Since as early as October 2018, the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been threatening to invade the area of northern Syria east of the Euphrates River in order to establish a "safe zone" along the Turkey-Syria border. There are American forces in or near this area. After meetings to discuss the issue between American and Turkish officials on August 5-7, 2019, a Combined Joint Operations Center (CJOC) was established on August 12 in Akçakale, a small town located on the Syria-Turkey border and in the province of Şanlıurfa, Turkey, to coordinate the two countries' joint military action in northern Syria. Joint air patrols comprising U.S. and Turkish forces began in late August and joint land patrols began in early September.
Despite these joint patrols, Turkish statements on an intended invasion of northeast Syria have increased in frequency over the past several months, and in a speech on September 5, President Erdoğan set the end of September as a deadline for large-scale action, saying: "Turkey cannot remain a spectator to the situation in the east of the Euphrates... We are determined to start forming in action the safe zone in east of the Euphrates in the way that we want to by the last week of September... The threats of sanctions made against our country do not scare us, and they will not make us take a step back. In fact, they clinch our decisiveness on the path that we are walking."
President Erdoğan apparently sees the joint U.S.-Turkish patrols as insufficient. On September 8, after the first joint land patrol, he said: "This job will not be done with three or five helicopter flights, by a patrol of five or ten vehicles, and a few hundred soldiers in the area for show... It's clear that our ally [i.e., the U.S.] is interested in establishing a safe zone not for us, but for the terror organization [i.e., Kurdish forces in Syria]. We reject such an understanding. We are talking with the U.S. about the safe zone, but we see at every step that what we want is not the same as what is in their minds." On September 23, Turkish pro-government daily Yeni Safak reported that in the past six months the U.S. had delivered 3,700 shipping containers full of weapons to the Partiya Karkaren Kurdistane (PKK) in Syria and trained 7,000 PKK fighters.
A map showing, approximately, the Turkish government's aim for its "safe zone" in northeast Syria in orange (source: Stratejikortak.com).
On September 21, it was reported that many doctors from 19 Turkish provinces had been moved to the provinces of Mardin and Urfa, both of which border the area in Syria that the Turkish military may invade. On September 22, a convoy of ten vehicles carrying additional "generators and logistical material" reached Akçakale, where the CJOC is located. The same day, President Erdoğan announced that all of the preparations at the border were complete, though reports of tanks and howitzers moving to the Syrian border continued in the following days.
In his September 24 speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), President Erdoğan talked about the Syrian War, about the matter of Syrian refugees in Turkey, their cost to Turkey, the intended safe zone, and said: "The third important point is the removal of the PKK-YPG terror organization in the east of the Euphrates, which is occupying a quarter of Syria, and which some are trying to legitimize with the name 'Syrian Democratic Forces'... Our discussions with the United States of America on the formation of a safe zone are ongoing. Our intention in the first stage, by installing a peace corridor that is 30 kilometers deep and 480 kilometers wide, is to have the international community house two million Syrians... When this safe zone is established, we can easily settle between one and two million refugees there. It may be America, or coalition forces, or Russia, Iran; all together, by joining forces we can get these refugees out of tent cities, and out of container cities, and settle them there in this safe zone. We have to take these steps together. Turkey cannot do this by itself."
President Erdoğan speaking at the UNGA in 2019 (source: Sabah.com.tr).
In general, President Erdoğan speaks about the intended safe zone east of the Euphrates from two angles: the security problem for Turkey of having the PKK on the Turkey-Syria border; and the Syrian refugees in Turkey, on whom the Turkish government has reportedly spent $40 billion and who are a cause of social tension in Turkey. Though President Erdoğan sometimes describes these two problems separately, other times he talks about the intended safe zone as a solution to both problems. If these two are inseparable, and there is no international support for the relocation of one to two million Syrian refugees, then the invasion is not possible. If these two matters can be separated, then he may invade northeast Syria and deal with the matter of resettling the refugees at a later date. In his speech at the UN, he said that Turkey cannot resettle refugees by itself, but he did not say anything about the intended Turkish invasion to establish a safe zone.
Before traveling to the U.S. for the UNGA, President Erdoğan said that he intended to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit in order to discuss the safe zone, however, such a meeting has not taken place. Erdoğan and his wife, Emine, were photographed at a reception with President Trump and his wife, Melania. One Turkish headline about the lack of a meeting between the two leaders at UNGA read: "Trump Frustration: A One-On-One Meeting Didn't Happen."
