Trump's shutdown nightmare: A choice between the economy and the wall

 If the government shutdown lasts much longer, President Donald Trump's only way out may involve a choice between two pillars of his political viability -- his border wall and his purring economy.

More and more Americans are feeling the effects of the partial shutdown every day, from travelers stuck in security lines to Coast Guard officers now joining the hundreds of thousands of federal employees going without pay.

Yet the normal political pressure points that usually end shutdown standoffs are not working, perhaps because of the unique dynamics of the Trump era. As a result, there's every chance that the stalemate now in its 27th day could drag on much longer.

Trump told supporters on Tuesday, for example, "We're going to stay out for a long time if we have to."

Sen. John Kennedy, who flew on Air Force One with the President on Monday, said Trump is adamant that he's not budging.

"He is a carnivore -- and on this one he believes he is right," the Louisiana Republican said.

In another sign the impasse could be extended, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked the President to move the day of the State of the Union address -- now set for January 29 -- or deliver it in writing because of overstretched security agencies. A White House official familiar with preparations told CNN's Jim Acosta Wednesday night that, "at this point," Trump still plans to deliver the speech as scheduled on January 29.

Shutdowns usually end when either side, the President or Congress, begins to feel unbearable pressure and the cost of going on outweighs the political damage sustained by a climbdown.

Since that pivot point is not yet at hand, longer-term factors may come into play. One significant pressure point could be the side effects of the shutdown on economic growth, unemployment and consumer confidence.

If the standoff over the President's demand that Democrats provide $5.7 billion in wall funding is prolonged, the chances of genuine damage to the economy -- one of the unarguable hot spots of Trump's presidency -- rise significantly.

Kevin Hassett, who chairs the White House Council of Economic Advisers, has warned that the impact of the shutdown on government contractors is higher than expected and could significantly shave growth figures.

"We subsequently, right now, think that it's about a tenth of a percent a week, not a tenth of a percent every two weeks," Hassett told reporters on Tuesday.

His comment was intended to pile pressure on Democrats on Capitol Hill to give in to Trump's demands. But it also served to underline the risk to the President, who arguably has more at stake over the economy than Democrats.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Wednesday called the shutdown a "self-inflicted wound" and "negative" for the economy.

Trump rarely misses a chance to celebrate historically low unemployment numbers and strong growth figures. Good economic indicators will be crucial to his hopes of re-election and could blunt Democratic attacks next year as he seeks to retain Midwestern industrial states that paved his way to the White House.

So if the economic damage from the shutdown starts to add up, it could begin to weigh much more heavily on Trump's political calculations.

Economy is 'incredibly strong'

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders tried Wednesday to squash a growing narrative that the shutdown could put a dent in the Trump economy.

"We are focused on the long-term economic goals of the administration," Sanders said. "We have an incredibly strong economy, thanks to the President. We look forward to reopening the government, continuing to build on what we've done the last two years."

An economic headache could prove to be one way Trump begins to feel political heat over the shutdown, especially if it starts to reverberate in the stock markets, which have steadied after a volatile period at the turn of the year.

But if the economy tempts him to cave, it will be a difficult choice, since the shutdown may be the last best chance to get funding for the wall during his term. While he could vow to continue the fight for the border wall in his re-election race, his promises could be devalued if he is defeated by Democrats this time around.

So far, the President has not seemed to be moved by the traditional leverage points that occur during shutdowns.

He's not showed much sympathy for government workers forced to go without pay, even suggesting that they want him to stand firm and get his wall.

And since he's not made much effort to broaden his political coalition in office, he has few middle-of-the-road voters to lose from digging into a showdown that pleases his base.

Democratic leaders are trying to change the equation. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday invoked the plight of a government worker who missed a paycheck last week and is uncertain he can afford medicines.

"I want President Trump to look into these faces and see what he is doing by using these men and women as pawns, using them in an extortion game," the New York Democrat said.

"Mr. President, President Trump, look at the pain and suffering you're causing," Schumer said.

But Trump has so far proven impervious to such appeals. A President who has always had a strong connection with the people who sent him to the White House is calculating he still has some breathing room.

Polling polarization over the wall

New polling on Wednesday showed the price the President could pay if if he were to cave in on the wall, a fundamental campaign promise that is one of the keys to his bond with grass-roots supporters.

A Pew Research poll found that 79% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents see the shutdown as a "very serious" problem for the country, but just 35% of Republicans and Republican leaners feel the same way.

And emphasizing why neither party thinks it's in a political position that could prompt a compromise, 82% of Republicans and Republican leaners back a substantial expansion of the border wall. Only 6% of Democrats agree.

Democrats are indeed in a strong political position. Pelosi is at the apex of her power as speaker just months after the Democratic midterm election triumph. She has also been able to deflect Trump's blame over the stalemate by passing bills to open individual agencies -- that have gone nowhere in the Senate.

In a letter to the President on Wednesday she pulled off a true power play, saying that owing to security concerns amid the shutdown, he should reconsider the date for his State of the Union address.

Since the chance to address a joint session of Congress in an annual television ritual is the kind of high-profile event Trump loves, Pelosi gave the President little choice.

In effect, Pelosi was sending Trump a reminder of her power, and a message that if he wants to get his live State of the Union address, he will have to drop his demands and reopen the government.

Trump tried his own power move, inviting a group of moderate Democrats to the White House as part of a bipartisan group of moderates, seeking to peel them away from Pelosi.

But one of the lawmakers, Rep Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, told CNN's Manu Raju that he stressed the core Democratic position to the President.

"It's very hard to actually find an agreement on a way forward on these other issues that are pressing without actually reopening the government," Gottheimer said.

His comments were a fresh sign that the internal political forces in Washington that could break open the stalemate are not yet in place, meaning it could take a significant nudge from outside -- perhaps a slowing economy -- to break the deadlock.

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New 'planetary health diet' can save lives and the planet, major review suggests

An international team of scientists has developed a diet it says can improve health while ensuring sustainable food production to reduce further damage to the planet.

The "planetary health diet" is based on cutting red meat and sugar consumption in half and upping intake of fruits, vegetables and nuts.

