Russia Just Officially Accused the US of Meddling in Its Upcoming Election

"Moscow — The Kremlin said Monday that a soon-to-be-released report by the U.S. Treasury Department — one that could lead to sanctions against Putin-linked oligarchs — is a “direct and obvious” attempt by the U.S. government to meddle in Russia’s upcoming presidential election.

We're revolutionizing the news industry, but we need your help! Click here to get started.

The report, expected as early as Monday, will detail the closeness of President Vladimir Putin to a list of Russian business and political figures. While not directly calling for sanctions against these individuals, the report will lay out how sanctions could be applied.

Whatever the outcome, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a conference call Monday that the Treasury Department report represented an attempt by the U.S. the sway the Russian political process.
“We do think this is a direct and obvious attempt timed to coincide with the elections in order to influence them,” Peskov said. “We do
 not agree with this and are convinced that there will be no influence.”
As of now, Peskov said “the publication of this list” of Russian oligarchs “on its own doesn’t mean anything” and that this “isn’t the start of a new sanctions wave.” He added that Moscow will react to U.S. actions as they come and with Russian businesses in mind:

“These actions will of course be analysed in Moscow so that our interests and the interests of our companies will in any case be maintained to the maximum.”

at http://theantimedia.org/russia-accuses-us-meddling-upcoming-election/

A Massive Secular Bull Market Just Got Started That Is Going To Send Gold & Silver Prices Skyrocketing

"As we come to the end of the first month of trading in 2018, a massive secular bull market is about to kickoff and it will turbocharge gold and silver gains.

“Stuff Stocks”January 30 (King World News) – Jeffrey Saut, Chief Investment Strategist at Raymond James:  The year was 2001 and the month was December. That was when China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). At the time, we had deduced that given the WTO hookup, Chinese per capita income would rise and the Chinese would consume more “stuff.” It was none other than Maria Bartiromo that credited us for the term “stuff stocks.” As my pal Dennis Gartman, of the Gartman Letter says, “That would be anything that if you drop it on your foot it hurts!” We subsequently bought stocks that played to things like base metals, precious metals, soybeans, fertilizer, energy, agriculture, well you get the idea. We stepped off that theme with the Dow Theory “sell signal” of November 21, 2007, when we wanted to raise cash, and have not really embraced that theme again until recently.Over the past few months we have suggested there is the potential for another secular bull market in “stuff stocks,” and we are not the only ones…"

at https://kingworldnews.com/a-massive-secular-bull-market-just-got-started-that-is-going-to-send-gold-silver-prices-skyrocketing/

Greatest Moments In Profit Taking History... You Were Warned

"Given the US economy is nearly three quarters premised on consumption; the income, spending, and savings of those consumers probably still matters.  Just two of the most important variables shown in the chart below:

• Household net worth (value of all assets held) as a percentage of disposable personal income (all sources of income minus the tax paid on that income).
• Personal savings rate (the amount remaining from disposable personal income, after all expenditures, that is available to be saved in a bank and/or 401k / IRA, etc.).

The chart below, from 1960 through Q3 of 2017, shows that accelerating significant dives in the personal savings rate have preceded each crash in asset prices.

at https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-30/greatest-moments-profit-taking-history-you-were-warned

MAJOR WARNING: The “Invisible Hand” May Finally Be Ready To Let Stock Markets Tank!

"MAJOR WARNING: As we come to the end of the first month of trading in 2018, the public is gambling big on the stock market, but the “invisible hand” may finally be ready to let stocks tank.

MAJOR WARNING: Public Gambling Big On Bullish Call OptionsJanuary 30 (King World News) – From Jason Goepfert at SentimenTrader:  Last week, we saw that retail brokers E-Trade and TD Ameritrade were seeing a parabolic rise in trading activity among their clientele, admittedly a large number of whom were new to trading. Their transactions made up less than 10% of all trades a couple of years ago, and now it has mushroomed to nearly 35% of it…"

at https://kingworldnews.com/major-warning-shocking-chart-reveals-invisible-hand-may-finally-be-ready-to-let-stocks-tank/

US Government Considers Nationalizing US Cellular Network And Unifying Upgrade to 5G Next Generation Wireless

"This 'leak' suggests that the US government may take a greater interest in building out the US information infrastructure, and modernizing it with more speed and greater standardization.

