Jihad Report Oct 01, 2016 -Oct 07, 2016Attacks 51

Killed 290

Injured 490

Suicide Blasts 7

Countries 15

Jihad Report September, 2016Attacks 200

Killed 1165

Injured 1428

Suicide Blasts 26

Countries 33

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE NOMINEE JULIAN ASSANGE

The Podesta EmailsWikiLeaks released a trove of emails apparently hacked from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman email account, unleashing thousands of messages that reveal for the first time excerpts of Clinton’s paid speeches — including those delivered before Wall Street — that were flagged as problematic or potentially damaging.

The late-Friday release came almost immediately after a devastating tape emerged of Donald Trump in 2005 talking about how being “a star” entitled him to make aggressive sexual advances on women, fueling speculation that WikiLeaks is trying to tip the balance of the election.

The batch of emails — which Wikileaks promised is the first of many more to come — provided a glimpse into the inner workings of the campaign, and offered telling details about Clinton’s views on trade and the middle class.

In one of the most notable exchanges, Clinton campaign research director Tony Carrk emails other members of the team on Jan. 25, 2016 to share excerpts of her paid speeches that could come back to bite the campaign.

“Attached are the flags from HRC’s paid speeches we have from HWA. I put some highlights below. There is a lot of policy positions that we should give an extra scrub with Policy,” Carrk writes.

The first excerpt highlighted — with the header *CLINTON ADMITS SHE IS OUT OF TOUCH* — is from a Goldman Sachs-Black Rock event in 2014 in which Clinton discusses her distance from middle-class Americans.

“(Hillary’s) My father loved to complain about big business and big government, but we had a solid middle class upbringing. We had good public schools. We had accessible health care. We had our little, you know, one-family house that, you know, he saved up his money, didn't believe in mortgages. So I lived that,” she said in the speech. “And now, obviously, I'm kind of far removed because the life I've lived and the economic, you know, fortunes that my husband and I now enjoy, but I haven't forgotten it.”

The speech excerpts also delve into her support for a Canadian-style universal health care system and offer revealing comments about trade, which could prove controversial after Clinton dragged her feet in voicing fierce opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal that progressives loathe.

Beyond those excerpts, the emails affirm the campaign’s reputation for extreme caution, with an eagerness to proactively influence news coverage. Whether it’s plotting the candidates’ response to an early attack on influence peddling at the Clinton Foundation or writing jokes for an Iowa dinner speech, ad hoc committees — often incorporating advice from Bill Clinton — are shown agonizing over wording and tone. Under fire, they’re determined “not to look beleaguered,” as one aide put it.

Clinton’s campaign would not confirm the authenticity of the emails — though it did not explicitly deny it either. Podesta tweeted on Friday evening that he did not “have time to figure out which docs are real and which are faked.”

Clinton spokesman Glen Caplin said in an email that, “Earlier today the U.S. government removed any reasonable doubt that the Kremlin has weaponized WikiLeaks to meddle in our election and benefit Donald Trump’s candidacy.”

He added, “We are not going to confirm the authenticity of stolen documents released by Julian Assange who has made no secret of his desire to damage Hillary Clinton. Guccifer 2.0 has already proven the warnings of top national security officials that documents can be faked as part of a sophisticated Russian misinformation campaign.”

The Republican National Committee seized on the leaked excerpts, trying to drive a wedge between Clinton and former supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, who had made his calls for her speech transcripts a centerpiece of his primary challenge.

“With today’s WikiLeaks revelations we are finding out who Hillary Clinton really is, and it’s not hard to see why she fought so hard to keep her transcripts of speeches to Wall Street banks paying her millions of dollars secret,” said RNC Chairman Reince Preibus in a statement. “The truth that has been exposed here is that the persona Hillary Clinton has adopted for her campaign is a complete and utter fraud. How can Bernie Sanders and many like-minded Democrats continue to support her candidacy in light of these revelations?”

Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon appeared to criticize the media for digging through the trove on Friday evening. “Striking how quickly concern abt Russia's masterminding of illegal hacks gave way to digging thru fruits of hack. Just like Russia wanted,” he wrote on Twitter.

Indeed, here are eight more e-mail exchanges that shed light on the methods and mindset of Clinton's allies in Brooklyn and Washington:

1) Clinton Foundation event at Goldman Sachs

In a May 2014 email, Clinton’s soon-to-be campaign manager Robby Mook called it “troubling” that Goldman Sachs had been selected to host an upcoming Clinton Foundation event. “I flagged for Tina and Cheryl as well but it's a little troubling that Goldman Sachs was selected for the foundation event,” he wrote in an email to Podesta.

His comment was in reference to a New York Times story included in the email that described how “The most generous donors to the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation will convene on June 6 at the Goldman Sachs.”

2) Clinton’s Keystone response

In August, 2015, senior aides to Hillary Clinton debated intensely how to react to the Obama administration’s decision to reject the Keystone Pipeline, which they had heard was imminent.

“I just wanted to try to politically get ahead of this and where we are on the issue if this in fact happens,” wrote Nikki Budzinski, Clinton’s labor outreach director. “The trades are also hearing that HRC will put out a statement stating that she encouraged Obama to take this position. Politically with the building trades, this would be a very dangerous posture.”

Podesta replied, “Your [sic] in trouble, girl. Seriously, doubt we'll say we ‘encouraged’ but assume we'll support if it goes that way.”

The decision by the Obama administration was ultimately delayed, which aides presumed was to kick it past the Oct. 19 Canadian elections. Then, adviser Jake Sullivan suggested that she may simply reveal her opposition in response to a question.

3) Challenging Trey Gowdy

In March 2015, the Clinton campaign brass wondered whether they could recruit a friendly lawmaker to question House Benghazi investigators’ attempts to force Clinton to release her emails.

“Do we have some Democrat who can go squarely at Gowdy and demand he release all his emails for that last two years so people can see for themselves how politically motivated his investigations are?” wondered Clinton pollster Joel Benenson.

The problem? No one wanted to do it. They considered Elijah Cummings but then suggested they choose an “HRC Warrior,” as Podesta put it. “Who is her most fearsome House ally?” he wondered.

Mook suggested Nita Lowey, Steve Israel or “Sheila Jackson Lee” – apparently Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas.

As it turned out, none of them seemed eager. Besides, Sheila is functionally illiterate and could not speak a complete sentence in English without it being written down for her. You may recalled how she was the lead Democrat who questioned Rumsfeld on the missing $2 trillion the day before September 11th 2001. He responded, “I don’t know.” And she did not know what to do next.

“After i suggested this earlier in the week I talked to few people on the Hill,” wrote Jim Margolis, another Clinton strategist. “The challenge is getting a member of congress to do it... because they think they will be called upon to make the same disclosure. I pointed out that they don't believe private emails should be made public, so there is no hypocrisy. But there is nervousness just the same.”

“Maybe a retiring senator like Mikulski. I'll keep working it, too,” he said.

4) 'Clinton Cash' rapid response

Clinton’s team scrambled in the spring of 2015 to reaction to allegations made about the Clinton Foundation in “Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich.”

