions have said the law would increase the superexploitation of employees and annihilate the rights of trade unions.
According to the Asia News website, the law “enables the government to assume a discretionary power when it comes to recognizing or not workers organizations, effectively eliminating the current negotiation, based on the joint consensus of employees, employers and government.”
According to The Telegraph, the unions have also said that "under the current regulations, factories that employ more than 100 workers must go through the lengthy bureaucratic process of seeking government approval to lay off staff. In attempt to free up the businesses during an economic downtown, Mr Modi’s government has proposed that factories with less than 300 workers should be allowed to make redundancies without the need for state approval".
Workers are also demanding the approval of a social security act to protect workers’ health care, pensions and to establish a minimum wage of 24,000 rupees (almost 300 euros) for the transport sector.
Jan 15, 2019