When I first heard of this the first thing that occurred to me was the Eisenhower plan to modernize and upgrade the US transportation infrastructure with the Interstate Highway System.  It provided for a significant upgrade and expansion to the national transportation infrastructure and a significant boost to the post-war economy.

I would be surprised if the major carriers would be interested in this, unless they were to put their competitive advantages in coverage differences aside to go after the government funding for the expansion to new technology and a wider, more uniform infrastructure.

Forming strategic initiatives around key infrastructure is such a good idea for the nation and the public as a whole that I cannot imagine it being adopted in any kind of reasonable and productive manner by the current government.   Telecommunications is a heavily lobbied industry.

Recall that this is a government of knuckle-dragging kleptocrats that could not even sustain a defense of a no-brainer policy like 'net neutrality.'

at http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com.tr/2018/01/us-government-considers-nationalizing.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+JessesCafeAmericain+(Jesse%27s+Caf%C3%A9+Am%C3%A9ricain)

ALERT: China Is About To Reintroduce Gold Into The World Monetary System

"As we kickoff the final week of trading in January, one of the top money managers in the world just warned that China is preparing to stun the world by reintroducing gold into the global monetary system.

The Road To A Gold-Based Monetary System
(King World News) – Stephen Leeb:  “What a difference a year makes. The 2017 Davos confab featured full-blown recognition of China’s emergence on the world stage. It was highlighted by the remarkable keynote address by Chinese President Xi Jingping – the first time a Chinese leader ever spoke at Davos. Xi’s message was as notable as the fact he gave it. It was that global economics isn’t a zero-sum game. Everyone can win as the world becomes ever more interconnected. Stunningly, in the wake of Trump’s election, China assumed the mantle as the leading voice for globalization.

The speech laid out a path to world prosperity that by implication would be led by China. It was extraordinary that in this Western-dominated gathering of elites, a president from a still developing nation played such a big role and laid out such a sweeping vision. Equally extraordinary, all attendees respected that vision…"

at https://kingworldnews.com/alert-china-is-about-to-reintroduce-gold-back-into-the-world-monetary-system/

Fitness Tracking App Accidentally Reveals Secret US Military Bases, CIA "Black" Sites

"An interactive online fitness tracking map published in November of 2017 which compiles a running history of the location and routes of 27 million fitness-device users has unwittingly revealed the location, staffing, patrol routes and layout of U.S. and foreign military bases around the world.  

San Francisco based fitness company Strava posted their "global heatmap" to their website, containing two years worth of fitness data across several fitness devices such as Jawbone and Fitbit. The map is not live, rather, it is a composite of overlapping routes..."

at  https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-29/fitness-tracking-app-accidentally-reveals-secret-us-military-bases-cia-black-sites

National Defense Strategy’s New Cold War

"The 2018 National Defense Strategy lays the groundwork for a new Cold War, pitting the U.S. against Russia, China and other “revisionist powers” and “rogue states,” explains Eric Zuesse.

By Eric Zuesse

On January 20th, CBS News’ top story was headlined “Terrorism no longer the military’s top priority, Mattis says” and read: “Maintaining a military advantage over China and Russia is now Defense Secretary Mattis’ top priority.”
The Trump Administration had issued a crucial document on how it will implement America’s national defense two days earlier. This document, the National Defense Strategy 2018 (NDS18), continues the hostility toward Russia that has characterized U.S. foreign policy since Barack Obama’s second term, but added to the U.S.’s global belligerence by tacking on some hostility toward China for good measure.
The NDS follows up on the National Security Strategy 2018 (NSS18) issued by Trump in December 2017, but, in keeping with his prior commitment to leaving to the generals the implementation of his national security policy, the Pentagon has now issued the NDS, which is signed only by Trump’s Secretary of Defense James “Mad Dog” Mattis. It offers considerably more information on what the practical meaning of the earlier NSS may be.
Ultimately, the meaning appears to be that the U.S. is ratcheting up tensions with nuclear-armed powers and that “radical Islamic terrorism” is replaced by Russia and China as the U.S.’s top security concern. Despite the fact that on the campaign trail, Trump’s talk had focused on “radical Islamic terrorists,” castigating Democrats for not using this term, this appears now to be little more than bumper-sticker posturing to win votes..."

