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50 years ago: Skylab launch

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Yesterday, May 14, marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first American space station, Skylab, which launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 14, 1973. Saturn V launch vehicles. The three crewed missions spent a total of 171 days aboard Skylab, performing hundreds of experiments. The last crew left in 1974, leaving Skylab in a parking orbit that was declining faster than originally thought, leading to global news in 1979 when NASA announced the station’s imminent return but couldn’t say exactly where it might land. On July 11, 1979, NASA engineers launched Skylab boosters, targeting the Indian Ocean with partial success, but a few large chunks did make landfall in Western Australia.

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Second round of elections in Turkey: how refugees became the main problem

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Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rival in Sunday’s second round of elections, is hardening his stance on refugees in a last-ditch attempt to win over voters after failing in the first round.

While polls showed center-left Kiliçdaroglu leading over conservative Erdogan, Erdogan ended up taking first place in the May 14 elections with 49.5% of the vote. But no candidate managed to secure an outright majority, setting off a high-stakes race this weekend.

“I think the opposition calculated that their decision to prioritize economic issues didn’t really bring the victory they wanted,” Merve Tahiroglu, director of the US Democracy Project’s Turkey program in the Middle East, told HuffPost.

Erdogan’s unorthodox decision to cut interest rates at a time when most governments and central banks around the world are raising them to curb inflation has sent the value of the national currency, the Turkish lira, down, meaning many Turks can barely afford everyday goods. .

But it seems that voters cannot blame Erdogan for this.

“Erdogan solidified his bloc with identity politics, thanks to successful economic policies in his first two terms, which also provided wealth and stable economic performance until around the coup attempt in 2016,” said Emre Peker, European director of the Eurasian Agency. Group consulting company.

Voters who have continued to support him despite the recent financial turmoil are “remembering all their social and economic benefits before the economic troubles began,” Pecker said, adding that they also fear the opposition is not tested.

Apparently, this forced the opposition to change the direction of their campaign and shift the focus of their campaign to the issue of migration and refugees.

Their campaign “scored a full 180 points,” Tahiroglu said, adding that Kilicdaroglu appeared to have abandoned the more positive tone he maintained until the first round.

Candidates Seek and Receive Support from Far-Right Figures

The far-right third party candidate Sinan Ogan beat expectations, winning over 5% of the vote in the first round, and was called a “kingmaker” by some. On Monday, he endorsed Erdogan, the head of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), who has been in power for more than 20 years and is the country’s longest-serving leader.

Ogan told The New York Times Last week, his conditions for providing support included a specific plan to deport refugees from Turkey, as well as that he wanted a high-ranking post in the next administration.

“Why should I be a minister when I can be a vice president?” he asked.

It is not clear what Erdogan agreed to in exchange for Ogan’s support, but Ogan on Monday said his performance in the first election gave the Nationalists a strong platform, including on the issue of refugees.

At the same time, experts note that Ogan does not have a single base of voters, and the people who supported him in the first round will not necessarily follow him.

Meanwhile, Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the center-left Republican People’s Party (CHP), who was the joint candidate of six opposition parties, was supported by Umit Ozdag, leader of the far-right Victory Party, which led the coalition that supported Ogan in the first round.

Ozdag on Wednesday said he and Kılıçdaroğlu both agree that millions of refugees should return to their countries within a year, shortening the two-year time limit that the opposition candidate originally outlined in his plan. according to the Associated Press.

We reached a consensus on “a model that is in line with international law and supports human rights, that will keep Syrians safe in Syria, but take a heavy burden off the Turkish economy and make our streets safe again,” Ozdag said. according to the AP.

How Erdogan and Kılıçdaroğlu approach the refugee problem

Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees in the world, home to “nearly 3.6 million Syrians under temporary protection and about 370,000 refugees and asylum seekers of other nationalities.” according to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Kılıçdaroğlu, who before the first round promised to repatriate refugees within two years by creating safe conditions to return to their country, has since touted his anti-migrant credentials, accusing Erdoğan of “deliberate [allowing] 10 million refugees in Turkey.”

“I will send all the refugees home as soon as I am elected president, period,” said Kılıçdaroğlu. It is reported by Politico Europe.with reference to local media.

