Malala lauds feminism as Trump lands in Davos

Yahoo – AFP, 25 January 2018

Malala lauds feminism as Trump lands in Davos

Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) - Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai on Thursday urged women to "change the world" without waiting for the help of men, as she addressed an audience of the global, and mostly male, elite at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The 20-year-old global education campaigner spoke not long before the arrival in Davos of US President Donald Trump, who reached the White House a year ago despite revelations of inappropriate conduct towards women.

On Saturday across the United States, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in a Women's March to mark a year to the day since his inauguration.

The annual Davos conference, which unites the world's business and political elite, also takes place this year in the shadow of the feminist #MeToo campaign that shook Hollywood and spread across the globe in 2017.

"We won't ask men to change the world, we're going to do it ourselves," said Yousafzai.

"We're going to stand up for ourselves, we're going to raise our voices and we're going to change the world," she said.

Yousafzai, who was shot and nearly killed by the Taliban in her native Pakistan in 2012 for insisting on the right of girls to go to school, has become a global sensation, pleading for the education of women.

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, she has continued her campaigning while pursuing her studies at Oxford University.

"Feminism is just an other word for equality ... and no one will object to equality," she said.

"It is very simple, it's not as complicated as some people have made it."

Merkel and Gabriel offer Russia free-trade agreement

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has offered Russia negotiations with the EU on the "possibilities of cooperation in a joint trade area". In return, Berlin expects "a comprehensive resolution" of the conflict in Ukraine.

Deutsche Welle, 23 Jan 2015

After talks with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Florence on Friday, Merkel said that "if the part of problems over Ukraine is solved", there could be trade talks between the EU and the newly-established Eurasian Economic Union.

"I know that we have to talk about it at the European level," Merkel said and stressed out "those are the projects for the distant future."

Deputy spokeswoman of the German government Christiane Wirtz said there is no concrete offer for negotiations with Russia, it is a "signal of openness" for discussion. "In principle, we are open for talks on a joint free-trade area," she said.

Earlier on Friday, German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung reported how Merkel's offer was made at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Merkel said that Germany was "ready to open talks about possibilities for co-operating in a collective trade area".

'Europe should not give up on European Russia'

Sigmar Gabriel in Davos

According to the paper, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel also proposed "discussion about a free-trade zone" as a next step in effort to bring Russia back into the European fold after the war in Ukraine comes to an end.

Both Merkel and Gabriel, who is also vice chancellor, described the free-trade zone as extending from "Lisbon to Vladivostok," the paper said - a formulation first used by Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with the daily in 2010. Merkel also used this turn of phrase in her public address at Davos on Thursday.

"Europe should not give up on European Russia," Gabriel said to DPA. Even though it looks unrealistic at the moment, as the Russian side did almost nothing for a peace in eastern Ukraine, "we must think about the day after conflict ends," Gabriel said.

Even in Davos he added that EU members should already be discussing what they could offer Russia in the event of peace. "The next step is a free-trade zone", he said.

However, the German leaders insist that Russia first had to comply with the Minsk Agreement, a ceasefire deal signed in September in the Belarusian capital by Ukraine, Russia and pro-Moscow rebels who are waging an insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

By the standards of NATO members as a whole, Germany has been comparatively understated in its criticism of Russia during the Ukraine conflict, for instance seeking to keep OECD-sponsored peace talks in motion, most recently with a foreign ministers' meeting held in Berlin this week between French, German, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators.

jil/msh (dpa, AFP, Reuters)

Related Article:

"The Timing of the Great Shift" – Mar 21, 2009 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… Human Nature is Changing

There's a new concept afoot, a change in Human nature. We've spoken about this before. How many of you studied European history? And in school, did your mind fill up with all of the dates you had to memorize? Who conquered whom and when? Over and over and over, every single country had their turn conquering another country. Borders moved constantly. As far back as you want to go, that's what Humans did. They separated, gathered, and conquered. But as little as 50 years ago, it all stopped.

We've said this before. Fifty years ago, a seed, an idea, was planted at the end of World War II. "Let's put these European countries together," they said. "Let's even drop the borders and eventually give them one currency." Do this and they'll never war again, they predicted, for countries with common economic sources don't go to war! And that's exactly what's happened. Did it work? It's fairly fresh, but their money is threatening to take over the strength of your money, did you notice? It's worth more than yours. They still struggle to make it work and balance it. But then again, you do the same in the United States, always fine tuning the unity.

