Bernie Sanders Wants To Gas The Jews

Tuesday,  Sept. 24th, 2019

Bernie Sanders unveils sweeping wealth tax Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has unveiled a wealth tax proposal, saying, “I don’t think that billionaires should exist.” Under Sanders’ plan, an annual tax would be applied to the approximately American 180,000 households with a net worth above $32 million, with the tax beginning at 1 percent for the lowest bracket and rising to 8 percent for net worth above $10 billion. The brackets would be halved for single filers, taking effect at $16 million. This proposal is more aggressive than that of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has called for a wealth tax on households with a net worth above $50 million. Sanders’ proposal would reportedly cut the average billionaire’s wealth in half over 15 years. Source: The New York Times

Cities around the world celebrate World Car-Free Day. (UrduPoint)

The World Meteorological Organization publishes a report stating that 2015–2019 was the hottest five-year period since measurements began. The increase in the global carbon dioxide level, the rise of the sea level and the melting of ice caps is accelerating. (PA via breakingnews.ie)

Under pressure from owner Hasbro, the next Brussels edition of the Monopoly board game censors Manneken Pis, the 17th-century bronze statue of a naked boy urinating, with swimming trunks. (The Telegraph)

A bus carrying Chinese tourists overturns near Bryce Canyon national park in Utah, United States. At least four passengers are killed and another five wounded. The National Transportation Safety Board launches an investigation. (The Guardian)

An anonymous U.S. official says the United States is certain that the attack was launched from Iranian territory and that it involved cruise missiles. (The Daily Star)

[Somebody] says the international community must take a firm stand on Tehran and that if confirmed Iran is behind the attacks against the oil facilities, Saudi Arabia will “take the necessary steps” to “respond appropriately”. (Reuters)

A woman who previously accused late United States financier Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager says she was “trafficked” to Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom and was abused by him at a house in London. She calls him “an abuser” and “a participant”. Prince Andrew denies the allegations. (BBC)

Sudanese Finance Minister Ibrahim el-Badawi says Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is to ask the World Bank for US$2 million. Sudan has been unable to do business with either the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund because it is featured on the United States’ State Sponsors of Terrorism list. The U.S. Congress is unlikely to remove Sudan before next year, el-Badawi further announces, saying he has been told the process is complicated. (Asharq al-Awsat)

The UK Supreme Court rules that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s prorogation of Parliament was unconstitutional. (BBC)

Trump to urge joint action against Iran, Venezuela in U.N. speech President Trump spent the first day of the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York taking potshots at a domestic political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, but he is expected to focus on American leadership in his speech before the General Assembly on Tuesday. Trump will juggle the “America First” message he has brought to his previous two speeches to the U.N. and the multilateral action he says is necessary to confront Iran, especially after an attack on a Saudi oil facility that Tehran says it is not responsible for. In his first U.N. speech, Trump railed against North Korea, but this year he is expected to have only conciliatory words for Kim Jong Un. Source:  The Washington Post

Megan Rapinoe wins FIFA’s Women’s World Player of the Year award U.S. soccer standout Megan Rapinoe received the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award Monday in Milan, becoming the fourth American to win the honor. This summer, co-captain Rapinoe led the U.S. women’s team to its second consecutive World Cup title. The team’s coach, Jill Ellis, was named the top women’s coach, an award she also won in 2015. “This World Cup, perhaps more than any other, was such an incredible team effort on so many fronts that I feel like I’m accepting this award on behalf of the team,” Rapinoe, a forward, said during the ceremony. For a record sixth time, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi of Argentina was named the world’s best men’s player. Source: Los Angeles Times

 

Monday,  Sept. 23rd, 2019

Boeing announces each relative of victims of two air disasters will be paid US$144,500 by the aircraft manufacturer, and will not have to waive their right to litigate to receive the money. (Reuters)

Doctors Without Borders alleges the World Health Organisation is rationing vaccines for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo despite adequate resources. (France 24)

Iran says a UK-flagged ship seized several months ago is free to depart. MV Stena Impero, an oil tanker, was captured in response to the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar over allegations it was carrying fuel to Syria. (The Independent)

Afghan officials say a government strike Sunday night on a militant facility in Musa Qala District, Helmand Province, killed 35 or more civilians at a wedding party nearby. The Afghan Defence Ministry says the operation targeted a training facility for suicide bombers and it killed 22 members of the Taliban. The Taliban say 18 members of the Afghan forces were killed. (Reuters)

