Majorityrights News > Category: Globalisation

Vice, “Jared Kushner’s sister courted Chinese investors with a controversial visa program Trump just extended”, 8 May 2017:

Jared Kushner’s sister Nicole Meyer, right

The $1.2 trillion spending bill President Donald Trump signed Friday extended the controversial EB-5 program, which grants U.S. visas to foreigners, mostly from China, who invest at least $500,000 in a domestic development project.

A day later, Jared Kushner’s sister stood at the Beijing Ritz-Carlton pitching the program to a ballroom-full of at least 100 wealthy Chinese investors. “Invest $500,000 and immigrate to the United States,” a brochure for the event read, according to the Washington Post. The family business, Kushner Cos. LLC, needed $150 million in financing for a housing development in Jersey City, New Jersey, the New York Times reported.

While Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser at the White House, promised to fully divest from his family’s multibillion-dollar real estate empire, the presentation Saturday highlighted clear conflicts between his lingering business interests and policy decisions. Kushner has become a key diplomat in increasingly tense U.S.-China relations, among his many roles with the administration.

During the presentation, Nicole Kushner Meyer didn’t hold back linking Kushner Cos. to the current U.S. administration. She:

- mentioned that her brother left the company to work for Trump, according to the Post

- showed a slide that pictured Trump as the “key decision-maker” on the fate of the EB-5 visa, according to the Times

- encouraged attendees to invest early before the Trump administration decides to roll back the program — as Congress is pushing for, according to the Post.

Footage of U.S. President Donald Trump is shown on a video screen as workers wait for investors at a reception desk for a presentation at a Shanghai hotel. The event promoted EB-5 investment in a Kushner Companies development in the U.S., Sunday, May 7, 2017.

“It’s incredibly stupid and highly inappropriate,” Richard Painter, former White House ethics counsel for President George W. Bush, told the Post. “They clearly imply that the Kushners are going to make sure you get your visa. . . . They’re [Chinese applicants] not going to take a chance. Of course they’re going to want to invest.”

This isn’t the first family’s first ethically questionable brush with Chinese investors and the EB-5 program. Kushner Cos. could earn as much as $500 million in a planned real estate deal, which relies on the EB-5 program for funding, with a Chinese company that has close connections to the Chinese government. And loans obtained through the EB-5 program funded about one-quarter of a Trump Tower in New Jersey.

Kusher Cos. apologized “if that mention of [Meyer’s] brother was in any way interpreted as an attempt to lure investors,” in a statement emailed to NPR.

Interlopers celebrate Macron victory

Visigrad Post, “French-Polish relations undermined by Macron’s presidential campaign”

Poland – “You know the friends of Madame Le Pen, her allies: these are the regimes of misters Orbán, Kaczyński, Putin. These are not open and free democracies. Many freedoms are violated every day and, by this, so are our principles.” (Extract from Emmanuel Macron’s speech of May 1). Which freedoms exactly? We do not know, but this phrase made the headlines throughout Polish media this week.

The candidate has already been widely talked about on the banks of the Vistula the previous week with his promise to introduce sanctions against Poland within the first three months of his investiture. The sanctions are based on the relocation of Whirlpool – Ed. in Poland - but would relate to alleged non-compliance by Poland with the EU’s “principles”: “Regarding the Whirlpool case, within three months after election, a decision will be taken on Poland. I put my responsibility on the table on this subject,” declared the replacement candidate of Voix du Nord –  on April 27 by mentioning the use of Article 7 of the EU Treaty which provides for the suspension of a country’s rights as a Member State.

Even before being elected, the candidate Emmanuel Macron [...] managed to quarrel with Poland and Hungary, the two leading countries in Central and Eastern Europe. His [...] election to the presidency of the French Republic promises therefore complicated relations with the former Eastern Europe.

[...]

