کراچی (رپورٹ) ملیر کہ علاقی گلشن حدید کہ قرب لینڈ مافیا نے اللہ کا گھر مسجد بھی فروخت کردی اس کہ ساتھ فلاحی پلاٹ بھی حبیب اللہ جوکھیو نے مسجد کہ پش امام محمد حسین قادری سے لکھت میں معاھدا کر لیا جس کہ تحت پش امام مسجد کا مالک بن گیا دنیا کی پیھلی مسجد پاکستان کی ھے جو فروخت ھوی ھے تفصلات کہ مطابق ملیر کہ علاقی گلشن حدید کہ قریب سومار جوکھیو گوٹھ ون میں مسجد اقصی کو لینڈ مافیا نے اللہ کہ گھر کو بھی نھی چھوڑا اس کو نھی بخشہ وہ بھی بیچ ڈالی حبیب اللہ جوکھیو نے اپنی ذاتی ملکیت سمجھ کر مسجد کو فروخت کر دیا اور پش امام سے ایگریمنٹ کیا ھے کہ یہ مسجد اج سے اپ کہ نام پر ھو گی ھے پوری خاندان کی اجازت سے لکھ کہ دے رھا ھوں ھوش حواس لکھ رھا ھوں اور اس ساتھ دو فلاحی پلاٹ ھیں ایگریمنٹ میں پیسوں کا ذکر نھی کیا گیا ھے با خبر ذرایع سے معلوم ھوا ھے کہ 60 لاکھ روپے مولوی نے دے ھیں اور حبیب اللہ جوکھیو نے اس کو جعلی سند بھی بناکر دی ھے سند کا چالان جو اس پر تاریخ درج ھے وہ اتوار کا دن ھے چھوٹی والے دن اس سند کو مختیارکار بن قاسم ملیر سے ویریفکشن کرای گی تو جعلی ثابت ھوی اس نے لیٹر بھی جاری کردیا ھے کہ یہ جعلی سند ھے ھمارے رکارڈ میں درج نھی ھے پاکستان کی پیھلی مسجد جو کسی پش امام کو بیچی گی ھے لینڈ مافیا اللہ کہ گھر کو بھی نھی چھوڑتے وہ بھی اپنا مال سمجھ کر فروخت کر دیتے ھیں گوٹھ مکینوں نے اس سلسلے ایس ایس پی ملیر ڈی سی ملیر ضلعی کاونسل اور اسٹل ٹاون تھانے میں ان کہ خلاف درخواستیں دے چکے ھیں پر حبیب اللہ جوکھیو اور پش امام کو نوٹس جاری ھونے باوجود پش نھی ھوے اور ان خلاف فیصلہ بھی اے چوکا ھیں ضلعی کاونسل کہ طرف سے دوسرے طرف قانون نافذ کرنے والے نے کوی کاروای نھی کی پش امام محمد حسین قادری مسجد پر قابضہ ھیں اور کہتا ھے میرے نام پر مسجد ھے میں نے پیس دیکر خریدی ھے اس کی سرپرستی حبیب اللہ جوگھیو کر رھ ھے کیونکہ اس نے پش امام سے پیسے لئے ھیں ب ان کہ رکھوالے بھی ھیں اللہ والے بھیاللہ کہ گھر کے خرید فروخت مصروف ھیں دوسری طرف سومار جوکھیو گوٹھ ٹو میں 2000 ھزار گز پر زمین جو سرکاری ھے وہ بھی حبیب اللہ جوکھیو سے خریدی ھے جعلی فال پر اس پر اسلامی سنٹر کہ نام پر مدرسہ بنایا ھے یہ ھیں اج کہ مسلمان؟؟؟؟،اس حوالے سے حبیب اللہ جوکھیو نے پیارا وطن کو اپنا موقف دیتے ہوئے کہا کہ یہ سند میں نے نہیں بنا کر دی مجھے نہیں معلوم کس نے سند بنا کر دی ہے مسجد کی حوالگی میں نے اہل علاقہ کے سامنے کی تھی۔ضلع ملیر میں لینڈ مافیا کے سیاہ کارنامے کل کی اشاعت میں ملاحظہ فرمائیں