British travel company Thomas Cook enters compulsory liquidation, leaving 150,000 British holidaymakers stranded abroad and endangering 22,000 jobs worldwide. In response, the UK government and the Civil Aviation Authority launches Operation Matterhorn, the largest repatriation in the UK’s peacetime history. (BBC)

Raging wildfires in Indonesia cause the sky to turn red over much of Sumatra. The phenomenon is a result of Rayleigh scattering. (BBC)

A group of alleged ISIL sympathisers go on trial in France, including two women accused of an attempted car bombing at Notre-Dame Cathedral in 2016. Defendants also include a man being tried in absentia whom the United States claims to have killed via drone strike in 2017; the court ruled no evidence had been provided to confirm his death. (France 24)

In Port-au-Prince, an Associated Press photojournalist and a security guard are wounded when Senator Jean Marie Ralph Féthière (PHTK) opens fire, reportedly trying to pass through a demonstration outside the Haitian Parliament. The Senate tries to convene and appoint Fritz-William Michel as Prime Minister. (The Guardian)

The World Anti-Doping Agency launches a probe into “inconsistencies” with laboratory results from Russia, promising “the most stringent sanctions” if violations are found. Russia was previously banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics following a similar probe. (France 24)

In a rare joint press release, European car makers warn that a no-deal Brexit, introducing administrative hassle and tariffs, would have a “seismic” impact on frictionless trading conditions and that it would deal a “severe” blow to the industry’s just-in-time manufacturing supply chains, also potentially affecting “consumer choice and affordability on both sides of the Channel”. (AFP via The Guardian)

Tunisian tourism minister René Trabelsi says Thomas Cook owes Tunisian hotels €60 million for stays in July and August, with 4,500 customers still in the country. Tourism in Tunisia is a vital sector. (Reuters)

After “seriously considering feedback from different parties who feel objections on some substantial content”, Indonesian President Joko Widodo postpones the vote on a new criminal code, intended to replace the century-old Dutch colonial-era penal code. The proposed code would criminalise extramarital sex, insults to the president and “obscene acts”. (CNN)

2019 Emmys: Fleabag, Game of Thrones win big The 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards belonged to Fleabag. Show creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge won awards for best writing in a comedy series and best lead actress in a comedy, a surprise upset over Veep‘s Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Fleabag also won the award for best comedy series. Game of Thrones‘ Peter Dinklage took home the best supporting actor in a drama award, and has now won the category four times, setting a record. The HBO show, which ended its run this spring, also won for best drama series. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s Tony Shalhoub won for best supporting actor in a comedy and his co-star, Alex Borstein, won for best supporting actress in a comedy, previously winning the same honor in 2018. Barry‘s Bill Hader also won his second consecutive best lead actor in a comedy award, while Pose‘s Billy Porter became the first openly gay black man to win the lead actor in a drama Emmy. Source: Deadline

Trump heads to U.N. with multiple crises roiling President Trump on Monday starts a three-day trip to join world leaders for the United Nations General Assembly. The trip comes as tensions swirl around Trump’s relationship with Ukraine, a showdown with Iran following strikes against Saudi oil facilities, Trump’s trade war with China, and frozen nuclear talks with North Korea. Trump said “nothing is ever off the table completely,” but that he had no plans to meet on the sidelines with Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani as the U.S. pushes to build a coalition to confront Tehran over the attack in Saudi Arabia, which rattled the world oil market. Trump meets Wednesday with the president of Ukraine as Democrats press the Trump administration to release a whistleblower’s complaint about a phone call Trump had with a foreign leader believed to involve Ukraine. Source: ABC News

More Below The Fold

Sunday, Sept 22nd, 2019

Fleabag wins Outstanding Comedy Series and Game of Thrones wins Outstanding Drama Series at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards. (CNBC)

German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze says the €54 billion climate plan approved by the German cabinet on Friday enables her country to join the Powering Past Coal Alliance. Germany expects to transition away from coal by 2038. (Deutsche Welle)

Argentina accuses Venezuela of committing “crimes against humanity”, “torture and murder” after receiving reports from Venezuelan refugees in the country. The Argentine Government will file a formal accusation against Venezuela before the International Court of Justice. (Clarín)

Dominic Raab says the UK Government will abide by the upcoming Supreme Court’s ruling on the lawfulness of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s prorogation of Parliament. When asked if the Government would prorogue Parliament again if it wins, he answers that he’s “keen not to take levers off the table that weaken the position of the UK in Brussels”. (BBC)

