Sunday, March 22, 2020

Event 201 - a Corona Virus Planned Coincidence?




By: Stewart Brennan
World United News

On October 18th, 2019 at the Pierre Hotel in New York City, a conference hosted by Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation presented a simulation study of a Global Corona Virus Pandemic called “Event 201”.

The Event 201scenario simulated the events of what would happen during a serious global pandemic. The “Players” at “Event 201” included prominent individuals from global business, government, and public health. The exercise players were tasked with leading the policy response to a fictional outbreak scenario in the Event 201 pandemic tabletop exercise. In fact one of the players was George Gao the Director-General of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; a Professor in the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; President of the Chinese Society of Biotechnology; and President of the Asian Federation of Biotechnology (AFOB). So it is safe to say that a Chinese government representative was at this “Event 201” conference.

Coincidence?

On the very same day that the “Event 201” scenario was being simulated, the “Military World Games” in Wuhan China started and ran from October 18th, to the 27th, 2019.

The fact that the Corona virus Pandemic (COVID-19) that we are currently experiencing around the World, started in Wuhan China is truly puzzling, surreal and seems totally beyond coincidence.

It’s not for me to draw conclusions but there are certainly grounds for suspicion considering the massive changes that this real or fake Pandemic will or has played in our immediate and long-term economic future. 

The pieces of the puzzle are there in front of us, some of which are still hidden. But to try and make sense of all this, I tend to look at things from an economic perspective and ask myself, “Who Benefits?” Because in my mind, these events do not happen naturally especially when massive changes through problem, reaction and solution to our economic reality present themselves.

Details of the Event 201 Scenario:

Event 201 simulates an outbreak of a novel zoonotic coronavirus transmitted from bats to pigs to people that eventually becomes efficiently transmissible from person to person, leading to a severe pandemic. The pathogen and the disease it causes are modeled largely on SARS, but it is more transmissible in the community setting by people with mild symptoms.

The disease starts in pig farms in Brazil, quietly and slowly at first, but then it starts to spread more rapidly in healthcare settings. When it starts to spread efficiently from person to person in the low-income, densely packed neighborhoods of some of the megacities in South America, the epidemic explodes. It is first exported by air travel to Portugal, the United States, and China and then to many other countries. Although at first some countries are able to control it, it continues to spread and be reintroduced, and eventually no country can maintain control.

There is no possibility of a vaccine being available in the first year. There is a fictional antiviral drug that can help the sick but not significantly limit spread of the disease.

Since the whole human population is susceptible, during the initial months of the pandemic, the cumulative number of cases increases exponentially, doubling every week. And as the cases and deaths accumulate, the economic and societal consequences become increasingly severe.

The scenario ends at the 18-month point, with 65 million deaths. The pandemic is beginning to slow due to the decreasing number of susceptible people. The pandemic will continue at some rate until there is an effective vaccine or until 80-90 % of the global population has been exposed. From that point on, it is likely to be an endemic childhood disease.

Event 201 Videos:

The six videos in the playlist below include the highlight Real and the Event 201 discussions among high-level leaders of global businesses, governments, policy and public health.


If you consider yourself to be someone who is suspicious of any or all Government, deep state, corporate, private banking, Mainstream Media narratives, then indeed you are in great company because many of us have woken up to the constant stream of lies coming out of these institutions that we can no longer trust them. However, we cannot jump to conclusions either without all the facts. But we can do the detective work and use critical thinking to map out what becomes a hypothesis.

It will be up to the people around the world to work together on this because the institutions mentioned above will not tell you the truth so don’t wait for them to do so. Get the facts, do the research and use the motive you pursue to tie up all possible ends. I use economics as the motive because with it, you can trace the lions share of truth, the real history of the world just by examining all the major events that have changed the world through it.

A few days ago, David Ike was interviewed on “LONDONREAL” to discuss his belief on the current COVID-19 Corona Virus Pandemic, here is a 45 minute excerpt of that Interview. To listen to the entire two hour interview, you can find it at the following link: LONDONREAL

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: COVID-19 LOCKDOWN & THE ECONOMIC CRASH


The Moral Nations?

We the citizens in the west have been led to believe from a very young age that the trustees of our nations would always use moral judgement in emergency situations which are supposed to be humane, considerate, merciful and sympathetic.

