GLOBAL NEWS -
Tidings from around the world
Market Watch, August 17, 2022
World Economic Forum Climate Misinformation Must be Subject to Open, Civil Debate says Friends of Science Society
The World Economic Forum has published an op-ed pushing for Artificial Intelligence to manage on-line harms and disinformation, which sparked social media furor, says Friends of Science. In fact, the WEF is a purveyor of climate change misinformation itself and should engage in open scientific debate with CLINTEL on the fact that there is no climate emergency, says Friends of Science.
The WEF regularly engages in climate misinformation, says Friends of Science, noting that WEF gave Greta Thunberg a public stage and much media coverage (posted Jan. 25, 2019 and again Jan. 1, 2020) over her "I want you to panic"... "Our house is on fire" commentaries.
Greta's comments terrified millions of children and adults worldwide, but in testimony to the US Congress on April 21, 2021, Greta stated that there is 'no science' behind her comment; it was just a metaphor. At no point has WEF or any of its bevy of Big Tech and media-mogul trustees stepped up to apologize for foisting fear on citizens of the world.
The WEF's claims to be "Committed to Improving the State of the World." It is difficult to see how scaring millions of people accomplishes that goal, says Friends of Science.
On January 20, 2020, CLINTEL, the climate intelligence think tank based in The Netherlands, sent a letter to Borge Brende, President of the WEF, calling for engagement on the issue of the claimed "climate emergency," writing:
"Despite heated political rhetoric, we urge all world leaders to accept the reality that there is no climate emergency. There is ample time to use scientific advances to continue improving our society. Meanwhile, we should go for adaptation; it works whatever the causes [of climate change] are."
In Poland, where coal is king, homeowners queue for days to buy fuel
Reuters, August 27, 2022
WARSAW/BOGDANKA (Reuters) - In Poland's late summer heat, dozens of cars and trucks line up at the Lubelski Wegiel Bogdanka coal mine, as householders fearful of winter shortages wait for days and nights to stock up on heating fuel in queues reminiscent of communist times.
Artur, 57, a pensioner, drove up from Swidnik, some 30 km (18 miles) from the mine in eastern Poland on Tuesday, hoping to buy several tonnes of coal for himself and his family.
"Toilets were put up today, but there's no running water," he said, after three nights of sleeping in his small red hatchback in a crawling queue of trucks, tractors towing trailers and private cars.
"This is beyond imagination, people are sleeping in their cars. I remember the communist times but it didn't cross my mind that we could return to something even worse."
Artur's household is one of the 3.8 million in Poland that rely on coal for heating and now face shortages and price hikes, after Poland and the European Union imposed an embargo on Russian coal following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February.
Searing UK Inflation Is Driving the Pound Near a 37-Year Low
Yahoo News, August 27, 2022
It’s starting to look like nothing can stop the British pound from sinking to new lows.
With talk about inflation surpassing 18% next year and families across the country likely to be pushed into energy poverty this winter, the UK’s economic woes are getting worse by the day. The consensus among traders is that the Bank of England will have no choice but to force the economy into a severe recession and cause widespread job losses to rein in price pressures.
It’s put historic lows for the pound within reach. The currency is trading around $1.18, less than 4 US cents away from its weakest level since 1985 against the dollar, underscoring the challenges facing the British economy and the next prime minister. The BOE is already forecasting a five-quarter recession starting later this year.
UK inflation to top 18% in early 2023, Citi warns
Reuters August 21, 2022
LONDON (Reuters) -British consumer price inflation is set to peak at 18.6% in January, more than nine times the Bank of England's target, an economist at U.S. bank Citi said on Monday, raising his forecast once again in light of the latest jump in energy prices.
MSM August 21, 2022
(Online news searches document that most European nations are hovering around 8% to10% inflation).
Iran, Nigeria sign document on oil, gas & petrochemical cooperation
Islamic Republic News Agency, August 27, 2022
Speaking on the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Iranian Minister of Petroleum Javad Owji said that the document was signed after a good meeting with his Nigerian counterpart in Tehran earlier in the day and another meeting of the two minister which had took place during a GECF Summit.