Kılıçdaroğlu also promised to revise the agreement for 2016. Agreement between the European Union and Turkey on refugeesif elected. According to the 2016 agreement, “all new illegal migrants and asylum seekers arriving from Turkey to the Greek islands and whose asylum applications were found to be inadmissible must be returned to Turkey.” The country has received millions from the EU in humanitarian aid for refugees.

Erdogan, meanwhile, “played the role of protector for millions of refugees in Turkey,” Istanbul-based writer and essayist Kaya Genc recently wrote. told The New Yorker.

“Kılıçdaroğlu’s refugee policy shocked me,” Genç said, adding that some of his statements about refugees were “the ugly language of Turkish nationalism.”

“Meanwhile, Erdogan presented himself as the protector of the ummah, the nation of Islam, and in this case, his Islamic nationalism seems humane in comparison,” Genç continued.

Erdogan said Becky Anderson of CNN Last week, he “encouraged” refugees to return to their countries rather than deport them.

“Turkish NGOs are building residential buildings in northern Syria so that refugees can return to their homeland,” Erdogan said. “This process has already begun.”

Growing anti-refugee sentiment in Turkey

Erdogan also appears to have acknowledged the rise in anti-refugee sentiment in his country over the past few years and, in Pecker’s words, “has squeezed the air out of it for the most part.”

For example, after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Turkey took additional measures to guard its eastern border to prevent a massive influx of Afghan migrants into the country.

More than 500,000 Syrians have been repatriated in recent years to the safe zone that Turkey has established in northern Syria as a result of military operations, according to official Turkish figures, but critics warned the figure could be exaggerated.

“The opposition has identified growing internal concerns about refugees and their presence in Turkey and has tried to turn this into a major campaign issue,” Peker told HuffPost, explaining that the trend is partly driven by the deteriorating economic conditions in the country over the past few years. .

“Erdogan has been able to largely suppress this, although there is an undercurrent that has now become relatively mainstream in Turkey that is anti-migrant, similar to the discourse in Europe and the US,” Peker added.

The massive influx of refugees into Europe in 2015 provoked backlash in many countries and contributed to the rise of far-right parties.

Republicans in the US have also been vocal against migration: then-candidate Donald Trump rallied voters in the 2016 GOP primaries to build a wall along the southern border to block migrants from crossing the border, though he failed to deliver on that promise.

Tahiroglu added that another problem for Kilicdaroglu is that he has not formulated a plan for how he can carry out the expulsion of millions of migrants.

“They can campaign about it, but there is no effective way,” she said.

“Even those who are concerned about this problem think that if someone solves it, it will be Erdogan,” Tahiroglu continued.

The situation on the ground for refugees in Turkey

Dr. Zaher Sahlul, President and Co-Founder MedGlobalAn organization that helps provide medical care in disaster-stricken regions told HuffPost that, until recently, Turkey was considered a model country for receiving and providing opportunities for refugees.

Rising anti-refugee sentiment and the belief of some Turks that migrants are draining the country’s resources have also been used by politicians in this election cycle.

This means that refugees in Turkey are very concerned about their future in the country, said Sahlul, who visited Turkey three weeks ago.

He added that the repatriation of Syrians is unrealistic given the circumstances in the country, and that those who have built a life in Turkey will not want to leave it.

“Why would someone who lives in a stable country return to a war zone? Or potentially a war zone? Sahlul asked.

Sahlul, originally from Syria, explained that while Syrians are very grateful to Turkey for building hospitals and other infrastructure in the areas they control in the country, it would be wrong to force people to return “without a political decision, without any concession from the regime. without any third party such as the United Nations controlling the return of refugees without reconstruction.”

Will Kilicdaroglu messaging work?

Erdogan’s strong performance in both the presidential and parliamentary elections, after he was able to maintain his majority, means he has every chance of winning re-election this Sunday.

“This creates a lot of momentum for Erdogan, making it easier and more convincing for him to advocate for continuity and stability,” Peker said.

Meanwhile, Kılıçdaroğlu, who lost almost 5 percentage points to Erdoğan, faces an uphill battle.

