https://twitter.com/paulsperry_/status/1204221058427039750
China's Central Bank To Lead Real-World Pilot Of Digital Yuan: Report
China is at last planning to conduct the first real-world test of its central bank digital currency (CBDC), fresh reports claim.
According to local news outlet Caijing on Dec. 9, the initial pilot for the CBDC is set for the city of Shenzhen before the end of 2019, and may possibly include the city of Suzhou.
https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/chinas-central-bank-lead-real-world-pilot-digital-yuan-report
Well done Patriot!
High Court to A-G: Say whether Netanyahu can run for PM before elections
Avichai Mandelblit has already made it clear that he is not interested in personally being that hand that forces Netanyahu out of office.
Presuming there will be a third election, the High Court of Justice on Monday pushed Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit closer to having to rule imminently on whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is eligible to run to keep his office.
Dozens of hi-tech officials had opened a new front on Sunday in the legal battle to oust Netanyahu, filing a new petition to the High Court.
The new petition runs parallel to one already filed by the Movement for the Quality of Government in Israel to the High Court and an expected future petition by the Labor party.
However, this petition has already achieved getting the High Court to order Mandelblit to go into further depth about his legal views regarding Netanyahu’s eligibility by December 18, should a third election be set by then.
Justice Ofer Grosskopf did give Mandelblit wiggle room, by technically only asking him if he thought he needed to give a concrete opinion before Election Day, but the bottom-line is that the court has ramped up the pressure on the attorney-general to take a side on the issue.
Grosskopf also asked Mandelblit if he believes the High Court must rule on the issue pre-election.
What chance does a group of even top officials in the hi-tech industry of turning the dial on this issue?
Mandelblit has already made it clear that he is not interested in personally being that hand that forces Netanyahu out of office.
He has made legal arguments protecting Netanyahu from being forced out by two legal grounds of attack, while postponing indefinitely analyzing whether Netanyahu can form a new government now that he has been indicted for bribery.
Mandelblit had previously ruled that the issue can be kicked down the road because it is only theoretical.
Until Netanyahu is actually in a position in which he has the support of 61 MKs – something which may never happen, or in any event, is three months off given that a third election is imminent – Mandelblit said there is no reason to rule on it.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/High-Court-to-A-G-Say-whether-Netanyahu-can-run-for-PM-before-elections-610384
Thanks Pelosi! The Tide Turns – Trump Now Beating ALL Democrat Candidates in Swing State Polling and TROUNCING Democrats in Wisconsin
As Democrats and their media continue to push their impeachment scam on the American public they continue to lose the trust of American voters.
President Trump is now leading ALL Democratic candidates in the swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
And in Wisconsin President Trump is now leading all Democrats by double digits
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/12/thanks-pelosi-the-tide-turns-trump-now-beating-all-democrat-candidates-in-swing-state-polling-and-trouncing-democrats-in-wisconsin/
Chilean Military Aircraft Disappears With 38 on Board
According to the Chilean Air Force, the plane was heading to Antarctica to conduct logistical work.
The Chilean military aircraft has disappeared from radars on Monday, the Air Force confirmed.
"The Chilean Air Force reports that this afternoon a C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Aviation Group #10 took off at 04:55 p.m. and lost radio contact at 06:13 p.m [21:13 GMT]", the Monday release says.
The plane was carrying 38 people on board - 17 crew members and 21 passengers, the Air Force said.
A state of alert has been declared, and rescue teams have been activated by the authorities.
The aircraft was travelling from the city of Punta Arenas to the President Eduardo Frei Montalva Antarctica Air Base.
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201912101077527916-chilean-military-aircraft-disappears-with-38-on-board/
Planned Parenthood Employee Testified She Wanted To ‘Move Forward’ On Selling Fetal Livers For $750 Each
Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast employee Tram Nguyen testified in court that she wanted to sell fetal livers for $750 each.
Nguyen’s admission came out during the trial of Center for Medical Progress CEO David Daleiden.
Planned Parenthood sued Daleiden for secretly recording and publishing videos of his interactions with their employees.
A Planned Parenthood employee testified in court that she wanted to “move forward” and sell fetal livers for $750 each.
Transcripts show that Tram Nguyen, who identifies herself as a healthcare administrator at Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast, said that she wanted to proceed with a deal to sell fetal livers for $750 each or combos of fetal livers and fetal thymi for $1,600.
Nguyen testified in March 2019 as part of the trial of the Center for Medical Progress’ David Daleiden, who secretly recorded and released videos exposing Planned Parenthood employees discussing buying and selling fetal body parts. Daleiden, who is the president and CEO of CMP, went undercover in Planned Parenthood clinics in 2013 and 2014 and posed as a fetal tissue procurer, recording and publishing videos of his interactions with Planned Parenthood employees. Planned Parenthood claims that the videos were edited and sued Daleiden and the CMP in 2016.
