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Sunday, March 08, 2015 
Yemen defense minister flees Sanaa to join president in Aden Yemeni security officials say the country's defense minister has fled the capital, Sanaa, to join President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in Aden. They say the Shiite Houthi rebels who control the capital stormed al-Subaihi's house but found only several guards there. 
Gray Falcon: Why Empire Needs a Conquered Serbia. Filmmakers brought up the role an ostensibly private, non-violent, civil society NGO played in a string of "color revolutions," from Serbia to North Africa. In doing so, they committed the two cardinal sins in the modern West: Noticing, and Remembering.
Colombia landmines: Farc to help army clear minefields The announcement was made in Cuba, where both sides have been engaged in peace talks for more than two years.
Under the deal, Farc rebels will work alongside members of the military to remove the landmines and other explosive devices.
Colombia is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
Saturday, March 07, 2015
Edward Snowden: 21 Countries Refused Me Asylum Under US Pressure Before becoming an NSA contractor, Edward Snowden worked as a CIA undercover agent in Geneva. On Thursday, he said he would love to return there, but believes US pressure is preventing Swiss asylum, just as it has kept him from entering 20 other countries.
Russia the most Bussiness friendly for women? Russia is global leader in number of women in top business roles. Russia leads with 40% of senior business roles occupied by women, almost double the global average (22% ). - Putin should urge Obama, Cameron and Merkel to stop discrimination of women in their countries. Happy upcoming International Women's Day!
Venezuela krijgt buren hulp bij het vullen van de schappen. Elf Zuid-Amerikaanse landen gaan Venezuela helpen de schappen weer te vullen. In het land zijn grote tekorten aan voedsel, medicijnen en andere producten. Ze hebben afgesproken dat ze de distributie van basisbenodigdheden binnen hun grenzen naar Venezuela versterken.
Friday, March 06, 2015
WHO advice 50g of sugar per day to be healthy? Easier said than done! Currently, Western European adults consume an average of 101 grams of sugar per day, while in South America the figure rises to 130 grams. But take a look around a supermarket at some everyday shopping items and it becomes apparent that 50 grams of sugar -- the WHO's maximum recommended daily limit -- doesn't go that far....
Tajik opposition leader shot dead in Turkey. It is reported that Umarali Kuvvatov, who headed up the "Group 24" opposition movement and had been living in exile in Turkey, was killed with a single shot to the head.
Tajik President Rakhmon has governed the impoverished Central Asian republic for more than two decades.
Kuvvatov had accused him of rampant corruption and nepotism.
'Judge books by their covers', EU court says in tax ruling. The European Commission said two years ago that the 5.5 percent and 3 percent rates imposed by France and Luxembourg respectively are illegal.
Officials said the rates cannot apply to e-books as they qualify as an "electronically provided service."
Judges at the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice agreed.
The rise of political Islam in Turkey Turkey's political landscape became increasingly fragmented from the 1980ties onward and voters found themselves disillusioned with mainstream parties who failed to solve bread and butter issues.
Into this vacuum stepped the Islamists.
Proof he's the Science Guy: Bill Nye is changing his mind about GMOs. Nye said an upcoming revision to his book would contain a rewritten chapter on GMOs. "I went to Monsanto," Nye said, "and I spent a lot of time with the scientists there, and I have revised my outlook, and I'm very excited about telling the world. When you're in love, you want to tell the world."
Thursday, March 05, 2015
Islamic State crisis: Thousands flee Iraqi advance on Tikrit The White House and human rights organisations have warned against the danger of sectarian reprisals by the Shia militia in the predominantly Sunni area. The US is not taking part in this Iraqi/Iranian offensive, so it can afford to be concerned.
Turkey blocks website of its first atheist association The Atheism Association described the court's decision as "a historic example of accumulating legislative, executive and judicial powers in one hand," claiming that Turkey is "drifting away from the level of modern civilizations as fast as its judiciary system drifts away from reason."
Food giant Nestle challenging regional crises - The company used to have a factory in Syria but it was bombed, he said. Now the distributors are handling the delivery process. "But nevertheless, we already have a presence there, even it is limited," the CEO said. "Wherever a consumer will like to buy our products it is our responsibility to deliver,"
Turkey seeks EU help to stop migrant 'ghost ships' Two cargo ships were picked up in the Mediterranean in January with more than 1,000 migrants aboard, many of them fleeing Syria. The smugglers had locked up the migrants and sent the ships speeding on autopilot toward the Italian coast.
Alle baby's naar de opvang. Dit ergert mij wild. Kinderen die NIET naar school gaan, maar thuis les krijgen, doen het in alle onafhankelijke studies beter dan hun schoolgaande leeftijdsgenoten.
'First human' discovered in Ethiopia - BBC News. The 2.8 million-year-old specimen is 400,000 years older than researchers thought that our kind first emerged.
The discovery in Ethiopia suggests climate change spurred the transition from tree dweller to upright walker.
Wednesday, March 04, 2015
US says no plans to move embassy in Yemen to Aden Washington closed its mission in Sanaa earlier this month, and the US official told reporters travelling with top US diplomat John Kerry that ambassador Matthew Tueller would now be based out of an office in the Saudi port of Jeddah.
Militants seize two oilfields in Libya. "Extremists took control of the al-Bahi and al-Mabrouk fields and are now heading to seize the al-Dahra field following the retreat of the force guarding these sites, due to lack of ammunition," Colonel Ali al-Hassi, the industry's security service spokesman, said on Tuesday.
London property boom built on dirty money Billions of pounds of corruptly gained money has been laundered by criminals and foreign officials buying upmarket London properties through anonymous offshore front companies -- making the city arguably the world capital of money laundering.
Oxford officer was silenced over sex abuse fears Instead of dealing with his complaints, a senior council official complained about his behaviour and his manager made an unreserved apology for the “unprofessional way” in which he had acted.
Tuesday, March 03, 2015
Yemeni leader proposes Riyadh as venue for talks with rebels This is a ruse; the Houthi rebels are vehemently anti Saudi. These talks come at a time when Yemen's al-Qaida branch, considered by Washington the terror network's most dangerous offshoot, is stepping up attacks against the Shiite rebels in the central province of Bayda.
India's Maharashtra state bans beef The Indian president has approved a bill which bans the slaughter of cows and the sale and consumption of beef in the western state of Maharashtra. Anyone found breaking the law will face a fine and up to five years in prison. Hindus, who comprise 80% of India's 1.2bn population, revere cows.
Pakistan arrests parents for refusing polio vaccine - BBC News. Pakistani authorities have conducted their first-ever mass arrest of parents for refusing to allow their children to be vaccinated against polio.
Authorities in Peshawar, in the north-west of the country, detained 471 people and charged them with "endangering public security".
Monday, March 02, 2015
Syria rebels reject envoy plan to freeze Aleppo fighting. "We refuse to meet with Mr Staffan de Mistura if it is not on the basis of a comprehensive solution to Syria's drama through the exit of (President) Bashar al-Assad and his chief of staff, and the prosecution of war criminals," a newly-formed Aleppo revolutionary commission said.
VICTOR PINCHUK FACES RUIN -- US AND EU REFUSE LIFEBUOY. Victor Pinchuk, the Ukrainian oligarch who took sides for the European Union against Russia, is running out of money, company officials admitted last week. Neither the EU nor the US is buying enough Pinchuk pipes to offset the shutout in the Russian market, and the collapse of demand in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
Has global warming had a positive impact on emperor penguins? The study has shown that their numbers began to increase over the last 12,000 years when temperatures rose and the sea ice began to decline. This warming would have made it easier for the penguins to access the ocean to feed.
Researchers are unable to determine the future of the largest and heaviest penguin species.
40 Algerian police wounded in anti-shale gas protest Algeria has seen massive investment in shale gas to compensate for declining oil revenues, but faces opposition from people living near the fields. Algeria has the fourth biggest recoverable reserves of shale gas globally, after the United States, China and Argentina.
Turkey to search for oil near PKK's Iraq stronghold "The ongoing peace process (between Turkey and the Kurdish PKK) will pave the way for such initiatives." A cynic could reach the conclusion that a Tukish-Kurdish peace must be paid with liquid black gold.
France divided over cooperation with 'butcher' Assad Despite the vast gains made by the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq and Syria, the French government's line has been and remains that under no circumstances will it cooperate with Assad in the battle against the Islamic militants. But it is a policy that is being questioned by French MPs, even those within the ruling Socialists' own party.
All women over 15 victims of violence in Turkey, survey shows All? The research conducted by the security general directorate also revealed crucial details about the level of sexual violence against young girls.
Some 7 percent of women said they were exposed to sexual violence when they were less than 15 years old.
Turkey handbook for Americans Cut this and save it. You may need it again. These are basics for our country, especially for Americans. These are the areas where they make the biggest mistakes.
Doomsday vault: first tree samples arrive at underground, frozen seed store The "doomsday" vault built into an Arctic mountain, which stores seeds for food crops in case of a natural disaster, has received its first delivery of tree samples.
Norway spruce and Scots pine seeds have arrived at the frozen vault, which is located on Svalbard, an archipelago owned by and north of Norway.
Ukraine's Debt Debacle Even as its conflict with Russian-backed secessionists festers, the Ukrainian government is facing a growing threat on the economic front: A sovereign debt burden that is rapidly becoming unbearable.
Sunday, March 01, 2015
Russia may sign agreement on Turkish Stream in Q2 in 2015. The Turkish Stream is a new pipeline project that was emerged on the table of negotiations after Russia had cancelled the South Stream project last year. The latter presupposed construction of a pipeline across the floor of the Black Sea to the Balkans and farther on to southern and central Europe.
Rand Paul wins CPAC straw poll, Scott Walker close second Pollsters announced Saturday that Paul won 25.7 percent of the votes in the annual survey, giving Paul his third consecutive win in as many years.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker came in second, with 21.4 percent. Sen. Ted Cruz came in third in the contest with 11.5 percent, followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson with 11.4 percent and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with 8.3 percent.
Venezuela to shrink US Embassy staff, require tourist visas Speaking before a crowd that rallied to protest imperialism, President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday that "gringo" meddling had forced him to adopt the series of restrictive measures, which include requiring U.S. diplomats to seek approval from the Foreign Ministry for meetings they conduct here.
Greece's repayments to ECB need discussion - finance minister Greece will prioritize debt repayments to the International Monetary Fund, some of which come due in March, but repayments to the European Central Bank are "in a different league" and will need discussion with Greece's creditors, the country's finance minister said.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Flash - Mugabe admits land reform blunder - France 24. You find that most of them are just using one third of the land," he said, a surprisingly candid admission of charges that the reforms were poorly executed.
In the past, Mugabe has blamed a drastic drop in agricultural production on erratic rains due to climate change and western sanctions, which he said hampered his government's efforts to procure equipment for the farmers.
Spy Cables: 'China behind South Africa nuclear break-ins' The intelligence documents contradict claims made by the South African government and nuclear officials dismissing the 2007 incidents at the Pelindaba Nuclear Research Center as "a piece of random criminality" and a simple "burglary attempt".
Italian coastguard wants to carry weapons The demand is a long-standing one but has been renewed following a recent incident in which traffickers armed with Kalashnikovs threatened coastguards engaged in an operation to rescue thousands of migrants in danger of drowning close to Libya.
It also follows signs that the Islamic State group has established a base in conflict-torn Libya
Libya warns of more air strikes with Egypt against IS Libya's internationally recognised premier threatened new air strikes with Egypt against the Islamic State group in his country, warning Friday that the jihadists were poised to widen their presence there. He reiterated a call for his government to be supplied with arms.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Yemen Protest against Foreign Interference + Video. People have taken to the streets in Yemen to express support for the Houthi Ansarullah movement and the establishment of popular committees amid political turmoil in the country. The participants also lambasted the United States and Saudi Arabia for meddling in the internal affairs of Yemen.
Facebook Can Now Check On Potential Suicide Victims. This latest feature builds from a previous idea implemented by Facebook in 2011. This updated tool will involve a team of trained professionals and access to greater help for any Facebook account holder who is concerned about someone who is having suicidal thoughts.
Westerners In The Fight Against ISIS. Here I find myself, I don't know how else to explain it, finding purpose and meaning in helping these people to overcome Daesh." Not much later James Harking was killed
Ukraine conflict: Spanish suspects held for 'joining rebels' - The suspects were detained in raids in six regions across Spain, the interior ministry said, describing the operation as the first of its kind in Europe.
They face charges of complicity in murder, possession of weapons and violating Spain's neutrality in the conflict.
American atheist blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh. A prominent American blogger of Bangladeshi origin was hacked to death with machetes by unidentified assailants in Dhaka, police said, with the atheist writer's family claiming he had received numerous threats from Islamists.
Nigel Farage on course to win South Thanet for Ukip, says poll. The poll conducted by Survation over the past week shows Farage on 38.6%, Labour on 27.6%, the Conservatives on 26.6%, the Greens on 3.1% and the Liberal Democrats trailing behind with 2%. It is the first time Farage has drawn ahead in what previous polls have said is a tight three-way contest in the Kent constituency.
Leukaemia changes 'almost inevitable', researchers say The study, published in the journal Cell Reports, showed 70% of healthy people in their 90s had genetic errors that could lead to leukaemia.
The researchers warn that the number of cases could soar as life expectancy increases.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Ghana secures $1bn IMF loan in bid to revive economy IMF loans usually come at a terrible cost. The Ghanaian economy had been expanding at about 8% annually on the back of gold, cocoa and oil exports. However, growth fell to 4.2% in 2014 as commodity prices fell and the currency depreciated.
Former Miss Turkey faces prison for 'insulting' President Erdogan The indictment has been completed as a part of an investigation into her post, in which the prosecutor demanded that she be sentenced to one to two years in prison. The Criminal Court of First Instance in Istanbul will now decide whether to initiate proceedings.
Bishop accuses Turkey over Syrian Christians A prominent bishop on Feb. 25 accused Turkey of preventing Christians from fleeing Syria while allowing jihadists responsible for their persecution to cross its border unchecked.
Kerry Asks Congress for Fatter Propaganda Budget "Russia Today (sic) can be heard in English, do we have an equivalent that can be heard in Russian?" Kerry asked the House Appropriations Subcommittee, ostensibly overlooking the fact that Voice of America has been broadcasting in Russian for nearly seven decades.
John Pilgers- Why the rise of fascism is again the issue. For Obama, Cameron and Hollande, Gaddafi's true crime was Libya's economic independence and his declared intention to stop selling Africa's greatest oil reserves in US dollars. The petrodollar is a pillar of American imperial power. Gaddafi audaciously planned to underwrite a common African currency backed by gold,
Judge orders Oracle to keep hosting Oregon's Medicaid system - Houston Chronicle. Judge Geyer said he was more convinced by the testimony of the state's witnesses than by that of Oracle's witnesses, and that the state's case was likely to succeed on its merits. Oracle notified Oregon that it does not intend to renew the contract and would terminate hosting on Saturday. Oregon sued to compel Oracle to continue hosting.
Avycaz: US approves superbug antibiotic. The World Health Organisation warned in April of "a post-antibiotic era" in which common treatable infections would once again become killers. After decades of low investment in antibiotics, pharmaceutical companies are turning their attention back to these drugs because of the spread of superbugs.
Britain to lead the world in Islamic finance. Speaking at The Telegraph's Middle East Congress on Wednesday, Tobias Ellwood, under secretary of state at the Foreign Office, said the capital had ambitions to stand alongside Dubai and Kuala Lumpur as a global hub for Islamic finance.
New theory could prove how life began and disprove God When a group of atoms is exposed for a long time to a source of energy, it will restructure itself to dissipate more energy. The emergence of life might not be the luck of atoms arranging themselves in the right way, it says, but an inevitable event if the conditions are correct.
Cyprus signs deal to allow Russian navy to use ports Russia has signed an agreement with Cyprus to give Russian navy ships access to Cypriot ports. President Putin said that other countries should not be concerned and that the port's main use would be for counter-terrorism and anti-piracy.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Enquete: Europeanen in toenemende mate eurosceptisch. Slechts 53% van de Duitsers heeft nog vertrouwen in de EU, terwijl dit bij de Fransen, de Spanjaarden en de Polen nog slechts bij 40% van de mensen het geval is. In Groot-Brittannie bedraagt de instemming nog maar 28%. Verrassend laag is het resultaat in Italie: met 27% de hekkesluiter.