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سانحہ ساہیوال ! وزیراعظم عمران خان کے لیے کڑا امتحان
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اب درندوں سے نہ حیوانوں سے ڈر لگتا ہے
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اب تو اپنے ہی نگہبانوں سے ڈر لگتا ہے
سانحات کا نہ ختم ہونے والاسلسلہ میرے وطن میں ہوتا رہتا ہے۔ کبھی دشمن شریک جرم ہوتا ہے توکبھی وردی میں ملبوس وطن عزیز کا قومی محافظ قاتل کا روپ دھار لیتا ہے ۔کراچی میں ایس ایس پی راؤ انوار کے ان گنت معصوم لوگوں کے خلاف آپریشن ،اختیارات سے تجاوزات کی لاتعداد امثال، کیا ہو ا کچھ بھی نہیں ۔پولیس کا رات کے اندھیروں میں سرچ اپریشن ،جسے بعدازاں پولیس مقابلہ کا نام دیا جاتا ہے ،مرنے والے درجنوں قوم کے سپوت دہشت گرد قرا ر پاتے ہیں۔قاتلوں کا تحفظ قاتل ،چوروں کاتحفظ چور کرتے دکھائی دیتے ہیں۔ظلم کا بازار گرم ہے۔پولیس گردی کا خوف لوگوں کے ذہنوں پر سوار ہوچکا ہے۔ان محافظوں کی خوش اخلاقی کی حکائیتیں زبان زدِبام ہیں ۔معرزز مستورات کے ساتھ تھانے میں جاکر ان کا رویہ کبھی دیکھئے گاتومعلوم ہوگا یہ زمانہ قدیم کے جلاد ہیں جن کا شیوہ گالم گلوچ اور استحصال ہے ۔بہت کم لوگ ہیں جو اپنے فرض کو فرض سمجھتے ہوئے احسن طریقے سے فرائض سرانجام دے رہے ہیں۔
نئی نویلی حکومت کے وزرا اپنی نااہلی اورکمزور ریاستی گرفت پر کس عمدہ انداز سے مٹی ڈال رہے تھے اس پر صرف اتنا ہی کہوں گا۔ بات توسچ ہے مگر بات ہے رسوائی کی۔شادی میں جاتی ہوئی فیملی پر اندھا دھند فائرنگ۔بچوں کی موجودگی میں والدین کا قتل ،ٹریفک کی روانی کے دوران کھلم کھلا دہشت گردی ،ریاستی اداروں پر سوالیہ نشان ہے۔مجھے تو گھن محسوس ہورہی ہے یہ دہشت گردی دہشت گردی ،سوالیہ نشان ،جے آئی ٹی ،انصاف ہوگا،انتظار ،مالی امداد ، اس مادپدر بے رحمی اورقتل وغارت پر حکومت اوراپوزیشن کا کمزور موقف قابل افسوس ہے۔
