Seemorerocks: Headlines

Protesters, police clash at Sao Paulo bus fare demo
Sao Paulo protesters clashed with police Friday who used tear gas and sound bombs to disperse crowds, as thousands rallied against Brazil's latest round of bus fare hikes.

Bahrain Shiites March, Clash With Police Over Jailed Leader

Acute fuel shortage fires up masses’ fury
Massive protests were held as various parts of the country including Azad Kashmir experienced acute scarcity of petrol, diesel and CNG for the third consecutive day on Friday following the failure of the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) in maintaining the supply of the commodity.

Venezuela's 'protest city' on edge as economic crisis worsens

Charlie Hebdo protests: Five dead as churches and French flags burn in Niger riots over cover

## Energy/resources ##

Kenya hit by widespread power blackout

South Africa braces for more power woes

U.S. Faces Wave of Premature Nuclear Retirements
The nuclear renaissance has turned into a nuclear retirement party.
Low Oil Prices Compounding Problems At Petrobras

Money Dries Up for Oil and Gas, Layoffs Spread, Write-Offs Start

Schlumberger latest casualty of oil price decline

Be Prepared For An Oil Price Spike

Brazil power rates may jump 60 pct on drought, subsidies -source

U.S. drillers shut 55 oil rigs, extending decline to 209 in six weeks

Indonesia scraps land tax on oil and gas exploration

Arabian Gulf headed for future of gas imports as consumption surges
A near doubling of gas demand in the Middle East and North Africa by 2035 could eat into exports and turn some countries in the region into net importers, the secretary general of the Doha-based Gas Exporting Countries Forum said yesterday.

Shale Debt and Its Implications

Rig Trends: Gulf of Mexico Jackup Market Showing Effects of Slowdown

Petroleum shortage to continue for a week (Pakistan)

Japanese refiners may post Y460 billion inventory losses as oil plunges

## Infrastructure scavenging ##
Sercomtel sees cable theft more than double in 2014
Brazilian regional operator Sercomtel recorded 149 instances of telephone cable theft in 2014, which is an increase of 122 percent compared to 2013, when the company suffered 67 thefts.

Telecom Namibia services disrupted by cable thefts

## Got food? ##
Dairy industry braces for a milk bust following 2014 boom (US)

Majority of U.S. public school students poor enough for lunch help: report

Yes, you ARE paying more for food (US)

## Environment/health ##

Price tag of saving the world from disease: $344 billion
Flu continues to spread, kills 19 more children (US)

Flu cases surge beyond alert level, signaling pandemic (Japan)

2014 Breaks Record for Warmest Year, NOAA and NASA Experts Say

Humans Have Brought World's Oceans to Brink of 'Major Extinction Event'

Human Civilization No More In ‘Safe Operating Space’ As It Exceeds 4 Of 9 Planetary Boundaries: Study
Health NGO: 'Endocrine disruptors are one of the biggest public health threats of this century'

Obstetric Clinics Continue Vanishing Act (South Korea)
Ukraine healthcare system at breaking point, says WHO

California health care on suicide watch

## Intelligence/propaganda/security/internet/cyberwar ##
Manufactured Terrorism – U.S. Officials Claim Credit for Stopping Another Terror Attack Created by the FBI

The Uses And Abuses Of Charlie Hebdo: War Hysteria And Another FBI Entrapment Gig

UPI, New York Post Twitter Accounts Hacked; Fake News Posted Claiming Chinese Attack

Authoritarians Use Paris Terror Attack As Excuse for Power Grab

Activist pulls off clever Wi-Fi honeypot to protest surveillance state (Sweden)

Asahi Shimbun says it is likely the victim of recent cyberattack (Japan)

Barack Obama and David Cameron fail to see eye to eye on surveillance

Isle of Wight, Virginia, Website Hacked by Pro-ISIS Group

U.S. drug enforcement agency halts huge secret data program

The Truth "Behind" The Charlie Hebdo Solidarity Photo-Op

France’s Wavy Line on ‘Free Speech’
Though called a “satirical” magazine, Charlie Hebdo was really more “scatological,” obsessed with depicting the naked derrieres of political and religious figures often bent over in humiliating postures, especially Prophet Mohammed, a willful provocation that reflected more bigotry than free speech.

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
Where have our dreams gone? The death of Western literature

Our Central Planners Are Breeding Failure

Inside Canada’s secret world of medical error: ‘There is a lot of lying, there’s a lot of cover-up’

March of the Squirrels (The Archdruid Report)

The fact remains that in the absence of subsidies from fossil fuels, renewables won’t support the absurdly extravagant energy consumption that props up what passes for an ordinary middle class lifestyle in the industrial world these days.

## Japan ##
200,000 chickens culled at bird flu-hit farm

No. of flu patients exceeds 2 mil in week to Jan 12

Southern All Stars Singer Apologizes for Emperor-Linked Jokes

Measure of Japanese Export Prices Hits Long-Term Low

Shortfall of 300,000 nurses for seniors expected in fiscal 2025

Population shrinkage casts shadow on medical services

One example of how healthcare systems around the world are collapsing. -- RF

Japan Atomic Power considers split to focus on decommissioning

Japan's Abe pledges support for Mideast countries battling IS

Experts: Japan Budget Boost Still Won't Meet Goals
While Japan's newly unveiled defense budget represents the third small hike in a row after decades of low spending, experts say such spending remains insufficient to fund Tokyo's plans for "dynamic defense forces."

Only 41% of Kobe quake survivors feel livelihoods back on track

Over 1,000 victims of Great Hanshin Earthquake died alone over 20 years

## China ##
Macau Sex Ring Bust Shows China Expanding Crackdown on Graft

China Unveils Fresh Support Measures As Economy Shows Renewed Weakness

Chinese Lunar Year Gold Buying At Full Steam: 61t Withdrawn From SGE Vaults In 1 Week

Massive plastic imports lay villages to waste

Japan investment in China slumps 38.8%

## UK ##
GM crops to be fast-tracked in UK following EU vote

British fracking takes early steps

Britain announces 1,000 more troops for Eastern Europe exercises

Fuel poverty doesn’t just strike the elderly

Trident future back on election agenda as costs spiral

Nurses at breaking point as number off work with stress soars