DRAMA!
- BBC.com Russia has fired on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels off the Crimean Peninsula in a major escalation of tensions between the two countries.
Two gunboats and a tug were captured by Russian forces. A number of Ukrainian crew members were injured.
Each country blames the other for the incident. On Monday Ukrainian MPs are due to vote on declaring martial law.
The crisis began when Russia accused the Ukrainian ships of illegally entering its waters.
The Russians placed a tanker under a bridge in the Kerch Strait - the only access to the Sea of Azov, which is shared between the two countries.
During a meeting of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, President Petro Poroshenko described the Russian actions as "unprovoked and crazy".
Russia has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley says has been called for 11:00 New York time (16:00 GMT) on Monday.
Tensions have recently risen in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov off the Crimean peninsula - annexed by Russia in 2014.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Saturday, November 10, 2018
U.S. presses China to halt militarisation of South China Sea
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Standing side by side, top U.S. officials urged their Chinese counterparts on Friday to halt militarization of the disputed South China Sea, drawing a rebuke from the Chinese for sending U.S. warships close to islands claimed by Beijing.
During a round of high-level talks in Washington, the two sides aired in sometimes blunt terms many of their main differences, including a bitter trade dispute, freedom of navigation in Asia-Pacific waters, self-ruled Taiwan, and China’s crackdown on its Muslim minority in Xinjiang.
Two visiting senior Chinese officials also seized the opportunity to warn publicly that a trade war between the world’s two largest economies would end up hurting both sides and to call for keeping channels of communication open to resolve an issue that has unsettled global financial markets.
Despite the airing of grievances, the talks appeared aimed at controlling the damage to relations that has worsened in recent months and at paving the way for an encounter between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina at the end of November.
“The United States is not pursuing a Cold War or containment policy with respect to China,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a joint news conference.
Even as the United States and China confront difficult challenges, “cooperation remains essential on many issues,” he said, citing efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear programme.
Monday, November 5, 2018
Arizona boy, 11, kills grandmother before killing self after being asked to clean room: police
- An 11-year-old boy in Arizona fatally shot his grandmother in the back of the head Saturday evening and then turned the gun on himself after she asked the boy to clean his room, police said.
Doyle Hebert, who along with his wife Yvonne Woodard, 65, had custody of their 11-year-old grandson. Herbert told authorities that his grandson fired a bullet into the back of his grandmother's head, FOX 10 reported. Herbert was sitting on the couch at the time, the report said.
Hebert told police that he first chased after his grandson, but heard another gunshot when he went back to tend to his wife, The Arizona Republic reported. The boy had turned the gun on himself.
The weapon reportedly belonged to the grandfather.
Authorities are investigating the incident that occurred at a home in Litchfield Park, AZ., which is about 21 miles east of the state’s capital. Police said they have found nothing that would indicate the boy wanted to commit acts of violence prior to the shooting, the station reported.
Doyle Hebert, who along with his wife Yvonne Woodard, 65, had custody of their 11-year-old grandson. Herbert told authorities that his grandson fired a bullet into the back of his grandmother's head, FOX 10 reported. Herbert was sitting on the couch at the time, the report said.
Hebert told police that he first chased after his grandson, but heard another gunshot when he went back to tend to his wife, The Arizona Republic reported. The boy had turned the gun on himself.
The weapon reportedly belonged to the grandfather.
Authorities are investigating the incident that occurred at a home in Litchfield Park, AZ., which is about 21 miles east of the state’s capital. Police said they have found nothing that would indicate the boy wanted to commit acts of violence prior to the shooting, the station reported.
Sunday, November 4, 2018
New Caledonia: French Pacific territory rejects independence
BBC - Voters in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia have rejected a bid for independence.
Final results showed that 56.4% chose to remain part of France while 43.6% voted to leave - a tighter result than some polls had predicted.
Turnout was about 81%. The vote was promised in a 1988 deal that put an end to a violent campaign for independence.
President Emmanuel Macron said it showed "confidence in the French republic".
"I have to tell you how proud I am that we have finally passed this historic step together," he added.
The referendum passed peacefully but some unrest was reported after polls closed.
Cars and a shop were set ablaze in the capital, Nouméa, local media reported, and the high commissioner's office said some roads were closed by protesters.
It is one of the UN's 17 "non-self governing territories" - where the process of decolonisation has not been completed.
About 175,000 people were eligible to vote in Sunday's referendum New Caledonia, east of Australia, where indigenous Kanaks make up 39.1% of the population.
French nationalism is strong among the territory's ethnic Europeans - constituting 27.1% of the population - and observers say even some Kanaks back staying part of France.
The remaining third of the population of New Caledonia's 268,000 inhabitants are also largely said to oppose independence.