at https://www.blacklistednews.com/National_Defense_Strategy%E2%80%99s_New_Cold_War/63280/0/38/38/Y/M.html

Pepe Escobar Puts 'Davos Man' Straight: "It's Inequality, Stupid!"

at https://www.blacklistednews.com/Pepe_Escobar_Puts_%27Davos_Man%27_Straight%3A_%22It%27s_Inequality%2C_Stupid%21%22/63254/0/38/38/Y/M.html

US Bombers in Guam Seen Readying for Tactical Nuclear Strike on North Korea

"With all other signs of tensions on the Korean Peninsula on the decline, the US is stepping up its deployment of nuclear-capable bombers and general firepower to the airbase at Guam,
This is further fueling speculation that the US is preparing itself for the long-speculated sneak attack on North Korea, and that such a sneak attack could involve B-61 gravity bombs as part of a tactical nuclear strike.
The Trump Administration has been seen to be favoring the idea of a “limited attack,” betting that North Korea would not retaliate. It’s hard to imagine this could possibly be both limited and involve nuclear arms, but recent developments on the B-61 suggest that’s indeed the point of the weapon..."

at https://news.antiwar.com/2018/01/26/us-bombers-in-guam-seen-readying-for-tactical-nuclear-strike-on-north-korea/

Trump Now Increases ‘Defense’ Budget 37% Above Obama’s

"The Washington Post headlined on January 26th, "Trump plans to ask for $716 billion for national defense in 2019 — a major increase”, and reported that when President Trump had entered the White House in January 2017, the ‘Defense' budget was $521 billion, but that President Trump will propose in his upcoming State-of-the-Union speech, a 2019 ‘Defense' budget of $716 billion, which, if it becomes law, would mean a 37% increase, above Obama’s last Pentagon budget (for 2017).

 

This is in line with President Trump’s recently announced strategic change, away from Obama’s military budget, which was focused mainly against radical Islamic terrorism, now to target, instead, mainly Russia and China, and, secondarily, Iran and North Korea. As CBS News summarized on January 20th, “There is a major change in U.S. military strategy. On Friday [January 19th], more than 16 years after the 9/11 attacks, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said terrorism is no longer the No. 1 priority. … Maintaining a military advantage over China and Russia is now Defense Secretary Mattis’ top priority.”

at https://www.blacklistednews.com/Trump_Now_Increases_%E2%80%98Defense%E2%80%99_Budget_37%25_Above_Obama%E2%80%99s/63255/0/38/38/Y/M.html

Here Is Every Aircraft Carrier in the World

at http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/g2412/a-global-roundup-of-aircraft-carriers/

All the New Aircraft Carriers That Are Under Construction

"Building an aircraft carrier is a long and laborious process, one that costs billions of dollars and takes years to complete. Since we last cataloged every aircraft carrier in the world, the world’s navies have only received two new aircraft carriers, but several more are in the shipyards under construction or have been announced. Furthermore, a number of navies are building ships or have built large ships that may soon accommodate fixed wing fighters, specifically the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.
Here's a look at what's in store..."

at  http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/g15873277/aircraft-carrier-construction-roundup-2018/?src=nl&mag=pop&list=nl_pnl_news&date=012518

Rare Video: New Russian Nuclear Bomber TU-160 Blackjack Shows Off At Low Altitude…

"The test flight of Russia’s new Tu-160 strategic nuclear bomber was caught on camera near Kazan. The war machine is seen darting through a milk-white snowy sky over the Russian city, flying as low as 300 meters. The test flight lasted for about seven minutes and was witnessed by a delegation of senior Russian officials, headed by the president.

