Tag: BBC

Pope Francis endorses wealth redistribution, calls for an end to tax cuts for the ‘richest people’

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Pope Francis blasted the practice of tax cuts for the rich as part of a “structure of sin” and lamented the fact that “billions of dollars” end up in “tax haven accounts” instead of funding “healthcare and education.”

Speaking at the seminar set up by the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences  the Pope criticized “the richest people” for receiving “repeated tax cuts” in the name of “investment and development.” These “tax haven accounts” impede “the possibility of the dignified and sustained development of all social agents,” claims the Pope.

He added that “the poor increase around us” as poverty is rising around the world. This poverty can be ended if the wealthiest gave more.

“The 50 richest people in the world have an equity equivalent to 2.2 billion dollars. Those fifty people alone could finance the medical care and education of every poor child in the world, whether through taxes, philanthropic initiatives or both. Those fifty people could save millions of lives every year,” the Pope said.

Though Pope Francis believes poverty is a major current issue, something he has spoken about before, he tried to remain hopeful by saying the world’s problems today are “solvable.”

“The main message of hope I want to share with you is precisely this: these are solvable problems, not ones from a lack of resources. There is no determinism that condemns us to universal inequity. Let me repeat: we are not condemned to universal inequity,” he said.

Though the Pope spoke of the dangers of “extreme poverty” in his economic speech, reports suggest that extreme poverty is falling every year around the globe.

Still, a higher tax rate for wealthier individuals is a popular idea with some parties in both the US and UK, and the gap between rich and poor is certainly widening. A recent Oxfam report indicated the richest one percent of the world’s population has twice as much wealth as the remaining 90 percent, or 6.9 billion people.

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PHONY liberal media turns Republican Romney into HERO for sticking it to Trump (just like it did McCain & Bush)

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Zachary Leeman is a US-based journalist and author of the novel Nigh.

 

Mitt Romney is the latest token Republican being hoisted up on the shoulders of the mainstream media thanks to his “courageous” decision to defy Donald Trump by voting with Democrats to impeach the president.

You would think the Utah senator single-handedly defeated Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and then rescued a few kittens out of trees on his way home the way the media is writing about him.

The New Yorker declared that the former presidential candidate “seized” a chance to “rewrite his own place in history” with his impeachment vote.

An opinion piece in the Washington Post deemed the decision “courageous,” and Twitter was full of love for the man once eviscerated by liberal commentators for simply saying “binders full of women.”

The lionization of Romney is nothing new. The mainstream media always keeps a few token Republicans around, and they usually have one they deem worthy of their praises, so long as that person happens to fit with the current agenda, and the current agenda is opposing Trump, so Romney is temporarily safe from the usual scorn his party affiliation and faith receive.

Others have also found themselves walking down that path of praise, past mockery cast aside so they can be deemed heroes for daring to break from Republican ranks and oppose the president.

John McCain

Romney has been crowned the new McCain.

“Like McCain before him, Romney rebukes Trump,” Roll Call wrote after Romney’s impeachment vote.

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Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin applauded Romney’s impeachment vote speech by calling it “McCain-esque.”

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McCain wasn’t always liked though. When he ran against Barack Obama in 2008, the late Arizona senator was painted as an over-the-hill Republican grouch with racist policies. The Pew Research Center found in the weeks leading up to the election, negative stories about McCain were three to one. Obama, meanwhile, had the opposite problem. Only about a third of stories written about him were negative.

Google McCain’s name today and you’d be hard-pressed to find a bad word about him. Why is that? Could it be his time spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam? No, it’s because he was one of Trump’s most consistent Republican critics.

The New York Times, the same paper that ran an editorial in 2008 accusing McCain of possibly running racist ads, published piece after piece defendingMcCain from Trump attacks. Quite a flip.

Like Romney, McCain was a defeated political opponent later praised as an elder statesman and protector of all things good simply because he didn’t like Trump.

Anthony Scaramucci

He may have only served as the director of communications in the White House for eleven days, but that hasn’t stopped Scaramucci from turning himself into a self-appointed expert on the president.

Once one of Trump’s most loyal supporters, Scaramucci did a complete 180 degree turn in recent months and now appears to oppose everything he once promoted. What’s ironic about him now appearing on CNN and MSNBC or writing op-eds for Huffington Post and Washington Post about how he saw the wrong in his views is the same left-wing media he now frequents is the reason he was out of a job in the first place.

Scaramucci was fired after an interview with the New Yorker where he said some pretty vulgar things about White House officials, including Steve Bannon. Scaramucci thought the comments were off the record and was just as shocked as everyone else when he saw them in print.