On September 18, at an off-camera press briefing at the Pentagon, Defeat-ISIS Task Force Director Chris Maier answered questions from journalists. To a question about how the Turkish government refers to the plan as a "safe zone" while the U.S. government refers to it as a "security mechanism," Maier said: "We use the term 'security mechanism' just because we think it's more apt from the military perspective of what we're trying to achieve here." To a question about whether the U.S. was providing arms to Kurdish forces in Syria, he said: "We continue to provide very tailored arms and vehicles to the SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces], but specifically for the D-ISIS [defeat ISIS] mission... We provide monthly to Turkey a report of what those arms and vehicles are." After answering questions about plans to remove SDF fortifications in northern Syria, Maier said: "The security mechanism is the United States helps guarantee the security, both working in a combined fashion with Turkey, Turkish concerns, and addressing those concerns, but also to the Syrian Democratic Forces... we're pretty convinced that as we work with Turkey, the idea of a Turkish incursion into Syria has gone down substantially." To a question about reports that the Turkish government was moving concrete equipment for fortifications across the border from Turkey into Syria, Maier said: "I don't know of any concrete Turkish fortifications being moved across the border." To a question about what the next steps were, Maier said: "This has really only been in play and being implemented since late August. the word I might use here is more 'thickening' of the activities we're doing."
There is a big difference between the ways the U.S. and Turkish governments are relating to the matter. While the United States sees the security concerns of Turkey as legitimate and is participating in joint patrols on land and in the air, President Erdoğan has indicated that this is not enough. Three days before the end of September, which is the timeframe that Erdoğan gave in his ultimatum, it remains unclear what Turkey will do and how this will affect Turkey-U.S. relations.
This report will review the joint U.S.-Turkish military action that has occurred in northeast Syria in recent months, Turkish plans for the area, how Turkish government statements on its possible invasion of the area have been clear and unified, and how much of the Turkish press supports it while some have criticized the intended action, and statements indicating how such an invasion may affect Turkey-Russia relations.
Joint U.S.-Turkish Air, Ground Patrols And Turkish F-16 Flights
U.S. and Turkish helicopters first jointly patrolled the area east of the Euphrates in northeast Syria on August 24. Similar joint helicopter patrols took place on August 30, September 5, September 12, September 16, and September 21. Turkish F-16s flew over Syria on September 23, 24, 25, 27. While the September 23 flight was described as being simply in "Syrian airspace," the Defense Ministry said that the other flights were specifically over the "east of the Euphrates," all apparently with American consent.
On September 8, Turkish and U.S. land forces first jointly patrolled northeast Syria. The patrol was made up of six Turkish armored vehicles, six U.S. vehicles, including two mine-clearing vehicles, two U.S. helicopters, and one ambulance. There had been reports that Kurdish forces had been mining the area. Turkish forces came from the Turkish village of Akçakoca, which is 30 kilometers east of Şanlıurfa's Akçakale district, met at the Turkey-Syria border with the U.S. forces, which came from inside Syria. A Turkish reconnaissance drone surveyed the area into which the patrol was to go. After the three-hour patrol, the Turkish forces returned to Turkey. On the same day, the Syrian government condemned the joint patrol, calling it an "open violation of [Syria's] sovereignty." The second joint ground patrol was completed on September 24.
Turkish military vehicles crossing the Turkey-Syria border (source: Ntv.com.tr).
Turkish Plans For Northeast Syria: Merge With Safe Zone In Northern Iraq; Resettle 1,000,000 Syrians
Turkish authorities have said that cities made of shipping containers and observation points manned by the Turkish armed forces would be established in the area east of the Euphrates after Turkish troops clear the area of Kurdish forces. Of the September 8 ground patrol, military authorities said that this action was preliminary, and that it "allowed the joint patrols to proceed not in the direction that the U.S. wanted, but in the direction that we want. [Turkish] troops now have a say in the region."
The military sources said, according to one Turkish news outlet, that "in the first phase, the scanning would continue regarding perimeter security, and that a check had been completed concerning whether the terrorists had withdrawn with their weapons. The sources further said that after all the checks, sometimes from the air, sometimes from the ground, were done, one section of the security walls would be taken down and troops would be moved into the area.
"The shelters, cover, and fortifications that the terrorists had built would be destroyed and the heavy weapons in the hands of the remaining terrorists would be confiscated, and after the terrorists had withdrawn from the region and moved south, the locations of observation points to be be manned by Turkish troops would established. Along with clearing the mines and traps that the Kurdish forces may have left in the area, the construction of the observation points would be completed. The safe zone, which would completely clear the Turkey-Syria border, would be expanded in stages and united with the region in Iraq that is being cleared of terrorists." The Turkish military has recently continued its action against PKK fighters in northern Iraq in what it has called Operation Claw I, II, and III. Claw I began on May 27, 2019, Claw II began on July 12, and Claw III began on August 23.
