Miscellaneous News

Miragedriver

Brigadier
What is the biggest threat facing the world today?
Big Question: From Vladimir Putin's expansionist aims to the advances of Islamic State, the news is full of threats to global stability - but what do specialists in war studies think we should fear most?

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1. Russian and Chinese expansionism v Western disarmament

2.Russia's revisionism

3. China’s rise and power shifting in the Indo-Pacific

4. Unfinished business in the Taiwan Strait

5. Unbridled nuclear proliferation

6. Political transition in the Middle East

7. The rise of nationalism and other politics of identity

8. Russian infiltration in Western politics

9. Corruption


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delft

Brigadier
Some see this as no more than a navigational headache and a regional issue with little impact.
How will a reef be less of a navigational hazard than an island? It is rather the other way round.
In actuality, China has every reason not to make a deal to share this highly strategic territory with its neighbors, including energy, fishing, shipping and air travel control, and will most likely just rely on the passive threat posed by its massive military as a deterrent against aggression and intervention.
It is very much to China's advantage to share energy and fishing resources with its neighbors in exchange for recognition of China's sovereignty and that is always the offer from China to those neighbors.
 
Here's another potential threat or wasted opportunity to consider:

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U.S., China top dumping of electronic waste; little recycled
Reuters By Alister Doyle
12 hours ago

By Alister Doyle

OSLO (Reuters) - The United States and China contributed most to record mountains of electronic waste such as cellphones, hair dryers and fridges in 2014 and less than a sixth ended up recycled worldwide, a U.N. study said on Sunday.

Overall, 41.8 million tonnes of "e-waste" -- defined as any device with an electric cord or battery -- were dumped around the globe in 2014 and only an estimated 6.5 million tonnes were taken for recycling, the United Nations University (UNU) said.

"Worldwide, e-waste constitutes a valuable 'urban mine', a large potential reservoir of recyclable materials," said David Malone, the U.N. under-secretary-general and rector of UNU.

The report estimated that the discarded materials, including gold, silver, iron and copper, was worth some $52 billion.

The United States led e-waste dumping with 7.1 million tonnes in 2014, ahead of China on 6.0 million and followed by Japan, Germany and India, it said.

The United States, where individual states run e-waste laws, reported collection of 1 million tonnes for 2012 while China said it collected 1.3 million tonnes of equipment such as TVs, refrigerators and laptops in 2013.

Norway led per capita waste generation, with 28 kg (62 lbs) dumped per inhabitant, followed by Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark and Britain. On that ranking, the United States was ninth and China was not among a list of the top 40.

Researchers said that in many case it made economic sense to recover metals that included 16.5 million tonnes of iron, 1.9 million tonnes of copper as well as 300 tonnes of gold.

The gold alone was valued at $11.2 billion, with the precious metal used in devices because it is a good, non-corrosive conductor of electricity.

"At the same time, the hazardous content of e-waste constitute a 'toxic mine' that must be managed with extreme care," said Malone, referring to components such as lead and mercury which are found on some discarded devices.

Global volumes of e-waste were likely to rise by more than 20 percent to 50 million tonnes in 2018, driven by rising sales and shorter lifetimes of electronic equipment, the report said.

Ruediger Kuehr, one of the authors of the report, said many people were aware of the global problem of waste but often left aging toys or cellphones in drawers or cellars at home. "People don't see it as an issue in their own households," he said.

(Reporting by Alister Doyle; Editing by Crispian Balmer)
 

Zool

Junior Member
The true stat for waste, especially e-waste, is per capita as it is the contribution by each individual that matters to the global issue. Nice to see they included it further down in the article at least.

E-waste in particular is going to continue to be a challenge because of the miniaturization of technology. You have multiple materials coming together to create intricate devices, which become difficult (I.e costly) to break down into their base components and recycle, at the end of their usage life. Toxicity becomes a whole other issue when looking at batteries and the like.
 

Miragedriver

Brigadier
Argentina's Kirchner heads to Russia to press nuclear, trade deals

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Buenos Aires (AFP) - Argentine President Cristina Kirchner will visit Russia's Vladimir Putin Wednesday and Thursday to follow up on nuclear and trade deals the countries signed last year and cultivate a budding relationship.

Putin extended the invitation during a stop last July in Buenos Aires, where Russian and Argentine officials signed a raft of deals on trade, military cooperation, communications and energy projects.

Kirchner's visit comes as the countries mark 130 years of diplomatic relations. But the relationship has gained new impetus in recent years as Kirchner and Putin have found common cause in their often antagonistic relations with the United States and Europe.

Putin is keen to bolster Russia's support in Latin America at a time when the Ukraine crisis has deeply damaged Moscow's relations with the West.

And Kirchner has found in Putin a welcome ally for Argentina's battle against US hedge funds thwarting its effort to restructure its defaulted debt.