George W. Bush

Before the possibility of Trump becoming president was ever a reality, George W. Bush was sold by the mainstream media as the worst Republicans had to offer. He was blasted as racist, incompetent, cowardly, on and on it went. The hysteria over Bush was so bad conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer coined the term “Bush Derangement Syndrome” — sound familiar? — to describe the extremeness that came with critiques of the man.

Leftists like Michael Moore blasted Bush and higher-ups in his administration as war criminals for starting the war in Iraq. Former Los Angeles prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi wrote an entire book about prosecuting Bush for murder, and he’s the same guy who wrote ‘Helter Skelter’, the book about cult leader Charles Manson!

A film was even released fantasizing about Bush’s assassination, ‘Death of a President’, and it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. And before there was ever a push for Nancy Pelosi to impeach Trump, she was being pushed to impeach Bush. It was hard to imagine at the time that any politician could ever inspire the vitriolic hate that Bush did.

Then Trump came into the picture and knocked W.’s brother Jeb out of the running for president. George W. Bush in turn criticized Trump. He even defended the media as “essential to democracy” while Trump popularized terms like “fake news” in his war with the press.

Bush went from a threat to democracy to an “unlikely savior,” as the New York Times so subtly put it. He has been so redeemed in some eyes that more loyal leftists have become a tad uncomfortable with the man ranking on ‘most admired’ lists and hanging with celebs like Ellen DeGeneres. They have taken to trying to remind people of the good old days where people fantasized about everything from the man in prison to in the grave on a daily basis.

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REPORT: CHINESE PEOPLE SELLING USED FACE MASKS FOUND IN TRASH

Report: Chinese People Selling Used Face Masks Found in Trash

What could possibly go wrong?

  – FEBRUARY 6, 2020

A New Zealander who lives in China told the New Zealand Herald that “everything has fallen apart” and some Chinese people are selling used face masks found in trash cans.

The man, who lives in northeast China with his wife and two children, told the newspaper, “It’s getting worse by the day … everything has fallen apart here.”

The eyewitness was speaking on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisals from the Chinese government, which has threatened people with 15 years jail time for spreading “misinformation” about the coronavirus.

With shortages crippling many areas of the country, the man said even used face masks were being sold for $50 dollars.

“I see old ladies walking around picking face masks out of the trash and then they sell them on the street the next day laughing about it,” he said. “When China says they’ve got enough and they’re handing them out, they’re not, I can tell you that now – there’s none available anywhere.”

He added that the masks are being ironed to make them appear new and that fights over food such as eggs and vegetables were also becoming a common occurrence.

As we highlighted yesterday, citing numbers inadvertently published by Tencent’s Epidemic Situation Tracker, Taiwan News reported that coronavirus infections are “astronomically higher than official figures,” and could be as high as 10 times those publicly released.

 

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HONG KONGERS EMPTY STORE SHELVES OF FOOD, SUPPLIES AMID CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

Hong Kongers Empty Store Shelves of Food, Supplies Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Stores running out of rice, toilet paper and surgical masks

Kit Daniels  – FEBRUARY 6, 2020

Hong Kong residents are emptying store shelves of storable food and household supplies out of fears China will seal its borders, thus stopping exports to Hong Kong.

Residents have already wiped out supermarkets of rice, toilet paper and cleaning wipes in addition to surgical masks and sanitizers which were already running in short supply.

“If China stops exporting stuff here, where would we get our necessities from?” Asked an elderly lady in front of empty shelves, as reported by Voice of America.

The outlet also reported that there’s a “there is also panic buying on rice — a staple food for Hong Kongers — packet noodles and vitamins, leaving the shelves eerily empty, although there was no shortage of meat and vegetables in shops,” suggesting that residents are stocking up on food that won’t spoil.

“There has been a severe shortage of surgical masks and sanitizing agents such as alcohol hand rubs and wipes, with many pharmacies posting notes on their windows saying ‘No masks, alcohol sanitizing agents or wipes available,’” stated Voice of America. “Long queues quickly form outside any shops that announce they have a supply of masks.”

“Thousands braved chilly winds and camped overnight Tuesday outside an outlet at Kowloon Bay that said it had procured a supply of masks from Dubai.”

Additionally, 10 clinics have closed in Hong Kong due to the lack of surgical masks, and another 400 clinics may soon close if more mask shipments are not received.

China’s economic output has slowed down significantly due to the unprecedented quarantine of millions of mainland residents, which has also contributed to the stockpiling in Hong Kong.

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TAIWAN NEWS REPORTS CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS “ASTRONOMICALLY HIGHER THAN OFFICIAL FIGURES”

Taiwan News Reports Coronavirus Infections "Astronomically Higher than Official Figures"

Claims real numbers are ten times higher.