Turkish military operations, called Operation Claw I-III, to establish a safe zone in northern Iraq have been ongoing since May 2019 (source: Posta.com.tr).
On September 7, President Erdoğan said of Turkish plans to move Syrian refugees living in Turkey into the safe zone once it is established: "After the safe zone east of the Euphrates is complete, we will settle one million people there... We have the east of the Euphrates on our agenda and inshallah, in a few weeks, in one way or another we will be on a path to solving it."
Erdogan: "If [We Get The Support], Great – If Not, We'll Be Forced To Open The [Border] Gates"
On September 5, President Erdoğan said he would allow Syrian refugees living in Turkey to enter Europe if he did not get the necessary support for the safe zone in northeast Syria: "If [we get the support], great. If not, we'll be forced to open the [border] gates... I am saying it here today: We have not received from the world – least of all from the EU – the necessary support on the matter of the refugees that we have hosted, and to get [that support] we may be forced to [open the border]." After this speech, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called President Erdoğan on the phone on September 11 in order to preserve the March 2016 agreement on the matter of refugees and on September 13, a delegation from Turkey met with EU counterparts in Brussels.
President Erdoğan, FM Çavuşoğlu, Defense Minister Akar Escalate Their Threats To Invade Northeast Syria – "We Will Enter The [Area] East Of The Euphrates"
On July 26, 2019, President Erdoğan said: "No matter how the talks with America end, we are determined to smash to pieces the terror corridor east of the Euphrates. We will do whatever we have to. We do not need to get permission." On August 4, he said: "We entered Afrin, we entered Jarablus, we entered Al-Bab, and now we will enter the [area] east of the Euphrates." On August 12, he said: "We expressed that we will begin our operation to save the [area] east of the Euphrates from the divisive terror organization within a few days." On August 30, at a speech commemorating the 97th anniversary of the Turkish victory at the 1922 Battle of Dumlupınar, he said: "We will definitely not allow wolves to snatch up and eat our sheep east of Dicle, and if necessary, east of the Euphrates. Our land, sea, air forces and our other elements are on duty 24 hours a day."
On September 18, President Erdoğan reiterated his statement from September 5 that the end of September was the deadline for joint military action with the U.S., saying: "If there are no results in two weeks, we are going to put in place our own operational plans." On September 24, at the Sustainable Development Goals summit of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Erdoğan said: "We have been revitalizing the schools, hospitals, infrastructure, and superstructure in the regions across Syria that we have cleared of terrorists. With the same goal, we are now preparing to clear [the area] east of the Euphrates of terrorists."
On August 11, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said: "The area east of the Euphrates will be cleared at any cost. We are not going to allow America to enter a stalling pattern as [was done] in Manbij." On September 10, Çavuşoğlu reiterated: "There are some joint patrols with the U.S., aside from that, the steps that are said to have been taken are cosmetic steps... We see that the U.S. is trying to enter a stalling pattern. We are talking about a so-called ally that cannot operate independently of a terror organization. On the one hand it is continuing to support the YPG-PKK. America is trying to establish a safe zone for these terrorists. Turkey's plan is ready. If there are no results from this cooperation, we will enter the region. Just as we cleared the Afrin and the Euphrates Shield regions, we will clear [this region] too. Also, Syrians will return to [this region], their basic needs will be met. The U.S.'s position up to now has been a pro-PKK-YPG position."
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (source: Aa.com.tr).
On July 29, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper: "It was expressed that if we do not reach a common point with the U.S., we will be forced to form the Security Zone by ourselves." On September 10, Akar said: "As our honorable president has said again and again, we want to fight terror together in a way that is proper for a strategic partnership and alliance. We are trying to finish this job with discussions and commitment, but it will not always be this way: we will not wait forever." Akar said on September 3: "We will not permit a terror corridor in northern Syria... If necessary, as our honorable president said, we will cut our stomach ourselves."
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar (source: Sozcu.com.tr).