Polish President Andrzej Duda made it very clear on May 3 in an interview with Polish television TVP: “He will have to start work on getting Poland back to trust him and France”. The Polish Foreign Ministry reacted to Emmanuel Macron’s speech on May 1 in an official statement: “We are following with interest the election campaign in France because of the importance of this country for the future of the EU. In this context, we regret to note that once again during this presidential campaign in France, an Allied country that belongs like Poland to NATO and the European Union, a candidate for the highest office uses unacceptable comparisons and intellectual shortcuts that mislead public opinion. […] The values ​​and principles of free democracy are respected in Poland. Among the fundamental values ​​that have been present in the Polish culture and tradition for several hundred years, there is respect and tolerance for those with different political views […]. We expect the French President [...] to carry out an in-depth analysis before making judgments on the policies of other States and to clarify any doubts in the context of bilateral contacts”.

Photographer Zakaria Abdelkafi’s shocking photograph of a French anti-riot policeman set ablaze by a molotov cocktail has quickly spread to every corner of the world. And yesterday, only one day after Abdelkafi captured the photograph, he shared the story behind it.

PetaPixel, “The Story Behind this Viral Photo of a French Policeman on Fire”, 3 May 2017:

The photograph was taken during a march for the annual May Day workers’ rally in Paris, and has since appeared on the covers of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and countless online publications and European newspapers. In an article for his employer, Agence France-Presse, Abdelkafi said he had no idea what was about to happen.

“I always follow [a group who hide their faces behind bandanas and hoodies] because, from past experience, I know they always cause trouble,” he said. “They’re very violent.”

His dedication to following this group around occasionally gets him pushed down and beaten by the very people he’s trying to photograph. This time, he placed himself between them and CRS (Republican Security Companies) police, taking photographs as the protesters began throwing rocks, bottles, “anything that they could get their hands on” at the riot police.

That’s when a molotov cocktail went flying.

“When they threw the Molotov cocktail, I didn’t actually see it. I just saw the guy engulfed in flames and I just snapped away,” he says. “I kept on following the policeman who was burning.” He was screaming, the officers around him were screaming, the scene was as horrific as you imagine it. “He was a human being being burned alive in front of me,” says Abdelkafi. “And the demonstrators, they didn’t care. They kept throwing things at the police.”

Abdelkafi is no stranger to horrific sights—a Syrian refugee, he was forced to flee his country in 2015, ultimately receiving asylum in France and a job with AFP. He has witnessed truly horrific sights; this moment hit close to home.

“I kept thinking about his face and whether he would be scarred. I kept thinking of his family. I’ve had lots of friends who have become disfigured because they have been burned by bombs in Syria. So I know what it’s like. I wonder if they do.” he said in his AFP article. “I have seen many people die in front of me. I have seen many people wounded. But this policeman really got to me.”

According to TIME, the unidentified 41-year-old police man suffered third-degree burns on his hands and neck, and second-degree burns on his face. As for Abdelkafi, he hopes to meet the man he photographed. “I would like to go see him in the hospital and bring him flowers.”

Visigrad Post, “Poland: French presidential candidate Macron wants quick sanctions”, 28 April 2017:

France, Paris – The Liberal-Libertarian candidate for the French presidency assured that he would take, once elected, measures against Poland. According to him, Poland violated “all the principles of the European Union”.

“In the three months following my election, there will be a decision on Poland. I put my responsibility on the table on this subject,” Emmanuel Macron said in an interview on Thursday, April 27th.

“One cannot have a country that plays social tax differentials within the European Union and which is in breach of all the principles of the Union,” he warned.

But for the candidate who faces Marine Le Pen in the second round of the French presidential elections, the question also concerned the “values” of the European Union.

“I want sanctions on those who disrespect the rights and values ​​of the European Union,” he said. “We cannot have a Europe that debates to the decimal each of the budgetary subjects on each country when there’s a European Union member state that behaves like Poland or Hungary on such topics as University and knowledge, refugees, fundamental values, and decides not to do anything.

“According to his adviser for European affairs, Clément Beaune, this issue is close to the 39-year-old banker and former minister of the socialist government under François Hollande’s presidency.

“He assumes to be pro-European but we cannot be European without respecting fundamental principles,” his adviser told Reuters. “It is also a signal of strength and general credibility vis-à-vis Russia, vis-à-vis the United States and, internally, vis-à-vis Europeans.”

Emmanuel Macron is the favorite to win the French presidential elections which will end on May 7th.

