Global headlines - 26 February, 2020

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##
France has seen a 30% to 40% fall in tourists following the coronavirus outbreak: Finance minister

If the coronavirus isn’t contained, a severe global recession is almost certain

Gold surges to seven-year peak as pandemic fears spark safe-haven rush

Gold Roars Through $1,600 But Here Is The Really Big Surprise

Investors eye bleach, food and tissues as virus fears intensify

Coronavirus plunge wipes more than $230 billion from Big Tech stocks

‘Dr. Doom’ Nouriel Roubini warns of multiple ‘white swans’ posing danger ahead

The world is at least $10tn in debt, so why can we still borrow so easily?

Asian banks from DBS to HSBC are bracing for bad loans to spike as coronavirus outbreak batters the region’s economies

## Cut, baby, cut! ##
Expedia cutting 3,000 jobs following ‘disappointing’ year

## Airline death spiral ##

Airlines warned of first drop in global passenger demand since financial crash

Southwest Airlines has been 'plagued by' maintenance problems for a decade, lawsuit claims
South Korean airlines halt flights to Daegu, city with most virus cases

US airlines waive cancellation fees for South Korea flights as coronavirus spreads beyond China

New Report Finds US Airlines Are Wrongfully Rejecting 25% Of Passenger Claims

Airline passengers put up with more and longer flight delays

Scared Airline Passengers Cover Themselves In Full-Body Plastic Over Coronavirus Fears

Airlines suspend flights due to coronavirus outbreak
United Airlines suspends 2020 guidance on coronavirus uncertainty

Airline stocks tumble as the coronavirus spreads outside of China

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
Group of senators sponsor bill to return US to Iran nuclear deal

Remaining parties in Iran nuclear deal to meet in Vienna

Destroyer USS Ross heads to Black Sea

Libya’s Hafter Forces Have Killed 16 Turkish Soldiers in Recent Fighting

800 paratroopers sent to square off with Iran have returned home

Inside America’s newly revealed nuclear ballistic missile warhead of the future

US and South Korea may scale back joint military exercises over coronavirus fears

US staged 'limited' nuclear battle against Russia in war game

Israeli settlers poison Palestinian wheat fields in Jordan Valley

'This Is a War Crime': Video of IDF Bulldozer Dragging Body of Palestinian Man in Gaza Sparks Outrage

Trump called for a 350-ship fleet, but his budget falls short of even Obama-era goals

Syria - Army Moves To Liberate M4 Highway - Turkish Russian Standoff Continues

India, U.S. ink $3B deal for helicopters

Is latest US drive to counter China’s influence in Africa too little, too late?

## Migrants/refugees ##
Italy accepts rescued migrants but insists on coronavirus quarantine

High fuel prices lead to water shortages in Darfur camp

6 Reasons People Hate Refugees

US judge sides with migrants over holding cell conditions at Arizona border

Boat carrying 91 migrants goes missing in Mediterranean

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Protests in Chile hit LatAm's biggest music festival

Canadian Police Break up Indigenous Solidarity Blockade, Arrest 10

## Energy/resources ##
Oil prices skid on demand concerns as virus spreads globally

Have We Passed ‘Peak Growth’ For Tight Oil?

Canceled Teck oil sands project underscores global climate-energy policy tension

Oil Falls Below $50 On Demand Fears

Getting Arctic oil and natural gas will take decades or more

Audi halts electric car production due to battery supply issues

## Solutions ##
The Ultimate Home Toolkit for Survival and Emergencies

## Environment/health ##
Extensive Chemical Safety Fraud Uncovered at German Testing Laboratory

Products made from hemp-based plastics enter consumer market

The Dark Side Of Hydropower
Alaska’s Marine Ecosystem Is Changing ‘Decades Too Early’ Due to Climate Crisis

• Coronavirus

Latest on coronavirus spreading in China and beyond

U.S. health officials urge Americans to prepare for spread of coronavirus

U.S. raises travel alert to Japan as new coronavirus spreads via unknown infection routes

Coronavirus: Wuhan to quarantine all cured patients for 14 days after some test positive again

The Coronavirus Is Swiftly Breaching Defenses Across The World (video)

How Many Cases of Covid-19 Will It Take For You to Decide Not to Frequent Public Places?

South Korean Crisis-Response Coordinator Commits Suicide As Cases Near 1,000, Deaths Hit 11

US Military Braces for Base Lockdowns in Germany as Coronavirus Cases Rise

US health officials say coronavirus will likely cause a global pandemic

Coronavirus: South Korea to test 200,000 sect members as pandemic fears hit markets

San Francisco Declares State Of Emergency Over Covid-19; Germany Confirms 18th Case: Live Updates

## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##

Homeland security whistleblower who said he was forced to delete terrorist records is found dead

The 66-year-old "appeared to have suffered a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound," the Amador County Sheriff’s Office said.
The West Can’t Even Agree on Itself, Much Less China
At the Munich Security Conference, allies argued with each other as much as their adversaries, rejecting Trump administration views on issue after issue.

