Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 20 August 2016
Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.
Global
Dazzling blue lakes are forming in Antarctica – and they’ve got scientists worried (Seemorerocks) n a new study, scientists who study the largest ice mass on Earth – East Antarctica – have found that it is showing a surprising feature reminiscent of the fastest melting one: Greenland. More specifically, the satellite-based study found that atop the coastal Langhovde Glacier in East Antarctica’s Dronning Maud Land, large numbers of “supraglacial” or meltwater lakes have been forming – nearly 8,000 of them in summer between the year 2000 and 2013. Moreover, in some cases, just as in Greenland, these lakes appear to have then been draining down into the floating parts of the glacier, potentially weakening it and making it more likely to fracture and break apart.
Arctic Sea Ice Minimum Volumes 1979-2015 (Seemorerocks) The data extrapolates to the first summer when the Arctic Ocean is completely ice-free to be sometime 2020-2025. The last summer when there will be any ice at all in the Arctic Ocean is sometime 2032-2037, extrapolating current data.
U.S.
Here’s Who’s Buying Up U.S. Oil (Bloomberg) U.S. crude oil is reaching all corners of the world, after a 40-year ban on exports was lifted at the end of last year. More than 87 million barrels of crude and condensate have been shipped to 17 countries in the first half of 2016, based on Bloomberg calculations from Census Bureau data. Most has gone to Canada, which received 53.5 million barrels, followed by Curacao, which took 8.68 million, and the Netherlands with 6 million. Canada was already a customer, having been largely exempt from the limits.
$135,000 Gold-Backed Scholarship Fund Launched to Help Students Cope with Federal Reserve Induced Tuition Inflation (Money Metals Exchange) A major national precious metals dealer announced today the creation of the first gold-backed scholarship fund to support outstanding students who understand that gold is money and can articulate the failures of the inflation-creating Federal Reserve System. Money Metals Exchange, a national precious metals dealer recently ranked “Best in the USA,” teamed up with the Sound Money Defense League, setting aside 100 oz of physical gold, currently worth $135,000, to help outstanding students pay for ever-rising education costs. (Money Metals Exchange is a GEI contributor.)
Florida finds second active Zika hot zone (LifeHealthPro) The Florida Department of Health has classified a 1.5-square-mile area in Miami Beach, a popular tourist destination, as an active Zika virus transmission zone, officials said today. That’s the second Zika hot zone the department has identified in the Miami area, and officials released case report information hinting that there might be a third hot zone.
These Are the Cities With the Fastest and Slowest Job Growth in America (Bloomberg) With an economy that some believe is marching towards full employment, annual job growth nationally is slowing down. But some cities in the south and west of the country – where labor markets are coming from a lower base – are currently in the throes of strong headline job growth.
UK
U.K.’s May Said Triggering Brexit by Next April (Bloomberg) U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and her team are said to be targeting early 2017 for formal talks on withdrawing from the European Union.
Brexit legal challenge: High Court bid could derail Theresa May’s EU exit timetable (Independent) Remain supporters have crowd-funded £32,000 ($42,000) in legal fees to argue Ms May will need Parliament’s backing before beginning formal negotiations to leave the EU. If such a court ruling came, it is unlikely that Brexit would pass. About 480 of the 650 MPs backed Remain in the June referendum and there is a strong pro-European lobby in the House of Lords. Although many MPs and peers are wary of opposing the public’s decision, if they were consulted, they might push for negotiations to be delayed and for the fullest possible access for the UK to the EU single market after Brexit.
Ukraine
FBI probes possible U.S. ties to corruption by former Ukraine president: CNN (Reuters) The FBI and U.S. Justice Department are investigating possible U.S. ties to alleged corruption involving the former president of Ukraine, including the work of firms headed by political operatives Paul Manafort and Tony Podesta, CNN reported on Friday, citing multiple U.S. law enforcement officials. The broad-based investigation was looking into whether U.S. companies and the financial system were used to enable corruption by the party of former pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, CNN said.
Japan
BOJ’s Kuroda says won’t rule out deepening negative rate cut-Sankei (Reuters) The Bank of Japan will not rule out deepening a cut to negative rates it introduced in February, the Sankei newspaper quoted Governor Haruhiko Kuroda as saying, even as the controversial policy has failed to spur inflation or economic growth. In an interview with the daily, Kuroda said the BOJ’s negative rate policy has not reached its limits.
China
US Army chief tells China that missile shield on Korean peninsula poses no threat to its security (South China Morning Post) The US Army chief of staff told Chinese officials during a visit this week that China should not feel threatened by American ally South Korea’s decision to deploy a powerful US-developed missile defense system. General Mark A. Milley met with his Chinese counterpart General Li Zuocheng and other senior People’s Liberation Army leaders amid strong Chinese protests over the decision to base the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, or THAAD, system south of the South Korean capital Seoul. Milley reiterated the American position that the defense system was intended to destroy possible North Korean missiles and not to track missiles inside China or pose a threat to the nation, the US Army said in a statement.
Brazil
Rio Olympics 2016: Usain Bolt wins ninth Olympic gold as Jamaica take 4x100m relay (BBC News) Usain Bolt ended his Olympic career by claiming an unprecedented ‘triple triple’ and his ninth gold as Jamaica won the 4x100m relay final in Rio. Bolt, 29, had won the 100m and 200m in Rio and is the only man to win all three sprint events at three Games. He combined with Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake and Nickel Ashmeade to finish in 37.27 seconds. Japan won a surprise silver and the USA were disqualified to hand Canada bronze and lift Britain up to fifth.