اللہ تعالیٰ کی لاٹھی بہت مضبوط ہے ۔اللہ تعالیٰ کی پکڑ بہت شدید ہے ۔کہاں گیا وہ فرعون جو موسیٰ علیہ السلام کو اپنی رعونت سے ڈرایا دھمکایا کرتا تھا۔کہاں گیا وہ قارون جو اپنی دولت کے گھمنڈ میں گرفتار تھا،کہاں گیا وہ شدداد جو مصنوعی جنت بنا کر اللہ تعالیٰ کا مقابلہ کرنا چاہتا تھا ؟کہاں گیا وہ نمرود جو ابراہیم علیہ السلام کو جلانے کی پلاننگ کیا کرتا تھا ،وزیران ومشیران کو جان لینا چاہیے پیداکرنے والے کی پلاننگ سب سے مضبوط اورموثر ہوا کرتی ہے ۔وطن عزیز پہلے ہی ان گنت مسائل کا شکار ہے ۔یہاں معیشت کا کردار ڈھیلاہے ۔برس ہا برس سے حکمرانوں کا رویہ ڈھیلاہے ۔ترقی کے چراغ تلے غربت پنپ رہی ہے خوشحالی کے نام پر کرپشن کا دوردورہ ہے ۔آبادی کے نام پر این جی اوز کی پانچوں انگلیاں گھی میں ہیں ۔انصاف برائے فروخت ؟ سوموٹوکا سنسنی خیز ٹریلر فلم فلاپ لاتعداد ٹریلر لاتعداد فلاپ فلمیں سکرین کا حصہ بن چکی ہیں۔سرجیل میمن ،واٹرکمپنیاں ،ای سی ایل ،مصنوعی اکاؤنٹ ،فلودے والا ،موبائل والا ،پان والا بے نامی اکاؤنٹ ،بلوچستان میں پولیس کا محافظ روڑپر ڈیوٹی دیتے ہوئے قتل ،بااثرباپ کا قاتل بیٹا عدالت سے وکٹری کا نشان بنائے ہوئے آزاد،کرپشن کرپشن رزلٹ زیرو۔
وزیراعظم عمران خان صاحب پر سانحہ ساہیوال کا سن کر غم کا ایسا اثر ہو ا کہ وہ پورا دن اس اثر سے باہر نہ آسکے ،گیارہ گھنٹے کے لیے ساہیوال جی ٹی روڈ جام پھر کئی گھنٹوں تک لاہور چوک امرسدھوسمیت میٹروبس کا ٹریک جام، لاشیں سٹرکوں پر ہماری قومی بے حسی کا اظہار کرتی رہیں اور ہم خاموش تماشا دیکھتے رہے ۔وزراء کو خیال بھی آیا توبہت دیر بعد۔کمزور موقف ،فضول باتیں ،حقیقت سے کوسوں دور کی خیالی حکایات قوم کو بیوقوف بنانے اور ماتحت اداروں کے جرائم کو چھپانے کے لیے پرانے حربے اس کے ماسوا پریس کانفرنس میں کچھ بھی نہیں تھا ؟
معصوم بچوں کودیکھ دیکھ من روئے جارہا ہے ۔با ر بار من سوال کررہا ہے وہ ماں کس جرم میں ماری گئی جو اپنے ننھے بچوں کے ساتھ سفر پر تھی ،من پوچھ رہا ہے کیا دہشت گرد ننھے بچوں کے ساتھ بھی سفر کرلیتے ہیں ؟ من یہ بھی سوال کررہا ہے کہ اسلا م میں قربانی کے جانور کو بھی قربانی کے جانور کے سامنے قربان کرنا ممنوع ہے اوریہاں ہمارے سی ٹی ڈی کے اہلکاروں کی تربیت کا حال دیکھئے بچوں کو بھی نہیں بخشا ۔ سی ٹی ڈی کو کامیاب اپریشن کرنے کے بعد کیا برآمد زندہ بچ جانے والے تین بچے؟ جنہیں وہ پٹرول پمپ پر چھوڑ گئے جہاں کوئی آنسو پوچھنے والا بھی نہیں تھا ؟
