North Korea Trolls Obama: Compares US President To "A Monkey In A Tropical Jungle"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/27/2014 - 21:58 While North Korea had made it very clear that it had nothing to do with the Sony hack, it did demand a full UN-backed investigation, a proposal quickly shot down by none other than the US which always demands full "transparency" of all actions except when actions are its own, or when the resulting transparency would shine an unwanted light on the hypocrisy behind US national interests. Furthermore, in its first statements regarding The Interview, North Korea was actually quite cordial, and said nothing offensive regarding Obama. All that changed overnight when in its first official statement since its Internet went dark - something which if indeed North Korea did not hack Sony, as it claims, would be seen as a clear act of war if it were to happen to any other "developed" country - North Korea finally lost it and decided that the time to troll the US president has finally arrived, when, as the TV anchor says beginning 1:10 minutes in the clip blow, "Obama always goes reckless in speech and action like a monkey in a tropical jungle."

Civil Asset Forfeiture: The Final Stage Of Collapse Of Empire

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2014 - 11:17 This is the final stage of the collapse of the Roman Empire. When the state runs out of money, it historically attacks the people. In Rome, whole armies began sacking their own cities to get paid. The police are doing just that. Whatever they can confiscate goes to funding their own pensions. This is a national problem that will only get much worse going into 2020. We have nobody in Washington representing the people any more.

Air Asia Confirms Lost Contact With Indonesia Flight After Crew Asked For "Unusual Route", 155 Passengers On Board

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/27/2014 - 23:16 UPDATE: *SINGAPORE AVIATION: SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS ACTIVATED
An Air Asia Indonesia flight from Surabaya in east Java to Singapore carrying 155 passengers has gone missing, Air Asia has confirmed. As Bloomberg reported, the flight departed Surabaya at 5:20am local time and lost contact soon after... Contact was lost at 6:17 a.m. local time (23:17 GMT on Saturday), after the crew asked for an “unusual route.” The latest discussions are that the loss of contact could be weather-related.

Malaysian Prime Minister Forced To Defend His "Golf Diplomacy" With Obama

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2014 - 12:11 Amid floods that have forced 100,000 people from their homes, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been forced to defend his recent golf outing with President Obama in Hawaii. As The Hill reports, Najib has come under fire at home, cutting short his trip on Friday to return to Malaysia amid headlines such as the Malaysia Chronicle's "Stop Playing Golf, Najib," which appeared above images of the flooding and of Najib on the golf course with Obama.

Ukraine's Largest Nuclear Power Plant Suffers 2nd Emergency Shutdown In 3 Weeks

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2014 - 12:41 Following a reported "minor" accident three weeks ago, Ukraine's Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest and the 5th biggest in the world, was shutdown. The 'glitch' it appears has reoccurred as RT reports, one of the reactors at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant has automatically shut down. Causes are still being investigated.

Spot The Odd One Out

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2014 - 15:45 Sometimes you just have to smile (but mostly just scream). Volatilities across all asset classes have crashed back towards complacent levels in the last few days as, apparently driven by utter confusion by The Fed, stocks have soared, vol compressed, and risk vanquished. There is, however, one asset that is back at near-record-high vol..

Caught On Tape: McDonalds Customer Goes Berserk Over A Fistful Of Cents

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2014 - 16:14 Half a century ago, Clint Eastwood killed a whole lot of people  for "a fistful of dollars." This Christmas, a particularly agitated customer nearly killed the staff at a McDonalds over the matter of a fistful of cents, or some $0.40 to be precise. The best part: it was all caught on tape.

Only War, Inflation And Financial Collapse Can End The Global "Plutonomy", According To Citi

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2014 - 19:30

China Bans Christmas And This Happens To Google Traffic

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2014 - 18:30 Very quietly and under the radar, authorities in China have cracked down on Christmas celebrations in China, deeming them "Western spiritual pollution." As CNMNews reports, for several years, a virtual rush to convert to Christianity has been underway in China, both in its Protestant and Catholic versions. The Department of Education this year issued a directive to limit Christianity’s appeal to young people, banning Christmas events and celebrations in schools and kindergartens, deemed “kitsch” and “un-Chinese”. The crackdown has also been spreading to universities and colleges nationwide. The result is nowhere more evident than in Google's traffic in China...

ISIS Claims 2nd Fighter Jet Downed Near Baghdad, Pilot Captured

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2014 - 18:04 While the US-led coalition claims that the first fighter jet was "not downed" by ISIS, the fact that ISIS is now claiming to have downed a 2nd fighter jet in Balad (north of Baghdad) and captured the pilot, suggests the west may not be being entirely honest (two 'crashes' in a week is perhaps more worrisome than 2 'shot down' in a week). What is even more disturbing is the fact that ISIS has taken to social media to ask how the first captured Jordanian pilot should die...

The Line Between Rational Speculation and Market Collapse

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2014 - 17:45 "Current equity valuations provide no margin of safety for long-term investors. One might as well be investing on a dare..."