And it can prevent up to 11.6 million premature deaths without harming the planet, says the report published Wednesday in the medical journal The Lancet.

The authors warn that a global change in diet and food production is needed as 3 billion people across the world are malnourished -- which includes those who are under and overnourished -- and food production is overstepping environmental targets, driving climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

The world's population is set to reach 10 billion people by 2050; that growth, plus our current diet and food production habits, will "exacerbate risks to people and planet," according to the authors.

"The stakes are very high," Dr. Richard Horton, editor in chief at The Lancet, said of the report's findings, noting that 1 billion people live in hunger and 2 billion people eat too much of the wrong foods.

Horton believes that "nutrition has still failed to get the kind of political attention that is given to diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria."

"Using best available evidence" of controlled feeding studies, randomized trials and large cohort studies, the authors came up with a new recommendation, explained Dr. Walter Willett, lead author of the paper and a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan school of public health.

The report suggests five strategies to ensure people can change their diets and not harm the planet in doing so: incentivizing people to eat healthier, shifting global production toward varied crops, intensifying agriculture sustainably, stricter rules around the governing of oceans and lands, and reducing food waste.

The 'planetary health diet'

To enable a healthy global population, the team of scientists created a global reference diet, that they call the "planetary health diet," which is an ideal daily meal plan for people over the age of 2, that they believe will help reduce chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes, as well as environmental degradation.

The diet breaks down the optimal daily intake of whole grains, starchy vegetables, fruit, dairy, protein, fats and sugars, representing a daily total calorie intake of 2500.

They recognize the difficulty of the task, which will need "substantial" dietary shifts on a global level, needing the consumption of foods such as red meat and sugar to decrease by more than 50%. In turn, consumption of nuts, fruits, vegetables, and legumes must increase more than two-fold, the report says.

The diet advises people consume 2,500 calories per day, which is slightly more than what people are eating today, said Willett. People should eat a "variety of plant-based foods, low amounts of animal-based foods, unsaturated rather than saturated fats, and few refined grains, highly processed foods and added sugars," he said.

Regional differences are also important to note. For example, countries in North America eat almost 6.5 times the recommended amount of red meat, while countries in South Asia eat 1.5 times the required amount of starchy vegetables.

"Almost all of the regions in the world are exceeding quite substantially" the recommended levels of red meat, Willett said.

The health and environmental benefits of dietary changes like these are known, "but, until now, the challenge of attaining healthy diets from a sustainable food system has been hampered by a lack of science-based guidelines, said Howard Frumkin, Head of UK biomedical research charity The Welcome Trust's Our Planet Our Health program. The Welcome Trust funded the research.

"It provides governments, producers and individuals with an evidence-based starting point to work together to transform our food systems and cultures," he said.

If the new diet were adopted globally, 10.9 to 11.6 million premature deaths could be avoided every year -- equating to 19% to 23.6% of adult deaths. A reduction in sodium and an increase in whole grains, nuts, vegetables and fruits contributed the most to the prevention of deaths, according to one of the report's models.

Making it happen

Some scientists are skeptical of whether shifting the global population to this diet can be achieved.

The recommended diet "is quite a shock," in terms of how feasible it is and how it should be implemented, said Alan Danger, professor in food and nutrition for global health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. What "immediately makes implementation quite difficult" is the fact that cross-government departments need to work together, he said. Danger was not involved in the report.

At the current level of food production, the reference diet is not achievable, said Modi Mwatsama, senior science lead (food systems, nutrition and health) at the Welcome Trust. Some countries are not able to grow enough food because they could be, for example, lacking resilient crops, while in other countries, unhealthy foods are heavily promoted, she said.

Mwatsama added that unless there are structural changes, such as subsidies that move away from meat production, and environmental changes, such as limits on how much fertilizer can be used, "we won't see people meeting this target."

To enable populations to follow the reference diet, the report suggests five strategies, of which subsidies are one option. These fit under a recommendation to ensure good governance of land and ocean systems, for example by prohibiting land clearing and removing subsidies to world fisheries, as they lead to over-capacity of the global fishing fleet.

Second, the report further outlines strategies such as incentivizing farmers to shift food production away from large quantities of a few crops to diverse production of nutritious crops.

Healthy food must also be made more accessible, for example low-income groups should be helped with social protections to avoid continued poor nutrition, the authors suggest, and people encouraged to eat healthily through information campaigns.

A fourth strategy suggests that when agriculture is intensified it must take local conditions into account to ensure the best agricultural practices for a region, in turn producing the best crops.

Finally, the team suggests reducing food waste by improving harvest planning and market access in low and middle-income countries, while improving shopping habits of consumers in high-income countries.

Louise Manning, professor of agri-food and supply chain resilience at the Royal Agricultural University, said meeting the food waste reduction target is a "very difficult thing to achieve" because it would require government, communities and individual households to come together.

However, "it can be done," said Manning, who was not involved in the report, noting the rollback in plastic usage in countries such as the UK.

The planet's health

The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement aimed to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Meeting this goal is no longer only about de-carbonizing energy systems by reducing fossil fuels, it's also about a food transition, said professor of environmental science at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, in Sweden, who co-led the study.

"This is urgent," he said. Without global adaptation of the reference diet, the world "will not succeed with the Paris Climate Agreement."

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A sustainable food production system requires non-greenhouse gas emissions such as methane and nitrous oxide to be limited, but methane is produced during digestion of livestock while nitrous oxides are released from croplands and pastures. But the authors believe these emissions are unavoidable to provide healthy food for 10 billion people. They highlight that decarburization of the world's energy system must progress faster than anticipated, to accommodate this.

Overall, ensuring a healthy population and planet requires combining all strategies, the report concludes -- major dietary change, improved food production and technology changes, as well as reduced food waste.

"Designing and operational sing sustainable food systems that can deliver healthy diets for a growing and wealthier world population presents a formidable challenge. Nothing less than a new global agricultural revolution," said Rockström, adding that "the solutions do exist.

"It is about behavioral change. It's about technologies. It's about policies. It's about regulations. But we know how to do this."

