Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Friday, 1 January 2016

The European Union Times


Posted: 31 Dec 2015 10:46 AM PST

China intends to beef up its maritime presence by building a second aircraft carrier. Beijing wants to exert its presence in the South China Sea, after complaining of “provocations” from the US, as well as defending its interests in the region.
Little is known about China’s aircraft carrier program, however a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, Yang Yujun, said the ship had been designed in China and was being built in the port of Dalian.
“China has a long coastline and a vast maritime area under our jurisdiction. To safeguard our maritime sovereignty, interests and rights is the sacred mission of the Chinese armed forces,” Yang said, as cited by Reuters.
The Defense Ministry spokesman added that the aircraft carrier will be able to operate J-15 fighter jets and will also have a ski-jump take-off. China’s only other aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was purchased from Ukraine in 1998 before being refitted in China.
China has been looking to increase its maritime defense capabilities, as it exerts its claims in the South China Sea.
“The US has many aircraft carriers that are traveling all over the place in the South China Sea, which have caused problems for us. Having a second aircraft carrier reduces the pressure on us. It will keep us from being bullied,” a Shanghai-based naval expert, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
Earlier this month the Chinese Navy commissioned its third Type 052D Kunming-class destroyer, ‘Hefei’, armed with surface-to-surface missiles as its primary assault weapon. Beijing says it plans to build at least 10 warships, while they will be based at the naval complex in Sanya on the island of Hainan.
“My men have familiarized themselves with the advanced equipment and weapons [onboard the ship]. In the near future, we will focus on training, aiming to make the ship become fully operational within a short period,” Hefei’s captain, Commander Zhao Yanquan, told China Daily on December 14.
Two weeks ago, China filed a complaint with the Pentagon after a US nuclear-capable B-52 bomber flew over a man-made island in the South China Sea that China claims gives it sovereignty over the surrounding waters. Beijing said the move was a “provocation.”
It urged the United States “to immediately adopt measures to put an end to such kind of dangerous actions, in order not to impact the two countries’ military relations,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Over the past few years China has reclaimed several islands in the South China Sea and built infrastructure on them capable of supporting combat missions of the Chinese Air Force. Beijing insists that the effort is primarily civilian and is meant to make the South China Sea, the region with some of the heaviest maritime traffic in the world, most of it China-bound, a safer place.
The US rejects Beijing’s claim and occasionally sends its warplanes and warships through the 12 nautical mile area around the artificial islands, which China sees as its exclusive zone. In late October, the US guided missile destroyer USS Lassen sailed close to Subi Reef with one such mission, provoking an angry rebuke from China.
The South China Sea is believed to have massive deposits of oil and gas, while around $5 trillion of shipping trade passes through the area per year.
Source
        
Posted: 31 Dec 2015 10:38 AM PST


The British government is considering ‘excluding’ Donald Trump from entering the country. The announcement came in response to a recent petition signed by 565,000 citizens calling for a Trump ban.
The UK Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced that she “may exclude” those who are not “conducive to the public good”.
A statement from the Home Office declared that “The Home Secretary may exclude a non-European Economic Area national from the UK if she considers their presence in the UK to be non-conducive to the public good.”
“Exclusion powers are very serious and are not used lightly. The Home Secretary will use these powers when justified and based on all available evidence.” The statement explained, adding that visiting the UK is a privilege and not a right.
The petition against Trump reached the threshold of 100,000 signatures, meaning it is eligible to be discussed in Parliament.
The petition called for banning Trump from UK shores after he advocated stemming the influx of refugees into the US, following the Paris terror attacks.
The UK home office described Trump’s comments as “divisive, unhelpful and wrong”.
“The Prime Minister has made clear that he completely disagrees with Donald Trump’s remarks. The Home Secretary has said that Donald Trump’s remarks in relation to Muslims are divisive, unhelpful and wrong.” the statement reads.
“The Government recognises the strength of feeling against the remarks and will continue to speak out against comments which have the potential to divide our communities, regardless of who makes them.” it continues.
“We reject any attempts to create division and marginalisation amongst those we endeavour to protect.” it concludes.
Trump has dismissed the petition, stating “You know what 500,000 is? I have 10 million. Much more. Between Facebook and Twitter I have much more than 10 million. I could get 500,000 with one click.”
Source
        
