BEIJING (REUTERS) - The Chinese government’s top diplomat warned on Tuesday (June 18) that the world should not open a “Pandora’s Box” in the Middle East, as he denounced US pressure on Iran and called on it not to drop out of a landmark nuclear deal. Fears of a confrontation between Iran and the United States have mounted since last Thursday when two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The United States blamed Iran for the attacks, more than a year after President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Iran denied involvement in the tanker attacks and said on Monday it would soon breach limits on how much enriched uranium it can stockpile under the deal, which had sought to limit its nuclear capabilities. Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced on the same day the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were defensive purposes, citing concerns about a threat from Iran. … [Read more...] about Don’t open ‘Pandora’s Box’ in Middle East, China warns
How much gulf countries in the world
Will the real bombers please stand up!
WHO is attacking oil tankers in the Gulf between Oman and Iran? So far, the answer is still a mystery. The US, of course, accuses Iran. Iran says it’s the US or its local allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Magnetic mines are blamed for the damage, though there have been claims of torpedo use. Last month, four moored tankers were slightly damaged, though none seriously. This time the attacks were more damaging but apparently not lethal. A few cynics have even suggested Israel may be behind the tanker attack to provoke war between Iran and the United States – a key Israeli goal. Or maybe it’s the Saudis whose goal is similar. The Gulf is an ideal venue for false flag attacks. One thing appears certain. President Donald Trump and his coterie of neocon advisers have been pressing for a major conflict with Iran for months. The US is literally trying to strangle Iran economically and strategically. By now, Israel’s hard right wing dominates US Middle … [Read more...] about Will the real bombers please stand up!
Japan: The third power
Last week I wrote about the increasing possibility of China and the United States falling into the Thucydides Trap – a phrase which explains the likelihood of conflict between a rising power and a currently dominant one. Competing can fall into the Trap also due to human emotions – pride, honor, nationalism. In the United States, the one single issue that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that containing and limiting the growth of Chinese power – economically and militarily – is the most important foreign policy and national security task facing the United States today. This view is shared not just by Western countries only but also by a number of Asian countries. The main driver for the formation of the Quad Alliance – Australia, Japan, India, United States – is to contain the increasingly aggressive actions of China. China increasingly believes that its destiny is to become a world power. This was best expressed by a prominent Chinese … [Read more...] about Japan: The third power
News China’s underwater nukes test the Pentagon
HONG KONG - Recent visitors to the bay surrounding a submarine base on the southern coast of China's Hainan Island describe a curious nocturnal phenomenon. Powerful spotlights are sometimes trained directly on the ocean frontages of neighboring hotels at night, making visibility out to sea virtually impossible. Some of the lights are mounted on land and others on passing naval patrol boats. "The effect is incredible," said one recent visitor. "The glare is so great you can hardly stand it on the balcony. You go inside and draw the curtains tight." The blinding lights cannot obscure something of intense interest to the world's military intelligence agencies: evidence that China has made a breakthrough in its drive to rival America and Russia as a nuclear arms power. Satellite imagery reveals the regular presence of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines at the strategic base near the resort city of Sanya. Specialized surface warships and aircraft designed to protect the subs are … [Read more...] about News China’s underwater nukes test the Pentagon
Pho: the story of a Toronto favourite explained
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By Karon Liu Food Writer Tues., April 30, 2019 Before we sit down at the dinner table, Duy Nguyen wants to make sure I get the pronunciation of our meal right. The rice noodles swimming in hot, aromatic broth before us is called “fa?” not “faux” as many Torontonians say it, explains Nguyen, a member of the Vietnamese Association, Toronto. Every word in the Vietnamese language has a melodic cadence and “pho” (phở in Vietnamese) ends in an inflection, like a question. It may sound complicated to those who don’t speak the language, but this dish, popular across the GTA and around the world, deserves respect. “In Vietnamese, all of our words sound richer with accents,” says Nguyen. “It’s important to know that when you’re learning about pho.” To understand the complexities of this dish, it’s important to look at how it’s made, its relatively short but storied history … [Read more...] about Pho: the story of a Toronto favourite explained