In fact, it is not just a belief but a code in which the good citizens of the west pride themselves on as human beings (at least I do) and it is this promise made to the same citizens, by those who speak in their names, the promise they need to uphold. However, since global communication has evolved via the internet, the veil of illusion of western morality has fallen and revealed the monsters controlling our nations.

Without going into detail on all the lies the public was sold regarding 911, the war on Afghanistan, Iraq I Iraq II, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Palestine, Ukraine, etc…I will instead stay on point regarding the current pandemic.

World Bank and IMF Morality?

In the event of a Global Pandemic, the IMF has about 1 Trillion dollars to lend nations facing hardships due the circumstances of a Global Pandemic. The World Bank also has hundreds of millions in funds that are made available should a nation require help. These numbers are stated on the “John’s Hopkins” “Event 201”resource fact sheet.

However, in today’s reality, when countries such as Iran or Venezuela ask for help to battle the pandemic in their countries, they are flatly refused while massive sanctions continue to pummel and punish these countries into serious economic decay. There are millions of people being punished with the World Bank and IMF refusal to help. The trustees of our nations ALSO back these private banking positions and have stated so publicly.

We the people do not agree to this behaviour. Both the IMF AND the leaders who back this sinister attitude do not comply with the wishes of the people. Western leaders have betrayed their promise of upholding their moral oath to the people of their nations. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!

These are crimes against humanity and as such require those responsible to resign their positions at the very least as spokes persons of their nations people! The message sent by the current global private banking institutions is also NOT ACCEPTABLE, and therefore should be the subject of an inquiry into their behaviour and their continued relevance! Our nations involvement with these seriously flawed institutions must end.

The fact that the IMF REFUSED Venezuela’s request for a 5 Billion dollar loan to help their people deal with a pandemic is beyond comprehension. I mean who gave the IMF this responsibility of life and death? And why should we continue to allow them this power of life or death over a nation and its people?


What Comes Out of the Global Economic Ashes

The private economic banking cartel is looking to create a single digital global currency or cashless society together with 5G technology. Coincidentally, China fits this mold almost as if it was the plan all along. China is now the Industrial center of the world thanks to western corporations as China leads the invasive 5G technology while also chairing a new banking system through BRICS. In the event that there is a merger of the Global Banking Cartel with China, it would usher in a global totalitarian economic system. The thought of that makes me shutter, but it seems like this is the way they are going to do it. After all, the current banking system under a US reserve Petro dollar is completely bankrupt whereas the Chinese state has little to no debt.

The US Debt in Perspective



Conclusion: 

The new reference term to major exercises like "Event 201" coinciding with a real "Global Pandemic" should be called "Planned Coincidence", in that the whole thing is planned but not a coincidence...911, 711, CORVID-19 have ALL been used to force a change in the attitude of the population and direction of economics...

The coming economic crash signals the ordinary persons last chance to make real change in the world. We must rise and defend our families and communities from those seeking to take our freedoms away forever. The power over our world resides in the private banks and institutions that have been set up by them. This system of governance must end and be replaced with institutions that are accountable to the people. Now is the Time to Stand Up! 

Our Last Chance to Make Real Change


BY: Stewart Brennan
World United News
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Friday, March 20, 2020

Our Last Chance to Make Real Change




By: Stewart Brennan


Stand up and Fight for Your Rights

Martial law is now driving lock downs all over the world because the flu will make you sick...but its also to keep you locked up as they intentionally pull down the old bankrupt economic system to make way for their totalitarian cashless 5G system that's ready to be unleashed...they want total submission to the new system that they will propose once the old system is dead. To assure this, they have eliminated massive protests via the corona virus scare so that the people cannot organize together for proper solutions. The economic cartel wants to maintain their totalitarian economic control over everyone via their private banking economic system. Weather they do it with China or without, the decision has been made to take all your freedoms away in one fell swoop...all resistance to their decree's will be punished as France's Macron has already stated. In the coming days we will see increased censorship on all differing opinions to the mainstream narrative especially that of the Corona Virus.