ریاست تعلیم دے گی اخراجات دے گی قوم پوچھنا چاہتی ہے بچوں کو ممتا کاپیار کون دے گا؟ بچوں کو باپ کا سایہ کون دے گا؟ وائے ہو ا س بے رحم نظام پر جہاں اپنے اپنوں کا قتل اس بے رحمی سے کرتے ہوں ،جہاں لوگوں کے خون سے ہولی کھیلی جاتی ہوجہاں جے آئی ٹی بنا کر انصاف کا دوہرا قتل ہوتا ہو۔سانحہ ماڈل ٹاؤن میں انصاف ہوتا تویہ دن نہ دیکھنا پڑتا۔ہرروز میرے قوم کے بیٹوں کو دہشت گردی کے نام پر قتل کیا جاتا ہے انہیں گرفتار کیوں نہیں کیا جاتا ،ان پر مقدمات کیوں نہیں چلائے جاتے؟پوری دنیا کی نقالی کرنے والی جمہوری مقتدر مغربی کلچر اورروایات کا رونا روتے رہتے ہیں ۔کبھی مغربی انصاف پر مبنی نظام پر غور کرلیا کریں ۔بتانِ مغرب کے پوجاریوں کو معلوم نہیں کیوں مغرب کا برابری کا نظام نظر نہیں آتا۔
اے ارباب اقتدار حکمرانوں اورعدل کی کرسی پربیٹھے معزز صاحبان یہ دنیا فانی ہے ۔ایک انصاف خالق کائنات کا ہاں ہونے والا ہے ۔یاد رکھئے معاشرے غربت میں زندہ رہ سکتے ہیں مگر ظلم میں نہیں،اگر جلدازجلد یہ ظلم کابازار بندنہ کیا گیا تو اس دن سے ضرور ڈریے جب لوگ ہر چوک اور ہرگلی میں انصاف کو ہاتھ میں تھام لیں گے ۔تاریخ کا مطالعہ کیجئے اورحق پہنچانتے ہوئے ریاست کی سمت درست کیجئے وزیراعظم عمران خاں صاحب سانحہ ساہیوال آپ کے لیے امتحان ہے اگر سابقہ ادوار کی طرح آلوؤں سے مٹی جھاڑی گئی تو قوم کا آپ سے بھی اعتبار اُٹھ جائے گا۔ انصاف کیجئے اورحقائق قوم کے سامنے لائیے یہ آپ پرفرض بھی ہے اورقرض بھی ۔
مرید نے مرشد کو اچھے موڈ میں دیکھا تو با ادب ھو کر گویا ھوا !
میرے مرشد مجھے عرقِ حیات کے متعلق تو کچھ بتائیے ،کیا اسی کو آبِ حیات کہتے ھیں؟ اور اس پانی کا چشمہ پھوٹتا کہاں سے ھے ؟؟؟
مرشــد نے گہری نظر سے مرید کی طرف دیکھا اور سوچ میں ڈوب گیا،جب کافی دیر گزر گئ تو مرید کو یوں لگا جیسے اس نے اپنے مرشد کو ناراض کر دیا ھے،، وہ پھر ڈرتے ڈرتے بولا، حضرت جی اگر میرے سوال سے آپ کو کوفت ھوئی ھے تو میں معافی کا طلبگار ھوں !
ایک لمبی ' "ھـُـــــــوں" کے بعد مرشد نے نرمی سے بولا، نہیں میں ناراض تو نہیں ھوا مگر فکرمند ضرور ھوں ،،میں نے جب یہ سوال اپنے مرشد سے کیا تھا تو ھمارے درمیان 12 سال کی طویل جدائی پڑ گئ تھی ،،میں سوچ یہ رھا تھا کہ پتہ نہیں میں تمہاری یہ طویل جدائی برداشت کر سکوں گا بھی یا نہیں،، اس دوران اگر میری اجل آگئ تو کہیں تمہاری محنت ضائع نہ ھو جائے،، بیٹا یہ عرقِ حیات یا آبِ حیات ،، یہ الفاط میں نہیں سمجھایا جا سکتا،، سمجھاؤ تو سمجھ نہیں آتا ! اس لئے میرا مرشد تو آب حیات کے چشمے کےکنارے کھڑا کر کے ،اس میں انگلی ڈبو کر دکھایا کرتا تھا کہ یہ ھے عرقِ حیات !! میں نے یہ سوال اپنے مرشد سے ان کی جوانی میں پوچھ لیا تھا !!