Africa is new 'El Dorado of espionage', leaked intelligence files reveal. The continent has increasingly become the focus of international spying as the battle for its resources has intensified, China's economic role has grown dramatically, and the US and other western states have rapidly expanded their military presence and operations in a new international struggle for Africa.
Africans look to Chinese-built east Africa railway network - Xinhua. African people are awaiting a Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project set to run from Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa to Rwanda's capital Kigali through Uganda, the latest in a spate of efforts to facilitate transportation and boost trade in the eastern Africa region. It is expected to cover a distance of about 2,935 km.
Black Plague dynamics are driven by climate variation. In short; a change in climate in central Asia can create the perfect environment for gerbils, the prime carriers of the black plague. The flea invested rats in Europe were only temporary hosts to this plague bacillus but were still able to kill up to a third of the population.
Study That Paid Patients to Take H.I.V. Drugs Fails. Paying patients in the Bronx and in Washington, where infection rates are high among poor blacks and Hispanics, up to $280 a year to take their pills daily improved overall adherence rates very little, the study's authors said.
Amnesty calls on UN powers to lose veto on genocide votes AI argues that if the use of the veto in the Security Council had already been restrained in this way then it could have prevented Russia using its veto repeatedly to block UN action over the violence in Syria. This might have resulted in President Bashar al-Assad being referred to the International Criminal Court.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Ukraine army to be trained by UK troops - Cameron The prime minister told a House of Commons committee that up to 75 British soldiers divided into four teams would go to an area well away from the conflict zone to provide medical, logistics, intelligence and infantry skills.
UN climate head Rajendra Pachauri resigns The head of the UN climate change panel (IPCC), Rajendra Pachauri, has resigned amid sexual harassment allegations. In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Mr Pachauri said he was unable to provide strong leadership.
Rev. Al Sharpton to lose daily show on MSNBC. In the longer term, these sources said, the Rev. Al Sharpton, a larger-than-life personality who attracts a 35 percent African-American audience but continues, after 3½ years of nightly practice, to wrestle with his Teleprompter could eventually be moved from his weeknight 6 p.m. slot to a weekend time period
Man who had sex with a postbox is found dead. Greater Manchester Police are not treating his death as suspicious, but believe that it may have been drug related.
Last month, Wigan Magistrates court heard how Bennett had been spotted rubbing himself against the post box with his trousers down, before raising his arms in a star position, shouting 'wow'.
NSA director defends plan to maintain 'backdoors' into technology companies. The National Security Agency director, Mike Rogers, on Monday sought to calm a chorus of doubts about the government's plans to maintain built-in access to data held by US technology companies, saying such "backdoors" would not be harmful to privacy, would not fatally compromise encryption and would not ruin international markets for US technology products.
'MIVD beinvloedde drie Kamerleden'. De Nationale Ombudsman gaat onderzoeken of de militaire geheime dienst MIVD drie Kamerleden heeft 'bewerkt' om zich niet langer in te spannen voor oud-defensie-medewerker Ismail Selvi.
Local bankers join Fed against Rand Paul. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is championing a so-called 'audit-the-Fed' bill in Congress. But it's getting pushback from a corner Sen. Paul may have thought was on his side: some of the more than 6,000 community banks around the country.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Kiev says cannot withdraw heavy weapons as attacks persist. The Ukrainian military said it could not pull weapons from the front as required under the tenuous truce, as long as its troops were still under attack.Kiev and its Western allies say they fear the rebels, backed by reinforcements of Russian troops, are planning to advance deeper into territory the Kremlin calls "New Russia".
Turkey denies cooperation with Kurdish PYD, calls it a terrorist organization Turkey did not contact the armed wing of the Syrian Kurds' Democratic Union Party (PYD) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) prior to the evacuation operation of its troops from an historic Ottoman tomb inside Syria, a spokesperson said, reiterating the country still regards the PYD as a terrorist organization.
Turkey avoided blackmailing with evacuation operation: Erdogan Turkey's evacuation of a historic tomb in northern Syria prevents the enclave from being used for "blackmailing," President Erdogan has said, dismissing critics of the operation conducted by the Turkish army to relocate artifacts from the enclave and protect troops guarding the site.
Britain will not send arms to Ukraine: minister William Hague, who was foreign secretary until last year and is still a minister seen as close to Prime Minister David Cameron, said governments should think "very, very carefully" about such a move.
Iran forming 'third front' against Israel on Golan: Netanyahu "Alongside Iran's direct guidance of Hezbollah's actions in the north and Hamas's in the south, Iran is trying also to develop a third front on the Golan Heights via the thousands of Hezbollah fighters who are in southern Syria and over which Iran holds direct command," he said.
Foundation cash could pose Hillary Clinton campaign risks. The former secretary of state has struggled with some recent bad headlines over large donations given to the foundation by foreign governments in the past two years, and the $200 million-plus the organization has raised since 2013, ahead of her anticipated White House campaign.
'Citizenfour' wins Oscar for best documentary "The disclosures that Edward Snowden reveals don't only expose a threat to our privacy but to our democracy itself. When the most important decisions being made affecting all of us are made in secret, we lose our ability to check the powers that control," Poitras said after accepting the best documentary Academy Award.
News Guide: Myanmar troops, ethnic rebels in fierce fighting China's government has disavowed any links with the militants, saying it respects Myanmar's sovereignty and that it will not allow any group to use Chinese territory to destabilize the neighboring country. Still, Myanmar officials have said former Chinese soldiers have trained the militants. The rebels are led by ethnic Chinese.
New US Pentagon chief convenes unusual counter-IS meeting in Kuwait Carter summoned several three-star and four-star generals, including Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command - as well as presidential envoys John Allen and Brett McGurk and U.S. ambassadors from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations.
Hungarian PM Viktor Orban loses two-thirds 'super-majority'. The so-called "super-majority" allowed Prime Minister Viktor Orban to pass a new constitution and other laws without support from other parties.
Critics of Mr Orban say the majority removed vital checks and balances and threatened Hungary's democracy.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Maldives arrests pro western ex-president for his move to arrest judge Nasheed's party called for his release and his supporters protested in the capital, Male, following the arrest in a sign that the Indian Ocean archipelago nation, in just its seventh year of multiparty democracy following 30 years of autocratic rule, could be plunging into political uncertainty.
The Koch Brothers Raised $249 Million at Their Latest Donor Summit. At their most recent retreat in Southern California two weeks ago, the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch and 450 of their donor-allies announced plans to spend $889 million over the next two years to influence state and federal elections and shape the national discourse.
Bill O'Reilly Has His Own Brian Williams Problem. O'Reilly has repeatedly told his audience that he was a war correspondent during the Falklands war and that he experienced combat during that 1982 conflict between the United Kingdom* and Argentina. Now his (then camera man tells us that was a big whopping lie.
Ukrainian Carnage Leaves 'Zombies' Behind in Debaltseve Most who remain in Debaltseve are rebel supporters who repeat the Russian narrative.
"Ukrainians call us separatists," said Natalya, 59, who emerged from a basement in town after the fighting. "But we don't have a single Russian here. Every fighter in town is one of us."
Turkey evacuates troops at historic tomb in Syria, one soldier killed Turkey has evacuated its military personnel protecting the Tomb of Suleyman Åžah in northern Syria as well as the artifacts in the mausoleum by an operation jointly conducted by the intelligence organization and the Turkish army, few days after reports suggested that the tomb was besieged by ISIL
Turkish military enters Syria to evacuate troops guarding tomb. The Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said 100 military vehicles, including 39 tanks, were involved in the operation. Coalition forces fighting Isis in the area were informed of the operation once it was under way, he said.
Davutoglu said the tomb would be moved to a "new location" in Syria under Turkish control.
U.S. Oil Workers' Union Expands Biggest Plant Strike Since 1980 This can not be good for US oil independence. The United Steelworkers, which represents 30,000 U.S. oil workers, called on four more plants to join the biggest strike since 1980 as talks dragged on with Royal Dutch Shell Plc, negotiating a labor contract for oil companies.
EOG Resources: U.S. Oil Output Will Fall Business. The US government says exactly the opposite. The only thing that keeps some of the US producers pumping is that they hedged there risk against falling prices. Those that did not will wait for higher prices for oil and gas.
UK media anger over Telegraph suicide story The Daily Telegraph was accused of launching a "desperate" smear campaign against rival newspapers yesterday to deflect attention from claims that it routinely suppressed news stories to placate an important advertiser.
Yemen crisis: Rebel actions 'illegitimate', says ex-president. Yemen's ousted President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi has accused the Houthi militia that seized power last month of staging a coup. Speaking from his political stronghold in the southern city of Aden, he said he was still the president.
He called upon world powers "to reject the coup".
Will your favourite soft drink give you cancer? Consumers are being exposed to an "avoidable and unnecessary cancer risk" from an ingredient being added to soft drinks, according to a new study. This ingredient is the "caramel color". Caramel or burnt sugar has long been linked to cancer.
Turkish army relieves Syria enclave. Turkish troops relieved the garrison at Suleyman Shah's mausoleum - a tiny enclave of Turkey where the forefather of the Ottoman empire is buried. Leaked tapes revealed over a year ago that Turkey was planning to use this enclave for a false flag attack.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Missile Confusion: Turkey's Dance with the Chinese. First the chinese won the tender to built a missile system for NATO member Turkey. After protests from the US and the EU they did not. Then they sort of did again but the system will not be integrated with the NATO systems.
Biometric Cyprus ID cards soon - InCyprus. These biometrics go beyond simple information on hair and eye colour, height or weight. Biometric ID's typically include information on fingerprints, images of the iris, skin patterns, and face features that are not easily changed with age.
FSB Says Nearly 2,000 Russians Fighting in Iraq. The number of Russians fighting there has almost doubled in the past year, Alexander Bortnikov said at a summit in Washington devoted to combating violent extremism hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama. He said that up to 20,000 foreigners from as many as 100 countries were fighting on the side of the terrorists
Afghanistan conflict: Ash Carter makes first visit. He revealed little to reporters travelling with him about any future policy shifts.
The current plan is to reduce US troops to 5,500 by the end of this year, a policy that has drawn sharp criticism from Republicans in Congress.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has also said he wants the withdrawal slowed
Friday, February 20, 2015
Greece and eurozone creditors reach deal on loan. Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the eurozone's top official, says a deal has been agreed that will extend Greece's loans for another four months. In return, Greece has committed to not pursue any "unilateral" measures that may affect the country's budget targets.
US names special envoy to Colombian peace process Bernard Aronson, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for Inter-American Affairs is to play a role in the talks in Havana between Colombia and the FARC rebels. Ironically the nation that has most to lose from a peace deal is the US.
French minister meets with Google, Facebook, Twitter The French interior minister is meeting with representatives from Google, Facebook and Twitter to encourage them to join the European Union in its fight against propaganda disseminated online by terrorist groups.
Libya violence: Islamic State attack 'kills 40' in al-Qubbah. Three bombs exploded, targeting a petrol station, a police station and the home of parliamentary speaker Agila Salah, a security source told BBC News. According to an online statement, IS fighters said they struck in retaliation for Egyptian air strikes.
Kim Jong-un defies gravity itself with new haircut. Doing away with his previous look, a centre-parted shaved-sides cut, his new look, a Brylcreemed crest, is startlingly similar to the flat top, a late-1980s style popularised by hip hop acts like Kid 'n Play, and most recently seen on the catwalk at Christopher Raeburn and MAN at last month's men's collections.
It's So Cold That Arctic Owls Have Come to NYC About seven snowy owls have been spotted this year in the New York City area, mostly in coastal parts of Queens and Brooklyn. But for what bird experts think is the first time ever, they've also started to gentrify Governors Island.
ISIS Supporters Target Charlie Hebdo Survivor. The Islamic State supporters are calling for lone-wolf attacks against her online with a hashtag translated as #MustKillZinebElRhazouiInRetaliationForTheProphet. It's been attached to thousands of tweets over the last 24 hours.
90 Pounds Of Cocaine Found On Cargo Ship Owned By Anti-Drug Senator's Family. The drugs were found on the Ping May, which is a vessel operated by the Foremost Maritime Corporation, a company owned by Mitch McConnell's in-laws, the Chao family. This connection is not only relevant because of the family connection, but also because the Chao family has often made large donations to McConnell's campaigns.
One in five Dutch doctors would help physically healthy patients die. The research, in which almost 1,500 GPs, geriatric care doctors and clinical specialists answered a detailed, anonymous survey, also found that 2% of them said they had taken part in such euthanasia or assisted suicide without medical grounds for a patient who was suffering, even though this is prohibited under Dutch law.
Poroshenko's Family Evacuated to Germany? It is February again, a time of the year when Ukrainian leaders traditionally run the risk of being kicked out of office. Last year it happened to Yanukovich, who fled to Russia. Rumors are that Poroshenko has brought his own family into safety, not in Russia but in Germany, as reported in several Ukrainian and Russian newspapers.
Pussy Riot Nuland. There are increasingly signs that Merkel and Hollande operated behind the backs of the Americans, when they traveled to Minsk last week, in an attempt to reach an agreement between the warring factions. During a closed-door meeting at the Munich Security Summit, Nuland fumed that the Europeans needed to be fought:
The Great SIM Heist: How Spies Stole the Keys to the Encryption Castle. The company targeted by the intelligence agencies, Gemalto, is a multinational firm incorporated in the Netherlands that makes the chips used in mobile phones and next-generation credit cards. Among its clients are AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and some 450 wireless network providers around the world
Thursday, February 19, 2015
FU NATO - Turkey to go ahead with non-NATO-integrated missile defense Turkey's new defense missile system, for which Ankara is in talks on a $3.4 billion deal with a Chinese company, will not be integrated with one used by NATO, Defense Minister Yilmaz has said. Note that integration would have meant Turkey could not fire on Israeli or Greek fighter planes.
Russia and Hungary Agree on New Gas Contract / Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban has thanked Vladimir Putin for agreeing to drop the principle of 'take or pay' for the new contract, which replaces the previous agreement signed in 1996.
De nieuwe oliecrisis in Nederland. De dalende vraag is slecht nieuws voor Nederland. De omzet in aardolie / chemische industrie (alles met olie als o.a. grondstof) zag in het Q4 de omzet gemiddeld 18% dalen (y-o-y). De aardolie- en chemische industrie zijn samen goed voor 1/3e van de Nederlandse industrieele omzet.
Measles makes its mark all over again: One of humanity's oldest foes is back on the increase independent.co.uk
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Hong Kong's leader wants his people to be more like sheep. Quote; "Last year was no easy ride for Hong Kong. In the coming year, I hope that all people in Hong Kong will take inspiration from the sheep's character and pull together in an accommodating manner to work for Hong Kong's future. Sheep are widely seen to be mild and gentle animals living peacefully in groups."
South Africa's power outages dimming economic outlook Now, with heavy industry told to reduce consumption by at least 10 percent and the country's growth forecast revised downward, the government is scrambling to allay investor jitters and calm public angst.
Eskom began rolling blackouts, or load shedding, in Africa's most advanced economy in 2008, as its crumbling infrastructure has battled to meet ballooning demand since the end of apartheid in 1994.
ISIS plans to invade Europe through Libya The plans, analyzed by anti-terrorism British think tank Quilliam, outline a strategy to illegally ferry fighters across the sea from Libya into southern Europe, into ports such as Italy's southernmost island of Lampedusa, less than 300 miles (483km) away.
Ukraine troops retreat from key town of Debaltseve. President Poroshenko said: "Debaltseve was under our control, there was no encirclement, and our troops left the area in a planned and organised manner." He called for "a firm reaction from the world to Russia's brutal violation of the Minsk agreements, the ceasefire regime and the withdrawal of heavy weaponry".
Alien star system buzzed the Sun. Observations of the dim star's trajectory suggest that 70,000 years ago this cosmic infiltrator passed within 0.8 light years of the Sun. By comparison, Proxima Centauri is 4.2 light years away.