Amazon in Holocaust row about 'Hunters' series, anti-Semitic books

Leaked Reports Show EU Police Are Planning a Pan-European Network of Facial Recognition Databases

Ring Says It Helps Cops Fight Crime But The Data Shows It's No Better At This Than Any Other Security Camera

TSA bans employees from using TikTok to create content for the agency

• Julian Assange

Your Man in the Public Gallery – Assange Hearing Day 1

Assange’s Extradition Hearing Reveals Trump’s War on Free Press

Bid to free Manning launched as explosive new evidence threatens to end Assange extradition

Roger Waters on Julian Assange

Do not extradite Assange while US refuses to send Harry Dunn’s suspected killer back to UK, government urged

I feel for Harry Dunn's family. But these are two separate cases to be decided on their respective merits. A trade or any other political deal which involves the two should be out of the question. -- RF

With WikiLeaks, Julian Assange Did What All Journalists Should Do

Assange Extradition Hearing Opens with Scathing Condemnation by Mainstream Media
The extradition trial of Julian Assange began with the prosecution reading out a damning statement from five leading mainstream media  organizations that once partnered with Wikileaks.

Trump’s Betrayal of Julian Assange (Ron Paul)

UK court told Assange tried to call White House, Hillary Clinton over data dump

## Propaganda/censorship/fake news/alternative facts ##
Critical Thinking Has Never Been More Important

## Japan ##
Honda, Nissan Put Off Reopening of China Plants

Duty-Free Sales Plummeting in Japan amid Viral Outbreak

Kuroda says BOJ will be 'fully prepared' to act on virus risk

Japan urges telecommuting, staggered shifts to curb coronavirus
Coronavirus could force cancellation of Tokyo Olympics, IOC member says

'Where's Abe?' critics ask, as coronavirus spreads in Japan

Japanese get creative in face of coronavirus crisis mask shortages

## China ##
Four Chinese provinces lower coronavirus emergency response level

Large parts of China relax coronavirus curbs, many places report zero new cases

China’s recent air pollution levels may be telling a story about the coronavirus impact on its economy

China orders complete ban on trade in wildlife for food to combat coronavirus epidemic (video)

It will also be a good thing for wildlife. -- RF

China Mobile Phone Sales Crash Most On Record

Coronavirus: Only a third of Chinese small businesses open as outbreak disrupts labour and logistics

Bad Debts in China Could Almost Double With Coronavirus

## UK ##
Britain's top cop calls for law on police use of AI

Coronavirus news – live: Screening ‘may miss more than half of infected travellers’, as pandemic fears grow following WHO disease X warning

‘Significant increase’ in homeless people sleeping in bins
Britain confirms new nuclear warhead project after US officials spill the beans

Tesco UK's bakeries shake-up threatens 1,816 jobs

UK warns against travelling to Italian coronavirus towns

## US ##
Dow plunges 1,000 points on coronavirus fears, 3.5% drop is worst in two years

Bond Yields Crash and Gold Soars on Pandemic Threat
The ugly side to the booming U.S. economy, in one telling chart

No, The Fed Will Not "Save the Market"--Here's Why

Navy and Marine Corps to Ban Personal Firearms for Foreign Troops

Sanders: AIPAC is a platform ‘for leaders who express bigotry’

Bernie Sanders Says as President He Would Meet With Dictators

It's an excellent idea. The path to peace begins with dialog, not with destructive sanctions and hateful rhetoric. -- RF

Bloomberg mocks minorities, transgender people, overdose deaths in resurfaced videos

Chris Matthews faces calls for resignation after comparing Sanders victory to Nazi invasion

If CDC Believes US Coronavirus Outbreak Is "Imminent", Why Have Only 400 People Been Tested?

CDC hopes the coronavirus outbreak is seasonal like the flu and subsides in the summer

Boeing Forced To Buy Rocket Parts From Russia For New 'Made In USA' Starliner Spacecraft

Illinois Has Its "Oh Sh*t" Moment And Realizes It Has No Money In Its Rainy Day Fund

U.S. still eyeing ways to curb sales to Huawei after Trump's chipmaker comments: sources

Why Pediatricians Are Being Urged to Write ‘Physical Activity Prescriptions’ for Children

Richmond Fed Business Survey Crashes In February As New Orders Collapse

Less Than Half Of Americans Have Faith In Their Elections