Global headlines -0 14 July, 2020

How Do We Change the Leadership of our Quasi-Sovereign Big Tech Neofeudal Nobility?
You better bow low and pay up, peasant, or your voice in the digital world will disappear just as quickly as your democracy’s control over Big Tech.

## Propaganda/censorship/fake news/alternative facts ##
U.N. expert accuses White House of ‘onslaught’ against media
The U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression on Monday accused the White House of mounting an “onslaught” against the media and referred to a negative “Trump effect” on global press freedom.

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
The Ten Best Long-Term Predictions in History

## Japan ##
Japan may still build Aegis Ashore despite reports of cancellation
Japanese government considering Tokyo area business suspension requests

COVID-19 drains reserve funds of 42 prefectures in Japan by 58%

## China ##
Most U.S. firms in Hong Kong are concerned about new security law — but few plan to leave, survey shows

Here’s why the Trump administration’s threat to hurt Hong Kong’s dollar peg won’t work

Hong Kong’s annual book fair postponed at last minute amid Covid-19 resurgence

China hits back, sanctioning US officials in response to Xinjiang ban

## UK ##
BT boss warns of outages and security risks if UK ditches Huawei

Shoppers shun high streets in England and Northern Ireland, data shows

Almost 2,500 children admitted to hospital with malnutrition this year as cases double in England
British army to cut armored vehicles acquired for war in Afghanistan

## US ##
Amid pandemic, wealthy U.S. families approved for government loans

Coronavirus updates: California closing all bars, indoor restaurants statewide

‘Dangerous,’ record-breaking heat scorches southern USA

Will the remote work craze sparked by COVID-19 sound a death knell for office buildings?

The 9-5 day is ‘out of the question’: Here’s what going back to work in an office will be like

Trump floated idea of selling Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, says ex-Homeland Security head Duke

For First Time Since The Great Depression, Americans Must Wait In Line For The Most Basic Essential Items

The “Too Big To Fail” Banks Are Getting Ready For Their Worst Quarter Since The Financial Crisis

Looming evictions may soon make 28 million homeless in U.S., expert says

News Links, July 13, 2020

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##
“Wild Ride to Nowhere”: APPL, MSFT, AMZN, GOOG, FB Soar to New High. Rest of Stock Market is a Dud, Has Been for Years

Global public debt, fiscal deficits to reach all-time high, IMF warns
Unpredicted bullish sentiment driving gold prices
What Happens If Most Businesses & Consumers Tighten Their Belts at the Same Time?

## War on cash/cashless society/cryptocurrencies ##
Bank of Japan to Conduct Proof of Concept for Its Digital Yen

Bitcoin Is Going to Hit $100,000 and Will Destroy Anyone Who Gets in Its Way: Max Keiser

## Airline death spiral ##

Emirates set to cut 9,000 jobs, citing pandemic
Qantas is creating an army of zombie pilots

The TSA Reports Over 1,000 Officers Have Been Diagnosed With Coronavirus

ANA scales back new hires for FY21

Touchless: How the world’s busiest airport envisions post-COVID travel

American Airlines is in Deep Financial Stress

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
How the House Armed Services Committee Approved a Huge Military Budget and More War in Afghanistan
World reacts to Turkey reconverting Hagia Sophia into a mosque

New Delhi still hesitates to take side in China-US rivalry despite deadly border clash
Fears of becoming a subordinate ally to the United States have so far kept India from fully embracing the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy
Russian Defense Ministry reports interception of U.S. spy plane

Trump Is Trying to Hide US & Israeli War Crimes by Attacking the International Criminal Court

Amphibious assault ship ablaze in port in San Diego

## Migrants/refugees ##
Migrant rescues in Arizona desert exceed 2019 total despite COVID-19 pandemic

Migrants rescued after boat capsizes in Channel
In India, Climate Change is Increasing Refugees & Human Trafficking

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Protest chaos continues over Serbian leader
Thousands protest in France over minister investigated for rape

Israelis protest against government response to coronavirus

Russians in Far East region protest arrest of regional governor

## Energy/resources ##
‘The worst-case scenario’: Regulators, watchdogs fear plan to dismantle damaged TMI nuclear reactor
Far out power #2: Soap, Raindrops, Hyperloops, and Fitness Centers

That such power sources are even considered is a sign of desperation. — RF

## Environment/health ##

By 2025, carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere will be higher than at any time in the last 3.3 million years
Relentless heat wave to bake the U.S. for “multiple weeks”

Tiger, pangolin farming in Myanmar risks ‘boosting demand’

Watchdog Accuses Trump’s NOAA of ‘Choosing Extinction’ for Right Whales by Hiding Scientific Evidence

Only 400 right whales are left in existence, and fewer than 250 of them are mature, leading the IUCN to drop its “endangered” classification for the whale and add it to its “critically endangered” Red List.

Biden Defends Undying Allegiance to For-Profit Healthcare During Interview With Dying Medicare for All Advocate Ady Barkan

• Coronavirus

Panama hospitals on verge of collapse as virus cases surge

Brazil sees over 1,000 new coronavirus deaths, cases top 1.8 million

‘I thought this was a hoax’: Patient, 30, dies after attending ‘COVID party,’ doctor says

Florida sets one-day record with over 15,000 new COVID cases, more than most countries

Mexico set to surpass Italy’s coronavirus tally as death toll nears 35,000

Hong Kong expert warns each infected person can now spread Covid-19 to four people

Professor Gabriel Leung, dean of HKU medical school, says a strain of the virus has increased its infection rate by 30 per cent due to a DNA mutation

## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##
A Timeline of Russia’s Crackdown Since the Constitutional Reform Vote

Private Prison Simulation Game Goes Viral on Apple App Store
With over two million people locked up across a sprawling network of private and public prisons, the US has by far the highest incarceration rate in the world, significantly worse than brutal dictatorships in Africa, Latin America or Central Asia.
Small ISPs Being Forced To Eat The Costs Of FCC’s Huawei Ban
“I Could Live With That”: How the CIA Made Afghanistan Safe for the Opium Trade

Iran blames bad communication, missile battery alignment for January shootdown of Ukrainian plane

Mexico State Oil Company Files $22 Billion Debt Swap amid IMF Threats and White House Visit
Mexico’s economy is put in the crosshairs by the IMF as the “new NAFTA” takes effect and AMLO is forced to make concessions to avoid an even deeper recession.

## Propaganda/censorship/fake news/alternative facts ##
Decode China: US backs Chinese-language news site in Australia as battle of the narratives heats up

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
The Sinking Titanic’s Great Pumps Finally Fail
A Serious Message From Chris Martenson

## Japan ##
Could digital yen deflate Japan’s deflation?
Profits plunge at Japan’s convenience stores
ANA skips hiring for next spring as cloudy skies continue

Tokyo reports 206 new COVID-19 cases, topping 200 for four straight days for first time ever

## China ##
U.S. Sanctions Top Chinese Officials Over Xinjiang Abuses

Hong Kong opposition kicks off primary elections under shadow of security law

China’s CanSino in talks for COVID-19 vaccine Phase III trial overseas

China’s southern Jiangxi province declares highest flood alert

Chinese banks must brace for surge in bad loans, regulator says

## UK ##
UK Economy In Steep Decline: Is It Becoming An Emerging Market?

Police apologise for telling woman her ‘F**k Boris’ T-shirt was illegal