“China’s inflation accelerated more than forecast to a seven-month high as the nation’s coldest winter in 28 years pushed up vegetable prices, a pickup that may limit room for easing to support an economic recovery.

The consumer price index rose 2.5 percent in December from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said today in Beijing. That compares with the 2.3 percent median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 42 economists and a 2 percent gain in November. The decline in the producer-price index eased to 1.9 percent.

Chinese stocks headed for the biggest drop in eight weeks on concern that the quickening in inflation makes further policy loosening less likely, after data yesterday on exports and credit growth underscored the strength of the economic rebound. Chen Yulu, a central bank academic adviser, said Jan. 8 that price gains may become a concern in the second half.

“With growth momentum firming up and inflation picking up, the likelihood of any further easing has disappeared and the next interest-rate move will probably be an increase,” which could come as early as the fourth quarter, Zhu Haibin, chief China economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Hong Kong, said in a telephone interview.

The Shanghai Composite Index, China’s benchmark stock gauge, fell 1.3 percent at 2:02 p.m. local time. The yuan strengthened beyond 6.22 against the dollar for the first time in 19 years….”

Full article

“The Australian dollar weakened from a level that matched the highest in almost four months as technical indicators signaled gains in the currency may have been too rapid.

The so-called Aussie slid versus most of its 16 major counterparts after data showed inflation inChina, the South Pacific nation’s biggest trading partner, quickened more than expected and spurred concern policy makers will struggle to balance price gains and growth. New Zealand’s currency retreated from a three-week high as Asian stocks pared an earlier advance.

“The fact that the Aussie struggled so hard to break through the $1.06 level and didn’t quite make it made people wonder whether it’s due for a little bit of a pullback,” said Sean Callow, a senior currency strategist at Westpac Banking Corp. (WBC) in Sydney. “It’s broadly going to be supported on dips.”

The Australian dollar lost 0.1 percent to $1.0584 as of 4:55 p.m. in Sydney after earlier rising to $1.0599, matching the high reached yesterday that was the strongest level since Sept. 14. It gained 0.2 percent to 94.29 yen. New Zealand’s dollar touched 84.61 U.S. cents, the most since Dec. 17, before trading at 84.26, 0.4 percent lower than yesterday’s close. It bought 75.06 yen from 75.08 in New York.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index (MXAP) of shares was little changed from yesterday earlier gaining as much as 0.3 percent…”

Full article

“Nomura Holdings Inc. (8604), Japan’s No. 1 equity underwriter, expects initial public offerings in the country to reach the highest in six years as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s stimulus pledge boosts investor confidence.

About 60 Japanese companies will probably announce debut share sales in 2013, Masaharu Kambe, who heads Nomura’s IPO department in Japan, said in an interview. That would be a 25 percent increase from last year and the most IPOs in the country since 121 listings in 2007, according to Nomura data…”

Full article

“Singapore added more measures to curb speculation on residential and industrial properties after home prices climbed to a record and the value of logistics buildings doubled over the past three years.

The stamp duty for homebuyers will increase as of tomorrow by between 5 percentage points and 7 percentage points, the government said in an e-mailed statement today. Permanent residents will have to pay the additional tax when they buy their first home, while Singaporeans will have the levy starting with their second purchase, according to the statement.

The government has tried to rein in residential property prices since 2009. Before today’s measures, it barred interest- only loans for some housing projects, stopped allowing developers to absorb interest payments, imposed additional taxes on foreigners and companies buying properties, and moved to curb the trend of so-called shoebox apartments. In October, it also restricted home-loan maturities to 35 years and required tighter loan-to-value limits for loans exceeding 30 years.

“The reality we face is that interest rates are extraordinarily low, globally and in Singapore and continue to add fuel to our property market,” Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore’s deputy prime minister, said in the statement. “We have to take this further round of measures now to check recent market trends and avoid a more serious correction in prices further down the road….”

Full article

“The Japanese government will spend 10.3 trillion yen ($116 billion) to drive a recovery from a recession in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s first major policy initiative to end deflation and boost growth.