“Kılıçdaroğlu will have a harder time motivating his base and attracting additional voters to overtake the incumbent,” Pecker added.

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EU rejects Keir Starmer’s grand idea to ‘improve’ Brexit

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Sir Keir Starmer wants a New Zealand-style veterinary deal with Brussels, but the idea has already been rejected by Eurocrats – Leon Neal/Getty Images

Sir Keir Starmer’s basic proposal “improve” the Brexit trade deal was rejected by the EU just a few months ago, according to The Telegraph.

The Labor leader said he would strike a New Zealand-style veterinary deal with Brussels to ease food border controls.

He made a planned agreement cornerstone of his promise renegotiate the pact that Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, made with the bloc in 2020.

But the proposal looks dead due to opposition from the European Commission, which instead wants to sign the UK under the next EU rules.

Labor has learned nothing in the past seven years

Government sources told The Telegraph that the British negotiating team proposed such a deal in the latest Northern Ireland protocol talks.

Officials floated the idea at the end of September as a way to cut checks for goods crossing the Irish Sea, but it was rejected by Eurocrats.

Lord Frost, a former Brexit negotiator, told The Telegraph that the EU also turned down the same offer when it was in trade talks in 2020.

“It has always been clear that the only agreement on food standards or a veterinary agreement that the EU will have with a nearest neighbor like the UK is an agreement where we have to adopt EU laws,” he said.

“This was never acceptable to either the Boris Johnson government or the British people who voted to take back control.

“It is really depressing that Labor seems to have learned nothing in the seven years since the referendum and is still trying to sell unquestioned fantasy proposals to voters.

“If they want to accept non-voting EU rules, they should at least be honest about it.”

New Zealand and the EU recognize each other’s agricultural standards as equal, allowing most food border checks to be eliminated.

Under the agreement, Wellington retains full control over its own lawmaking and decides how to honor the terms of the deal.

“Individual” contract

Sir Keir and his team have repeatedly trumpeted this as the basis on which they will seek own “special” agreement with the EU.

He placed the proposed pact at the center of a major speech last July, in which he laid out his party’s plan to “make Brexit work.”

“Labor will seek a new veterinary agreement on trade in agricultural products between the UK and the EU. There are already some in countries like New Zealand and Canada,” he said.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, reaffirmed that promise in March, arguing that the veterinary deal is key to easing trade barriers with Europe.

She said: “To help our agriculture and fisheries, we could have a veterinary agreement with the EU to reduce bureaucracy. New Zealand has one with the EU, the UK doesn’t.”

Brussels said it could not make the same deal with the UK because it would pose a greater threat to the competitiveness of European farmers.

It argues that the UK is a much larger and closer trading partner, meaning that there is significantly more economic risk from importing cheaper goods.

Instead, the Eurocrats have repeatedly promoted the Swiss-style deal. Switzerland copies and pastes EU food regulations in exchange for full access to its market.

Maros Sefkovic, the EU’s Brexit negotiator, even suggested in 2021 that the UK could join such an agreement on an “interim” basis.

But the government rejected the offer on grounds of sovereignty and because it could tie ministers’ hands in trade talks with countries such as the US and India.

Swiss style deal out

Sir Keir also ruled out a Swiss-style relationship when asked about it last November, insisting it “won’t be the fix some imagine.”

“I went to Switzerland and studied this model and I wouldn’t do a Swiss model,” he added.

The Labor leader said he would seek an “improved” Brexit deal shortly after the Downing Street exit, but ruled out reunification with the EU.

He also insisted that not return the UK to the single market or the Customs Union, but will instead look for mini-deals to remove trade barriers.

Sir Keir also wants an agreement on the recognition of professional qualifications, which would make it easier for workers to move to and from the continent.

Brussels has previously rejected similar government proposals on this front, arguing that work mobility should be linked to the free movement of people.

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Guam ‘Very Blessed’ As Typhoon Mawar Moves Away With No Deaths Reported

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Chainsaws whirred Friday as neighbors helped neighbors clear top trees and began clearing debris Typhoon Mawarwhich hit Guam as the worst typhoon to hit the island in over two decades, but appears to have passed without leaving any death or widespread destruction in its wake.

