Global News

Japan volcano violently erupts without warning — Gov’t issues highest level alert for first time — Reuters: “Smell of sulfur, smoke blacked out sky… Officials warn of more big eruptions” — Expert: “I don’t think this is finished… We could see a more powerful eruption” — Upsurge in volcanic activity linked to 3/11 quake (VIDEO)

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– Japan volcano violently erupts without warning — Gov’t issues highest level alert for first time — Reuters: “Smell of sulfur, smoke blacked out sky… Officials warn of more big eruptions” — Expert: “I don’t think this is finished… We could see a more powerful eruption” — Upsurge in volcanic activity linked to 3/11 quake (VIDEO) (ENENews, May 29, 2015):

NBC News (emphasis added): Volcano Violently Erupts… in a towering plume of thick, black smoke almost six miles high and a shower of fiercely hot rock… NHK broadcast a bulletin showing smoke billowing over Mount Shindake, which the Japanese Meteorological Agency said erupted violently… Sadayuki Kitagawa, director of the Meteorological Agency’s volcanology division, characterized the eruption as one of “explosive power,” with a smoke plume rising 9,000 meters, or almost 30,000 feet, from the crater… He said the alert level of 5, the highest on the scale, was being maintained because more powerful eruptions are possible.

USA Today: A violent volcanic eruption in southern Japan forces scores of people to evacuate and shoots a huge column of ash high into the air… in spectacular fashion… The Japan Meterological Agency raised the volcano alert level to five, the highest on its scale.

Reuters: [Residents] described a smell of sulfur and clouds of smoke that blacked out the sky. Ash blanketed lower slopes and fell like snow on Yakushima, 12 km (7 miles) to the east… Smoke shot more than 9,000 meters (29,000 feet) into the sky and officials warned of more big eruptions and urged “extreme caution”… It was not clear if the eruption would affect the restart of Kyushu Electric Power’s Sendai nuclear plant, which on Wednesday cleared the last of the nuclear regulator’s safety hurdles… Mount Shindake was dormant for 34 years until last year. Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active countries and there has been an upsurge in volcanic activity in recent weeks, which volcanologists said may be linked to the big 2011 earthquake.

Yomiuri Shimbun: Massive eruption on Kuchinoerabu… The agency raised the volcanic alert… to Level 5… This is the first time for the agency to issue the highest-level warning since the current alert system was introduced in 2007… On May 23, the agency detected a volcanic earthquake [but] found no significant developments in observation data, the official said. “There were no signs of this eruption”

Guardian: Shindake erupts without warning

Yomiuri Shimbun: Expert: Possibility eruption was magmatic… the direct ejection of magma… Setsuya Nakada, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Volcano Research Center, said Friday’s eruption appeared to be magmatic after observing the height of its volcanic column and the way its pyroclastic flows had been generated.

AP: A volcano erupted in spectacular fashion… spewing out rocks and sending black clouds of ash 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) into the sky… The agency raised the alert level… to five, the highest on its scale… The eruption [of Mount Ontake] last September… killed 57 people. Setsuya Nakada [said this] eruption on Kuchinoerabu was stronger than Mount Ontake’s.

Nakada: “This sort of activity has continued [since 3/11]… Probably the eruptions will continue.”

Prof. Ryusuke Imura, specialist in volcanic geology at Kagoshima Univ.: “I don’t think this is finished. The activity could continue and we could see another, more powerful eruption.”

Sadayuki Kitagawa, JMA official: “More strong and large scale explosions could happen.”

Watch NHK’s broadcast here

How Japan’s Unemployment Rate Dropped Even As 280,000 People Lost Their Jobs

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– How Japan’s Unemployment Rate Dropped Even As 280,000 People Lost Their Jobs (ZeroHedge, May 29, 2015):

Yesterday Japan amazed everyone when it reported that its unemployment rate had dropped yet again, this time to 3.3%, the lowest since April 1997. The paradox is that while the number of Japan’s unemployed dropped by 20,000, the number of those employed plunged by 280,000! Or as Goldman calls, it “growth in jobholders looks to have peaked amid a lack of recovery momentum in the economy”

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GDP Report Confirms Global Trade Is Crashing, And Why That Is Good News For Some

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– GDP Report Confirms Global Trade Is Crashing, And Why That Is Good News For Some (ZeroHedge, May 29, 2015):

We did not actually need confirmation that global trade is slowing to a crawl (and has in fact reversed): after all, we have been showing just that for the past year, most recently earlier this week but it is important to note that in today’s negative GDP print, it was net trade (exports less imports) that subtracted -1.9% from the final GDP print, driven by a -1.03% annualized drop in exports. This was the biggest hit to US trade since thegreat financial crisis.

