Saturday, 30 March 2019

Headlines - 29 March, 2019

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##
The sign your suburb is in serious trouble
For years, construction in Australia has been booming — but the good days are well and truly over. Whether it’s private houses, dwelling units, or renovations, the numbers are all heading south.
Gold Mining Stocks Are Surging on Global Economic Fears
Taiwan's economy sluggish in February

## Cut, baby, cut! ##
Bed Bath & Beyond lays off nearly 150 of its 65,000 employees

## War on cash/cashless society/cryptocurrencies ##
Japan slowly buying into cashless future despite widespread misgivings

## Airline death spiral ##
FAA tells U.S. Senate it would need 10,000 new employees, $1.8 billion to assume all certification

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
French envoy presses Germany on stalling arms exports
France's ambassador to Germany is pushing Berlin to loosen its restrictive stance on arms exports to Saudi Arabia, arguing Europe's fledgling defense identity depends on it.
Xiplomacy wins in Europe despite US warnings
Economic opportunities trump Trump’s security and strategic concerns

## War on Venezuela ##

## Migrants/refugees ##
U.S., three Central American countries agree on joint police operations
The United States said on Wednesday it had reached an agreement with three Central American countries to carry out joint police operations in the region, as the Trump administration seeks to stem the flow of migrants across its southern border.

## Energy/resources ##

## Got food? ##
Food shortage stares at 40,000 families in Zimbabwe
The fight to save coffee from climate change heats up
Climate change is threatening coffee in Central America. Temperatures are rising, making it harder to grow high-quality Coffea arabica in the altitudes where it is currently grown.
Louisiana’s Disappearing Coast
The state loses a football field’s worth of land every hour and a half. Now engineers are in a race to prevent it from sinking into oblivion.
U.S. Squabbles Over New Iran Sanction Waivers
US sanctions on Iran’s oil sector and the waivers of said sanctions are causing rifts among the US administration—pitting the National Security Council and the US State Department against each other as the deadline for waiver extensions draws near.
The Many Reasons to Believe Vasily Prozorov’s Testimony About Ukraine’s Role in Downing MH-17
Former Ukrainian intelligence officer Vasily Prozorov’s testimony will likely be dismissed by Western governments that support Kiev, but there is plenty of evidence to back his claims.
The Business of Your Face
While you weren't looking, tech companies helped themselves to your photos to power a facial recognition boom. Here's how.

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
Is the World Becoming Wealthier or Poorer?
There is nothing intrinsically profitable about either robotics or AI.
Tainted Pills Force FDA to Tighten Drug-Safety Regulations
`We’ve seen a lot of instances of adulterated products — contamination, impurities — recently,’ FDA chief says.
Infectious diseases—some that ravaged populations in the Middle Ages—are resurging in California and around the country, and are hitting homeless populations especially hard.
New York City Apartment Residents Sue Landlord Over New Smart Locks
Nothing like rushing home to put your phone on the charger only to realize you can't get into your own apartment without a charged phone.
Not to worry. Technology will solve all our problems. -- RF
Japan's fiscal health is the worst among major industrialized economies, with public debt more than twice the size of gross domestic product.

## UK ##

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US admits t can't attack Venezuela


BREAKING: U.S Admits It Cannot Attack Venezuela – CONFIRMED S-300 Anti-Air Systems


WASHINGTON – The U.S State Department special operator for Venezuela, Elliot Abrams has revealed that Venezuela is already in possession numerous highly effective S-300 (Antey 2500 version) systems. This makes a military campaign against Venezuela highly unlikely, given the high-importance of air-cover for any boots on the ground, and the high effectiveness of the S-300 system. It also explains the decision of OAS member states Columbia and Brazil not to resort to military intervention against the Bolivarian Republic – a jungle war without air-cover would be extraordinarily costly in terms of casualties and the resulting social and political unrest. While the U.S military has known of this, until Abrams statement today there was a reluctance to report the problems posed by this, amid Trump’s war-drums surrounding his alleged ‘all options’ approach to Venezuela.
Previously, FRN relayed a report from a private Israeli satellite giving the locations of the S-300 systems then believed to be in movement to strategic locations. While the source was questionable regarding alleged piece movement, it led to some confusion as to whether Venezuela indeed possessed the systems at all.
READ MORE: MAJOR: Has Venezuela Deployed Five S-300s To Thwart U.S Air Attack? A 2010 Transfer Is Likely