The one chance that we the people have to make the changes needed when the fraudulent economic system comes down is being taken away in every western country at the same time. We the people must NOT allow the economic cartel to dictate our children's future. The future MUST be decided by the people within each nation. Therefore, it is imperative for everyone to have ALL THE INFORMATION on economics, CORVID-19 and everything else for that matter. Question absolutely everything that comes from mainstream media and government because both are controlled by corporate and private banking interests.

Censorship is the enemy of all good people. Martial law is a war on our communities! Stand up and fight!
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Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Which businesses will survive the greatest financial crisis of our lifetime?




Source: RT News

As countries close their borders to contain the corona virus outbreak, the biggest disaster faced by businesses big and small is the shutdown of the global economy.

While Covid-19 has rattled financial markets, the real economy faces even worse problems, as many companies will be unable to survive without a government lifeline.

Which firms will be most seriously hit?

Social distancing is one of the first and, apparently, most effective containment measures the countries have in their arsenal. However, the practice could bury small and medium-sized businesses, clearing the path for big corporations that will enjoy the support of governments and banks.

“Small and medium enterprises are the backbone of any economy, and they’re also likely to be most affected by social distancing,” Professor of Financial Systems Resilience at Bournemouth University, Christopher A. Hartwell, told RT. “They just don’t have the capabilities of an Amazon to keep delivering; they rely on face-to-face interactions, and so any prolonged lockdown can be devastating.”

Those involved in the tourism and entertainment industries, as well as the service industry, could also have tough times due to lockdowns and quarantine measures, according to Sergey Kopylov, a junior partner at consulting company BSC. He says non-essential sectors like the auto industry will probably not get bailed out and will have to cut production.

“Those who are critically dependent on Chinese components will face [the] most serious problems,” Kopylov said. He explained that tech producers and assemblers would be the most vulnerable, as most parts for their products are exported from China, which has not yet fully recovered after the production pause caused by Covid-19.

Who can count on government help?

Airlines were the first to feel the devastating impact of the coronavirus, as they had to dramatically cut capacity amid low demand and border closures. Analysts believe they will be the first in line to receive financial aid.

Airline companies can easily face bankruptcies, which can eventually hamper already strained trade and supply chains, Kopylov believes, while others think that airlines shouldn’t enjoy so much support. According to Professor Christopher A. Hartwell, government bailout is “a disastrous idea,” as the carriers could easily exploit the funds for their own benefit.

“Since deregulation in the 1970s under US President Jimmy Carter... airlines have gone through waves of high competition and improvement in service which then gets crushed under a bailout and some form of re-regulation, which leads to worse service and oligopolistic pricing,” he wrote.

Governments will have to support other critical sectors, such as agriculture, to prevent food shortages. While not all countries, especially those dependent on tourism like Cyprus or Spain, can afford to fund them, they can at least offer tax and credit payment holidays, Kopylov said.
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Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Wall Street’s big coronavirus mistake




© Reuters / Lucas Jackson

Source: RT News

The coronavirus has wreaked havoc on global stock markets, but this may just be the start of a much bigger economic crisis.

Investment professionals on Wall Street spend their days reading financial reports and looking at numbers flash on screens. These numbers record the moment-to-moment changes in the collective wisdom of markets about the value of stocks, bonds, commodities and a distressing array of derivative financial products.

From the comfort of the sealed caverns of Wall Street the actual physical and social world is just an abstraction to be quantified and analyzed. One of Wall Street's most prominent investment research and management firms released analysis that says the coronavirus won't be all that bad for the economy.

Analysts from Morningstar Inc.—which is actually headquartered in Chicago's cavernous downtown—say that this pandemic will be a "mild pandemic." I'm not sure how pandemics can be mild, but the analysts outline cases for "moderate" and "severe pandemics."

One of the things that gives these analysts such a sanguine view, particularly in the United States, is the country's advanced health care system which is "likely much more prepared for the taxing of our hospital system, as we appear to have a massive lead over other developed nations in the number of intensive care unit beds per citizen."

And yet, a first-hand report from a physician in those hospitals suggests that there will be very little room for severe corona virus cases in any hospital ICU. Those beds are already being used by patients and not just waiting empty. In all likelihood, hospitals will be quickly overwhelmed and forced to decide who gets critical live-saving treatment and who does not. The "who does not" number could be very large if the Italian experience is anything to go by.
  
