uawchild
uawchild's JournalTaiwan lawmakers and fishermen head to South China Sea’s Taiping Island to declare sovereignty and f
Source: South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
Taiwan lawmakers and fishermen head to South China Sea’s Taiping Island to declare sovereignty and fishing rights
Twenty Taiwanese lawmakers and fishermen departed for Taiping Island in the South China Sea on Wednesday to declare Taiwan’s sovereignty and fishing rights in the area.
The moves come after an international tribunal in the Hague on July 12 rejected Taipei’s right to an exclusive economic zone around Taiping.
Eight lawmakers from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and opposition Kuomintang (KMT) flew from Pingtung county to Taiping Island to declare Taipei’s sovereignty over the island.
Twelve fishermen set off in a five-boat flotilla at noon on Wednesday from southern Pingtung to Taiping to uphold what they say are Taiwan’s fishing rights to the waters.
The delegation of politicians, led by KMT lawmaker Chiang Chi-chen, boarded a military aircraft from
Pingtung at 7.20am and was expected to land on the island at 10.50 am, the official China News Agency said.
Chiang criticised Taiwan’s government for not taking substantial action to defend the island’s sovereignty in the region.
Read more: http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1992173/taiwan-lawmakers-and-fishermen-head-south-china-seas
Turkish navy ships still missing since attempted coup – as it remains unclear which side admirals ar
Source: The Independent, UK
Turkish navy ships still missing since attempted coup – as it remains unclear which side admirals are on
Several Turkish navy ships are still unaccounted for, their commanders suspected to be among the plotters who sought to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Admiral Veysel Kosele, the commander of the Turkish navy, has not been heard from since the failed coup on Friday, a source told The Times.
It is currently unknown whether he was part of the coup or was tricked on to the boat after coup plotters told him there was a terrorist attack and then taken hostage, local media reports suggested.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/turkey-coup-attempt-turkish-navy-ships-admirals-military-president-erdogan-a7144141.html
FSB Arrest Deputy Head of Moscow's Investigative Committee
Source: Moscow Times
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) have detained several employees of the Moscow department of the Russian Investigative Committee, including deputy head Denis Nikandrov, news agency Interfax reported, citing a message from the agency.
The FSB began a search of the committee's Moscow offices in connection with the case against notorious crime boss Zhakary Kalashov, or Shakro Molodoi.
"The FSB have carried out investigative actions against a number of staff members on the basis of exceeding their official powers, as well as receiving bribes from the criminal community," an FSB statement said, the Slon news website reported.
Shakro Molodoi was arrested on June 11 on charges of extorting money from the owner of the Elements restaurant in Moscow, after a violent shootout in December 2015 left two dead.
A lead investigator on the second case against the Yukos gas giant, Nikandrov was reportedly detained on Tuesday while receiving a bribe worth $1 million for Shakro's release, RBC reported.
It was reported in 2013 that the Prosecutor General's Office begun a preliminary investigation into Nikandrov for abuse of power and coercion of witnesses to testify.
Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/fsb-detain-deputy-head-of-russian-investigative-committee-54644
Ankara Arrests Pilots Behind Shootdown of Russian Bomber
Source: Moscow Times
The Turkish authrorities have arrested two pilots who reportedly participated in the shootdown of a Russian bomber at the end of last year, the RBC news agency reported.
On July 16, Ankara's Mayor, Melih Gökçek said on a CNN Turk broadcast that the pilots were involved in the military coup at the end of last week.
Gökçek also blames the participants for the deterioration in Russian-Turkish relations.
On Nov 24, 2015 a Turkish fighter jet shot down a Russian SU-24 over the Turkish-Syrian border. In the aftermath of the event the pilot, Oleg Peshkov, died. He managed to deploy his parachute but was shot from the ground.
Russia demanded an apology from Turkey but they only received it six months later.
At the end of June Turkish President Recep Erdogan apologized for the shooting down of the plane and gave his condolences to the family of the dead pilot.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/turkish-pilots-who-shot-down-russian-bomber-arrested-54638
Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/turkish-pilots-who-shot-down-russian-bomber-arrested-54638
Kerry says U.S. and Russia plan 'concrete' Syria steps
Source: Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday the United States and Russia have planned "concrete steps" for the direction they will take in Syria.
He also urged Russia to use its influence on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to halt Syrian military attacks on opposition groups and civilians.
Kerry spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by phone earlier on Tuesday and discussed ways to resolve the Syria crisis, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
At a news conference in London, Kerry said he would update his fellow foreign ministers at an international meeting on Syria in the British capital on Tuesday, describing his visit to Moscow last week "and the concrete steps that the U.S. and Russia are planning to take."
"I spoke to Foreign Minister Lavrov again today," he said.
"We both believe that we have an understanding of the direction we are going in and what needs to be achieved and our teams will meet shortly and we are going to continue to do that in order to bolster the cessation of hostilities and in order to increase our capacity to fight back against al Qaeda, which is Nusra, as well as fight back against ISIL," Kerry said.
"We will also do everything in our power to improve delivery of food, medicine, water, incredibly essential humanitarian needs," Kerry said.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-lavrov-kerry-idUSKCN0ZZ1JW
Of all Western nations, only Israel has a fertility rate above replacement level
I just had another stray thought and was wondering if ANY Western developed nations had a fertility rate above the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman. I was thinking "I bet not".