Final results showed that 56.4% chose to remain part of France while 43.6% voted to leave - a tighter result than some polls had predicted.
Turnout was about 81%. The vote was promised in a 1988 deal that put an end to a violent campaign for independence.
President Emmanuel Macron said it showed "confidence in the French republic".
"I have to tell you how proud I am that we have finally passed this historic step together," he added.
The referendum passed peacefully but some unrest was reported after polls closed.
Cars and a shop were set ablaze in the capital, Nouméa, local media reported, and the high commissioner's office said some roads were closed by protesters.
It is one of the UN's 17 "non-self governing territories" - where the process of decolonisation has not been completed.
About 175,000 people were eligible to vote in Sunday's referendum New Caledonia, east of Australia, where indigenous Kanaks make up 39.1% of the population.
French nationalism is strong among the territory's ethnic Europeans - constituting 27.1% of the population - and observers say even some Kanaks back staying part of France.
The remaining third of the population of New Caledonia's 268,000 inhabitants are also largely said to oppose independence.
Saturday, November 3, 2018
First FDA-approved cannabis-based drug now available in the US
- Epidiolex, the first cannabis-based medication approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, is now available by prescription in all 50 states.
The twice-daily oral solution is approved for use in patients 2 and older to treat two types of epileptic syndromes: Dravet syndrome, a rare genetic dysfunction of the brain that begins in the first year of life, and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a form of epilepsy with multiple types of seizures that begins in early childhood, usually between ages 3 and 5.
“Because these patients have historically not responded well to available seizure medications, there has been a dire need for new therapies that aim to reduce the frequency and impact of seizures,” said Justin Gover, CEO of GW Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Epidiolex, in a written statement. “We are committed to ensuring that these patients can access this novel cannabinoid medicine that has been thoroughly studied in clinical trials, manufactured to assure quality and consistency, and is eligible to be covered by insurance for appropriate patients.”
Epidiolex was recommended for approval by an advisory committee in April and approved by the FDA in June. In September, the US Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration classified Epidiolex as a Schedule V substance, clearing the final hurdle for it to be legally prescribed by doctors in the United States. (Marijuana and CBD remain Schedule I substances.)
Friday, November 2, 2018
Humans have allegedly killed 60 percent of world’s wildlife since 1970, World Wildlife Fund says
foxnews.com - No one can argue that humans aren’t the dominant species — for better or worse.
World Wildlife Fund released an alarming report Tuesday asserting that humans are directly responsible for killing off an average of 60 percent of the world’s mammals, fish, birds and reptiles — in just over 40 years.
“Earth is losing biodiversity at a rate seen only during mass extinctions,” say WWF’s Living Planet Report authors.
The WWF collected data on more than 4,000 species globally between 1970 and 2014. The take-away: Humanity’s insatiable appetite for Earth’s natural resources — energy, land, water — and a growing food-production industry, is leading to “over-exploitation.”
The WWF urges global leaders to join forces to, well, save the planet.
“Decision makers at every level need to make the right political, financial and consumer choices to achieve the vision that humanity and nature thrive in harmony on our only planet.”
They better move fast: Researchers estimate that only one-tenth of the world’s land mass has been spared from human consumption. South and Central America have suffered the greatest impact, with some 89 percent of their vertebrate species lost. ContinueReading
World Wildlife Fund released an alarming report Tuesday asserting that humans are directly responsible for killing off an average of 60 percent of the world’s mammals, fish, birds and reptiles — in just over 40 years.
“Earth is losing biodiversity at a rate seen only during mass extinctions,” say WWF’s Living Planet Report authors.
The WWF collected data on more than 4,000 species globally between 1970 and 2014. The take-away: Humanity’s insatiable appetite for Earth’s natural resources — energy, land, water — and a growing food-production industry, is leading to “over-exploitation.”
The WWF urges global leaders to join forces to, well, save the planet.
“Decision makers at every level need to make the right political, financial and consumer choices to achieve the vision that humanity and nature thrive in harmony on our only planet.”
They better move fast: Researchers estimate that only one-tenth of the world’s land mass has been spared from human consumption. South and Central America have suffered the greatest impact, with some 89 percent of their vertebrate species lost. ContinueReading
Thursday, November 1, 2018
India unveils world's tallest statue, twice the size of New York's Statue of Liberty
nbcnews.com - The tallest statue in the world, honoring India's first deputy prime minister and twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty, was unveiledWednesday.
The 597-foot steel and bronze "Statue of Unity," erected in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, depicts Vallabhbhai Patel, who played a part in unifying the country and leading it to independence.
Funds for the $400-million effigy, which used 7,416,080 cubic feet of cement, 25,000 tons of steel and 1,700 tons of bronze, came from the federal government, state-run companies and other institutions.
Modi ordered the statue built when he was Gujarat chief minister. It took 33 months to build.
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