South America is considering the same thing right now. The seeds are being planted in Brazil. Within a generation, they would love to see the borders dropped and one currency. Can they do it? Perhaps. Perhaps it will take longer. Why do it? Because they see the European Union with the strongest currency on Earth. We've said this before. Here is a prediction: Perhaps not in your time, but there'll come a day when there are only five currencies in the world, because continents will start understanding that unification creates peace and prosperity. Separation creates chaos. What a concept. …”

Beijing pledges constructive role in resolving Ukraine crisis

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-01-22

Li Keqiang, right, and Petro Poroshenko shake hands in Davos, Jan. 21. (Photo/Xinhua)

Premier Li Keqiang of China told President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine on Wednesday that Beijing stands for a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and will continue to play an active and constructive role in such efforts.

China adheres to an objective and just stand on the Ukraine issue, said Li when meeting with the Ukrainian leader on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos at a Swiss ski resort.

It is the common aspiration of people across the world for peace while against war, for development while against poverty, and for cooperation while against confrontation, he said.

As the international situation is experiencing profound changes, said the Chinese premier, the international system and order are going through deep adjustment.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and Ukraine have respected and treated each other equally, and their cooperation has achieved fruitful results, said Li.

China will always respect the national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and support the Eastern European nation to adopt a path of development in accordance with its national conditions, he added.

China, he said, will continue to carry out pragmatic cooperation with the Ukrainian side on the basis of win-win and mutual benefit.

For his part, Poroshenko said his government attaches great importance to its relations with China and is willing to maintain cooperation with the Asian country.

The Ukrainian side, he said, hopes that China would play a more active role in the political settlement of the Ukraine issue.

Li arrived on Tuesday for the WEF annual meeting and a working visit to Switzerland.

World Economic Forum publishes 14-point plan to tackle global inequality

Ahead of annual meeting in Davos, WEF says that more concrete policies are needed to bridge the widening gap between rich and poor

• Oxfam: 1% richest will own more than the other 99%

The Guardian, Larry Elliott, economics editor, Monday 19 January 2015

45th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos.
Photograph: Laurent Gillieron/EPA

The World Economic Forum has urged governments to measure minimum wages, trade union membership, investment in public services and corruption as part of an action plan for tackling rising inequality.

Ahead of the start of its annual meeting in Davos on Tuesday, the WEF published 14 measures of inclusive growth as it responded to criticism that the gathering of 2,500 business leaders, academic and policymakers has become an exercise in hand-wringing about the gap between rich and poor.

The Forum said there was a need to make the discussions about tackling inequality “less vaguely aspirational” in a policy paper that has co-incided with new research from Oxfam showing that on current trends the richest 1% of the world’s population will by next year own more wealth than the other 99%.

Between 2012 and 2014 growing inequality was identified by WEF members as the most likely threat to the global economy and the concerns have led to WEF staff drawing up ways of measuring policies that affect inclusiveness, including business ethics, social safety nets and the quality of basic infrastructure.

“Since the onset of the financial crisis, the question of how to unlock new sources of productive employment and strengthen the contribution of economic growth to progress in broad living standards has become an increasingly important concern for political and business leaders in developed and developing countries alike. These challenges have been at the top of the World Economic Forum Global Risks Report survey in recent years”, the paper said.

“But while there is widespread international consensus on the need to develop new and improved growth and development models in this respect, little in the way of concrete policy guidance has emerged. There is a growing need for analytical frameworks and evidence-based solutions suited to this purpose.”

Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the IMF, Pope Francis, Jim Kim, the president of the World Bank and Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, are among those who have stressed the need to ensure that the fruits of economic progress are shared more equally. Carney will be taking part in a panel in Davos this week titled: “A richer world but for whom”.

Rick Samans, a member of the WEF board and a former economic adviser to Bill Clinton, said: “There is almost universal agreement about the direction that countries need to go in. It has almost become a mantra. We are coming up with concrete policy guidance.”

The WEF paper says governments should assess 14 yardsticks of progress under six pillars: education and skills; employment and labour compensation; asset building and business investment; corruption and rents; fiscal transfers; and basic services and infrastructure. Using the tool would allow policy makers to have a clearer sense of how well they were exploiting “available policy space across the full spectrum of levers”.

Samans said the intitial work by the WEF covered 96 rich, middle income and low income countries, and would be refined over the next months. “We are attempting to provide a tool - a rigorous and dispassionate one”, he added.

In countries such as the UK, real incomes have been squeezed since the deep recession of 2008-09, with living standards lower than they were at the time of the 2010 election. The WEF said governments should assess whether a “rising tide lifts all boats” by looking at labour’s share of national incomes, whether pay is linked to productivity, minimum wages, trade union density, the scope of collective bargaining and labour-employer cooperation.

The WEF study said: “However one defines it, there is no policy challenge that preoccupies political leaders around the world more than that of how to expand social participation in the process and benefits of economic growth and integration. The recent financial crisis has taught no more fundamental lesson than the need to rebalance the relative emphasis placed by economists and policymakers on efficiency-enhancing measures and top-line economic performance (growth in GDP/capita), on the one hand, and institutional frameworks and incentives that strongly influence bottom-line economic performance (i.e., sustainable, broad-based progress in living standards), on the other.