Posted: 31 Dec 2015 10:02 AM PST

The president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, signed on Tuesday (22/12) the decree regulating the medicinal use of marijuana. The decree provides the possibility that licenses are issued for possession of cannabis seeds, as well as for the establishment of crops of this plant, designed to serve exclusively medicinal and scientific purposes.
An important step
“We just take an important step to put Colombia in the forefront of the fight against disease and we do this through a decree that aims to harness the virtues of cannabis to improve people’s lives,” he said. “Allowing the medical use of cannabis is not against our international commitment to perform drug control and much less is part of our policy in the fight against drug trafficking.”
Santos stressed the promotion of the production of drugs made from cannabis “as is done with any natural element that can give relief to diseases and pain.”
The President recalled that many US states and countries such as Canada, the Netherlands, Argentina, Peru and Chile already allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Santos added that the manufacture, export, trade and medical and scientific use of this and other drugs were allowed for decades in Colombia, but there was no regulation.
Safe drugs policy
“What we seek is that patients can have access to national production of drugs that are safe, have quality and are affordable. This is also an opportunity to encourage scientific research in the country, “he said.
Source
        
Posted: 31 Dec 2015 09:38 AM PST


Donald Trump said on Wednesday, “I know words, I have the best words. I have the best, but there is no better word than stupid.”
Speaking at a campaign rally in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Trump claimed, “The world has blown up around Barack Obama.”
Trump then mocked the idea that the State Department claiming that they brought peace to Syria suggesting, “So instead of saying they made a mistake, call it a typo, they made a mistake, they’re trying to justify it. Well, we meant we are working on it. Can you believe bringing peace to Syria? The world is blowing up. The migration from Syria. They say one of their achievements for the year is bringing peace to Syria and the whole world is talking about it.”
“It is the level of stupidity that is incredible. I’m telling you, I used to use the word incompetent,” Trump explained. “Now I just call them stupid. I went to an Ivy League school. I’m very highly educated. I know words, I have the best words. I have the best, but there is no better word than stupid. Right? There is none, there is none. There’s no, there’s no, there’s no word like that.”
Source
        
Posted: 31 Dec 2015 09:20 AM PST

It’s almost the New Year, and while 2016 doesn’t come coated with the same doomsday paranoia that accompanied 2012, it never hurts to be prepared.
A new year means another 365 days (in 2016’s case, 366) which, if you are inclined to be fatalistic, could lead to humanity’s doom. In the event of a catastrophic meteor collision, suffocating nuclear winter, or solar storm capable of knocking out the global power grid, Sputnik recommends you flee, if you still possess your legs, to one of these safe havens.
1. Antarctica

The ice continent has its downsides. It’s difficult to reach, inhospitable, and isn’t exactly suited for sustainable farming. But those snags are also Antarctica’s strengths. If you can cross the violent windswept Southern Ocean with a large stockpile of food, you’d likely have the vast landmass to yourself, with plenty of ice to melt for drinking water, if you have fuel to melt the ice, Business Insider suggests. Scattered scientific outposts also mean that shelter would already be in place.
Plus, if global warming was the cause of the apocalypse, Antarctica could soon be a warm, fertile wonderland. The next Mesopotamia.
2. Ilha da Queimada Grande –Snake Island

Located 93 miles off the coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Ilha da Queimada Grande is a lush island completely untouched humans. It is, essentially, ripe for the taking, with one major catch: the entire place is covered in highly venomous pit vipers. By most estimates, there are between 2 and 5 snakes per square meter.
It’s a risk, but if hundreds of thousands of serpents can survive on the island then there’s plenty of food to go around. Any survivors who could cordon off a corner of the island would be set for life. Of course, with the viper poison capable of melting human flesh within minutes, it could be akin to trying to settle on Isla Nublar from “Jurassic Park.”
A brave new world, indeed.
3. Geneva, Switzerland

Switzerland’s long-standing policy of neutrality, and it’s appreciation of chocolate, makes it an obvious choice for anyone hoping to survive Armageddon. If global war were to break out, the alpine country may be one of the few corners of the world left unscathed.
But Geneva offers another major advantage: The Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator deep beneath the Jura Mountains. The 17-mile circular tunnel and subterranean facilities would provide adequate shelter for thousands of people escaping a charred surface, not to mention the endless possibilities that could stem from being in possession of the world’s largest and most advanced piece of scientific equipment. Assuming a power source still exists, the LHC could be used to save humanity – or to create a portal to hurl everyone into a more prosperous dimension.
4. Las Vegas, Nevada