The plane was unveiled in November 2017 and will join a fleet of 16 aircraft of the same nuclear-capable design in the Russian armed forces before year’s end.





at https://www.citizenfreepress.com/column-1/rare-video-new-russian-nuclear-bomber-tu-160-blackjack-filmed-piercing-through-snowy-skies-at-low-altitude/

One of BofA's "Imminent Market Crash" Indicators Was Just Triggered

"Early last month, we showed that one of Bank of America's "guaranteed bear market" indicators, namely the three-month earnings estimate revision ratio (ERR) which since 1988 has had a 100% hit rate of predicting upcoming bear markets, was just triggered. As Bank of America explained at the time, "since 1986, a bear market has followed each time that the ERR rule has been triggered."

The only weakness of that particular signal is that while a bear market has always followed, the timing was unclear and the bear could arrive as late as two years after its was triggered.

Well, fast forward to today when overnight another proprietary "guaranteed bear market" indicator created by the Bank of America quants was just triggered.

As we explained earlier today, as part of the unprecedented, historic rush to dump cash and buy any risk assets that one can find, BofA's "Bull & Bear indicator" surged to 7.9 - effectively 8 - a level that is indicative of broad market euphoria, and the highest it has been since March of 2013, or nearly 5 years ago..."

at https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-26/one-bofas-imminent-market-crash-indicators-was-just-triggered

Stocks Storm To Best Start Since 1987 Amid Dollar-Devastation

"Let's get a little context before we start - this is the most overbought (by a bloody mile) that US equities have ever been...

And...98% of global equity markets trading above 50 & 200 day moving averages.

This is the best start to a year for the Dow and the S&P 500 since 1987...

at https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-26/stocks-storm-best-start-1989-dollar-devastation-worst-30-years

Trump Ups Defense Budget By 13% - "Can't Have World's Best Military On An Obama Budget"

"With Washington having seemingly turned its turret away from 'terror' and back to "revisionist, authoritarian" regimes like 'Russia and China', the Military-Industrial Complex is 'gonna need a bigger budget' - a 13% bigger $716 billion one by 2019.

US military spending already dwarfed the rest of the world...

But, while presenting the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS2018) of the United States on Friday at the Johns Hopkins University, Secretary of Defense James Mattis painted a picture of a dangerous world in which U.S. power – and all of the supposed “good” that it does around the world – is on the decline.

“Our competitive edge has eroded in every domain of warfare – air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace,” he said. “And it is continually eroding.”

at https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-26/trump-ups-defense-budget-13-cant-have-worlds-best-military-obama-budget

Greyerz – We Are About To Witness Something That Has Never Been Seen In World History

"As we continue to kickoff the new year, today the man who has become legendary for his predictions on QE and historic moves in currencies, warned King World News that we are about to see something that has never been seen in world history.

January 26 (King World News) – Egon von Greyerz:  “2018 is starting right on cue. Inflationary pressures have been latent for quite some time but have recently shown the world what is to come in the next few years…"

at https://kingworldnews.com/greyerz-we-are-about-to-witness-something-that-has-never-been-seen-in-world-history/

"It Is Frankly Scary" - Bill White Warns Global Financial System Faces "Perfect Storm"

"Authored by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard via The Brisbane Times,

The world financial system is as dangerously stretched today as it was at the peak of the last bubble but this time the authorities are caught in a "policy trap" with few defences left, a veteran central banker has warned.

Nine years of emergency money has had a string of perverse effects and lured emerging markets into debt dependency, without addressing the structural causes of the global disorder..."

at https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-25/it-frankly-scary-bill-white-warns-global-financial-system-faces-perfect-storm

US Dollar Plunge Accelerates As Gold & Silver Power Higher But This Is What Has Everyone Worried

"As we move through the final trading days in the first month of 2018, the US dollar plunge has accelerated as gold and silver prices power higher, but this is what has everyone worried.