The analysts do admit that lack of health insurance and paid sick leave will likely lead to higher infection rates in the United States than would otherwise be the case. Naturally, people without insurance will be reluctant to seek treatment, and those without paid sick leave may come to work even when ill in order to make enough money to pay their bills.

The surprisingly upbeat report is based on the idea of a return to business as usual. The assumption is that the coronavirus pandemic will not shatter confidence in our institutions which are so clearly incompetent and/or inadequate to the task of fighting this pandemic.

For the first two months of this year the US markets virtually ignored the growing dangers of a pandemic and assumed that any economic problems would be confined to China. In fact, even as infections spread like wildfire in China, market averages touched new highs. The idea that novel infectious diseases for which there is no treatment do not recognize national boundaries just didn't occur to most investors and investment advisors. Reality, however, began to sink in by late February and led to the historic stock market collapse.

Even now, a friend of mine who is retired reports that the week before last her investment advisor responded sharply when she called to dump half of her portfolio of stocks. The advisor won the argument saying that this is just a temporary slide, and that in the long term all will be well.

The political and social implications of the current meltdown seem lost on the Wall Street crowd. They cannot see that when all is said and done, it is unlikely that very many people will have faith in an advisor who tells them that stocks always return to previous levels and move higher. This will be an indirect result of shattered faith in government institutions that are supposed to protect us in such emergencies and shattered faith in an economic system that leaves so many without the means to respond to such a life-and-death situation.

Large-scale and dramatic rearrangements of our current system worldwide and in the United States are likely to come in the wake of the season of death that is upon us—and in the wake of the economic carnage that results from the breakdown of a system so vulnerable that a tiny virus could topple it at its base. That virus is now calling into question deeply held assumptions about basic security, protection, health care, and also economic and political arrangements that do not seem able to respond in ways that preserve life in the face of one of the most obvious and fundamental threats to it: epidemic infections.
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Dow plunges 3,000 points in biggest single-day drop




The Dow Jones Industrial Average is displayed after closing bell on floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) ©  REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Source: RT News

The Dow Jones plummeted nearly 3,000 points (2,997.1, to be exact) at the close of trading on Monday, finishing down 12.93 percent as markets continued to slide despite tripping a circuit-breaker minutes after opening.
The S&P 500 sank by a whopping 12 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 13 percent. The Dow has dropped over 30 percent since opening at a high on February 12. This latest Dow drop is the worst since the infamous Black Monday crash in 1987.

While the Federal Reserve has cut rates toward zero in an effort to boost the economy, the continuing closure of schools, restaurants, bars, movie theaters, etc. across the country is affecting the market dramatically, and with no end in sight to the coronavirus panic, it’s an unsure market for investors.

Confidence in the markets was not helped by a Monday afternoon press conference in which President Donald Trump said the federal government could be responding to the coronavirus until “July or August,” possibly longer.

Precious metals have also been sent into free fall, with gold dropping by 1.3 percent to just over $1,500 an ounce. Silver, platinum, and palladium have seen even steeper declines, each falling by over 12 percent on Monday.

Brent and WTI crude tumbled by 9 and 11.3 percent respectively, taking a toll on petrol giants including Chevron, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, and Suncor Energy, each of which saw more than a 15-percent decline in stock price. Apache was among the worst affected, down by over 30 percent.
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Related News:



Monday, March 16, 2020

Macron Declares Martial Law Orders France on Lockdown




Source: Press TV

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday ordered stringent restrictions on people's movement to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and said the army would be drafted in to help move the sick to hospitals.

France had already shut down restaurants and bars, closed schools and put ski resorts off limits, but Macron said measures unprecedented in peacetime were needed as the number of infected people doubled every three days and deaths spiraled higher.

In a sombre address to the nation, the president said that from Tuesday midday (1100 GMT) people should stay at home unless it was to buy groceries, travel to work, exercise or for medical care.

Anyone flouting the restrictions, in place for at least the next two weeks, would be punished.


"I know what I am asking of you is unprecedented but circumstances demand it," Macron said.

"We're not up against another army or another nation. But the enemy is right there: invisible, elusive, but it is making progress."

Some 100,000 police will be deployed to enforce the lockdown, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said.

Checkpoints will be set up nationwide and those on the move will have to be able to justify their journey on a printed ministry document, pedestrians included, he said.