Emails show an elaborate response plan, even debuting a rapid-response website for grassroots supporters to get talking points for local interviews. That way they were all on the same page.

“The biggest question for this group is if and how HRC engages on Clinton Cash this week and what are the ‘two lines’ she would deliver,” Jake Sullivan wrote on May 3 to 10 top aides, including Jennifer Palmieri, Robby Mook, Mandy Grunwald, Joel Benenson and Jim Margolis. Benenson responded with a few lines for Clinton to say about the foundation’s “life-saving work around the world.”

“The notion that that anyone donating to the foundation was going to influence me in my job is absurd,” Benenson suggested Clinton say, to which Margolis suggested, adding “and never happened.”

Of the rapid-response website, Sullivan wrote, “John [Podesta] and I discussed yesterday and think it is important that supporters and press know that we will deal aggressively with unfair attacks, but our real focus and hers is her proactive vision. Important that we do not appear beleaguered.”

Of course, NOW, the world knows that only 6% of the foreign cash given to the Clinton Foundation for favors at the State department is actually used for any sort of charity work. The rest is a billion dollar slush fund for the Clinton campaign. And we know from books as far back as the Scathing “Compromised: Clinton, Bush and the CIA,” that the Clintons bought their way into Washington with notorious manila envelope operation where millions in drug cartel cash was handed through couriers to lawmaker campaigns who would recite their talking points on command.

In April of this year, the gang looked for ways to have reporters thoroughly debunk “Clinton Cash” before its release. “Amy Chozick from the NYT called us to indicate she had obtained a copy of the book on her own and intends to file a separate story tomorrow. Her story will not unpack all of the book's claims … she will do a more process-y story about the book's existence, the fact that the publisher has approached multiple media outlets in advance of the book's publication to spoon-feed them some of the book's research,” Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon wrote to other Clinton advisers.

He added, “We think this story, though it was not originated by us, could end up being somewhat helpful in casting the book's author as being part of the vast right-wing conspiracy.”

When the author, Peter Schweitzer, stumbled through an awkward interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos — himself a Clinton Foundation donor — the damage control team took a victory lap as they sent around the transcript.

"[G]reat work everyone. this interview is perfect. Schweitzer landed no punches and everything is refuted (mostly based on our work),” wrote spokesman Jesse Ferguson.

“This is therapeutic to watch. George is cool as a cucumber, doesn't rush into it, but just destroys him slowly but surely over the course of the interview,” chimes in Nick Merrill.

5) Joking about the Benghazi hearing

On Oct. 24, 2015, the Clinton team debated how sharp of a dig Clinton should take at Rep. Trey Gowdy after her marathon appearance before his committee investigating the Benghazi attack. As they discussed remarks she was set to deliver at the October Jefferson Jackson dinner the next night, Podesta had an idea for a joke. “I used to be obsessed with Donald Trump's hair, that was until I got to spend 11 hours staring at the top of Trey Gowdy's head,” Podesta suggested inserting into the speech.

“I love the joke too but I think HRC should stay above the committee - and especially above personal insults about it. She's got every inch of the high ground right now,” Jake Sullivan replied.

The truth is that Hillary did not face the committee for 11 hours. She faced them for barely three and a half hours, as the Democrats asked no questions and basically acted like cheerleaders and foot washers priming her for each 5-minite bout with a Republican on the committee. They deflected the entire committee and even made blasphemous statements to the press how this was just a political attack to weaken Clinton’s chances at beating Bernie.

“Wow. You people are a bunch of ninnies,” joked Clinton propaganda director Jennifer Palmieri.

But the team was determined to find some humor they could agree on. Mook suggested, an “Apprentice” joke, but noted, “I never saw the show. I'm also the worst person to generate jokes....”

Then Jim Margolis revealed a suggestion from Bill Clinton himself: “Wishing after hour 8 that Bernie would come through the door with his ‘damn email’ line.” But Benenson killed the line:

“It’s a joke that would work and room would love it,” he said. “However one caveat: I think it gives Bernie the credit for putting the email crap behind us instead of her --- she crushed the debate and she crushed at the committee. And while crowd may love it, the biggest aversion for propaganda team is whether reporters would take it as proof that Bernie 'saved' her campaign from the email tempest.”

6) Jeb’s economic message is not so different

Following Jeb Bush’s “right to rise” speech on Feb. 5 in Detroit, Clinton’s aides had different reactions. "It's a scary new wrapping paper for trickle down,” said Jeffrey Liszt, an outside pollster.

Outside propaganda adviser Mandy Grunwald’s take: "Very little in this speech that HRC wouldn't say….”

7) Bernie oppo

In October 2015, just as Sanders' campaign was starting to pick up steam, Tony Carrk emailed colleagues a list of potential points to use against the Vermont senator. The email, with the subject line "PLS REVIEW: Sanders Hits" featured paragraphs of potential lines of attack against Sanders on labor and the environment, a 1994 crime bill, gun control, gay marriage, and the environment. The Clinton campaign ended up using some of the potential attacks, like Sanders supporting the Commodities Futures Modernization Act, which blocked regulating credit default swaps, while also bashing repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. Another point proposes attacking Sanders on spending.

" Sen. Sanders has not told the American people how much his plans will cost and how he will pay for them. When asked for specifics, he demurs. When other estimates show trillions in new spending, he simply rejects them without offering his own estimate," Carrk wrote.

8) Sounding 'Pro-Keystone'

In the speech excerpts, Clinton-allied researchers flagged her positive remarks about the Keystone XL Pipeline and trade, made well before she came out against the pipeline and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

"My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere,” Clinton told a Brazilian bank in 2013. She added, “We have to resist, protectionism, other kinds of barriers to market access.”

An aide flagged these remarks as sounding “Pro-Keystone”: "Keystone is a contentious issue, and of course it is important on both sides of the border for different and sometimes opposing reasons, but that is not our relationship.” The Huffington Post has reported that the June 2014 speech to tinePublic, Inc., was among several speeches with ties to two Canadian banks with a financial interest in the oil project.

IMF Says Global Debt at all Time High

Worldwide public and private debt is at an all-time high, posing a substantial impediment to getting global economic growth back to normal, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.

The easy money policies of the world's top central banks has fed the problem, stoking a private-sector credit binge in China and rising public debt in some low-income countries, the IMF said in a new report.

Meanwhile, slow economic growth is making it hard for both companies and countries to cut their debt burdens -- a process that can also drag on growth momentum because deleveraging companies slow spending and investment.

Without deleveraging, however, countries run the risk of fresh financial crises that can turn into deep recessions, the IMF's Fiscal Monitor report says.

"For a significant deleveraging to take place, restoring robust growth and returning to normal levels of inflation is necessary," the fund said.

Getting there requires governments to stimulate growth though investment, certain fiscal and business reforms, and targeted programs to help heavily indebted companies lower their debts.

"Global debt is at record highs and rising," the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department chief Vitor Gaspar said.

Public and private debt -- excluding the financial sector's -- at the end of last year hit $152 trillion, with around two-thirds owed by the private sector, the report said.

Measured against the size of the world economy, it rose from less than 200 percent of global GDP to 225 percent over the 15 years to 2015.