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Chicago PMI Bounce Is Dead, Crashes Back Near 6 Year Lows

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– Chicago PMI Bounce Is Dead, Crashes Back Near 6 Year Lows (ZeroHedge, May 29, 2015):

Following Milwaukee ISM’s plunge to 15-month lows this morning with a plunge in new orders (missing for 4 of last 5 months), Chicago PMI printed a disappointing 46.2 (against expectations of a slight rise to 53.0 from 52.3 last month) – lower than the lowest economist estimate. After last month’s modest (dead-cat) bounce back from winter’s collapse to 6 year lows, this re-collapse is hardly the kind of Q2-recovery-reinforcing data the mainstream wants. With the level now back at the same when Lehman hit, New Orders, Production, and Employment all contracted in May.

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Biker Breastaurant Shootout Arrests Threaten To Blow Hole In County Budget

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Bikers

– Biker Breastaurant Shootout Arrests Threaten To Blow Hole In County Budget (ZeroHedge, May 29, 2015):

On Thursday evening we outlined what we called the “pension ponzi”, whereby state and local governments resort to the issuance of pension obligation bonds to plug underfunded pension liabilities. The idea is to arbitrage the spread between coupon payments and what the pension funds can presumably expect to make by investing the proceeds from the bond issue. Here’s a refresher:

Read moreBiker Breastaurant Shootout Arrests Threaten To Blow Hole In County Budget

It’s Official: Austria Repatriates Gold, Confirms Loss Of Faith In Bank Of England

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–  It’s Official: Austria Repatriates Gold, Confirms Loss Of Faith In Bank Of England (ZeroHedge, May 28, 2015):

Earlier today the Austrian Central Bank confirmed the Kronen-Zeitung report, and said that by the year 2020, it would hold 50%, or 140 tons, of its gold domestically, up from 17% currently. This means that Austria will withdraw some 140 tons of gold from the BOE which holds 80% of Austria’s gold currently and send 92.4 tons back home to Vienna with another 47.6 tons being sent to Switzerland. Which is also the biggest news: Austria is explicitly demonstrating a lack of confidence in the “pro-western” system of which the Bank of England is a critical cog, and instead opting for “neutral” Switzerland, which will hold nearly 50 tons of the gold formerly located at the Bank of England.

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“The Greek Endgame Is Here”: Probability Of IMF Default Now 70%, Says Deutsche Bank

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–  “The Greek Endgame Is Here”: Probability Of IMF Default Now 70%, Says Deutsche Bank (ZeroHedge, May 28, 2015):

Amid accelerating deposit outflows and an hourly flow of conflicting headlines, Deutsche Bank is out with a fresh take on the Greek endgame including an analysis of both the political wrangling that would need to take place in order for parliamentary approval of concessions to creditors and the mechanics of a default to the IMF.

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Putin Slams US Over FIFA Arrests: “Another Blatant Attempt By The US To Meddle Outside Its Jurisdiction”

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– Putin Slams US Over FIFA Arrests: “Another Blatant Attempt By The US To Meddle Outside Its Jurisdiction” (ZeroHedge, May 28, 2015):

Following yesterday’s surprise DOJ indictment in which 14 FIFA affiliates were perp-walked out of Zurich’s swankiest hotel just days ahead of Sepp Blatter’s re-election, one person was quite displeased with this latest US intervention on the international arena: Russian president Vladimir Putin who accused the United States of meddling outside its jurisdiction by arresting officials from FIFA, further hinting that it was part of an attempt to take the 2018 World Cup away from his country.