US Dollar Plunge Accelerates
By Peter Boockvar, author of the Boock Report
January 24 (King World News) – Here is what Peter Boockvar wrote as the world awaits the next round of monetary madness:  “The US dollar index is getting slammed again, breaking below the 90 level for the first time since December 2014…"

at https://kingworldnews.com/us-dollar-plunge-accelerates-as-gold-silver-power-higher-but-this-is-what-has-everyone-worried/

Gold, Silver And Real World Inflation Ramping Higher

"On the heels of the US Dollar Index threatening to break major support at 90, and precious metals as well as the mining shares rallying, real world inflation is ramping higher along with gold and silver prices.

Sentiment: Nearly As Lopsided As Possible
By Bill Fleckenstein President Of Fleckenstein CapitalJanuary 23 (King World News) – Once again the market was out of the starting gate quite fast, led by the Nasdaq, which gained over 0.5% in 90 minutes and was itself led by the big tech momentum favorites, while the Dow and the S&P were just kind of limping along higher.

After the initial surge, the rate of change slowed down as the indices only made a bit more upside progress. For what it is worth, sentiment for the SPOOs (based on the DSI) is at 96, a world record. Sentiment is wildly lopsided, but that will only matter once the bubble bursts…"

at https://kingworldnews.com/gold-silver-and-real-world-inflation-ramping-higher/

China’s Fifth-Gen J-20 Completes First Air Combat Exercise

"China’s fifth-generation J-20 jets took part in their first air combat drills at the start of January, according to a People’s Liberation Army Air Force announcement.

The exercises featured J-20 aircraft simulating aerial combat with older J-16 and J-10 fighters and involved H-6K long-range bombers in some capacity, the Diplomat reported Tuesday, citing the air force. The location of the drills, which lasted nine days, has not been disclosed, the news outlet noted.

The Chinese Ministry of National Defense declared last fall that the jet had been commissioned into service, but it's not clear whether the planes have reached full operational capability.
Adapting the J-20 to current operations is likely to be "a very long and painful" road, as the US has learned during costly F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter implementations, said Vasily Kashin, fellow at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies in Moscow. "The process of fifth-gen fighters' introduction to the US Air Force was very long and painful… there's no reason to think China would be different."
The plane has spurred controversy among US officials who say that the J-20 virtually mirrors Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor. "What they've been able to do in such a rapid period of time without any R&D, do you believe that gives them a competitive advantage?" Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) asked during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in 2015.
"They're making leaps, which are uncommon, at the behest of us, and we know this… but we're not taking any actions against them," Manchin said to then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. "We know the J-20 is pretty much mirroring our F-22," the senator said..."

at https://sputniknews.com/military/201801231061007599-china-fifth-gen-j20-combat-exercise/

China: Rise, Fall and Re-Emergence as a Global Power

"The study of world power has been blighted by Eurocentric historians who have distorted and ignored the dominant role China played in the world economy between 1100 and 1800.  John Hobson’s[1] brilliant historical survey of the world economy during this period provides an abundance of empirical data making the case for China ’s economic and technological superiority over Western civilization for the better part of a millennium prior to its conquest and decline in the 19th century.
China ’s re-emergence as a world economic power raises important questions about what we can learn from its previous rise and fall and about the external and internal threats confronting this emerging economic superpower for the immediate future.
First we will outline the main contours of historical China ’s rise to global economic superiority over West before the 19th century, following closely John Hobson’s account in The Eastern Origins of Western Civilization.  Since the majority of western economic historians (liberal, conservative and Marxist) have presented historical China as a stagnant, backward, parochial society, an “oriental despotism”, some detailed correctives will be necessary.  It is especially important to emphasize how China , the world technological power between 1100 and 1800, made the West’s emergence possible.  It was only by borrowing and assimilating Chinese innovations that the West was able to make the transition to modern capitalist and imperialist economies.

