Link: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/24/connecticuts-capital-faces-fiscal-meltdown-tied-to-union-promises-default-deemed-likely.html

Connecticut's capital of Hartford is in the midst of a financial meltdown as the city considers defaulting on its debt as early as next month, a crisis fueled in large part by union promises and other decisions dating back years.

While the capital is hoping a state bailout can help, Moody’s Investors Services last week predicted Hartford will likely move to default by November -- and soon could run up deficits reaching $80 million per year without a change in strategy, due to the cost of pensions, benefits and debt service. The city has more than $500 million in outstanding debt. The city recently lost a major corporation that had called the state’s capital home since 1853—Aetna Inc.

The insurance giant crucial to Hartford’s economy announced this summer it would move its headquarters to New York City. The state also lost another critical corporation – General Electric. Both companies cited the state's high taxes.

Link: http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2017/10/24/539712/US-Japan-F35-North-Korea-USAF-Okinawa-Trump-Kim

The US Air Force is planning to deploy12 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to Japan, a move that is expected to kick up tensions with North Korea.

The aircraft are expected to arrive at the US military’s Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Pacific Air Forces (PAF) announced, according to a Defense News report on Monday.

More than 300 airmen from the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah — including pilots, maintainers and other personnel—will be accompanying the F-35As during the six-month deployment,

Link: https://sputniknews.com/asia/201710241058505454-us-navy-nuclear-aircraft/

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US nuclear–powered aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group have arrived in the Asia-Pacific region. USS Theodore Roosevelt carries four strike fighter squadrons, an electronic attack squadron, an airborne early warning squadron and two helicopter combat and strike squadrons accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill and the guided-missile destroyers Halsey, Preble and Sampson.

Link: https://www.activistpost.com/2017/10/boom-clintons-us-uranium-putin-fbi.html

April 23, 2015, NY Times: Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation Amid Russian Uranium Deal.

Canadian company Uranium One controlled a great deal of uranium production in US. It was sold to Russia now controls 20% of US uranium production.

“Since uranium is considered a strategic asset, with implications for national security, the deal [to sell Uranium One to Putin] had to be approved by a committee composed of representatives from a number of United States government agencies. Among the agencies that eventually signed off was the State Department, then headed by Mr. Clinton’s wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton.”

Link: https://www.rt.com/usa/407682-georgetown-hate-catholic-student-group/

A Catholic student group at Georgetown University has been accused by pro-choice activists of promoting hatred and intolerance for advocating a traditional view on marriage. If the organization is branded a “hate group,” it will lose its yearly funding of $250 from the university.

Love Saxa, the student group at Georgetown Catholic University promotes marriage as a “monogamous and permanent union between a man and a woman,” and therefore infringes on the rights of the LGBT community with such a “limited” definition, according to its critics.

Link: https://www.rt.com/news/407677-saudi-high-tech-500-billion-mega-city/

The city, which has been named NEOM, will be built from the ground up on a massive greenfield site in northwest Saudi Arabia. It will span over 26,500 square kilometers, an area more than 33 times bigger than New York City. The city already has it’s own Twitter account and website. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the city will focus on industries including energy and water, biotechnology, food, advanced manufacturing and entertainment backed by $500 billion by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) – the kingdom’s largest sovereign fund – and other local and international investors.

"NEOM is situated on one of the world's most prominent economic arteries, through which nearly a tenth of the world's trade flows,” PIF said in a press release.

"Its strategic location will also facilitate the zone's rapid emergence as a global hub that connects Asia, Europe and Africa, enabling 70% of the world's population to reach it in under eight hours.”

Link: https://www.rt.com/business/406987-france-tax-hike-alcohol/

The price of cognac could increase significantly in France as the government plans a tax increase on strong alcoholic drinks. The proposal is part of the government's new social security budget. According to French daily Les Echos, the tax increase would affect brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskeys, as well as other spirits, containing more than 15 percent alcohol.