When he visited her in July, he also voiced support for Argentina's long-standing bid for sovereignty over the Falklands, calling for "direct negotiations" with Britain over the bitterly disputed islands.

That visit wrapped up with both leaders calling for a more "multi-polar" world less dominated by the United States and the European Union.

This visit is "fundamentally about trade," Argentine cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez told journalists.

"Our job is to consolidate this relationship and incentivize new investment. Our country is a place that attracts investors," he said.

Russia has notably voiced interest in Argentina's energy sector, particularly the Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas field, potentially one of the largest finds in history.

In July the countries also signed a deal on civilian nuclear energy projects, the details of which have not been released. Argentina is currently at work on its fourth nuclear power plant, the $2.4-billion Atucha III reactor.

Bilateral trade between the two totalled $2.1 billion last year, with Russia selling mainly oil and chemical fertilizers, and Argentina mostly exporting food -- profiting from Moscow's ban on US and European food imports, imposed last August amid the Ukraine crisis.

Kirchner will address business leaders from both countries during her trip, her first to Russia since the G-20 summit in Saint Petersburg in September 2013.


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Miragedriver

Brigadier
US warship sent to block Iran weapons off Yemen

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The Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Vicksburg escorts the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (top) as they pass the Rock of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean Sea March 31, 2015 and released April 1, 2015. Picture taken March 31, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Navy officials say the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is steaming toward the waters off Yemen and will join other American ships prepared to intercept any Iranian vessels carrying weapons to the Houthi (HOO'-thee) rebels fighting in Yemen.

The U.S. Navy has been beefing up its presence in the Gulf of Aden and the southern Arabian Sea amid reports that a convoy of Iranian ships may be headed toward Yemen to arm the Houthis.

The Houthis are battling government-backed fighters in an effort to take control of the country.

There are about nine U.S. ships in the region, including cruisers and destroyers carrying teams that can board and search other vessels.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ship movement on the record.


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Miragedriver

Brigadier
US starts training Ukrainians to fight pro-Russia forces

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Yavoriv (Ukraine) (AFP) - US paratroopers Monday began training Ukrainian government forces who will fight pro-Russian separatists in the east, angering Moscow as the deadly conflict rumbles on in the ex-Soviet country.

Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko welcomed troops from the US 173rd Airborne Brigade in a rain-soaked ceremony at a military base in Yavoriv, western Ukraine, to launch Operation Fearless Guardian.

"We are the eyewitnesses and direct participants in forming the new Ukrainian military, which like the phoenix is rising again after years of decline," Poroshenko told the assembled troops.

"This is not only a war for the independence of Ukraine, but also a war for freedom and democracy in Europe and the whole world."

Officials said some 300 US troops will train 900 members of Ukraine's National Guard, which is deployed in the east where heavy artillery fire is rumbling on despite a February ceasefire.

The United Nations says more than 6,000 people have been killed in the conflict in the past year and more than a million civilians have been displaced.

US Army Major Michael Weisman told AFP the mission would provide training in individual and medical skills and defence manoeuvres with the kind of weapons already used by the Ukrainian forces such as AK-47 assault rifles.

As the US brigade arrived in Ukraine last week from its base in Italy, Russia warned the move could "destabilise" Ukraine and said it was a step towards the United States arming .

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- Alleged Russian arms deliveries -

Washington has sent $75 million (70 million euros) worth of non-lethal military aid to Kiev, but has so far held off from supplying arms.

Britain has also deployed personnel to Ukraine to train government forces, in a mission that ministers said would involve up to 75 trainers at a time. Canada announced last week it would also send 200 trainers in the summer.

US troops have trained with Ukrainian forces in the past, but it is the first time Washington has trained members of Ukraine's recently re-formed National Guard.

"It is the first time that joint exercises of such scale and content have been carried out in Ukraine," Poroshenko said.

"I am sure the exercises we are launching here today will be effective in reinforcing and stabilising the situation."

Kiev and the West say there is mounting evidence that Russia is arming separatists who control parts of eastern Ukraine and is sending troops to fight alongside them. Russia has repeatedly denied this.

On Monday Ukrainian army spokesman Andriy Lysenko said shelling in the east eased on Sunday, but intelligence services had detected scores of vehicles bringing arms into eastern Ukraine from Russia over recent days.

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Moscow accuses the United States of backing an uprising that preceded the ousting of Ukraine's former pro-Russia president Viktor Yanukovych in February last year. Moscow subsequently annexed the Crimean peninsula.

France and Germany brokered a ceasefire agreement in February but European OSCE observers in eastern Ukraine say exchanges of artillery fire have continued over recent weeks.

On Monday however, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said monitors had brokered a truce in one flashpoint village, Shyrokyne, near the strategic government-held city of Mariupol.

"There is a good chance for peace at this moment and we need to invest as much as we can in this," Zannier told AFP during a visit to Lithuania. "But there is always a risk of relapse in the conflict."