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German intelligence puts far-right AfD groups under surveillance

By Nadine Schmidt and Kara Fox, CNN

Updated at 1317 GMT (2117 HKT) January 16, 2019

The far-right politician Björn Höcke and his supporters have been put under surveillance.

The far-right politician Björn Höcke and his supporters have been put under surveillance.

Berlin (CNN) — Germany's domestic security agency has said it will put sections of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party under surveillance.

The country's Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) announced Tuesday that it would focus on two elements: the AfD youth wing, "Junge Alternative" (JA), and the party's far-right politician Björn Höcke and his supporters.

BfV President Thomas Haldenwang said JA members showed ''clear evidence of an anti-immigration and particularly anti-Muslim attitude,'' which is contrary to Germany's democratic principles.

Haldenwang said Höcke and his supporters, known as "der Flügel" or "The Wing," propagate political rhetoric that violates Germany's constitutional protections of human dignity, democracy and the state of the law.

In a statement, Haldenwang said "The Wing" is aimed at "excluding and denouncing foreigners, migrants, Muslims in particular, and persons having a different political opinion and depriving them of almost all of their rights."

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In 2017, Höcke made a controversial speech in Dresden, where he called on Germany to stop feeling guilty about Nazi atrocities.

He said Germans were the "only people in the world who planted a memorial of shame in the heart of their capital," referring to the Holocaust memorial unveiled in Berlin in 2005.

Höcke also said Germany needed to make a "180-degree turn'' when remembering its past and labeled the country's citizens as "brutally defeated people." He later described criticism of his remarks "a malicious and deliberately denigratory interpretation" of them.

On Tuesday, the BfV said it plans to keep the entire AfD as a "subject of investigation" but suggested that it didn't have enough evidence to launch a full investigation.

'Certain social climate'

The AfD has responded with outrage to the BfV's decision.

Party leader Alexander Gauland said at a press conference on Tuesday that he intends to take legal action against the move.

"We consider the arguments to be unsustainable and believe that a certain social climate, some political pressure, has led to this," Gauland said.

Björn Höcke said on Twitter: ''I am really sorry for the officials who have to kill their time looking for things that do not exist."

Addressing the BfV plans, Germany's Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, said on Twitter: "People who discriminate against people because of their descent are racist and nationalist. Parts of the #AfD are cases for the constitution protection. But with an observation the problems are not solved. Must deal with AfD above all objectively and politically."

Anti-immigration platform

In September 2017, the AfD became the first far-right party to enter Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, in almost 60 years.

It gained around 13% of the vote, a result described by leading party figures as a "political earthquake."

Formed in 2013 as an anti-European Union party in response to the European debt crisis, the AfD has since turned its focus to immigration and Islam.

The party's election manifesto said that "Islam does not belong to Germany," and that Germany's Muslims are "a big danger for our state, our society and our system of values."

The party has also called for an upper limit on the number of refugees allowed to enter the country, "for the protection of Germany," and insists that the country should accept only migrants with high technical skills.

In 2016, then co-leader Frauke Petry caused controversy when she suggested that police should be allowed to use firearms against illegal migrants on Germany's border, Reuters reported.

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Related Video: Right-wing extremism gains a voice in Germany 03:53

The AfD has taken other controversial positions on key issues in the past. In 2017, prominent AfD politician Beatrix von Storch dismissed the current debates around gender identity and LGBT rights as "foolish nonsense."

And last summer, the AfD marched with other far-right groups as thousands of people took to the streets of Chemnitz to protest against migrants.

The protests saw some call for the return of Nazism and for foreigners to leave Germany. It was the biggest display of far-right sentiment in the country for many years and triggered a national debate.

The influx of refugees to Germany during the European migrant crisis has energized the political right, and the number of xenophobic attacks has increased.

At the height of the migrant crisis, German officials said in 2016 that hundreds of asylum seekers and refugees were injured in more than 3,500 attacks on them and their shelters throughout the country, a substantial increase in attacks from the previous year.

Latest statistics also show that the number of anti-Semitic crimes in Germany rose by 2.5% in 2017, which added to fears of growing hostility in the country, Reuters reported.

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Toto's 'Africa' to play 'for eternity' in Namibia desert

Toto's "Africa" has come home, so to speak, thanks to an installation by an artist who plans to play the song on loop in a Namibian desert -- for eternity.

German-Namibian artist Max Siedentopf has set up the sound installation, called "Toto Forever," in an undisclosed location in the 1,200 mile-long Namib Desert.

The desert, on the west coast of Southern Africa, is around 55 million years old -- making it the world's oldest desert and the "perfect spot" for his work, Siedentopf, 27, told CNN in an email. "Hopefully the song will play just as long," he added.

Siedentopf is using solar batteries to power the entire installation, which consists of plinths supporting six speakers attached to a single MP3 player that contains one track: Toto's "Africa."

A shot of the installation by Max Siedentopf. Credit: Max Siedentopf

The song has been a pop-culture phenomenon since its release in 1982, topping the US Billboard chart and selling more than 4 million copies in the US alone.

In recent years, rock band Weezer made a cover of it; a sample of the song is featured in the movie "Aquaman"; it has a dedicated Twitter bot, which has been spitting out lyrics every couple of hours since 2016; and its melody, "I bless the rains down in Africa," is frequently belted out by revelers at parties and weddings across the world.

"Even though 'Africa' by Toto was released 1982 it is still very much present in today's pop culture and frequently used for memes and even entire Reddit pages are dedicated to the song," Siedentopf, who is based in London, said.

"I was very intrigued by this and wanted to pay the song the ultimate homage and physically exhibit 'Africa' in Africa."

The song -- which was written by Toto's late drummer, Jeff Porcaro, and keyboard player David Paich -- has occasionally been mocked for its lack of local knowledge: One of the lyrics claims "Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti," but Africa's highest peak can't be seen from the Serengeti.

When asked whether his work was making fun of the tendency of non-Africans to exoticize the continent, Siedentopf said there was a lot to say about Western stereotypes, but "putting (that) aside, the installation is supposed to look more at the lighter side of things and everyone should be able to enjoy it."