In part two we will analyze and discuss the factors and circumstances which led to China ’s decline in the 19th century and its subsequent domination, exploitation and pillage by Western imperial countries, first England and then the rest of Europe, Japan and the United States..."

at https://www.globalresearch.ca/china-rise-fall-and-re-emergence-as-a-global-power/29644

Mysterious beam weapon strikes Michigan? Feds claim meteor

"Government agencies scrambled to chalk off the latest Michigan beam weapon sighting as a meteor strike

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (INTELLIHUB) — What looks like some sort of air or space-based beam weapon was captured on film emitting down from the sky Tuesday night, causing a massive explosion.
Various press agencies, like the Washington Post, and government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, the USGS, and NASA chalked off the event as a meteor strike. However, the pictures tell a different story.
The photos were captured by Kurt Norris.
Take a look for yourself. Does this look like a meteor to you?

What about this?

Residents came outside to look at all of the commotion..."

at https://www.intellihub.com/mysterious-beam-weapon-strikes-michigan/

Russian spy ship spotted 100 miles off NC coast

"The Russian spy ship, the Viktor Leonov was spotted 100 miles south east of Wilmington, NC in international waters, according to a US military official, just days after the vessel was seen leaving the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, Port of Spain.
Outfitted with a variety of high-tech spy equipment and designed to intercept communications signals, the Viktor Leonov was observed operating in the Caribbean last week, a US defense official told CNN..."

at https://www.intellihub.com/russian-spy-ship-spotted-100-miles-off-nc-coast/

Artificial intelligence predicts corruption

"Artificial neural networks and a database of real cases have revealed the most predictive factors of corruption. / Pixabay

Two researchers from the University of Valladolid have developed a model with artificial neural networks to predict in which Spanish provinces corruption cases could appear with more probability, after one, two and up to three years.

The study, published in Social Indicators Research, does not mention the provinces most prone to corruption so as not to generate controversy, explains one of the authors, Ivan Pastor, to Sinc, who recalls that, in any case, "a greater propensity or high probability does not imply corruption will actually happen."

The data indicate that the real estate tax (Impuesto de Bienes Inmuebles), the exaggerated increase in the price of housing, the opening of bank branches and the creation of new companies are some of the variables that seem to induce public corruption, and when they are added together in a region, it should be taken into account to carry out a more rigorous control of the public accounts.

"In addition, as might be expected, our model confirms that the increase in the number of years in the government of the same political party increases the chances of corruption, regardless of whether or not the party governs with majority,” says Pastor..."

at http://www.orrazz.com/2018/01/artificial-intelligence-predicts.html

Tokyo Holds "First Ever" Missile Attack Drills

"Two months ago, we reported that Hawaii was restoring an air raid warning system that hadn't been operational since the Cold War. Only this time, it's due to the rising tensions between the US and North Korea...
Indeed, these tensions nearly caused a panic last week when one employee at Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency accidentally selected the wrong dropdown menu choice, broadcasting a "Ballistic Missile Threat" warning to the cellphones of Hawaii residents.
On Monday, Tokyo activated the government's "J-alert" system in a drill for the public to practice their response to a missile strike, RT reported. Once activated, the system warned people to "evacuate calmly inside a building or underground."
Video of the response showed people filing into a subway station..."

at https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-22/tokyo-holds-first-ever-missile-attack-drills

Russia Added a Record 223 Tons of Gold to Reserves in 2017

"The Russian Central Bank added 300,000 ounces (9.3 tons) of gold to its reserves in December, bringing the total acquisitions of the precious metal in 2017 to a record 223 tons.
Since June 2015, the Central Bank of Russia has added over 558 tons of gold, and December’s 9.3 ton addition brings the official Russian gold holdings to 1838.211 tons; the sixth most of any nation, close behind the People’s Bank of China. In dollar terms, Russia's gold reserves are now worth $76.647 billion and constitute 17.7% of overall Russian reserves..."

at http://russia-insider.com/en/russia-added-record-223-tons-gold-reserves-2017/ri22270

US Coast Guard Adds Cruise Missiles To Ice-Breakers As Battle For The Arctic Begins

"The United States Coast Guard is preparing to equip icebreaker vessels operating in the Arctic region with high-tech cruise missiles for the first time as Washington escalates geopolitical tensions with Russia..."

