new world order

Worldwide unemployment hits new high

"Five years after the global financial crisis hit, unemployment numbers continue to soar, with a record 202 million people worldwide expected to be officially jobless this year, the International Labour Organization said Tuesday. Last year saw a clear resurgence of the crisis, the UN’s labour body said in its annual report on global employment trends, pointing out that jobless numbers rose by four million to 197 million in 2012. Last year, the global youth unemployment rate stood at 12.6 percent, and it was expected to rise to 12.9 percent by 2017, according to ILO." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWorldwide unemployment hits new high

Honi Soit Qui ‘Mali’ Pense

"The United States, incapable of allowing a military intervention to pass by without jumping on board, dutifully followed France in the Libya debacle, blowback from which was responsible for the re-igniting of the Touareg rebellion in Mali. What do the Touaregs have that is causing such stirring in France's colonial loins? France is dependent on nuclear power for 75 percent of its energy needs. The larger African region controlled by the Touareg, including particular in Niger, contains tons and tons of that substance that brings back memories of the Bush administration's Iraq lies: uranium." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHoni Soit Qui ‘Mali’ Pense

Study: Democracy in decline around the world

"Democracy around the world was in decline in 2012 for the seventh year in a row as the Arab Spring led nervous autocratic leaders to clamp down on any stirrings of dissent, a study said Wednesday. The annual report by the Freedom House non-governmental organization found 90 countries now enjoyed full freedom, up from 87 nations in 2011, but 27 places saw new restrictions on rights of assembly, expression, and the media." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStudy: Democracy in decline around the world

US Fires Back In Antiguan Gambling Spat

"The United States has warned Antigua and Barbuda not to pursue compensation agreed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) following a 2004 ruling against US laws prohibiting the provision of online gambling services to the United States market. In a landmark decision in 2004, the WTO agreed that these laws were in violation of the US's international treaty obligations. However, to date, the government of Antigua and Barbuda has said that 'it has been unable, despite sustained efforts, to either get the United States to comply with the WTO ruling or negotiate any reasonable compromise to settle the dispute.'" Continue reading →

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America Is Setting A Dangerous Precedent For The Drone Age

"Micah Zenko of the Council of Foreign Relations makes this argument in a new report: 'A major risk is that of proliferation. Over the next decade, the U.S. near-monopoly on drone strikes will erode as more countries develop and hone this capability. In this uncharted territory, U.S. policy provides a powerful precedent for other states and nonstate actors that will increasingly deploy drones with potentially dangerous ramifications.' Jim Michaels of USA Today reports that 75 countries, including Iran and China, have developed or acquired drone technology in the wake of America's prolific program." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica Is Setting A Dangerous Precedent For The Drone Age

America’s tactical interests cannot dictate Britain’s sovereign destiny

"The White House does not want to be distracted by internecine European disputes as it switches its main focus to the Pacific Rim – the 'Asian Pivot' – and deals with the really dangerous issue of China’s maritime conflict with Japan and South East Asia. But at the end of the day, the British people cannot let America’s taste for tidy structures in Europe determine policy on matters that go to the heart of our democracy and sovereign self-government. For me the snapping point was the disgraceful saga of the European Constitution, which I covered in minute detail as it wended its way through the Convention." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica’s tactical interests cannot dictate Britain’s sovereign destiny

Britain should stay in European Union, says Obama administration

"The Obama administration issued a direct challenge to David Cameron over Europe, on Wednesday when it warned of the dangers of holding a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU. A senior US official questioned the merits of holding a referendum as the prime minister's campaign to reset the terms of Britain's EU membership also came under assault from Brussels and Dublin. With just weeks to go until Cameron delivers a landmark speech in which he is expected to promise to hold a referendum on a 'new settlement' for Britain in the EU, the US assistant secretary for European affairs warned that 'referendums have often turned countries inwards'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritain should stay in European Union, says Obama administration

‘We can no longer afford to be American citizens’

"Well, you could always move to Canada, right? Think again. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) comes more fully into effect this year, and as The Globe and Mail's Barrie McKenna explains, 'FATCA will force the hand of many Americans in Canada, making them choose between compliance or giving up their U.S. citizenship.' Here's why." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘We can no longer afford to be American citizens’

IMF OK With Capital Controls, Inflationists Shrug

"The International Monetary Fund endorsed nations’ use of capital controls in certain circumstances, making official a shift, which has been in the works for three years, that will guide the fund’s advice. In a reversal of its historic support for unrestricted flows of money across borders, the Washington-based IMF said controls can be useful when countries have little room for economic policies such as lowering interest rates or when surging capital inflows threaten financial stability." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIMF OK With Capital Controls, Inflationists Shrug