Invaders land in Sicily

New Observer, “17 Weeks: 44,299 Nonwhite Invaders Land in Europe”, 2 May 2017:

A total of 44,229 nonwhite invaders pretending to be refugees landed in Europe in the first 16 weeks of 2017, latest figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have shown.

According to the IOM breakdown dated April 26, 2017, 43,490 of the invaders had arrived by sea—most picked up by crypto-communist “human rights organizations” and transported to Italy by their boats and the European Union’s naval units—while another 739 had invaded Europe via a land border.

The IOM’s figures showed that Italy remains the main landing point, with 9,841 invaders landing there in the period April 13 to 26 alone.

The blatantly bogus nature of the asylum claims is revealed, once again, by the nationalities of the invaders. According to the IOM, the main nationalities of the invaders to Italy (in descendant order) are Guinea, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Ivory Coast, and Gambia. In Greece, the main nationalities of the invasion force are Syria, Iraq, Republic of Congo, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, while those invading Bulgaria are from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Iran.

Apart from the fact that those claiming to be Syrians and Iraqis can always move to safe parts of their own country—and therefore do not have to flee their nations at all—none of the other nationalities mentioned have any justification for seeking asylum (unless fleeing one’s self-created disaster zone is a valid reason).

The IOM figures also, once again, showed how effective the Hungarian government’s crackdown on the nonwhite invasion has been, proving the lie of the western liberal argument that “it can’t be stopped.”

According to the IOM, in the period from April 20 to 26, only eight invaders were registered in Hungary, and six were registered in the previous week.

NewObserver, “Israeli Air Force Bombs Anti-ISIS Forces in Syria”, 23 Apr 2017:

The Israeli Air Force has carried out two bombing raids against anti-ISIS army forces in the west of Syria as part of the [Israeli imperialist state’s] long-running campaign to disrupt the Syrian government’s military campaign against the terrorist army.

According to a report by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), a military source announced that the “Israeli enemy’s warplanes fired two missiles at 18:45 from within occupied territory at a military position in the surroundings of Khan Arnabeh in Quneitra countryside, causing material damage.”

The “occupied territory” being referred to is the Golan Heights, which Israel seized in 1967, and annexed against all international law.

The SANA report said that the Israeli “aggression came after an attempt by terrorists to infiltrate military positions in Quneitra countryside was foiled and the terrorists suffered heavy losses.”

This, SANA said, “proves that Israel provides direct support to terrorist organizations,” adding that their source “affirmed that such desperate attempts will not dissuade the Army and Armed Forces from continuing to crush the terrorist groups that act as Israel’s proxy in the area.”

A follow-up report in Al Jazeera revealed that Sunday’s attacks targeted fighters loyal to the Syrian government in the Naba al-Fawwar area of Quneitra province, which is located in the 30 percent of the Golan Heights that is not under Israeli occupation.

Three fighters from the pro-government National Defence Forces (NDF) were killed and at least two more were wounded in the attack, an NDF official said.

The terrorist armies fighting Syria’s Bashar al-Assad government and its allies control much of the Quneitra area.

Unusually, the Israeli Army confirmed that it had targeted positions inside Syria in retaliation for mortar fire that hit the northern part of the occupied Golan Heights.

“The Israeli army targeted the source of the fire,” an army statement said without giving further details.

In reality, the terrorist groups operating in the area against the Syrian government often operate close to Israeli lines—because Israel treats their wounded in hospitals inside the Jewish state, and it is therefore inevitable that the Israeli side will be hit occasionally by stray rounds.

The Israelis however always take these stray rounds as an excuse to bomb Syrian government positions.

The Jerusalem Post even admitted as much, saying that the Israeli attack was due to “errant rocket fire” caused by “fighting between Hezbollah and regime troops against rebel groups near Ain Ayshaa, Samadiniyah Sharqiyah & Madinat al-Baath near Quneitra.”

The other excuse which the Jewish [imperialist] state uses to attack the anti-ISIS forces in Syria is that they are “carrying weapons to Lebanon” to fight Israel—as if Syria could at this stage spare such military effort.

The Lebanese Hezbollah organization—most famous for defeating the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon—is one of the Syrian government’s key military allies, providing tens of thousands of troops on the ground in the fight against ISIS.