Macron said tougher action was needed after too many people ignored earlier warnings and mingled in parks and on street corners over the weekend, risking their own health and the wellbeing of others.

In France the coronavirus has killed 148 people and infected more than 6,600.

Army Mobilized

Under the new measures, soldiers would help transport the sick to hospitals with spare capacity and a military hospital with 30 intensive-care beds would be set up in the eastern region of Alsace, where one of the largest infection clusters has broken out.

Macron said he was postponing the second round of local elections on Sunday. Because the government's sole focus needed to be fighting the pandemic, he said he was suspending his reform agenda, starting with his overhaul of the pension system.

The government would, when necessary, legislate by decree to fight the coronavirus, he said.

Coronavirus infections and fatalities in France and Spain have been surging at a pace just days behind that of Italy, the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe where hospitals in the worst-hit northern regions are stretched to breaking point.

Seeking to offer further reassurance to businesses, Macron said the government would guarantee 300 billion euros worth of loans. The loan guarantee plan would be submitted to parliament in coming weeks and would be retroactive, a finance ministry source said.

Rent and utility bills owed by small companies would also be suspended to help them weather the economic storm, he added.

"No French company, whatever its size, will be exposed to the risk of collapse," Macron said.






Sunday, March 15, 2020

The Global Financial Collapse is knocking





By: Stewart Brennan
World United News

When the World Health Organization declared a Global Pandemic on March 11, 2020 due to the Corona Virus, it came at a time when an economic war between the USA and China was well underway. The economic war in itself poses a great threat to everyone but the addition of a global pandemic has thrown the world into a perfect storm of economic collapse.

The outlook for the immediate future looks very bleak as business shrinks, supply lines thin, oil prices drop and businesses close. The economic war between China and the USA now looks set to enter a disaster phase as the two face down what comes in the aftermath of CORVID-19.

Face to Face

China’s economic position looks very strong compared to the American / European Economic position simply because China is now the Industrial heart of the World. Both systems are vastly different but strangely they both have mutual partners of influence guiding them. (Rothschild Banking)

The Chinese banking model resembles what we Canadians once had between 1935 to 1974 when Canada’s economy experienced exponential growth. During that time, the Central Bank of Canada issued interest free debt to the Canadian Government in trust for the Canadian people.

In 1935, the Bank of Canada “was” created and used as a National Public central bank to pull the country out of the economic depression that had ravaged the country. Under the Bank of Canada, money was issued to the Canadian government for its budget, and came without interest bearing debt and thus was spent into existence for the goods and services the country needed. The Money was not borrowed from private banks, the money was created by the Canadian government for the purpose of putting people back to work and rebuilding the economy at a time when the world was experiencing extreme poverty.

During the time that the Bank of Canada issued debt free money, Canada grew to become a strong economically sound nation that carried very little debt. The country experienced exponential growth in its economy with a high standard of living. Jobs were plenty, housing was affordable for everyone and many social programs emerged to support its citizens such as universal health care, family allowance and old age pensions. The Canadian dollar was also very strong and at one point was worth more than the American dollar. If money was needed for disasters or research, the government simply allocated money towards it.

However, the Bank of Canada’s roll in the Canadian economy changed in 1974 when the IMF forced the Canadian Government to borrow its money from the private banks. The result of which sent Canada into an immediate exponential debt spiral.

The Bank of Canada Gave Interest Free Loans between 1935 - 1974


Video Source: World United News

As Canada (the second largest country in the world) slides into third world economic status today due to private banks owning their debt, China (the fourth largest country in the world) has an economy that continues to grow exponentially without debt.

China

China has a similar type of Banking System in place that Canada once had, in that funds are made available without having to borrow money from a private bank. In other words, China has its own government controlled Central Bank that issues debt free budget money to its government for the goods and services it needs. As a result, China has become the number one economy in the world and did so in a very short period of time. When a disaster happens such as Corona Virus, the Chinese government is able to pull out all the stops and tackle the problem head on.

While it is easy to see the results of what a National Public central bank can accomplish, it is also easy to see how private banks can destroy nations such as Canada.

As Canada grew into a strong economically independent nation, it was forced by a cartel of private banks into giving away its economic sovereignty. The result has pushed Canada into an exponential economic downward spiral while the private banks get fat on the constant stream of money it syphons away from the country while also leading the privatization of all its resources. Canada, the second largest nation in the world, with vast amounts of resources is heading for 3rd world status.