He said he won't reveal exact the location of the work, adding that it is "like a treasure that only the most loyal of Toto fans can find."

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Spain's most pivotal 'Game of Thrones' filming locations

The striking scenery of HBO's "Game of Thrones" has inspired scores of travelers to retrace their favorite characters' journeys across The Seven Kingdoms.

While Dubrovnik in Croatia has become famous as King's Landing and Iceland for the land beyond The Wall, the diverse landscapes of Spain's 17 regions have provided some of the most awe-inspiring locations of the series.

What's more: The real-life histories of these travel spots are nearly as intriguing as their Westerosi lore.

Formidable castles, treacherous seaside sanctuaries and mysterious ruins all contained within the Kingdom of Spain represent the "Game of Thrones" world in all its glory and high-stakes drama.

As the series draws to a close, HBO has guarded Season 8's secrets closer than ever. But a recent visit to some of Spain's most pivotal filming locations offered this fan some hints of what's in store:

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe in Bermeo, beaches of Basque Country | Dragonstone

Beaches representing Dragonstone Island can be found along the Basque Country's coast, and the area is a sight to behold.

Itzurun Beach in Zumaia boasts dramatic 500-feet limestone cliffs that look like dragon scales, while the secluded but easily accessible Muriola Beach in Barrika washes away completely at high tide.

The centerpiece, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe in Bermeo along the Bay of Biscay, boasts a snaking stone staircase that leads to the peak of the striking islet. This is what stands as the site for the main Dragonstone Castle.

At San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, a stone staircase snakes its way to the peak of the striking islet used as the site for the main Dragonstone Castle.

About 20 miles north of Bilbao, Gaztelugatxe is best visited by car in the morning or afternoon. A scenic 30-45 minute hike from the parking area to the base of the stairs provides a suitable area for picnicking.

While the walk can be tiring, it's not terribly difficult as demonstrated by the number of children and dogs on trail. There's no grand castle at Gaztelugatxe's peak, but there is a chapel dedicated to local fishermen. After hiking up the 237 steps, adventurous visitors can ring a bell three times to make a wish.

Beaches representing Dragonstone Island are so beautiful that there's a good chance that even people who don't watch "Game of Thrones" will enjoy a stop here.

"The Craggy Fort," as San Juan de Gaztelugatxe translates to, dates as far back as the 9th century. Over the years it has been witness to a fair share of real-world conflict. In 1334, it was where The Lord of Biscay, Juan Núñez de Lara, confronted the King of Castile, Alfonso XI, in battle. In 1594, Huguenots ransacked it, tossing a squatter off the cliffs to meet his death. In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, navy battles were fought here.

Featured throughout the "Game of Thrones" series, the full grandeur of Dragonstone Castle wasn't glimpsed until early in Season 7 when Dragon Queen Daenerys Targaryen returned to her birthplace and ancestral homeland. Most significant is the mountain of dragonglass it's built upon. Dragonglass one of the only materials known to kill White Walkers in the "Game of Thrones" world. The mining of this precious resource makes Dragonstone one of the most pivotal locations heading into the final season.

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Roman ruins of the Italica Amphitheatre outside Seville | The Dragonpit of King's Landing

The once-lost Roman city of Italica was known to have existed near Seville, but its exact location remained a mystery for years. Founded in 206 BC, the city was the birthplace to perhaps three Roman Emperors: Trajan, likely Hadrian and possibly Theodosius. The Amphitheater held 25,000 people and was considered a pivotal meeting point. In "Game of Thrones," it's also a significant meeting place.

Within walking distance just a few miles outside of Seville, the ruins are also a short bus ride from the city center. The grounds are closed on Mondays but open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Admission includes exploration of the gladiator pits but not access to the amphitheater's grandstand.

Located outside of Seville, the ruins of the Italica Amphitheatre are open to the public. The area serves as the location of the show's Dragon Pit.

Over the years, Italica's stone and marble were transported to Seville for infrastructure improvements to its buildings, river dams and roads. While buried statues were discovered in the late 1700s and excavations began in the 1850s, it wasn't until the 1970s that a whole town was unearthed.

No longer lost, the city of Italica now stretches into the nearby countryside, maybe even as far as surrounding town of Santiponce. While no standing structures from the city itself survived, their framework remains amazingly intact with impressively preserved mosaics lining the floors of former buildings discovered daily.

The picked-apart ruins of this historic place represent the show's charred Dragonpit. In the final episode of Season 7, "The Dragon and the Wolf," the various claimants to the throne gathered in King's Landing at the remains of the Dragonpit to negotiate how to handle the impending threat of the undead White Walkers marching across the continent.

An important episode of Season 7 involved negotiations in the Dragonpit on how to handle the impending threat of the undead White Walkers marching across Westeros.

Tensions ran high throughout this episode as the allied forces of Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow presented Queen Cersei Lannister with a viable White Walker they'd captured. Their goal was to demonstrate the threat of the zombie-like creatures and the need to band together as a result. Featuring more main characters than any other "Game of Thrones" scene up to this point, several prominent players met for the first time, while other fan-favorites reunited following long journeys apart.

Production returned to Italica in May 2018 under heavy secrecy. Some characters rumored to have been included in scenes filmed last spring suggest perhaps that the site of this grand meeting could be revisited in Season 8 for a similarly scaled battle.

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Trujillo Castle in Caceres, Extremadura | Casterly Rock in The Westerlands

The medieval Trujillo Castle sits proudly atop a hill in the city it's named for in the Extremadura region. Northwest of the Andalusia region of Spain, the area is woefully overlooked by many visitors, but it rewards those who do make it a stop.

For starters, Extremadura's idyllic landscape is responsible for producing some of Spain's finest foods. It's said a monkey could swing all the way to Madrid without leaving the branches of the region's many citrus trees.Tthe region's cheeses are celebrated as some of Spain's most complex, and it's the birthplace of one of the first producers of Jamón Ibérico (cured ham).