Can de-industrialisation be reversed? Apparently it can. According to the Brookings Institution, advanced industries - hi-tech manufacturing and skilled services - where one fifth of employees have STEM - science, technology, engineering and maths skills - have led the US recovery.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Portugal - Crime drops again Crime in Portugal continues to fall, according to figures from last year, which show that 2014 continued a downward trend that spans a decade. This coincides with the decriminalizing of drugs in 2001. Coincidence?
Video: Kosovo migrants flee poverty for better life in Europe The town of Palic in northern Serbia is the last stop for many migrants before illegally crossing the border into Hungary, a member of the 28-nation EU. Some have suggested that these Albanians are deliberately sent into Hungary to cause trouble
3,800 migrants flee Libya's rising danger since Friday. Most have risked their lives to flee Libya which has been rocked increasingly by civil war for much of the last year. Hundreds have died during the perilous journey across the Mediterranean. Perhaps it's no surprise that Libyans too want to leave.
European court rejects Polish appeal in CIA jail case Poland must now pay compensation to two men who were held in this CIA jail, and must quickly bring to a conclusion a criminal investigation into whether Polish officials were guilty of allowing the jail to operate.
Syria army seeks to cut Aleppo rebel supply line "The regime troops have two goals in the area: to cut the road leading from Aleppo to the Turkish border, which is the key supply road for the rebels and to open the way to (besieged) Nubol and Zahraa"
Egypt's Sisi urges UN resolution for military intervention in Libya Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Feb. 17 urged the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution allowing for an international military intervention in troubled Libya. "There is no other choice. Taking into account that the Libyan people must agree that we act to restore security and stability," Sisi said
Turkey won't decide on air defense deal before Apr. 24 This bid originally went to China and all hell broke loose. A senior diplomat confirmed that Ankara first wants to see the U.S. and French positions on the 1915 Armenian "genocide claims" before awarding a sizeable contract "to a bidder potentially from one of these countries."
Nicaragua Seeks EU Support on Canal Construction. This move is aimed at seeking technological expertise in building the canal from countries like the Netherlands and Denmark during the 2015-2020 construction period, especially with respect to meeting high environmental and social responsibility standards
New Silk Road Fund officially begins operations. The new $40 billion Silk Road Fund has opened its doors for business, according to China's central bank. The new fund will operate like a long-term private equity venture and is focused on improving links between China and various Central Asian states.
CIA 'bought chemical weapons from a secret seller in Iraq' In an effort dubbed Operation Avarice, the CIA worked with American troops in Iraq to buy and destroy at least 400 Borak rockets. Saddam Hussein's government manufactured the rockets in the 1980s, along with other chemical weapons.
West must learn to live with Putin, former MI6 head warns. Sir John Sawers, the former head of MI6, has warned against stepping up pressure on Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, over Ukraine and said any change in power in the Kremlin "may well be for the worse".
The west would have to learn to live with Putin, however unpalatable that may seem
Monday, February 16, 2015
Ukraine Agrees To Monsanto Land Grab For $17 Billion IMF Loan. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) is helping biotech run the latest war in Ukraine. Make no mistake that what is happening in the Ukraine now is deeply tied to the interests of Monsanto, Dow, Bayer, and other big players in the poison food game.
5 plaintiffs drop pimping accusations against DSK. Five of six plaintiffs in a high-profile French prostitution trial have dropped their accusations against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, arguing that there isn't enough proof that the former International Monetary Fund chief violated the law.
UN council endorses delay to Sri Lanka war crimes report It was only meant to get rid of the losing pro Chinese President anyway, so it is of no use now. The new Colombo government plans as a first step to take a victim and witness protection law to parliament Thursday and then to set up a South African-style truth and reconciliation commission
Sweden: Rape Capital of the West. Forty years after the Swedish parliament unanimously decided to change the formerly homogenous Sweden into a multicultural country, violent crime has increased by 300% and rapes by 700%. Sweden is now number two on the list of rape countries, surpassed only by Lesotho in Southern Africa.
Jordan sentences senior Brotherhood leader to 18 months Jordanian court Sunday sentenced a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood to 18 months in prison for criticising a decision by the United Arab Emirates to blacklist his organisation. Another reason Jordan will not invade Syria; it needs it's army to quell domestic unrest.
Erdogan says not bothered by 'isolation' on world stage. He suggested other world leaders might be "jealous" of him for speaking his mind on major issues, but that ordinary people supported him.
Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003 as prime minister and then president, admitted he no longer enjoyed good relations with US President Barack Obama.
Egypt 'bombs IS in Libya' after beheadings video. Egypt says it has bombed Islamic State targets in Libya, hours after the group published video showing the apparent beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians.
State TV said the dawn strikes had targeted camps, training sites and weapons storage areas.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Thailand boosts military ties with China amid US spat. China and Thailand agreed on Friday to boost military ties over the next five years, from increasing intelligence sharing to fighting transnational crime, as the ruling junta seeks to counterbalance the country's alliance with Washington.
Bahrain offers units to help Jordan 'fight terror'. Bahrain added that its decision to support Jordan militarily stems from the "solid brotherly ties of brotherhood and solidarity bonding the two kingdoms throughout history." No further details were revealed. Jordan and Bahrain are members of a U.S.-led coalition against ISIL
UN Security council to urge Huthis to step aside in Yemen Calling for the militia, known as Huthis, to act "immediately and unconditionally," the council's 15 member states will demand the group "withdraw their forces from government institutions... and relinquish government and security institutions," according to a draft of the resolution.
Myanmar troops recover bodies of 13 rebels in renewed clash The ethnic Chinese Kokang rebels used to be part of the now-defunct Burmese Communist Party until a cease-fire was signed with the then-military government in 1989. China's role in all this turmoil is ambivalent at best, granting the rebels sanctuary across the border.
3,000 on strike at Canadian Pacific Railway after talks fail In 2012, the federal government passed legislation to force an end to a nine-day strike by some 4,800 members of the Teamsters union and CP Rail employees.
It was estimated at the time that a prolonged strike would cost the Canadian economy $540 million a week.
Sri Lanka's new leader makes Indian capital 1st visit abroad India, with its own sizeable Tamil population, has voiced concern and has urged Sri Lanka to heed international demands for an independent investigation into alleged war crimes. Actually this is about Sri Lanka becoming too close to China under the last President.
South Pasadena woman told to be quarantined after sister gets measles. She said she received a call on Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and got a visit by the local health department."(They were) saying I need to get vaccinated and I need to be quarantined, otherwise I'm going to go to jail or something, or I'm going to get a misdemeanor"
Dutch MP calls for removal of all mosques in Netherlands De Graaf's party, which is led by right-wing politician Geert Wilders, has been a vocal critic of Muslims and immigrants living in the country, but his words mark the first time that the request for the complete closure of mosques has been expressed.
Dozens detained around Turkey in school boycott Protesters, consisting of union and association members, teachers, parents and students, gathered in front of schools and marched in several cities across Turkey, including Istanbul, Ankara, Ä°zmir EskiÅŸehir, Edirne, Artvin, Denizli and Antalya.
'Next Pinatubo' a test of geoengineering. Scientists who study ideas to engineer the climate to mitigate global warming say we should be ready to deploy an armada of instrumentation when Earth has its next major volcanic eruption.
DNB moet pensioenfonds 4,8 miljoen betalen in goudzaak De centrale bank heeft het fonds ten onrechte gedwongen een deel van de goudvoorraad te verkopen.
Volgens de rechtbank in Rotterdam is aannemelijk gemaakt dat het goud in 2011 in verschillende fases zou zijn verkocht voor een hogere prijs, als het fonds niet was gedwongen tot verkoop.
Iceland reiterates that it will not be joining EU. The far left, the right and also the right of the centre in Iceland were all against joining the bloc, and these are the parties that traditionally speak for Iceland's farmers' association and ship-owners' lobby -- the "special interest groups" with the most power in the country.
Map of birthrates in Europe. Italy's birth rate drops to lowest in 150 years as it's government scrambles to give economy a boost. Many other european nations are not doing much better.
Nazi Chic: The Asian Fashion Craze That Just Won't Die. Known widely as Nazi chic, it's different from the skinhead or punk swag you find in the West. The trend stretches beyond Korea—in China it was fashionable to dress up like Nazi officers in wedding photos, and a Hong Kong store once hung Nazi banners throughout their shop.
Major Video Game Companies Agree to Share Customer Data with the US Government. So far, Apple, Intel, Bank of America, US Bank, Pacific Gas & Electric, AIG, QVC, Walgreens, and Kaiser Permanente have all signed up to use a new cybersecurity framework that could facilitate future information sharing (but doesn't appear to include that provision now), according to the White House.
Oil slump not necessarily bad news for climate "In most (electricity) markets, renewables are not competing with oil, they're competing with natural gas and coal," said Alden Meyer, an analyst at a US NGO, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
The question whether gas and coal will track oil in its extreme movements is unresolved for now
But already, more and more high-end oil projects -- deeper-water and marginal fields and tar sands, for instance -- are being shelved.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Ex-Georgian president says will coordinate Ukraine arms supplies issue. Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who was appointed Friday as the chairman of Ukraine's international consultative reform council, will coordinate the issue of arms supplies to Kiev. "Now it is most important to help Ukraine with weapons. Over the next several days, I will be coordinating this," Saakashvili said.
Brit troop carriers sent to Ukraine. Reports in the conflict-hit country said 20 Saxon armoured personnel carriers had been delivered and a further 55 were to follow, but the MoD did not confirm the figures.
Ukraine: UK armoured cars delivered to Ukraine. Former British military Saxon armoured vehicles have been delivered to Ukraine by a private firm. The Ministry of Defence confirmed these were out-of-service unarmed vehicles and not lethal equipment. The vehicles were transferred under a 2013 deal that pre-dated the current conflict.
Portugal looks to repay IMF debt early The amount is roughly half that handed to Portugal by the institution and about a fifth of the total given to the country by the bailout Troika, which in addition to the IMF, also consists of the European Commission and the European Central Bank.
Turks boycott schools, protest to demand secular education Secular Turks opposed to President Erdogan boycotted schools and took to the streets to demand a secular education and denounce a claimed creeping Islamisation of the schools system. The protests were led by Turkey's largest religious minority the Alevis, who adhere to an offshoot of Shia Islam
US judge tosses coastal damage suit against oil companies U.S. District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown dismissed the suit in a complex 49-page ruling rejecting the board's contention that, under federal laws, the energy companies had a duty to protect the flood board from the effects of coastal erosion.
UN ends support for Congo military offensive against rebels The United Nations has repeatedly warned Congo in recent days over Gen. Bruno Mundevu and Gen. Fall Sikabwe, saying they are known to be heavily involved in "massive human rights violations" and should be replaced before the U.N. supports the offensive.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Google's Vint Cerf warns of 'digital Dark Age'. Vint Cerf, a "father of the internet", says he is worried that all the images and documents we have been saving on computers will eventually be lost as hardware and software become obsolete. So future generations will have little or no record of the 21st Century as we enter what he describes as a "digital Dark Age".
Chinese Imams Forced to Dance and Denounce Prayer In another crackdown on religious freedoms, China has forced the imams of eastern Muslim majority district of Xinjiang to dance in the street, and swear to an oath that they will not teach religion to children as well telling them that prayer is harmful to the soul.
Why Is The Death Toll Tumbling In The North Caucasus? Since 2010, the overall death toll has fallen by more than half, from 754 to 341 in 2014. Those figures are misleading, however, given diverging trends in the number of fatalities among insurgents, on the one hand, and police and security personnel, on the other.
The War Against Tor: Russia Takes Aim At Popular Web Anonymizer. Russia's state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor's press secretary, Vadim Ampelonsky, derided Tor users as "ghouls" and likened the program to a hangout for criminals. He seconded the call for it to be blocked, saying it is "technically complex, but solvable."
Internet analysts, however, are skeptical.
Italy is a 'dying country' says minister as birth rate plummets. The mortality rate also declined last year, stretching life expectancy for Italian men to 80.2 years, and to 84.9 years for women.
"We are very close to the threshold of non-renewal where the people dying are not replaced by new-borns. That means we are a dying country," Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin said.
Turkey determined to proceed with TANAP Southern Gas Corridor The 3,500-kilometer-long Southern Gas Corridor is slated to carry natural gas beginning in Azerbaijan in the east near the Caspian Sea, then passing through Turkish territory to reach Greece in the west, and then further on to Albania and Italy.
Obama to discuss cybersecurity with tech bosses. US President Barack Obama and Apple's Tim Cook are among the speakers at a cybersecurity summit on Friday.
The meeting at Stanford University in California will bring together industry and law enforcement.
It follows Obama's launch of an intelligence unit to co-ordinate analysis of cyber-threats.
US 'at risk of mega-drought future'. Places like California are already facing very dry conditions, but these are quite gentle compared with some periods in the 12th and 13th Centuries.
Scientists have now compared these earlier droughts with climate simulations for the coming decades.
The study suggests events unprecedented in the last millennium may lie ahead.
Scientists in US are urged to seek contact with aliens. Scientists at a US conference have said it is time to try actively to contact intelligent life on other worlds.
Researchers involved in the search for extra-terrestrial life are considering what the message from Earth should be.
Do dogs know a happy face? Yes they can, the scientists showed the dogs images , either of human faces they had not seen in their training, or of just half a human face.
Enriching the rich in the US - but what about the rest? During the economic boom of the 1950s in the United States, the top 1% gained a bit more than the rest - grabbing some 5% of the incomes gained during expansions. But now the top 1% accounts for 95% of the income gains after the great recession of 2008, leaving the bottom 99% with just 5% of the income gains.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
2015 World Press Freedom Index. What is the state of press freedom in your country? What worries me is that my home country ranks number 4 in press freedom and I can assure you that journalism here is crap. The other 176 must be even worse!
World Press Freedom Index 2015: decline on all fronts - Reporters Without Borders. Finland has been in first place for five years followed by Norway and Denmark. Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea, in last place, were the worst performers. France is ranked 38th (up one place), the United States 49th (down three places), Japan 61st (down two places), Brazil 99 (up 12 places), Russia 152 (down four places), Iran 173rd (unchanged) and China 176th (down one place).
Egypt 'agrees deal to buy French fighter jets' Egypt is set to sign an agreement to buy 24 French Rafale fighter jets along with a navy frigate and missiles in a deal worth more than 5 billion. Egypt is all but bankrupt, I wonder how they are going to pay for these?
Turkish government could soon start negotiations with the PKK The PKK launched an armed campaign in 1984 with the aim of carving out a Kurdish state out of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria but subsequently changed its strategy to push for autonomous rights after the capture of its leader in Kenya in a joint MIT and CIA operation on Feb. 15, 1999. Some 40,000 people have been killed so far.
Iran commander Suleimani says ISIL 'nearing end' This Iranian general is supposed to be a military genius. He saved Assad by remodelling Syria's army and arming the population and is doing the same in Iraq. Suleimani also said Tehran's regional influence was growing.
Turkey-EU parliamentary meeting delayed a month amid cool relations EU German Christian Democrat party member Renate Sommer suggested that the Turkish government backed away from the meeting because it feared possible reactions from European parliamentarians, particularly over the issues of press freedom and the ongoing Cyprus tension.
Russia repeats offer of Greek aid ahead of EU talks. Greek media say Cyprus' experience of trying to negotiate a Russian bailout has taught Athens to be wary. Russia back in 2012 also floated a counter-offer to the EU's Cyprus rescue. But it tied its help to concessions, including rights for Russian firms to exploit maritime gas fields and to open a military base on its territory.
Eurogroup, Greece fail to agree on bailout extension. The seven-hour long talks were praised for "covering a lot of ground" and for allowing Greece's Yanis Varoufakis to make his case ahead of a regular Eurogroup meeting next Monday, Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem told press.
"For some, an extension of the bailout programme was the preferred option, but we are not quite there yet. We will discuss this more on Monday".