“In rich and poor countries alike, it has become increasingly clear that the former is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the satisfaction of societal expectations of national economic performance.”

Half global wealth held by the 1%

Oxfam warns of widening inequality gap, days ahead of Davos economic summit in Switzerland

The Guardian, Larry Elliott, economics editor, and Ed Pilkington,  19 January 2015

The Swiss ski resort of Davos, home to the annual meeting of the World
Economic Forum. Photograph: Christian Kober/Robert Hardi/REX

Billionaires and politicians gathering in Switzerland this week will come under pressure to tackle rising inequality after a study found that – on current trends – by next year, 1% of the world’s population will own more wealth than the other 99%.

Ahead of this week’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the ski resort of Davos, the anti-poverty charity Oxfam said it would use its high-profile role at the gathering to demand urgent action to narrow the gap between rich and poor.

The charity’s research, published today, shows that the share of the world’s wealth owned by the best-off 1% has increased from 44% in 2009 to 48% in 2014, while the least well-off 80% currently own just 5.5%.

Oxfam added that on current trends the richest 1% would own more than 50% of the world’s wealth by 2016.

Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International and one of the six co-chairs at this year’s WEF, said the increased concentration of wealth seen since the deep recession of 2008-09 was dangerous and needed to be reversed.

In an interview with the Guardian, Byanyima said: “We want to bring a message from the people in the poorest countries in the world to the forum of the most powerful business and political leaders.

“The message is that rising inequality is dangerous. It’s bad for growth and it’s bad for governance. We see a concentration of wealth capturing power and leaving ordinary people voiceless and their interests uncared for.”

Oxfam made headlines at Davos last year with a study showing that the 85 richest people on the planet have the same wealth as the poorest 50% (3.5 billion people). The charity said this year that the comparison was now even more stark, with just 80 people owning the same amount of wealth as more than 3.5 billion people, down from 388 in 2010.

Byanyima said: “Do we really want to live in a world where the 1% own more than the rest of us combined? The scale of global inequality is quite simply staggering and despite the issues shooting up the global agenda, the gap between the richest and the rest is widening fast.”

Separate research by the Equality Trust, which campaigns to reduce inequality in the UK, found that the richest 100 families in Britain in 2008 had seen their combined wealth increase by at least £15bn, a period during which average income increased by £1,233. Britain’s current richest 100 had the same wealth as 30% of UK households, it added.

Inequality has moved up the political agenda over the past half-decade amid concerns that the economic recovery since the global downturn of 2008-09 has been accompanied by a squeeze on living standards and an increase in the value of assets owned by the rich, such as property and shares.

Pope Francis and the IMF managing director Christine Lagarde have been among those warning that rising inequality will damage the world economy if left unchecked, while the theme of Thomas Piketty’s best-selling book Capital was the drift back towards late 19th century levels of wealth concentration.

Barack Obama’s penultimate State of the Union address on Tuesday is also expected to be dominated by the issue of income inequality.

He will propose a redistributive tax plan to extract more than $300bn (£200bn) in extra taxes from the 1% of rich earners in order to fund benefits specifically targeted at working families.

However, the odds of the White House having any success persuading Congress to adopt the plan, given the Republicans’ new grip on both chambers, are extremely long. But Obama’s embrace of what he calls “middle-class economics” – as opposed to the trickle-down economics of the Republicans – is likely to ensure that inequality remains a pivotal theme of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Oxfam said the wealth of the richest 80 doubled in cash terms between 2009 and 2014, and that there was an increasing tendency for wealth to be inherited and to be used as a lobbying tool by the rich to further their own interests. It noted that more than a third of the 1,645 billionaires listed by Forbes inherited some or all of their riches, while 20% have interests in the financial and insurance sectors, a group which saw their cash wealth increase by 11% in the 12 months to March 2014.

These sectors spent $550m lobbying policymakers in Washington and Brussels during 2013. During the 2012 US election cycle alone, the financial sector provided $571m in campaign contributions.

Byanyima said: “I was surprised to be invited to be a co-chair at Davos because we are a critical voice. We go there to challenge these powerful elites. It is an act of courage to invite me.”

Oxfam said it was calling on governments to adopt a seven point plan:

• Clamp down on tax dodging by corporations and rich individuals.

• Invest in universal, free public services such as health and education.

• Share the tax burden fairly, shifting taxation from labour and consumption towards capital and wealth.

• Introduce minimum wages and move towards a living wage for all workers.

• Introduce equal pay legislation and promote economic policies to give women a fair deal.

