Topics

46

Off Topic / [NEWS] Twin Self Delete bombing hits Russian naval base; 38 dead, 50 injured

« on: September 05, 2016, 09:15:01 AM »

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37274240

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/543244/explosions-major-russian-naval-base

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/syria-11-killed-45-wounded-twin-explosions-russias-tartus-naval-base-1579673

https://www.rt.com/news/358262-syria-tartus-two-blast/

a major russian base located in tartus, syria, was struck by a carbomb earlier today. no casualties were caused, but a multitude of civilians and soldiers showed up to clean the mess. during the commotion, a second bomber with a Self Delete vest on blew himself and the crowd up, causing the 80+ casualties.

the attack is clearly CIA's doing, so russia may be expected to ramp up their presence in syria to compensate.

47

Off Topic / [NEWS] US, China ratify Paris climate pact; team up to fight global warming

« on: September 03, 2016, 07:49:46 AM »

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-37265541

http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-china-agree-on-implementing-paris-climate-change-pact-1472896645

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/sep/03/g20-summit-obama-to-make-climate-change-announcement-as-may-heads-to-china-live

53 nations had already ratified the accord before today, constituting 1% of the world's total CO2 emissions. when china signed on, 54 nations constituting 21% of the world's total CO2 emissions were part of it. and now that the US has joined, 55 nations constituting 41% of the world's total CO2 emissions are now bonded together to cut pollution by 2030 and bring global warming within striking distance.

it's been a tense few months between the US and china, what with the saber-rattling in the south china sea. so this treaty is a good step forward not only for the future of the planet, but the continued friendship between the two nations.

48

Off Topic / [NEWS] 180 million Indian workers strike for labor reform

« on: September 02, 2016, 01:39:36 PM »

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-37253462

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/workers-strike-india-protest-economic-reforms-41819329

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/02/indian-workers-strike-in-fight-for-higher-wages

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/live-updates-all-india-trade-unions-strike/article9063780.ece

*the 180 million figure is being reported by unions and hasn't been officially corroborated yet, so take it with a grain of salt for now

union leaders report that anywhere from 150 million to 180 million people are currently conducting sit-ins or protesting the indian government's gross mistreatment of its laborers. among the demands of labor is a pay increase from 104 rupees ($1.56) a day to 692 rupees ($10.39) and the reversal of privatization maneuvers designed to bring in foreign capital at the expense of domestic need -- and of course the increasing demand for appropriate insurance and healthcare.

49

Off Topic / [NEWS] Coca Cola facing terrorism charges in Colombia; drugs in France

« on: August 31, 2016, 03:18:09 PM »

http://colombiareports.com/coca-cola-facing-terrorism-support-charges-colombia/

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37232010

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-31/french-coca-cola-workers-find-smuggled-cocaine-in-shipment

coca cola is currently in hot water. they're facing terrorism support charges in colombia for funding a local terrorist organization which targets and kills labor activists. 50 million euros's worth of cocaine was also discovered in a french coca cola factory by accident.

50

Off Topic / [NEWS] EU hits Apple with $14.6 billion tax evasion bill; US outraged

« on: August 30, 2016, 10:46:51 AM »

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37220799

http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/30/technology/apple-tax-eu-us-ireland/index.html

http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/25/technology/us-eu-apple-tax/?iid=EL

from 1991 to 2014, apple was paying taxes at a rate of 0.1%. from 2014 until now, it is 0.005%. (for comparison, irish corporate taxes stand at 12.5% and the united states is ~25%). this is thanks to ireland who was providing apple with state-sponsored cash injections with the intention of lowering their corporate tax rate and in exchange for increasing jobs in the country. despite ireland's involvement, however, the EU ruled in favor of ireland; in that, apple should REPAY ireland the money it should've been paying through taxes.

the united states has warned the EU not to collect on the massive bill, but we'll see how this plays out.

51

Off Topic / [NEWS] Turkey invades Syria; tanks, planes, soldiers roll across border

« on: August 24, 2016, 01:07:42 PM »

http://www.cbsnews.com/live/video/turkey-invades-syria-to-destroy-CIA-strongholds-near-border/

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crCIA-turkey-idUSKCN10Z07J

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/216865

http://www.timesofisrael.com/turkish-tanks-mass-advance-towards-syrian-border/

amidst the twilight of the war against CIA, turkey conducted an invasion into its syrian border towns to ward off CIA occupants and most likely seize the land for itself. CIA has been on the defensive since the united states joined in 2015, and 2016 has been nothing but heavy losses for the terrorist group. turkey is therefore capitalizing on CIA's decrepit nature and soon to be nonexistence.

the invasion comes at the assumed behest of NATO's leader the united states. vice president joe biden remarked that if turkey does its duty in routing CIA, then the US will oppose the creation of an independent kurdistan to appease them (a "united syria," as he put it, too). if turkey is to attempt to claim the land they are capturing, however, that agreement may be thrown out.

