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from DW News (Deutsche Welle)
Broadcasting & Media Production Company in Bonn, Germany
Belarus dissidents have defied all odds, bravely standing up to a state armed to the teeth and willing to deploy brute force to crush all opposition. The dissidents have refused to let themselves be intimidated, and the Coordination Council has worked tirelessly to fight for freedom. The country's dissidents have thoroughly earned the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize. It was paramount that it be awarded collectively, not just to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya but to all of Belarus' opposition figures, otherwise, it would have lost all meaning. These individuals have inspired and lent momentum to the tens of thousands who have taken to the streets of Minsk, week after week, following the country's rigged August election. They have rightly demanded their civil rights be honored and respected — this is what the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is all about.
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from Hoover Institution
Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California
Crisis In The Eastern Mediterranean
The Eastern Mediterranean, like the Middle East, is a tough neighborhood. The current standoff over natural gas rights among Greece, Turkey, and their respective allies is only the latest example. Greece and Turkey are locked in a dispute over fossil-fuel exploration rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, both off the coast of Cyprus and elsewhere. Since the discovery not long ago of undersea gas and oil reserves in the area, the stakes have grown high. Greece and the European Union claim that Turkey is drilling illegally in the region, while Turkey asserts its rights. Each side has claimed an Exclusive Economic Zone.
It’s Not The Energy, Stupid!
In 2020, with the strong presence of American, Russian, French, Greek, Turkish, Egyptian, Italian, and even German warships, the Eastern Mediterranean has become one of the most militarized seas in the world. It’s all about geography. In the Eastern Mediterranean there are two of the three gates to and from the Mediterranean: the Bosphorus and the Suez. It touches the Middle East coast where the interests of many powerful countries are at stake, it has energy resources, and it lies on the New Silk Road. It is important for international navigation, the European Union, and it serves the interests of countries such as the United States, China, Russia, the UK, and France.
Three wars that Turkey is currently involved in, namely in Syria, Libya, and the South Caucasus, suggest that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s foreign policy has settled into a new phase. Erdoğan is building a “mini Empire” by—often—simultaneously fighting and power-brokering with his Russian homologue, and to this end the Eastern Mediterranean provides ample opportunities for him. In Syria, Turkey supports rebels opposing the Assad regime, itself backed by Russia. In the South Caucasus, Turkey backs Azerbaijan, which is trying to recover its occupied territory from Armenia, a close Russian ally. And in Libya, Ankara backs the internationally-recognized Tripoli government against forces supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Putin’s mercenaries, known as Wagner’s Army.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
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Affordable home ownership is key to climbing into the middle class, but energy code changes next year won’t help mend the wealth gap. Larry Gropp, a Pullman-based architect designing primarily single-family homes, worries about what the new codes will do to affordability. “I suspect 90% of architects in this state are unaware, and builders are just starting to get a clue,” Gropp said. According to Gropp, the latest residential energy code will add 30% to the price of a new home. Prior to 2015, builders in Pullman could produce a 2,500-square-foot custom home at $130 per square-foot. Prices jumped to $185 per square-foot after the previous code update in 2015, partially driven by additional requirements for insulation and heating systems.
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