A new ‘freedom caravan’ of primarily Cuban migrants is trying to reach US

Four years after the first Cuban migration crisis in Central America, about 600 Cubans and another 120 migrants from Haiti and Africa are again in Panama as part of a “freedom caravan” to the United States.

“We want to go on! We want to go on!” the migrants are seen shouting at officials of Panama’s National Border Service in videos posted on social media over the weekend.

Their goal is to reach the United States and ask for asylum, although U.S. regulations and policies that once benefited Cuban migrants have changed significantly.

In 2017, former President Barack Obama eliminated the so-called “wet foot, dry foot” policy that allowed most Cubans who set foot on U.S. territory to remain. Nonetheless, Cubans continue to arrive in the United States. Most request political asylum, a legal process that requires proof they would be persecuted if returned to the island.

The migrant group now in Panama is much like others organized in Central America to head to the U.S. border with Mexico. They are traveling as a group through the region. President Donald Trump has asked Congress for funds to build a wall to protect the country from undocumented immigration, and referred to the caravans during his State of the Union speech, saying he had deployed 3,750 more troops to the border

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2019/02/a-new-freedom-caravan-of-primarily-cuban-migrants-is-trying-to-reach-us/

Economic chill hits China as trade talks continue

Another round of discussions are planned for Washington next week in a bid to nail down an agreement

Freezing temperatures hit Beijing on Friday with a frigid -3 Celsius predicted for late night diners and nightclub revelers.

While China’s economy is not exactly in an icebox, the latest inflation data released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that the cooling business environment had dipped a notch or two.

The numbers came out just hours before the US-Sino trade talks wrapped up in the Chinese capital amid signs of hope.

“It is too early to say China has entered the deflationary [zone], but the risks definitely have heightened,” Raymond Yeung, the chief economist of Greater China at ANZ, said.

https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/02/article/economic-chill-hits-china-as-trade-talks-continue/

Empire State Manufacturing Survey Rebounds in February

New York Manufacturing Firms Report Solid, Sustainable Growth

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey rebounded in February to beat the consensus forecast, as both the general and expectations gauges indicate solid growth.

The headline general business conditions index doubled from the month prior, rising 5 points to 8.8. The new orders index rose 4 points to 7.5.

Thirty-two percent (32%) of respondents said conditions had improved over the month of February, while 23% reported that they had worsened.

The shipments index came in at 10.4, indicating a solid and sustainable pace of growth, even though the index fell 8 points to its lowest level in well over a year.

Overheating has been a real concern with the Empire State Manufacturing Survey, as well as the Philadelphia Fed’s Manufacturing Index.

Unfilled orders held steady, inventories were little changed, and delivery times were slightly longer.

https://www.peoplespunditdaily.com/news/economy/2019/02/15/empire-state-manufacturing-survey-rebounds-in-february/

Closer Everyday… People Get Ready.. There's A Train A Coming

Can blockchain power a cashless world?

A number of developers around the world are working to solve the technology’s speed and scalability issues

Blockchain has its strengths. These can include improved network transparency and traceability and enhanced security. But its weaknesses? Busy blockchains have often really struggled with both speed and scalability. But is that about to change.

Last year, Massachusetts-based Akamai Technologies and Tokyo-based Mitsubishi UFG Financial Group (MUFG) announced they were teaming up to develop and deploy a blockchain-based payment network for Japan that, they say, will be “scalable” and boost transaction speeds to more than one million transactions per second. To put this in some context – although this is not an apples for apples comparison – the maximum transaction processing capacity of Bitcoin is less than 10 transactions per second.

https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/02/article/can-blockchain-power-a-cashless-world/

>>5191521

>>5191504

Roughly 500 billion dollar company and a 2 billion fine… big deal .. they will write it off on their taxes