Seemorerocks: Headlines - 22 March, 2019

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##

A growing list of companies from FedEx to BMW are warning about the world economy
Views of “Current Economic Conditions” in Germany Drop to Euro Debt-Crisis Level

BMW Tumbles As Earnings Expected "Well Below" Last Year

Micron Says It Will Cut Production as Memory Chip Demand Stalls

South Korean Chip Exports Collapse 25% - Worst Since 2009

What FedEx Just Said About Europe and China

First-quarter of this year one of the worst despite the global stocks rally, UBS' Ermotti says
The investment banking environment has seen one of the worst first quarters in recent history, the CEO of UBS has warned, who told CNBC that he expects revenues to decline by about a third from a year ago.

Russian Central Bank Gold Reserves Rose to 2152.36 Tons in February

Is the world running out of gold?

Buy Gold, Sell Stocks Is the ‘Trade of Century’ Says One Hedge Fund

Most people want higher taxes on rich to support poor – OECD
‘Deeply troubling’ survey of 21 countries finds 60% believe they are not getting ‘fair share’

Gucci Is Selling $870 Sneakers That Look Dirty

Billions in Toronto Real Estate Bought Anonymously, with Funds of Unknown Origin
Looking to launder some cash?

Why developers are delaying or abandoning half the apartments they planned to build (Australia)
The property market upheaval brings billionaire investor Warren Buffett's oft-quoted piece of wisdom to mind: "Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked."

## Cut, baby, cut! ##
FedEx cites lagging global trade for Express struggles, employee buyouts on the way

## War on cash/cashless society/cryptocurrencies ##
Bitcoin Volume Collapsed During Venezuelan Blackout

## Airline death spiral ##
India’s aviation crisis is all set to ruin your summer holidays

Airline after airline is curtailing operations in India, forcing passengers to shell out more for their travel.

Boeing reshuffles top engineers amid 737 MAX crisis

FAA says reviewing 737 Max software fix is 'an agency priority'

Air Canada grounds Boeing 737 Max 8 jets until at least July 1 to reassure passengers

With 737 MAX grounded, airlines face daily scheduling challenges

Southwest pilots say extra training required after 737 MAX software update

Crashed jets reportedly lacked key safety features because Boeing charged extra for them

Cockpit voice recorder of doomed Lion Air jet depicts pilots' frantic search for fix - sources

Cathay doubles down on mining passenger data

L.A.-bound Hawaiian Airlines flight turns back due to ‘unruly passengers’

Woman arrested for attempting to open door on Delta flight en route to Detroit

U.S. Senators Want Airlines To Clarify How Seatback Cameras Are Used

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
German defense industry decries Berlin’s new budget plan as too low

Trump floats idea of Brazil becoming NATO member

U.S. may soon pause preparations for delivering F-35s to Turkey
The United States could soon freeze preparations for delivering F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, officials told Reuters, in what would be the strongest signal yet by Washington that Ankara cannot have both the advanced aircraft and Russia’s S-400 air defense system.

In major shift, Trump says time for U.S. to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan

Trump Aides Back Selling F-16 Fighter Planes to Taiwan, Sources Say

Countdown to “Full Spectrum Dominance”
The US is formally committed to dominating the world by the year 2020. With President Trump’s new Space Directive-4, the production of laser-armed fighter jets as possible precursors to space weapons, and the possibility of nuclear warheads being put into orbit, the clock is ticking…

Air Force Requests Billions to Modernize Crumbling Base Infrastructure

The US Navy, facing a shortfall, aims to ink an enormous attack sub contract next month

Russia moves 20 hypersonic missiles to testing site, signaling another milestone for the weapons program

Iran's Zarif: will strengthen ties with nations tired of U.S. 'bullying'

Trump's Beijing Blockade Backfires: Not A Single European Country Has Banned Huawei

Bolsonaro at Langley: New US Lapdog Pays Homage to the Empire

Brazil’s new fascist president, Jair Bolsonaro, touched down in Washington to pay homage at the CIA headquarters and to visit President Donald Trump, with whom he met on Tuesday. All reports are that the meeting between the two heads of state went very well — not surprisingly, given how similar their politics and personalities are. Bolsonaro shares Trump’s penchant for racist, xenophobic remarks, calling immigrants from poor countries “the scum of the earth,” and also has a history of strongly sexist statements.