• Ensure adequate safety-nets for the poorest, including a minimum-income guarantee.

• Agree a global goal to tackle inequality.

Speaking to the Guardian, Byanyima added: “Extreme inequality is not just an accident or a natural rule of economics. It is the result of policies and with different policies it can be reduced. I am optimistic that there will be change.

“A few years ago the idea that extreme poverty was harmful was on the fringes of the economic and political debate. But having made the case we are now seeing an emerging consensus among business leaders, economic leaders, political leaders and even faith leaders.”

Richest 85 boast same wealth as half the world

SMH, Gareth Hutchens, January 21, 2014

Illustration: Cathy Wilcox

Eighty-five people control the same amount of wealth as half the world's population.

That is 85 people compared with 3.5 billion.

A new report from Oxfam has been published in time for the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.

It shows the world's ultra-wealthy have not only recovered from the global financial crisis, they have positively blossomed.

The report shows the wealth of the 1 per cent richest people in the world is worth about $US110 trillion, 65 times the total wealth of the bottom half of the world's population.

It also shows the world's richest 85 people control about $US1.7 trillion in wealth, equivalent to the bottom half of the world's population.

And far from hindering the wealthy, the political response to the global financial crisis - including the actions of central banks and the austerity measures introduced by national governments - has made the rich fabulously richer.

In the US, the wealthiest 1 per cent of the population grabbed 95 per cent of post-financial crisis growth between 2009 and 2012, while the bottom 90 per cent became poorer.

But an Oxfam survey of six countries - the United States, UK, Spain, Brazil, India and South Africa - has found that the majority of people believe laws and regulations are skewed in favour of the rich, so people are noticing.

It has called on the world's powerful meeting in Davos to try to stem the tide of rising inequality.

It says seven out of 10 people live in countries where economic inequality has increased in 30 years.

''Given the scale of rising wealth concentrations, opportunity capture and unequal political representation are a serious and worrying trend,'' the report says.

''This massive concentration of economic resources in the hands of fewer people presents a significant threat to inclusive political and economic systems.''

Economists say the rise in global inequality is not surprising.

The US Federal Reserve's multibillion-dollar bond-buying program was singled out as a major driver of the increase in wealth inequality.

"The distribution of wealth has been widening, both before and after the financial crisis,'' Bank of America chief economist Saul Eslake said.

''And although I don't criticise the policies on these grounds, I think it's fairly apparent that the policies that are being pursued, particularly by central banks, in an attempt to revive major advanced economies after the financial crisis, have probably contributed to widening the distribution of wealth.''

Frank Stilwell, Emeritus Professor at Sydney University, said he was not surprised there was inequality of that magnitude, but he wondered if Davos would be the forum to address it.

''It should be a matter of public concern, within and between nations, because this concentration among the ultra-wealthy I think is pretty well documented within countries,'' Professor Stilwell said.

''The bigger question is if the World Economic Forum and its member participants can do anything about these trends is another matter.''

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Iceland president: Let banks go bankrupt (Video)

Published on Jan 25, 2013

Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson tells Al Jazeera's Stephen Cole that Europe should let banks that are ran "irresponsibly" go bankrupt.

Speaking at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Grimsson also held his country as a model of economic recovery after its near-collapse four years ago.

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IMF Says Bailouts Iceland-Style Hold Lessons in Crisis Times


Channel:  Wanderer of the Skies - April 14, 2012

“… Your nation of Iceland is being used as a testing ground for the rolling out of financial strategies for the betterment of your planet. It would be wise to follow their progress in this respect, as it will be the fate of all nations in a very brief period of time. We have always advised you that such an action would never come from the larger powers and nations of the world, but they will follow in lockstep once the actions begin their domino effect…..” 

Struggling borrowers in Ireland could claim debt forgiveness

Davos 2013: world leaders to discuss aliens, super-humans, and immortals

The voice of Russia, Yulia Zamanskaya, Jan 25, 2013        

"The Voice of Russia"

                              

This year, apart from the traditional economic concerns, the program of the World Economic Forum in Davos is scheduled to address a number of highly controversial issues which have been kept classified for decades. Called the 'X factors', these issues include the potential risks of medically induced enhancement of cognitive abilities, prolongation of human life, and discovery of extraterrestrial life.

After reading the Executive Summary of the WEF 2013 one is left with an impression that he has just read the scenario for the next 'X Files' episode. Runaway climate change, rogue deployment of geoengeneering, and digital wildfires are just a few issues that the readers of the Executive Summary can find not only unconventional but also futuristic. Nonetheless, all of these themes are due to be discussed under the rubric of the 'X Factors'.

