French energy firms tell people to CUT BACK on energy usage immediately, or face catastrophic outages

Written by Ramon Tomey

Three major energy firms in France told people to cut back on their energy usage at the soonest, lest the country spirals into an energy crisis.

Executives of the three energy companies – Engie Managing Director Catherine MacGregor, EDF CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy and TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné – issued the admonishment in a joint statement published in the French newspaper Le Journal de Dimanche.

The three bigwigs pointed to rising prices as a result of the energy crisis following the Russia-Ukraine war as a matter that threatens the “social and political cohesion” of France.

“Acting this summer will allow us to be better prepared to tackle next winter and, in particular, to preserve our gas reserves,” they said.

“We therefore call for awareness and collective and individual action so that each of us – each consumer [and] each company – changes behavior and immediately limits consumption of energy, electricity, gas and petroleum products.”

“The effort must be immediate, collective and massive,” the three energy executives noted, adding that “every gesture counts.”

France is one of many countries in the European Union (EU) that have been crippled by Russia’s decision to turn off supplies of natural gas flowing through the Nord Stream pipeline, in response to the West’s sanctions on Moscow. The resulting energy shortage, coupled with an over-dependence on clean energy under Paris’ “zero coal” policy, put France in a precarious situation. (Related: International Energy Agency head tells EU: Prepare for Russian gas shutdown.)

In a bid to address this energy shortage, the French government has proposed restarting the Emile Huchet coal-fired power plant near the country’s northwestern border with Germany.

According to Energy Central, the French Ministry of Ecological Transition revealed plans to reactivate the fossil-fuel plant “as a precaution, given the Ukrainian situation.” The ministry added that it is not ruling out operating the power plant, set to produce approximately one percent of the country’s electricity, “for a few more hours if we need it next winter.”

Nord Stream opening ceremony on 8 November 2011 with Angela Merkel, Dmitry Medvedev, Mark Rutte and François Fillon

Germany, Italy also reeling from shutoff of Russian gas

The joint statement from MacGregor, Lévy and Pouyanné followed neighboring Germany inching closer toward economic collapse. The abrupt cutoff of natural gas from Russia has left Berlin scrambling to figure out how to maintain ample energy supply come the winder.

German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, who also serves as the country’s minister for economic affairs and climate action, remarked that he may be forced to shut down industry in order to keep the German power grid afloat. He previously appealed to the public to conserve energy.

“Companies would have to stop production [and] lay off their workers. Supply chains would collapse. People would go into debt to pay their heating bills [and those] people would become poorer,” said Habeck, who is a member of the Green Party in the German parliament.

Italy, also affected by the sudden stop of natural gas supply from Russia, took steps to ration its energy supply. Authorities issued a mandate limiting the use of heating and air conditioning within government buildings. The law, which took effect on May 21, prohibited schools and public offices from setting their thermostats below 25 C (77 F) in the summer and above 19 C (66 F) during the winter.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi remarked that while “a gas embargo is not on the table,” he stressed that the country would “follow the decision of the EU” on the matter.”

Nevertheless, Draghi called on Italians to do their part in keeping energy prices low through a challenge issued in the form of a question: “Do we want to have peace [in Ukraine] or do we want to have the air conditioning on?”

Watch this One America News report below discussing the energy crisis the U.S. and the EU are about to face.

(In POWER.NEWS)

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Mastercard rolls out payment system that uses FACIAL RECOGNITION technology

Written by Ramon Tomey

Financial services giant Mastercard recently introduced a system that makes use of facial recognition technology to confirm payments.

The New York-based company defended its move to implement the biometric payment system amid criticism, citing two main reasons. According to Mastercard, such mode of payment facilitates shorter lines and faster checkout time. It is also more secure and more hygienic than using actual money, debit cards and credit cards.

“Once enrolled, there is no need to slow down the checkout queue searching through their pockets or bag. Consumers can simply check the bill and smile into a camera or wave their hand over a reader to pay,” Mastercard said.

Ajay Bhalla, president of Mastercard’s Cyber and Intelligence Solutions division, said: “When the pandemic happened, we saw that everybody went digital and consumers embraced new technologies. Consumers all over the world actually asked for that [biometric payment solution] for their shopping [and] their retail experiences.”