The Joint List recommends Benny Gantz as the next Prime Minister of Israel. This is the first time an Arab-led political party recommends a candidate for prime minister since they recommended Yitzhak Rabin in 1992. (Axios)

 

Saturday,  Sep 21st, 2019

As the number of refugees from the crisis in Venezuela is projected to surpass the 6 million figure in 2020, matching that of the Syrian Civil War now, Brookings Institution calculates that aid for Venezuelan emigration is yet only 1.5% that for Syrian emigrants after five years of crisis. (Bloomberg)

Climate change protesters glue themselves to a road near the Port of Dover in England, blocking it. Police arrest ten people, believed to be members of Extinction Rebellion. Further scheduled protests take place in a dedicated area set up by police. (BBC)

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards leader, Hossein Salami, warns that “any country that attacks the Islamic Republic will have their mainland turned into the main battlefield”. He further added that “any attack will not stop until the full destruction of the aggressor”. (Al Arabiya English)

Turkish authorities declare a forest wildfire near Istanbul to be the result of terrorism. They say a suspect is in custody. (The Daily Sabah)

Thousands of protestors march in Edinburgh, Scotland, against the upcoming departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The crowd is addressed by Members of the UK Parliament, and Members of the Scottish Parliament. Amongst the attendees is MSP Joanna Cherry QC, who is taking legal action against UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent prorogation of the UK Parliament. Cherry’s action succeeded at Scotland’s Court of Session, and is currently being reviewed by the UK Supreme Court. (BBC)

 

Friday,  Sep 20th, 2019

The Trump administration lifts tariffs on 437 goods, amid talks. Chinese officials cancel a planned farm visit to return to China earlier. (Reuters)

American retailer Walmart announces it will stop selling electronic cigarettes, which have recently caused at least eight deaths and 530 cases of a new extreme form of respiratory disease. (CNN)

U.S. President Donald Trump demands that European allies, in particular Germany and France, take back captured ISIL fighters, or else, he says, “we’re going to let them go at your border”. Trump also made the same threat in August. (AFP via MSN News)

A bomb explodes onboard a minibus at a security checkpoint near Karbala, Iraq, killing 12 civilians. (SFGate)

The United States unveils the “highest sanctions ever imposed on a country”, targeting Iran’s Central Bank and its National Development Fund. (Politico)

The head of the Iranian Central Bank says the “re-boycotting” of the already-blacklisted institution shows the U.S.’ failure to find new ways to pressure Iran. (Reuters)

Millions of young people take to the streets and numerous businesses worldwide go on strike days before the UN Climate Summit, demanding that further action be taken to confront climate change. (Reuters)

Thousands of protestors march across Egypt, including at Tahrir Square, demanding the resignation of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. (Al-Jazeera)

Nigeria bans international humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger for allegedly providing food and medicine for Boko Haram militants in the north-east of the country. Action Against Hunger denies the Nigerian military’s accusations. (BBC)

Taiwan severs diplomatic relations with Kiribati, according to Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. Only the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu mantain allegiance to Taiwan in the Pacific. (RNZ)

Thousands of students and numerous businesses go on strike days before the UN Climate Summit, demanding that further action be taken to confront climate change. (Reuters)

The Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio announces he is ending his presidential campaign to become President of the United States, saying “I feel like I have contributed all I can to this primary election, and it’s clearly not my time”. (BBC)

Twitter suspends a network of 4,258 accounts using fake names being operated from the United Arab Emirates that were spreading fake news and propaganda, mostly about Qatar and the war in Yemen. Twitter also suspends the account of Saud al-Qahtani, over his suspected role in the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi. (Al Jazeera)

 

Global ‘climate strike’ aims to bolster U.N. summit with massive crowds Millions of protesters around the world are expected to participate in Friday’s “global climate strike,” a series of rallies urging measures to combat climate change ahead of a United Nations summit in New York. Large crowds turned out in Australia to kick off the day of youth-led protests, inspired in part by the “Fridays for Future” demonstrations by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg. The estimated 300,000 protesters at 100 rallies in Australia — including 100,000 in Melbourne and 80,000 in Sydney — would make it the biggest protest in Australia since the Iraq War in 2003. More than 800 events are planned around the U.S., and Europe and Asia are expecting hundreds more. Source: BBC News

 