As Canada falls, China rises. However, China also has partners within the same western cartel of private banks who ensured China’s rise when they brought most of the western industrial capacity to China’s shores while also opening western markets to the cheaper made Chinese products.

The difference is that China continues to maintain its national public central bank to power its ever-growing economy and does so without putting its country into debt to the private banks.

So, the question is, what was the deal that China made with the western private banking cartel to allow China to rise as the top Industrial country in the World? Surely there is a price to pay as I cannot see the western economic cartel just giving up their empire to China without some sort of major deal in the backroom.

Is China supposed to turn over its economic independence to the private western banking cartel as Canada did?

A Global Economic War

The economic war which has raged between China and the USA has come to a dangerous crossroads as the corona virus now takes its toll on global markets.

As such, which country do you think is in a better position to survive a Global Pandemic or economic war? The nation that borrows its money with compound interest or the nation that creates its own money without debt?

The World's 20 Largest Banks


In hindsight, the Chinese government has the ability to respond quickly to an epidemic in its nation without an economic burden to its people where as the US government must go through a great deal of political bargaining, red tape and a costly ineffective program that is planned inefficiently or is ineffective while placing the economic burden squarely on the American tax payers, and this while not everyone has access to US healthcare.

It’s quite easy to see that China comes out on top.

What Comes Out of the Global Economic Ashes

The private economic banking cartel is looking to create a single digital global currency or cashless society together with 5G technology. Coincidentally, China fits this mold almost as if it was the plan all along. China is now the Industrial center of the world thanks to western corporations as China leads the invasive 5G technology while also chairing a new banking system through BRICS. In the event that there is a merger of the Global Banking Cartel with China, it would usher in a global totalitarian economic system. The thought of that makes me shutter, but it seems like this is the way they are going to do it. After all, the current banking system under a US reserve Petro dollar is completely bankrupt whereas the Chinese state has little to no debt. (This also looks planned)

Coincidental (Flu) Pandemic?

The current Corona Virus Pandemic could just well be the psy op or black swan that takes down the current bankrupt global economy. Every western government is voluntarily taking part in the process of shutting down all economic avenues with the exception of Food, Public Transportation and Pharmaceutical businesses. This is how you euthanize a dead man walking economy…as most people must certainly realize that the end of the US Petro dollar and their consumer debt-based economy has long been underway.

It is also convenient to scapegoat the blame of economic disaster by pointing fingers at a Pandemic rather than the real reasons for bankruptcy. The Bankers and politicians that supported them in each nation get to cover their tracks and hide their crimes, if this is the case.

Conclusion:

The majority of people have fallen hook, line and sinker into this global shift as they follow the crowd over the cliff like lemmings clutching their cell phones for the latest news by the establishment.

The only winners of an economic crash of course are the Private Banking shareholders and their partners who will have their hands out at margin call when the markets finally do crash. In the end, the banks get it all including a bailout if needed by its own private central bank.

It’s not too late for Canadians to regain their economic independence, nor is it too late for any other country for that matter. But after seeing the global toilet paper panic unfold online, I have to wonder. Still, for those awake and in the economic know, that want to effect change in their own countries, its going to be a tough fight because whatever emerges from this economic disaster will not give you your natural rights or freedom and independence. You will have to take it from them.
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The US Debt in Perspective (Jan 2020)



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Additional Info:



Saturday, March 14, 2020

Iraq military calls for an immediate withdrawal of all American and foreign troops




A handout picture received from the US embassy in Iraq on December 31, 2019, shows American soldiers taking position around the diplomatic mission in the capital Baghdad. (Photo by AFP)

Source: Press TV

The Iraqi military has called for an immediate withdrawal of all American and foreign troops from the country in accordance with a parliamentary resolution passed earlier this year, and in light of a string of airstrikes carried out by the United States against multiple locations of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha’abi.

On Saturday, the military asked all US-led forces to act within the resolution and pull out of Iraq.

Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill on January 5, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign military forces led by the United States from the country following the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, along with the deputy head of the PMU, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and their companions in US airstrike authorized by President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport two days earlier.

