Thursday, January 31, 2019
LIVE: March in support of Maduro hits the streets of Caracas Jan 31st 2019
Dangerous consequences in Venezuela regime change plan
9/11 The Victims Continue to Pile up & WTC7 The Smoking Gun
Christopher Bollyn - 9/11 The Overwhelming Evidence On Who Did It.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Cameroon Arrests Opposition Leader;Paul Biya's Police & Military Are Using Live Ammo On Protesters
Cameroon arrests opposition leader who claims he won 2018 election
Maurice Kamto and several others held following protests against result of October poll
The Cameroonian opposition leader who claims he won last year’s election has been arrested.
Police arrested Maurice Kamto on Monday along with several other opposition figures, including one who was pulled out of his hospital bed where he was recovering from gunshot wounds sustained at a protest against the central African country’s longtime president, Paul Biya.
Kamto was arrested at a supporter’s house in the economic capital, Douala, and according to local media transferred to the judicial police station in the political capital, Yaoundé, though the prominent lawyer and activist Felix Agbor Nkongho said he had been taken to an unknown destination.
After Kamto was taken away hundreds of people surrounded the house. Police officers fired shots in the air to disperse them.
Kamto and his party, the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, claim that they won the election in October, but the official figures showed them winning only 14% of the vote, in second place to the 85-year-old Biya, who has been in power for 36 years.
Since then the opposition has organised several protests, the latest of which took place on Saturday in towns across the country, and during which 117 people were arrested. Police opened fire on protesters with live ammunition.
The country has been descending into crisis as separatists in the English-speaking part battle with security forces to split off from the Francophone part, with civilians caught in the crossfire. The UN says more than 430,000 people have been displaced and hundreds killed. The military has been accused of killing civilians and looting, while separatists are apparently behind a rising number of kidnappings for ransom. Civilians are frequently deserting their homes and hiding in the countryside.
The situation in the town of Kumbo, in the north-west region, has deteriorated rapidly since Christmas, with residents of the area reporting that every time they try to go to town the military appears from the barracks nearby and opens fire. Often, they injure or indiscriminately kill civilians, residents say.
“We got up today with serious gunshots as from 4am,” one said last week. “The military have surrounded the park at Mbveh and [have been] shooting up seriously to the extent that they have killed one pregnant woman and wounded one separatist fighter.”
A few days later, another resident said two more fighters and a woman and her child were killed. “Yesterday was terrible in Kumbo again,” the person, who did not want to be named, said. “The military left for Mbveh shooting randomly in the air … people ran abandoning their shops and the military got into some and carried [away] huge sums of money. This morning everybody is scared, but they have not come back again.”
The whole city has been relying on a few springs for drinking water, as the water supply has been cut off due to the crisis. Residents say the water situation is becoming desperate.
The crisis started in 2016 as a demand for English to be used in courts and classrooms in the Anglophone regions.
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Bronx Man Exonerated After False Confession Caused Him To Serve 19 Years In Prison
Bronx man convicted for 1989 murder of mother cleared — 30 years later
Huwe Burton was wrongly convicted of one of the worst crimes imaginable — fatally stabbing his mom for drug money, then stripping her body naked to make it look as if she had been raped and murdered by an intruder.
He served almost 20 years in prison before he was paroled in 2009, but the Bronx native never truly felt free until Thursday.
That’s when he was finally cleared of the horrific 1989 killing.
“It just felt like a weight was officially lifted,” Burton, now 46, said moments after being exonerated in Bronx Supreme Court.
Burton silently wiped tears from his eyes as Justice Steven Barrett granted a motion to vacate his 30-year conviction.
“Certainly, it is a tragedy that Mr. Burton spent some 20 years in jail for a crime that he did not commit,” the judge said.
“For this, I want to apologize to Mr. Burton for a system that failed him.”
Burton was 16 when he returned home from school and found the body of his mother, Keziah, in her bedroom at their Williamsbridge apartment on Jan. 3, 1989.
His father, Raphael, was visiting relatives in Jamaica at the time.
Eager to make an arrest, detectives forced Burton, then a sophomore at Evander Childs HS, to confess to the slaying, according to a two-year, joint investigation by the Bronx district attorney’s Conviction
Integrity Unit and the nonprofit Innocence Project.
The sleep-deprived teen copped to investigators’ theory — that he was a crack addict who exploded in a rage when his mom refused to give him $200 to pay his dealer.
The 59-year-old nurse, who worked at Beth Abraham Hospital, was found with her wrists bound by a telephone cord, and detectives came up with the idea that her drug-crazed son staged her grisly slaying to look like a rape-murder.
