Free Republic

Full title; America gets its ‘a@@ handed to it’ in WW3 simulations: U.S. forces are defeated by Russia and China in almost all scenarios, analysts warn Nonprofit global policy think tank RAND performs simulated war scenarios to test how the US would fare against other leading military superpowersThe simulations cover battle on land, at sea, in the air, space and cyberspace Analysts warned last week that the US loses to Russia or China in most scenariosHowever, they said it would take just $24billion annually to improve outcomesThat's about three percent of the $750billion defense budget proposed for 2020  By

Donald Trump could be getting a 115 feet high sculpture but he probably won’t like it. An environmental group plan to carve his image into a glacier in the Arctic Ocean as a protest against his attitude towards climate change.Finland’s Melting Ice organisation has been trying to raise money for the project for the past two years but are now intending to launch a crowdfunder to pay for the €400,000 (£345,000) costs. Donald Trump could be getting a 115 feet high sculpture but he probably won’t like it (Picture: Project Trumpmore)The US President previously joked his image should be carved...

WHEN AMERICA took a protectionist turn two years ago, it provoked dark warnings about the miseries of the 1930s. Today those ominous predictions look misplaced. Yes, China is slowing. And, yes, Western firms exposed to China, such as Apple, have been clobbered. But in 2018 global growth was decent, unemployment fell and profits rose. In November President Donald Trump signed a trade pact with Mexico and Canada. If talks over the next month lead to a deal with Xi Jinping, relieved markets will conclude that the trade war is about political theatre and squeezing a few concessions from China, not...

On January 10, the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, announced that a summit will be held in Poland on Feb. 13-14 and explained: “The purpose of the Poland Summit is to focus on Iran’s influence and terrorism in the region. The Iranian regime’s reaction to this announcement well revealed its shaky status quo on the brink of its downfall.Iranian officials expressed their concern about the consequences of the Poland Summit. Zarif and Araghchi referred to the graves of Polish people who lived in Iran during the World War II, and said: “While Iran saved Poles in WWII, this country...

In an exclusive interview with UN News, Louise Arbour, the UN Special Representative for International Migration, said on Tuesday that the stated intention of several countries (including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria) to pull out of the Global Compact for migration has seriously affected the spirit of multilateralism. Ms. Arbour pointed out that the text was agreed following extensive negotiations – involving all Member States apart from the United States – that lasted for months, during which each country advanced their own interests and extracted concessions from others, adding: “I think it reflects very poorly on those who...

John has written about the protests against the French government of Emmanuel Macron, protests that turned violent this weekend. I want to add the following observations:First, the protests weren't just this weekend, although that's when they turned up on the U.S. radar. One of my daughters was in Paris on business last weekend (the weekend before Thanksgiving) and observed some of the disruption. It's estimated that 280,000 people protested throughout France last weekend and more than 100,000 protested this weekend. Second, news reports say that the protesters are not among France's more "marginalized citizens." That's true in some senses....

https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2018/11/13/sp111418-winds-of-change-the-case-for-new-digital-currency Winds of Change: The Case for New Digital Currency By Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director  Singapore Fintech Festival November 14, 2018 Full text As prepared for delivery  Introduction Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen—good morning and thank you for the opportunity to participate in this important event. In Singapore, it is often windy. Winds here bring change, and opportunity. Historically, they blew ships to its port. These resupplied while waiting for the Monsoon to pass, for the seasons to change. “Change is the only constant,” wrote the ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus of Ephesus. Singapore knows this. You know this. It...

I'm hearing there is a global blackout of YouTube: I'm not able to load anything. How about your neck of the woods?

For years central banks had been keeping rates near 0%, or below, and at the same time printing over a hundred billion dollars’ worth of fiat currencies each and every month to purchase bonds and stocks. That is all changing now. ... fourteen major global central banks are either in the process right now, or have indicated that they be will next year, in the process of raising interest rates. At the same time, QE on a global net basis will plunge from $180 billion per month at its peak during 2017, to $0 by December…and will then go negative...

‘World Wire’: IBM Launches Stellar-Based Blockchain Payments Platform (Global banking) https://finance.yahoo.com/news/world-wire-ibm-launches-stellar-224015555.html September 5, 2018 David Hundeyin Computing giant IBM has launched a blockchain-based financial solution that it says has the potential to completely upend the existing status quo in global payments and remittances. The new solution called ‘IBM Blockchain World Wire‘ combines the Stellar blockchain with digital assets to make instant money transfers possible of a guaranteed value possible. In July, CCN reported that IBM backed a dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Stronghold on the Stellar network.  In the same month, IBM announced that it was involved in an environmentally friendly crypto project also built on...