Developed in partnership with the editors of Nature, a leading science journal, the 'X Factors' category looks well beyond the landscape of 50 traditional global risks and identifies the most significant game-changers of the next decade. Apart from the already mentioned runaway climate change, digital wildfires, and rogue geoengeneering, which seem to be at least minimally realistic, the list of 'X Factors' also includes the possible implications of people living longer, getting smarter, and meeting extra-terrestrial 'Others'. While some remain highly skeptical regarding these issues, the editors of Nature together with the WED team seem to be convinced that in the very near future these risks will not only become very real, but will also profoundly challenge the existing social and scientific paradigms.

In WEF team's opinion, super-human abilities are no longer the preserve of science fiction. Instead, the time of human prodigies is fast approaching the horizon of plausibility. At the time when researchers all over the world are working hard to develop the medical cure to such mental illnesses as Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia, it is conceivable that in the not too distant future scientists will identify compounds that will be more effective than existing cognitive pharmaceutical enhancers such as Ritalin and modafinil. While these new compounds will be prescribed only for treatment of severe neurological diseases, it is highly likely that they will also be used off-label by healthy people seeking for an edge in their every-day endeavors. effective new compounds which appear to enhance intelligence or cognition are sure to be used off-label by healthy people looking for an edge at work or school.

Interestingly, WEF experts believe that significant enhancement of cognitive abilities can be attained through hardware as well as drugs. Laboratory studies indicate that direct electrical stimulation through the implanted electrodes can significantly improve memory. Unlike drugs, such cognitive enhancement therapy is less easily available and is thus less likely to be adopted by healthy people. Nonetheless, the scientists suggest that within 10 years time intra-brain devices and sensors will open a new realm of enhanced neurobiology for those who can afford it. In this context, the scientists wonder whether it can be ethically acceptable for the world to be divided into the cognitively-enhanced and unenhanced. Will the humanity accept the idea that significant cognitive enhancement should be available to purchase on the open market or will there be a push for legislation to maintain a more level playing field?

The other question that the experts are asking is what happens if cognitive enhancement program goes awry or if it falls in the wrong hands. Cognitive enhancement drugs and devices have a very wide-ranging effects on various systems of human body since they work by targeting neurotransmitter systems. In this respect, WEF scientists argue that "there is a significant possibility of (un)intended effects on other systems – for example, drugs to enhance learning may lead to a greater willingness to take risks; drugs to enhance working memory may lead to increased impulsive behaviour". Indeed, recent research into the field already suggests that, in addition to improving long term memory, it is possible to use TMS to manipulate or even suspend a person’s moral judgement of right versus wrong. The technology can also be used to “erase” memory and deliberately cause permanent brain damage. In this sense, it is not difficult to see how new cognitive enhancement drugs and technologies can open up a space for their misuse by criminal organizations and terrorist networks.

Another issue that the WEF experts decided to present for discussion this year is the implications of longer life-span among humans. The WEF team suggests that while "medical advances are prolonging life, long-term palliative care is expensive. Covering the costs associated with old age could be a struggle". Indeed, according to official statistics people all over the globe now live up to 35 percent longer than hundred years ago and more funds are needed to provide adequate care for the millions of elderly. However, the problem of funding is not the only concern which is related to longer life-span. The risk of over-populating the planet is yet another issue which the world will soon face.

In this respect, most radical commentators were quick to suggest that the only solution to the problem of longer living humans is euthanasia. The proponents of this view contend that with medical advancements even the weakest and the sickest people will survive and live to their late 90s and possible 100s, which will not only lead to a significant increase in global population, but will also negate the fundamental law of the survival of the fittest. In this context, some suggest that euthanasia might be the only way out from the vicious circle of artificially healthy individuals living unnaturally long lives.

The last and probably the most controversial X Factor that will be discussed during the Davos Forum is the possible discovery of extraterrestrial life. While it is the first time that the Forum addresses the aliens, the issue has recently become a frequent theme of discussion among the world leading politicians and military officials. In December 2012, Russian Prime Minster Dmitry Medvedev mused on topic of aliens after completing an on-camera interview with international reporters in Moscow. Back then, Mr Medvedev jokingly claimed that "I will not tell you how many of them [aliens] are among us because it may cause panic". It turns out, however, that Mr Medvedev's concern with the aliens did not end last December. A shocking Davos Forum agenda aims to bring the topic of aliens beyond the realm of jokes.

WEF experts contend that "given the pace of space exploration, it is increasingly conceivable that we may discover the existence of alien life or other planets that could support human life. In 10 years’ time we may have evidence not only that Earth is not unique but also that life exists elsewhere in the universe." In this context, WEF team urges the global elite to prepare themselves and their nations for such discovery. The scientists suggest that new funding and new brain power will be needed to overcome the challenges that the humanity will face as a result of its encounter with an extra-terrestrial civilization. The world might even need to create artificial-intelligence emissaries to survive an inter-stellar crossing. The discovery of an Earth 2.0 or life beyond our planet might also inspire new generations of space entrepreneurs to meet the challenge of taking human exploration of the galaxy from the realm of fiction to fact.