Most US firms feel 'targeted' by China: survey An American Chamber of Commerce survey found 57 per cent of respondents believed foreign firms are being singled out in China's pricing, anti-monopoly and anti-corruption campaigns under President Xi Jinping.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
EU experimenteert met 'anti-geruchtagenten'. Barcelona kent een speciaal anti-geruchtenproject dat erop gericht is "geruchten over minderheden en immigranten" tegen te gaan ten gunste van "correcte informatie". Dit gebeurt met "anti-geruchtenagenten", die speciaal getraind zijn in "antigeruchten-argumenten".
Het project wordt gefinancierd door de Europese Commissie en de Raad van Europa.
German exports hit record high in 2014. Germany exported a record 1.13 trillion euros ($1.28 trillion) worth of goods and services last year - 3.7 percent more than in 2013. but the trade with Russia slumped by about a fifth over the year in 2014 because of the sanctions.
Human rights Watch: Indonesia 'Virginity Tests' Run Amok. Female high school students have a new hurdle to graduation: a municipal government-imposed "virginity test." A proposal unveiled explicitly aims to bar female high school students who have engaged in premarital sex from receiving the high school diploma they have earned. Boys are exempt from the requirement
Melting snow being used by police to find cannabis farms in the Netherlands The wintry weather is proving to be a surprising foil to drug lords in the Netherlands as the lack of snow on roofs can give them away. The warmth required for cannabis farms usually makes them hotter than surrounding properties, meaning the one house in the street with a bare roof may have more inside than bad loft insulation.
U.S. Navy censures three admirals in bribery scandal. The admirals improperly accepted gifts, two "improperly endorsed a commercial business," and one solicited gifts and services when they were stationed in the Pacific region in 2006-2007, the navy statement said.
Censure letters effectively derail an officer's career and in this case, the three officers will be allowed to retire, officials said.
Steeds meer mensen met meer dan een baan. Het aantal Nederlanders met meer dan een baan is de afgelopen decennia sterk gegroeid. In 1986 had 3 procent meerdere banen, in 2012 was dat 8 procent. Eenderde van hen werkt meer dan veertig uur per week.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Oil and Gas in Mozambique - Overview. Substantial reserves of natural gas have been established and Mozambique is likely to become a major producer of gas in the area in the medium term.
Australian mammals on brink of 'extinction calamity'. Australia has lost one in ten of its native mammals species over the last 200 years in what conservationists describe as an "extinction calamity". The decline is mainly due to predation by the feral cat and the red fox, which were introduced from Europe. Large scale fires to manage land are also having an impact.
EU energy consumption level falls to 20-year low. The dramatic drop in annual consumption -- in 2013, the year to which the new research applies, it was down by more than 9% from its 2006 peak -- reflects in part the continuing economic troubles in the eurozone, but also efforts taken by member states and businesses to cut energy use and improve efficiency.
Low-fat diet advice was based on undercooked science. An international team of health scientists has completed a systematic study of the evidence available back in the 1970s and '80s and concluded that a relationship of causation between fat consumption and coronary heart disease was never established.
Anwar Ibrahim guilty in sodomy case. Malaysian appeals court upholds conviction against prominent Western backed opposition figure who has been targeted with successive prosecutions
Halt-cursus drinkende jongeren faalt. De cursus 'Nee zeggen tegen alcohol' van Halt heeft geen effect. De cursus was bedoeld om jongeren van de drank af te helpen, maar uit een evaluatie blijkt dat de jongeren na zes maanden weer net zoveel drinken als voor de cursus.
Monday, February 09, 2015
The New Great Game Round-Up: February 9, 2015. The "New Great Game" is the geopolitical struggle for control of Central Asia. This is a good source to keep up to date, check out this headline; "Chechen Rebels" Busy in Syria & Ukraine, Can't Liberate Chechnya
Youth Unemployment, Income Inequality Keep Rising. The world's youth unemployment rate may be "six or seven times" what the International Labor Organisation's (ILO) latest figures state, according to a global youth advocacy group.One of the report's major findings is the worldwide unemployment rate among 15 to 24-year-olds of 13 percent, or 74 million youths, is set to rise.
The Elizabeth Warren Insurgency. Across the country, progressive activists have called on Warren to get into the 2016 presidential race, urging the Massachusetts Senator to mount a primary challenge against presumptive Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
Libya's Hariga oil export port shut by strike. Hariga in Tobruk was the last functioning export port apart from two offshore fields. It used to export around 120,000 barrels a day. All other ports and most oilfields have shut down due to fighting nearby or pipeline blockages.
Germany rejects Greek claim for WWII reparations. Germany denies owing anything more to Greece for World War Two after the 115 million deutsche marks it paid in 1960. But Athens has said it always considered that money as only an initial payment, with the rest of its claims to be discussed after German reunification, which eventually came in 1990.
China involved in six nuclear projects in Pakistan -source. The report claims that these projects indicates that the much debated civilian nuclear cooperation between the two countries will go ahead despite concerns voiced that it is in contravention of Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) guidelines.
At least 25 migrants died in Mediterranean Sea after being rescued by Italian coast guard Two Italian patrol boats picked up 105 migrants late on Sunday from the boat drifting in extreme sea conditions, with waves as high as 8 metres (26 feet) and temperatures just a few degrees above zero, the coast guard said in a statement.
The migrants then spent around 18 hours on the decks of the small patrol boats taking them to Lampedusa, buffeted by high winds and spray, and at least 25 died en route of hypothermi
Turkey to send 80 students more to Russia for nuke training "In line with the intergovernmental agreement between Turkey and Russia to establish a nuclear plant in the southern province of Akkuyu, we are preparing to send 80 more students to Russia to get nuclear energy education. Some 300 students have already been to Russia for the same purpose"
Is Turkey becoming the center of regional crises? It is now an open secret that not only "love" but also "trust" (and convenience) has been lost between the U.S./Western powers and Turkey for some time. After all, if marriages of love come to an end, it is a romantic tragedy, but if marriages of convenience come to an end, it is a serious crisis.
Turkey, Russia's Gazprom survey new pipeline route Turkey's energy minister and Russia's Gazprom chief took a helicopter ride over the Black Sea to survey a possible route for the "Turkish Stream" pipeline. Maros Sefkovic, vice president of the European Commission's Energy Union, had previously remarked the Turkish Stream may create legal and economic problems.
Rechter spreekt mogelijke Syrie gangers vrij. Het Openbaar Ministerie eiste vorige maand twee jaar cel tegen Mohamed el A. en Hakim B. wegens het voorbereiden van terroristische misdrijven. De twee werden in augustus 2013 in Duitsland opgepakt toen ze op weg waren naar Syrië.
Russia military agreement in Cyprus - Business Insider. Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades announced that the country is ready to host Russian aviation and naval bases. The official agreement on military cooperation between the two nations is expected be signed on February 25, 2015
Colby Collegee Just Doubled Its Debt Load Business. Maine's Colby College, founded in 1813, doubled its debt load last month by borrowing about $101 million for athletics, performing arts and other upgrades on its campus in Waterville. Guess who will have to pay for this?
China executes 'mafia-style' mining tycoon Liu Han. His company, which had been "harboured and indulged by government officials, had illegally monopolised the gaming business in Guanghan City in Sichuan province, tyrannised local people and seriously harmed the local economic and social order".
Sunday, February 08, 2015
Islamic State Exports 100 tankers of Crude Oil Daily The Hamrin oil fields located in southern Kirkuk province in northern Iraq, are considered to be a vital financial source for Islamic State (IS), which produces and exports 100 tankers of crude oil every day.
But the Iraqi government and coalition partners have not taken any serious steps to prevent them.
Alevis march against compulsory religion classes in Istanbul Thousands of people, including members of political parties and unions, marched and carried banners to express their reaction to compulsory religion classes and the imposition of religion.
The banners read "No to imposition of religion, language, sect and identity. Equal and free citizenship!" and "Long live the brotherhood of nations and freedom of religion."
Dutch children apologize for terrorism - YouTube. In the Netherlands and elsewhere, it has become a default expectation in recent years that certain communities, and Muslims in particular, apologize for and formally distance themselves from matters that occur in other parts of the world - especially acts of terrorism.
U.S-Germany Rift on Ukraine Aids Putin View. Some European leaders are pushing back hard on Washington's potential plan to send weaponry and other military goods directly to the Ukrainian military. This rift --- over an initiative President Barack Obama has not even committed to -- only benefits Russian President Vladimir Putin and the pro-Russian separatists inside Ukraine.
Is China Preparing for Currency War? Probably The central bank is cooking up measures to widen the band in which its currency trades. People's Bank of China officials say it's about limiting volatility as capital zooms in and out of the economy. Let's call it what it really is: the first step toward yuan depreciation and currency war.
Sochi Winter Olympic stadiums lie empty and abandoned Many of the custom built stadiums, which cost an estimated $51 billion in total, now appear deserted and unused.
The companies that maintain the facilities are reportedly struggling to stay afloat as tourist numbers plummet.
Saturday, February 07, 2015
Ethiopia's new railway starts in 2016. The 700-km (450-mile)line is being built at a cost of $4 billion by China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) and China Civil Engineering Construction (CCECC). Ethiopia is seeking to have 5,000 km of new lines working across the country by 2020.
Egypt, UAE funding rouge general Haftar's war in Libya. It seems as though Egypt is willing to arm, train and engage while letting its wealthy allies the UAE and Saudi Arabia, both of which view the Muslim Brotherhood as a threat to their long-standing monarchies, fund Haftar's attempt to rid Libya of its but Muslim Brotherhood dominant GNC
Nederlandse Griepprik werkt nauwelijks De griepprik van dit seizoen biedt minder dan 20 % bescherming en werkt nauwelijks. De tip van de Nedrlandse top viroloog is dan ook om maar aan de anti virale drugs te gaan.
PvdA: kinderen van drie naar basisschool. De PvdA wil dat kinderen al op driejarige leeftijd naar school gaan. Bij de start van de campagne van de PvdA zei partijleider Samsom in Eindhoven dat onder dit kabinet de kwaliteit van de voorschoolse opvang al is verbeterd, maar dat hij nog een stap wil zetten.
Thursday, February 05, 2015
UAE 'stopped air strikes' against IS group in Syria - France 24. Even after the UAE stopped flying the missions, the US military continued to suggest otherwise in its daily news releases about the air campaign.
Each day it has stated: "Coalition nations conducting air strikes in Syria include the US, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates."
Venezuela seeks mediation with US. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for a relationship with the United States based on diplomacy and an end to what he claims is a US plan to destabilise his government.
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Diyarbakir-based Dutch journalist faces jail term for 'PKK propaganda' Frederike Geerdink's initial detention came hours after President Erdogan had declared at a meeting of ambassadors in Ankara that "there is no freer press, in Europe or elsewhere in the world, than in Turkey." She was immediately released as the Dutch FM visited Ankara, but now the charges are being brought back.
United States expands Venezuela visa bans. They build on sanctions imposed last year on officials alleged to have violated the rights of protesters.
The list of officials banned from entering the US has been extended, and now includes family members.
Monday, February 02, 2015
'Blood on carpet' predicted in EU tax avoidance inquiry. A proposed MEP inquiry into a tax evasion scandal that gripped headlines last year has led to a behind-the-scenes power struggle in the European Parliament as key figures are said to be nervous about just who will be brought before the enquiry and what questions will be asked.
US: 'Patently false' that Biden conspired against Venezuela. The United States dismissed an accusation from Venezuela's president that Vice President Joe Biden conspired to overthrow him as "patently false," arguing Monday that President Nicolas Maduro was merely trying to distract the world's attention from his government's abuses of basic rights.
EU, Polish leaders urgently discuss energy security plan Poland, dependent on Russia for some 60 percent of its gas, is urging greater EU energy security through steps like joint gas purchases, sharing of resources and lesser dependence on imports. The proposals have gained urgency with the escalation in Ukraine
Obama reconsidering lethal assistance to Ukraine But Obama is concerned about the besieged Ukrainian military's capacity for using high-powered, American-supplied weaponry. The president has also argued that no amount of arming the Ukrainians would put them on par with Russia's military prowess.
Syrian ex-rebel charged with war crimes in Sweden The 28-year-old man, who wasn't identified, joined the Free Syrian Army in 2012. He allegedly kicked and beat the prisoner, whose hands and feet were tied, and struck him with pliers and a baton. He then posted a video of the abuse on Facebook.
Ukraine rebel leader Zakharchenko 'wants 100,000 men'. This could be political bluster - an attempt to match rhetorically the Ukrainian government's own 200,000 mobilisation plans. However, it should be noted that Kiev plans to carry this out over the course of the year and not, like the separatists, in little more than a week.
Goats offered as alternative for clearing area of plutonium A goat herder who has a college degree in weed sciences told federal wildlife officials that she could eliminate the need for a possible 700-acre controlled burn at the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge by turning her goats loose there and eliminate concerns over spreading radioactive plutonium.
France offers support for Greece amid bailout tensions The backing was a victory for Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, striking a more conciliatory tone as he seeks new conditions on debt from creditors who rescued Greece's economy to save the shared euro currency.
Sunday, February 01, 2015
Saturday, January 31, 2015
North Korea introduces 'mandatory military service for women'. The only other nation enforcing this is Israel. The military is said to be hoping to make up for a shortfall in troop numbers in its "million-man army", following the high child mortality rate and low birth rate stemming from the Arduous March, the name given to the North Korean famine in the 1990s.
Climate models don't over-predict warming, study shows. A study that combined 114 possible 15-year trends since 1900 found that there was nothing statistically biased in the ways model-generated data differed from actual measurements of global mean surface temperatures. These short trends cannot predict "chaotic" fluctuations in such factors as ocean currents, according to the study
The huddled masses besieging Fortress Calais. Thousands of people are living in makeshift camps in Calais hoping that one day they will make it to the UK. Many once had good jobs - but fleeing from war and persecution most now have no money, and little dignity, in a town that is fed up with them. Sounds a bit like Dunkirk in 1940.
Canada PM Harper calls for expanded terror laws. Encouraging terror attacks against Canada will become a crime under legislation proposed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The measure will also expand the powers of the country's spy agency, allowing it to take direct action to stop attacks.
Dutch babies trump US peers in laughing, smiling, cuddling. U.S. parents often emphasize the importance of stimulation, exposing their children to a wide variety of new experiences to promote independence, a cultural ideal. Parents in Holland are more likely to incorporate children into daily activities at home, placing strong value on the importance of rest and regularity.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Clashes erupt as Ukrainian miners protest in Kiev Protesters claimed they have not been paid salaries since November. The Ukrainian minister earlier addressed the crowd, promising to pay the wage arrears.
"You will get 50% next week and another 50% within two weeks," he told the protesters, who shouted "Shame!"
Ukraine conflict: EU extends sanctions against Russia. At an extraordinary meeting in Brussels, they also agreed to discuss names to add to the list of individuals targeted for EU travel bans and asset freezes.
However, they did not agree on imposing new economic sanctions against Russia.
Office implants chips under staff's skin. Want to gain entry to your office, get on a bus, or perhaps buy a sandwich? We're all getting used to swiping a card to do all these things. But at Epicenter, a new hi-tech office block in Sweden, they are trying a different approach - a chip under the skin.
A Currency Bet Nearly as Certain as Cartel Profits Business. There's a way to make a quick profit thanks to Mexico's drug cartels. And it's perfectly legal.
It's a currency trade, of all things, available every day inside Mexico City's airport, where there's a gap of about 3 percent between rates offered at dedicated exchange houses and local banks.
Microsoft's Bill Gates insists AI is a threat. The Microsoft founder said he didn't understand people who were not troubled by the possibility that AI could grow too strong for people to control.
Mr Gates contradicted one of Microsoft Research's chiefs, Eric Horvitz, who has said he "fundamentally" did not see AI as a threat.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Armed Drone Crash Lands In Dumge, Borno State, Nigeria The drone that landed in Borno today was armed with rockets and a full military drone.
Nigeria is not known to be utilizing drones in the war against Boko Haram.
The United States is only flying surveillance drones over Nigeria.
Europeans should eat less meat, but EU keeps silent. Europeans should eat less meat to help fight climate change, but the EU is wary about saying it out loud. "Every year, almost half of the EU budget is spent on subsidies for agriculture and fishery. That system clashes with the idea that the products they are promoting, could actually be bad for the environment, health or climate"
EU ministers to expand Russia blacklist. Following calls by more than a dozen EU countries for the EU to take steps to counter the propaganda campaign, the conclusions add: "The Council tasks the high representative [EU foreign relations chief Federica Mogherini] to step up efforts to further improve strategic communication in response to the Russian misinformation activities".