at https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-22/coast-guard-adds-cruise-missiles-ice-breakers-battle-arctic-begins

India & Japan combine defense forces in AI, robotics to curb Chinese ambitions

at https://www.rt.com/news/416746-india-japan-ai-robotics-defense/

World’s richest 1% bagged 82% of global wealth in 2017, while poorest half got nothing – Oxfam

"The inequality crisis is worsening, according to a new study by global charity Oxfam, which found that the world’s richest 42 people own the same amount of wealth as the poorest 50 percent worldwide.

The annual report showed that 2017 saw the biggest increase in the number of billionaires in history, with new ones created at a rate of one every two days. Their wealth has increased by 13 percent a year on average in the decade from 2006 to 2015..."

at https://www.rt.com/business/416644-worlds-richest-wealth-oxfam/

Electronic Warfare Planes Join China’s Navy as Military Modernization Continues

"Years of heavy investment in military equipment and technology in China’s People’s Liberation Army have resulted in a new electronic warfare aircraft that will be deployed for projecting power in the East and South China Seas, according to recent Chinese media reports.

"The H-6G electronic warfare aircraft boast of high electronic jamming power and can cover relatively bigger combat areas such as the South China Sea and [the] East China Sea," military commentator Song Zhongping told the Global Times on Monday.
The latest electronic aircraft to join China's navy have been in development since 2008, the Global Times noted. A defining feature on the jets consists of electronic countermeasure pods mounted on the plane's wings to play "a supporting role" in electronic warfare environments, said Military Time, a CCTV program in China.

© AFP 2018/ STR

China Begins Construction of Third Domestically Made Aircraft Carrier

"The main role of the electronic fighters is to obstruct the enemies' electronic jamming devices — for example, radar — to temporarily or permanently, if powerful enough, cover the surveillance devices and to hide our combat platforms' track," Song told the Global Times.
In 1999, a PLA officer described the 2.8 million-person military as being similar to a boxer plagued with "short arms and slow feet," in a RAND Corporation analysis of China. At the time, Beijing's army was described as "indisputably not a ‘peer-competitor' of the United States."

Since, China's leadership has invested an unprecedented level of resources into its navy, air force and general military technology capabilities. Nearly a decade later, China's military capabilities had advanced to become "anything but ‘short' or slow,'" due to new top-of-the-line Russian aircraft, surveillance assets in space, a sizeable inventory of ballistic missiles and an improving naval force, according to a study published for the US-China Economic and Security Review commission.

Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that sufficient military equipment was no longer an issue for the People's Liberation Army. Instead, the PLA should prioritize digitized warfare, technology education programs for PLA personnel, and more creative military doctrines, Xi said during a recent address at the PLA's Central Theater Command..."

at https://sputniknews.com/asia/201801221060976197-beijing-underwater-surveillance-track-submarines/

Beijing’s Underwater Surveillance System Tracks Submarines Near Guam

"The Chinese Academy of Sciences recently disclosed that underwater acoustic sensors have been monitoring sea activity near Guam since 2016, the South China Morning Post reported Monday.

"All great powers put sensor arrays at the bottom of the ocean for anti-submarine warfare," James Lewis, a former US government official and vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Hong Kong-based news outlet. "China has become a great power and is acting like one," Lewis added.

The sensors collect water temperature and salinity data that impact how sound moves through water, which ultimately enhances Beijing's capacity to keep tabs on US submarines. One of the sensors is situated on the floor of the Marianas Trench, the deepest part of the world's ocean, while the other is located off the coast of an island in Micronesia.
The sensors are both located within 500 kilometers of Guam and have a signal detection capability of 1,000 kilometers, according the Chinese academy in charge of overseeing the underwater surveillance program.

The surveillance network has watched the movements of the US Navy's fast attack nuclear submarines operating near Guam, according to the South China Morning Post.