And of course, there's the castle. Built between the 9th and 12th centuries on a former Muslim citadel, its imposing structure looms. The traditional fortress' intact square towers are built of large granite, and the entirety of the rooftop perimeter is accessible.

Specific daytime hours at the castle change seasonally, but you'll want to plan your visit around a midday closing for siesta.

In Season 7 of "Game of Thrones," Trujillo Castle is reimagined as Casterly Rock in the Westerlands. The now infamous saying "a Lannister always pays his debts" derives from this location.

A chapel added in the 16th century is home to a statue of the Virgin Mary holding a baby Jesus known as Virgen de la Victoria, and depicts a vision of Mary said to have appeared over the town. For a euro, the statue will rotate on a mechanical platform to look straight out of the window where it'll appear to keep watch over the city.

Once a year, in late August or early September, the statue is paraded into the town square for a festival celebrating the Virgen de la Victoria.

"Game of Thrones" filmed extensively in Extremadura in Season 7, with nearby Caceres providing the narrow streets for King's Landing, and Los Barruecos Natural Monument serving as the site for the Battle of the Dragon.

Casterly Rock, the mighty House Lannister, was built atop a gold mine in the Westerlands on a rocky promontory. The source for the families' immense wealth, it is where the memorable saying "a Lannister always pays his debts" derives from. Legendary for having never fallen in battle, it was surprising when Jaime Lannister allowed it to be taken by Daenerys Targaryen's forces in the seventh season, even though he did correctly assume they would abandon it shortly thereafter.

Built between the 9th and 12th centuries on a former Muslim citadel, Trujillo Castle's imposing structure looms large over the city.

It seems unlikely that such a powerful seat of one of the remaining Great Houses would finally be revealed only for this Pyrrhic victory, but chances are this moment was just a first glimpse of the location's strategic significance.

Girona Cathedral in Girona | The Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing and The Streets of Braavos.

The Catalan city of Girona provides a relaxing respite from bustling Barcelona, and it's just a 40-minute train ride to the northeast. With far fewer tourists, the town of 100,000 regularly ranks at the top of Spain's quality of life survey. Colorful buildings along the River Onyar and gardens covering the Old Quarter's medieval walls and watchtowers have made it an irresistible stop on any Costa Brava excursion.

About 40 minutes by train from Barcelona lies the city of Girona, with an imposing cathedral at its city center.

In the center of the city, Girona Cathedral was the site of a primitive Christian church before Islamic conquests had it converted to a mosque. Later, it was repossessed by the church. Romanesque in design at first, it later took on the Gothic style. The cathedral's dramatic stairway seems to lead to a heavenly plane and is a favorite of local runners.

"Game of Thrones'' fans will instantly recognize the cathedral as The Great Sept of Baelor.

In addition to King's Landing, the city of Girona's old quarter walkway represented the Free City of Braavos in Essos, a continent away from the kingdoms. Just around the corner from the cathedral is where a temporarily blinded Arya Stark trained to become a Faceless Man with the intent of impersonating victims with eerie masks made of their faces.

'Game of Thrones'' fans will instantly recognize the cathedral as The Great Sept of Baelor.

One of the most outstanding real-life stunts in the show also occurred in this location when Jaime Lannister confronted religious zealot the High Sparrow. Riding his horse directly up the cathedral's steps to face down the leader of The Faith Militant, it supposedly took a stunt double several days to train the horse to climb the harrowing 91 steps. The result is a jaw-dropping scene that stands as an iconic moment of the series.

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The Sept has bared witness to many of the most shocking moments in the Seven Kingdoms.

It was in front of the Sept that Ned Stark was beheaded in front of a crowd by the order of King Joffrey. Throughout the series weddings, funerals and even trials took place at the Sept, until Cersei, wanting to avoid her own trial and kill her enemies, ignited it with underground barrels of the explosive wildfire. This bold move shook the city's foundation and reset the series' status quo by enabling Cersei to take the throne for herself.

However, it's possible that its destroyed remains will be glimpsed. Leaked photos from the sound stage used for filming in Belfast, Ireland, revealed recreations of the same area of King's Landing. The buildings were set ablaze in a massive fire as part of filming, a rumored battle scene said to feature 500 extras.

Castle of Zafra in Guadalajara | Tower of Joy in Dorne

Reserved for the most dedicated fans of the award-winning show, the remote Castle of Zafra, scene of Tower of Joy in Dorne, requires a careful trek. The closest village is Hombrados, a municipality with 44 inhabitants, and an unpaved road leading up to the castle isn't easy for most vehicles besides ATVs, and those aren't exactly readily available.

It's a trek to reach the remote Castle of Zafra in Guadalajara, but serious fans won't mind the half-day trek to the top.

Diehard fans should be prepared for up to a half day's hike to access the outcrop. The reward is an absorbingly immersive location, with little separating the real-life and fantasy settings.

Much like its position in the series, the stand-in for the Tower of Joy, Castle of Zafra seems to reside in the past. From its hilltop location, the vast surrounding expanse of the countryside is visible in all directions. Artifacts dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages have been found nearby, and it's believed Romans occupied the rock formation before the structure was built.

The earliest fortress was established by the Visigoths and later the Moors held a fortification until it was conquered by Christian kingdoms in the Reconquista. At its peak it was believed to host up to 500 men. After unification the castle lost its strategic importance and fell into continuous disrepair following the 16th century.

It's not easy to reach the Castle of Zafra, but it's very rewarding when you finally arrive.

In 1971, the castle was purchased from the Spanish government by Don Antonio Sanz Polo, a descendant of the 15th century owner Don Juan de Hombrados Malo, whose family retained documents of ownership for some 400 years. He poured his fortune into restoring the castle to its 12th century glory.

On "Game of Thrones" the Tower of Joy was the place of one of the most pivotal reveals in the series. When Prince Rhaegar Targaryen (Daenerys' brother) and Lyanna Stark (Ned Stark's sister) married in secret, they took to the castle in the Red Mountains of Dorne to hide their forbidden love.

After Prince Rhaegar Targaryen (Daenerys' brother) and Lyanna Stark (Ned Stark's sister) married in secret, they took to the castle known as the Tower of Joy in the Red Mountains of Dorne to hide their forbidden love.