Venezuela's non-existing nuclear capabilities Venezuela possesses almost no nuclear infrastructure, little nuclear expertise, and is a member of both the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Tlatelolco Treaty), and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Miljoen voor onderzoek naar zelfmoorden. Op basis van bloedonderzoek, MRI-scans, EEG's en genetisch onderzoek wordt onderzocht of suicide te voorspellen is. Ook worden daar nieuwe behandelmethoden getest en wordt gekeken naar een betere registratie van su[cidepogingen.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Litvinenko inquiry: Post-mortem was most dangerous ever The body of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko was so radioactive that his post-mortem was "one of the most dangerous" ever undertaken and the isotope that killed him so rare it would not have been discovered by a normal autopsy, a pathologist said Wednesday.
Polish leaders seek relief for those with Swiss franc loans. Polish authorities unveiled proposals Wednesday aimed at helping more than 500,000 Poles with Swiss franc loans, the payments of which are spiking after a surge in the franc.
However, Economy Minister Janusz Piechocinski said Poland would not follow Hungary in making banks convert Swiss franc mortgages to the local currency at below the current market rate.
Military has wide discretion on Bergdahl charges Army and Pentagon officials said Tuesday there has been no decision on what, if any, criminal charges will be filed against Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier who left his post in Afghanistan and was held by the Taliban for five years before being released in a prisoner exchange.
Greece says No to EU statement on Russia. The new far-left government in Greece dropped a bombshell on its first day in office by abjuring an EU statement on Russia. "In this context, it is underlined that Greece does not consent to this statement".
Israel military says its airstrikes target Syrian army posts Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said the air force attacked positions in territory controlled by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad.
The Israeli strike was a "clear message that we will not tolerate any fire toward Israeli territory," Yaalon said.
Intervention in civil wars 'far more likely in oil-rich nations' - Study Conspiracy theorists have long insisted that modern wars revolve around oil. Now research suggests hydrocarbons play an even bigger role in conflicts than they had suspected. fForeign intervention in a civil war is 100 times more likely when the afflicted country has high oil reserves than if it has none.
Lawyers, activists demand Sri Lankan chief justice resign after coup plot. Lawyers and rights activist demanded Sri Lanka's chief justice resign because he is being investigated for involvement in an alleged coup plot soon after this month's presidential election. Rajapaksa was widely credited for leaving office peacefully after he lost, but the coup plot raised doubt on what really happened.
Ebola crisis: World 'dangerously unprepared' for future pandemics. The president of the World Bank has warned that the world is "dangerously unprepared" for future deadly pandemics like the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Jim Yong Kim, speaking in Washington, said it was vital that governments, corporations, aid agencies and insurance companies worked together to prepare for future outbreaks.
Mexico insists 43 missing students are dead. the students were killed by the gang and their bodies burnt at a rubbish dump - an explanation which relatives of the disappeared have rejected.
The remains of only one student have been identified so far after badly burnt bones were sent to a laboratory in Austria for DNA analysis.
The laboratory said it was impossible to identify any others because of the bad condition of the remains.
Human smugglers turn to cargo ships to ferry fleeing Syrians Many Syrians are willing to pay $4,000-$8,000 for a place on board a seaworthy cargo ship. For the gangs, that means that even if they lose a cargo ship that cost them a half-million dollars they can still earn millions of dollars in profit in a single trip.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
French court stops child from being named Nutella. The judge ordered that the child be called Ella instead.
He said in his ruling that the name Nutella was the trade name of a spread that is commonplace in Gallic homes.
"And it is contrary to the child's interest to have a name that can only lead to teasing or disparaging thoughts," he pronounced.
Egypt plans to dig new Suez Canal costing $4 billion. - YouTube. Egypt plans to build a new Suez Canal alongside the existing 145-year-old historic waterway in a project aimed at expanding trade along the fastest shipping route between Europe and Asia. The current Suez canal provides Egypt with $5 billion of desperately needed hard currency each year.
Syria tells US to pressure Turkey over 'support of Islamists' - al-Assad Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Washington should pressure Turkey not to allow money and weapons into northern Syria, accusing Ankara and its president of backing "terrorists." Did the United States put any pressure on Turkey to stop the support of al-Qaeda? "They didn't," he said.
More police officers detained in Turkey wiretapping probe The suspects, including high-profile security officials, are accused of illegally wiretapping public officers, journalists and businessmen.
The operation was announced on Jan. 26 by notorious whistleblower Fuat Avni, a person or people leaking details of a number of police and judicial operations before they occur via a Twitter account.
Italy Launches Largest Ever Pirate Site Blockade. With all sites operating outside Italian territory, local authorities decided to take action to render them inaccessible in the country. A sweep was ordered by magistrate Gaspare Sturzo and this morning 124 websites are reported blocked via local Internet service providers.
Nerderlandse pensioenreus APG negeert Draghi. Pensioenuitvoerder APG frustreert het opkoopplan van de ECB. APG is niet van plan staatsobligaties te verkopen. Ook niet als de prijs oploopt door de interventie van de Europese Centrale Bank (ECB) in de markt.
UN: deadly attack on Ukraine city could be war crime These remarks before the UN security council came (unsurprisingly) from the (American) UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman. As usual both sides of the Ukraine conflict are blaming the other side for the escalating violence.
Ex-CIA officer convicted of leaking Iran plan. This is the first time in 30 years a jury has convicted a former official of leaking classified information - and shows the seriousness of Sterling's crime as well as the US justice department's aggressive approach towards leaks under US President Barack Obama.
FBI cracks 'Russian spy ring'. US prosecutors say Evgeny Buryakov, 39, was part of an alleged spy ring that included two others in the US on official business.
The other two named defendants, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy, no longer reside in the US.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Russia to pick which EU states can export food. The European Commission has agreed to let Russia choose which EU states can be exempt from its food ban. EU farmers and exporters lost hundreds of millions of euros after Russia imposed the food ban last August in retaliation against EU economic sanctions.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Syrians open 1,257 businesses in Turkey. The Chamber and Commodity exchange of Turkey (TOBB) has released data showing that out of a total of 4,736 businesses established with foreign partners, 1257 were with Syrians, 302 with Germany and 275 jointly with Iraq.
Putin's Turkish Stream: Whether Transitory or Durable plan. The most important aspect of the strategic relationship between Turkey -- Russia is alignment in the defense sector as also the unanimity on international issues as their common goal, and this is totally absent - for more than one reason -- in the their relationship.
Boko Haram attacks northeastern Nigerian city, dozens killed. Boko Haram insurgents attacked Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeast Nigeria, home to more than 1million people, just after midnight on Sunday. Government troops are now blocking roads to and from the city, putting several hundred thousand civilians 'at grave risk', Amnesty International says.
Bill Gates predicts HIV vaccine by 2030. The Microsoft founder, whose philanthropic foundation spends tens of millions of dollars on medical research, told the World Economic Forum in Davos that the two "miracles" were within reach.
'Operation Merlin': Another self-serving CIA project. The jury is still out in the trial of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling for allegedly having leaked the story of "Operation Merlin" - the covert CIA effort to lure Iran into working on phony plans for a key component of a nuclear weapon - to New York Times reporter James Risen.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
China to Build 7,000 Km Moscow-Beijing Railway Estimated $242 Bln The railway will pass through Kazakhstan, and the journey will take two days. China is promoting its high-speed rail technology on an international level, adding that the construction of the railway is taking place as Russia's relations with the US and Europe cool over the Ukraine conflict.
U.S. Seeks Review of Sweeping Ruling Limiting Insider Cases. Federal prosecutors in New York asked an appeals court to reverse a sweeping ruling making it harder for them to win insider-trading cases. The Dec. 10 decision by a three-judge panel overturned the convictions of two former hedge fund managers
China Can Help End the War in Afghanistan View. With US troops drawing down, new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has deliberately sought greater Chinese involvement in ending the war in his country. US and Chinese interests in Afghanistan overlap more than ever before. Much has been made of the country's estimated $1 trillion in mineral reserves and China's hopes of exploiting them.
Ukraine crisis: Rebels 'begin offensive' on Mariupol. Mariupol has a population of 500,000 and is in a highly strategic position, sitting between rebel-held eastern areas and Crimea. "Today an offensive was launched on Mariupol. This will be the best possible monument to all our dead," Alexander Zakharchenko was quoted as saying at a memorial ceremony in Donetsk.
Post-traumatic stress 'evident in 1300BC'. The team at Anglia Ruskin University analysed translations from ancient Iraq or Mesopotamia.
Accounts of soldiers being visited by "ghosts they faced in battle" fitted with a modern diagnosis of PTSD.
The condition was likely to be as old as human civilisation, the researchers concluded.
Belarus may start talks on "Schengen" visa-free EU travel. Belarus may get the first step towards a visa-free regime with the EU if it releases political prisoners in time for an Eastern Partnership summit in May, senior officials from the Latvian EU presidency have said. Sounds to me like a weak attempt to break the excellent Belarus/ Russian ties.
Sanctions in the way of talks, says North Korea North Korea yesterday demanded the lifting of sanctions, imposed by South Korea after a 2010 attack on one of its naval vessels, as a condition for resuming dialogue.
It was the first official response to the South's offer to talk, including discussions on resuming reunions of families separated during the 1950-53 civil war.
World's most popular banana faces eradication by deadly fungus International concern is growing over the spread of Fusarium wilt, known as Panama disease, as there are fears it could destroy entire countries' plantations of the Cavendish banana -- the most popular and exported variety of the fruit in the world.
Baghdad erupts with joy after win over Iran Football is the only thing that brings Iraqis together and erases the Shiite-Sunni division. The crowds that transformed the security-obsessed city also saw Iraq's performance against the fancied Iranian squad as a boost to the country's fight against jihadists.
The last stand of Greece's ruling elite PM Antonis Samaras declared that he would not allow Syriza and its leader, Alexis Tsipras -- more than 20 years his junior -- to take Greece "back to the past" with its anti-austerity platform and threats to renegotiate a European bailout on Greece's debts, after his party had worked to keep the country "standing".
Haiti forms electoral panel for overdue polls. Haiti has installed a Provisional Electoral Council to organise long-delayed elections - after weeks of protests and political uncertaintyGeneral and municipal polls are three years overdue, and President Michel Martelly began ruling by decree last week when parliament was dissolved.
Yemen crisis: Thousands rally in Sanaa amid power vacuum. Thousands have been marching for and against Shia Houthi rebels amid a dangerous power vacuum following the resignation of Yemen's leaders.
President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi said he could no longer stay in office as the country was in "total deadlock" after a stand off with the rebels.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Billionaire tells Americans to live more modestly. "America's lifestyle expectations are far too high and need to be adjusted so we have less things and a smaller, better existence," Coral Gables founder Greene told Bloomberg News at the World Economic Forum, adding, "We need to reinvent our whole system of life."
Flight Logs Put Clinton, Dershowitz on Pedophile Billionaire's Sex Jet. Bill Clinton took repeated trips on the "Lolita Express"—the private passenger jet owned by billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein—with an actress in softcore porn movies whose name appears in Epstein's address book under an entry for "massages," according to flight logbooks obtained by Gawker and published today for the first time.
Russia should give shelter to (deserting) Ukrainian young men From Ukrainian prisoners of war, we learn the vast majority of young people do not want to fight, but have nowhere to go, refuse, and will sit in jail for a long time. Good for those, who have Russian relatives who can shelter them for some time, and if there is no family in Russia, they have to go die.
Police: Juvenile posed as doctor at St. Mary's hospital for month When interviewed by police, the 17 yo teen told them that he has been a doctor for "years," and that his family could vouch for him.The boy's mother told police he is under the care of a doctor for an undisclosed illness but refuses to take medicine, according to the report.
EU wants internet firms to hand over encryption keys. A top EU official, counter-terrorism co-ordinator Gilles de Kerchove, wants internet and telecommunication companies to hand over encryption keys to police and spy agencies as part of a wider crackdown on terrorism.
Scientists slow the speed of light. They sent photons - individual particles of light - through a special mask. It changed the photons' shape - and slowed them to less than light speed.
The photons remained travelling at the lower speed even when they returned to free space.
Nigeria elections: Security chief urges vote delay. Nigeria's national security adviser has urged the electoral commission to delay next month's elections to allow more time for voter card distribution.
The polls are the first in Nigeria to require voters to have biometric cards.
Why Boris Johnson has gone on a secret trade mission to northern Iraq. Boris Johnson on Thursday unexpectedly turned up in the Kurdistan region of Iraq with the political editor of The Sun in tow to see the work being done to fight Isis militants in the region. He was also said to be talking to the Kurdish prime minister Nechirvan Barzani, about boosting trade links.
We are closer to doom than any time since the Cold War, say scientists "Today, unchecked climate change and a nuclear arms race resulting from modernisation of huge arsenals pose extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity," said Kennette Benedict, executive director of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in Chicago, the group of scientists which set the clock.
Greek elections: Syriza asks voters to end 'humiliation'. The leader of Greek left-wing party Syriza says an end to "national humiliation" is near, as opinion polls put the party ahead three days before the general election.
Alexis Tsipras asked supporters for a clear mandate to enable him to end the country's austerity policies.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Merkel says "not there yet" on lifting of Russia sanctions. "The annexation of Crimea is not just any annexation. It is a violation of the values that created a peaceful order in Europe after World War Two, namely the acceptance of borders and respect of territorial integrity," Merkel said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia's new Yemen strategy: get behind a fence. Saudi Arabia is increasingly taking a security-first approach to neighbouring Yemen, where Houthi rebels have all but seized power, wanting nothing better than to finish a new border fence and then slam shut the gates.
Riyadh convened a meeting of Gulf countries on Wednesday to threaten unspecified measures to "protect their interests" in Yemen
Ukraine crisis: Army retreats at Donetsk airport. The government said the military still retained control of parts of the airport, but six soldiers had died and 16 had been wounded.
In the centre of the rebel-held city, shelling hit a bus, killing 13 people.
Rebels paraded captured Ukrainian soldiers at the scene, as onlookers shouted abuse and beat or pelted them with debris from the blast site.
Argentine leader convinced Nisman death was no suicide. Argentine leader Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner says she is convinced the death of top Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman was not suicide.
Mr Nisman, 51, was found shot dead in his apartment on Sunday.
The prosecutor probing his death said it appeared to be suicide.
IndieGogo Campaign- Help Bring Freedom to North Korea. Join the multi-national effort to provide support to defectors and free the people of North Korea. The goal of $10 million seems a bit unrealistic, seeing that it has raised $81 so far. Further more, for example, the Ukraine coup has cost the US $5 billion.
We asked the experts just what exactly is going on in Yemen right now. It's all about the Saudis. No matter how complex the new Yemeni civil war may appear -- nor how powerful the Houthi rebels have become in the capital of Sanaa -- it's the Zaidi sect of Shiism which the Houthis represent that frightens the Sunni Wahabi monarchy of Saudi Arabia, and not without reason - Robert Fisk
Islamic State conflict: London hosts coalition talks. Senior officials from 21 countries are gathering in London to discuss efforts to tackle the jihadist militant group, Islamic State (IS), in Syria and Iraq.
Those taking part in the one-day conference include US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
Nederlandse Syrie gangers gedood bij Kobani - AD.nl. Gisteravond kwam het nieuws dat hij is overleden. Het martelaarschap - zijn grote droom - heeft hij behaald in een bloedige oorlog. Samen met Driss is hij waarschijnlijk gedood door Amerikaanse bommen. Ze zijn ongeveer 26 jaar geworden.
Davos 2015: World Bank chief makes climate action plea. The president of the World Bank hasurged the international community to help developing nations cope with a warming planet as the first day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos was dominated by calls to make 2015 a year of action on climate change.
Jamaica considers marijuana legalisation and production. The Jamaican cabinet has approved a bill that legalises the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
It means that for the first time the country's Rastafarian community, which uses the herb for religious purposes, could be able to smoke it legally.