  – FEBRUARY 6, 2020

Citing numbers inadvertently published by Tencent’s Epidemic Situation Tracker, Taiwan News reports that coronavirus infections are “astronomically higher than official figures.”

According to the online news outlet, “Tencent may have accidentally leaked real data on Wuhan virus deaths.”

The story claims that Tencent accidentally “showed confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (2019nCoV) in China as standing at 154,023, 10 times the official figure at the time. It listed the number of suspected cases as 79,808, four times the official figure.”

Tencent’s tracker also claimed that the death toll was actually 24,589 – “astronomically higher” than the 300 deaths officially confirmed at that time.

The figures were quickly changed back to the official figures, but Chinese netizens were able to get screenshots before this happened.

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“Netizens noticed that Tencent has on at least three occasions posted extremely high numbers, only to quickly lower them to government-approved statistics,” reports Taiwan News.

The report speculates that either a coding problem could be causing the real “internal” data to accidentally be displayed or there could be a whistleblower on the inside who is “trying to leak the real numbers.”

Shortages of test kits as well as victims dying before they can reach hospital and be officially recorded as coronavirus victims has prompted numerous observers to claim that the real numbers are actually far higher.

As we previously reported, a top virologist who was involved in the response to SARS and visited Wuhan said he believes that the coronavirus is “out of control.”

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THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK SHOWS “NO SIGNS OF SLOWING” AS CREMATORIUMS BURN BODIES 24 HOURS A DAY

The Coronavirus Outbreak Shows “No Signs Of Slowing” As Crematoriums Burn Bodies 24 Hours A Day

We have entered a time of great chaos for the entire planet, and this virus certainly has the potential to greatly accelerate that chaos

Michael Snyder | Economic Collapse – FEBRUARY 6, 2020

The outbreak of this mysterious new coronavirus is getting more frightening with each passing day. 

As you will see below, even the mainstream media is admitting that the number of cases shows “no signs of slowing” even though the Chinese government has implemented draconian measures in a desperate attempt to contain the virus.

Many in the western world continue to insist that this disease is not any more dangerous than the common flu, but the Chinese never locked down entire cities for the flu before.

In recent days, the images that have been coming out of China have been absolutely horrifying.

If these images are accurate, people are literally dropping dead in restaurants, in shopping malls and in public transportation hubs.

Dr. Francis Boyle, who drafted the Biological Weapons Act, joins Owen Shroyer on The Alex Jones Show to expose the 2019 Wuhan coronavirus as an offensive biological warfare weapon that the World Health Organization (WHO) already knows about.

At the epicenter of this outbreak, crematoriums in Wuhan are burning bodies 24 hours a day as they try to keep up with the flood of dead bodies coming in, and the workers at those facilities are completely and totally overwhelmed.

When I last posted an article about this pandemic on The Economic Collapse Blogthree days ago, there were 14,637 confirmed cases and the death toll had risen to 305.

Since that time, both numbers have nearly doubled…

The death toll and number of people infected by the Wuhan coronavirus continues to grow, with no signs of slowing despite severe quarantine and population control methods put in place in central China.

The number of confirmed cases globally stood at 28,256 as of Thursday morning, with more than 28,000 of those in China. The number of cases in China grew by 3,694, or 15%, on the previous day. There have been 563 deaths so far, all but two of which were in China, with one in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong.

Can you imagine how bad things are going to get if the numbers keep roughly doubling every three days?

Of course many are extremely skeptical that the official numbers that the Chinese government is giving us are accurate.  Anecdotal reports seem to indicate that the situation is far worse than we are being told, and that includes firsthand testimony from a funeral home worker in Wuhan…

One worker at the Caidan Funeral Home, in suburban Wuhan, has claimed employees are working “24/7” to deal with the bodies, reports Epoch Times.

The worker said staff are exhausted and are working without proper equipment.

Identified only as Mr Yun, he said: “90 percent of our employees are working 24/7 … we couldn’t go back home.”

Chillingly, he claimed: “All Wuhan cremation chambers are working 24 hours.”

According to Mr. Yun, his facility needs “at least 100 body bags” every single day.  If every other cremation center in the city is handling a similar workload, that would strongly indicate that the true death toll is far, far larger than the official numbers we are being given.

Video footage that has been circulating on social media also seems to back up Mr. Yun’s claims…

Meanwhile, videos from workers dealing with the crisis have been circulating on social media, including one from a worker at a Wuhan funeral home who shared footage of more than 10 bodies lying on gurneys, lined up for cremation.

Some netizens also shared videos they shot within different hospitals in Wuhan, showing bodies waiting to be transferred from the hospitals to funeral homes.

Here in the western world, a lot of people are not taking this crisis very seriously yet.

But over in China things are happening that are absolutely crazy.