Link: https://www.rt.com/politics/406834-over-40-percent-of-citizens/

According to a recent public opinion poll conducted by state-run VTSIOM, Russians have become slightly more optimistic, though the largest number of respondents expects the situation in the country to get worse. According to the poll, which was released on Monday, 41 percent of Russians think that “the worst times are still ahead,” 31 percent believe the worst has passed, and 21 percent say the present times are the most difficult they have seen in their lives.

Link: https://www.theepochtimes.com/pot-farmers-dreams-go-up-in-smoke-during-california-wildfires_2334146.html

Andrew Lopas’ plans to bring his marijuana business out of the black market with a legal, profitable and organic pot farm went up in smoke in the wildfires that have scorched Santa Rosa, California. After four decades of growing pot illegally, the 54-year-old saw an opportunity last year to start a legitimate business serving the medical marijuana market.

, Lopas’ cannabis farm in Santa Rosa went up in flames only days away from his first harvest.

Lost in the conflagration at Mystic Spring Farms were 2,500 pounds of cannabis worth an estimated $2 million, $10,000 in cash to pay the mortgage and workers, a farmhouse that dated back to the 18th century, trailers and farm vehicles, and 900 marijuana plants.

Fires destroyed 30 pot farms in Sonoma, Mendocino and Napa counties and significantly damaged a similar number, according to the California Growers Association.

Link: http://www.newsweek.com/us-families-practice-fleeing-north-korean-attack-685547

The U.S. is to practice evacuating American civilians from South Korea amid concerns that escalating tensions between the America and North Korea may have brought them to the brink of conflict.

The drill is aimed at preparing U.S. “service members and their families to respond to a wide range of crisis management events such as noncombatant evacuation and natural or man-made disasters,” U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said in a statement.

USFK stressed that the exercises were routine and not being held in response to recent events.

Link: http://tass.com/defense/971155

The police and the Russian Guard may get universal electroshock shields by late 2018 for use in special operations, a representative of the company that has developed these devices told TASS at the Interpolitex exhibition in Moscow on Tuesday.

Company representative Yekaterina Stolyarevskaya:The electroshock shields have already undergone medical trials.

"The handle [of the shield] incorporates electronics that helps transmit an electrode and a general electric shock to the shield’s surface. This has been done to ensure that it cannot be wrested away by an aggressive suspect and an attacker can be stopped, if necessary," , stressing that the shield would be used for special operations."This item is not for operational work at some rallies but for special operations

Link: http://tass.com/economy/969560

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin greeted the Russian agricultural sector’s workers on the Day of Agriculture and Processing Industry, noting the country expects a record grain harvest: Kremlin press service.

"Today, agriculture and the entire agro-industrial complex, is a most dynamic sector of the Russian economy," the greeting reads. "This year, we expect the record harvest - about 130 billion tonnes, and this record is made in not at all favorable weather conditions."

Russia confirms its status of a leading grain producer and takes leading positions in wheat export, The president stressed the country should develop organic products, develop deep processing, improve its positions on the global markets, use effectively the natural advantages of agriculture.

Link: https://www.rt.com/usa/407049-lawsuit-big-pharma-terrorist-organizations-iraq/

More than 100 US veterans and relatives of American soldiers killed or wounded in Iraq have sued five major pharmaceutical corporations for financing Iran-backed terrorist organizations in Iraq.

A lawsuit filed in US District Court in Washington, DC on Tuesday claimsAstraZeneca, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Roche Holding financed terrorist organizations that killed hundreds of American soldiers in Iraq.

The companies have been accused of paying kickbacks to officials in Iraq’s Health Ministry when the office was controlled by the Jaysh al-Mahdi, or Mahdi Army, an Iraqi militia backed by Iran.

Jaysh al-Mahdi is not considered a terrorist organization by the US State Department, the Shia militia was backed by Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organization. The lawsuit argues the companies financed the terrorist organization by paying bribes to Health Ministry officials as much as 20 percent of a total contract’s value.

The plaintiffs argue the companies paid Health Ministry officials these “commissions” by providing extra drugs and equipment deliberately packaged in “a manner conducive to street resale,” which ensured Health Ministry officials could sell them on the black market.