The Davos oligarchs are right to fear the world they've made. Paul Polman, Unilever chief executive, frets about the "capitalist threat to capitalism". Christine Lagarde, the IMF managing director, fears capitalism might indeed carry Marx's "seeds of its own destruction" and warns that something needs to be done.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
UN Needs Additional $1Bln to Fight Ebola Epidemic The UN has already received about $1 billion or two-thirds of the sum previously requested. However, the same amount needs to be transferred to the WHO, UNICEF and the World Food Programme to put an end to the Ebola epidemic.
Moscow, US End $2 billion Nuclear Cooperation Program The agreement put an end to Russia-US cooperation in protecting weapons-grade uranium and plutonium from being stolen or sold, the newspaper said. The United State has allegedly invested approximately $2 billion in the joint program. Several initiatives were expected to continue at least through 2018.
AIDS crisis brewing in east Ukraine: UN. Drug users have lost access to therapy in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, fueling one of the world's fast-growing HIV epidemics, a UN health expert warns.He added that a "humanitarian crisis" has hit the pro-Russian territory in eastern Ukraine.
US ambassador: Ugandan rebel commander arrives at ICC Funny how this has to be announced by the nation not recognizing the ICC. Dominic Ongwen was flown out of Africa on Tuesday. His arrival in The Hague marks the first time a member of the Lord's Resistance Army, which is led by the notorious warlord Joseph Kony, has faced international justice.
After the Olympics - Does Sochi suit skiiers? With the rouble in freefall it has never been cheaper to go to Putin's pin-up venue for the Winter Olympics. "Russians have tripped over themselves to reserve hotel rooms, book last-minute ski packages and fill Black Sea mountain getaways to near capacity"
Court orders Indian govt to release Greenpeace funds The funds were frozen in June last year amid accusations that Greenpeace's environmental campaigns were hurting India's development projects.
The court said Tuesday that there was no reason to block the funds and ordered their immediate release.
Saudi Arabia's rights crackdown linked to war on terror Human rights activists and lawyers say the cases are part of a sweeping clampdown on dissent that has intensified in Saudi Arabia since the region's 2011 Arab Spring upheaval. Acts that offend the country's religious hard-liners or open up the kingdom to criticism have landed people in jail as a warning to others.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Executive Committee - Netherlands Helsinki Committee. The members of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC) include former cabinet ministers, former diplomats, former senior army officers and those who have links with the major political parties, the judiciary, universities, trade unions, employer organisations, human rights organisations, prison administration and the churches.
Swiss Franc 'Nuclear Explosion' Spreading, Credit Suisse, Saxo Hurt. The full force of the decision won't be known for months and is "closer to a nuclear explosion than a 1,000-kilogram conventional bomb," Javier Paz, senior analyst in wealth management at Aite Group, said in an e-mail Tuesday. "The aftermath is like a black hole that can suck massive amounts of credit from currency trading as we have known it."
Homestead Act for Russian Far East -- Putin supports free land handout I might just move to Siberia! The Russian president has approved the idea to offer large land plots for free to anyone who resettles to the Russian Far East to start a farm or other business. Putin called the idea right in principle and noted that similar programs had been successfully implemented in Siberia historically.
The New Yorker - How to Catch a Terrorist. The N.S.A. claims it needs access to all our phone records. But is that the best way to catch a terrorist? This long article follows a case of a convicted Somali terrorist.
Russia takes new step toward foreign organization limits law A proposed law calls for foreign or international organizations to be declared "undesirables" if they are found to be a threat to Russia's security, defense capability or constitutional order. It says such a designation would be made by the prosecutor general's office in consultation with the foreign ministry.
German rabbit breeders criticize pope's sex comments The pope's comment that Catholics don't have to breed "like rabbits" has caused offense - among Germany's rabbit breeders. Erwin Leowsky, president of the central council of German rabbit breeders, said that only rabbits which live in the wild are sexually overactive. Those in captivity have tamer reproductive habits.
Shiite rebels shell Yemen president's home, take over palace Yemen's powerful Shiite Houthi rebels shelled the residence of the country's embattled president Tuesday and simultaneously swept into the presidential palace in the capital, Sanaa, as a top military commander warned that a full-fledged "coup" was underway.
Wal-Mart launches cash pick up option for tax refunds The store is teaming up with more than 25,000 tax-preparation locations for the service. The service could help people without bank accounts avoid high check-cashing fees. Wal-Mart doesn't charge a fee for the cash pickup.
After Gmail blocked in China, Microsoft's Outlook hacked, says GreatFire People using email clients like Outlook, Mozilla's Thunderbird and apps on their phone with the SMTP and IMAP email protocols, which are used to send and receive messages, around Saturday were subject to a "man-in-the-middle" (MITM) attack, said China-based GreatFire.org.
A MITM attack hijacks an online connection to monitor and sometimes control communications made through that channel.
Boko Haram - the Guardian briefing. Northern Nigeria has a history of spawning militant Islamist groups, but Boko Haram has proved to be the most durable and lethal of such groups.
Pope Francis: No Catholic need to breed like 'rabbits'. Good Roman Catholics do not need to breed like "rabbits", the Pope has said, but should practice "responsible" parenting instead.Standing firm against artificial birth control, he said new life was "part of the sacrament of marriage".
Ukraine conflict: Security in east deteriorating, say OSCE observers. "One of our biggest concerns is, of course, the civilians getting caught up in the conflict especially in and around Donetsk airport. Fighting is moving further and further into Donetsk city."
The OSCE observer described the deteriorating humanitarian situation as "absolutely horrific".
Fighting shakes Yemen capital as Houthis accused of coup. The Houthis' September takeover made them the country's de facto top power, a development that has scrambled relationships and raised tensions across the political spectrum ever since. "If you attack the presidential palace ... This is aggressive, of course it is an attempted coup," a Houthi critic said.
AzG: prijzen vaccin veel te hoog geworden De kosten voor het vaccineren van kinderen zijn in de armste landen ter wereld 68 keer hoger dan in 2001. Vooral de kosten voor het vaccin tegen pneumokokken zijn nauwelijks meer op te brengen, zegt Artsen zonder Grenzen.
Monday, January 19, 2015
The UN Congo Offensive: A Continent Betrayed. Those who killed Lumumba, and, likely Hammarskjold, are responsible for all the wars and atrocities and millions of deaths since. There should be an international investigation of all the crimes committed in the Great Lakes region of Africa that followed upon the deaths of Hammarskjold and Lumumba and which continue today.
William Engdahl - China's Global Political Shift. I have come to realize is that when Beijing makes a major policy change, they make it carefully and with great deliberation. And when they arrive at a new consensus, they execute it with remarkable effect on all levels. Now China’s top leadership has made such a policy decision.
Hoe de Zwitserse frank zo plots kon stijgen en waarom dat een ramp is... Maar liefst 46 procent van de Poolse hypotheken is in Zwitserse franken is opgesteld. Het inkomen van de eigenaars en de prijs van hun huizen liggen echter wel vast in Poolse zloty's. Wanneer de Zwitserse frank een plotse grote waardestijging kent, moeten die huizenbezitters dus meer afbetalen dan hun woning eigenlijk waard is
Kloof tussen arm en rijk groeit snel in Nederland. De inkomensverdeling in Nederland is relatief gelijk en stabiel, maar bij de vermogens wordt de kloof tussen arm en rijk steeds groter. De rijkste 1 procent bezit volgens nieuwe cijfers meer dan een kwart van het private vermogen, ruim meer dan een jaar eerder, terwijl aan de onderkant de schulden groeien.
Boko Haram crisis: Group of Cameroon captives freed. At least 20 of up to 80 people taken hostage by Boko Haram militants in Cameroon at the weekend are reported to be free.
Cameroon's defence ministry said the hostages were freed "as defence forces pursued the attackers who were heading back to Nigeria".
Many of those kidnapped in the cross-border raid were said to be children.
Why the modern world is bad for your brain. When people think they're multitasking, they're actually just switching from one task to another very rapidly. And every time they do, there's a cognitive cost in doing so." So we're not actually keeping a lot of balls in the air like an expert juggler; we're more like a bad amateur plate spinner, frantically switching from one task to another
Yemen army and Shia fighters clash near presidential palace. The Houthis, who have launched attacks on al-Qaida's Yemen branch, are viewed as Shia Iran's ally in its regional struggle for influence with Saudi Arabia.
The kingdom has suspended most of its financial aid to Yemen since the Houthis arrived.
An al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen claimed responsibility for planning the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris two weeks ago.
Pipeline breach spills oil into Yellowstone River Montana officials said Sunday that an oil pipeline breach spilled up to 50,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana, but they said they are unaware of any threats to public safety or health.
Libyan army agrees partial ceasefire with militias. The Libyan army has declared a partial ceasefire, two days after some of the militias based in western Libya announced a unilateral truce.
The ceasefire was due to begin at midnight on Sunday (22:00 GMT).
They added that their forces would adhere to the truce but would continue to pursue "terrorists".
Even it up equality campaign. The gap between the rich and poor is spiralling out of control. Just 85 individuals have the same wealth as half the people on our planet. Such extreme economic inequality is standing in the way of ending global poverty, and widening other inequalities like the gap between women and men. It is time to Even it up!
Richest 1% will own more than all the rest by 2016. The combined wealth of the richest 1 percent will overtake that of the other 99 percent of people next year unless the current trend of rising inequality is checked, Oxfam warned today ahead of the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Ukraine says retake most of Donetsk airport from rebels Ukrainian troops launched a "mass operation" overnight, retaking almost all the territory of Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine lost to separatists in recent weeks, even as thousands gathered in Kiev for a state-sponsored peace march on Sunday.
CNN anchor resigns after criticizing Israeli propaganda. "After nearly 34 years with Cable News Network, the time has come to say Farewell!" Clancy wrote in a memo to staff obtained by media industry news blog TVNewser. "It has been my honor to work alongside all of you for all of these years."
Boko Haram and the Ballot Box. It's a precarious time for Nigerian democracy. With unemployment hovering above 20 percent, frustration over corruption and insecurity on the rise, and oil prices plummeting, the country's Feb. 14 presidential election is set to be its most fraught since the democratic transition in 1999.
ISIS Fighters Fake Death in Syria to Slip Back to Europe. One of the two terrorists shot dead by Belgian police last week had apparently faked his own death in Syria, so he could return to his home country undetected and attempt a terror attack.
In a sign terrorists are using disinformation to confuse and distract security forces, Islamic State fighters claimed on social media that Tarik Jadaoun, 24, was 'martyred' just weeks before he returned to Belgium.
'Don't mention the economy', Labour activists told. The revelation, made at a Fabian Society conference addressed by Ed Miliband, will heap fresh pressure on the party following claims activists were told not to talk about immigration when canvassing constituents during the election campaign.
U.S. drug enforcement agency halts huge secret data program. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has halted a secret, nearly 15-year program that collected virtually all data on international calls between the United States and certain countries, according to documents and officials familiar with the matter.
One Thing Migrant Smugglers Can't Do Without: Big U.S. Banks. Major banks, including Bank of America Corp. (BAC), JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo, have been used as financial conduits for the smuggling industry, according to evidence in a federal criminal case against a gang of 15 human smugglers and warrants from prosecutors in Arizona, Maryland and Texas.
Ukraine Forces Repel Rebel Surge Before Polish Premier's Visit. Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz will land in Kiev tomorrow to meet with her Ukrainian counterpart Arseniy Yatsenyuk, according to the Ukrainian government's website. Poland has been the most vocal European Union supporter of the Ukrainian government that emerged from last year's street protests that led to the ouster of former President Viktor Yanukovych.
Swiss Franc Trade Is Said to Wipe Out Everest's Main Fund. Marko Dimitrijevic, the hedge fund manager who survived at least five emerging market debt crises, is closing his largest hedge fund after losing virtually all its money this week when the Swiss National Bank unexpectedly let the franc trade freely against the euro, according to a person familiar with the firm.
Top body initiates yet another mass purge of Turkey's judiciary Turkey has witnessed yet another huge wave of mass purges in the judiciary, with the government replacing almost 1,000 judges and prosecutors, raising more and more question marks over the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) motives in the latest restructuring of the country's top judicial body.
Turkish anchorwoman faces 5 years in jail for tweet Prosecutors seek up to five years of imprisonment for Turkish journalist and anchorwoman Sedef KabaÅŸ for her tweet in which she called on citizens not to forget the name of the judge who dropped the Dec. 17, 2013 corruption probe that involved high-profile names and former Cabinet members.
Syria jihadists kill 17 to avenge assassinations: monitor "The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [ISIL] has executed 16 men in Deir Ezzor and one more in Raqa, to send a message to all their opponents after recent assassinations of 12 Syrian, Iraqi and Algerian jihadists," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.
Battle over Ukrainian airport intensifies The battle for Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine saw Kiev rush reinforcements to the snowy front lines on Saturday, while soldiers in the area spoke of some of the worst shelling yet in the nine-month war. "We try to hold on and to reciprocate," one Ukrainian soldier said
Qatari held as 'enemy combatant' in US freed - Leaves for Doha Ali bin Kahlah al-Marri, who is a US resident, was arrested shortly after the 9/11 attacks and initially held on charges including credit card fraud.
The government later argued that he was a "sleeper agent" for al-Qaeda and he was held in solitary confinement for six years after being declared an "enemy combatant" and put in military custody.
Islamic State in Iraq free 350 Yazidis. The group of mainly elderly Yazidis crossed out of IS-controlled territory and were received by Kurdish officials near the city of Kirkuk.
It is not yet clear why militants released them.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Mass extinction for Earth's oceans probable, comprehensive study says We are vastly reliant on oceans but many of our practices are causing unprecedented damage to marine biology: coral reef damage, resource mining, fish farming, construction work, chemical pollution, the depletion of bio resources, unintended species migration, global warming, military drills -- to name just a few.
George Soros funded Ferguson riots giving at least $33 million in one year Mr. Soros spurred the Ferguson protest movement through years of funding and mobilizing groups across the US. In all, Mr. Soros gave at least $33 million in one year to support already-established groups that emboldened the grass-roots, on-the-ground activists in Ferguson, according to the most recent tax filings of his nonprofit Open Society Foundations.
1,000 villagers trapped by fighting in eastern Myanmar Fighting between the army and Kachin insurgents broke out in 2011, ending a 17-year truce. Since then, more than 100,000 Kachin civilians have been displaced, and the rebels have progressively lost territory, pressed closer and closer against the Chinese border.
China to the rescue as Soviet-style reactors struggling with US nuclear fuel Chinese companies intend to sell the fuel to the countries that operate various types of Soviet-and Russian-made NPPs. Aside from Ukraine, China is viewing the possibility of exporting nuclear fuel to Hungary and Romania. Ukrainian energy sector workers are facing technical problems with American nuclear fuel loading into the Soviet-type reactors.
Officials say gunmen abduct head of Yemen president's office The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief journalists, say they suspect the gunmen are Shiite Houthi rebels. Critics say the Houthis are a proxy for Shiite Iran, charges the rebels deny.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Europa's demografische nachtmerrie. Slechts 15 jaar te gaan. De afname van geboortes en vergrijzing zorgen voor bijna onvoorstelbare cijfers. Rond het jaar 2030 zal de Europese beroepsbevolking met 14% zijn afgenomen en het aantal consumenten zijn verminderd met 7%. Verder zal de gemiddelde leeftijd van de Europese burger in 2050 49(!) jaar zijn.
Saudis 'to review' flogging of blogger Raif Badawi. The case of a Saudi blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes has been referred to the Supreme Court by the king's office
Badawi was flogged 50 times last week but a second round of lashings has been postponed for medical reasons.
The punishment of Badawi, who was also fined and sentenced to 10 years in prison, caused an international outcry.
Charlie Ebdo - French too anxious to sleep - or to shop. The French are turning to tranquillisers as never before to overcome the anxiety provoked by last week's terrorist attacks. Drugs are a way of life in France. I noticed that even the smallest village has a church, a café and a pharmacy.
Britain and US to train 'cyber-agents' to protect UK's banks from terrorists A first of a series of joint UK-US "war games" will simulate online attacks on the City of London and Wall Street in moves to assess the quality of the large financial institutions' defences against malicious hacking designed to paralyse their operations.