Thursday, Sept 19th, 2019

According to Afghan officials, a U.S. drone strike kills more than 30 pine nut farm workers in Nangarhar Province. The U.S. military say they targeted ISIL terrorists. (Reuters)

According to Afghan officials, a Taliban truck bomb outside a hospital in Qalat, Zabul Province, kills more than 30 people. The Taliban say they targeted a National Directorate of Security building nearby. (The Guardian)

A German magazine reports that the chief financial officer of automobile manufacturer BMW, Nicolas Peter, plans to cut between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs at that company, mostly at the Munich headquarters, before 2022. (Reuters)

UK-based travel agent Thomas Cook is reported to be attempting to sell assets as it seeks to prevent its collapse. The group employs 20,000 people and, were it to collapse, approximately 150,000 customers currently abroad would require repatriation assistance from the Civil Aviation Authority in the largest peacetime operation of its kind. (Sky News)

Over the last three days, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York adds more than US$200 billion liquidity to the money market, countering a spike in the repo rate on Tuesday. (Business Day)

An F-16 fighter jet of the Belgian Air Component strikes a house before crashing into a field near Pluvigner, north-west France. Both pilots eject and escape with minor injuries, but one gets his parachute entangled in high-voltage power lines, requiring two hours to rescue. (BBC)

France and Italy call for a new system to redistribute immigrants to the European Union amid an ongoing increase in the numbers arriving, complaining of unfair demands being placed upon nations where immigrants make landfall. (BBC)

The United States Department of State withholds US$160 million in direct aid to Afghanistan, citing “Afghan Government corruption and financial mismanagement.” (The Hill)

The only prosecution concerning the 2011 nuclear catastrophe ends with the acquittal of three former Tepco executives. The decision means nobody has been held criminally responsible for the meltdown. Greenpeace says the verdict is not very surprising, since the case was “hugely political”. (Al Jazeera)

Interpol reports that in six weeks it has detected more than a dozen people wanted for terrorism offences crossing the Mediterranean Sea using tourist routes. The joint operation involved Algeria, France, Italy, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia. (BBC)

A study ordered by the Canadian government finds that exposure to anti-mosquito fumigation, which contains cholinesterase-inhibiting neurotoxins, coincides with brain damage causing the same symptoms as those associated with the syndrome. (Reuters)

 

Wednesday,  Sept. 18th, 2019

South Korea officially removes Japan from its “whitelist” of countries with fast-track trade status. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia joins the International Maritime Security Construct. (Arab News)

Prosecutiors in the case of the latest attempt to kill Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi announce that Eletise Leafa Vitale, convicted of the assassination of one of Malielegoai’s Cabinet members in another failed attempt at killing him in 1999, will testify in the trial against the conspirators of this year’s plot. (RNZ)

U.S. President Donald Trump appoints attorney and former U.S. State Department hostage negotiator Robert O’Brien as his new National Security Advisor. (The New York Times)

 South Korea officially removes Japan from its “whitelist” of countries with fast-track trade status. (Reuters)

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence cancels a meeting with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in response to the country’s move to cut ties with Taiwan and establish relations with China. (RNZ)

EPA to revoke California auto emissions authority, teeing up huge legal battle The Environmental Protection Agency will formally revoke California’s right to set its own stricter vehicle emissions rules as early as Wednesday, setting up a massive legal fight with high-stakes consequences for U.S. automakers and greenhouse gas emissions. The Trump administration has long signaled it will revoke California’s special authority to set its own auto emissions standards, granted under the 1970 Clean Air Act; 13 states have pledged to follow California’s stricter rules. California vowed to fight the waiver withdrawal all the way to the Supreme Court. Trump’s move against California was originally supposed to be part of a broader rollback of fuel economy standards set under President Barack Obama, but it was pushed forward as the other parts of the plan hit internal roadblocks. Source: The Washington Post

Israel’s election too close to call The results of Israel’s national election are starting to trickle in, and show the race is too close to call. With 25.77 percent of votes counted early Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party had 28.42 percent of the vote, followed by the Blue and White Party with 25.4 percent. Exit polls showed that he did not appear to have enough votes for a parliamentary majority, and the Central Elections Commission told the Times of Israel the final tally might not be known until Wednesday afternoon. The commission also said 69.4 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots, with higher turnout among Arab voters; this was likely due to Netanyahu’s actions before the election, as he questioned their loyalty and vowed to annex settlements in the West Bank. Source:  The Guardian