Poroshenko said there had been negotiations on setting up a 24-hour observation post for the OSCE in Shyrokyne, in comments quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

"We hope that it will be achieved in the coming days through joint efforts with our partners."


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delft

Brigadier
US warship sent to block Iran weapons off Yemen

XWytIuR.jpg

The Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Vicksburg escorts the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (top) as they pass the Rock of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean Sea March 31, 2015 and released April 1, 2015. Picture taken March 31, 2015




Back to bottling my Grenache
Yemen is pretty full of weapons already, think also of the $500 million worth the US happened to loose there recently, so it is most unlikely that Iran would think it necessary to send even more. I would call this "news" propaganda.
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Yemen is pretty full of weapons already, think also of the $500 million worth the US happened to loose there recently, so it is most unlikely that Iran would think it necessary to send even more. I would call this "news" propaganda.
Oh. make no mistake, Iran wants to further arm the tribesmen. And if they can...they will do so.

Most of the US equipment is not direct arms...and those that are, are mostly in friendly hands already.

But I will grant you this master delft, the US carrier and the AEGIS cruiser accompanying it are not there to enforce the embargo. The Saudi frigates, Egyptian frigates, and Burke destroyers in the area are very much more than adequate and capable of doing that.

That carrier is there to give the US and its allies more significant "options, should they choose to execute them.

Oh, they may make a show of them being involved in the other...but they are not necessary to it. They are there to:

1) Make a statement, and a strong one.
2) To give the US commanders more options in dealing with the crisis if needed.

I believe that is what is going on,.
 

Miragedriver

Brigadier
Russia and Argentina nurtured a flourishing relationship on Thursday as their presidents met in the Kremlin.

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and
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signed a “strategic partnership” that included oil and gas deals, plans for Russian funding of a hydropower facility and an agreement for Russia to help build a nuclear power plant in the
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country.

Mrs. Kirchner wants
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– while Mr. Putin sees London as a motor behind EU sanctions on
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over the
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.

Russia's leader took a lengthy Latin American tour last year to demonstrate his global reach as
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.

Through ties with
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,
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and Argentina the Kremlin wants to show it can survive with economic partners and political friends outside the Western sphere.

There have been rumors, never substantiated, that
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in exchange for beef and wheat to beat EU sanctions over Ukraine.

The UK
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, partly in response to the reports. Michael Fallon, the Defense Secretary, said the bombers deal had never been confirmed but added: "It is a very live threat; we have to respond to it."

Daniel Filmus, Argentina's secretary on Malvinas affairs, denied the bombers-for-beef arrangement with Moscow to the Telegraph last week.

Asked if he could confirm that
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, he replied: "Absolutely. I confirmed it with the defense minister. He laughed. Even the Russians said 'We wish!'".

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Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as she arrives at Moscow airport (EPA)

Similarly, Moscow has not confirmed any such deal – but its relations with Argentina are certainly warming.

During her visit to the Russian capital, Mrs. Kirchner attended the opening of an exhibition about Eva Perón.

The Argentine president has already shown herself to be a friend to the Kremlin, dismissing Western criticism of its military intervention in Ukraine.

Last year, she criticized the West for alleged "double standards" over Russia's annexation of Crimea. During a visit to Paris a day after the seizure of the Ukrainian peninsula in March, she drew a parallel with Argentina's claim to the Falklands.

The
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in which 99.8 per cent of the 1,517 residents who were polled voted to remain a British overseas territory.

Moscow justified its seizure of Crimea using the results of a disputed referendum which, it claimed, showed that 97 per cent of residents wanted to join Russia.

"You can't insist on the territorial integrity of Ukraine but not of Argentina," said Mrs. Kirchner, after meeting
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, France's president.

"If the referendum in Crimea doesn't count when it's a few kilometers from Russia, then what about a referendum in a colony 13,000 kilometers away."

She added: "We must respect the same principles for everyone or else we live in a world without laws."

Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, later called the Argentine leader to thank her for her words.

Moscow has also highlighted the supposed similarities between the Falklands and Crimea.

"London should pause and chill out. All Western opinion polls in Crimea say the absolute majority supports reunification with Russia," Alexei Pushkov, the chairman of the foreign relations committee in the lower house of parliament, tweeted last month.

"Take notice, London. Crimea has immeasurably more grounds to be part of Russia than the Falklands to be part of Britain."

Mr. Pushkov was responding to Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, who had said that the Crimea referendum on joining Russia was a "blatant breach of Ukrainian and international law".

Mr. Putin met Mrs. Kirchner during his tour of South America in July. "We favor the principles of a multipolar world, which are equality, indivisibility and security," the Russian leader said at a dinner in his honor.

"Russia continues to support the need to find a solution to the dispute over the Malvinas Islands at direct negotiations between Great Britain and Argentina."

My only comment: I can't stand this woman!


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