Beijing has announced that it is moving ahead with new military high schools near Taiwan, during a new visit by US lawmakers to the island. The same had happened during Pelosi's visit.
China's armed forces announced today new military training centers near Taiwan as a group of US lawmakers visited the Chinese-claimed island and met with President Tsai Ing-wen, violating what Beijing says is its sovereignty.
The five US congressmen, led by Senator Ed Markey, arrived in Taipei late yesterday, Sunday, in an unannounced visit. It is the second group of high-ranking US officials to visit the island after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit in early August, which again sparked several days of Chinese military drills.
As reported by the Athens and Macedonian News Agency, the relevant Chinese military command announced that it organized multi-branch war readiness patrols and war exercises for today in the sea and airspace around Taiwan.
The United States and Taiwan "continue to play political games and undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," the statement added.
China's Ministry of Defense said in a separate statement that the US lawmakers' visit violates China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and "fully exposes the true face of the United States as a destroyer and destroyer of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
"The Chinese People's Liberation Army continues to train and prepare for war, resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will resolutely crush any form of 'Taiwan independence', separatist action and foreign interference."
No statement mentions details of high schools.
Taiwan's Prime Minister Su Cheng-Shang said he would not be deterred by China's reaction to such visits by foreign friends.
"We can't just do nothing because we have a bad neighbor next door and not dare to allow visitors or friends to come," he told reporters.
The group of American congressmen visiting Taiwan was scheduled to meet with President Tsai this morning. Her office has yet to comment on the meeting.
From North America to the Horn of Africa we countdown the 10 Most Dangerous Countries in 2015.
10. Mexico
Some people believe Mexico gets a worse rap than it deserves. There are some parts of the country that are tourist hot spots and are rich with cultural heritage. Unfortunately, there are also parts of Mexico which should be completely avoided due protests, violence, and a long simmering drug war. Although a lot of the murders are due in part to organized crime, some of the victims are innocent people and there is currently a travel advisory to mexico from the US Department of State.
9. Ukraine
Ever since the Invasion and annexation of Crimea, Ukraine has quickly risen on the list of Most dangerous countries. The country quickly fell into chaos with the Ukrainian military launching an offensive against pro Russian forces in the eastern part of the country. Ukraine has been named the number one most dangerous country for journalists, with the highest death toll in the world so far this year. Even though there is a ceasefire, there are reported violations weekly, and the body count in the country is constantly rising.
8. Pakistan
Facing religious extremism and sectarian violence Pakistan is home to over 30 terrorist organizations. These Extremist groups are a threat to both the citizens of Pakistan, and any tourists visiting the country. According to a report, there were almost 14,000 terrorist incidents in Pakistan between 2001 to 2013, and the country had around 1500 terrorist attacks in 2012 alone.
7. Democratic Republic of Congo
Also known as the DRC, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been called the worst place on earth to be a woman. A Study released in 2011 estimated that 1200 women are raped in the African Nation every day. The country has been plagued by conflict for over a decade, where rebel factions and militias fight for control of the rich natural resources. It’s estimated that the DRC has an estimated 24 trillion worth of untapped deposits of raw mineral ores, which adds to the conflict that has already scarred the nation.
6. Central African Republic
Currently in the midst of a violent civil war, most governments across the world advise against any and all travel to the Central African Republic. Referred to as the worst crisis most people have never heard of, horrific violent acts take place across the country every day. Militias are accused of murdering children, burning down villages, and even throwing young men to crocodiles. Despite a decrease in attacks in recent years, attacks on civilians are still regularly occurring, and in April the United Nations authorized a new peacekeeping mission for the war torn country.
5. Somalia
Suffering from an ineffective government, Somalia is home to both piracy and militant extremism. The sub Saharan nation is the victim of several decades of corrupt leadership which led to economic collapse, famine and civil war. In 2010, a terrorist group loyal to Al Qaeda gained control of the southern half of Somalia, and is responsible for attacks across the nation and in neighboring countries. Several aid workers and journalists have been killed in the country, and because of the anti american sentiment any american that’s taken hostage in Somalia is almost guaranteed to die.
4. Iraq
The Iraq war officially ended in 2011, but the country is still ravaged by conflict to this day. The Islamic State has taken over a large portion of the nation, including provincial capital Mosul. Named as the most dangerous jihadist group in the world, Islamic state has terrorized the local population, and is responsible for countless atrocities against Iraq’s citizens. As of January 2015, it’s estimated over 3 million Iraqi's have been displaced by the conflict, and over 24,000 have been killed.
3. South Sudan
Becoming an independent state in 2011, South Sudan has suffered from internal conflict ever since. Violence has flared along the border, and some communities that were allied to the south found themselves north of the border after independence. It’s estimated that 300,000 people have died in the conflict, and 2.7 million have been displaced. Although a peace agreement was signed the security situation remains poor, and the us department of state says to practice extreme caution when planning a trip to the region.