The United States' commitment to global development does not look good compared with that of other wealthy countries — and it's likely to get worse. According to an annual index released Tuesday by the Center for Global Development that ranks 27 of the world's wealthiest countries, the U.S. scored dead last on foreign aid contributions and quality — despite being the largest donor in dollar amount. That's because in 2017, it allocated a mere 0.18 percent of its gross national income for development assistance. That is well short of the 0.7 percent that wealthy countries have committed to strive for...

One of the hottest spots during the just-concluded Global Climate Action Summit was the private runway at San Francisco International Airport, where SFO spokesman Doug Yakel reports corporate jet traffic was up 30 percent over normal. Airport sources told us that the carbon-spewing corporate jets nearly filled the landing area’s parking slots and that many had flown in for the conference. The three-day climate confab drew more than 4,000 elected officials, business executives and environmentalists from around the globe and was aimed at addressing how to lower the carbon emissions responsible for global warming. The summit was organized by Gov....

Cash machines could be mass-hacked in global cyber attack, FBI warns https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2018/08/13/uk-cash-machines-could-mass-hacked-global-cyber-attack-fbi-warns/ By: Natasha Bernal  13 AUGUST 2018 • 2:06PM Banks have been warned of an imminent threat that their cash machines could be mass-hacked by cyber criminals. In a confidential alert on Friday, America's Federal Bureau of Investigation told international banks that criminals are plotting a concerted global malware attack on cash machines in the next few days.  The FBI issued a warning about a highly choreographed fraud scheme known as an ATM "jackpotting", in which crooks hack a bank or payment card processor and use cloned cards at cash machines around the world to...

Strike while the iron is hot. There can be no better advertisement against Democrats, neoconservatives, and never-Trumpers than their display after the Helsinki summit. Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad. The Democrats’ destruction began long before Trump. They are wholly associated with government, their answer to all problems and the source of their identity and power. Where they once had a healthy hostility towards the military and the intelligence agencies, they are now among their stoutest defenders. Their ideology, such as it is, is simply more: more government, taxes, laws, regulations, revenues, power, surveillance, wars, and programs,...

The Humanization of Animals From the beginning of domestication, our ancestors in their great wisdom worked hard to erect a barrier between animals and humans in order to avoid falling into the trap of animal humanization and the very damaging sentimentality that accompanies it, as much for animals as for humans. Since animals are not inert objects that can be exploited at will without any risk of illness, injury, and environmental damage, it was necessary for reasons of common sense to take precautions to avoid the worst. PETER SINGER But for the past fifty years or so, animal advocates, such...

US voters will differ sharply on whether President Trump has 'made America great again,' but the economy over which he's presiding is undeniably on the upswing -- with several of his key policies playing essential roles in that comeback. The latest piece of data that fortifies America's renewed economic vigor is a surge in international competitiveness, as measured by a closely-watched annual ranking from a Switzerland-based think tank. Following tax reform's burst of hiring and growth, the United States has 'leapfrogged' back into the top slot (via Bloomberg): The U.S. dethroned Hong Kong to retake first place among the world’s...

Are the Rothschilds working on own cryptocurrency 'IMMO'? Mon, May 28, 2018 7:24 AM A number of reports are currently floating in the media about the Rothschild’s own cryptocurrency project – IMMO. For the uninitiated, Rothschild & Co is one of the world's largest independent financial advisory groups. The Rothschild family has for ages been considered one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the world and has been at the heart of a number of conspiracy theories. Earlier this month, Rothschild & Co announced that Alexandre de Rothschild will be appointed as Executive Chairman of Rothschild & Co...

IMF creates Global Private and Public Debt Database for all countries going back to 1950s. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2018/05/14/Global-Debt-Database-Methodology-and-Sources-45838

After 30 Years, Alarmists Are Still Predicting A Global Warming ‘Apocalypse’ Michael BastaschFor at least three decades scientists and environmental activists have been warning that the world is on the verge of a global warming “apocalypse” that will flood coastal cities, tear up roads and bridges with mega-storms and bring widespread famine and misery to much of the world.The only solution, they say, is to rid the world of fossil fuels — coal, natural gas and oil — that serve as the pillars of modern society. Only quick, decisive global action can avert the worst effects of manmade climate change,...

Media NoteOffice of the Spokesperson (U.S. Department of State) Washington, DC November 15, 2017 Senior diplomatic representatives from the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS met today in Jordan to review our global campaign to defeat this terrorist organization. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition Brett McGurk provided an update on progress in Iraq and Syria. He noted since our coalition was formed in 2014, ISIS has lost 95 percent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria. More than 7.5 million people have now been liberated from ISIS, 2.6 million displaced Iraqis...