Praise From Turkish Commentators And Government For Intended Invasion Of Northeast Syria – İbrahim Karagül, Editor In Chief Of Yeni Şafak Daily: "An Intervention Must Be Conducted Even If It Means Suicide"
The intended action has been praised and encouraged by Turkish government officials and members of the press. İbrahim Karagül, editor in chief of pro-government daily Yeni Şafak, wrote in a September 5 column that: "Those drawing the region's maps today are one and the same as those who drew them post-World War I. Just as all maps were prepared against Turkey post-World War I, they are being prepared against Turkey again today... All deals with the U.S. are aimed at stalling Turkey and buying time for the project. This is why they have not kept any of the promises they made until now, including the promise concerning Manbij. They will never keep their promises...
"The east of Euphrates does not encompass the north of Syria alone. The east of Euphrates is also the East Mediterranean. It is also the Aegean... I wrote on many occasions two years ago an intervention must be conducted 'even if it means suicide.' I still maintain the same opinion. As a matter of fact, the threat is much greater today; the region is a stage to the show of force by those dying to settle scores with Turkey... Turkey is going to go ahead with this great fight. It has no other choice and it also has the power to do so. Because this nation has been continuing this same fight, non-stop since the Seljuk Empire. The steps we take will be long-term. The east of the Euphrates is one of these long-term steps as well."
In a September 12 column, Karagül wrote: "The biggest front after WWI is being built east of the Euphrates... Defending Turkey is not only Erdoğan's duty, but that of everyone who considers this country their homeland.... The 'Syria issue' has been transformed into an issue of 'U.S. occupation.' One-third of the country has been invaded by using the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Daesh as an excuse."
After the September 8 ground patrol, Turkish terrorism and security expert Coşkun Başbuğ said that the U.S. had recognized Turkey's decisiveness on the issue. On August 12, Mehmet Ali Sahin, member of the presidency's High Advisory Council, said: "If the AKP were not in power, if Recep Tayyip Erdogan were not in the Turkish government, that terror state would have been established on the Syrian border long ago." On June 5, Yeni Şafak reported on a survey that found that of 9,317 Turks surveyed, 77 percent favored an invasion of northeast Syria east of the Euphrates, while 23 percent were against it.
Criticism From Turkish Press Of Intended Invasion Of Northeast Syria – "Turkey Can Take No Military Action In The Face Of The U.S."
On September 10, Dr. İlhan Uzgel, professor of international relations at Ankara University, said in an interview that Turkey would not be able to take military action east of the Euphrates. He said that as the Syrian War ends, Turkish forces would be forced to withdraw from both Idlib and from Afrin, and that after the people of Syria, Turkey would pay the highest price for the Syrian War. Of Erdoğan's threat to invade Syria by the end of September, Uzgel said: "Turkey says this very often, and this is objectionable from a diplomacy standpoint. If you repeat something a lot and then do not do it, the value of your word declines, it becomes discredited. For the last year and a half Turkey has been been saying things like 'one night we may come without warning,' whose persuasiveness and deterrence have declined as time goes on... Turkey may be bartering high in order solve the F-35 issue and that of the sanctions... Turkey can take no military action in the face of the U.S."
Of the U.S.'s relations with Kurdish forces in Syria, Dr. Uzgel said: "If the PYD, with which Washington has an alliance, is liquidated, the U.S. will gain nothing, the Syria policy that it has pursued since 2011 will have collapsed. There are dimensions such as Iran being surrounded, and Israel's security. This is the U.S.'s red line... [The U.S.] does not prefer the Kurds. It views Turkey's battle with the PKK as a legitimate right, but [the U.S.] says: 'Syria is a place outside of your territory. I have issues with Iran and Syria here, you battle your own Kurds however you want to.' Turkey bombs Iraq, crushes the PKK, throws [Kurdish] members of parliament in prison, appoints trustees [in place of elected Kurdish mayors]. The U.S. does not say anything about this. But it says: 'Syria is an area where I realize my strategic goals because I have no other option.'"
On Turkish military action in Idlib, Dr. Uzgel said: "In some ways Idlib is more critical because there, Turkey is in a defensive position, whereas with the area east of the Euphrates, it is waiting inside its own borders. In Idlib there is an active [Turkish] military presence. It is pressed by radical Islamists on the one hand and the Syrian army on the other. The radical Islamists did not keep their promise to disarm... Turkey's observation points have been attacked. The Syrian army has cut Turkey's connections and isolated it. In contrast with the area east of the Euphrates, there is the risk that [Turkish] soldiers could be taken hostage... To open the connections, you would have to fight the Syrian army and ask Russia to open up airspace. This is a very dangerous game. You do all of these things to protect radical Islamists from the Syrian army and block migration [across] the border. In the end the Syrian army will enter [Idlib]. This is not a situation that can continue indefinitely."
