Saturday, January 4, 2020

In the news, Thursday, December 26, 2019


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DEC 25      INDEX      DEC 27
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from Asia Times
LEAST BIASED, HIGH;  News & Media Website based in Hong Kong

Israel’s Netanyahu wins ruling party leadership vote
Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a “huge” victory Friday, after winning a leadership primary that ensures he will lead his right-wing Likud party into March elections. Israel’s longest-serving premier, who faces a corruption indictment and a third general election in 12 months, was expected to beat rival Gideon Saar, but the convincing margin of victory strengthened his position in the party he has dominated for 20 years. With all votes counted, Likud announced early Friday that Netanyahu had secured 72.5%, with Saar winning 27.5%.

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from BBC News (UK)

Watkin's Wembley folly: London's 'Eiffel Tower' that never was
Before Wembley got its world famous football stadium, a Victorian railway magnate had even grander plans to turn the borough's marshy fields into London's answer to the Eiffel Tower.

Why Vladimir Putin is angry at Poland
As top Russian officials were summing up the results of 2019, one subject stood out in President Vladimir Putin's pronouncements: Poland and its role in World War Two. Over the past seven days, he mentioned it no fewer than five times at key meetings - some of which had little to do with history or even foreign policy. But why is Putin angered by accusations against a country that does not exist any more? The USSR's victory in World War Two is one of the most venerated pillars of state ideology, and more than 70 years on it is still celebrated with much fanfare and bombast every year. It is also a key way for President Putin to legitimise himself and his expansionist foreign policy as a successor to the Soviet empire. So the Kremlin sees any criticism of what is known in Russia as the Great Victory as an attack on itself.

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from HumanProgress.org  Education Website

Heroes of Progress, Pt. 34: Alan Turing
This week, our hero is Alan Turing - an English mathematician, computer scientist and cryptanalyst, who is best known for his contributions to the field of computer science and for developing a machine that cracked the Nazis’ “Enigma” code during World War II. The Enigma machine was an enciphering device that was used extensively by the Nazi forces in WWII to send messages securely. Turing’s work in creating a machine that could break the encrypted German messages meant that Allied forces had a huge advantage during the war. Some historians have estimated that thanks to Turing’s work, WWII was shortened by at least 2 to 3 years. By cutting the war short, Turing’s work likely saved millions of lives.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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from USA Today

FDA officially raises federal minimum age to purchase all tobacco products from 18 to 21
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has officially changed the federal minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21. The new minimum age applies to all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping cartridges. The provision came as part of a $1.4 trillion spending package signed by President Donald Trump on Dec. 20, which amended the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which also included $1.4 billion reserved for building the U.S.-Mexico border wall and $25 million for gun violence research.

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