It will involve UK and US intelligence agencies as well as organisations such as the Bank of England and several large commercial banks.
Het plan: prominente Belg ontvoeren en onthoofden In Verviers zijn twee verdachten doodgeschoten. De groep wilde een prominent persoon ontvoeren en een video van de onthoofding via internet verspreiden. De politie wachtte dagenlang op de komst van een topterrorist die een belangrijke rol zou vervullen bij de uitvoering
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Gazprom warns EU to link to Turkey pipeline or lose Russian gas - Yahoo News. Russia's Gazprom giant on Wednesday urged the European Union to link up to its planned energy pipeline to Turkey or lose the gas that now transits Ukraine. Gazprom chief Alexei Miller reminded the new European Commissioner for Energy Union, Maros Sefcovic that the South Stream project to deliver gas to Europe through Ukraine has been scrapped.
Turkey warns Twitter, Facebook of fresh ban Turkish authorities have warned that all websites publishing alleged records related to Syrian-bound trucks belonging to the Turkish intelligence agency that were stopped by a prosecutor last year will be blocked, presaging a possible new ban on Twitter and Facebook. The two largest social media networks, however, quickly complied.
Plan to save monarch butterflies backfires. The monarch butterflies were losing the milkweed they depend on due to the spread of herbicide-resistant crops in the United States, people across the country took action, planting milkweed in their own gardens. But a new paper shows that well-meaning gardeners might actually be endangering the butterflies' iconic migration to Mexico.
On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs - STRIKE! Ever had the feeling that your job might be made up? That the world would keep on turning if you weren't doing that thing you do 9-5? Anthropology professor and best selling author David Graeber explored the phenomenon of bullshit jobs -- everyone who's employed should read carefully...
Recidivism rate for Guantanamo detainees in dispute Republicans who introduced legislation this week to stop the transfer of detainees to foreign countries say roughly 30 percent of those released have rejoined the fight. Administration officials accuse the Republicans of conflating numbers and say the real recidivism rate is not nearly that high.
Robert fisk - Saudi Arabia's history of hypocrisy we choose to ignore The Saudis are special, aren't they? Fifteen of the 19 hijackers of 9/11 were Saudis -- and George W Bush immediately arranged for leading Saudis (including some from the House of Bin Laden) to be freighted out of America to safety. Osama was himself a Saudi. The Taliban were financed and armed by the Saudi
FBI: Ohio man planned to bomb US Capitol, kill officials Christopher Lee Cornell, also known as Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah, told an FBI informant they should "wage jihad," and showed his plans for bombing the Capitol and shooting people, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Ohio Wednesday. The FBI said Cornell expressed his support for the Islamic State.
Haiti's new prime minister faces instability, protests Haiti has a new prime minister to run the government as it enters a phase of political uncertainty, with its parliament dissolved, opposition activists promising intensified street protests and its president ruling by decree because of a bitter standoff with lawmakers.
US-based scientists; Rate of sea-level rise 'steeper'. Their reassessment of tide gauge data from 1900-1990 found that the world's seas went up more slowly than earlier estimates - by about 1.2mm per year. But this makes the 3mm per year tracked by satellites since 1990 a much bigger trend change as a consequence.
Kabinet belooft vaart te zetten achter anti-terreurwetten. De nieuwe wetgeving maakt het mogelijk het Nederlanderschap in te trekken van mensen die deelnemen aan een jihadistisch trainingskamp, bepaalde jihadistische teksten te verwijderen van internet, van jihadisme verdachte personen te verbieden uit te reizen en uitkeringen en huisvesting te weigeren aan jihadisten.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Danes agree to keep public services open by making babies. Denmark's Jutland municipality of Thisted has agreed on a deal with the council to procreate as much as possible over the next few years to help maintain under-populated public services. In return, local politicians have promised to keep schools, nurseries and leisure facilities open -- if parents produce enough new children to fill them.
Syria refugees: UN warns over camps in Jordan. he UN refugee agency has urged the international community to help alleviate the "desperate living conditions" of 620,000 Syrian refugees living in camps in Jordan.
One in six of them live in extreme poverty, a UN study says.
It warned that unless the international community provided more support, the conditions of the refugees would only get worse.
Bulgarije verlengt hek tegen vluchtelingen. Het hek is nu ruim 30 kilometer lang. Premier Boiko Borisov wil daar nog eens 130 kilometer bij zetten.
In de afgelopen twee jaar zijn meer dan 18.000 vluchtelingen vanuit Turkije naar Bulgarije getrokken om daar asiel aan te vragen. Het gaat vooral om mensen die de Syrische burgeroorlog zijn ontvlucht.
Yemen large color map. Why it matters. Take a look at this map. Whoever controls Yemen controls half of one of the busiest sea lanes in the world. The US understands this very well and has taken over the former French Foreign Legion Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti just across Yemen at the Bab el Mandeb narrows.
Study Suggests Wi-Fi Exposure More Dangerous To Kids Than Previously Thought. More generally, the studies cited in the paper found RF/EMF exposure is linked to cancers of the brain and salivary glands, ADHD, low sperm count, and, among girls who keep cell phones in their bra, breast cancer. They also noted that the average time between exposure to a carcinogen and a resultant tumor is three or more decades.
'Silk Road Reloaded' Adopts I2P Anonymous Network and Darkcoins. 'Silk Road Reloaded,' a new anonymous online drug market, draws upon a host of new anonymizing features, including I2P connectivity and the use of cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin.
By embracing I2P, the administrators of the new Silk Road iteration now welcome a service that, as opposed to Tor, is friendly to peer-to-peer connections and uses a design that is optimized for hidden services.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Ukraine bus attack kills 10 as Donetsk airport battle worsens The Sergei Prokofiev airport complex, opened to great fanfare by the now ousted president Viktor Yanukovich to mark the Euro 2012 soccer championship, has progressively disintegrated under months of fire.
After a night of attacks from separatists using Grad missile launchers, the rebels began firing from tanks on the airport's new terminal, which was still being held by Ukrainian government forces, the Kiev military said in a statement.
No plan for EU spy agency after Paris attacks. The commission instead wants to enhance data-sharing at the EU level by making sure its EU intelligence analysis centre (IntCen) works better with other EU agencies like Europol, the EU's joint police body.
Hungary PM Orban says immigration a threat, must be stopped. The only exception, he said, should be for people claiming political asylum.
"Hungary will not become a target destination for immigrants," he said. "We will not allow it, at least as long as I am prime minister and as long as this government is in power."
Iran eclipses US as Iraq's ally in fight against militants. Two to three Iranian military aircraft a day land at Baghdad airport, bringing in weapons and ammunition. Iran's most potent military force and best known general, the Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Force and its commander Gen. Ghasem Soleimani, are organizing Iraqi forces and have become the de facto leaders of Iraqi Shiite militias that are the backbone of the fight.
"Poor Georgia": Currency Wars and Intended Consequences. When the present Georgian government took power in 2012 it promised to do away with the corrupt and brutal practices of the Mikheil Saakashvili era. One of these was blatant budget fixing and cooking the books. The situation now seems even worse as the Russian sanctions hit Georgia hard.
Japan Boosts Defense Spending to Counter China's Island Claims. Japan's defense spending is about one-third that of China, which boosted its military budget by more than 12 percent last year. Ties have frayed over the sovereignty of the islets, though officials from both countries resumed talks yesterday in Tokyo on a maritime communication mechanism to prevent accidental clashes at sea.
ECB Warning to Greece Deploys Tactic Honed in Crisis. The European Central Bank is threatening to choke off funding to Greece's lenders in the hope it won't actually need to. To actually withdraw funding from Greek banks is the sort of thing that would mean Greece is well on the road to exiting the euro."
Turkey complains of French reluctance in anti-terror cooperation Turkish authorities had found France's anti-terror cooperation "insufficient." In addition to the delay in the sharing of information, French intelligence failed to provide Turkish authorities with a full list of suspected ISIL militants. France has blacklisted 1,200 suspects, but provided Turkish authorities with only 500 names.
Turkish court says slogans against Erdogan are slander A Turkish court has said that "slanderous and insulting" slogans cannot be considered freedom of speech, in a ruling on the 11-month jail sentence given to an academic for chanting slogans against then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a rally.
Condom free speech argument fails to stand up in court. The court ruled on Monday that an LA county ordinance mandating condoms in films did not violate the adult entertainment industry's first amendment rights.
The three-judge panel of the ninth US circuit court of appeals said the claim that condoms sabotaged porn's fantasy element was a stretch [PDF].
A new US arms embargo on Turkey? "These are almost useless vessels of no strategic importance for the Turkish Navy," said one senior defense official in Ankara. "The Americans know that the ships would not be great naval assets for Turkey. We think the decision not to transfer the ships to Turkey may be reflecting the likelihood of a broader embargo in the future."
Call for water fluoridation across England to cut childhood tooth decay. About 10% of water supplies in England have fluoride content, either naturally or artificially, at the optimum level for dental health. But in a report on the state of children's oral health, published on Tuesday, the Royal College of Surgeons' (RCS) faculty of dental surgery says that is not good enough.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Bulgaria lobbies Brussels on funding a gas hub project to replace south stream representatives from the countries involved in the now defunct South Stream gas pipeline project with Russia will discuss the Bulgarian idea. Bulgaria wants the EU to fund the storage and distribution facility construction from the 315bn Euro investment plan put forward by commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.
The hub is supposed to be one of the first incarnations of the future EU energy union
Putin and Erdogan: A new year and new challenges in the EU neighbourhood. Despite many differences between these two important neighbours, it is quite obvious that, for their own reasons, both Putin and Erdogan will keep contradicting or chastising the EU as often as needed in their highly-charged populist political style, while engaging the EU for vital economic reasons.
ECB deeply divided on government bond-buying plan. Divisions among the European Central Bank's top officials about the expected introduction of a government bond-buying programme have been laid bare after a German member of the bank's executive board highlighted her concerns to media.
Paris suspect Hayat Boumeddiene 'caught on Turkey CCTV'. The video purports to show Hayat Boumeddiene passing through passport control with another man on 2 January. She is thought to now be in Syria.
Hayat Boumeddiene has been identified as a suspect by French police, although she left France before the attacks.
Microsoft hits out at Google team over bug report. Microsoft reacted angrily when Google posted details of the bug online before a patch to fix the issue was released.
The disclosure was part of Google's Project Zero initiative that seeks to pressure firms into dealing with security problems more quickly.
Several security researchers disagreed with Google's actions.
Pegida: German leaders call for halt to marches. Senior German politicians have called for a halt to so-called anti-Islamisation rallies in response to the murders in Paris of 17 people by Islamist militants.
Up to 20,000 people are expected to join a march in Dresden held by the Pegida group on Monday.
Ukraine ex-leader Yanukovych wanted by Interpol. Interpol has placed deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on its wanted list, almost one year after he fled to neighbouring Russia.
He is accused by Ukrainian officials of embezzling millions of dollars in public funds.
UK Anti-terror bill a threat to academic freedom, MPs tell Theresa May. Universities "must take seriously their responsibility to exclude those promoting extremist views that support or are conducive to terrorism". University staff will be expected to refer students at risk of being drawn into terrorism to external anti-radicalisation programmes and to challenge extremist ideas, including non-violent extremism, that can be used to justify terrorism.
Sri Lanka to investigate alleged coup attempt by former president. After conceding defeat, Rajapaksa left his office and the official presidential residence on Friday, saying he respected the people's mandate. However, Rajapaksa had made an attempt to deploy the army and police to stop the counting of votes when initial results showed he was heading for defeat.
China will not take path of Western colonists in Africa: foreign minister. "We absolutely will not take the old path of Western colonists, and we absolutely will not sacrifice Africa's ecological environment and long-term interests," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Chinese Central Television while in Kenya. Beijing has previously said its cooperation with African nations covers farm, health and infrastructure-related projects.
Gibbons may communicate as our ancestors did, scientists say Scientists may have discovered a form of language used by animals, similar to that used by our own ancestors.
A study into the sounds white-handed gibbons make by Angela Dassow and Michael Coen at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has led to the discovery.
Egyptian NASA expert demands army apology over hepatitis cure scam. The device, which was made up of an antenna connected to a box, was also mocked in the national and international media, as the inventor first claimed it could cure AIDS and heptatis C merely by pointing it at the subject. Later, the inventor claimed it was merely a detector.
Egyptian NASA expert demands army apology over hepatitis cure scam. The miracle medical device, which was made up of an antenna connected to a box, was also mocked in the national and international media, as the inventor first claimed it could cure AIDS and heptatis C merely by pointing it at the subject. Later, the inventor claimed it was merely a detector.
Haiti leader, opposition forge deal to possibly end impasse "Through this agreement, we are sure to achieve normalization of the political situation in the country," Martelly said at a Port-au-Prince hotel following talks with the chiefs of opposition factions, including the Unity party of former President Rene Preval.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Haiti police attacks protesters demanding Martelly resignation Police have clashed with Haitian anti-government demonstrators demanding resignation of the president over long-delayed legislative and municipal elections.
Shouting slogans against President Michel Martelly on Saturday, the protesters, mostly young men, marched on the National Palace in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The protest turned ugly after riot police used tear gas and batons against the demonstrators.
Spanish minister -'600 terrorists returning to Europe'. Spain's Minister of the Interior Jorge Fernandez Diaz says that European countries have witnessed the return of more than 600 terrorists from Syria and Iraq.
Diaz said Friday that Europe faces a great risk of terrorist attacks as hundreds of terrorists have returned from Syria and Iraq and can intensify their activities on European soil.
EU Showdown: Greece Takes on the Vampire Squid Greece and the troika (the International Monetary Fund, the EU, and the European Central Bank) are in a dangerous game of chicken. The Greeks have been threatened with a "Cyprus-Style prolonged bank holiday" if they "vote wrong." But they have been bullied for too long and are saying "no more."
UK MPs to investigate TTIP trade deal's impact on environmental protections. The impact of the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade deal on environmental protections in Europe is to be investigated by the UK parliament. MPs are to examine if the agreement could weaken regulations on chemical and pesticide use, oil and gas extraction and genetically modified food.
Russia may demand early repayment of $3 billion lent to Ukraine "Ukraine's current economic and financial situation suggests that a number of parameters which are the conditions for granting Ukraine a Russian bonded loan are being violated. Under these circumstances, it is likely that Russia will have to demand from Ukraine in the near future early repayment of the $3 billion debt."
Serbian PM accuses EU of backing anti-government media. Maja Kocijancic, a EU spokeswoman said she was surprised by Vucic's claims. "Media criticism is essential to ensure the proper accountability of elected governments," she said. Kocijancic also said that the EU expected that the Serbian authorities would secure an environment that would support freedom of expression and media.
The Coming Wave of New Cancer Fighting Drugs. If 2014 proved that the most promising new group of oncology drugs in generations could work, 2015 brings a crowded field that sees winners and losers in a market eventually worth $30 billion a year or more in the next decade.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
EU mulls response to Russia's information war The European Endowment for Democracy (EED), a Brussels-based foundation said: "We've launched an initiative, with the support of a Dutch government grant, which will develop a feasibility study with clear recommendations on the way forward for the development of independent Russian language media initiatives".
Willem Holtrop lacht om zijn nieuwe vrienden. Charlie Hebdo Bernard 'Willem' Holtrop, de Nederlandse tekenaar van Charlie Hebdo, reageert op de aanslag en de plotselinge omarming door het establishment. Voor de moskee enkele honderden meters van het redactielokaal wordt vrijdag vooral gezwegen. 'Wij zijn voorzichtig geworden.'
Het CJIB blijft maar mensen in de cel gooien. In het jaar 2012 werden er in totaal 1200 verzoeken behandeld door de rechtbanken voor het gijzelen van mensen die niet hun boete hadden betaald. In het jaar 2013 was dit aantal explosief gestegen tot maar liefst 37.000.
De verwachting is dat het totaal aantal voor het jaar 2014 iets minder zal zijn, maar nog steeds tienduizenden gevallen betreft.