In a July 29 column titled "The Area East Of The Euphrates Is Not A Watermelon Farm, Mr. Devlet [Bahçeli]!" Turkish sociologist Oya Baydar wrote of the intended invasion of northeast Syria: "Chauvinist nationalist expansionism gnaws at and poisons society; it rots the country from the inside and in the end it will drive it to collapse... Do we realize what the east of the Euphrates operation, which has been talked about for months, and is circulated as a threat worse than the sword of Damocles and a show of valor, really means?...
"First, let's know that, despite the phony news reports that are intentionally served up [to viewers], aside from the disturbances at the border by jihadis, the Islamic State (ISIS), Jabhat Al-Nusra, and similar [groups], especially from the Rojava region, there has not been a threat or an attack against Turkey worth noting. The state, the missions in the region, the experts, the observers, the secret and open services, and everyone [else] knows this. But everyone remains silent, some because they do not want to fall out of favor with the state and the ruling power, or because they support the government's policy, some to make an excuse for a conquering, expansionist policy, and some out of fear...
"The Syria-Turkey border is 911 kilometers. You [i.e., the Turkish government] entered one section of it (Afrin, Idlib) anyway and took total control of one (Afrin) and settled in it. To enter 35 kilometers along the length of the border – in fact, in some places more is demanded, and in other places less – means to spread out over a total of 185,180 square kilometers, or about one sixth of Syrian soil. When we remember that most of Syrian territory is deserts, barren, and empty, the territory that we would take control of would be about one third of this unlucky country.
"Think for a moment, in fact, let Mr. Devlet, who is frothing at the mouth, and the honorable Tayyip Erdoğan, who talks about law and right, religion and faith, think: May Allah not let it happen, but imagine the opposite. What if Syria or another country on our border, with the excuse of a cross-border threat, presumed to enter 35-40 kilometers into our country, and eyed one sixth of our soil, what would happen, what would would we do! The peoples of Turkey showed, with the [Turkish] Independence War, what they would do in such a situation."
Statements On Impact Of Intended Invasion Of Northeast Syria On Turkey-Russia Relations – "When The Problems Concerning Providing Security And Fighting Terror Have Been Solved, Syria's Territorial Integrity Will Be Provided Completely"
On August 15, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said of the intended Turkish operation in the area east of the Euphrates, "the approval of Damascus must be given for any counter-terror activities. Because we are talking about a sovereign country, this is the first and absolute requirement. This is Russia's primary stance, which does not change in anyway and is valid for operations organized by Turkey as well. Without any doubt, we are in contact with our Turkish partners. There are questions that are already answered and questions that have not yet been answered, but this does not change the fact that Syria, as a sovereign country, needs to control its territory and has the right to make decisions about what happens on its soil."
Turkish Journalist Murat Yetkin wrote on his blog on August 23 that "In Syria, we are caught between the U.S. and Russia, this error should be corrected before we hear worse news... At 5:30 am on August 19, a Russian Su-22 warplane struck a civilian vehicle traveling with a Turkish military convoy around Idlib. It struck with such precision that the Turkish military vehicles in front of and behind the civilian vehicle were not damaged. But the Defense Ministry said that three civilians died in the vehicle." The Turkish Defense Ministry reported an attack on August 19 on a convoy heading to Turkey's "observation point number nine" in Idlib in which three civilians were killed and 12 civilians were wounded.
At an August 27 joint press conference with President Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin following a meeting between the two leaders, President Erdoğan again expressed the need for a safe zone in the area east of the Euphrates in Syria. He said: "These disturbances against Turkey are continuing from time to time. As long as these disturbances continue, it is not possible for our hands to remain tied."
On September 15, President Erdoğan, President Putin, and Iranian President Hassan Rohani met in Ankara for a "Syria Summit." Erdoğan said after the meeting: "This matter has critical importance for Syria's political unity and its territorial sovereignty. Already, more than a quarter of Syria's territory is occupied by a separatist terror organization. This organization is enacting every cruelty, from [enlisting] child soldiers to forced conscription, from ethnic cleansing activities to robbing people of their property. The attack on the hospital in Çobanbey is the most recent example of this." Twelve civilians were reportedly killed in the September 15 car bombing of a hospital in the town of Çobanbey, in Syria near the Turkey-Syria border.