Debt at such levels while economic growth remains tepid heightens the risk of financial crises, Gaspar said.

"High debt levels are costly as they often end up in financial recessions that are deeper and longer than normal recessions," he said in comments accompanying the report.

Moreover, "excessive private debt is a major headwind against the global recovery and a risk to financial stability."

While central banks have had to cut interest rates to support the recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, that has encouraged the debt pileup, the report said.

Dealing with the problem requires governments to implement well-calibrated programs to reduce private debt -- by cleaning up poor balance sheets of European banks and non-financial companies in China.

"Generally, where the financial system is under severe stress," the report said, "resolving the underlying problem quickly is critical."

Globalism Takes a Huge Crap for the 6th Year in a RowPolicy-making elites converge on Washington this week for meetings that epitomize a faith in globalization that’s at odds with the growing backlash against the inequities it creates.

From Britain’s vote to leave the European Union to Donald Trump’s championing of “America First,” pressures are mounting to roll back the economic integration that has been a hallmark of gatherings of the IMF and World Bank for more than 70 years.

Fed by stagnant wages and diminishing job security, the populist uprising threatens to depress a world economy that International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde says is already “weak and fragile.”

The calls for less integration and more trade barriers also pose risks for elevated financial markets that remain susceptible to sudden swings in investor sentiment, as underscored by recent jitters over Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank AG’s financial health.

“The backlash against globalization is manifesting itself in increased nationalistic sentiment, against the outside world and in favor of increasing isolation,” said Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics at Oxford Economics in Hong Kong and a former IMF official. “If we lose consensus on what kind of a world we want to have, the world will probably be worse off.”

Lagarde said last week that policy makers attending the Oct. 7-9 annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank have two tasks. First, stop America at all costs from establishing protectionist barriers to trade. And second, take action to boost lackluster global growth and make it more inclusive by taking from the richest nations and giving to the poorest.

The fund, in its latest World Economic Outlook released Tuesday, highlighted the threats from the anti-trade movement. “Concerns about the impact of foreign competition on jobs and wages in a context of weak growth have enhanced the appeal of protectionist policy approaches, with potential ramifications for global trade flows and integration more broadly,” the report stated. The global economy will expand 3.1 percent this year and 3.4 percent in 2017, the report stated, continuing at a “subdued” pace.

Trade Deal

Achieving even those modest objectives may prove elusive. Free trade has become polling poison in the U.S. presidential campaign, with Donald Trump lashing out at Mexico and China, threatening to slap big tariffs on imports from both nations. He had placed a huge target on TPP as being worse than NAFTA, if that was possible at stripping manufacturing jobs out of the America workforce.

Rattled by the U.K.’s June vote to leave the EU, European leaders know it may just be the start of a political earthquake that’s threatening the oligarchs in Brussels that once thought their

globalist agenda was healthy and growing. Next year sees elections in Germany and France, the euro area’s two largest economies, and in the Netherlands. In all three countries anti-globalist forces are gaining ground.

With growing resentment of the EU from Budapest to Madrid, policy makers have described the current surge in populism as the greatest threat to the bloc since its creation out of the ashes of World War II.

Hard Exit

There are also growing signs that the European union and Britain are heading for a so-called “hard exit” that would sharply reduce the bloc’s trade and financial ties with the island nation. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said on Oct. 2 that she’ll begin her country’s withdrawal from the EU in the first quarter of next year.

There is also a hard exit with the States of America preparing to break away from Washington elites who have been milking the economy out of trillions for nearly 86 years. Regulations that have the force of law, taxes, fines, and fees have been carefully engineered through sequenced litigation all without representation of the American people. After years of Congressional committee charades where Agencies, Departments, Bureaus, and Administrations withhold and destroy subpoenaed evidence, take the fifth, or refuse to appear with impunity, the States have had enough and are building a solid coalition toward a Convention of the States.

LOGAN Link (Article V Convention)

Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of free trade over the past generation, China, still restricts access to many of its key industries, with economists worried about increasingly mercantilist policies. It’s also seeking a larger role in the existing global framework, with entry of the yuan into the IMF’s basket of reserve currencies on Oct. 1 the most recent example.

An all-out trade war would be a disaster for China’s economy, with Trump’s threatened tariff potentially wiping off almost 5 percent of its gross domestic product, according to a calculation by Daiwa Capital Markets. However, no one believes a trade war will happen. China knows it cannot come out on top, so it will negotiate better trade agreements that help both nations win. When that happens, the trillions in new revenue will boost the flow of capital on every level, benefitting the whole world by State, and not as a single oligarchical body.

Waning Support

John Williamson, who’s Washington Consensus of open trade and deregulation was effectively the governing ethos for the IMF and World Bank for decades, said the 2008-09 financial meltdown had undercut support for economic integration. The elites were able to deflect blame for the meltdown away from their open credit policies that places millions of mortgage securities at risk by lending money at risk to unqualified borrowers in exchange for Democrat votes. The collapse of the banks was solely because the foundation security of the single-family home first mortgage was destroyed by Clinton’s repeal of Glass-Steagle in 1993 and the legislation that spawned thousands of new regulations requiring banks to make loans to low income borrowers.

“There was agreement on globalization before the crisis and that’s one thing that’s been lost since the financial crisis,” said Williamson, a former senior fellow at Peterson Institute for International Economics who is now retired.

The growing opposition to economic integration has been fueled by a sub-par global recovery., due largely by the fact that less than 50% of the people hold a full-time job and only 30% qualify for a loan for a new car or a mortgage. The national Credit Bureaus will ensure that remains the case for at least 7 years.

“Perhaps the most striking macroeconomic fact about advanced economies today is how anemic demand remains in the face of zero interest rates,” former IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard wrote last week in a policy brief for the Peterson Institute.

The world economy is getting some lift after rising at an annual rate just shy of 3 percent in the first half of this year, according to David Hensley, director of global economics for JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York.

Driverless Economy

But much of the boost will come from a lessening of drags rather than from a big burst of fresh growth, said Peter Hooper, chief economist at Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. in New York and a former Federal Reserve official.

Recessions in Brazil and Russia are set to come to an end, while in the U.S. cutbacks in inventories and in oil and gas drilling will wane, which will raise the price and thus the revenue for from oil to those countries. So, the reduction in drag is seen as the removal of the US as a major economic braking system for the world. We’re the ones holding it back. We are the dead weight. Do you see the viewpoint of the IMF, and how completely different it is from Donald Trump’s and the American people?

“I’m characterizing the global economy as something akin to a driverless car that’s stuck in the slow lane,” said David Stockton, a former Fed official and now chief economist at consultants LH Meyer Inc. “Everybody feels like they’re being taken for a ride but they’re pretty nervous because they can’t see anybody in control.” The point is, that they want the economy in control, by them.

Upside Risk

Still, for the first time in the past few years, Stockton said he sees a real upside risk to his forecast of continued global growth of around 3 percent next year. And that’s coming from the possibility of looser fiscal policy in the U.S. and Europe. In other words, the IMF plans to take the last remaining wealth in the US and distribute it to countries who produce absolutely nothing.

In the U.S., both Clinton and Trump have pledged to boost infrastructure spending on roads, bridges and the like.