UN 'immune' from Haiti cholera lawsuit - US judge US district Judge J. Paul Oetken noted on Friday that the UN's charter provides broad legal immunity and that the international body has not waived it.
The suit refers to an outbreak that has killed more than 8,000 people and sickened more than 700,000 since human waste was dumped into Haiti's principal river in October 2010.
US (!) gag order on EU police agency stirs controversy. A commission official said the Americans have a right to refuse access because some of the classified data in the report belongs to them.
But the EU's ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, told MEPs in the civil liberties committee the situation amounts to giving the US "a veto over the democratic oversight of EU institutions".
Debate intensifies on stuck EU counter-terrorism bill. Sceptical MEPs remain defiant, arguing the proposal - which collects people's flight details throughout the EU - risks eroding civil liberties without providing proof the system would stop terrorist attacks.The bill in question, the EU passenger name records (PNR) law, has been stuck in parliament for three years.
IMF mission resumes work in Ukraine An IMF mission has arrived in Ukraine to resume talks on providing financial assistance to the country, which is on the brink of default. The IMF estimates Kiev needs an extra $15 billion of aid to overcome the crisis.
Turkish AKP deputy claims Charlie Hebdo attack was 'staged' A deputy from Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has claimed that the deadly Jan. 7 Charlie Hebdo attack was "staged like a movie scene." He also claimed that the "God is great" rallying cry of the assailants was "a fabricated mise-en-page [layout]," apparently mixing the French word with "mise-en-scene."
Controversial study links circumcision to autism in boys under 10 The risk is doubled if a boy is circumcised before five, the Statens Serum Institut study also claims. The link, they say, is in the stress caused by the pain of being snipped. Scientists based their findings on results they received from examining 340,000 boys between 1994 and 2003.
'Over 1,000 foreign fighters deported' by Turkey so far "So far, we have banned 7,833 people from entering Turkey and we have deported about 1,056 people," the head of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) said. Turkey has long been criticized by the international community for tolerating foreign fighters passing through its territory to join ISIL in Syria.
F.B.I. and Justice Dept. Said to Seek Charges for Petraeus. US Prosecutors have recommended bringing felony charges against David H. Petraeus, contending that he provided classified information to a lover while he was director of the C.I.A. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to decide whether to seek an indictment that could send the pre-eminent military officer of his generation to prison.
US to launch LNG exports by end of 2015 The US is expected to start deliveries of liquefied natural gas at the end of the year, a move aimed at loosening European dependence on Russian energy, said Amos Hochstein, US State Department Coordinator for International Energy Affairs.
How satellite imagery may finally uncover the tomb of Genghis Khan When Genghis Khan died, he didn't want to be found. So soldiers in his burial party butchered anyone they saw on their way to his burial tomb. Then they killed the people who built the monument. Then, finally, they killed themselves. Thus the location of his tomb remained a secret; until now.
Friday, January 09, 2015
The End of Sanctuary in Space; Why the US is Worried About the Space Race There are currently more than 150 U.S. military and intelligence satellites in orbit, providing important national security capabilities such as precision navigation and timing, global communications, missile warning, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Others are catching up.
Biotech Outraged After China Rejects Several Billion Tons of GMO Corn. Those who grew MIR 162 were assured by Syngenta that China had already approved the corn before they even started growing it. Obviously this is not the case, since China has refused several billion tons of GM corn coming from the US already. Syngenta claims the current lawsuits directed against them by US farmers are baseless.
Pepe Escobar -Who profits from killing Charlie? What French President Francois Hollande defined as "an act of exceptional barbarism" -- and it is -- does not apply when the West, France in the front line, weaponizes, trains and remote-controls assorted mercenaries/beheaders from Libya to Syria. Oh yeah, killing civilians in Tripoli or Aleppo is perfectly alright, but don't do that in Paris.
Food 2.0? Britain needs GM crop revolution -- Tory minister — RT UK. Britain should gear up for the next 'agricultural revolution' and adopt GM crops, the Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said. Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, Truss claimed that GM crops are more 'eco-friendly' and that British farmers need access to the technology to compete globally.
Congress Revives Notorious CISPA Cybersecurity Bill Intended to protect cyberspace from malicious attacks, the bill would allow the sharing of information between the U.S. government and private companies. Originally introduced by Representative Mike Rogers, the legislation was advertised as something that should prevent a cyber 9/11, which otherwise would be imminent.
Obama proposes 2 years of free community college "Put simply, what I'd like to do is to see the first two years of community college free for anybody who's willing to work for it," he said. "It's something we can accomplish, and it's something that will train our workforce so that we can compete with anyone in the world."
US military to close 15 bases in Europe. The Pentagon says the move will save around $500m a year, and comes as the US military seeks to shift its attention towards Asia. Many of the closures affect smaller bases that were remnants of the Cold War.
Verbazing over timing MH17-uitleg door het kabinet. Parlementsleden reageren verbaasd op de timing van antwoorden op Kamervragen over MH17. Het kabinet stuurde de antwoorden om 23.12 uur naar de Tweede Kamer. "Waarom wekenlang Kamervragen over MH17 niet beantwoorden en dan 23.30 uur vanavond wel? Er werken geen mensen op het ministerie nu toch?"
Russia says drivers must not have 'sex disorders'. Russia has listed transsexual and transgender people among those who will no longer qualify for driving licences.
Fetishism, exhibitionism and voyeurism are also included as "mental disorders" now barring people from driving.
Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa admits defeat in election. The pro Chinese "dictatorial" candidate is out, this will please the west. However the new President has studied in Moscow and is a commie. Mr Rajakpaksa's press officer said the president "concedes defeat and will ensure a smooth transition of power bowing to the wishes of the people".
Thursday, January 08, 2015
Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria's Baga town hit by new assault. Nigerian lawmaker Maina Maaji Lawan said Boko Haram controlled 70% of Borno state, which is worst-affected by the insurgency.
Musa Alhaji Bukar, a senior government official in the area, said that fleeing residents told him that Baga, which had a population of about 10,000, was now "virtually non-existent".
Europe's olive trees threatened by spread of deadly bacteria. A killer pathogen that has established itself in southern Italy is now "very likely" to spread, posing a major risk to European olive trees, according to an assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa). Strangely this disease first appeared in protected olive orchards standing in the way of a mayor gas pipeline.
Post a lot of selfies? Science says you might have psychopathic traits. Men who take more selfies have higher than average traits of narcissism and psychopathy, a study from academics at Ohio State University has found.It also found men who edited their selfies before posting them were more likely to have traits of narcissism but editing selfies was not linked to psychopathic traits.
CIA Torture Report Incriminates Dick Cheney. The reputed "Queen of Al Qaeda," Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a CIA torture victim now serving 87 years in an American "super-max" prison, was a CIA agent when captured and was imprisoned to prevent releasing information that could eventually lead to the arrest and conviction of then Vice President Dick Cheney.
Turkey approves motion to join new NATO mission in Afghanistan Turkey is running the biggest foreign assistance program of its history in Afghanistan and around 900 Turkish personnel would be serving in Afghanistan as part of the mission. Turkey will also undertake the management of Kabul International Airport in the country's capital for a two-year term.
Most fossil fuels 'unburnable' under 2C climate target. Most of the world's fossil fuel reserves will need to stay in the ground if dangerous global warming is to be avoided, modelling work suggests.
Over 80% of coal, 50% of gas and 30% of oil reserves are "unburnable" under the goal to limit global warming to no more than 2C, say scientists.
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
US sends Poland extradition request for Roman Polanski. The Polish prosecutor-general's office, responsible for overseeing law enforcement in the country, has received a request from the United States to extradite Roman Polanski.
It marks another attempt by the US to bring Polanski back to the country he fled from in 1978
Paris terror attack: huge manhunt under way after gunmen kill 12. Warning that several other attacks had been foiled in recent weeks, the president called for national unity and convened an emergency cabinet meeting. The French government raised the terror alert level in the greater Paris region to the highest level possible.
Chinese Dominance Spreads Across South China Sea Many Asian leaders seem to believe that Sino-US rivalry trumps their individual disputes with China, and that Washington will eventually fall for the line that only tangible, muscular US engagement will prevent China's domination, not just of the South China Sea but also of the Southeast Asian states it washes onto.
North Korea has 6,000-strong cyber-army, says South. South Korea has claimed that North Korea has a 6,000-member cyber-army dedicated to disrupting its military and government. The figure is a doubling of its earlier estimate that the North had a cyberwarfare staff of 3,000.
Iceland Withdrawal of EU Application in Breach of Referendum Promise Ossur Skarphedinsson,a member of the Icelandic parliament from the Social Democratic Alliance and former Iceland's foreign minister, said that by withdrawing Iceland's application to join the EU, the country's ruling Independence Party will break its promise to ask the nation whether it wants to join in a referendum.
Chinese upstart takes lead in fast-growing drone market Founded in 2009 by an engineer with a childhood love of radio-controlled model planes, DJI has become the world's biggest supplier of civilian drones - possibly the first Chinese company to achieve that status in any consumer industry.
Forest Service yanks $10 million contract to boost its image Faced with a backlash from employees and retirees, the U.S. Forest Service has abruptly dropped plans to spend up to $10 million on a five-year nationwide public relations campaign to brand itself as a public agency that cares about people and nature.
Pirate Party: 'We are literally rewriting EU copyright law' "Copyright law needs to be updated to the digital age," the author of the EU new copy right law Pirate Party MEP Julia Reda said. "The EU copyright framework makes the protection of rights-holders mandatory, but the rights of the public only optional."
In Europe, Pirates Are Writing The Copyright Law. Strangely unreported by mainstream media, there is a major revision of the copyright monopoly underway in the European Union. And the person in charge, Julia Reda, is a Pirate Party representative. The tide is turning.
TTIP - Cornish pasty 'at risk' from EU-US trade deal "If we want to take advantage of the opportunities of free trade with the huge American market, we can no longer have every type of sausage and cheese each protected as a speciality," German agriculture minister Christian Schmidt said.
Shell vergoedt milieuschade dorp in Nigerdelta. Een dochteronderneming van Shell in Nigeria betaalt de inwoners van een dorp in de Nigerdelta 70 miljoen euro voor de schade die zij hebben geleden door olielekkages uit pijpleidingen van Shell. Voor de meer dan 15.000 inwoners die persoonlijk een claim hebben ingediend, is 45 miljoen euro beschikbaar.
Tuesday, January 06, 2015
Few options for fixing Libya, a major jihadist threat to West "The jihadists -- who are in the same mould as the Islamic State -- have got a firm foothold and we're only expecting that to grow.
"There is nothing stopping fighters using Libya as a conduit to get to Europe. It is a training ground right on Europe's front door."
Belgian rapist Van Den Bleeken refused 'right to die' at the last moment The justice minister Koen Geens said he was respecting the latest medical advice of doctors treating Frank Van den Bleeken, who is unable to control violent sexual urges. Belgium's justice ministry says it is now trying to get specialised psychological care for Van den Bleeken in the Netherlands.
Judge extends order limiting Missouri police use of tear gas The temporary restraining order requires police to warn crowds of the impending use of tear gas, pepper spray and other chemical agents and provide "reasonable" time for people to disperse before tear gas is deployed. The ruling does not define what is reasonable, leaving that to police discretion.
McDonald's runs out of French fries in Venezuela McDonald's franchisers are blaming a contract dispute with West Coast dock workers for halting the export of frozen fries to the country. The dispute also caused several days of French fry rationing in Japan last month. Strangely enough other countries in the region are not affected.
In Iraq's war against extremists, a quiet sectarian purge The apparent sectarian cleansing plants the seeds of future conflict - or even an outright civil war that could eventually break up the nation along sectarian and ethnic lines, a fate that a growing number of Iraqis, particularly Sunnis, see as the solution to the nation's bloody turmoil.
EU wants explanation from Turkey on migrant smugglers Turkey's Foreign Ministry didn't have an immediate response. The EU's border agency Frontex said the smugglers of the latest two cargo boats are probably business opportunists in southeast Turkey who are not connected to regular smuggling networks.
Turkey's Duplicitous Game With Assyrians. Turkey invites the Assyrians to return, on the other hand the government in Ankara prohibits "foreigners" from buying land or setting up subsidiaries in the province of Mardin -- where Turkish Assyrians originate. In practice, the word "foreigners" is applied to Assyrians and other Christians.
De zeespiegelstijging neemt ietsje af i.p.v. toe. Ik vind het opvallend dat een 50% langere meetreeks leidt tot een lagere zeespiegelstijging. De afname van de jaarlijkse zeespiegelstijging (van 3,5 mm naar 3,2 mm) is klein en valt technisch gesproken binnen de foutenmarge van de metingen
ISIS- Hoe versla je een veelkoppig monster? Het helpt eens te kijken naar twee met IS vergelijkbare fenomenen uit ons eigen verleden: het gewelddadige Munster van de wederdopers in 1534 en 1535 en het enthousiasme en de onlusten rond Sjabbatai Tsvi, de veronderstelde Joodse Messias van een eeuw later, in 1666.
U.N. says wants fewer but better performing troops in Congo. Ban's report acknowledges calls from the Congolese government for reducing the size of MONUSCO, the biggest purely U.N. peacekeeping mission in the world, by more than 50 percent but dismisses those suggestions as impractical. MONUSCO currently has almost 20,000 troops and over 1,000 police.
Sri Lanka faces unrest in run-up to elections All you need to know about these elections is that the current President Mahinda Rajapakse is in power thanks to massive Chinese military aid during the civil war and huge investments in new infrastructure. Neither the West nor India are very happy about this evident Chinese role in Sri Lanka.
Yemen: Who controls the state? - Al Jazeera English. The Houthis, backed by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, pose a major threat to the current president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Their critics say they are being funded by Iran, something the fighters deny.
Now the Houthis have rejected a UN-brokered agreement that would have seen Yemen's division into six federal states. And they have threatened to continue their advance and take more territory.
Turkish people's profile revealed in new survey Some (rather shocking) results; the large majority of people – 84 percent – saying that the best thing they do to pass the time is "watching TV." Almost half of respondents admitted that they never do exercise, even walking. Some 60 percent thinks news may be censored and 61 percent thinks internet sites can be shut down.
Turkish soldier kidnapped in Syria freed: PM The security forces had been reportedly focusing on ISIL militants or the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which has been fighting against the ISIL jihadists in Syria, as potentially responsible. This story stinks
Jordan to Arm Sunni Tribes in Iraq, Syria. The king told the heads of southern Jordanian tribes on Dec. 18 that Jordan is implementing "a security strategy to confront challenges [on fronts with Syria and Iraq] in accordance with programs that are being followed by the armed forces and the security bodies.
Humans could be killed off by hail of comets from passing stars The star most likely to hit us is called Hip 85605, which has a 90% chance of coming nearer than 0.65 light years from us. Another, known as GL 710, also has a good chance of passing near enough by to upset the Oort cloud and throw down the comets that could bring life on earth to an end.
Mexico missing students: Iguala mayor's wife charged. The wife of the former mayor of the Mexican city where 43 students went missing has been charged with organised crime and money laundering.
She had brothers in a local drug gang that operated in the city, Iguala, in the state of Guerrero, prosecutors say.
They said police handed the students over to the drug gang who then killed them and burnt the bodies.
Young Iraqis See Suicide As an Escape. Kurdistan is not the only area afflicted by high suicide rates. Across the rest of Iraq suicides, especially among the youth, a third of the population, are on the rise. Previously almost unknown in Iraq, the aftermath of the country's "liberation" in 2003 saw a sudden and significant upsurge in the phenomenon.
Putin critic Alexei Navalny cuts electronic tag in protest. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has cut off his electronic tag in a protest against his house arrest.
He posted a picture of his severed tag on his blog, saying he rejected his "illegal detention" and that his sentencing for embezzlement had been illegally brought forward.
Russia to hire more foreign troops in forces shake-up. President Vladimir Putin issued a decree enabling foreigners to serve for at least five years in the Russian military - provided they speak Russian. More recruits from ex-Soviet Central Asian republics are expected.
ISIS Has Polarized Turkey Domestically. Syria has meant the stakes have become higher for all domestic actors in Turkey, stoking old rivalries in what may prove the unraveling of the greatest period of stability in modern Turkish history.
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