At the time, one investigator publicly declared himself shocked “that someone would degrade their mother to that degree.”
During Burton’s hours-long interrogation, cops browbeat him with threats of statutory-rape charges because he had an underage girlfriend — and also promised that he would be treated leniently and tried as a juvenile in Family Court if he admitted accidentally killing his mom.
But after falsely confessing to matricide, Burton was instead prosecuted as an adult, convicted of second-degree murder and weapons possession in 1991 and slapped with a 15 years-to-life prison sentence.
Officials now believe Emmanuel Green, a 22-year-old felon who lived in an apartment below the Burtons, was likely the killer.
Days after Keziah Burton’s death, Green was busted for running a red light — in her stolen car.
“The apprehension of Green in possession of Ms. Burton’s car should’ve been a red flag,” one of Huwe Burton’s lawyers, Innocence Project staff attorney Susan Friedman, said in court.
“However, instead it was perceived by police as a problem — because they had closed the case six days earlier.”
Green was killed in a love triangle a short time later, and his convictions, including for a knifepoint robbery and rape of a teen girl, were never disclosed to the defense.
Burton wouldn’t see freedom until he was paroled in 2009, while Innocence Project lawyers worked to clear his name.
The nonprofit was founded by Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck, who were part of O.J. Simpson’s defense team.
Prosecutors said they supported Burton’s exoneration because the three detectives who interrogated him used what research now considers “psychologically coercive techniques” to elicit his false confession.
During its re-investigation of Burton’s case, the DA’s office found the cops used the same tactics in two unrelated murder cases three months before his arrest.
Separate juries acquitted the defendants in both of those cases after less than an hour of deliberations each.
District Attorney Darcel Clark said her office would review the other cases handled by the now-retired 47th Precinct investigators — Lt. Frank Viggiano and Detectives Stanley Schiffman and Sevelie Jones.
But, Clark said, “what happened back then, what they did, was not necessarily wrong.”
“That is the way things were done then. The science and things have developed over the years so that now we know that those techniques are not good to produce reliable confessions,” she said.
“For 1989, that was standard practice for NYPD. That’s how they did it. But now we know better.”
Inside the packed Bronx courtroom, Burton lamented his treatment.
“I stand here today for that 16-year-old boy. He didn’t have anyone to protect him,” he told the court.
And he expressed sorrow for his father, who died in 2005 without knowing his son would be vindicated.
“I stand here today for my father, who never made it to this point in the journey, who had the responsibility of dealing with his wife’s death and dealing with his son’s defense at the same time,” he said.
Attending the emotional hearing were two fellow exonerees — Yusef Salaam of the “Central Park Five” and Jeffrey Deskovic, cleared of murdering a high-school classmate in Peekskill, Westchester County.
Afterward, Burton headed to Marcus Samuelsson’s famed Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem to celebrate with his lawyers and girlfriend, Schaunta Booth.
E-cigarettes help more smokers quit than patches and gum, study finds
LONDON (Reuters) - E-cigarettes are almost twice as effective at helping smokers quit as nicotine replacement treatments like patches, lozenges and gum, according to the results of a major clinical trial.
A saleswoman holds an e-cigarette as she demonstrates vaping at the Vape Shop that sells e-cigarette products in Beijing, China January 30, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
The study, involving almost 900 smokers, found that 18 percent of e-cigarette users were smoke-free after a year, compared to 9.9 percent who tried quitting using other products.
“This is great news for cigarette smokers who want to quit,” said Richard Miech, from the University of Michigan in the United States who has studied e-cigarettes but was not involved in this trial. “This evidence is persuasive.”
E-cigarettes have no tobacco, but contain nicotine-laced liquids that the user inhales in a vapor. Many big tobacco companies, including British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands and Japan Tobacco, sell e-cigarettes.
Using e-cigarettes, or “vaping”, is considered by many health experts to be an effective way for smokers to give up tobacco, but the scientific community has been divided over their potential public health benefits.
Independent experts said the latest trial, funded by Britain’s National Institute for Health Research and carried out by researchers from Queen Mary University of London, was robust and well-conducted.
Some research has previously suggested e-cigarettes might help smokers cut back or quit altogether, but other studies have raised concerns about their use among teenagers.
This study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found a stronger e-cigarette effect than previous trials. The researchers said this might be due to the inclusion of smokers seeking help, the provision of face-to-face support, and allowing the e-cigarette users to choose their own liquids.
In the trial, 886 smokers were randomly divided into groups to receive either up to three months’ supply of nicotine replacement products such as patches, gum, lozenges and sprays, or an e-cigarette starter pack with one or two bottles of liquid and encouragement to buy their own choice of future supplies.