At the same time, WEF experts do not believe that the discovery of alien life will change the fabric of human society in the short-run. While the discovery would certainly be one of the biggest news stories of the year and interest would be intense, it would not change the world immediately. Over the long run, however, the psychological and philosophical implications of the discovery could be profound. In the opinion of WEF scientists, "the discovery of even simple life would fuel speculation about the existence of other intelligent beings and challenge many assumptions that underpin human philosophy and religion."

All in all, it seems that humanity is heading to exciting times, and Davos may be the first trigger that will unleash a series of most extraordinary worldwide revel worldwide revelations.

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UFO Seen in Washington DC on Inauguration Day?  (UFO sighting caught on FOX NEWS before the President's speech)

"THE NEXT 18 YEARS"–  Dec 2, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) (Subjects: You are looking  at a Quantum event, clearing a filter - Portal pineal , Higher self to step forward and communicate to You, Still remains in 3D but exposure to multi dimensions, Evolution of humanity, Intent, Mayan Calendar, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, 26.000 Years, Milky Way, Nostradamus, 1987, Beginning to a New Time, Channellers/Teachers, Center of Galaxy – Black hole, Bridge of Swords, Pleiadians, Children, Inventions – The discoveries (e.g. : Airplanes - Medicines – Radio ...): These new Discoveries were given all over the planet when Human consciousness was ready for it, New Inventions are coming, the timing depends on how the middle East problems are solved, Biology reaction of quantum energy; new radio of the future, seeing quantum energy, when it is revealed all science books will have to be rewritten, This will be an AHA moment – be possible to communicate with the rest of Galaxy, NASA, Church/religion will be effected the most by these discoveries, The quantum discovery will see the grid, life, gardens and will redefine life, DNA (3 billion pieces) evolving piece DNA are chancing, Gaia/Humanity are linked, new instruments will start to reveal the DNA variance, Evolution revealed: Autistic children have born with the removal of their 3D structure in the brain, Gaia/Spirit are testing these quantum beings  (Evolved DNA), Universe central clock = Rifs,  Globally there will be only 5 currencies, Wars on earth will be declared barbaric, Middle East, Global Unity, .. etc.)

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  3 - Longer Life is Going to Happen, But…

Here is one that is a review. We keep bringing it up because Humans don't believe it. If you're going to start living longer, there are those who are frightened that there will be overpopulation. You've seen the way it is so far, and the geometric progression of mathematics is absolute and you cannot change it. So if you look at the population of the earth and how much it has shifted in the last two decades, it's frightening to you. What would change that progression?

The answer is simple, but requires a change in thinking. The answer is a civilization on the planet who understands a new survival scenario. Instead of a basic population who has been told to have a lot of children to enhance the race [old survival], they begin to understand the logic of a new scenario. The Akashic wisdom of the ages will start to creep in with a basic survival scenario shift. Not every single woman will look at herself and say, "The clock is ticking," but instead can say, "I have been a mother 14 times in a row. I'm going to sit this one out." It's a woman who understands that there is no loss or guilt in this, and actually feels that the new survival attribute is to keep the family small or not at all! Also, as we have said before, even those who are currently ignorant of population control will figure out what is causing babies to be born [Kryon joke].

Part of the new Africa will be education and healing, and eventually a zero population growth, just like some of the first-world nations currently have. Those who are currently tied to a spiritual doctrine will actually have that doctrine changed (watch for it) regarding Human birth. Then they will be able to make free choice that is appropriate even within the establishment of organized religion. You see, things are going to change where common sense will say, "Perhaps it would help the planet if I didn't have children or perhaps just one child." Then the obvious, "Perhaps I can exist economically better and be wiser with just one. It will help the one!" Watch for these changes. For those of you who are steeped in the tradition of the doctrines and would say that sounds outrageously impossible, I give you the new coming pope [Kryon smile]. For those of you who feel that uncontrolled procreation is inevitable, I encourage you to see statistics you haven't seen or didn't care to look at yet about what first-world countries have already accomplished on their own, without any mandates. It's already happening. That was number three.….”

"Common Questions from Non-Lightworkers" - Feb 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) 

"... Question Three: Is there life on other planets?

Are you kidding? There's life everywhere. Everywhere! Right now, your scientists are searching for microbial life on all the planets and their moons in your solar system, and they will eventually find it. They expect to find it. They will eventually understand that the seeds of life are everywhere.