About 3.8 trillion yen will be for disaster prevention and reconstruction, with 3.1 trillion yen directed to stimulating private investment and other measures, according to a statement released today by the Cabinet Office. Extra spending will increase gross domestic product by about 2 percentage points and create about 600,000 jobs, the government said.

A pick-up in China’s inflation reported today highlighted a rebound in Asia’s biggest economy that may aid efforts by the newly elected Abe to lead Japan out of its third recession in five years. The stimulus may heighten concern that the government’s commitment to fiscal reform is slipping, adding to the risk that a public debt more than twice the size of the economy may trigger a surge in bond yields….”

Full article

World Markets

Currencies

Commodities

USD Libor

Euribor

Yields for Italy, Spain, France,  and Germany …

This is absolutely a MUST WATCH. Ben Shapiro takes on a very smug Piers Morgan and decimates him. He starts out by pointing out how Morgan bullies his interviewers by standing on the graves of the little children that died in Newtown which quickly draws Morgan’s ire. But it’s absolutely true. Even last night with Larry Pratt Morgan accused him of having no empathy for the children. Of course Morgan’s response to Shapiro is “how dare you!”

You have to watch the video, here.

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cFewUG3rSY 450 300]

“(NaturalNews) One of the primary drivers behind President Obama’s quest for Uncle Sam to take over one-seventh of the U.S. economy by engulfing the healthcare industry was that such a huge usurpation of the private sector would at least lead to lower insurance premiums for Americans.

Like so many other aspects of “Obamacare” over which the public was hoodwinked, now comes news that the promise of lower premiums will be, shall we say, elusive, for millions of consumers.

“Health insurance companies across the country are seeking and winning double-digit increases in premiums for some customers, even though one of the biggest objectives of the Obama administration’s health care law was to stem the rapid rise in insurance costs,” The New York Times reported recently.

Who are the most vulnerable to the increases? That would be small businesses and people who don’t otherwise have employer-provided insurance and who will be forced, thanks to a summer ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding as constitutional the law’s individual mandate requiring everyone – and every business with more than a few employees – to buy coverage.

Face it – premiums are heading higher, period

In California, insurance giants Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield are proposing to hike rates by 22, 26 and 20 percent respectively for some policy holders, according to the companies’ filings with the state for 2013. “These rate requests are all the more striking after a 39 percent rise sought by Anthem Blue Cross in 2010 helped give impetus to the law, known as the Affordable Care Act, which passed the same year and will not be fully in effect until 2014,” the Times reported.

In other states such as Ohio and Florida, insurance companies have managed increases of at least 20 percent for some policy holders – increases which can amount to as much as several hundred dollars per month.

Those compare with an average of about 4 percent increases for those with employer-based policies, said the Times.

The double-digit increases come even as some estimates put overall healthcare costs on the decline in recent years as more Americans put off treatment for a variety of conditions due to the economic effects of the Great Recession.

“Growth in health care spending in the United States has slowed considerably since 2009,” says a report from PricewaterhouseCooper, a financial consulting company. “PwC’s Health Research Institute projects medical costs will increase 7.5 percent for 2013, the fourth year in a row of relatively flat growth.”

So at a growth rate of 7.5 percent per annum – which is still high – why are insurance companies requesting double-digit rate increases? Well, insurers say that medical costs for some policy holders have risen much faster than the average….”

Read more

“(NaturalNews) If you have children, you are more than likely already aware of the official U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Immunization Schedules,” which today recommend an astounding 29 vaccines be given between birth and six years of age, including yearly flu shots, as well as another five to 16 vaccines between ages seven and 18 (http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/). But a recent investigative report compiled by Dr. Lucija Tomljenovic, Ph.D., uncovers more than 30 years of hidden government documents exposing these vaccine schedules as a complete hoax, not to mention the fraud of the vaccines themselves to provide any real protection against disease.

Though her paper focuses primarily on the British health system’s elaborate cover-up of the dirty truth about its own national vaccination program, the tenets of the study’s findings still apply to vaccination schedules in general, which are typically designed for the purpose of serving corporate interests rather than public health. Government authorities, it turns out, in an ongoing bid to satisfy the private goals of the vaccine industry, have deliberately covered up pertinent information about the dangers and ineffectiveness of vaccines from parents in order to maintain a high rate of vaccination compliance. And in the process, they have put countless millions of children at risk of serious side effects and death.