A jury ruled against Daleiden and the CMP in November and awarded Planned Parenthood $2 million in damages for Daleiden’s undercover work. California Judge Christopher C.Hite dismissed five criminal charges against Daleiden Friday, citing “an absence of probable cause to establish that these conversations were ‘confidential communications’ as defined by the statute.”
Nguyen said that she became an assistant health care manager for Planned Parenthood in 2008 where she oversaw staff schedule and “ensuring a good clinic flow.” She also testified that she would help out as an additional assistant in the operating room, handing instruments to the doctors and assisting them with whatever they needed during the procedures.
https://dailycaller.com/2019/12/09/planned-parenthood-tram-nguyen-fetal-livers/
ICE HSI Charlotte nets 125 human trafficking arrests in FY 19
4th highest number of trafficking arrests among HSI field offices
CHARLOTTE – In fiscal year 2019, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the principal investigative component of the Department of Homeland Security, arrested 2,197 criminals associated with human trafficking, a 38 percent increase from the previous year. HSI Charlotte made 125 of those arrests, which was the 4th highest number of human trafficking-related arrests among HSI field offices.
Arrests included:
Zerrell Ross Fuentes and his associates for sex trafficking three minor victims. In November 2019, Fuentes was sentenced to 30 years in prison, and two females associated were sentenced to 10 and two years in prison, respectively, for their roles in the trafficking scheme.
Thuy Tein Thuy Luong, the business owner of a nail salon, and a co-conspirator for allegedly engaging in forced-labor and financially benefitting from trafficking in persons. The victim in this case alleged that she was repeatedly physically assaulted by her employer and forced into a debt contract for $180,000.
HSI uses a victim-centered approach in its trafficking investigations, where equal value is placed on both the identification and stabilization of victims as well as the prosecution of the traffickers. Through HSI Charlotte’s investigative work, the field office identified and/or assisted nearly 30 victims of human trafficking in FY 19.
“Traffickers treat human beings as commodities. They use force, fraud or coercion to prey on people’s vulnerabilities,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez. “HSI Charlotte will continue to focus its efforts on eradicating this heinous crime that affects men and women, the young and old, as well as U.S. citizens and foreign nationals.”
While human trafficking can occur in a variety of scenarios and industries, indicators of trafficking activities often look the same across cases. Educating the public to recognize the signs is crucial to identifying victims and bringing traffickers to justice. HSI developed the Strategic Trafficking Outreach Program (S.T.O.P.) to raise awareness, as well as educate the public on how to report instances of suspected trafficking.
Every day, HSI agents around the globe work to uncover, dismantle and disrupt human trafficking. They come face to face with the worst of humanity – traffickers profiting from the forced labor and commercial sex of their victims using physical and sexual abuse, threats of harm and deportation, false promises, economic and psychological manipulation, and cruelty.
Human trafficking victims have been found in communities nationwide in the agriculture, hospitality, restaurant, domestic work and other industries, as well as in prostitution that is facilitated online, on the street, or in businesses fronting for prostitution such as massage parlors. Overseas forced labor can be used to produce the consumer goods that are in our homes and workplaces. The victims are men, women and children of all ages and may include U.S. citizens and foreign nationals. Many of them may have thought they had found a good paying job or a better life, only to have their hopes and dreams dashed and placed into modern-day slavery.
https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-hsi-charlotte-nets-125-human-trafficking-arrests-fy-19
NSW fires LIVE: RFS continue to fight blazes across state as Sydney air quality dips to 'hazardous'
Thousands of construction workers abandoned work sites around the state by 10.30am according to the NSW Branch of the CFMMEU.
"I would say it is in the thousands," NSW secretary Darren Greenfield said. "It is the worst day we have had."
Unions NSW assistant secretary Thomas Costa said nobody, apart from emergency service workers who have accepted the risk, should be forced to work outside because of the hazardous level of smoke.
"The current level of toxicity in the air is ten times the safe working limit," he said. "The union movement will be supporting any union member who refuses to work in these conditions."
Air quality readings are as you might expect
The latest air quality readings show what we can all see and feel… it's well above what's considered "hazardous" across swathes of Sydney, both in terms of visibility and fine particles (the bits that get into your bloodstream).
For reference, anything over 100 is "poor" and anything over 200 is "hazardous". Parts of Sydney as seen in the below chart are up to four times the national standard for PM2.5 particles, while in terms of visibility, there are readings between 10 and 25 times the national standard.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-fires-live-rfs-continue-to-fight-blazes-across-state-as-sydney-air-quality-dips-to-hazardous-20191210-p53ihv.html