Sadly it looks like China is tightening the screws on HK's remaining liberty... Now it looks like the street protestors who have been resisting mainland China's hegemony over the last few years, are now liable for 10 years or more prison time if they make similar protests. I spent a week working in HK last century and it is (was) an impressive city and people. I was optimistic that it could provide the good example to drag larger China into a modern future. Sadly it looks like China is intent on hammering HK down into the past.
China has been pressing their long term geographic goals while the ROW (rest of the world) is occupied with COVID. They just killed something like 20 Indian soldiers in a border skirmish with them. To de-escalate violence in that border region they don't even use bullets, so those deaths were from hand to hand fighting, and exposure in frigid, high altitude. Some good old advice is to look at old Chinese maps for what they think the borders should be and will be again... not looking good for Taiwan long term based on that.
Sadly I suspect HK is already toast... Finance/Business leaders will be pedaling away as fast as they can.
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An odd news item out of Pakistan, after a couple of pilots planted one on a landing (cockpit recorder said they were talking, instead of flying the plane) the investigation revealed that they and some tens of Pakistani pilots cheated on the certification exams. They apparently paid others to take the tests for them. These cheating pilots are not just working in Pakistan but at other airlines too. :
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A new (fake?) news item is that Russia is reportedly paying Taliban fighters bounties to kill US and/or coalition soldiers. First this is an age old strategy used by enemies of America, but this particular claim is not verified by the intelligence community and appears leaked to embarrass the administration and not an actual issue.
If anything President Trump is making progress withdrawing from Afghanistan, but this will not help negotiating peace between Taliban and Kabul government.
FWIW we supported the Mujahideen fighting against Russia in Afghanistan... (OBL was fighting Russia back then). What goes around comes around.
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[edit= authorities found $1B worth of amphetamine pills being smuggled into Italy from Syria... These AKA "ISIS amphetamines" are used by ISIS fighters to make them better fighters (more energy, less afraid, etc...). Sounds like ISIS is still bad, probably looking for alternate revenue sources. [/edit]
mo...lata
JR
China has been pressing their long term geographic goals while the ROW (rest of the world) is occupied with COVID. They just killed something like 20 Indian soldiers in a border skirmish with them. To de-escalate violence in that border region they don't even use bullets, so those deaths were from hand to hand fighting, and exposure in frigid, high altitude. Some good old advice is to look at old Chinese maps for what they think the borders should be and will be again... not looking good for Taiwan long term based on that.
Sadly I suspect HK is already toast... Finance/Business leaders will be pedaling away as fast as they can.
==
An odd news item out of Pakistan, after a couple of pilots planted one on a landing (cockpit recorder said they were talking, instead of flying the plane) the investigation revealed that they and some tens of Pakistani pilots cheated on the certification exams. They apparently paid others to take the tests for them. These cheating pilots are not just working in Pakistan but at other airlines too. :
===
A new (fake?) news item is that Russia is reportedly paying Taliban fighters bounties to kill US and/or coalition soldiers. First this is an age old strategy used by enemies of America, but this particular claim is not verified by the intelligence community and appears leaked to embarrass the administration and not an actual issue.
If anything President Trump is making progress withdrawing from Afghanistan, but this will not help negotiating peace between Taliban and Kabul government.
FWIW we supported the Mujahideen fighting against Russia in Afghanistan... (OBL was fighting Russia back then). What goes around comes around.
===
[edit= authorities found $1B worth of amphetamine pills being smuggled into Italy from Syria... These AKA "ISIS amphetamines" are used by ISIS fighters to make them better fighters (more energy, less afraid, etc...). Sounds like ISIS is still bad, probably looking for alternate revenue sources. [/edit]
mo...lata
JR