2. Afghanistan
Named as the most dangerous place to be born, hundreds of thousands of country’s population are estimated to be deprived of basic rights and vulnerable to different forms of violence. Innocent lives are lost due to insurgency everyday,and violence has increased since the US led NATO Troops wrapped up their combat mission. 2014 was the deadliest year on record for Aghan civilians, with over 10,000 killed in conflict related violence.
1. Syria
A civil war has been raging in Syria since the early spring of 2011. An estimated 300,000 people have been killed, and international organizations have accused the Syrian government of severe human rights violations. As well, Islamic state entered the picture and made rapid gains into the country. Currently a Third of Syria’s territory is controlled by the Islamic state, and an estimated 6.5 million Syrians have been displaced with 4 million fleeing the country.
Top 10 Most Evil Business Men in the World
10. Walton Family
Sam Walton and his brother founded Wal-Mart in 1962 and today that company is the largest private employer in the world as well as the largest retailer in the world. For all its wealth, an estimated $421 billion, it has an equal number of evil practices attributable Wal-Mart is most often accused of treating employees like a commodity, and no act better proves that than the case of 52 year-old Deborah Shank.
After becoming paralyzed in a collision with a semi, Shank’s family was awarded $700,000 in damages. The resulting $417,000 the family received after legal expenses was taken away by Wal-Mart. The company sued Shank for $470,000 because her employment contract stipulated any damages won by an employee were property of the company. This left her family to care for her with only the assistance of Medicaid and Social Security payments.
9. Sanjay Kumar
Kumar was the former CEO of Computer Associates who began defrauding the company before 2000. His relatively simple practices included backdating contracts and even adding a week to accounting periods, known as the “35 day month.” Kumar’s crimes might not seem evil, but the extent of his fraud is staggering. Kumar and his accomplices defrauded Computer Associates of $2.2 billion over a period of several years. Kumar was sentenced to 12 years in prison while the company was renamed.
8. Hermann von Siemens
Hermann von Siemens was the CEO of Siemens during World War II. The atrocities of the business begin before the war however. Siemens was a major player in helping the Nazi party rebuild the German Army, improve infrastructure, and eventually help put in place the mechanisms that drove the Holocaust. During World War II, with von Siemens in charge, the company’s worst acts included operating factories at the infamous concentration camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Jewish slave labor was used in both factories to create electrical switches for military use. Those same slave laborers would later meet a grisly end inside of Siemens-built gas chambers operated at both camps.
7. Richard Scrushy
Richard Scrushy’s evil practices while in charge of HealthSouth are almost too numerous to list. He was twice charged with 30 counts each of illegal practices while acting as CEO for HealthSouth. His crimes include authorizing the termination of whistleblowers, bribery, fraudulent accounting practices, extortion, money laundering, and mail fraud among others. Although he managed to avoid jail in 2003 on the first 30 counts, he was later convicted on 30 different charges in 2007 and sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison. HealthSouth survived Scrushy’s abuses.
6. Robert Rubin
Robert Rubin might be one of the few men who can be directly linked to the 2008 financial collapse that struck the economies of the world. Rubin wriggled his way into the Treasury Secretary position under President Bill Clinton and helped usher in one of the greatest deregulatory eras in U.S. history. Rubin’s works, including the end of the Glass-Steagall Law, made it possible for economically essential banks to gamble taxpayer dollars on volatile stock markets. Those actions allowed the formation of CitiGroup and other “too-big-to-fail” banks and financial institutions. Rubin earned $120 million working for Citi while the bank piled up bad investment after bad investment, eventually requiring a $45 billion government bailout.
5. Leopold II, King of the Belgians
Leopold II used the Conference of Berlin in 1884 to acquire the Congo region of Africa. He established a private company under the guise of a nation called the Congo Free State. Leopold exercised full control of the country as head of the private organization and used a private force of soldier, tax collectors, and gangs to gather up the ivory and rubber resources of the region for the sake of profit. The atrocities of Leopold’s forces are too numerous to list. In short, his troops forced locals into slave labor collecting ivory, and later rubber, for the company to sell. Laborers who didn’t meet quotas were killed, families of laborers were held as collateral to ensure workers performed up to expectations, and hands were chopped off as proof that under-performers were executed.
4. Kenneth Lay
Lay was Skilling’s partner in crime (more of him on the way) as the two cooked the books at Enron, grossly over valuing the holdings of the company over the course of a number of years. Lay’s actions, like those of Skilling, led to the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history when Enron Corporation failed in 2001. Lay’s underhanded moves cost 20,000 Enron employees their jobs and numerous life savings accounts that were tied to company stocks.
3. Jeffrey Skilling
As a big power player at Enron, Skilling encouraged the questionable accounting tactic known as mark-to-market. It allowed Enron to make overly optimistic values for energy prices by appraising company holdings based upon expected values. Skilling also signed off on the creation of an Enron subsidiary called Chewco, which was little more than a dumping ground for Enron’s debt. Skilling was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months in prison. Enron eventually collapsed, taking with it the jobs and life-savings of thousands of employees.
