Posts
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Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards ##
The
move comes as a part of Russia’s ambitious initiative to move away
from the Western dominance of its financial markets. Last month
the Russian Central Bank said it would have its own international
inter-bank payment system, an alternative to the global
SWIFT network up and running by May 2015.
Shares in
Dubai Parks and Resorts (DPR), which is building a $2.9
billion amusement park complex in the emirate, opened sharply
below their initial public offer price as they listed on
Wednesday. The drop was a fresh sign of a collapse of sentiment
among retail investors in Dubai, who have dumped stocks as
oil prices have hit five-year lows in recent weeks.
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Airline Death Spiral ##
Airbus
Group NV raised the prospect of discontinuing its A380
superjumbo as soon as 2018, the first admission that it may
have misjudged the market for the double-decker after failing to
find a single airline buyer this year.
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Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
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Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Tens
of thousands of demonstrators opposed to the introduction of
water charges in Ireland surrounded the country’s parliament
bringing Dublin to a near standstill.
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Energy/resources ##
As oil
prices keep falling, BP Plc (BP/) is among
Norwegian oil producers having to take a hard look at whether to
kill off aging offshore fields earlier than planned because
squeezing out the last barrels might not be worth it.
On
Wednesday, Goodrich Petroleum Corp. GDP, -8.80%
announced a starkly reduced plan for capital expenditure for
2015 which put the amount between $150 million to $200
million. Compare that to Goodrich’s budget last year, which
was $375 billion. Goodrich said that the 2015 number could
be raised if oil prices improve. But it also said it will
explore the sale of its shale assets.
An
economist who correctly predicted the fall in oil price this
year has told CNBC that the U.S. government could look to bail
out its energy sector in 2015 as the commodity's low price
starts hitting the country's economy.
Oilfield
contractors hired to drill wells and fracture rock to raise crude
and natural gas to the surface will have to lower prices by
as much as 20 percent to help keep their cash-strapped customers
working.
BP
(BP.L) will cut thousands of jobs cut across its global oil and
gas business by the end of next year in a $1 billion
restructuring programme announced on Wednesday following steep
falls in oil prices.
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Got food? ##
A
Times reporter and photographer find that thousands of laborers
at Mexico's mega-farms endure harsh conditions and exploitation while
supplying produce for American consumers.
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Lifestyle Solutions ##
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Environment/health ##
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Intelligence/propaganda/security/internet/cyberwar ##
Computers
being remotely operated by hackers account for almost one in
four views of digital video ads worldwide, according to a
study that estimates such fraud will cost advertisers $6.3
billion dollars next year.
Researchers
at Japanese electronics firm Hitachi say they have developed
biometric technology that identifies people by scanning
the veins in their fingers even if they are walking.
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Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
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Japan ##
Tokyo
Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe on Tuesday cautiously welcomed the International
Olympic Committee’s decision to open up the event to
new sports but spoke of anxiety over the costs of providing them
in 2020.
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China ##
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UK ##
NATO
allies sent patrol planes to help Britain scour the waters off
its western Scottish coast after a submarine's periscope
was spotted, in a search reminiscent of the Cold War, media
reported.
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US ##
Living
in rentals, inflated college tuition, and low wages await millions
of young Americans.
More
than a third of consumers are taking on additional debt in the
holiday season.
When
nuclear power plants are built, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) has the authority to issue initial operating licenses
for a period of 40 years. Beyond that, the reactors need license
renewals, and the NRC has granted 20-year license renewals
to 74 of the 100 operating reactors in the U.S., according to
the Energy Information Administration.
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