He said that the agreement included cooperation on exchange of technical and engineering services and expansion of energy cooperation as well.
Under the terms of the agreement, Iran will provide Nigeria with the necessary know-how for hybridization of vehicles and make use of the country’s capacities in the LNG area in return, the minister said.
The agreement also includes renovation of Nigerian refineries by Iranian companies, Owji added.
Israel receives "positive hints" U.S. is developing military option against Iran
Axios, August 27, 2022
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz received "positive hints" from White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan that the U.S. is developing a military option against Iran in parallel to the negotiations on a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, a senior Israeli defense official said in a briefing with reporters on Friday.
Why it matters: Since President Biden assumed office, and even more so after indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran on a nuclear deal resumed, Israel has pressed the administration to present a credible military threat against Iran, stressing this is the only way Tehran will be more flexible in the negotiations.
Driving the news: Gantz met with Sullivan at the White House on Friday and discussed the possible agreement on a return to the 2015 nuclear deal and Iran’s regional activity.
Gantz told Sullivan Israel opposes the emerging nuclear deal and reiterated the need for a credible U.S. military threat against Iran, according to the Israeli official.
The official said Gantz received "positive hints" about a possible military option when he pressed Sullivan on the issue, but the official would not elaborate.
Thousands of Brits 'stuck' in Portugal over post-Brexit ID card failure
Mirror, August 08 2022
British people living in Portugal say they are suffering “dreadful consequences” including being unable to register for health care and obstacles when it comes to family reunification
Poland vows retaliation against EU over blocked funds
AP, August 09, 2022
Tensions between Poland and the European Union’s executive arm have flared anew after leaders of Poland's conservative governing party accused Brussels of failing to fulfill its obligations to Warsaw
A European Commission spokesperson responded Tuesday that EU member nation Poland still has not done enough to ensure the democratic principal of judicial independence.
The commission has blocked billions of euros in pandemic recovery funds to Poland, arguing that the country's government is eroding democratic norms. The EU is particularly concerned with the Polish government's reorganization of the national court system and the process for disciplining judges.
The leader of the ruling Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, argued in an interview published over the weekend that it was unjust for the European Commission to block the money during the war in Ukraine. Poland has accepted the most Ukrainian refugees of any country.
“There is a crisis, there is a war. These are conditions that fully justify taking extraordinary measures. Since in this area the European Commission does not fulfill its obligations toward Poland, we have no reason to fulfill our obligations towards the European Union," Kaczynski said in the interview with weekly magazine Sieci.
Coffee prices expected to rise after drought, frost impact plantations in Brazil
Yahoo News, August 22, 2022
Extreme weather conditions have impacted coffee crops in some of the top-producing countries, which could mean higher prices for your morning cup of coffee.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, coffee farmers in Brazil -- the world's leader in coffee production -- experienced bad weather last year with both drought and frost that left some with nearly half of the arabica beans as usual.
Brazil will produce 35.7 million bags of coffee in the 12 months starting in July, analysts told the newspaper. In contrast, two years ago the country produced a record 48.7 million bags of beans.
Great post. The news from around the world has worsened lately. Any pushback against the WEF is welcome indeed. Looks like a very difficult winter coming on. The insanity driving this has go to go. It makes no sense for we the people around the planet to elect/appoint leaders who are rank opportunists and kleptocrats and who care about only their own enrichment and well being. It is a serially abusive relationship and we are all in it.
Did I learn from you that California's Gavin Newsome announced that no gas cars would be allowed on the roads after 2035? This will destroy car sales in one day, after the "Cash for Clunkers" put a lot of used car brokers out of business. I just posted a YouTube (not yet up on Sub) that compares the US 'sacrifice' of Ukraine to provoke Putin to Churchill's sacrifice of Poland to provoke Hitler. And a recent episode also looked at the Weimar austerity, where their coal and food was being exported while they froze and starved. I think we need to be looking more closely at what led up to WWII and whether that official narrative is true. Here is the YT on Forgiving Hitler: https://youtu.be/fKJunaD0DUM and https://thirdparadigm.substack.com/p/cj-hopkins-and-the-new-normal-reich