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'Star Wars' locations that actually exist

Years later, Ned's son Brandon Stark, blessed with powerful magic and the ability of a Greenseer to perceive the past, glimpsed back to see his father storm the castle. Believing his sister had been kidnapped, Ned battles his way to Lyanna in the tower. Dying from childbirth, Lyanna's final breath names her child Aegon Targaryen and makes Ned promise to pass him off as his own bastard to protect her son. This child would become known as Jon Snow. Witnessing this flashback Brandon is able to discern Jon/Aegon is actually the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.

Who will rule Westeros will be settled when "Game of Thrones" returns to HBO for its six-episode, eighth and final season on April 14.

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Decision day for May's Brexit bill as UK Parliament holds key vote

London Shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday evening, British MPs face a choice that will affect the country's 66 million citizens for many years to come.

They will either vote to support Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, negotiated with the European Union, and set the country on its final road to leaving the EU on March 29. Or they will vote against it, leaving the UK Parliament, and the country, in the state of limbo it has inhabited for two-and-a-half years.

By every calculation and prediction, May will lose the vote. Her ruling Conservative Party and its ally, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), hold a bare majority in the 650-seat Parliament, but some estimates predict May's Brexit bill could be defeated by more than 100 votes.

Last ditch

The Prime Minister has spent the past week pushing hard for support for her deal, wielding both carrots and sticks -- drinks receptions at Downing Street for wayward Conservative MPs and soothing phone calls to opposition Labour members: and threats that failure to support her deal would lead to Brexit being canceled and paralysis in Parliament.

The PM told the House of Commons on Monday that a "no deal" Brexit could lead to the break up of the United Kingdom and appealed to MPs to give her plans a "second look."

Even EU leaders tried to help May's campaign by issuing a statement on Monday setting out assurances that the controversial backstop, an insurance policy to prevent a hard border in Ireland, would only be temporary -- but pro-Brexit lawmakers remained skeptical because the assurances carried no additional legal force.

And so, barring a few MPs who changed their minds, it does not look like May's attempts at persuasion have worked. The big question in Westminster is now no longer whether or not she wins, but who will take control of the fallout narrative.

May's aides in Downing Street are scrambling to ensure the Prime Minister looks in command of events, even if she loses badly.

It is likely she will deliver a speech in the Commons shortly after the vote setting out her next steps, including possibly an alternative plan that she can take back to the European Union for approval -- and then get through Parliament.

Yet factions in all political parties will be poised to fix their own narrative, too.

Pro-Brexit Conservatives, who tried and failed to unseat May as Prime Minister in a confidence vote last month, believe Downing Street is playing up reports that the margin of defeat for May's bill could be higher than 200 -- making it the worst for a Prime Minister in British history -- as a way of managing expectations and making a narrower defeat look like a minor victory.

These Brexiteers want to use the likely defeat to show that the government must take a radically different path -- and leave the EU without a negotiated deal.

This is the hardest of all Brexit models, but one which Euroskeptic Conservatives believe will give the UK their cherished dream of freedom from the EU.

Election time?

On the opposition benches, the Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, will demand a general election if May's bill fails, hoping to pave the way for fresh talks between a new government and the EU.

There is no indication that a motion of no confidence in the government introduced by Corbyn -- which, if successful, would spark a general election -- will pass. Even if Labour does take power, the party is as divided as the Conservatives on Brexit, and many of its MPs want the nation to vote in a more definitive way -- through a second referendum that could see Britain remaining in the UK altogether.

Corbyn will face intense pressure from many Labour lawmakers and grassroots activists to back a second referendum as the only way to break the impasse if he fails to force an election.

There is a third main group who have set in motion a process to take control of Brexit: an informal coalition of MPs from all parties who are angling for a softer Brexit than the one envisaged by May's deal, one that retains economic ties with the EU, similar to the arrangement adopted by Norway -- which occupies an highly unusual territory both in, and outside of, the EU.

It is this group that could form the center of gravity within Parliament amid the fallout from May's likely defeat.

Whatever happens, the UK Parliament will be the scene of a PR war, as opposition factions try to take control of Brexit from the political vacuum left by May's dwindling authority.

To a weary UK public, this spectacle is likely to dismay voters who do not know whether to take seriously warnings from government departments over the stockpiling of medicines and food and heavy traffic queues in the event of a no deal.

There are still 73 days left before Brexit, and the sense of uncertainty for ordinary voters is palpable.

This article has been updated to reflect the correct number of days until Brexit

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Theresa May's Brexit deal faces vote in Parliament

Campaigners out in force on crunch day for Brexit

From Rob Picheta and Jonathan Hawkins in London

For more than two years -- come rain, hail or shine -- Leave and Remain campaigners have gathered outside the Houses of Parliament.

With just hours until MPs vote on May's deal, the protesters were out in force again at Westminster on Tuesday morning.

You can read more about the the history of the Brexit campaigners here.

Remain campaigner "Stop Brexit Steve" is a regular face outside Parliament.

A giant model of Theresa May sails past with a liferaft for a "People's vote."

Victor Zanchi, 32, traveled to London from York to protest today. He’s wearing a plague doctor mask and carrying a sign reading "Stop Brexit."

“Brexit is going to take us back to the Middle Ages,” he told CNN, explaining the mask.

“The agreement doesn’t do anything for either side. We can’t go any further towards healing the rifts between both sides if the vote is successful.”

Meanwhile, UKIP member Marietta King came from the Midlands to protest and said she also wants the bill to be voted down.

“It’s a bad bill, it’s not been properly thought out. It’s terrifying," said King. "If we have that bill, we’d be worse off in the EU than we are now. The referendum gave an instruction for us to leave -- it didn’t give an instruction to make a deal.”