In Europe, rising populism provides a powerful incentive for governments to abandon austerity ahead of the elections next year -- and perhaps beyond. By the way, austerity is a cutback in the welfare programs that give people free spending money, shorter workweeks, and longer paid vacations. Cutting these back is seen as a great burden on the people.

“The consensus in policy-making circles was that more trade meant better economic growth,” said Standard Chartered head of Greater China economic research Ding Shuang, who worked at the IMF from 1997 to 2010. “But the benefits weren’t shared equitably, so now we see a round of anti-globalization, anti-free trade. You see, a rich, privileged few in Belgium or Washington make themselves wealthy beyond measure, while the rest of the world lives in squalor. This is why the world is revolting against globalism in its current form. This is why the people of Europe and the US are rebelling against Belgium and Washington.

Globalization will stall for the moment, until we can find a way to overcome the greed and lust for power of the organizers of the global government. Should there even be a global government? I actually think that a completely decentralized government is the answer. Less laws. Less police. Less focus on money and wealth. More focus on a global goal, and a need to see to it that every human has what they need. I am not saying every human gets when they want. That is something they have to work for. But, the basic needs should be provided out of love and compassion.

Cold War Update

The former Soviet nation is ramping up fears over nuclear war and blaming the West for the unsettling possibility of a conflict.

As international tension builds following attacks in Syria, Russian state officials are preparing terrified citizens for a nuclear war – which they say would be started by America.

Today’s exercise is being run by EMERCOM, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry.

Russian Civil Defence Department director Oleg Manuilov told Interfax: "Training will be held from October 4 to 7 and will be attended by more than 40 million people, more than 200 thousand professionals rescue units and 50 thousand pieces of equipment." This is real. This was conducted, and millions of Russians believed that the US was about to nuke them. Why would they believe this?

Could it be the fact that the US has resumed flying high-altitude, nuclear sorties over the Arctic, over the North Sea, and up to the border of Russia, just as we did in the Cold War? Could it be that Secretary John Kerry has been ordered by the Muslim Brotherhood spies in the white house to withdraw from the UN Security Council meetings in talks with the Russians? Could it be that a heavily hung over US

Ambassador to the UN ran out during permanent member Churkin from Russia’s speech. Here’s what he said:

“One look at Samantha Power is enough to understand, that there's just trouble in that head. Diplomat, the representative of the leading country at the highest international body, comes out for solo performance looking not like a diplomat but an old tramp that was just dragged out of bed, with a hangover. It's clear that this did not escape the eye of all the participants of the meeting of the Security Council. They just diplomatically talked about something else. Including the inappropriate behavior.”

As international tension builds following attacks in Syria, Russian state officials are preparing terrified citizens for a nuclear war - which they say would be started by America. The point is that they are right!

The fear that the West is set for war with Russia is being spread throughout media reports and official statements. Obama is golfing. Hillary is practicing. Trump is terrified that he will not get there in time to stop it.

One headline on the website Zvezda last week read "Schizophrenics from America are sharpening nuclear weapons for Moscow" - claiming the US wanted to punish Russia over challenges in the Middle East.

EMERCOM announced on Friday that underground shelters which could fit the entire population of Moscow - 12 million - if war broke out.

At a level of constant fear of devastating attacks from America, Moscow has carried out at least two nuclear attack drills since Vladimir Putin became the president again in 2012.

Russia currently has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons with 8,400, and a section of its nuclear doctrine which allows for use of the weapons if there is a vague suggestion of a threat.

America has 7,500 warheads, considerably less. In the past Dmitry Kiselyov, head of Russia's main news agency, has said only Russia would be able to turn the US into "radioactive ash".

The nerves surrounding Russia's fears of attack have grown from comments made by Ash Carter, the US secretary of defense, who said the Pentagon was reviewing its "nuclear playbook" to ensure against "terrible attacks" by Russia.

Confrontation with the West, and a willingness to continue the rift, is said to be something those in Putin's inner circle are encouraging.

It has previously been reported that Putin is preparing for war with the West. The Russian president has invested heavily in decking out top secret facilities around Moscow in the event of war.

He has even ordered the building of a 400-square mile facility in the remote wastes of the Ural mountains from where any future conflict could be directed.

Satellite images reveal the location of the huge centre near Mount Yamantau.

This week the White House suspended contact with Russia over Syria.

US officials ran out of patience with the Kremlin on Monday, when the US State Department announced bilateral discussions would not continue.

The move was threatened last week by Secretary of State John Kerry, who was enraged by a number of airstrikes on rebel-controlled areas of Aleppo.

Hundreds of innocents are believed to have been killed in attacks on the city in recent weeks.

2016 Nobel Prize for Peace

X-Squared Radio’s nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize has finally made the short list. The hsort list is as follows:

While nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize are kept officially secret and not revealed by the Norwegian Nobel Committee until 50 years later, organizers do release the number of nominations: 376 this year — 228 individuals and 148 organizations.

Anyone can technically be nominated for the $930,000 accolade but only a person deemed qualified by the Nobel committee to nominate candidates can do so.

Since 2002, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) has produced a shortlist of candidates that it feels merit the distinction. The shortlist is chosen by PRIO's Director Kristian Berg Harpviken.

On Monday, Harpviken dropped Colombia from his list after voters rejected a peace deal that would have ended 52 years of conflict between the government and the FARC rebels. According to Harpviken, Donald Trump and the actress Susan Sarandon

have been nominated. Trump for "his vigorous peace through strength ideology, used as a threat weapon of deterrence against radical Islam, the Islamic State, nuclear Iran and Communist China" and Sarandon for "helping refugees in Greece" over Christmas.

Harpviken's 2016 Nobel Peace Prize shortlistSvetlana Gannushkina (Russia) 

Svetlana Gannushkina during a press conference in Moscow on Oct. 4, 2012. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Gannushkina is the founder of Civic Assistance Committee, a group that offers legal aid, education and assistance to migrants and refugees. Her work has focused on the human rights of displaced people and different ethnic groups in Russia and former Soviet republics.

Ali Akbar Salehi (Iran) and Ernest Moniz (United States)

Iranian Vice President and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi in Brussels on Sept. 14. (Photo: EPA)

There was speculation last year that the prize would go to Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, Secretary of State John Kerry or the European Union's top diplomat Federica Mogherini for their work on the Iran nuclear deal. Harpviken thinks that amid what appears to be easing tensions and renewed diplomatic contacts between Iran and the West, the award should be shared between to the energy ministers of Iran and the United States.

The White Helmets (Syria)

Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) emergency workers respond to airstrikes in eastern Aleppo, Syria, on Sept. 21. (Photo: AP)

Comprised of regular citizens, the Syrian Civil Defense, or "White Helmets," are a team of volunteer emergency workers who risk their lives to pull civilians trapped in the rubble of buildings targeted by bombs in Syria's five-year civil war. The network of about 3,000 volunteers has saved about 60,000 lives, according to the group.