Upstart Populist Party Shocks In Dutch Election Upset, 2 Days After Utrecht Attack

Iraqi Parliament Prepares to Evict US Troops

## War on Venezuela ##

America’s Venezuela Strategy: Coup By Sheer Narrative Control

Venezuelan crude shipments dead in the water on U.S. sanctions

UN rights chief steps up criticism of Trump's Venezuela sanctions

Guaido's Chief Of Staff Detained By Venezuelan Intelligence In Pre-Dawn Raid

## Migrants/refugees ##
ICE Officers Forging Signatures, Deploying Pre-Signed Warrants To Detain Immigrants

Australia cuts annual immigrant cap, puts key cities off-limits to some

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
French soldiers on duty for next 'yellow vest' protest

## Energy/resources ##
Cloud Peak On Brink Of Collapse After Bad Coal Bet

Wastewater - private equity’s new black gold in U.S. shale

2018 Oil Price Collapse: More Than a Correction

Yemen Is Running Out of Water

U.S. No Longer Over-Supplied With Oil: Good News, Bad News

How Much Oil Is Displaced by Electric Vehicles? Not Much, So Far

## Got food? ##

U.S. farmers face devastation following Midwest floods

Catastrophic Flooding In The Midwest Could Last “For Months”, And That Is Going To Mean A Dramatic Drop In U.S. Food Production
Kale is now one of the most pesticide-contaminated vegetables

Infested Yemen food aid needs fumigation to feed millions — WFP
Thousands of tonnes of food aid near Yemen’s flashpoint port city of Hodeida is infested with insects and must be fumigated to feed millions of people, the UN said on Wednesday.

## Solutions ##
Which Nations Will Crumble and Which Few Will Prosper in the Next 25 Years?
Adaptability and flexibility will be the core survival traits going forward.
Floating cottages, houses on silts: These homes of the future were built to save lives

These are expensive solutions and won't be realistic for most people. -- RF

The Built Environment: A Look Back and a Leap Forward

## Environment/health ##
Second U.S. jury finds Bayer's Roundup caused cancer

The case was only the second of some 11,200 Roundup lawsuits to go to trial in the United States.

Miami bans the use of glyphosate in a step to improve water quality

Why and how Jellyfish are taking over the world

Cyclone Idai’s destruction shows how vulnerable low-lying African cities are to extreme weather

PFAS costs Europe more than €50 billion a year in health problems

Broiler chickens: The defining species of the Anthropocene?

Grow Your Own Survival Medicine: Cayenne Pepper

From tree killing beetles to crop disease: Central America's struggles with drought

Climate change has already started disrupting life in the Great Lakes region — and it's only going to get worse

Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano erupts, sending huge ash cloud 1.2km into sky

## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##
Human rights group accuses AFRICOM commanders of war crimes, calls for investigation

US Huawei Blackballing Efforts Stall Due To Lack Of 'Actual Facts'

Internet Blackout Coming To Show The EU Parliament It's Not Just 'Bots' Concerned About Article 13

Mattis Returning to Research Role at Stanford Think Tank

Evidence Indicates Link Between North Korean Embassy Break-In And Christchurch Attacks

Facebook employees had access to millions of user passwords

How to check for hidden cameras in your hotel room or vacation rental

Media Blackout as Israel’s Largest Banks Pay Over $1 Billion in Fines for US Tax Evasion Schemes
Israel’s three largest banks — Hapoalim Bank, Leumi Bank and Mizrahi Tefahot Bank — have all been ordered to pay record fines, which collectively are set to total over $1 billion, to the U.S. government after the banks were found to have actively colluded with thousands of wealthy Americans in massive tax-evasion schemes.

U.S. to Probe Tech Companies Over Data Collection Practices

Not Hwawei: Finland Feds Investigate Nokia Phones Sending Data To China

Why did Bush go to war in Iraq?

## Propaganda/censorship/fake news/alternative facts ##
Washington Post Fact-Checker Creates His Own Reality

Censorship Tightens As Governments Lose Control

Twitter Restricts Account of Julian Assange’s Mother

After Pressure on Twitter, Christine Assange’s Account is Restored; Venezuela’s Teleseur Now Hit

On The Anniversary Of The Iraq Invasion, Bush Press Secretary Claims Bush Didn’t Lie

WaPo Gives Campaign Space To Main Sponsor Of ISIS Who Also Jails More Journalists Than Anyone Else

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
"The Era Of Negative Population Growth Is Coming Soon"

The Chinese population will peak at 1.442 billion people a decade from now in 2029.

However, that's assuming continuance of the current energy level, which is — obviously — already too low to support the current population. And other countries are already experiencing negative population growth. Net energy decline: the slayer of populations, economic growth, and globalization. -- RF

## Japan ##
Japan’s debt passes 250% of GDP

Japan factory mood hits weakest since 2016 as trade rifts bite

Closing time? Japan convenience stores pressed to end 24-7 model amid labor crunch

The "labor shortage" is happening because of the tanking fertility rate, which is a result of net energy decline. -- RF

Japanese Refiners To Stop Iran Oil Purchases By April

Japan Sinks to 58th in U.N. Happiness Rankings

## China ##
Chinese companies are defaulting on their debts at an 'unprecedented' level

China’s air quality worsens as national PM2.5 level rises 5.2pc in January and February

China’s US$7 billion railway link to Laos is almost half done, on schedule to begin service in 2021

Philippines is determined to avoid infrastructure debt traps, finance minister Carlos Dominguez tells China

China’s New Silk Road To Extend To Russia's Crimea
Bad idea: Ocean-going nuclear plants for South China Sea

## UK ##
Bringing Britain's endangered wildlife back from the brink