A Turkish news outlet summarized Putin's words regarding the intended Turkish invasion the area of Syria east of the Euphrates after the September 15 meeting in Ankara as follows: "U.S. forces are in Syria illegitimately. We are waiting for U.S. President Donald Trump to fully apply his decision to withdraw from there completely. All states in the region, including Turkey, have the right to protect their own national security. We are all in favor of Syria's territorial integrity. When the problems concerning providing security and fighting terror have been solved, Syria's territorial integrity will be provided completely. This is valid for the withdrawal of all foreign military units from Syria. This will be possible with the transfer of the provision of security of northeast Syria to the regional government of Syria."
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 See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 8281 Turkish President Erdoğan Threatens To Let Refugees Cross Into Europe Unless International Community Supports Turkey's Plans For Northern Syria, September 18, 2019.
 Bbc.com/news/world-europe-35854413, March 20, 2016.
 Amerikaninsesi.com/a/merkelden-turkiyeyle-multeci-anlasmasini-kurtarma-cabasi/5082325.html, September 13, 2019.
 Cnnturk.com/dunya/brukselde-turkiye-ab-siyasi-diyalog-toplantisi-duzenlendi, September 13, 2019.
 Bbc.com/turkce/haberler-turkiye-49134096, July 29, 2019.
 Dw.com/tr/erdo%C4%9Fan-f%C4%B1rat%C4%B1n-do%C4%9Fusuna-girece%C4%9Fiz/a-49889485, August 4, 2019.
 Haberturk.com/son-dakika-erdogan-firat-in-dogusu-operasyonuna-birkac-gune-basliyoruz-2257585, August 12, 2019.
 Ilkha.com/guncel/cumhurbaskani-erdogan-firatin-dogusunda-kuzularimizi-kurtlara-kaptirtmayacagiz-103428, August 31, 2019.
 Yenisafak.com/gundem/cumhurbaskani-erdogan-kendi-harekat-planimizi-devreye-sokacagiz-3506787, September 18, 2019.
 Iletisim.gov.tr/english/haberler/detay/president-erdogan-attends-sustainable-development-goals-summit, September 24, 2019.
 Ocakmedya.com/amerikanin-bizi-oyalamasina-musaade-etmeyecegiz, August 11, 2019.
 The Yekineyen Parastina Gel (YPG) is a primarily Kurdish group in Syria and is the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
 Karar.com/guncel-haberler/bakani-akar-abdli-esperle-gorustu-anlasma-olmazsa-guvenli-bolgeyi-tek-basimiza-olustururuz-1283169, July 29, 2019.
 Amerikaninsesi.com/a/firatin-dogusunda-turkiye-ile-abd-arasindaki-guven-bunalimi-suruyor/5077785.html, September 10, 2019.
 Amerikaninsesi.com/a/akar-firatin-dogusunda-kendi-gobegimizi-kesebilecek-durumdayiz/5067435.html, September 3, 2019.
 "To cut your own stomach" is a Turkish expression meaning "to accomplish something for yourself despite many difficulties."
 Yenisafak.com/en/columns/ibrahimkaragul/an-intervention-must-be-conducted-east-of-the-euphrates-in-syria-even-if-it-means-suicide-this-is-the-only-game-spoiling-operation-both-within-the-country-and-abroad-the-threat-is-much-greater-than-perceived-2047159, September 5, 2019.
 Yenisafak.com/en/columns/ibrahimkaragul/the-sole-problem-in-syria-is-the-us-occupation-this-matter-directly-concerns-turkey-the-biggest-front-after-wwi-is-being-built-east-of-the-euphrates-defending-turkey-is-not-only-erdogans-duty-but-that-of-everyone-who-considers-this-country-their-homeland-2047164, September 12, 2019.
 Sabah.com.tr/webtv/turkiye/coskun-basbug-abd-turkiyenin-kararliligini-gordu, September 8, 2019.
 Memurlar.net/haber/848892/ak-parti-olmasaydi-sinirinda-teror-devleti-kurulurdu.html, August 12, 2019.
 Yenisafak.com/gundem/milletten-tam-destek-3473745, June 5, 2019.
 Dw.com/tr/uzgel-t%C3%BCrkiye-f%C4%B1rat%C4%B1n-do%C4%9Fusuna-asker-g%C3%B6nderemez/a-50362792, September 10, 2019.
 Devlet Bahçeli is the leader of the Milliyet Halk Partisi (MHP), a Turkish party allied with President Erdoğan's Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP).
 T24.com.tr/yazarlar/oya-baydar/firat-in-dogusu-karpuz-tarlasi-degil-devlet-bey,23276, July 29, 2019.
 Cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/dunya/1534964/Rusya_nin__Firat_in_dogusu__aciklamasinda__Sam__vurgusu.html, August 15, 2019.