You can access Dr. Tomljenovic’s full paper here:
http://www.ecomed.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/3-tomljenovic.pdf

Hiding the truth and covering up data to encourage vaccine compliance

Through several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, Dr. Tomljenovic was able to obtain transcripts of private meetings that were held between the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), a so-called “independent expert advisory committee” that makes recommendations to the government about vaccine policy, and various British health ministers over the years. And after poring through this plethora of information, which had previously been veiled from public view, Dr. Tomljenovic made some disturbing discoveries.

“[T]he JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization) made continuous efforts to withhold critical data on severe adverse reactions and contraindications to vaccinations to both parents and health practitioners in order to reach overall vaccination rates which they deemed were necessary for ‘herd immunity,’ a concept which … does not rest on solid scientific evidence,” explains Dr. Tomljenovic in the introduction to her paper….”

Full article

“These girls have a right to wine about this cruel prank.

The Japan-based site Rocket News 24tricked five young women into drinking ttongsul, a traditional Korean beverage also called “feces wine” because, in addition to medicinal herbs, it also has fermented human poop in it.

The girls, who are members of the all-girl air band, Doppelganger, were told they would be sampling a Korean herbal wine with strong medicinal properties. Before they knew it had feces in it, the ladies’ reactions were quite positive.

“Oh, wow. When I heard this was medicinal herb wine I thought it would taste strong, but I was completely off the mark,” Mami Hoji said. “This is really good, and easy to drink.”

Hoji’s bandmate agreed. “It’s much easier to drink than I thought,” Asami Oda said. “I keep finding myself sipping away at it.”

Unsurprisingly, when they found out the drink had fermented human poop in it, the girls did not find it so appetizing, according to Food Beast…”

Full article and video

Source 

“Chris Rock has a funny, albeit morbid, bit about how most serial gun killers still live at home with their mothers. The caustic comic and perennial President Obama defender wants to take his joke to its logical conclusion.

Gun ownership should hinge on the buyer having a mortgage of his or her own.

“The gun lobby always says, well, people need the right to protect their property,” he told TheWrap. “Every mass shooting is done by a guy who lives with his mother. I honestly believe you should have to have a mortgage to buy a gun. No one with a mortgage has ever gone on a killing spree.”

He added: “A mortgage is a real background check. … And you know if you go to jail for 30 years you still have to pay your f—ing mortgage.”

Rock was one of several celebrities who took part in the pro-control “Demand a Plan” video in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.”

“Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union: “At this very moment I still believe there is one party in this country – that is, the party of money, with two branches. Do not think for a minute that the wealthy are ever going to allow you to legislate their riches away from them. Please understand that. However, we are in a moment where the wealth disparity in this country is very reminiscent of the robber baron ages. The labor leaders of that time, though, were ready to kill. They were. They were just – off with their heads. They were seriously talking about that. I don’t think we’re at that point, The key is that they think nothing of killing us, They think nothing about putting us in harm’s way.”

Full article and video

“A 15-year old boy used his father’s AR-15 to defend himself and his 12-year old sister against two burglars at their home just north of Houston, Texas.

Their father is a Harris County Precinct 1 deputy constable, and the boy knew what he had to do to keep himself and his sister alive. Around 2:30 PM, two men tried to break in, with one going through the front door and the other in the back.

The boy grabbed the AR-15 and shot at them. The two later showed up at a Tomball hospital. The adult was hit three times and was flown to Memorial Hermann hospital, while the juvenile was taken back to the crime scene….”

Full article

“The hammering on the wall of America’s premier storage vault for nuclear-weapons grade uranium in pitch-darkness six weeks ago was loud enough to be heard by security guards. But they assumed incorrectly that workmen were making an after-hours repair, and blithely ignored it.