Although restoration work was just beginning, Police Sergeant Paul Tapao said there appeared to be no major damage, major roads were passable, and “Guam was very lucky that there were no fatalities or injuries from the hurricane.” serious injury. “

For Tapao, the roar of power saws was a reminder of the resilience of the storm-prone US Pacific and its people.

TYPHOON “MAWAR” WILL AFFECT GUAM, DISCONNECTING THE POWER SUPPLY AND FORCING THE WATER TO BOIL

“Everyone helps with cleaning,” he said. “This is the Guam way – it’s in the blood.”

He added that Chamorro, the language of the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands, has a saying “inafa maolek”, which means cooperation, the concept of restoring harmony or order.

“Storms have taught our island to be resilient,” he said. “We’re still here.”

However, officials said it could take weeks to clean up the mess after Mawar briefly made landfall in a Category 4 storm on Wednesday evening on the northern tip of an island of roughly 150,000 people, flipping cars, blowing off roofs and leaving the trees bare.

Some villages had little or no water on Friday, Tapao said. About 51,000 customers were left without power, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There were 725 people in shelters on Friday, compared to nearly 1,000 on Thursday, officials said.

Water floods a building in Hagatne, Guam, May 25, 2023, after Typhoon Mawar passed through the area. (AP Photo/Grace Garces Bordallo)

Water pollution from heavy rainfall and runoff has been a concern: The Guam Water Authority issued a notice advising residents to boil water before drinking it, and the Guam Environmental Protection Agency warned people to stay away from the sea at all beaches due to the high content of bacteria. .

More than 2 feet of rain fell in the central and northern parts of the island as the eye wall passed. The swirling typhoon caused storm surge and waves that crashed against offshore reefs and flooded homes.

In the southeastern village of Yona, floodwaters reached waist high in the home of Alexander’s mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Ken M. Aflag, he said. Two trucks and an SUV were completely flooded.

Aflage said the mood on the island was like after every storm as people assess the damage and try to get back to normal. He was most concerned about shortages as stocks were at levels similar to those in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Cleaning is a struggle, but we all step in and help each other,” he said in a text message.

GUAM EMERGENCY SHELTS BEGIN TO FILL AS RESIDENTS PREPARE FOR TYPHOON MAWAR

Also in Yon, the wind ripped off the roof of Enrique Baza’s mother’s house, allowing the water to damage everything inside. According to him, his mother survived the storm with him in his concrete house, but “my mother’s house did not survive.”

He drove a pickup truck after the hurricane passed looking for materials to fix her roof, but most of the stores were out of power and only accepting cash. Many wooden or tin houses were badly damaged or completely collapsed.

“It’s kind of a shock,” Baza said.

On Friday, President Joe Biden said there was a major disaster in Guam and ordered federal assistance to supplement recovery efforts.

On Friday, there were long queues at ATMs, in some stores and at gas stations.

Officials said they expect to resume operations at the flooded AB Won Pat International Airport next Tuesday.

Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero gave a clear Thursday evening, returning the island to its usual state of alert when the National Weather Service raised the typhoon watch.

“We weathered the storm,” said Leon Guerrero.

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The storm will continue to move northwest before turning sharply north on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau. This trail will keep the typhoon at sea for several days as it gradually weakens.

Mawar regained its super typhoon status on Thursday as winds reached 150 mph, according to the weather service.

On Friday morning, the center of Mawar was 345 miles west-northwest of Guam and 360 miles west of Rota, Guam’s northern neighbor, moving west-northwest at 14 miles per hour.

Carlo Quinones, who lives near Tamuning, said he survived the storm at the hotel and felt “very lucky” that the building was largely undamaged. According to Quinones, a nearby derelict building has lost many windows and part of a wall on the fifth floor.

“It was a peak that made us question our safety. Floors rattle, walls creak. Debris, roots and fruit are scattered everywhere,” he wrote in an email.

The Navy has ordered the aircraft carrier strike group USS Nimitz to head to the island to assist in the recovery, a US official said. The Nimitz, along with the cruiser USS Bunker Hill and the destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer, were south of Japan and were due to arrive in Guam in three or four days, the official, who asked not to be named, said. to discuss the movement of ships not yet made public.

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