Edward Snowden (United States)

Edward Snowden, center, speaks via video conference to people at Johns Hopkins University on Feb. 17. (Photo: AP)

To some, Snowden is a traitor who should be jailed for leaking information about secret U.S. surveillance programs. To others, he is a hero whistle-blower whose revelations about U.S. snooping have led to serious political and legal reforms, and who does not deserve exile in Russia.

Jeanne Nacatche Banyere, Jeannette Kahindo Bindu and Dr. Denis Mukwege (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Denis Mukwege delivers a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France on Nov. 26, 2016. (Photo: AP)

The trio are gynecologists who specialize in treating victims of rape and sexual violence. Banyere and Bindu have provided help to survivors of sexual attacks across the Democratic Republic of Congo while Mukwege set up a hospital dedicated to this work and personally treated thousands of women

The Prepper Economy

Here’s another reason why you – and your friends and family – should prep:

Venezuelans ransack stores as hunger grips the nation

You can just tell the New York Times is gritting its collective (pun intended) teeth over having to report that the South American shining path, er, city on the socialist hill is about to go belly up. After years of failing collectivism, Venezuela, a nation with arguably the largest oil reserves on Earth, has reached a point where its citizens are eating their pets and the death rate for newborns in a hospital has gone from .02 percent in 2012 to 2 percent in 2015 – according to a government report.

For the statistically challenged, that means one dead baby for every 50 births.

Fortunately, though, such an apocalypse can’t happen here. (The “everything is fine gang” (EFG) is nodding its collective head.) After all, those people aren’t like us. They’re … well … brown. And foreign. And let’s face it, in a non-racist and completely non-elitist way … well, we’re just better.

Besides, they’re a bunch of socialists. For crying out loud, their corrupt government controls their elections! (The move for Washington control of elections) And the crooked national government controls all the police! (So you want to federalize local cops?)

And Venezuela’s evil masters run health care, control public education, regulate religious liberty, stomp on private property rights and apply a different standard of law for the elites over the citizens.

Yep … we’ve got it made.

Folks, there are millions of Americans who are preparing for the coming bad times, and with each passing day that number increases:

U.S preppers: 3 million and counting – when modern society collapses unto itself

Prepping means being able to feed your family and your community no matter what happens – and no matter who makes it happen.

And that’s one of the reasons we prep.

Back in the dark ages when I was attending college, a professor of mine informed me that all of the sciences (astronomy, geology, engineering and even the life sciences) ultimately come down to physics. (Guess what kind of professor he was.) Despite the fact that I hated physics (but had to take a lot of classes in that subject in pursuit of my major) and despite the fact that I thought that particular professor was a dufus, I had to admit he had a point.

If you dig deep enough, all wars and revolutions, every exploration, each historical mass-migration, and every other human endeavor ultimately revolves around profit for someone … and often loss for someone else. And this is true whether it involves a despot moving an army, a worker angling for a raise or a lion eating a gazelle.

So today, I want to talk a bit about prepper economics. I hear from a lot of people that either they’d like to prep but don’t have the money, or that you’re an idiot to spend money on prepping, because it will ultimately be either unnecessary or will do you no good. Either way, they argue, it’s a losing proposition.

They’re just plain wrong. And for more reasons than just that you might be stupid if you think that FEMA is going to care for your every need as soon as the lights go out. Whine all you want, there will be no blanket and cookie for you. So you better get it for yourself.

But, besides that, I’m here to tell you: You will always – always! – make a profit prepping. You simply cannot lose money.

I’ve been storing food, equipment, and other tangible assets for 20 years, and adding to that storage each year. Sometimes I buy and occasionally I sell. And I can prove to you that prepping is profitable.

Let’s take a look at some graphs of six commonly collected prepper commodities. Go grab a store receipt from one to five years ago. Check the difference in prices. You will be astonished. Some items like dried mushrooms have gone up by 400% in price. Bread is a stunning $3 a loaf. It used to be 49 cents a loaf.

These are the first ones I chose; no cherry-picking. Most of these graphs are representations of changes over time in the Consumer Price Index, which is defined as

“monthly data on changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services.”

On average, the graphs show a relative doubling (or better) in prices over the past 16 years, except gold, which clocks in around a five-fold increase. But remember, it ain’t the gold that has changed value. It’s the dollar.

“So what?” you may ask. “It’s just inflation.”

And you’d be right. Mostly. But take a look at this graph:

Between 2000 and 2016, the average hourly wage in the U.S. only increased by 43 percent (uncorrected for inflation). I suppose you could call that inflation too … except it hasn’t kept up with costs.

If you had sealed corn, rice, wheat, powdered eggs and more – all prepper food – it would be worth increased in value well in excess of the inflationary average income. Stored ammunition values have as skyrocketed as well. And don’t forget tradable liquor. Sealed bottles of whiskey will get you through some lean times if you can trade with someone who has what you need.

There is a whole industry out there ready to take advantage of you. You should be aware of what a good deal is and is not. On Amazon, you can buy a 40-pound bucket of pinto beans that retails for $76. That’s almost $2 a pound.

Back in 2006, I you could buy 50-pound buckets of pinto beans for around $0.20 a pound, or $8 for a 40-pound bucket. Those beans are still perfectly edible. I could sell those buckets today to other preppers for a four-fold profit … and it would still be cheaper than the bucket on Amazon.

Now the next argument you’ll give me is you don’t have the room for all that storage. My first reply is, find some. But if that’s too simplistic for you, think about this: If you’d started buying just gold or silver in 2000 rather than shares of Solyndra or Lehman Brothers, you could have a shoebox-sized retirement fund. And that box won’t disappear if the lights go out.

The point of this monologue isn’t, “What a wise fellow I am!” It’s more along the lines of, “If a dummy like me can do it, so can you.” They say the best time to plant an apple tree is ten years ago. But once upon a time, it was ten years ago. If you plant that tree today – meaning, you start investing in the tangibles now – then in ten years, when someone repeats that complaint (whether they’re talking about trees, or being able to feed their family), you can smile and offer them a slice of investment.

And not to be too repetitive, but that’s one of the reasons we prep.

Obama Administration Covers the Tracks

The Obama administration is moving to dismiss charges against an arms dealer it had accused of selling weapons that were destined for Libyan rebels.

Lawyers for the Justice Department on Monday filed a motion in federal court in Phoenix to drop the case against the arms dealer, an American named Marc Turi, whose lawyers also signed the motion.

The deal averts a trial that threatened to cast additional scrutiny on Hillary Clinton’s private emails as Secretary of State, and to expose reported Central Intelligence Agency attempts to arm rebels fighting Libyan leader Moammar Qadhafi.

Government lawyers were facing a Wednesday deadline to produce documents to Turi’s legal team, and the trial was officially set to begin on Election Day, although it likely would have been delayed by protracted disputes about classified information in the case.

A Turi associate asserted that the government dropped the case because the proceedings could have embarrassed Clinton and President Barack Obama by calling attention to the reported role of their administration in supplying weapons that fell into the hands of Islamic extremist militants.

“They don’t want this stuff to come out because it will look really bad for Obama and Clinton just before the election,” said the associate.

In the dismissal motion, prosecutors say “discovery rulings” from U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell contributed to the decision to drop the case. The joint motion asks the judge to accept a confidential agreement to resolve the case through a civil settlement between the State Department and the arms broker.