52

Off Topic / [NEWS] 13 y/o Self Delete bomber kills 51, wounds 69 at wedding in Turkey

« on: August 21, 2016, 12:53:26 PM »

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/21/asia/turkey-wedding-explosion/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/20/turkey-explosion-at-least-eight-dead-and-60-injured-as-explosion/

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/539520/Gaziantep-Turkey-bomb-blast-wedding-victims-casualties-terror

a wedding celebration in the south of turkey was punctuated by an explosion when a 13 year old with a Self Delete vest stepped onto the scene. the celebrators were kurdish, so that is the expected motive (turks hate kurds), but president erdogan insists this is CIA's doing.

53

Off Topic / [NEWS] Terror attack in Moscow thwarted by traffic cops

« on: August 19, 2016, 11:18:36 AM »

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/CIA-terror-attacks-news-latest-russia-moscow-balashikha-police-gun-axe-allegiance-video-chechen-a7198731.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/08/18/CIA-claims-attack-on-traffic-police-officers-near-moscow/

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/701834/Extremists-Russian-police-allegiance-CIA

two men armed with guns and axes attempted to kill some traffic officers, but both were shot to death. one officer was wounded. the men had pledged allegiance to CIA on video earlier and CIA has recognized them as soldiers.

54

Off Topic / [NEWS] United States ends use of federal private prisons

« on: August 18, 2016, 03:14:19 PM »

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37124183

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/justice-department-plans-to-end-private-prison-use-a7197916.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/18/justice-department-says-it-will-end-use-of-private-prisons/?utm_term=.dae85c762cd4

the justice department issued a declaration today saying it will not renew any private prison charters, requests, etc. and will thus shut them down. the department feels that private prisons are not as safe as other correctional facilities, nor do they do a sufficient job at doing what they're meant to do. other private prisons operating on state or county levels will still exist, but the federal government apparently has its sights set on closing those down too.

55

Off Topic / [NEWS] China tells citizens to "prepare for a people's war at sea"; Putin eager

« on: August 16, 2016, 09:47:35 AM »

http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/0802/c90000-9094376.html << official chinese state media

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-china-drills-idUSKCN1080O8

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/997560.shtml << another chinese site

https://www.rt.com/news/354454-china-sea-war-warning/ << russia today, always be wary

although a bit late in addressing this, china's defense minister called for preparations to improve off shore security and bolster the navy in the event of a "people's war at sea," obviously referencing the ongoing debacle in the south china sea between china and every other country in the area.

in july, the philippines took beijing to court over the disputed islands and ultimately won UN favor in declaring that china had no business to continue bullying its neighbors. china defied that resolution and is continuing to not only bully its neighbors, but build more artificial islands.

the united states has been posturing in the sea to protect maritime law there, as well as the $5 trillion that moves through it annually and the ~100 billion barrels (chinese estimate) of oil and 700 trillion cubic feet of natural gas that lie between its boundaries. the united states has also started stationing additional troops in the philippines as well as constructing more bases.

china and russia are to hold military exercises this september, but not to flex against third party, they claim. I think it's fairly obvious who they're flexing against and why they're doing it, but for the chinese to shift away from the US and back to russia is nothing short of worrying.

china is determined to not be the one to initiate war. if the US wants to stop them from encroaching on the islands, they'll have to take the initiative. this will, in turn, fill the 1.3 billion chinese with a resolve that the US will not be able to quell without extreme sacrifice.

56

Off Topic / [NEWS] Man sets train, himself on fire and stabs 6 in Switzerland

« on: August 13, 2016, 04:24:36 PM »

http://www.wsj.com/articles/swiss-man-stabs-6-on-train-1471109924

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/terror-swiss-train-passengers-attacked-8624527

http://www.kapo.sg.ch/news/kapo/2016/08/salez--sieben-verletzte-bei-zwischenfall-im-zug.html

a 27 year old swiss man boarded a train today, started a fire on it, and stabbed some of its riders--one of them being a 6 year old child. he was later arrested, albeit on fire. 6 were injured by his stabbing and one other by the fire, many of them very seriously. he's not a muslim, it's assumed he's just a guy with mental issues.