Former Miss Venezuela, Monica Spear, murdered with her boyfriend in 2014

1   Caracas, Venezuela   119.87
2   San Pedro Sula, Honduras   111.03
3   San Salvador, El Salvador   108.54
4   Acapulco, Mexico   104.73
5   Maturin, Venezuela   86.45
6   Distrito Central, Honduras   73.51
7   Valencia, Venezuela   72.31
8   Palmira, Colombia   70.88
9   Cape Town, South Africa   65.53
10   Cali, Colombia   64.27
11   Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela   62.33
12   Fortaleza, Brazil   60.77
13   Natal, Brazil   60.66
14   Salvador, Brazil   60.63
15   St. Louis, U.S.A.    59.23
16   Joao Pessoa, Brazil   58.4
17   Culiacan, Mexico   56.09
18   Maceio, Brazil   55.63
19   Baltimore, U.S.A.    54.98
20   Barquisimeto, Venezuela   54.96

New Observer, “Race and Crime: The Most Dangerous Cities in the World”, 24 April 2017:

The new list of the 50 most dangerous cities, compiled from official government policing figures, has been published on the Canadian-based Worldatlas news service, and shows that the worst crime rates appear in the cities with the largest racially mixed populations.

Eight of the 50 most dangerous cities—including the top ranked one—are in Venezuela, two are in Honduras, one is in El Salvador, five are in Mexico, three are in Colombia, four are in South Africa, one in Jamaica, 21 in Brazil, four in the USA, and one in Guatemala.

According to the figures, Caracas, Venezuela, has risen to the number one spot with 119.87 murders per 100,000. That city surged ahead of San Pedro Sula in Honduras, which formerly held top place with 171.2 murders per 100,000 people in 2015 (this rate has since dropped to 111.03 in 2016).

The clear link between race and crime has been highlighted once again with the release of the 2016 rankings of the world’s most dangerous cities—and the fact that every single one of them, including those in the U.S.—have majority nonwhite populations.

The report said that “some of the factors that may be to blame” for the murder rates that measure over 100 include illegal drug distribution, extensive poverty, and gangs.

For example, a rise in mass killings and escalating violence between gang members has resulted in the murder rate of San Salvador practically doubling in a year from 61.21 to 108.54, allowing it to take the third spot.

August was the most violent month in San Salvador, with more than 900 killings, including an unprecedented 52 deaths registered in a single day.

The other two cities that complete the top five most dangerous places in the world are Acapulco, Mexico and Maturin, Venezuela.

Four cities in the United States have a place among the top 50 most dangerous cities in the world (on the basis of murder per capita statistics). St. Louis ranks 15th on the list with a murder rate of 59.23 per 100,000 inhabitants, a rise from 2015’s rate of 49.93, making it the most dangerous urban area in the country.

The city is also present in rankings based on considerations for other crimes—the Missouri city has a burglary rate of 606.9 per 100,000 and an aggravated assault rate of 317.7 per 100,000. This has led many to the conclusion that St. Louis is the most dangerous city in the U.S.

Also of note is Baltimore, Maryland’s position on the list. In 2015, it was ranked 40th with a murder rate of 33.92. For 2016, however, it rose to 19th with a murder rate of 54.98 per 100,000 people.

Detroit is the third city included in the 2016 ranking of the world’s most dangerous cities in terms of murder rates. With its 43.89 murders per 100,000 people, it is a bit further down the list than St. Louis, but is still classified a dangerous place. Factoring in all violent crime Detroit tops the list of the most dangerous cities in the United States.

Although Chicago is often cited as the most dangerous urban area in the United States, even with a near record-breaking 762 murders in 2016, the murder rate remains at 28.2, making its position fall further on the list.

New Orleans falls further down with 41.44 murders per 100,000 residents a year.

The most dangerous cities in the world, as listed according to ranking, name, and murder rate per 100,000, are as follows:

1   Caracas, Venezuela   119.87
2   San Pedro Sula, Honduras   111.03
3   San Salvador, El Salvador   108.54
4   Acapulco, Mexico   104.73
5   Maturin, Venezuela   86.45

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