تم نے بہت دیر کر دی ھے،، خیر اللہ بہتر کرے گا،، میں تمہیں ایک پودا دکھاتا ھوں ،، اس پودے کے پھول کا عرق تم نے ایک چھوٹی شیشی میں بھرنا ھے اور جب یہ شیشی بھر جائے تب میرے پاس واپس آنا ھے،، یہ عرق ھی ھماری آنکھوں میں عرقِ حیات کو دیکھنے کی صلاحیت پیدا کرے گا !!یاد رکھنا ایک پھول سے صرف ایک قطرہ رس نکلتا ھے ، اور اگر شیشی فوراً بند نہ کرو تو فوراً اڑ بھی جاتا ھے،، اور یہ پودا جنگل میں کہیں کہیں ملتا ھے ! اس کے بعد مرشد نے ایک درمیانے سائز کی شیشی اپنے مرید کو پکڑائی اور اسے ڈھیر ساری دعاؤں کے ساتھ رخصت کر دیا ! مرید بہت پرجوش تھا،، آبِ حیات کا معمہ بس حل ھونے کو تھا ، اور اسے آبِ حیات کو دیکھنے اور چھونے کا موقع ملے گا،، مگر ایک تو اس پودے کو ڈھونڈنا ایک جوکھم تھا تو ایک پودے کے ساتھ ایک پھول اور ایک پھول میں ایک قطرہ !!
الغرض اسے بارہ سال لگ گئے بوتل بھرنے میں ،، جس دن اس کی بوتل بھری وہ دن اس کے لئے ایک نئ زندگی کی نوید تھا،، ایک طرف وہ پھولے نہیں سما رھا تھا تو دوسری طرف اسے بار بار یہ خیال ستا رھا تھا کہ اگر اس دوران مرشد اللہ کو پیارے ھوگئے تو اس کی محنت ضائع چلی جائے گی کیونکہ آبِ حیات کو چشمہ تو صرف مرشد کو ھی پتہ تھا !! وہ خیالات میں غلطاں و پیچاں کبھی چلتا تو کبھی دوڑتا،، اپنے مرشد کے ٹھکانے کی طرف رواں دواں تھا،، مرشد کے ڈیرے پہ نظر پڑنا تھا کہ وہ بیتاب ھو کر دور سے ھی چلایا ،، میرے مرشد ،، اے میرے مرشد، دیکھ میں اپنی تپسیا میں کامیاب رھا،،میں بوتل بھر لایا ھوں ،، اس کی آواز پر مرشد اپنے کٹھیا سے بار نکلا ،، بارہ سالوں نے اس کی کمر دھری کر دی تھی مگر وہ بھی مرید کی کامیابی پر خوش نظر آتا تھا !!
اپنے مرشد پر نظر پڑنا تھا کہ مرید بے اختیار دوڑ پڑا اور یہی بے احتیاطی اسے مہنگی پڑی، ٹیڑھے میڑھے رستے پر قدم کا سٹکنا تھا کہ مرید لڑکھڑایا اور عرق سے بھری شیشی اس کے ھاتھ سے چھوٹ کر ٹھاہ سے پتھر پر لگی اور چورا چورا ھو گئ،، عرق کے کچھ چھینٹے مرشد کے پاؤں پر پڑے باقی کو جھٹ زمین نگل گئ،، بے اختیار مرید کی چیخ نکل گئ ،،میرے مرشد میں لٹ گیا میں برباد ھو گیا میری محنت ضائع ھو گئ ،،میرے بارہ سال کی مشقت مٹی بن گئ،، میرے مرشد میں تباہ ھو گیا،، مرشد اپنے مرید کو چھوڑ کر اندر گیا اور ایک اور چھوٹی سی شیشی لایا جس میں اس نے روتے سسکتے مرید کے آنسو بھرنا شروع کر دیئے ،، اور وہ شیشی بھر لی !!