All participants were also tested to see if they were still smoking tobacco cigarettes, and had weekly one-to-one support for at least four weeks. The researchers said one reason e-cigarettes were found to be more effective may be that they allow for better tuning of nicotine doses to individual needs.
Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, a behavioral expert at Britain’s Oxford University, said the study adds to growing evidence that e-cigarettes can improve health by helping smokers quit.
“More research is needed on the effects of long-term electronic cigarette use, but experts agree e-cigarettes are considerably less harmful than smoking, so switching...is likely to bring substantial health gains,” she said.
Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
What's Happening In Venezuela Explained in 2 Minutes....
Confessions of an Economic Hitman - John Perkins
Or If you have 25 minutes Check out this short documentary by the Hit-man Himself John Perkins |
Or If you Have 1hr 30min check out the full Documentary Movie By John Perkins (Recommended)
John Bolton ADMITS U.S. is Backing Venezuela Coup Because of Oil
Bolton: We're Taking Venezuela's Oil
US Sanctions Are Killing Venezuelans: UN Expert Says
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Bank of England to Decide on Venezuelan Gold, Not UK Government - Foreign Office
LONDON (Sputnik) - It is up to the Bank of England to decide whether to give Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro access to gold reserves it is holding under contract, Alan Duncan, the minister of state at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said.
"This is a decision for the Bank of England, not for government. It is they who have to make a decision on this, but no doubt they will take into account when they do so, the fact that a large number of countries across the world are now questioning the legitimacy of Nicolas Maduro and recognizing that of Juan Guaido", Duncan told the UK parliament during an urgent question on Venezuela.
© REUTERS / MARCO BELLO
Guaido reportedly said in the letter to the UK authorities that if the money was transferred it would be used by Maduro government "to repress" the Venezuelan people.
On 26 January, the Bloomberg news agency reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the Bank of England had rejected Maduro officials' request to withdraw $1.2 billion worth of gold after US senior officials lobbied their counterparts in the United Kingdom to help cut off the Maduro government from its foreign assets.
Over 600 US troops arrive in Syria to secure "withdrawal"
The US decided on Thursday to send additional troops to Syria to help provide protection to other American forces and their equipment as they withdraw from the country under a directive from President Donald Trump.
More than 600 additional US troops have arrived in Syria to provide protection to other American forces during their pullout from the war-torn country, Anadolu Agency cites local sources.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the additional troops arrived at US air bases in eastern Syria’s Harab Isk and Sarrin villages, which will be used as main evacuation centres in the event of withdrawal.
The US bases in the towns of Rmeilan and Tal Baidar in Syria's northwestern Al Hasakah province will be used for airway of heavy weapons, the source added.
A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to comment on the number of troops being sent or their destination, citing security concerns, on Thursday.
Last month, US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of 2,000 military troops from Syria.
The pullout decision came during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in which the two leaders agreed on the need for more effective coordination over the civil war-torn country.
Source: Associated Press
Monday, January 28, 2019
How the Global Warming Scare Began : By John Coleman (Founder Of The Weather Channel)
Killer vortex: Dangerous 'life-threatening' subzero temperatures that can kill in minutes are set to strike the Midwest and Northeast this week with over a foot of snow forecast in some parts
- Heavy snow and life-threatening subzero temperatures set to strike the U.S. Midwest and Northeast this week
- Polar vortex is forecast to bring a dangerous cold outbreak that will put millions at risk of hypothermia and frostbite within minutes of venturing outside
- National Weather Service says plunging temperatures will be 'life threatening'
- Wind chills could dip to -55 degrees in northern Illinois and -30 degrees in Minnesota on Wednesday
- The cold weather will follow blizzard-like conditions in the Midwest with up to 14 inches of snow expected in Wisconsin and Minnesota
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Heavy snow and life-threatening subzero temperatures are set to strike the U.S. Midwest and Northeast this week as a polar vortex is forecast to bring a dangerous cold outbreak that could kill within minutes.
Forecasters are warning that the dangerously cold weather will closely follow the blizzard-like conditions that are currently slamming parts of the Midwest and will bring frigidly low temperatures that the region hasn't seen in a quarter century.
The plunging temperatures expected from Tuesday have forecasters especially concerned with the National Weather Service calling them 'possibly life threatening'.
Wednesday is expected to be the worst.
Wind chills could dip to negative 55 degrees in northern Illinois.