Under the biometric checkout program, shoppers can scan their faces using an app developed for the purpose. They can then assign their likeness to a bank card stored on file – automatically deducting the purchase amount.

In line with this, Mastercard piloted the facial recognition payment system at five branches of the St. Marche supermarket chain in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state. Customers who wish to try out the service can register in person at the grocery or through an app developed by Brazilian startup Payface, which has paired up with Mastercard for the endeavor.

Aside from Payface, Mastercard is also working with Japanese firms NEC and Fujitsu General for hardware solutions. According to a company spokesperson, the system is set to be rolled out in the United Kingdom.

Mastercard Senior President of Product Innovation Nili Klenoff said the company is also eyeing to introduce the system to other markets. “We’ve got the Middle East, Africa, Asia and [the rest of] Latin America lined up,” she said. “We’re really looking forward to bringing this solution everywhere.”

Privacy concerns abound with facial recognition technology

According to Klenoff, Mastercard’s facial recognition technology will come with more features like age verification for purchasing restricted store items. “[Age verification] is one, actually, that we’re beginning to explore and one that we’re really excited about,” she said.

Retailers, banks and payment firms have started embracing facial recognition to eliminate the use of physical cash and reduce fraud. The New York-based Mastercard is among them, citing a study that claimed 74 percent of the world’s population has a “positive attitude” toward biometric payment systems. However, privacy advocates have raised concerns over the technology. (Related: Facial recognition will soon identify shoplifters and ban them from stores; experts say it’s ripe for abuse.)

Lawyer Suzie Miles commented on the risks of using facial recognition for payments.

“Mastercard [itself has] recognized the data and security concerns that come with the use of biometrics. A password can be changed, your smile and wave cannot. If biometric data is hacked, then the risk of fraudulent activity could be considerably higher than current payment methods,” she told the Guardian.

Miles also expressed fear that the facial recognition systems will collect and store data that can be used to monitor and track people.

“While it seems [that] Mastercard [has] taken steps to protect and encrypt this data, as biometric payments become more commonplace, the use of such data is likely to evolve. It will inevitably become harder to protect individuals’ right to privacy.”

More related stories can be found at Surveillance.news.

Watch this video talking about Mastercard aiming to identify users through heartbeat and vein patterns.

(In SURVEILLANCE.NEWS)

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Vaccine passports pave the way for digital identity system, warns Nick Corbishley

Written by Ramon Tomey

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Finance and economics journalist Nick Corbishley warned that Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine passports pave the way for a more pervasive digital identity system. He told “The HighWire” host Del Bigtree that this digital ID system could be linked to bank accounts in the future.

Bigtree played footage of news reports announcing the end of vaccine passports in the U.S. and other countries around the world. He also played speeches from leaders such as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rescinding proof of vaccination mandates in their respective jurisdictions.

“It feels like the wheels are coming off of this crazy ship we’ve all been stuck on for some time. But as we watch the news, I wonder: Should we be excited? Complacent? Attentive? Maybe this wasn’t just about trying to get everybody vaccinated around the planet. Perhaps the vaccine was just the tip of the spear [for] an agenda to create a reason to track all of us,” said Bigtree.

The British-born Corbishley commented on Bigtree’s remarks. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think we need to be more vigilant than ever right now. What we are being told does not coincide with what is happening behind the scenes. We need to be watching what our politicians do, rather than just listening to what they say.”

According to Corbishley, several countries covertly launched their respective digital ID programs alongside their repeal of proof of vaccination mandates. He cited several countries – including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – that implemented their respective systems for different reasons. The U.K. justified its decision by mentioning the need for employers to verify their workers’ identities, added Corbishley.

“This digital identity wallet will essentially include everything, as well as probably your vaccination status. If this takes root [and] becomes part of normality, then it’s not going to be a very nice future for the rest of us.” (Related: Diabolical — How digital ID will control your life.)

More dangers if digital ID is linked to bank accounts

Corbishley told Bigtree: “One of the scariest aspects is this idea of central banks [controlling] digital currency, this idea of linking up digital identity to [the] financial system. That should be a warning to us all.” He cited incidents that happened in Canada and Russia as examples of the risks associated with connecting digital identity to bank accounts.