At no time prior to the end of the world should you visit Las Vegas. It is a nasty, cheap adult theme park in the middle of a desert. But once the end times come, survivors won’t exactly have excess resources to gamble, which means that all of the fraternity bros and Wayne Newton fans that make the city so unbearable will have fled – hopefully to Snake Island.
Left behind will be a major metropolitan city filled with rapidly defrosting $200 steaks from the Bellagio, vast stores of liquor, and luxury high-rise accommodations. Passing out in sheets made of pure Egyptian cotton after gorging on free lobster? What could be better?
The ghost of Sinatra would approve.
5. Svalbard, Norway

The Arctic has many of the same advantages as the southern pole. Its harsh terrain and inaccessibility mean you likely won’t have to duke it out over real estate, and in a warming world, the coldest reaches of our planet could soon be the only place you can actually lie in the sun.
But Svalbard, an archipelago roughly 560 miles north of the Norwegian mainland, has an extra factor going for it: the Global Seed Vault. Built inside a sandstone mountain, the vault contains over 20 million seeds, making it the most comprehensive cross-section of agricultural diversity on the planet.
Of course, the vault essentially serves as a bank, and as such there are robust security measures in place. Anyone hoping to break in may want to bring a lock pick set. Or a bulldozer.
6. Paris, France

The City of Light is a popular destination for any traveler. But beneath its world-class restaurants and art museums lies a vast network of subterranean catacombs. Known as the “World’s Largest Grave,” the tunnels contain the remains of an estimated six million people, and while it may not provide the healthiest quality of life, the catacombs could be your best shot at survival.
Protected from the elements above, the labyrinthine tunnels could easily confuse hostile outsiders, and any number of booby traps could be installed to protect you and a small colony of survivors. Just be sure to bring plenty of food and candles. Ask for Jean Valjean.
7. Ellioaey Island

Located off the southern coast of Iceland, Ellioaey is part of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. A beautiful, lush green speck atop a rock in the Atlantic Ocean, the island is uninhabited save for a single home built along Ellioay’s northern slope.
Of course, according to Internet rumors, the house is owned by Icelandic singer-songwriter Bjork, so you may have to put up with a fairly eccentric neighbor.
8. Frying Pan Tower, North Carolina

Perched on the outer edge of the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” is a former lighthouse known as Frying Pan Tower. Originally built as an oil rig, a lighthouse was added in the 1960s, and the facility has since been retrofitted into an offshore bed and breakfast.
Extremely isolated, the tower could provide a limitless food supply in the form of fishing, and recent upgrades, including solar paneling, mean that it’s already outfitted with everything necessary to live a long, comfortable life.
9. The Australian Outback

If the Mad Max franchise taught us anything, it’s that life in the Australian interior is difficult. Gangs of mohawk-topped gasoline-crazed maniacs may scare you away from the dry climate, not to mention the continent’s somewhat alien wildlife, which often seem plucked from a David Cronenberg film.
But Aboriginal Australians have lived in the Outback for centuries and will likely continue to do so long after Armageddon destroys the cities along the Australian coast. In addition to vast flatlands that can become unbearably hot around noon, the interior is littered with gold, copper, and opal mines. These would be ideal for shelter and could provide resources valuable for trading.
And if “Fury Road” is any indication, living in post-apocalyptic Australia means you get to drive some pretty great cars.
10. Mars

When all else fails, it may be time to face facts: Earth is doomed. Luckily, Matt Damon recently proved that it’s entirely possible to survive on the Red Planet in “The Martian.” You’re going to need a rocket ship, and it certainly helps to have a few advanced degrees in engineering, but farming the arid soil of Mars is possible.
There are also plenty of terraforming options. It may take a few million years, but if you’re savvy enough, you can alter the Martian atmosphere to better suit your breathing needs. NASA is already working on small canisters of bacteria they call “ecosystem-building, pioneer organisms” which could help produce oxygen. Be sure to grab a few bottles before you abandon Earth forever.
Source
        
Posted by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi at 13:37