Friday, March 17, 2017

In the news, Sunday, February 26, 2017


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FEB 25      INDEX      FEB 27
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from Business Insider

500 years ago, China destroyed its world-dominating navy because its political elite was afraid of free trade
In the 1400s, China owned the greatest seagoing fleet in the world, up to 3,500 ships at its peak. (The U.S. Navy today has only 430). Some of them were five times the size of the ships being built in Europe at the time. But by 1525, all of China's "Treasure Fleet" ships had been destroyed — burned in their docks or left to rot by the government.

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from DW News (Deutsche Welle)

Turkey builds more than half of Syrian border wall
Turkey has completed more than half of a planned 511-kilometer wall along its border with Syria. The government says it will improve security, but rights groups warn refugees fleeing war will be stuck on the Syrian side.

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from The Spokesman-Review

Fairchild had nuclear weapons for nearly 50 years
For nearly half a century, Spokane sat at Ground Zero. The West Plains had more nuclear weapons than most countries had in their entire arsenals.

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from Sputnik
(Russian government-supported propaganda channel)

Symbolic, or More? Uniformed Marines to Guard De Facto US Embassy in Taiwan
The new US administration continues to chip away at the edges of the longstanding One China policy, with the new president speaking with his Taiwanese counterpart shortly after his election victory and now with the decision to send US marines to guard its de facto embassy on the island state. A handful of uniformed guards may not seem like a big deal, but as only nations with formal ties allow military personnel to be stationed at diplomatic missions, having themformally stationed in the Taiwanese capital takes on serious symbolism, the South China Morning Post points out.

Syrian Crisis 'Impossible' to Resolve Without Kurds
The six-year-long war in Syria will not be resolved if Kurds are not invited to take part in the ongoing round of the Geneva peace talks, Democratic Union Party's representative in Russia Ebdulselam Eli told Sputnik Turkey. "Resolving the Syrian crisis without Kurds is impossible," he said. The Kurds "are self-sufficient and they have their own armed forces. [All stakeholders] need to find common ground with the Kurds. Otherwise Syria will not have a promising future." Kurdish militias have been one of the most efficient forces battling Daesh both in Iraq and Syria.

'Suitcase Without a Handle': West 'Cannot Afford' to Abandon Ukraine
The European Union will allocate an additional €18 million ($19 mln) in humanitarian aid for people affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine, according to a press release by the European Commission.

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