Link July 29, 2024 | Naked Capitalism

Dragonflies swarm beachgoers at Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island WCBB. It’s Annual Events.

Macro Issues Loom Splash 247

U.S. consumers showing signs of decline, companies, analysts warn FT

Big Law Firms Confront Tail Risk Threat to Private Equity Bankruptcies Bloomberg

Winemaker SPAC with dozens of brands files for bankruptcy three years after SPAC merger as a result of PE firm-backed rollup Wolf Street

Odd Lots Newsletter: Maybe the Fed is relying too much on data? Bloomberg

climate

Massive California wildfire burns 5,000 acres per hour BBC

Generation AI requires huge amounts of power and water, and the aging US power grid cannot handle the load. CNBC

Complex life on Earth may be much older than thought BBC

Earth’s plate tectonics began hundreds of millions of years earlier than we thought, ancient crystals reveal Space.com

Syndemics

Coronavirus: Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf says coronavirus response has ‘failed’ BBC

Greece, Cyprus, Portugal and Malta warn tourists of risk of coronavirus surge mirror

China?

UN: China faces ‘largest absolute population decline’ South China Morning Post

ASEAN’s top diplomats discuss South China Sea dispute, Myanmar fighting Al Jazeera

This man, posing as “Alicia,” deceived hundreds of people online, including himself. The Wall Street Journal

Pakistan under pressure to renegotiate huge power deal with China Nikkei Asia. Commentary:

Korean Peninsula

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drives boom in South Korea’s defense industry South China Morning Post

Rethinking K-Pop Bloomberg

Indonesia to reduce Chinese ownership of nickel projects FT

Shiraksta

‘‘They were just kids. What did we do wrong?’: Majdal Shams town sandwiched between Israel and Hezbollah mourns death of young people CNN. Commentary:

“Get out of here you murderer!”

Syrian Druze residents of the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights have chased the Israeli finance minister and other members of Likud (Prime Minister Netanyahu’s party) from the funeral of 12 young men killed when a missile fell on their town. pic.twitter.com/UeQ4AXj6Zb

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) July 28, 2024

Ministers approve orders for Netanyahu and Gallant to retaliate against Golan Heights attack The Israel Times

All-out war in the north? Israeli response to Majdal Shams attack will be decisive Haaretz

Predicting the possibility of war between Israel and Hezbollah land

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Erdogan hints Turkey may enter Israel to aid Palestinians Reuters

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Which countries have imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers, and do they matter? Al Jazeera

Colonialist Porn:

Good morning from beautiful Gaza pic.twitter.com/zjQMC0M1Px

— Mossad Explainer (@MOSSADil) July 28, 2024

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American doctor who volunteered in Gaza calls for arms embargo due to Israeli ‘intolerable atrocities’ Guardian

European Separation

‘Naked Blue Man’ breaks silence over ‘highly offensive’ Last Supper parody at Olympic opening ceremony – French Catholic Church slams ‘mockery and mockery of Christianity’ Daily Mail

EU companies resist European Commission’s plans to review private investment in China South China Morning Post

GDP per capita of Europe’s top five economies FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Dear Old England

New British government says ‘nation is bankrupt and collapsed’ in economic recovery plan Business Standard

Rachel Reeves gives it her all Funding the future. Explanation:

We’ve been caught in a time warp and are back in 2010. Government spending is once again the household budget. pic.twitter.com/CSTp5TFW9M

— Duncan Robinson (@duncanrobinson) July 29, 2024

A new cold war

Russia breaks through weakened defenses in eastern Ukraine The New York Times

Russian Iskander-M missile system ends month of great success with fatal strike on Ukrainian rocket artillery: HIMARS and tanks lost Military Watches

Violence is the only way to force draft-age Ukrainians in Europe to return home to fight: Sputnik Globe interview Gilbert Doctorow

Only six Ukrainian pilots trained to fly new F-16 fighter jets Telegraph

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If a ceasefire is declared now, Ukraine would lose a quarter of its territory. Kyiv Post

UBN: Ukrainian business confidence falls as war pressures grow BNE Intellectual News

Putin warns US missiles aimed at Germany could trigger new Cold War Bloomberg

Subscriber Mailbag – Responses (7/28/24) Simplicius the thinker

South of the Border

Latin American leaders have mixed reactions to Venezuela’s election results Anadolu Agency

2024

Harris maintained that Biden is fully qualified to continue in his role, despite numerous documented contacts over the past year. Fox

Basil

Inside the Harvard Business School Ponzi scheme The New York Times

Why are so many nonprofit (wink, wink) hospitals flush with cash? The Washington Post

Digital Watches

Dear Google, would anyone like to receive a fan letter written by an AI? TechCrunch

TikTok to ban some content critical of Zionism after pressure from NGO backed by former Israeli intelligence official Lee Fan

Secure Boot is completely broken on over 200 models from the top five device manufacturers Ars Technical

Column: Why hugely profitable companies don’t spend enough to stop hackers from stealing your identity LA Times

Boeing isn’t alone: ​​Airbus and the aviation industry face many challenges Seattle Times

supply chain

Dark Fleet addition puts Cook Islands in top 30 Splash 247

Indian oil importers’ hunger for Russian crude drives dark fleet demand Seatrade Maritime News

Empire Collapse Watch

“Raiders, Rulers, Traders: Horses and the Rise of Empire” by David Chaffetz Asian Review of Books

Class struggle

Where are the world’s billionaires and how is wealth distributed globally? Al Jazeera

Bosses regain the upper hand in hiring FT

Top pilots union warns regulators to consider crew cuts Guardian

George Foreman Grill’s spectacular growth and surprising durability Hustle

Today’s antidote (Derek Keats):”

See yesterday’s link and the Antidote du Jour here.