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Greece Feigned Deal Progress, Launched Rumors To Avert Bank Run

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– Greece Feigned Deal Progress, Launched Rumors To Avert Bank Run (ZeroHedge, May 28, 2015):

Fearing an acceleration in deposit outflows from Greek banks, PM Alexis Tsipras suggested on Wednesday that a deal between Athens and creditors was imminent when in fact he had no evidence to support the contention. Greek officials now promise their optimism “is not just words.”

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Greece Owes $1.2 Billion To Drugmakers As Government Can No Longer Afford Basic Medical Supplies

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– Greece Owes $1.2 Billion To Drugmakers As Government Can No Longer Afford Basic Medical Supplies (ZeroHedge, May 28, 2015):

In a sign of just how dire the situation in Greece truly is, Reuters is reporting that Athens now owes billions to drugmakers as the consequences of being completely beholden to the ”institutions” which control the printing of a fiat currency now weigh on Greece’s ability to provide basic medical services for its citizens.

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Poroshenko Threatens To Declare Martial Law In Ukraine Within Hours “To Demonstrate Readiness For War”

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– Poroshenko Threatens To Declare Martial Law In Ukraine Within Hours “To Demonstrate Readiness For War” (ZeroHedge, May 28, 2015):

In the case of any advance of Ukrainian army positions – and who is to say whether there is or not – Ukraine’s President Poroshenko says he will declare martial law across his country within hours. As RT reports, Poroshenko added that Ukraine will “demonstrate its readiness for war, for victory, for defense and for peace.”

For martial law to be enacted, the parliament has to approve a corresponding ruling by the Ukrainian president. It can be declared in the whole country or selected regions. And as RT reports,

Read morePoroshenko Threatens To Declare Martial Law In Ukraine Within Hours “To Demonstrate Readiness For War”

Anthrax: Pentagon Accidentally Sent Bioweapon To As Many As 9 States

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The Pentagon says it accidentally sent live anthrax spores to laboratories

– Anthrax: Pentagon accidentally sent bioweapon to as many as nine states (Guardian, May 28, 2015):

Department of Defense meant to send dead or inactivated spores, but government does not believe there is a risk to the public, spokesman says

The Pentagon has conceded it accidentally shipped samples of a live bioweapon across nine states and to a US air base in South Korea.

In an extraordinary admission on Wednesday, the Pentagon revealed what it called an “inadvertent transfer of samples containing live Bacillus anthracis”, or anthrax, took place at an unspecified time from a US Defense Department laboratory in Dugway, Utah.

Read moreAnthrax: Pentagon Accidentally Sent Bioweapon To As Many As 9 States

JPMorgan To Cut More Than 5,000 Workers By End Of 2016

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H/t reader M.G.:

“Looks like the greedy guts are adding to unemployment.
Remember, for every job lost, seven more are put at risk.”

jamie-dimon

– JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) To Cut More Than 5,000 Workers By End Of 2016: Report (International business Times, May 28, 2015):

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) is starting to lay off more than 5,000 employees in a $1.4 billion cost-cutting measure to be completed by the end of 2016, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. A spokeswoman for JPMorgan Chase would not comment on the report, but said the layoffs are part of cost-cutting efforts outlined in a presentation released earlier this year.

JP Morgan, the largest U.S. bank, is overhauling its nearly 5,600 branches. Chairman and CEO James Dimon said Wednesday the average Chase bank branch will lose one employee over the next two years. The bank has already cut 1,000 jobs.

Read moreJPMorgan To Cut More Than 5,000 Workers By End Of 2016

11 Common Health Symptoms Hint At Global Depopulation ‘Slow Kill’

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H/t reader squodgy:

“At last, someone else with influence is joining the dots…..”

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– 11 common health symptoms hint at global depopulation ‘slow kill’ (Natural News, May 26, 2015):

If you take a look around, modern humanity is quite clearly facing an unprecedented crisis of deteriorating health. And beneath the surface, for those able and willing to see the truth, the various health conditions that increasingly plague the average man and woman appear to be intentionally inflicted as part of a covert effort to reduce the world’s population and create a paradise on Earth for the elites — with much fewer of the rest of us!

