Monday, 22 April 2019

Headlines - 22 April, 2019

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##
If the black market were a country, it would have the world’s second largest GDP, second only to the US ($19.3 trillion).
As the global economy continues to deteriorate, we'll be seeing many more people relying on System D. -- RF
The world economy is based on ever-increasing population, said Nobel laureate Steven Chu, a scheme that economists don't talk about and that governments won't face, a scheme that makes sustainability impossible and that is likely to eventually fail.
You don't say. Unfortunately, Chu's proposed solution requires rising per capita energy consumption, which is increasingly difficult in a world of worsening energy prospects. -- RF
The Eurozone Slowdown Is Worse Than The Global One
Mir card payment system looks beyond Russia
Threat of Contagion to Eurozone from Spanish Banks’ Huge Bet on Emerging Markets: UBS
Uber and Lyft drivers say apps are short-changing wages while raising fares
Drivers for both ridesharing companies say riders are paying more for price surges, but drivers aren’t receiving extra pay

## War on cash/cashless society/cryptocurrencies ##
Technological shortcomings continue to haunt the banking sector
Tech crashes at UK banks more than doubled in 2018, rising by 187 percent in the year to October. Even with this staggering increase, the FCA said its estimates were likely to be conservative due to significant under-reporting.

## Airline death spiral ##
Climate change behind dangerous air turbulence for airlines
Boeing's Dreamliner jet is now facing claims of manufacturing issues
Boeing workers have filed numerous safety complaints with the federal government over issues ranging from shoddy manufacturing practices to tools and debris being left on planes, The New York Times reports.
These sound like problems, not issues, but it's a serious situation, anyway. -- RF

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
U.S. carves out exceptions for foreigners dealing with IRGC
U.S., Russia say cannot support a U.N. call for Libya truce: diplomats
On April 18, 2019, North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency ran a statement from Ministry of Foreign Affairs official Kwon Jong Gun calling for Mike Pompeo to be replaced on the US negotiating team working with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on denuclearization and an end to the Korean War.
Thought Police: US, Israel Increasingly Banning & Deporting Ideological Enemies
Israel and the US are simultaneously stepping up repression in the form of travel restrictions against critics of Israel’s human rights violations.
Since the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, some American lawmakers have assumed the right and moral authority to dictate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s succession line-up. In November, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) of being “crazy” and asserted that “he needs to go.”
It's all right to be outraged, but not surprised. US leaders believe they have the divine right to meddle in, and indeed dictate, the affairs of other countries. As distasteful as MbS is, succession is a matter for the Saudis to decide. And the same rule holds for Venezuela. -- RF
Syria-Iraq trade stymied by US border presence
Damascus and Baghdad have taken steps to facilitate trade, but crossing remains firmly shut from Iraqi side

## War on Venezuela ##
Is the United States Giving up on Its Project in Venezuela?
Juan Guaido was never able to mobilize the crowds as Washington expected. Guaido, a US lackey in the first place, lacks any charisma. He does not appeal even to the majority of Venezuela’s opposition. So, he is a dead horse. Bad choice by Washington.
Guaido is no doubt under intense US pressure to get "results." -- RF


## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Global Climate Rebellion Hits New York City (Photo Essay)
Yellow Vests Demonstrate in Paris as Notre Dame Donations Highlight Wealth Inequality
"Victor Hugo thanks all the generous donors ready to save Notre Dame and proposes that they do the same thing with Les Miserables."

## Energy/resources ##
Permian Oil Now Selling At A Discount
Spain's Repsol suspended swap deal for Venezuelan oil under U.S. pressure

After a $14-Billion Upgrade, New Orleans' Levees Are Sinking
Sea-level rise and ground subsidence will render the flood barriers inadequate in just four years
Well, that's very honorable and generous. But the consumer culture and the countless humans still trying to join the club are going to overwhelm those puny efforts. I hate to say this, but the only way to save what's left is the collapse of industrial civilization and a substantial reduction of the human population, which are in the works already. -- RF

## Julian Assange ##
Before Ousting Assange, Moreno Government Spied on the Journalist for Over a Year
Assange and whistleblower Chelsea Manning brought the U.S. government to its knees by exposing its torture of Guantanamo Bay detainees and war crimes in Iraq. They have been trying to recover ever since and the Trump administration is now more than ever willing to exact full revenge upon those who exposed the truth.
U.S. intelligence says Huawei funded by Chinese state security: report
Instagram Acts as Arm of US Govt, Bans Top Iranian Officials After IRGC ‘Terrorist’ Designation
Top Iranian government officials were suspended from Facebook-owned Instagram just hours after Trump dubbed the IRGC a “terrorist” organization.

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
How Empires Fall: Moral Decay
As she took to the stage, the Metropolitan Police announced that a total of 963 people had been arrested since the protests began a week ago.
Remember: Each "recession" (in any country) is just another leg down in the ongoing global collapse. -- RF
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