Heavy snow and life-threatening subzero temperatures are set to strike the U.S. Midwest and Northeast this week. Pictured is Abby O'Brien and Spencer Couser shoveling snow in Manitowoc, Wisconsin on Monday
Morning commuters face a tough slog on Wacker Dr. in Chicago on Monday
The plunging temperatures expected later this week have forecasters especially concerned with the National Weather Service calling them 'possibly life threatening'
In Minnesota, temperatures on Wednesday could fall to 30 degrees below zero but feel as cold as 60 below because of the wind chill.
'That's quite dangerous. You're talking about frostbite and hypothermia issues very quickly, like in a matter of minutes, maybe seconds,' said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center.
The potentially record-breaking low temperature forecast in Milwaukee is negative 28 degrees, with a wind chill as low as negative 50. The current record of minus 26 degrees (negative 32 degrees Celsius) was set in 1996.
'That's not just unusual. That's 40 degrees below normal,' Hurley said. 'When you think about it in that sense, that's a big 'whoa.''
The polar vortex - the frigid winds that circulate around the North Pole - is expected to extend from the Dakotas through New England.
The weather, which is expected to be the coldest in years, will put millions at risk of hypothermia and frostbite within minutes. Meteorologists have warned that the cold will be life-threatening for those without an adequate way to stay warm.
Cold weather advisories are in effect across a broad swath of the central U.S., from North Dakota to Missouri and spanning into Ohio.
Some Midwest locations are slated to fall below zero for between 48-72 hours.
Homeless shelters were preparing for the onslaught of cold. The Milwaukee Rescue Mission's call volume was 'unusually high,' but there should still be enough beds for people who need them.
'We are being especially vigilant during the night,' the mission's president, Pat Vanderburgh, said.
'Monitoring our doors, our security are going out on the street, we're partnering individuals that go out proactively looking out for homeless individuals and sharing with them winter clothes and food.'
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel urged residents to check on their neighbors and take safety precautions. He said city agencies are making sure homeless people are in shelters or offered space in warming buses.
Heavy snow and gusting winds were already creating blizzard-like conditions on Monday across parts of the Midwest.
Hundreds of schools were closed across Michigan as road conditions deteriorated, including Eastern Michigan University. The largest public school districts in Wisconsin and Minnesota also were among those closed, including districts in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The cold also prompted officials to close some schools in eastern Iowa, while Chicago Public Schools officials said they were monitoring the weather ahead of Wednesday's cold snap.
Snowplow drivers were having trouble keeping up with conditions in Wisconsin and Minnesota, where up to 14 inches of snow is expected. Chicago-area commuters woke up to heavy snowfall and more than 5 inches of snow already on the ground.
Heavy snow and gusting winds created blizzard-like conditions Monday across the Upper Midwest (pictured is Wisconsin), prompting officials to close hundreds of schools, courthouses and businesses, and ground air travel
Tow truck personnel work to remove an overturned semi in the median of Interstate 90 in Rochester, Minnesota on Monday
United States Postal Service letter carrier Keith Caniff sorts mail on his route in East Grand Rapids, Michigan on Monday
Snowfall will occur in the Dakotas, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota; and in Central Michigan, where a foot or more of snow is expected. Upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire will see less than a foot of snow, and Boston will get less than an inch.
Blizzard conditions are predicted across parts of the western Ohio Valley and snow is expected Tuesday through Wednesday from the Great Lakes region into New England.
In Chicago, O'Hare International Airport had about 790 canceled flights Monday morning and about 220 canceled at Midway International Airport. The high temperature forecast at O'Hare on Wednesday is negative 14 degrees (negative 25 degrees Celsius), which would break a record set on Jan. 18, 1994.
In Wisconsin, plow drivers were having a difficult time keeping up with the snow in Sheboygan. Minutes after a plow passed, roads were once again becoming snow covered, according to the Department of Public Works.
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Even the fabled 'frozen tundra' of Lambeau Field, home to the NFL's Green Bay Packers, wasn't able to withstand the heavy snow and wind that closed hundreds of businesses, schools and government offices in Wisconsin. The stadium said tours, the Packers Hall of Fame and other related businesses were closed to visitors Monday.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard, directing all state agencies to assist if any emergency response and recovery efforts are needed.
Courthouses and most offices were closed in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Columbia and Washington counties, while more than three dozen flights were canceled early Monday at the Milwaukee area's largest airport, Mitchell International Airport.
An employee of Pozorski Hauling & Recycling collects trash during a snowstorm on Monday in Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Pedestrians cross an icy Chicago River on Madison St. near the Civic Opera House in Chicago on Monday
Adam Fischer shovels out his vehicle to go to work Monday in Rochester, Minnesota
David Liebhard gets a little help from his son Levi, 4, as the two shovel their driveway in Wisconsin on Monday
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