How much life might there be? How long has it been "out there"? When science starts to realize the scope of how long life has been in your galaxy, they will begin to see something counterintuitive to evolution - their own Human history. How old is your Universe? Ask your scientists and they will say about 13 billion years. That's OK. Let's use their numbers. How old is your own planet - 4 or 5 billion, perhaps? Correct. But how old is humanity? Why weren't you here with the dinosaurs? You think the earth wasn't ready? Do you think that perhaps that which controls evolution was a little too stupid to make a Human sooner, but the process could make a dinosaur? Have you ever thought about these things?

If you put the earth's entire history into a 24-hour clock, life itself only started in the last hour and humanity, all of civilization, happened the last few seconds. Isn't that odd to you? Therefore, in a Universe that may be 13 billion years old, you arrived in the last few seconds. Did you ever think maybe you're the newest ones on the block? Well, you'd be right.

If the Universe is really that old, do you think perhaps there are civilizations in your galaxy that might be a billion or more years older than you? If that's the case, do you think perhaps they have gone through anything you're going through? Do you think any of them might have had your DNA attributes? Perhaps they also went through what you are going through spiritually? Perhaps they even went into a quantum ascension status? The answer is dozens of them.

You already know them and you've listed them in your publications. The ones who directly seeded you are called Pleiadians. The ones who seeded them might be Octurian and the ones who seeded them may be even Orion. They're everywhere, and they're all here as well. They're looking at you, for you are the ones who are next, and you are passing this marker of the shift ...."

“… Is there life on other planets? The scientists are saying, "It's going to be a long time before we get to the stars, you know? We have to get in this little metal can and put air in it, and then travel in it for years and years before we ever get to the next star." Meanwhile, a Pleiadian can do it in the blink of an eye! What do you think is going on there? Do you even believe me?

Not long ago, if you wanted to communicate to someone far away, you sent a letter. It was carried by a horse. It took a month to get a response. Now you communicate instantly!  Why is this so unbelievable to you about travel?

I will tell you, as long as you stay in 3D, you'll still be getting in little metal cans and air suits and going to planets. As soon as you begin the quantum age, however, you will simply wish yourself there, because you will be entangled with everything and can go with intent. If you don't believe this now, you will later, for what I give you is true. It may be lifetimes and lifetimes from now, but the group that is before me is the group that is going to come back over and over and over. The difference is that you're done coming back in an old energy. This is a new energy. ..”

"The Big Picture - You Are Not Alone" - (a message from Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)

Arab World Takes Center Stage at Davos

Jakarta Globe, January 25, 2013

Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan speaks during the 43rd Annual Meeting
of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 23, 2013.
The overarching theme of the meeting, which takes place from Jan. 23 to 27, 2013,
is 'Resilient Dynamism'. (EPA Photo/Jean-Cristophe Bott)

            

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Davos, Switzerland. The Arab world takes center stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II set to address global political and business leaders.

The premiers of Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia and the Palestinian Territories will discuss transformations in Arab countries, while US Senator John McCain is taking part in a panel on the future of conflict-torn Syria.

Abdullah’s speech comes after preliminary election results Thursday showed pro-regime loyalists and independent businessmen set to sweep a parliamentary vote in Jordan. The poll was touted as a focal point of pro-democracy moves by the king, but was shunned by Islamists who want wholesale reforms.

On Thursday, UN leader Ban Ki-moon used his trip to Davos to make a fresh appeal to members of the Security Council to overcome their divisions and find a solution to the civil war in Syria.

Ban said it would be an “abdication” of the world body’s responsibilities if it fails to unify over the crisis that has claimed more than 60,000 lives.

“It will be essential for the Security Council to overcome the deadlock, and find the unity that will make meaningful action possible,” Ban told the annual gathering of the global elite in a Swiss ski resort.

“The alternative - letting the sides fight it out, resigning ourselves to Syria’s destruction with all its regional implications - is too costly and unacceptable,” he added.

“That would be an abdication of our collective responsibility to protect. The world, and above all the Security Council, must uphold its responsibilities.”

Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil also spoke Thursday of the need for his country to focus on its economy now that the political transition is moving forward two years after the fall of Hosni Mubarak.

“Two years ago the Egyptian people stood against the tyrant of Egypt, and in only 18 days they put down Mubarak and his regime and started a new era,” he told journalists.

He said that following the election of a civilian president, the Islamist Mohamed Morsi, and a constitutional referendum Egypt would have parliamentary elections in two or three months.

“After that we have completed or ended the transition with all the democratic institutions in place. On the other hand, we have to big time work on the economy,” he said.

Europe has been at the heart of discussions in Davos this week, with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday insisting he was not turning his back on Europe after unveiling plans for a referendum on whether to continue Britain’s membership in the EU.

European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi will address the forum Friday on “The Future of the Euro”, while economists and business leaders will discuss ways to revive the global economy.