Minutes earlier, a perimeter camera had caught an image of intruders — not workmen — breaching an eight-foot high security fence around the sensitive facility outside Knoxville, Tenn. But the guard operating the camera had missed it. A different camera stationed over another fence — also breached by the intruders — was out of service, a defect the protective force had ignored for 6 months.

In theory, the pounding might have been the work of a squad of terrorists preparing to plant a powerful explosive in the wall of the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility (HEUMF), a half-billion dollar vault that stores the makings of more than 10,000 nuclear bombs. Instead, it was a group of three peace activists, including an 82-year old nun, armed only with flashlights, binoculars, bolt cutters, bread, flowers, a Bible, and several hammers.

The casual and relatively swift penetration of the site’s defenses on July 28 by the activists has provoked their felony indictment on federal charges. But it has also provoked new troubles for nuclear weapons contractors that have until recently had large influence in Washington, and for the National Nuclear Security Administration, the increasingly embattled steward of America’s dwindling but still fearsome arsenal of nuclear weaponry.

“This incident raises important questions about the security of Category I nuclear materials across the complex,” NNSA Administrator Thomas D’Agostino, a Bush administration holdover, said on Aug. 28. He promised to hold “our team” accountable for making the reforms necessary to assure such materials are adequately protected. Since the break-in, five senior officials at security contractor WSI-Oak Ridge and the main contractor responsible for HEUMF operations — Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Y-12, LLC — have been reassigned by the contractors or have retired….”

Full article

“A federal judge ruled Thursday that Walmart can be added to a lawsuit alleging widespread wage theft at a Southern California warehouse.

Lawyers for contract workers at the Schneider Logistics warehouse in Mira Loma, Calif. – whose sole customer is Walmart – had moved to add the retailer to the case in November.

Monday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder will force Walmart to defend itself against allegations that Schneider, at Walmart’s behest, cheated as many as 1,800 low-wage workers out of millions of dollars.

Walmart fought becoming a late addition to the case, but Snyder wrote that the plaintiffs had a “good faith explanation that they did not seek to name Walmart as a defendant until this stage of the litigation because they only recently uncovered evidence in discovery that justifies a lawsuit against Walmart.”

The lawsuit, filed in October 2011, claims that Schneider and two staffing agencies, Premier Warehousing Ventures LLC and Impact Logistics Inc., failed to keep proper payroll records, falsified time sheets and misled workers about the amount of money they had earned….”

Full article

“Several Wyoming lawmakers are proposing legislation designed to protect gun-owners from any potential federal firearm ban. The “Firearms Protection Act” bill, introduced this week, would make any federal law banning semi-automatic firearms or limiting the size of gun magazines unenforceable within the state’s boundaries.”

Full article

“One CEO says he’s willing to go to outrageous lengths to protect his right to use a gun.

James Yeager, CEO of Tactical Response, a Tennessee company that trains people in weapon and tactical skills, claimed in a video posted on YouTube and Facebook thathe would “start killing people” if President Barack Obama decides to take executive action to pass further gun control policies, Raw Story reports.

In a frenetic address to the camera, Yeager puts a call out to other gun rights advocates to “load your damn mags” and “get ready to fight” in what he claims will turn into a “civil war” if gun control measures in the country get any stricter.

SEE FULL VIDEO BELOW — WARNING ADULT LANGUAGE…”

Full article and video 

“WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) – Lawmakers on Thursday released emails that appeared to show Wal-Mart Chief Executive Mike Duke knew as far back as 2005 of allegations that company representatives had bribed Mexican officials.

The emails appeared to contradict the company’s public statements about a bribery scandal tied to its Mexican affiliate, Wal Mart de Mexico. Lawmakers said Wal-Mart Stores Inc did not dispute the authenticity of the emails.

In two reports last year, the New York Times described how Walmex used large bribes throughout Mexico to open stores it would otherwise have been unable to launch, and how Wal-Mart headquarters had stifled an early internal probe.

The second report focused on how Walmex allegedly paid $52,000 to change a zoning map so it could open a store near the ancient pyramids in Teotihuacan.

The company has maintained its senior executives did not recall mentions of bribery allegations related to the Teotihuacan store….”

Full article