Later on January 9, former Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi called on the United States to dispatch a delegation to Baghdad tasked with formulating a mechanism for the move.

According to a statement released by his office at the time, Abdul-Mahdi “requested that delegates be sent to Iraq to set the mechanisms to implement the parliament's decision for the secure withdrawal of (foreign) forces from Iraq” in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The 78-year-old politician said that Iraq rejects violation of its sovereignty, particularly the US military's violation of Iraqi airspace in the airstrike that assassinated General Soleimani, Muhandis and their companions.

Iraqi MP: We demand immediate withdrawal of US forces

Meanwhile, an Iraqi lawmaker from the Fatah (Conquest) alliance has called for the “immediate” pullout of American-led forces from the country through diplomatic means.

“Our fellow countrymen and women have become fully convinced that whatever has happened or happens in our country over the past 16 years is due to foreign interference in general, and the American interventions in particular in Iraq’s domestic affairs,” Ahmed al-Kinani said in a press release.

He added, “I would like to refer to repeated attacks on the sovereignty of Iraq by the occupying US forces, including the bombing of the headquarters of our security forces, army and the PMU, which led to their martyrdom and injury besides destruction of civilian facilities.”

“Such repeated attacks do not show that US forces have good intentions, and that they must leave our land as demanded by the government, the parliamentary resolution and the Iraqi nation, who took part in a million-march demonstration and called for their immediate departure,” Kinani pointed out.

‘Next Iraqi PM must be someone who can stop US recklessness’

Another Iraqi legislator lambasted US airstrikes as blatant violation of the Arab country’s sovereignty.

Nada Shaker Jawdat said that the country’s next prime minister must be someone who can firmly act against the US recklessness and its utter disdain for Iraq’s national sovereignty.

Attack on Camp Taji cannot serve as pretext for foreign ops: Baghdad

The Iraqi military also cautioned the US and other foreign forces on Saturday against taking any military action in Iraq without the government's approval, emphasizing that recent missile strikes against the Camp Taji can't serve as a pretext for unauthorized actions.

The military noted in a statement that 33 Katyusha rockets had been launched on the military base, which is located approximately 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of the capital Baghdad and houses US-led troops, and that the attack critically injured several Iraqi air defense servicemen.

The statement added that the military found seven rocket launchers and 24 unused rockets in the nearby Abu Izam area.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry's Security Media Cell announced in a statement that “at 01:15 local time on Thursday (2215 Wednesday) an American aerial bombardment struck headquarters of Hashd al-Sha’abi, emergency regiments as well as commandos from the 19th Division of the army.”

The statement added that the airstrikes targeted positions in Jurf al-Nasr town, located about 60 kilometers southwest of the capital Baghdad, Musayyib town in the central province of Babil, the holy shrine city of Najaf as well as the ancient central city of Alexandria.

The US military did not estimate how many people in Iraq may have been killed in the strikes, which officials said were carried out by piloted aircraft.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, in a Pentagon statement detailing the strikes, cautioned that the United States was prepared to respond again, if needed.

“We will take any action necessary to protect our forces in Iraq and the region,” Esper said.

Separately, an Iraqi official said an airstrike had hit an airport under construction in Karbala, located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) southwest of Baghdad.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network on Friday that US military aircraft fired three missiles at the airport building, which is located in al-Haidariya district and near the border with neighboring Najaf province.

He added that the air raid killed a worker, and left great material damage at the site.

Meanwhile, CNN, quoting a US military official, reported that the airstrikes were carried out against five weapons storage facilities.

The early Friday US airstrikes were carried out about 24 hours after at least 18 PMU fighters were killed in air raids targeting an area southeast of the city of al-Bukamal in eastern Syria and near the border with Iraq.

That deadly attack was conducted hours after the US-led military coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group announced that three of its personnel - two Americans and one Briton - had been killed in a rocket attack on Iraq's Taji military camp, located some 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of Baghdad.

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Thursday, March 12, 2020

Worst Day on Wall Street since 1987 Market Crash




Trading is halted for 15 minutes as traders work on the floor at the opening bell of the Dow Industrial Average at the New York Stock Exchange on March 12, 2020 in New York. (AFP photo)

Source: Press TV

The escalating corona virus emergency Thursday sent stocks to their worst losses since the Black Monday crash of 1987, extending a sell-off that has now wiped out most of Wall Street's big run-up since President Donald Trump's election.