Report: Military leaders gave Trump potential actions against Iran In response to drone attacks against Saudi Arabian oil facilities over the weekend, the Trump administration is contemplating several different ways to retaliate against Iran, U.S. officials told NBC News on Tuesday. U.S. intelligence says there is strong evidence that Iran was behind the attack, an accusation Tehran denies. During a national security meeting on Monday, Trump was reportedly presented with several ways the U.S. could target Iran, including a strike against oil facilities or a cyber attack, but Trump wants to avoid being drawn into a larger military conflict with Iran, and he asked for more options. On Monday, Trump said the U.S. is prepared for war, but “we’d certainly like to avoid it.” Source: NBC News

Nadler: Lewandowski actions ‘completely unacceptable’ in House hearing At the end of a contentious hearing on Tuesday, House Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) told President Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski that his behavior was “completely unacceptable” and “part of a pattern by a White House desperate for the American people not to hear the truth.” The committee’s Democrats are investigating whether to recommend articles of impeachment against Trump, and Nadler said the hearing focused on “presidential obstruction of justice and abuse of power.” Lewandowski had been ordered by Trump to not answer any questions about conversations they had after Trump became president, and Nadler said this was “troubling” and “an absolute cover-up by the White House.” Nadler also said he was considering holding Lewandowski in contempt. Source: CNN

Biden, Warren pull away from pack in new poll Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to top the 2020 Democratic primary field, earning 31 percent support in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday. He’s gained five percent from the outlets’ July poll. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) meanwhile gained six percent from July, coming in at 25 percent. The top contenders’ gains seem to have come from Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who hit 13 percent in July but is down to 5 percent now. Biden proved the top choice of nearly half of the poll’s black respondents and, likewise, almost half of those over age 65. But all that could change, seeing as only 9 percent of respondents said they were definitely decided on which candidate they’d support. Source: NBC News

 

Tuesday,  Sept. 17th, 2019

Suicide bombings in Afghanistan kill 48 people including civilians and soldiers. The first is in Charikar at a rally for Ashraf Ghani, the President of Afghanistan. The second is in Kabul near the U.S. embassy. (The New York Times)

Italian champion speedboat designer and racer Fabio Buzzi and two other racers are killed when their boat, attempting to set a new Monte Carlo-to-Venice record in the Assonautica Italiana race, crashes into a sunken, flood-barrier dam near the finish line. A fourth racer is in hospital with serious injuries. (BBC)

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen regrets and strongly condemns the move by the Solomon Islands to cut ties with Taiwan and establish relations with China. (RNZ)

Amid a gag order from the White House, impeachment hearings begin at the United States House Committee on the Judiciary. (The Independent)

Israeli voters head to the polls after the last election failed to form a government. Exit polls show the incumbent right-wing Likud barely losing to the centrist Blue and White alliance. (Reuters)

The Arab-dominated Joint List is projected to win between 13 and 15 seats, its highest showing ever. Yisrael Beiteinu, lead by former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, is expected to play kingmaker. (Reuters)

Monday,  Sept. 16th, 2019

Iran says the accusations about the Saudi Arabian oil facilities attacks are unacceptable and baseless. (Al Arabiya English)

Iraq says the United States has told them that the information the U.S. has “confirms the Iraqi government’s statement that its territory was not used to carry out this attack”. (Reuters)

Figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China show that industrial production growth in August was at a 17-year low. (SCMP)

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran says it has seized a vessel in the Persian Gulf which it claims was smuggling diesel fuel to the United Arab Emirates. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

The Cabinet of the Solomon Islands votes to shift diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China. Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu says that, since the Solomon Islands decided to establish diplomatic relations with China, this prompts Taiwan to cut ties with the Solomon Islands”.  (Reuters)

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson abrubtly pulls out of a press conference in Luxembourg to avoid an anti-Brexit protest organised and attended by British citizens living in Luxembourg. Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel attends the press conference, where, during a short speech followed by questions from journalists, he contradicts Johnson’s prior public statements and exposes that the UK government has not submited any concrete proposals for ammendments to the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement from the European Union, or delivered any alternative to the “Irish backstop” which Johnson wishes to replace. Bettel warns Johnson that he “holds the future of all UK citizens in his hands” and that he shouldn’t “hold the future hostage for party political gain”. (BBC)

At the Liberal Democrats conference, party leader Jo Swinson reaffirms that if elected any future Liberal Democrat led government, would halt Brexit by revoking Article 50, adding that in the case of a hung parliament she would not enter a coalition with either the Conservatives or Labour. (BBC)

The End