 CSS analysts are of the opinion that the U.S military’s knowledge of Venezuela’s relatively advanced anti-air capacities are one of the factors behind the now infamous Abrams confession that the U.S has no plans to ply a thorough military campaign against the Bolivarian socialist nation.
In short Venezuela has at least six systems now operating, each system can target nearly 25 advanced fighters or attack planes simultaneously. This means that the Venezuelan anti-air forces could target 150 U.S fighters, bombers, attack planes, and even ballistic missiles simultaneously. With a hit rate of about 85%-90%, the U.S could expect to lose upwards of 130 planes in a sortie unless the SAM systems were overwhelmed. However, the U.S possesses about 1800 fighters and attack planes in its entire arsenal; many of these are deployed around the world and could not be used all to attack Venezuela, for numerous reasons including vulnerability and logistics.

To read the article GO HERE
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MP's reject May's Brexit deal for the THIRD time


3 Times Defeated, May Turns to Elections To Fulfill Brexit Betrayal



29 March, 2019

Despite a last-minute round of defections from some Labour MPs and Tory Brexiteers, what reporters jokingly referred to as "meaningful vote 2.5" - the third vote on May's withdrawal agreement - has been defeated 344-286, a margin of about 60 votes.
In a speech after the result, May raised the possibility of new elections. The pound tumbled on the results. "We are reaching the end of this process in this House," May said. One way out would be holding another election.
Indicating that she isn't planning to resign, the prime minister said she would "continue to press the case for an orderly Brexit.
Unsurprisingly, the pound plunged as the defeat has raised the likelihood that the UK will leave the EU without a deal on April 12.
GBP
While May said only that an election might be one option to break the impasse, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn went further and called for a vote, and also called on May to fulfill her promise and quit, now.
In a statement, Deputy ERG Chairman Steve Baker insisted that this must be the final defeat for May's withdrawal deal, and that the Commons must now move on and find another way - or, presumably, accept a 'no deal' exit.
"This must be the final defeat for Theresa May’s deal. It is finished. And we must move on.”
"It's finished and we must move on. It has not passed and it will not pass," he added.
Cable started weakening ahead of the vote on speculation that the group of Brexiteer Tories voting against the bill would be large enough to hand May a third defeat. Reports attributed to SNP MPs about a "sizable" group of Tories massing in the 'no' lobby pushed the currency even lower. Early reports estimated that the vote would fail by roughly 50 votes.
May ended the debate on Friday with an impassioned speech, telling MPs that she was "prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended to secure the right outcome for our country." She also said there would need to be a "greater involvement of Parliament" during the next phase of talks with the EU, when the two sides will hash out the details of their future relationship.
While Friday's defeat is yet another major setback for the prime minister, who will now presumably push for a much longer Article 50 extension that could last for months or even years, the margin was better than the last two votes, indicating that May has made progress - just not enough to finally deliver Brexit.
Brexit
What will happen next? Well - and stop us if you've heard this before - that's difficult to say. Liam Fox, a senior cabinet minister, said a defeat for the deal could lead to a lengthy Brexit day delay. Perhaps months, perhaps even years. The prospect for a general election has risen. Others will point out that, though no alternative received a majority favorable vote, holding another "confirmatory" referendum on Brexit was among the more popular options during this week's indicative vote.
The EU negotiators released a statement saying they were "disappointed" by the outcome of the vote. The bloc has insisted that it will not yield on the withdrawal agreement, and bureaucrats have said they will not accept a lengthy delay of Brexit because that would create complications for the upcoming European Parliamentary elections.
Ahead of an emergency summit set for April 10, the EU is reportedly looking to hear in advance what the UK's plan will be. Two options appear to be one the table: Leave with no-deal or get a long extension at least until the end of the year. But at their summit last week, European leaders suggested they were becoming more comfortable with the prospect of no-deal.
Channel 4

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