The following 11 common health symptoms point to a sinister, “slow kill” agenda that’s been designed to quietly cull the masses without overt fanfare:

Read more11 Common Health Symptoms Hint At Global Depopulation ‘Slow Kill’

D.C. bomb squad destroys pressure cooker in ‘suspicious’ car

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– D.C. bomb squad destroys pressure cooker in ‘suspicious’ car (The Ugly Truth, May 26, 2015):

Vehicle owner Israel Shimeles arrested and charged; incident takes place near US Capitol

Times of Israel

A bomb squad safely destroyed a pressure cooker found in a “suspicious” vehicle left unattended Sunday afternoon on the National Mall near the US Capitol building and the vehicle’s owner was located and arrested, a US Capitol Police spokeswoman said.

Read moreD.C. bomb squad destroys pressure cooker in ‘suspicious’ car

Emergency Powers Give Barack Obama Authority Over Just About Everything During A Major National Crisis

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– Emergency Powers Give Barack Obama Authority Over Just About Everything During A Major National Crisis (Economic Collapse, May 27, 2015):

Presidents have always exercised emergency powers, but now thanks to dozens of new laws, regulations, court decisions and executive orders, Barack Obama is the most powerful president in all of U.S. history.  Of course the U.S. Constitution does not actually give the president any special powers during a time of national emergency, but over time presidents have decided that they should be able to exercise such powers and the courts have generally agreed with them.  During World War II and prior to that, these emergency powers were largely uncodified and were primarily used during times of war.  But since World War II things have completely changed, and this has particularly been true since 9/11.  Over the past decade or so, a whole host of extraordinary powers have specifically been given to the office of the president, and all that it takes to exercise them is a major “national emergency”.  So if we do have a full-blown economic collapse, a historic natural disaster, a significant war or a massive pandemic, Barack Obama could use the emergency powers that he has been given to essentially take authority over everything.

Read moreEmergency Powers Give Barack Obama Authority Over Just About Everything During A Major National Crisis

Russia: ‘Gold Is A 100% Guarantee From Legal And Political Risks’, Bought Another 300,000 Ounces Of Gold In April

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– Gold Bullion Is “100% Guarantee from Legal and Political Risks” – Russia (Goldcore, May 27, 2015):

– Gold is a “100% guarantee from legal and political risks”
– Russia’s central bank buys another 300,000 ounces in April
– Russia views its overseas assets as vulnerable
– ‘De-dollarisation’ continues across Asia
– Gold offers protection from growing risks today

Russia’s central bank once again increased its gold holdings substantially in April. They added another 300,000 ounces to their existing stockpile bringing the total up to 40.1 million ounces (see chart below).

Read moreRussia: ‘Gold Is A 100% Guarantee From Legal And Political Risks’, Bought Another 300,000 Ounces Of Gold In April

The End Game Continues: Austria Repatriates Gold

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Oesterrreichische Nationalbank

– The End Game Continues: Austria Repatriates Gold (ZeroHedge, May 27, 2015):

After Germany and the Netherlands decided to repatriate a substantial amount of gold from vaults abroad to the vaults in respectively Amsterdam and Frankfurt, now Austria is joining the ‘bring our gold home’ movement.

After increasing pressure from the Austrian people on the government and the central bank to increase the ratio of the gold effectively held in the Austrian Central Bank in Vienna, the central bank has finally made the decision to effectively do so. Less than 20% of Austria’s (relatively) sizeable gold reserves were held in its own vaults with the remainder being stored in Switzerland and London. Austria will now remove 63% of the gold from London and transport it to both Switzerland and Austria. This will be an interesting test case to see how long it will take the Bank of England to ship the 140 tonnes of gold (4.5 million ounces) to Vienna, and we dare to bet this will either take much longer than anticipated, or we’ll suddenly see another gold withdrawal from the Federal Reserve which will very likely be the magical 125-150 tonnes number.

Read moreThe End Game Continues: Austria Repatriates Gold

Peak Inequality: $500 MILLION Asking Price For Los Angeles Mansion

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– Peak Inequality: $500 Million Asking Price For LA Mansion (Dark-Bid, May 27, 2015):

Just when you thought you had seen it all, Nile Niami pulls another mansion out of his hat. The film producer and speculative real estate developer announced the asking price for the mansion he is building on a hill in Bel Air, the location where the memorable Fresh Prince of Bel Air TV show takes place. Unfortunately, Will Smith is not fresh enough for this place. You have to be a literal prince to afford it.