The S&P 500 plummeted 9.5%, for a total drop of 26.7% from its all-time high, set just last month. That puts it way past the 20% threshold to make this a bear market, snapping an unprecedented, nearly 11-year bull-market run. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 10% for its worst day since a nearly 23% drop on Oct. 19, 1987.

European markets lost 12% in one of their worst days ever, even after the European Central Bank pledged to buy more bonds and offer more help for the economy.

The heavy losses came amid a cascade of cancellations and shutdowns across the globe - including Trump's suspension of most travel to the US from Europe - and rising worries that the White House and other authorities around the world can't or won't counter the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic any time soon.

"The news just continues to get worse, and the travel ban puts an exclamation point on the weakness we're going to see in global GDP and, in turn, the US," said Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab. "We're starting to get a sense of how dire the impact on the economy is going to be. Each day the news doesn't get better, it gets worse. It's now has hit Main Street to a more significant degree."

Stocks fell so fast on Wall Street at the opening bell that they triggered an automatic, 15-minute trading halt for the second time this week. The so-called circuit breakers were first adopted after the 1987 crash, and until this week hadn't been tripped since 1997.

The Dow briefly turned upward and halved its losses at one point in the afternoon after the Federal Reserve announced it would step in to ease "highly unusual disruptions" in the Treasury market. But the burst of momentum quickly faded.

Trump often points proudly to the big rise on Wall Street under his administration and warned a crowd at a rally last August that "whether you love me or hate, you gotta vote for me," or else your 401(k) will go "down the tubes."

Just last month, the Dow was boasting a nearly 50% gain since Trump took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2017. By Thursday's close, the Dow was clinging to a 6.9% gain, though it was still up nearly 16% since just before Trump's election in November 2016.

On Wednesday, the Dow finished the day down more than 20% from its all-time high, set just last month, officially entering what is known as a bear market for the first time in over a decade.

The combined health crisis and retreat on Wall Street heightened fears of a recession.

"This is bad. The worst and fastest stock market correction in our career," Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union, said in a research note overnight. "The economy is doomed to recession if the country stops working and takes the next 30 days off. The stock market knows it."

The coronavirus has infected around 128,000 people worldwide and killed over 4,700. The death toll in the US climbed to 39, with over 1,300 infections. For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illnesses, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the virus in a matter of weeks.

In a somber prime-time address Wednesday night from the White House, Trump announced the new travel ban as well as measures to extend loans, payroll tax cuts and other financial relief to individuals and businesses hurt by the crisis.

But the travel restrictions represented another heavy blow to the already battered airline and travel industries, and the other measures did not impress Wall Street.

"What markets are waiting for are efforts to contain the virus in a very aggressive way, ways we've seen in other countries," said Nela Richardson, investment strategist at Edward Jones. "Short of that, nibbling around the edges, maybe doing something that can help a firm with a very short-term impact or help an employee, doesn't hurt, but it's not the bull's-eye, and it's not as targeted as the markets would like to see."

Michael McCarthy of CMC Markets said: "The market judgment on that announcement is that it's too little, too late."

The damage was worldwide and eye-popping. Among the big moves:

- Travel stocks again were among the hardest hit. Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises both lost roughly a quarter of their value. Another drop for United Airlines put its loss for the year at more than 50%.

- Oil continued its brutal week, with benchmark US at $31 per barrel.

- In Asia, stocks in Thailand and the Philippines fell so fast that trading was temporarily halted. Japan's Nikkei 225 sank 4.4% to its lowest close in four years, and South Korea's market lost 3.9%.

Perhaps more alarming were complaints in recent days by investors that trading in the Treasury market wasn't working well. For reasons that weren't immediately clear, traders said they were seeing surprisingly large gaps in prices being offered by buyers and sellers. That threatened to cause the market to seize up.

In a surprise move, the Fed said it would pump in at least $1.5 trillion to help calm the market and facilitate trading.

After earlier thinking that the virus could remain mostly in China and that any dip in the economy would be followed by a quick rebound, investors are seeing the damage and disruptions mount, with Italy locking itself down, the NBA suspending games and authorities in the US and beyond banning large gatherings and closing schools.
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