However, Yu Yongqiang, a researcher who works on the panel overseeing the underwater surveillance network, stated last month that the surveillance network was dwarfed by systems the US operates. "We have just made a small step in a long march," Yu said..."

at https://sputniknews.com/asia/201801221060976197-beijing-underwater-surveillance-track-submarines/

“Buy The Hell Out Of Gold, The Gold-Based Monetary System Is On Its Way”

"As we kickoff trading for the 4th week of 2018, one of the top money managers in the world just said, “Buy the hell out of gold, the gold-based monetary system is on its way.”

(King World News) – Stephen Leeb:  “It’s only January, but we’ve likely already seen 2018’s most significant event, and it’s not the government shutdown. Rather, it was the disclosure of a fundamental architectural flaw in the design of the computer chips that are the backbone of virtually all of our technologies. The flaw potentially affects almost every industry. And it could dramatically lessen our ability to deal with resource scarcities, which I’ve long argued will determine what kind of future we have…"

at https://kingworldnews.com/buy-the-hell-out-of-gold-the-gold-based-monetary-system-is-on-its-way/

Multi-Billionaire Hugo Salinas Price Just Predicated A Worldwide Disaster Is About To Unfold

"Multi-billionaire Hugo Salinas Price just predicted a worldwide disaster is about to unfold.

Total Breakdown
January 23 (King World News) – Multi-billionaire Hugo Salinas Price:  The predictable consequence of a whole world under the management of a false economics based on induction – i.e. experimentation – is an inevitable total disaster for the world. 

The thinkers of the world are hoping that Christian Russia and Confucian China, the two great powers of Eurasia, will return to gold as money, by virtue of their military power, and sweep away, as Napoleon did before them, the present existence of “Assignat-like” fiat moneys in the world…"

at https://kingworldnews.com/multi-billionaire-hugo-salinas-price-just-warned-the-world-is-headed-for-total-disaster/

Bob Shiller Warns World's "Priciest Stock Market" Could "Absolutely Turn Suddenly"

"Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller told CNBC Tuesday that a market correction could come at any time and without warning...

"People ask 'well what will trigger [a market correction]?' But it doesn't need a trigger, it's the dynamics of bubbles inherently makes them come to a sudden end eventually..."

Shiller, who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2013 for his work on asset prices and inefficient markets, said that markets could "absolutely suddenly turn" and that he believed the bull market was hard to attribute totally to the U.S. political scene.

"The strong bull market in the U.S. is often attributed to the situation in the U.S. but it's not unique to the U.S. anyway, so it's hard to know what the world story is that's driving markets up at this time, I think it's more subtle than we recognize,"

at  https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-23/bob-shiller-warns-worlds-priciest-stock-market-could-absolutely-turn-suddenly

China threatens military buildup in South China Sea after US Navy warship's passage: paper

"China will have no choice but to build its abilities in the South China Sea if the U.S. continues to “wantonly” provoke trouble in the waters, Beijing’s top newspaper warned on Monday.

The response came after a U.S. Navy warship, the USS Hopper, sailed close to a contested reef west of the Philippines on Wednesday, two days before Defense Secretary Jim Mattis unveiled a new strategy calling China and Russia the biggest threats to the U.S., not terrorism..."

at http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/01/22/china-threatens-military-buildup-in-south-china-sea-after-us-navy-warships-passage-paper.html

“Buy The Hell Out Of Gold, The Gold-Based Monetary System Is On Its Way”

"As we kickoff trading for the 4th week of 2018, one of the top money managers in the world just said, “Buy the hell out of gold, the gold-based monetary system is on its way.”

(King World News) – Stephen Leeb:  “It’s only January, but we’ve likely already seen 2018’s most significant event, and it’s not the government shutdown. Rather, it was the disclosure of a fundamental architectural flaw in the design of the computer chips that are the backbone of virtually all of our technologies. The flaw potentially affects almost every industry. And it could dramatically lessen our ability to deal with resource scarcities, which I’ve long argued will determine what kind of future we have…"

at https://kingworldnews.com/buy-the-hell-out-of-gold-the-gold-based-monetary-system-is-on-its-way/