If you can believe it, Chinese authorities have actually started locking some victims inside their own homes…

The clip shows two officers padlocking the door while asking the resident inside, “Do you have enough rice and vegetables at home?“

“I think so,” responds the person inside.

“OK, so don’t come out,” responds the officer, adding, “We are locking your door from outside. Don’t come out. It’s good for everyone.”

Eventually the police will go back and check on those victims.

If they are no longer living, they will be put in body bags and shipped off to a crematorium.

Could we soon see similar things happen in western countries?

Let us hope not, but it has become quite clear that this is a very serious outbreak.

Out of all the stories I have come across, perhaps the most heartbreaking of all is the story of a woman that passed the virus on to her newborn baby…

A Chinese baby has been diagnosed with coronavirus just 30 hours after a woman who had tested positive for the deadly disease gave birth in the epicenter city of Wuhan, according to state media.

Doctors at the Wuhan Children’s Hospital on Wednesday cited the case as evidence that pregnant women infected with the virus may be able to pass it to their unborn children, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Can you imagine how heartbroken that mother must be right now?

Unfortunately, it looks like it won’t be too long before this is a true global pandemic.  At this point, Singapore and South Korea both have more than 20 confirmed cases…

Singapore announced a new confirmed case of the coronavirus today, bringing its total to 25.

South Korea also confirmed four more cases today, bringing the national total to 23.

And here in the United States we now have our 12th confirmed case…

Wisconsin has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, state officials said on Wednesday.

The new patient, of undisclosed age and gender, is the twelfth confirmed case in the US after testing positive for the virus at University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison.

As I keep stressing, we still don’t really know how bad this outbreak will eventually become in the western world.

We have entered a time of great chaos for the entire planet, and this virus certainly has the potential to greatly accelerate that chaos.

But this outbreak could also fizzle out soon, and then it would be regarded by most people in western countries as a “false alarm”.

For now, we will continue to carefully watch the latest developments each day.  The World Health Organization says that there are “no effective remedies” for this virus, and the number of cases continues to escalate.  China has already been completely gripped by panic, and if this outbreak continues to spread it is only a matter of time before more nations are paralyzed by fear as well.

 

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RUSSIAN EVACUEES FROM CHINA SOON QUARANTINED IN REMOTE SIBERIAN REGION

Russian Evacuees From China Soon Quarantined In Remote Siberian Region

150 Russians, foreigners to be monitored in isolated zone

Zero Hedge – FEBRUARY 5, 2020

The Russian Air Force on orders from President Vladimir Putin is currently in the midst of evacuating some over 150 Russian nationals from China and sending them to be “monitored” for coronavirus symptoms in a region of Western Siberia.

“Russian citizens and people from other countries evacuated from China will be temporarily accommodated in the Tyumen Region where they will be placed under quarantine, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova told reporters on Tuesday,” official news agency TASS reports.

This also after the first two cases of coronavirus in Russia were confirmed last Friday. Two Chinese nationals have already been quarantined in Tyumen and the far eastern Zabaykalsky region, and are expected to recover.

Tyumen Region is in Western Siberia, and was among the first regions of the harsh and remote eastern areas of Russia to be settled starting in the 16th century. During pre-revolutionary Russia and into Soviet times, the region historically served as a place of exile, including as part of the gulag system of labor camps in the north.

Some 147 people will be flown by the Russian Air Force from Wuhan and Hubei Province to the Tyumen area where they are expected to be monitored by medical authorities for at least 14 days.

“We are preparing ourselves for a possible wide spread of the infection,” Deputy Health Minister Sergei Krayevoy said, according to the Interfax news agency.

…Two Russian military planes were due to help evacuate 130 Russians stranded at the epicentre of the outbreak in China’s Hubei province, officials said. — Reuters

Russian authorities over the weekend restricted direct flights to China and shut the massive land border with China, which extends for 2,600 miles, which will no doubt have significant economic impact for both countries, given China remains Russia’s largest and most important trading partner.

“Our citizens as well as citizens of the Eurasian Economic Union and Ukraine will be accommodated in the Tyumen Region as the best prepared region where they will be placed under quarantine,” Deputy Prime Minister Golikova said in her statement Tuesday.

She indicated further that an evacuee list is still being finalized between the foreign ministry, the Russian Embassy in China, and the Chinese government.

On Monday, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being (Rospotrebnadzor) revealed that more than 4,000 total people who had contacts with suspected coronavirus infected individuals remain under medical supervision in Russia.

“Since December 31, Rospotrebnadzor examined 29,651 flights, and 1,627,142 people, discovered 379 people with diseases, who previously were in China for 14 days. Currently, more than 4,000 people who contacted with suspected coronavirus patients remain under medical supervision,” an official statement from the health agency said.

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