Politics

Authored by Nick Cunningham via OilPrice.com,

In a desperate bid to survive its economic meltdown, Venezuela is lobbying other OPEC members to agree to steeper oil production cuts, a move that would likely lead to higher oil prices.

Venezuelan officials have reached out to their counterparts in Iran, Russia and Saudi Arabia to press them on more collective action, according to Argus Media. If there was enough interest, the next step would be an “extraordinary meeting,” which would weigh the option of cutting deeper.

France's armed forces chief resigned on Wednesday, culminating a dramatic dispute with president Emmanuel Macron over defense budget cuts, in what Reuters called "an early test of the newly elected president's mettle and the tough presidential style he is cultivating." Last week, General Pierre de Villiers publicly complained about Macron’s proposed €850 million cuts to the military's budget, telling a parliament committee he would not "let myself be fucked like that," adding that "I may be stupid, but I know when I am being had."

As North Korea advances toward achieving its long-term goal of developing a nuclear-armed ICBM capable of reaching the US mainland (or at least Sarah Palin's home state), a host of defectors who've managed to escape from the isolated Communist state have gathered testimonies about the North’s human-rights abuses in hopes of "optically" pushing international diplomacy to their, and the US' diplomatic advantage.

US Nuclear Arsenal Controlled by 1970s Computers with 8 Inch Flooppy Disks

So where does the $1 trillion annual military/security budget go?

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/26/us-nuclear-arsenal-controlled-by-1970s-computers-8in-floppy-disks

The post US Nuclear Arsenal Controlled by 1970s Computers with 8 Inch Flooppy Disks appeared first on PaulCraigRoberts.org.

Authored by Josie Wales via TheAntiMedia.org,

Ontario announced earlier this month that it will become the fourth Canadian government to fund a behavioral modification application that rewards users for making “good choices” in regards to health, finance, and the environment.