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دو کھرب قرض وصول ،دودھ کی نہریں کہاں ہیں ؟

راشدعلی

موجودہ حکومت کرپشن اور قرض کے خلاف بھرپور مہم لانچ کرنے کے سبب وجود میں آئی ،وزیراعظم عمران خان کی تقرریں پھر ان تقاریر پر عوامی ردِ عمل فطرتی تھا ۔یہی دونعرے نوجوان نسل کے اندر رچے بسے ،نئی نوکریاں پیدا نہ ہونا، تعلیمی پسماندگی ،صحت کے مسائل ،انصاف ودیگر تمام مسائل کی جڑ کرپشن اورقرض کو قرار دیا گیا ،عام وخاص خان صاحب کے نعرے سے متاثر ہوا ،پھر اس نعرے سے وابستہ سب ہی افراد نے آنکھیں بندکرکے خاں صاحب پر اعتماد کیا ۔پنجاب میں مسلم لیگ ن کو مینڈیٹ ملاتھا جیسے آزاد امیدواروں نے خاک میں ملا دیا ۔وہ افراد جو پی ٹی آئی کی حکومت سے بہت زیادہ امیدیں وابستہ کیے ہوئے تھے پریشان کن دلائل اور تاویلیں دیتے نظر آتے ہیں ۔جس طرح پی ٹی آئی نے مسلم لیگ ن کی حکومت کے کیخلاف کرپشن کیسز کی مہم لانچ کررکھی ہے اس کے برعکس پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے خلاف مہم تاحال لانچ نہیں کی جاسکی ہے ۔ایک زرداری سب پہ بھاری والی بات کہاوت بنتی جارہی ہے ۔بعض الناس کا سابق صدر زرداری صاحب سے متعلق کہنا ہے کہ ان تلوں میں تیل نہیں ہے کہ یہ زرداری صاحب کا گھیرا تنگ کریں آنے والے دن اس حقیقت کی اہمیت کو واضح کریں گے ۔

سابقہ حکومت کے دورِ اقتدار میں سب کچھ ٹھیک چل رہا تھا ۔ڈالر تقریبا کنڑول تھا ،جب تک سابق وزیراعظم نواز شریف وزارت عظمیٰ کے عہدے پر تھے بالخصوص ہر چیز درست سمت میں تھی چاہے اس کی حیثیت مصنوعی ہی کیوں نہ ہو۔جوں ہی ن لیگ اقتدار سے علیحدہ ہوئی ڈالر کو پر لگ گئے حتی کہ تاریخ کی بلندترین سطح 136تک پہنچا قرض کی مدمیں کھربوں کا اضافہ ہوا۔معیشت کے ٹائروں سے ہوا نکل گئی ،مک گیا ،مک گیا سب کچھ مک گیا کی صدائیں بلندہونے لگیں ،اب تک حالت زار یہ ہے کہ موجودہ حکومت 2کھرب سے زیادہ قرض لے چکی ہے ۔پانچ ماہ میں موجودہ حکومت کوئی بنیادی اصلاحات نہیں لاسکی ہے ۔حکومت بیک ڈور آئی ایم ایف سے رابطے میں ہے ۔موجودہ صورتحال کو دیکھتے ہوئے کہا جاسکتا ہے کہ موجودہ حکومت آئی ایم ایف کے سامنے گھٹنے ٹیک دی گی ۔روپے کی قدر میں مزید کم کرے گی اس صورت میں مجموعی قرض میں 15فیصد اضافہ ہوگا۔ابھی تک حکومت نے قرض لینے کے لیے تمام اپشن استعمال کیے ہیں ۔صورتحال جوں کی توں رہے گی او رمہنگائی میں اضافہ ہوگا۔

دوسری جانب پروفیسر مائیکل پورٹرکا کہنا ہے کہ اگراقتصادی مشکلات کا حل کرنسی کی قیمت میں کمی ہے توپھراقتصادی پالیسی میں کوئی بنیادی نقص ضرور ہے ۔ضروری ہے کہ کوئی ایسااقدام کرلیا جائے جس سے پاکستانی معیشت میں ٹھہراؤ پیدا کیا جاسکے ۔

مسلم لیگ ن اورپاکستان پیپلز پارٹی ان قرضوں کی ذمہ دار پاکستان تحریک انصاف کو قرار دے رہی ہیں ۔بعض ماہرین کا کہنا ہے کہ معاشی پالیسیاں تمام سیاسی جماعتوں کی ایک جیسی ہیں تمام سیاسی جماعتیں نجکاری اور ڈی ریگولیشن کی پالیسی پر یقین رکھتی ہیں ۔جو عوام دوست نہیں ہے۔کسی بھی حکومت نے ملکی مصنوعات کے استعمال کے لیے مہم لانچ نہیں کی بیرونی اشیاء پر انحصار میں ہمیشہ اضافہ ہوا ہے اورمزید اضافہ ہوگا۔حکومت گیس اوربجلی کی قیمتوں میں اضافے کے بعد اب ادویات میں نو سے پندرہ فیصد تک اضافہ کردیا گیا ہے ۔بڑھتا ہوا اضافہ مزید مسائل پیداکرے گا۔

عوامی میں مایوسی بڑھتی جارہی ہے ایک حالیہ سروے کے مطابق پاکستان میں بیروزگار افراد کی تعداد 37لاکھ 90ہزا ر سے تجاوز کرچکی ہے ۔صرف 23لاکھ 90ہزار افراد پنجاب میں بے روزگار ہیں ۔بڑھتی ہوئی بے روزگاری کی شرح بہت سے مسائل کو جنم دے گی۔اس سے پہلے بھی متعدد مرتبہ لکھ چکا ہوں ہمارا بنیادی مسئلہ معیشت ہے ۔اورمعیشت کو مستحکم کرنے کے لیے کچھ بنیادی فیصلے کرنے ہوں گے۔

۱۔پاکستانی صنعت کوفروغ : پاکستانی صنعت کو فروغ دیے بغیر معیشت میں استحکام پیدا کرنا ناممکن ہے ۔جاپان نے امریکہ کی جارحانہ اورانسان دشمن اقدام کے باوجود خود کو اپنے قدموں پرکھڑا ہی نہیں کیا بلکہ آج جاپانی پاسپورٹ کی قدر دنیا میں سب سے اچھی ہے ۔یعنی گزشتہ پچاس برس میں جاپان نے اپنا معیشت کو مضبوط سے مضبوط ترکیا ہے ۔حکومت کو چاہیے کہ جاپانی صنعت کار کمپنیوں کو عرض پاک میں ساز گار ماحول دیا جائے ۔

