Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards
Airline Death Spiral
"The
FedEx founder, who pioneered the modern airfreight business and has
built the world's largest cargo airline by revenue, cautioned
that the traditional airport-to-airport business 'is not growing.'"
Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums
"Egypt's
political upheaval is by no means over, but its uneasy neighbor
Israel is not waiting for the outcome. Desert defenses are being
strengthened and strategy revised as a once stable relationship
splinters."
"The
United States is planning a significant military presence of
13,500 troops in Kuwait to give it the flexibility to
respond to sudden conflicts in the region as Iraq adjusts to
the withdrawal of American combat forces and the world
nervously eyes Iran, according to a congressional report."
"The
Indian government said it issued a tax exemption for Iranian crude
oil imports paid for in part with the national currency, the rupee.
"A
notification from the Indian Finance Ministry to a tax board exempts
crude oil paid for in rupees from local taxes, meaning New Delhi
has cleared the way for oil refineries to take on more Iranian oil."
"Saudi
Arabia is reported to be seeking 600-800 Leopard 2A7+ main battle
tanks made by Germany's Krauss-Maffei Wegmann worth around $12.6
billion."
"The
Dutch Parliament voted last week to spend $16.5 million to provide
extra personnel, two Cougar helicopters and an unmanned aerial
vehicle to join Operation Ocean Shield, in which NATO warships
and aircraft have been patrolling the waters off the Horn of Africa."
'Iran,
Russia, China, Syria plan 'largest' war game' (Jerusalem
Post)
"The
Russian Defense Ministry Tuesday denied Iranian reports of planned
war games with Iran, China and Syria off the Syrian coast."
"A
Russian ship thought to be carrying attack helicopters to
Syria now appears to be returning home, British officials
said today."
Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks
"A
group of 30 to 40 teenagers ransacked an Albertson’s grocery
store Saturday night, stealing merchandise and trashing parts of
the store, according to police."
"South
Korean taxi drivers are going on their first nationwide strike
today, protesting rising fuel costs and demanding higher
fares."
"At
least three people are dead as rioting and vandalism escalated
in Pakistan's Punjab province over energy shortages, officials said."
"Behind
a large banner from the international peasant movement Via Campesina
proclaiming 'the peoples are against the mercantilization of
nature', they marched several miles to the Flamengo park, the
venue for the 'People's Summit' organized by civil society groups on
the sidelines of the Rio+20 event."
Occupy
Will Be Back (Chris
Hedges)
Energy/resources
The
European Refining Blues (The
Oil Drum)
"In
this article, the changing landscape experienced by European
refiners will be explored to help understand how a business
that was profitable a few short years ago became much less so."
"Advocacy
group Global Witness said competition over forest and natural
resources in Africa and Latin America has turned deadly…
"'This
trend points to the increasingly fierce global battle for resources,
and represents the sharpest of wake-up calls for delegates in
Rio,' Global Witness campaigner Billy Kyte said in a statement. 'Over
one person a week is being murdered for defending rights to forests
and land.'"
Infrastructure scavenging
Got food?
"Kleiner
Perkins Caufield & Byers, the U.S. venture capital firm that
provided startup financing to Amazon.com
Inc. and Google Inc. (GOOG), is investing in a seed company as
it forecasts food will become a 'global problem of huge dimensions'
over the next decade."
Environment/health
"East
Asia's status as the world's main 'extinction hotspot' is confirmed
in the new Red List of Threatened Species."
s
Intelligence/security/internet
Unconstitutional
Use of Drones Must Stop (Ron
Paul)
Systemic breakdown
Japan
"Chinese
businesspeople are now considered a major threat to Japan's
national security through purchasing property in the
country, reports Duowei News, an outlet operated by
overseas Chinese."
"Toyota
Motor Corp. (TM) will continue reducing its domestic production
capacity, bringing the figure to 3.1 million units as early as
2014, a more than 10% drop from the level projected for this
year, The Nikkei reported early Wednesday."
China
UK
US
"Ohio
is trying to become the first state to sell road and bridge
naming rights and commercialize rest stops, as Republican
Governor John Kasich addresses a $1.6 billion transportation
funding shortfall."
Desperate
times call for desperate measures. -- RF
"Companies
are starting to delay hiring and spending out of concern that
Congress won’t reach a compromise in time to avoid
automatic tax increases and budget cuts that would pull billions
of dollars of purchasing power out of the economy."
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