“Our position from the outset has been that this case never should have been brought and we’re glad it’s over,” said Jean-Jacques Cabou, a Perkins Coie partner serving as court-appointed defense counsel in the case. “Mr Turi didn’t break the law….We’re very glad the charges are being dismissed.”

Under the deal, Turi admits no guilt in the transactions he participated in, but he agreed to refrain from U.S.-regulated arms dealing for four years. A $200,000 civil penalty will be waived if Turi abides by the agreement.

A State Department official confirmed the outlines of the agreement.

“Mr. Turi cooperated with the Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls in its review and proposed administrative settlement of the alleged violations,” said the official, who asked not be named. “Based on a compliance review, DDTC alleged that Mr. Turi…engaged in brokering activities for the proposed transfer of defense articles to Libya, a proscribed destination under [arms trade regulations,] despite the Department’s denial of…requests for the required prior approval of such activities.”

Turi adviser Robert Stryk of the government relations and consulting firm SPG accused the government of trying to scapegoat Turi to cover up Clinton’s mishandling of Libya.

“The U.S. government spent millions of dollars, went all over the world to bankrupt him, and destroyed his life — all to protect Hillary Clinton’s crimes,” he said, alluding to the deadly Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Republicans hold Clinton responsible for mishandling the circumstances around that attack. And Stryk said that Turi was now weighing book and movie deals to tell his story, and to weigh in on the Benghazi attack.

Representatives of the Justice Department, the White House and Clinton’s presidential campaign either declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment on the case or the settlement.

Turi was indicted in 2014 on four felony counts: two of arms dealing in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and two of lying to the State Department in official applications. The charges accused Turi of claiming that the weapons involved were destined for Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, when the arms were actually intended to reach Libya.

Turi’s lawyers argued that the shipments were part of a U.S. government-authorized effort to arm Libyan rebels.

It’s unclear if any of the weapons made it to Libya, and there’s no evidence linking weapons provided by the U.S. government to the Benghazi attacks.

“The proposal did not result in an actual transfer of defense articles to Libya,” the State Department official told POLITICO on Tuesday.

But questions about U.S. efforts to arm Libyan rebels have been mounting, since weapons have reportedly made their way from Libya to Syria, where a civil war is raging between the Syrian Government and ISIL-aligned fighters.

During 2013 Senate hearings on the 2012 Benghazi attack, Clinton, under questioning from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), said she had no knowledge of weapons moving from Libya into Turkey.

Wikileaks head Julian Assange in July suggested that he had emails proving that Clinton “pushed” the “flows” of weapons “going over to Syria.”

HILLARY CAMPAIGN SPEECH (loki)

Mystery Satellite Blackouts

They were sent into orbit to measure the Earth's invisible magnetic field.

But a cluster of scientific satellites have been suffering mysterious blackouts as they circle the planet.

Scientists were left puzzled about why the three satellites launched by the European Space Agency have regularly lost their navigation signal when passing over the equator above the Atlantic Ocean.

Now they believe they may have uncovered the underlying cause of the strange loss in the GPS signal that helps control the satellites – thunderstorms high in the ionosphere.

Professor Claudia Stolle, from the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Postdam, Germany, said the storms can cause the signal to the Swarm satellites to vanish for several minutes at a time.

WHAT ARE IONOSPHERIC THUNDERSTORMS? 

The lightning most of us are familiar with are the flashes of electrical discharge that fork down from thunderclouds or create bright sheets that momentarily light up the sky.

However, higher in the atmosphere short lived electrical activity can create other forms of rarely seen lightning.

The most common of these are sprites – flashes of bright red light – which occur high above thunderstorm clouds at up to 56 miles above the Earth’s surface.

Blue jets can also project from the top of thunderstorm clouds in a narrow cone around 30 miles above the Earth surface.

Occasionally dim flattened glows known as ELVES expand in diameter over the course of a millisecond occur around 62 miles up in the atmosphere.

Higher in the ionosphere the electrical discharge takes on the appearance of turbulence that creates bubbles in the electrically charged gases that occur at high altitudes.

She said: 'These ionospheric thunderstorms are well known, but it's only now we have been able to show a direct link between them and the loss of the GPS.

'This is possible because the Swarm satellites provide high resolution observations of both phenomena at one spacecraft.'

The Swarm constellation was designed to monitor the magnetic field that envelopes the Earth and to look for electric currents in the planet's atmosphere.

They were launched in November 2013 with two of the satellites being sent to orbit side-by-side at an altitude of 285 miles and a third orbiting at 329 miles.

The satellites use GPS signals to help determine their precise position and timing as they orbit.

Yet as the satellites passed over the equator between Africa and South America they seemed to lose the GPS signal for several minutes.

GPS is provided by a suite of 24 satellites orbiting some 12,550 miles above the surface. They provide the signal that is used by satellite navigation systems, mobile phones, aircraft and many other devices here on Earth.

Researchers, whose work is published in the journal Space Weather, found that ionospheric thunderstorms appear to be able to disrupt these signals.

Occurring around 186 miles to 372 miles up in the atmosphere, thunderstorms in the ionosphere are actually quite different from the lightning we see here on Earth.

Sunlight is so powerful at this altitude that it can strip the electrons from atoms, creating electrically charged particles called ions and free electrons.

Ionospheric thunderstorms occur as turbulence in these clouds of electrons which create small 'bubbles' inside which there is little electrically charged material.

These bubbles bend and scatter electromagnetic waves sent by GPS satellites 12,000 miles away, meaning the Swarm satellites are unable to pick up the signal.

Professor Stolle said the discovery promised to reveal new details about the electrical activity in the ionosphere and also learn more about how solar activity affects the Earth's atmosphere.

'It's important to understand these external sources to get a complete picture of the Earth magnetic field,' she said. 'This study looks at one of these factors.'

The findings could also help to improve the reliability of GPS systems in the future.

Professor Stolle added: 'The GPS has become a very convenient scientific tool for us in addition to being a navigation and positioning instrument for the satellite.'

SWAT No-Knock Raids Injuring Thousands of Innocent People per YearAt a time of anxiety over policing in the United States and heated debate about "militarized" law enforcement, the practice of conducting "no-knock raids" – in which heavily armed SWAT teams burst unannounced into homes – has come under widespread scrutiny.

Here are facts, figures, and statistics to consider on the raids and the judicial warrants that permit them:

Urgent: Should All Police Officers Have to Wear Body Cameras?

1. Police are authorized to conduct more than 20,000 no-knock raids a year. "In theory, no-knock raids are supposed to be used in only the most dangerous situations … In reality, though, no-knock raids are a common tactic, even in less-than-dangerous circumstances," Vox reported.

2. Judges approve them far more often than not. A 2000 investigation by The Denver Post found local judges routinely issued no-knock warrants even when police didn't ask for them, and simply converted regular warrants into no-knock with a signature.

3. An ACLU study of more than 800 SWAT team deployments in 2011-2012 found 79 percent were to execute a search warrant, usually in a drug investigation, while 7 percent were to deal

with hostage crises, barricades, or active shooters – the scenarios for which SWAT teams were originally invented.