۲۔پاکستانی صنعت کوملک میں فروغ دیا جائے ۔اس کے لیے ضروری ہوگا کہ ملک میں تیل ،گیس اوربجلی کی فراہمی مسلسل یقینی بنانے کے ساتھ سستی بھی ہو کیونکہ اگر کسی چیز بھی چیز کی لاگت کم ہوگی تو اس کافروغ زیادہ ہوگا۔گزشتہ حکومت نے امن ،شاہراہ اور انرجی پر بھرپور کام کیا جو انتہائی بہتراقدام تھا کچھ بنیادی غلطیاں کی جنہیں دوہرانے کی ضرورت نہیں ہے ۔

۳۔زراعت میں جدید ٹیکنالوجی کا استعمال:بنیادی طور پر پاکستان زرعی ملک ہے ۔لاکھوں ایکٹر زمین سیلاب کی نظر ہوجاتی ہے ۔لاکھوں ایکٹر زمین نئے ڈیم نہ بنانے کی وجہ سے بنجر پڑی ہے ۔لاکھوں ایکٹر زمین جاگیرداروں کے سایہ کے نیچے بے آباد ہے ۔یعنی حکومت کو چاہیے کو بروقت ڈیم تعمیرکرے ۔کسانوں کی جدیدسہولیات سے آراستہ کیا جائے ۔نئے اور اچھے بیجوں کی فراہمی مفت یقینی بنائی جائے ۔کھاد اورتیل سستہ کیا جائے ۔بنجرزمینوں کو آباد کیاجائے جاگیرداروں کونسزبھیجیں جائیں اگر وہ اپنی زمین کاشت نہیں کرتے ہیں توان پر جرمانہ ڈالا جائے فی ایکٹر رقبہ پیداور مقرر کی جائے ۔گنا اورکپاس کی پیداوار پر ٹھیک اجرت دی جائے ۔اگرحکومت اس سیکٹر پر ٹھیک ورک کرلیتی ہے تو یقیناًمعیشت مستحکم ہوسکتی ہے ۔

۴۔ٹیکس کا نظام : ٹیکس کے بنیادی نظام واضح اصلاحات لائی جائیں دیگر ممالک کی طرح ٹیکس نیٹ کو بڑھانے کے ساتھ ساتھ اس میں سے کرپشن کا خاتمہ یقینی بنایا جائے ۔ایف بی آر کے نظام کو بہتر اورموثر بنایا جائے ۔ان تمام افراد کو ٹیکس نیٹ میں لانا ازبس ضروری ہے ۔

۵۔بیرون ملک مقیم پاکستانیوں کو بہترسہولیات: جو پاکستان روزگار کے لیے بیرون ملک مقیم ہیں ان زیادہ سے زیادہ سہولتیں فراہم کی جائیں ،دیگر ممالک کی طرح وطن عزیز کے باشندوں کا تحفظ یقینی بنایاجائے ۔حالیہ رپورٹ کے مطابق پاکستان کے پاسپورٹ کی قد ر 102نمبرپر ہے جومایوس کن ہے ۔ہمیں گرین پاسپورٹ کی اہمیت کو فروغ دینا ہوگا۔پاکستانی دیگرممالک کی جیلوں میں مقید ہیں انہیں نکالنے کے لیے خاطر خواہ اقدامات کی ضرورت ہے ۔

۶۔ جمہوریت کو فروغ ۔ ملک میں جمہوریت کو فروغ دینے کے ساتھ ساتھ سیاست میں انتقامی کاروائیوں سے گریز از حدضروری ہے ۔تمام جماعتوں کو مل کر معیشت کو مضبوط کرنے کے لیے کام کرنا چاہیے ۔

۷۔مقامی اورچھوٹی انڈسٹری کو فروغ: مقامی اورچھوٹی صنعت کو فروغ دیاجائے ۔چھوٹی صنعت کوفروغ دے کر معیشت کومضبوط اوربے روزگاری کا خاتمہ کیا جاسکتا ہے ۔

۸۔ جاگیرداری نظام کاخاتمہ ۔جاگیردارانہ نظام کا خاتمہ کیاجائے ۔تمام شعبوں کو چند ہاتھوں میں دینے کی بجائے زیادہ سے زیادہ افراد تک رسائی یقینی بنائے جائے ۔حب الوطنی کو فروغ دیا جائے ۔

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Two firefighters killed, dozens hurt in Paris explosion

Two firefighters have died and dozens more people were injured after a gas leak caused an explosion in Paris, emergency services in the French capital say.

The blast occurred at a bakery at 9 a.m. local time on Saturday, as firefighters were responding reports of the leak.

Police had originally said four people had died, before revising down the death count.

"At this hour, 2 firefighters from the Paris fire brigade are dead. 10 people are seriously injured, including a firefighter. 37 people are in a state of relative emergency," French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner tweeted.

"Profound sadness. Standing by the families of victims. The nation shares in their pain," he added.

Pictures from the scene, Rue de Trevise in the 9th arrondissement of the French capital, showed smashed windows and scattered debris across the street, as fire crews evacuated people from apartments above the bakery.

"At this stage, we can tell the origin of the explosion is accidental, a gas leak, but we should remain prudent as an ongoing investigation will determine the causes of this," Heitz said.

Castaner, who visited the scene with Prime Minister Edouarde Philippe and the city's mayor Anne Hidalgo, wrote earlier on Twitter that the toll of victims "will be heavy."

Rue de Trévise, aux côtés du Premier ministre, du procureur de Paris, du @prefpolice et de la Maire de la capitale.
Plus de 200 @PompiersParis sont engagés dans les opérations de secours.
Le bilan s’annonce lourd.
Mes premières pensées vont aux blessés et leurs proches.

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More than 200 firefighters are responding to the incident, Castaner wrote. "My first thoughts go to those injured and their loved ones," he added.

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