2. Joe Nacchio
While serving as the CEO of Qwest, Joe Nacchio exhibited a penchant for fabricating the truth to his benefit, and his alone. Nacchio’s lies included inflated revenue claims and false reports of nonexistent upcoming government contracts. He also profited illegally from a run-up in Qwest stock prices. Nacchio was slapped with a $19 million fine, ordered to forfeit $52 million made from illegal trading, and sentenced to six years in prison. Nacchio began serving his term in 2009 and Qwest was eventually acquired by CenturyLink Communications.
1. Dennis Kozlowski
Kozlowski’s business career appeared to be a brilliant one complete with a rags-to-riches
storyline. After growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, Kozlowski eventually rose to the position of CEO with Tyco. Greed and a lack of moral direction led Kozlowski to siphon off $600 million in company funds for his own use. His excesses included $6,000 shower curtains, lavish parties on the company dime, and false bonuses he claimed were given at the direction of the Board of Directors. Kozlowski is serving a term of no less than eight years, with a maximum of 25, in prison.Don't forget to like us and subscribe For more Elite Facts
Top 10 Most Expensive Foods in the World
From hot chocolate infused with five grams of edible gold to fish eggs harvested fromb the rare albino beluga we countdown the 10 most expensive foods in the world.
10. Bombay Brassiere’s Sumandri Khazana Curry
Named as the world’s most expensive curry, this dish was made in dedication to the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Head Chef Prahlad Hedge prepares the dish with devon crab, white truffle, abalone sea snails, quail eggs and scottish lobster. The fish and seafood is marinated with chilli and tamarind paste, truffle is shaved over top and then a 10 gram edible piece of gold is added. This dish will cost you $3,200 and has been a popular edition to the restaurants menu.
9. Pizza Royale 007
Pizza is one of the most popular dishes in the world, so it’s no surprise that Domenico Crolla decided to make the world’s most expensive pizza. With champagne soaked caviar, lobster marinated in cognac and topped with 24 carat gold shavings, this pricey pizza will cost you $4200.
8. First Harvest Brisbane Mangoes
Fancy some fruit? Well pull out your wallet as these mangoes come with a hefty price tag of around $4200 per mango. Why so costly? The first harvest mangoes are auctioned off at a yearly charity event to grocers from around Australia. The Event has been going on for over 12 years, and has raised close to $800k since 2002.
7. Anqi Pho Soup
This vietnamese soup may be the world’s most expensive soup, and comes at a price of $5800. This decadent dish has blue lobster noodles, a5 Wagyu beef, white alba truffles and foie gras broth. Although expensive, all of the money is donated to a charity that helps benefit Children’s Hospitals.
6. Densuke Black Watermelons
Are extremely rare, and are only grown on the northern island of Hokkaido Japan. Usually with a price tag of around $200, one of these special melons was sold at auction for $6100. The Marine products dealer who put in the jaw dropping bid said he wanted to support local agriculture, making it the highest price ever paid a watermelon in japanese history.
5. Yubari King Melons
This tasty melon is a hybrid between two cantaloupe varieties, and is typically given as a gift during a traditional buddhist festival. Grown exclusively in Yubari Japan, they usually range from $50 to 100 per melon with the best melons of the year fetching up to $26,000 at auction.
4. Almas Caviar
Caviar is regarded as the most luxurious and exclusive food known to mankind. Almas Caviar comes from the Iranian Beluga fish which is found in the pristine waters of the Caspian Sea. These salted fish eggs are light in color, which is one of the reason they’re so expensive. Fetching up to 25,000 per kilo, almas caviar comes in a 24 karat gold tin, and is only sold at 1 location in the entire world.
3. Frrrozen Haute Chocolate
If you’re in New York City, make a stop by the serendipity 3 restaurant and check out this ridiculously expensive dessert. Coming in at the hefty price of $25,000, this mix of 28 cocoas from around the world comes served in a goblet lined with edible gold. With truffle flown in from france and gold flown in from switzerland, you’ll have to take out a loan from the bank to sample this luxurious delight.
2. Italian White Alba Truffle
This edible subterranean fungus is a prized delicacy by gourmet chefs around the world. Considered diamonds of the culinary world, white truffles are more rare than regular truffles and are found in the northern Italy. The record Price paid for a white truffle was set in December 2007, when casino owner Stanley Ho paid 165,000 for a truffle weighing 3.3 pounds.
1. Albino White Gold Caviar
Thought to be the most expensive food on the planet, this caviar comes from the white roe of the extremely rare albino sturgeon. Only eggs are used from older sturgeon, which are critically endangered from overfishing and poaching. Invented by fish Farmer Walter Gruell, these rare albino fish eggs are laced with 22 carat gold, and will set you back an astounding $305,000 per kilo. Hey guys fresh here, I hope you enjoyed my video on the 10 most expensive foods in the world.. If you did enjoy it, please like or subscribe, and if you have an idea for a video leave it in the comment box below!