4. The same ACLU study reported, "Of the cases we studied, in 36 percent of SWAT deployments for drug searches, and possibly in as many as 65 percent of such deployments, no contraband of any sort was found."

Vote Now: Does Media Coverage Make Police Officers' Jobs More Dangerous?

5. In 2003, then-NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly estimated that 10 percent of the more than 450 no-knock raids his officers carried out every month went to the wrong address. "That estimate came after a wrong-door raid resulted in the homeowner's death: when police broke into the home of 57-year-old Alberta Spruill and threw in a flash-bang grenade, the shock gave her a fatal heart attack," Vox reported.

Space Megastructure Update

The more scientists learn about "Tabby's Star," the more mysterious the bizarre object gets.

Newly analyzed observations by NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope show that the star KIC 8462852 — whose occasional, dramatic dips in brightness still have astronomers scratching their heads — has also dimmed overall during the last few years.

"The steady brightness change in KIC 8462852 is pretty astounding," study lead author Ben Montet, of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, said in a statement. [13 Ways to Hunt Intelligent Alien Life]

"Our highly accurate measurements over four years demonstrate that the star really is getting fainter with time," Montet added. "It is unprecedented for this type of star to slowly fade for years, and we don't see anything else like it in the Kepler data."

KIC 8462852 hit the headlines last September, when a team of astronomers led by Tabetha Boyajian of Yale University announced that the star had dimmed dramatically several times over the past few years — in one case, by a whopping 22 percent.

These brightness dips are too significant to be caused by an orbiting planet, so scientists began suggesting alternative explanations. Perhaps a planet or a family of orbiting comets broke up, for example, and the ensuing cloud of dust and fragments periodically blocks the star's light. Or maybe some unknown object in the depths of space between the star and Earth is causing the dimming.

The brightness dips are even consistent with a gigantic energy-collecting structure built by an intelligent civilization — though researchers have been keen to stress that this "alien megastructure" scenario is quite unlikely.

The weirdness increased in January 2016, when astronomer Bradley Schaefer of Louisiana State University reported that KIC 8462852 also seems to have dimmed overall by 14 percent between 1890 and 1989.

This conclusion is based on Schaefer's analysis of photographic plates of the night sky that managed to capture Tabby's Star, which lies about 1,500 light-years from Earth. Some other astronomers questioned this interpretation, however, suggesting that differences in the instruments used to photograph the sky over that time span may be responsible for the apparent long-term dimming.

So Montet and co-author Joshua Simon, of the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, decided to scour the Kepler data for any hint of the trend Schaefer spotted. And they found more than just a hint.

Brightness of KIC 8462852 as a function of time. The solid line represents the authors' best estimate of the brightness of the star during the Kepler mission, while the shaded region represents the uncertainty on the brightness at any time.

Credit: Courtesy of Ben Montet

Kepler observed KIC 8462852, along with about 150,000 other stars, from 2009 through 2013. During the first three years of that time span, KIC 8462852 got nearly 1 percent dimmer, Montet and Simon found. The star's brightness dropped by a surprising 2 percent over the next six months, and stayed level for the final six months of the observation period. (Kepler has since moved on to a new mission called K2, during which the telescope is hunting for exoplanets on a more limited basis and performing a variety of other observations.)

"This star was already completely unique because of its sporadic dimming episodes," Simon said in the same statement. "But now we see that it has other features that are just as strange, both slowly dimming for almost three years and then suddenly getting fainter much more rapidly."

Montet and Simon said they don't know what's behind the weird behavior of Tabby's Star, but they hope their results, which have been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, help crack the case eventually.

"It's a big challenge to come up with a good explanation for a star doing three different things that have never been seen before," Montet said. "But these observations will provide an important clue to solving the mystery of KIC 8462852."

Debate Questions for Hillary Clinton1. Mrs. Clinton, your creation and protection of your private server while you were

Secretary of State is one of the most talked about subjects on social media globally. Five top members of your staff have been granted immunity, and another half dozen have taken the fifth or refused to appear. How do you inspire confidence in the American voter that you will protect confidential information when you are president?

2. Mrs. Clinton, while you were Secretary of State, the Clinton Foundation received hundreds of millions of dollars from foreign governments and wealthy individuals. More than 75% of your campaign funds come from large corporate donors or Wall Street banks. How can you assure the American people that this money will not influence you or compromise you as president of the United States?

3. Madam Secretary, immigration is one of the subjects that has energized this election to historic levels. Mr. Trump wants to build a wall. You have said you want to build bridges. Can you describe how you plan to handle the subject of immigration?

4. Mrs. Clinton, this question is about national security. Many, including the current president, have said you are the most qualified candidate in history. Given current Russian aggression, a policy of regime change through the assassination of Middle Eastern leaders, and the recent wave of terrorist attacks inside the United States, how do you plan to improve and maintain national security?

5. Mrs. Clinton, your opponent has built his campaign on the foundation that without borders we have no country. Since the signing of NAFTA, you have openly advocated the formation of a North American Union, virtually dissolving the borders. Can you explain why your open border policy is better for America?

SubSurface Ocean on Saturn’s Moon

Subsurface oceans are all the rage. Titan and Enceladus have one. Europa and Pluto probably have one. Ceres might have one. Now, Saturn's moon Dione is getting in on the action.

In a new study, published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, scientists argue gravity data collected by Cassini reveal the presence of an underground ocean.

According to astronomers with the Royal Observatory of Belgium, Dione's icy surface is floating on an ocean lying 62 miles beneath the surface. Data suggest the ocean is a few dozen miles deep.

Scientists believe Dione's ocean has likely been around for the entirety of the moon's existence, offering plenty of time for the development of microbial life. The ocean is too deep to access, but scientists are hopeful that the moon ejects ocean spray through polar geysers like Saturn's other liquid-logged moons, Titan and Enceladus.

"The contact between the ocean and the rocky core is crucial," study co-author Attilio Rivoldini said in a news release. "Rock-water interactions provide key nutrients and a source of energy, both being essential ingredients for life."

Though Cassini's sensors aren't sensitive enough to measure it, astronomers say Dione likely oscillates like Enceladus. The interplay of gravity between planets and moons causes a regular shift in crustal distribution. The phenomenon is called libration. Scientists say the thinner crust of Enceladus yields a more noticeable libration. Dione's thick crust likely makes for subtle shifts.

"A future orbiter hopping around Saturn's moons could test this prediction," said co-author Antony Trinh.

Trinh hopes scientists will use the same gravity analysis methods used to study Dione to measure the size and shape of subsurface oceans on other distant bodies.

The British Pound Flash Crash

The British pound suffered a sudden fall of more than 6 per cent against the US dollar early on Friday before recovering most of its losses, amid mounting concerns over the UK’s exit from the EU.

Sample the FT’s top stories for a week

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Shortly after currency markets opened in Asia on Friday, the pound lost as much as 6.1 per cent to $1.1841 in two minutes. The shortlived drop sparked speculation that it could have been triggered by a mistaken “fat finger” trade or a rogue automated algorithm, exacerbated by thinner liquidity during early Asian hours.