اب مرید رو رھا تھا تو مرشد ھنس رھا تھا،، میرے مرشد میری زندگی برباد ھو گئ اور آپ مسکرا رھے ھیں ؟ مرید نے تعجب سے پوچھا !! مرشد اسے اندر لے گیا اور بکری کے دودھ کا پیالہ پینے کو دیا ،، پھر اس نے اس چھوٹی شیشی کو کھولا جس میں مرید کے آنسو بھرے ھوئے تھے، اور اپنی انگلی کو ان سے گیلا کر کے کہا کہ یہ ھے " عرقِِ حیات " یا " آبِ حیات " یا مقصدِ حیات !!
اور پھر آنسوؤں میں ڈبڈباتی اس کی آنکھوں کو چھو کر کہا یہ ھیں آبِ حیات کے چشمے !!
یاد رکھو ! اللہ نے انسان کو ان آنسوؤں کے لئے پیدا کیا ھے ،، ان میں ھی زندگی چھپی ھوئی ھے،، کچھ اس کی محبت میں زارو قطار روتے ھیں جیسے انبیاء ،، اور کچھ اپنے عملوں کے بھرے مٹکے جب اپنی ذرا سی غلطی سےگرتے اور ٹوتے اور اپنی محنتیں ضائع ھوتے دیکھتے ھیں تو تیری طرح بلبلاتے ھیں ،، جس طرح پانی نکلنے اور نکالنے کے مختلف طریقے ھیں اسی طرح انسانوں میں بھی ان کی طبائع کے تحت ان آنسوؤں کا سامان کیا گیا ھے،، یاد رکھو آسمان پر بھرنے والے بہت سارے ھیں مگر شیشی کسی کی نہیں ٹوتتی ،، آسمان والوں کے مٹکے ھر دم بھرے رھتے ھیں،،وھاں مٹکے ٹوٹنے کے اسباب نہیں رکھے گئے ، ان کے رونے میں تسبیح ھے،، پچھتاوہ نہیں ھے ! ھمیں اسی مقصد سے بنایا گیا ھے،پھر اس دنیا کے ٹیڑھے میڑھے رستوں پر ھاتھ میں تقوے کی بوتل دے کر دوڑایا جاتا ھے ،، اور جب ذرا سی بے احتیاطی سے تقوے کی وہ سالوں کی محنت کسی گناہ میں ڈوب جاتی ھے اور ھم پچھتاتے ھیں اور زار و قطار روتے ھیں تو اللہ فرشتوں کو اسی طرح ھمارے آنسو سمیٹنے پر لگا دیتا ھے جس طرح آج میں نے تیرے آنسو شیشی میں جمع کئے ھیں !!
یہ وہ پانی ھے جس سے جہنم کی آگ بھی ڈرتی ھے،، اللہ کے رسول ﷺ نے حشر کا نقشہ کھینچا ھے کہ جہنم کی آگ فرشتوں کے قابو میں نہیں آ رھی ھوگی،، اور میدانِ حشر میں باغیوں کی طرف پھنکاریں مارتی ھوئی لپکے گی،، فرشتے اپنی بے بسی کا اظہار کریں گے تو اللہ پاک جبرائیل سے فرمائیں گے کہ وہ پانی لاؤ ،، اور پھر جبرائیل اس پانی کے چھنٹے مارتے جائیں گے اور آگ پیچھے سمٹتی جائے گی یہاں تک کہ اپنی حد میں چلی جائے گی،، صحابہ نے پوچھا کہ ائے اللہ کے رسولﷺ وہ کونسا پانی ھو گا؟ آپ نے فرمایا اللہ کے شوق میں اللہ کے خوف سے رونے والوں کے آنسو ھوں گے جو اللہ نے آگ پر حرام کر رکھے ھیں!!
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.
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."
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."
Related Article: Far-right German politician starts a new party with a logo bearing a secret Nazi symbol
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.
Play Video
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.
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."
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.
Related content
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.
Related content
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.
Related content
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.
Related content
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.
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
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.”