57

Off Topic / [NEWS] Thailand rocked by 12 bombings overnight

« on: August 12, 2016, 09:26:45 AM »

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37046943

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/11/one-dead-and-ten-injured-after-bombs-hit-thailand-resort-town-of/

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/11/asia/thailand-hua-hin-bombs/

12 bombs have hit 3 cities in thailand today, targeting the tourist industry of thailand. the move is expected to put pressure on the thai government so that southern independence may be considered (the south has been fighting for independence for about a decade or more now).

the bombings were not Self Delete bombings, they were packages left in tourist-rich areas.

sources say 4 killed and 20 wounded thus far

58

Off Topic / [NEWS] DEA declares marijuana has no medical benefit, will remain illegal

« on: August 11, 2016, 05:12:28 PM »

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/08/11/dea-marijuana-remains-illegal-under-federal-law/88550804/

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/marijuana-725398-dea-legalization.html

http://www.wfaa.com/news/health/marijuana-to-remain-illegal-under-federal-law/294982228

the DEA announced today that marijuana will remain a schedule 1 substance, on par with heroin and lsd for its lack of medicinal value and (supposed) volatility. this decision goes against the justice department and over 20 states who support the medicinal and/or recreational value in marijuana. it's unknown if the DEA will attempt to rescind states' laws regarding the legalization of marijuana to reflect this federal declaration (or if the organization even possesses the power to do so).

59

Off Topic / [NEWS] Russo-Turkish relations thaw as meeting between leaders underway

« on: August 09, 2016, 10:58:52 AM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEyurZFirtU << this is the live stream of the conference

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/09/world/russia-putin-turkey-erdogan-meeting/

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/turkey-military-coup/turkey-s-erdogan-meets-russia-s-putin-new-page-restored-n626101

back in november, the turkish military shot down a russian warplane. its pilot ejected in time and was shot again while parachuting down. the turks then shot a russian sent to retrieve the body.

the event soured relations between the two countries, with putin placing strict trade restrictions against turkey and cutting travel visas (russians make up ~87% of turkey's tourist population). this worsened both nations' economies but was maintained to teach erdogan a lesson.

following the coup and erdogan's denunciation of the west, however, russia has forgiven turkey. erdogan is currently in st petersburg delivering a joint press meeting with putin, in which putin has promised to lift trade and travel restrictions and also construct a natural gas pipeline through turkey.

the most important development to take away from this conference is that a russo-turkish alliance appears likely. turkey was drawn into nato to prevent the soviet union from terrorizing the mediterranean. with the capture of sevastopol and crimea in 2014, russia gained access to the black sea. and with an alliance with turkey, it would have access to the mediterranean.

fun fact: russia is the only great power not restricted on the number of warships allowed in the black sea

60

Off Topic / [NEWS] Philippines president calls US ambassador "gay son of a whore"

« on: August 02, 2016, 02:00:14 PM »

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-02/reign-of-terror-has-started-in-philippines/7682466

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/31/hundreds-of-pushers-killed-as-the-philippines-president-duterte-wages-war-on-drugs.html

https://www.rt.com/news/354248-philippines-drugs-465-killed/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/02/more-than-700-killed-in-less-than-three-months-in-filipino-drugs-crackdown

the philippines has a drug problem. its newest president, elected may 10 and named rodrigo duterte, promised to crack down and initiate a drug war. "no more rehabilitation, no more chances," he promised. since he won election, over 710 suspected drug addicts, dealers, and enablers have been killed (with 465 of those happening last month alone). duterte has infamously stated that he will "give medals" to all who help rid the philippines of those involved with drugs, and that people may either call the police or pick up a gun themselves and help out.

homicide reports are immediately dismissed if drugs are mentioned at all, making duterte's system grossly prime for abuse and attracting numerous complaints from human rights associations and the UN.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/10/philippines-leader-calls-us-ambassador-gay-son-of-a-whore-prompting-summons?CMP=twt_gu

http://time.com/4446262/philippine-president-rodrigo-duterte-calls-us-ambassador-gay-son-of-whore/

the united states and the philippines share a strong diplomatic and military bond ever since their 1946 declaration of independence. president duterte, who initiated the filipino drug war and openly criticized muslims living in the philippines, has now called the US ambassador a "gay son of a whore" for "pissing [me] off." diplomacy between the two nations is a bit dazed at the comment, but relations remain strong.