It was the currency’s lowest level since May 1985 and the biggest intraday drop against the dollar since its 11.1 per cent plunge on June 24 in the wake of the UK’s vote to leave the EU.

As it happened — the pound’s flash crash, in Hong Kong time

07:07 — The sudden drop in sterling begins. The pound falls from $1.26, straight through $1.25.

07:08 — Traders say “all hell breaks loose” as it breaks under $1.24 07:09 — The pound hits its low — $1.1819 07:10-07:39 — The time it takes for the pound to regain $1.24

Although sterling quickly bounced back, it was still trading down 1.8 per cent at $1.2381 in London afternoon trading, well below the $1.26 levels it was holding at before the plunge. Against the euro, the pound was 2.1 per cent weaker, with £0.9018 required to buy a unit of the single currency.

The weaker pound also intensified this week’s selling of UK government debt. The yield on 10-year gilts rose above 1 per cent for the first time since late June, and the benchmark has climbed from 0.73 per cent on Monday. Foreign investors own about one-quarter of outstanding gilts and their holdings lose value as the pound weakens.

“I’ve been trading sterling since 1978 through every crisis it has seen, and I’ve not seen anything like this,” says Ian Johnson, FX strategist at 4CAST-RGE, the consultancy.

Friday’s fall added to a torrid week for the British currency, which has slipped 4.6 per cent since comments at the weekend from Theresa May, UK prime minister, that the formal proceedings to take the UK out of the EU would begin no later than March next year.

Traders said the tough stance taken over Brexit negotiations by François Hollande, French president, reported by the Financial Times, could have triggered the move. Many algorithmic traders include tracking news websites in their systems. The FT story was first published the same minute as the move lower began.

“The UK has decided to do a Brexit, I believe even a hard Brexit. Well, then we must go all the way through the UK’s willingness to leave the EU,” Mr Hollande said.

The pound’s drop occurred at the weakest moment in the trading day, after New York traders had left their desks and as Australian and Japanese markets were getting under way. The US jobs report due later on Friday — a risk event for markets globally — has also lowered trading appetite, thinning volumes further.

Rodrigo Catril, a strategist at National Australia Bank, attributed sterling’s drop to an “algo trade that needed to be filled, combined with a lack of liquidity and someone hitting the stop — or exit — level”.

Financial markets have become increasingly driven by automated trading in recent years, and glitches can occasionally cause sudden, hyper-fast crashes and rallies. Notable examples include the 2010 “flash crash” in the US stock market and a violent rise in Treasury bond prices in 2014.

Mitul Kotecha, head of Asia currency and rates strategy at Barclays, said: “It was the point of thinnest liquidity for this to happen, for sure. But there were real trades done at some of these weak points, so people were clearly prepared to believe in sterling’s new weaker levels.”

Establishing the actual low for the pound during the frenetic two minutes of trading remained problematic, given that currencies are traded on dozens of different platforms and the levels each shows reflect the trades that are conducted on those systems. Normally this not a problem as prices tend to be the same across different platforms. For holders of options and other currency contracts, big differences in the recognised low price across platforms may prove costly as they seek to settle their positions with banks or other traders.

Michael Every, the head of Asia-Pacific financial markets research at Rabobank, said: “We all expect market volatility on a payrolls Friday … what we don’t usually get is a flash crash in [the pound], which plunged from an already-weak 1.2610 to an ‘I-can’t-believe-what-I’m-seeing’ 1.1841.”

“Officially, the excuse is failing algos, which is the new, high-tech version of fat fingers.” At its worst on Friday, the pound fell as much as 7.3 per cent against the Japanese yen, and as much as 3.4 per cent against the euro.

However, JPMorgan strategists questioned whether algorithmic traders were behind the crash.

“Many investors it seems were awaiting clarity from the government about what type of Brexit it would prioritise, and many presumably were hoping for a softer Brexit that

minimised the longer-term economic damage,” said analyst Paul Meggyesi. “But such hopes were dashed at the Conservative party conference last weekend, and it’s not unreasonable to attribute the subsequent 4 per cent drop in the pound to some of these investors starting to reassess their positions.”

Britons will get poorer through prices rising more than wages, writes Rupert Pennant-Rea

David Bloom, chief currencies analyst at HSBC, said he was happy to stick with his prediction that sterling would trade at around $1.20 at the end of the year, and then $1.10 by the end of 2017, with the pound at parity to the euro.

“Sterling used to be a relatively simple currency that used to trade on cyclical events and data, but now it has become a political and structural currency. This is a recipe for weakness given its twin deficits. The currency is now the de facto official opposition to the government’s policies,” he said.

“The FX market is exhibiting an uncanny resemblance to the five stages of grief. First, following the Brexit vote came the denial — theories circulated whether a second referendum would have to take place. Second was anger — claims the vote was unfair. Third was the bargaining — arguments maybe it wouldn’t be that bad, what if the UK followed the Norwegian or Switzerland model. Now the fourth — a gloom is prevailing over sterling.”

Survey Questions for the Independent Voter

Please check yes or no to the following questions.

Is he the Perfect Candidate whose thoughts mirrors mine on all fronts?      NOPEDoes he say everything the way I wish he would say it?    NOPEAm I absolutely sure that his motives are absolutely pure?    NOPECan I point to any other Democrat politician that I like better?    NOPEIs there any of the other RINO politicians I like better?    NOPEAm I going to sit home, refuse to Vote, and let Hillary win; because he is NOT Perfect?    NOPEAm I in favor of continuing the "fundamental changes" we have seen the past 8 years?    NOPE

 Read the following facts before answering the next question

Obama is against Trump ...CheckThe media are against Trump ... CheckThe establishment Democrats are against Trump ... CheckThe establishment Republicans are against Trump ... CheckThe Pope is against Trump ... CheckThe UN is against Trump ... CheckThe new EU is against Trump ... CheckChina is against Trump ... CheckMexico is against Trump ... CheckSoros is against Trump ... Check

Black Lives Matter is against Trump ... CheckMove On is against Trump ... CheckKoch Brothers are against Trump ... CheckBushes are against Trump ... CheckPlanned Parenthood is against Trump....CheckHillary & Bernie are both against Trump ... CheckIllegal aliens are against Trump ... CheckIslam is against Trump ... CheckKasich is against Trump ... CheckHateful, racist, violent Liberals are against Trump ... CheckHe's not a Lifetime Politician ... CheckHe's not a Lawyer ... CheckHe's not doing it for the money ... CheckHe's a American citizen, born in the USA by American parents ... Check

Whoopi said she will leave the country ... CheckRosie said she will leave the country ... CheckSharpton said he will leave the country ... CheckCher said she will leave the country ... CheckCyrus said she will leave the country ... CheckHillary will go to jail ... CheckThe Constitution and the Bill of Rights become the law of the land ... CheckThe budget will be balanced ... CheckThe national debt will be put on a repayment scheduleAmericans will have first choice at jobs ... CheckYou will not be able to marry your pet ... CheckYou will be able to keep your gun(s) if you qualify ... CheckOnly living, registered U.S. citizens can vote ... Check

(MUST SHOW ID TO VOTE!)

You can have and keep your own doctor ...Check

Are you ready to make America great again? YES