The mansion is not even finished yet, but it will be over 100,000 square feet. The main residence is 74,000 square feet, but several other homes will be included. At 5,000 square feet, the master bedroom is larger than most people’s houses. The property also features a 30-car garage and a Monaco-style casino.

Read morePeak Inequality: $500 MILLION Asking Price For Los Angeles Mansion

How Clinton Foundation Donations Led To Billions In Weapons Sales To Autocratic Regimes

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Hillary Clinton Exposed Part 2 – Clinton Foundation Took Millions From Countries That Also Fund ISIS

– How Clinton Foundation Donations Led To Billions In Weapons Sales To Autocratic Regimes (Liberty Blitzkrieg, May 26, 2015):

Another day, another Clinton Foundation related scandal. In the latest expose by International Business Times’ David Sirota, we learn about the explosion in weapons sales to certain nations during Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State. Billions of dollars in sales went to autocratic regimes notorious for human rights abuses who donated generously to the Clinton Foundation. Should we be surprised? No. Should we be outraged and disgusted? Absolutely. Of all the Clinton scandals, the following is the most dangerous to peace on earth.

Here are some excerpts from the IBT article detailing how taxpayer money is being used to arm the world into oblivion:

Even by the standards of arms deals between the United States and Saudi Arabia, this one was enormous. A consortium of American defense contractors led by Boeing would deliver $29 billion worth of advanced fighter jets to the United States’ oil-rich ally in the Middle East.

Israeli officials were agitated, reportedly complaining to the Obama administration that this substantial enhancement to Saudi air power risked disrupting the region’s fragile balance of power. The deal appeared to collide with the State Department’s documented concerns about the repressive policies of the Saudi royal family.

In the event you want a highlight reel of heinous Saudi behavior, click here.

Read moreHow Clinton Foundation Donations Led To Billions In Weapons Sales To Autocratic Regimes

“Very chilling warning” from Japan expert who foretold Fukushima meltdowns: “The Gods are warning us of something even more serious… incredibly disastrous” — Professor: Suddenly, our sun is doing very strange things… Crisis much worse than Carrington Event possible… Most unstable period since ice age, I’m very concerned about nuclear plants (VIDEO)

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– “Very chilling warning” from Japan expert who foretold Fukushima meltdowns: “The Gods are warning us of something even more serious… incredibly disastrous” — Professor: Suddenly, our sun is doing very strange things… Crisis much worse than Carrington Event possible… Most unstable period since ice age, I’m very concerned about nuclear plants (VIDEO) (ENENews, May 26, 2015):

Katsuhiko Ishibashi, Seismologist and Emeritus professor at Kobe Univ., Apr 28, 2015 (at 38:00 in): “This really is what I think… The Gods of this huge nature are actually warning the people of the Japanese archipelago in steps… In 2003, there was an earthquake that shook a nuclear plant where the design basis went over the standard seismic motion… Then 2007 at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa… a direct, serious hit — and yet the Japanese people did not listen. Then it gave us Fukushima… The Gods are warning us that something even more serious can happen in this Japanese archipelago. And of course nuclear power plant accidents can result not just by earthquake. It could have an incredible, serious effect. It has been dishing it out step-by-step, warning us toward something that actually could be incredibly disastrous” … Moderator: “Very chilling warning” (Japan Times, May 1, 2015: “In 1997, [Ishibashi] wrote a report… where he coined the term “nuclear earthquake disaster.” The paper was written about 14 years before the Fukushima disaster, yet reads like a post-mortem of what happened: A major quake knocks out external power to the plant’s reactors and unleashes a tsunami… leading to loss of cooling and meltdowns.”)

Read more“Very chilling warning” from Japan expert who foretold Fukushima meltdowns: “The Gods are warning us of something even more serious… incredibly disastrous” — Professor: Suddenly, our sun is doing very strange things… Crisis much worse than Carrington Event possible… Most unstable period since ice age, I’m very concerned about nuclear plants (VIDEO)