Link: https://www.rt.com/news/407034-kurds-flee-kirkuk-iraq/

After the Iraqi army took over Kirkuk, Baghdad has said that Kurdish independence is “a thing of the past” and the controversial referendum should be forgotten.“In the past 48 hours, the UN Migration Agency says that some 61,000 people have left Kirkuk and surrounding areas, most of them heading north and east toward the Erbil and Suleimania governorates,” Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, told reporters Tuesday. “We call on all parties to ensure that civilians are protected and [that they] can leave affected areas if they choose.”

Both Iraqi and Kurdish leaders have called for a "peaceful solution" to the current crisis. However, while the Baghdad official announced the controversial referendum should be forgotten, the Kurdish leader assured his nation's efforts for independence were not in vain.

Link: https://www.rt.com/news/407037-gang-takes-over-swedish-supermarket/

A gang of four men in their 20s hijacked a supermarket in Malmo, Sweden, threw out the staff, and operated the store by themselves for over 24 hours.

After several failed attempts at extorting the store’s owners, the gang decided to cut out the middleman and take over the supermarket for themselves. the gang ran the store as normal for more than a day, even restocking shelves.

They led customers to believe that everything was operating as normal by telling them the till system was not working and they could only accept payment in cash or on a payment smartphone app called Swish.

Link: http://www.blacklistednews.com/China_to_build_giant_facial_recognition_database_to_identify_any_citizen_within_seconds/61299/0/38/38/Y/M.html

China is building the world’s most powerful facial recognition system with the power to identify any one of its 1.3 billion citizens within three seconds launched by the Ministry of Public Security.

The goal is for the system to able to match someone’s face to their ID photo with about 90 per cent accuracy.

The system can be connected to surveillance camera networks and will use cloud facilities to connect with data storage and processing centres distributed across the country.

However, some researchers said it was unclear when the system would be completed, as the development was encountering many difficulties due to the technical limits of facial recognition technology and the large population base. Similar systems operate on a smaller level, including police databases and city or provincial ID pools.

Link: https://www.rt.com/business/406960-russia-issue-blockchain-cryptoruble-putin/

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the issue of a national cryptocurrency, according to Communications Minister Nikolay Nikiforov, after a closed-door meeting. The minister said once the digital currency or CryptoRuble is issued other cryptocurrency mining will be banned and it will be entirely regulated by the government. All the financial operations involving the CryptoRuble will be taxed. The tax will also be applied to any appreciation in value. The national digital currency will be moved to international markets, according to the Russia's Deputy Minister of Economic Development Oleg Fomichev, stressing that there is no point in the currency circulating only inside the country.

“This mustn’t be a private currency, but the one, which is issued by the state, controlled by the state and enable to provide circulation of digital money in light of the digital economy.

Link: https://www.activistpost.com/2017/10/dubai-police-hoverbikes-technocratic-police-state-future-cities.html

The hoverbike, created in a joint project with Russian company Hoversurf, was unveiled recently at the Gitex Technology Week Exhibition; can operate for 25 minutes up to 43 miles per hour, can be remotely operated.

Link: https://sputniknews.com/latam/201710031057892727-ecuador-vice-president-arrest/

Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who is suspected of taking bribes from the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht, has been arrested at his residence in Guayaquil and transferred to the nation's capital Quito. The probe into Odebrecht has become one of the biggest corruption scandals in Latin America. The company is accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes to politicians to secure lucrative contracts.

Link: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/companies-donate-40k-worth-of-marijuana-to-people-displaced-by-california-fires_102017

California’s largest medical cannabis manufacturer, CannaCraft Inc., is temporarily donating 12,000 square feet of its office space in Santa Rosa, as well as phone and internet service, to the American Red Cross to use as its Regional Headquarters for Northern California fire relief. There, more than 200 volunteers from the American Red Cross will coordinate 24-hour relief efforts for those displaced by the fires.

Cannacraft said Wednesday they will donate $40,000 in medical marijuana to California residents who do not have access to their medication due to the horrific wildfires that have left at least 31 dead, approximately 400 missing, and destroyed more than 3,500 homes and structures. An estimated 25,000 people have been evacuated.