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Global stocks rally after jumbo Fed cut FT
At the Money: Can You Have Too Much Money? Barry Rithholtz, The Big Picture
Climate
Satellite images reveal Sahara desert turning green The Watchers
Peru is burning while authorities look away BNE Intellinews
Study finds thousands of food-contact chemicals in humans, raising safety concerns News Medical LIfe-Sciences
Tupperware, company known for its plastic containers, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy USA Today
Hazards unleashed by East Palestine derailment are ‘the worst I’ve ever seen,’ toxicologist says Union-Progress
Water
Battered by typhoons: Why aren’t Philippine flood control projects working? Al Jazeera
China?
The moon’s dimming light: China sees lacklustre mooncake sales as consumers refuse to bite Channel News Asia
China warns struggling regions to be more strict and accountable in curbing hidden debt South China Morning Post
* * * China’s growing military activity makes a shift to war harder to spot, warns Taiwan FT
Pakistan Promised China a New Militarized Naval Base, Leaked Documents Reveal Drop Site
* * *
Vietnam death row tycoon faces money laundering trial Channel News Asia
Syraqistan
Lebanon is rocked again by exploding devices as Israel declares a new phase of war AP
Hezbollah Faces a Choice – Back Down or Go to War With Israel Haaretz
* * * Israel’s reckless pager attack on Hizbollah Editorial Board, FT. The deck: “Benjamin Netanyahu is raising the risks of an all-out Middle East war.”
Israel’s Diabolical Caper in Lebanon Spy Talk. The deck: “Turning Hezbollah’s pagers and walkie-talkies into booby traps was a significant blow to its leaders but sacrificed an intelligence opportunity and left thousands of others injured.”
Do Lebanon explosions violate the laws of war? Al Jazeera
Blinken says US did not know about exploding pagers in Lebanon, calls for restraint The Hill
* * * From Taipei to Budapest: the mysterious trail of exploding pagers FT. “Gold Apollo’s current bestsellers include the vibrating pucks that coffee shops hand out to customers to signal that their drink is ready.” Oh.
The biggest unanswered questions about the Hezbollah pager attack Vox
How could pagers in Lebanon have been rigged to explode? LA Times
Africa
Sudan Is Burning: Here’s Why Madras Courier
European Disunion
Europe must prepare to meet Russia militarily in 6-8 years, says its new defence chief Reuters. Commentary:
Truly amazing answer by former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to a student who asks him if the EU will ever be independent from the US.
In his response he calls the current situation one of “tutelage of the U.S. over Europe”, mostly via NATO whose “European pillar”… pic.twitter.com/XEXSHnDHZH
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) September 19, 2024
European countries demand US$20 billion for undelivered gas from Russia Ukrainska Pravda
The Double Irish Dutch Sandwich: End of a Tax Evasion Strategy Conversable Economist
Dear Old Blighty
A New Left Wing Party in the UK? Craig Murray
Sturgeon predicts Scottish independence and united Ireland in UK ‘shake-up’ BBC
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine Strikes Russia’s 107th Arsenal: Crippling Blow or PR Nothingburger? Simplicius the Thinker
Satellite Images Show Aftermath Of Devastating Drone Strike In Russia Radio Free Europe
Russia gets ready to rebuild its military stockpile BNE Intellinews
* * * Zelenskyy states Ukraine’s victory plan is ready Ukrainska Pravda
‘If they don’t die, our infantry will’: Ukraine’s pivotal battle for Donetsk Guardian
Zelenskyy was urged not to invade Kursk. He did it anyway. Politico
* * * Putin Has Allowed the West to Cross So Many Lines That He Is Now Under Pressure to Respond The Nation
NATO Secretary General does not believe in Putin’s red lines regarding Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russia Ukrainska Pravda
* * * The Shadow Fleet Transporting Sanctioned Gas for Russia Bloomberg
IMF scraps mission to Moscow after objections from Kyiv’s allies FT
2024
Trump says that ‘only consequential presidents get shot at’ during Michigan event FOX
Antitrust
Google scores rare legal win as 1.49bn euro fine scrapped BBC
Supply Chain
US Department of Justice files $100m suit against Dali shipowner, manager Seatrade Maritime
Digital Watch
Musk’s X bypasses court-ordered Brazil ban via software update France24
What if the panic over teens and tech is totally wrong? Vox
LinkedIn started harvesting people’s posts for training AI without asking for opt-in The Register
Groves of Academe
The PhD Paradox: A Journey into Academia’s Upside-Down World Daniel Lemire
We or They? Crooked Timber
The Final Frontier
The largest volcano on Mars may sit above a 1,000-mile magma pool. Could Olympus Mons erupt again? Space.com
Imperial Collapse Watch
Jill Stein & Michael Hudson: The UGLY TRUTH About what’s Destroying America (video) Dialogue Works, YouTube
Too Much of a Good Thing The Economist
How Natural Are We? The New Yorker
Antidote du jour (via):
Bonus antidote:
I had a house made for him, I went on to care for his kids & his grandkids. He was shot twice more, I nursed him again. Eventually he passed. I didn’t know it then but he was the start of this incredible journey. I still think of Gav. He found the right person at the right time❤️ pic.twitter.com/5PcE9uD4Nw
— Saffron Ⓥ (@SafferTheGaffer) September 17, 2024
National Fox Day in the UK was September 17.
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