Agence France-Presse

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"THE NEXT 18 YEARS"–  Dec 2, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) (Subjects: You are looking  at a Quantum event, clearing a filter - Portal pineal , Higher self to step forward and communicate to You, Still remains in 3D but exposure to multi dimensions, Evolution of humanity, Intent, Mayan Calendar, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, 26.000 Years, Milky Way, Nostradamus, 1987, Beginning to a New Time, Channellers/Teachers, Center of Galaxy – Black hole, Bridge of Swords, Pleiadians, Children, Inventions – The discoveries (e.g. : Airplanes - Medicines – Radio ...): These new Discoveries were given all over the planet when Human consciousness was ready for it, New Inventions are coming, the timing depends on how the middle East problems are solved, Biology reaction of quantum energy; new radio of the future, seeing quantum energy, when it is revealed all science books will have to be rewritten, This will be an AHA moment – be possible to communicate with the rest of Galaxy, NASA, Church/religion will be effected the most by these discoveries, The quantum discovery will see the grid, life, gardens and will redefine life, DNA (3 billion pieces) evolving piece DNA are chancing, Gaia/Humanity are linked, new instruments will start to reveal the DNA variance, Evolution revealed: Autistic children have born with the removal of their 3D structure in the brain, Gaia/Spirit are testing these quantum beings  (Evolved DNA), Universe central clock = Rifs,  Globally there will be only 5 currencies, Wars on earth will be declared barbaric, Middle East, Global Unity, .. etc.)

Cameron takes on tax avoiders in Davos keynote speech

Prime minister strongly attacks companies that avoid paying their fair share of tax as he lays out a trade-focused agenda for the G8 summit in June

guardian.co.uk, Larry Elliott and Heather Stewart in Davos, Thursday 24 January 2013

Prime Minister David Cameron at Davos 2013. Photograph: Johannes Eisele/
AFP/Getty Images

David Cameron on Thursday said trade, tax and transparency would be the three themes of Britain's presidency of the G8 this year.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the prime minister strongly attacked companies that avoid paying their fair share of tax and which indulge in corrupt business practices in poor countries.

Cameron said aggressive tax avoidance meant fewer resources for public services and delivered a sideswipe at the coffee giant Starbucks, which has been under attack since revealing it pays little corporation tax in the UK.

"Companies need to wake up and smell the coffee, because the customers who buy from them have had enough", the prime minister said.

Cameron used his speech to lay out his agenda for the G8 summit, which will be held in Northern Ireland in June. The leading western nations needed to work together to tackle the threat of extremism and terrorist violence.

Following last week's attack in Algeria, Cameron said: "We are in the midst of a long struggle against murderous terrorists and the poisonous ideology that supports them."

Winning the battle would require the leaders of the developed world to be "tough, intelligent and patient". Military action would sometimes be needed, but the West also had to deal with the underlying grievances that caused terrorism.

Britain last held the G8 in 2005, when Tony Blair put aid, trade and debt relief high on the agenda at the Gleneagles summit.

Cameron said there was still unfinished business on trade and called for the completion of a free trade deal between the European Union and the US which he said could add £50bn to Europe's economy.

Seeking to reassure the business leaders gathered in Davos that his focus on tax did not mean he was anti-capitalist. "I'm as pro business a leader as you can find." But he said it was not just NGOs that had been lobbying him on the issue, but the upper echelons of the City as well.

"It's a world where some companies navigate their way around legitimate tax systems – and even low tax rates – with an army of clever accountants. We can be the generation that eradicates extreme poverty in ou world, but we need to tackle the causes, not just the symptoms. We need to lay down the rules of the game, and we need to be prepared to enforce them. Proper companies, proper taxes, proper rules."

Cameron said he was proud that Britain was living up to its pledge to spend 0.7% of national income on development assistance, but that greater transparency was needed to make sure the aid was well spent.

The prime minister said: "Corrupt government officials in some countries and some corporations run rings around the letter and spirit of the law to rip off hard-working people and plunder their natural resources.

"There's a long and tragic history of some African countries being stripped of their minerals behind a veil of secrecy.

"We can see the results: the government cronies get rich – some beyond their wildest dreams of avarice – while the people stay poor."

Cameron said that unleashing the natural resources from developing countries would dwarf anything aid could do – and transparency was vital to that.

Pledging to shine a light on the issue, the prime minister added:

"So we're going to push for more transparency on who owns companies, on who's buying up land and for what purpose, on how governments spend their money, on how gas, oil and mining companies operate, on who is hiding stolen assets and how we recover and return them."

Jasmine Whitbread, chief executive of Save the Children International, said: "I would like people going away from Davos to remember as much about this Cameron speech as his speech (on Europe) yesterday."

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