So I checked and discovered only Israel did.
That's right, even in the Nordic countries with their more generous social safety net, no Western country has a sustainable birthrate.
Why is this true for so many countries?
I think Israel is the lone exception for several reasons, it might be a continued collective response to the Holocaust and a desire to keep their heritage alive, it might be due to the large Orthodox community that encourages large families, it might be that Israel offers more support to families than any other Western nation.
It seems, that with a few notable exceptions like Israel, the only countries that DO have a fertility rate above replacement level don't give full equal rights to women.
Just some stray thoughts.
Comments welcome of course, but please read what I actually wrote and don't post that I want to oppress women.
Joking. I hope. lol
is Sputnik News an allowed source for LBN?
"Sputnik (pronounced spʊtnɪk) is an online news and radio broadcast service established by the Russian government-controlled news agency Rossiya Segodnya. Headquartered in Moscow, Sputnik has regional editorial offices in Washington, Cairo, Beijing and London. It focuses on global politics and economics and is geared entirely towards a non-Russian audience. Sputnik has been subject to accusations of bias and being a Russian propaganda outlet."
I just need a clarification, is Sputnik News considered a reputable source? RT - Russia Today isn't, and both it and Sputnik news are state funded by Russia.
This was prompted from an OP I just saw in LBN, I originally asked this there and then fought it was more appropriate to ask here.
Are all state funded news sources from China and Russia considered unsuitable for LBN? And are there any other countries that are viewed similarly.
I ask because I do not want to post articles from news sources that are considered unsuitable.
Thank You.
I was just told that RT - Russia Today is NOT an appropriate source for LBN
ethereal truth an admin on LBN posted this to me:
I am sorry, LOCKING (RT is not considered an appropriate source for LBN)
Statement of Purpose
Post the latest news from reputable mainstream news websites and blogs. Important news of national interest only. No analysis or opinion pieces. No duplicates. News stories must have been published within the last 12 hours. Use the published title of the story as the title of the discussion thread.
Ok, this seems a bit over the top for two reasons.
1) Russia Today is a reputable mainstream news source and RT even has American Progressives like Thom Hartmann and Ed Shultz on it.
2) while RT is a state funded news source, so is Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, both of which have scads of articles posted to LBN. People feel BOTH sites engage in "spin", but both sites also happen to post excellent articles.
I feel this action taken by ethereal truth is a mistake. Banning LBN articles from RT would amount to a degree of censorship I think is unwarranted.
If this is not the correct forum to post this matter, please forgive me and direct me to the correct forum.
Thank you.
USADA to demand blanket ban on Russian team at Rio Olympics - leaked letter
Source: RT - Russia Today
The US and Canadian anti-doping agencies plan to request that all Russian athletes, not just those on the already-banned track & field team, are barred from participating in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, according to a leaked letter seen by Reuters.
"The only appropriate, and permissible, course of action in these unprecedented circumstances is for the IOC to immediately suspend the Russian Olympic and Paralympic Committees from the Olympic Movement... and declare that no athlete can represent Russia at the Rio Olympic Games," says the draft letter, signed by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports (CCES) CEO Paul Melia.
READ MORE: World champ Isinbayeva & other Russian athletes barred from Olympic Games
Reuters claims the letter was to be addressed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is scheduled to be sent after the findings of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report on doping at the Sochi Olympics in 2014 is published next week. While its contents have not yet been made public, it is expected to accuse Russia of running a state-sanctioned doping program, aimed at defeating international drug-testing protocols.
After the doping scandal broke out earlier this year, Russia fired several senior anti-doping officials, and handed over its drug-testing to international WADA labs, but officials deny that the corruption reaches the highest levels of government, as several whistleblowers have claimed. Whistleblower testimonies are expected to constitute a key part of the report.
https://www.rt.com/sport/351642-usada-russia-olympics-ban/
Read more: https://www.rt.com/sport/351642-usada-russia-olympics-ban/
Honour killing: Pakistani model and social media sensation Qandeel Baloch ‘strangled by her brother’
Source: South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
Baloch offended many conservatives by posting pictures of herself with Mufti Qavi, a prominent cleric.
A Pakistani social media celebrity whose selfies polarised the deeply conservative Muslim country has been murdered by her brother in a suspected honour killing, officials said Saturday, prompting shock and revulsion.
Qandeel Baloch, held up by many of the country’s youth for her willingness to break social taboos but condemned and reviled by traditional elements, was strangled near the city of Multan, police said.
“Qandeel Baloch has been killed, she was strangled to death by her brother, apparently it was an incident of honour killing,” Sultan Azam, senior police officer in Multan, said.
Baloch, believed to be in her twenties, had travelled with her family from the city of Karachi to Muzzafarabad village in central Punjab province for the recent Eid holiday. Police were informed by her family that the killing took place on Friday night.
“The brother was also there last night and the family told us that he strangled her to death,” Azhar Akram, another senior police official in Multan said, confirming that officials suspected an honour killing. Police said the brother was now on the run.
Hundreds of women are murdered, often by relatives, for “honour” every year in Pakistan.
The killers often walk free because of a law that allows relatives of the victim to forgive the murderer.
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1990577/honour-killing-pakistani-model-and-social-media-sensation
Read more: http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1990577/honour-killing-pakistani-model-and-social-media-sensation
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