In Canada, the government froze several bank accounts linked to the Freedom Convoy protests. The country’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who concurrently serves as the finance minister, confirmed the move. The freezing of bank accounts, done in cooperation with law enforcement, sought to penalize those involved in the protest organized by truckers against COVID-19 mandates. “The consequences are real and they will bite,” said Freeland.

Meanwhile, Apple Pay and Google Pay suspended their services in Russia in response to the country’s assault on Ukraine. As a result, many Russians were unable to access both payment systems – which are used to pay for tickets on the Moscow Metro train system. Irish journalist Jason Corcoran confirmed the development in a tweet, writing: “Apple Pay and Google Pay no longer work on Moscow’s metro system, leading to long queues as people fumble about for cash.”

“This is a scary thing as we move toward a kind of digital money system, which is what our central banks are certainly trying to do right now. The idea of this being connected to our digital identity gives them an enormous power to cut us off from the economy. That is something that probably terrifies me the most, and it’s something that is becoming more and more possible as technologies evolve,” concluded Corbishley.

(In SURVEILLANCE.NEWS)

MEP Christine Anderson warns: WHO trying to “seize governmental power” through PANDEMIC TREATY

Written by Ramon Tomey

A member of the European Parliament (MEP) has warned that the World Health Organization (WHO) is attempting to “seize governmental power” by means of a so-called pandemic treaty.

MEP Christine Anderson, who is part of the German far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, made the warning in a video. She mentioned that an intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) established by the World Health Assembly (WHA) has been working to revise the treaties between the global health body and its member states since March 1, 2022.

The revisions aim to give the WHO “de facto governing power over its member states in the event of a pandemic, without involvement or consultation with national governments or national parliaments.” This serves as a “direct attack on the rule of the people by the people, the most elementary principle of any democracy,” she added. The German MEP also compared the move to “nine foxes and a rabbit democratically voting on what to have for dinner.”

A Dec. 1, 2021 press release said the WHA’s decision following a special session empowers the INB to “draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement, or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.”

The INB held its first meeting on March 1, with a second meeting scheduled on Aug. 1. A progress report is set to be presented to the 76th WHA meeting in 2023, and the final draft will be turned in for consideration at the 77th WHA meeting the year after.

However, the AfD lawmaker explained: “The plan, for anyone who can use [their] thinking skills, is easy to see through. A democratically non-legitimized body, into which the richest of the super-rich buy their way through donations, is to decide in the future whether a pandemic situation exists, in order to then directly take over governmental power.”

She added that if the INB’s pandemic treaty takes effect, the WHO can then restrict fundamental rights in its member nations, “almost like a world government.” (Related: Be warned: The World Health Organization’s “Pandemic Treaty” will destroy all remaining freedoms and unleash a global MEDICAL DICTATORSHIP.)

Bigtree: Pandemic treaty supersedes elected officials

 

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remarked in the press release that the WHA’s decision was “historic in nature” and “vital in its mission.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the many flaws in the global system to protect people from pandemics – the most vulnerable people going without vaccines; health workers without needed equipment to perform their life-saving work; and ‘me-first’ approaches that stymie the global solidarity needed to deal with a global threat,” he said.

Anderson is not the only individual expressing disagreement over the pandemic treaty. “The HighWire” host Del Bigtree and journalist Jefferey Jaxen also joined the ranks of people critical of the WHO’s encroachment on sovereignty, airing their thoughts on the matter.

“They’re planning on signing this treaty in 2024. This WHO pandemic treaty is really important because it’s a one-stop shop, it’s just like a lock and key. State sovereignty is over, country sovereignty is over. Top-down bio-surveillance, vaccine passports, turnkey everything for your country, essentially,” said Jaxen.

“Let’s do something here. I want to put two thoughts together, folks. Ask [yourselves]: Is there really an agenda going on? The WHO obviously is not an American organization. It really wants to be the World Health Order, [and] that is what it is turning into,” Bigtree said.

“It wants to dictate. It wants to supersede your president, your senators [and] your congresspeople. It wants to be the governing authority if there just happens to be another pandemic 365 days after the last one – which should be 100 times faster than any natural form of a pandemic before.”

Tyranny.news has more stories about the WHO’s pandemic treaty and how it threatens sovereignty.

Watch “American Journal” host Harrison Smith explaining how the WHO pandemic treaty will destroy national sovereignty.

(In EVIL.NEWS)

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