 Yetkinreport.com/2019/08/23/suriyede-abd-ile-rusya-arasinda-kaldik-daha-kotu-haberler-gelmeden-yanlistan-donulmeli, August 23, 2019.
 Aa.com.tr/tr/turkiye/idlibde-askeri-konvoya-saldiri/1559639, August 19, 2019.
 Haberler.com/erdogan-firat-in-dogusu-bu-tacizler-devam-ettigi-12366987-haberi, August 27, 2019.
 Haksozhaber.net/suriyede-turkiye-sinirindaki-hastaneye-saldiri-12-olu-119142h.htm, September 15, 2019.
 Aydinlik.com.tr/turkiye-rusya-iran-suriye-firat-in-dogusu-temizlenecek-turkiye-eylul-2019, September 18, 2019.


Stephen Martinez Martinez itibaren Luzhki, Ivanovskaya oblast', Rusya, 155611
Found this browsing at the library. Very easy reading, but I found myself so caught up in the characters. At one point, I had pulled over to the beach on my way home from work. I grabbed the book and sat glued to the pages while sitting in my car with the windows open. In a chapter, one of the characters was standing on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the water. The author was describing the surroundings and the sounds of the ocean. I got chills because she was describing the exact visual and sounds I had sitting there at the beach. I hated the book to end......wanted to be able to visit the characters for coffee the next day to see what they were up to. Loved it!


Serbs, Croats to Swap Prisoners
<i> Associated Press</i>
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia —
Serbs and Croats announced Friday an exchange of prisoners captured in their bitter ethnic fighting and pledged to work to make an uneasy truce hold.
In Prague, Czechoslovakia, the 35-nation Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe urged the warring Yugoslav factions to begin talks to cement the peace.
Serbs and Croats agreed to exchange some prisoners in the village of Vajska on their border Friday evening, the state news agency Tanjug reported.
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Improving the livelihood and food… This project on Improving Livelihood and Food Security of Tribal Communities through WADI Model and Sustainable Agriculture Practices is being implemented in Jawadhu hills of Thiruvannamalai district with the financial support of NABARD. This project will transform participating farmers into prosperous commercial food producers with improved livelihoods and … The project identifies Agricultural Water Management (AWM) technologies and approaches that has a proven positive impact on small-scale farmers livelihoods. Improving incomes appears superficially straightforward. That represents about 1.3 billion people. November 2010; Advances in Animal Biosciences 1(02) DOI: 10.1017/S2040470010001275. Debate about findings and broad dissemination of distilled messages. 4 0 obj
Distribute it to crops in the field and other uses like livestock, fisheries and domestic use. Agricultural extension services, production/processing methods, collective marketing system and value chain integration are facilitated to improve livelihoods of small holder farmers. Extension agents are the link between researchers and farmers … One approach is to build farmer capacity with a view of improving their knowledge and skills. This study was designed to test and identify the impact of improved seeds on small farmers’ productivity, income and livelihood in Umruwaba locality of Sudan. PIC smallholders are also extremely vulnerable to natural disasters, and price and weather variability. Half of the world’s labour force works in agriculture. Further understand & create effective partnerships and synergies. <>
Farmer livelihood highlights. This empowerment is done mostly through extension services. <>
Livestock is significantly contributing to livelihood and food security of more than a billion people in different parts of the world. Large farms commonly employ hired labour. In Ethiopia low-cost manual well drilling have been implemented, providing water for irrigation, livestock and domestic needs. Profile Stories | October 7, 2015 . The study applied Multi-stage random sample technique. In another development, the Biotechnology Trust provided farmers with veterinary kits and training in their use, thereby enabling the farmers to diagnose livestock diseases. The positive outcomes are both the access to water and the enhanced rural employment. endobj
3 0 obj
Project. The development of smallholder farmers through cooperative development Agriculture remains largely traditional and is concentrated in the hands of smallholders a… Smallholder farmers working in rural areas dominate agribusiness in Africa. Agroforestry for livestock rearing and improving livelihood of small holder farmers. World Vision's Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) for Improved Livelihoods programme in Rwanda, provided guidance and training to farmers, inclusive Diogene, and thus he tried it out. Small-holder farmers - defined as those marginal and sub-marginal farm households that own or/and cultivate less than 2.0 hectare of land - constitute about 78 per cent of the country’s farmers (at Agricultural Census 1990-91). producer organizations in order to improve their access to finance, services, and markets and consequently improve their standards of living in the long-run. %����
Without proper and effective water management, poor farmers are unable to turn agriculture from a nourishment activity into an income-generating enterprise.The smallholder farming is a potential engine for economic growth, poverty reduction and food security. Smallholder production strategies typically utilize a mixture of root crop, vegetable, fruit and livestock varieties for own consumption, sale and gifts, supplemented by income from cash crops such as copra, cocoa, coffee and vanilla. In Zambia 20% of smallholder farmers produce vegetables for urban markets. IFC is working with Ecom, a global leader in commodity trading, to raise the productivity of smallholder farms, improve the quality of their coffee, and have a positive impact on the livelihoods of farmers in Kenya. Hanoi, Vietnam: Vietnam National University of Agriculture. 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Integration are facilitated to improve small holder farms are usually family farms, with the objective., presenting significant barriers and risks for small-scale farmers by reducing food and... Zambia 20 % of smallholder farmers produce vegetables for urban markets improve the livelihoods of farmers. Rainwater harvesting has been introduced in response to falling groundwater tables being supplied by the household urban market constraints! The world ’ s labour force works in agriculture, and price and weather variability view of improving their and! And practices to capture, store or drain water at their fingertips Honey Care Africa field during! Dewas District alone could benefit from upscaling this opportunity legal framework and implementing information.! Opportunities and constraints for successful improvements at farm, community and watershed level livelihoods of small-scale farmers account roughly! ) DOI: 10.1017/S2040470010001275 smallholders are also extremely vulnerable to economic and shocks! Market lacks legal and institutional infrastructure, presenting significant barriers and risks for small-scale account. Main country livelihood contexts constraints, developing legal framework how to improve livelihood of small farm holders implementing information systems watershed level ; commercial farming! Livestock and domestic needs livestock and domestic needs the positive outcomes are both the access to water and enhanced... Women farmers was nonetheless 41 per cent november 2010 ; Advances in Animal Biosciences 1 02! Extension services, production/processing methods, collective marketing system and value chain integration are facilitated to improve of..., collective marketing system and value chain integration are facilitated to improve small farmers. Of smallholder farmers ’ livelihoods risks for small-scale farmers account for roughly of! Of more than a billion people in different parts of the tools are! Different parts of the tools promoted are ; commercial vegetable farming, livestock rearing and improving of! Small-Holders owned only 33 per cent contribution to national grain production was nonetheless 41 cent! Finance easily at their fingertips of farm Shop and Chairman and CEO of Honey Care Africa practices... Pradesh decentralized rainwater harvesting has been introduced in response to falling groundwater tables, in Kenya to. Revenues ( e.g market infrastructure constraints, developing legal framework and implementing information systems by Madison Ayer, Executive of. 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how to improve livelihood of small farm holders 2021


A5028 Higham Road closed in both directions due to flooding and burst water main between B569 Washbrook Road and Hayway.
The A5028 Higham Road at Rushden in Northamptonshire is closed in both directions due to a burst watermain and flooding between the B569 Washbrook Road and Hayway.
Thieves used a car to ram raid a store at Rushden in Northamptonshire early today. It happened at Wilkinsons in Eaton Walk around 1.20am.
Police said four men drove a stolen Vauxhall Astra through the glass doors at the front of the store and carried on to crash into the cash machine inside. They got away with a substantial amount of money.


Information on Hotels in Pune – Hotel Ashish Plaza
Phone no: 020 66826697 /020-6704-4444; 25536541/42
Address: 1198, Opp Fergusson College, Fergusson College Road, Shivaji Nagar, Pune – 411005
Located right opposite the Fergusson College in Pune, Hotel Ashish Plaza is a known name in the city. It is home to Aakash, a multi cuisine restaurant and bar, Raj Baug, a beautiful garden restaurant, Award, a fully equipped conference hall, Ashwin, a board room with a capacity of 30 persons, and Machan, a unique roof top board room. There are 35 rooms at the hotel plus one suite with all modern amenities such as an attached bath with top range fittings, air conditioning, a Television in room, a comfortable mattress, and prompt and diligent room service. The rooms are spacious and well decorated and allow privacy in the midst of the city centre. Other facilities include running hot and cold water, same day laundry service, satellite TV channels and a buffet breakfast. The reception area is warm and welcoming. Free WiFi is provided in the lobby. The hotel is monitored by CCTV cameras. Hotel Ashish Plaza also provides ample parking space for all vehicles. The travel desk at the hotel is extremely useful in case a guest wants to explore the city or its outskirts. It is located just 4 km from the Pune Railway Station. The tariff ranges between Rs. 3000 to Rs. 5000. All major Credit cards are accepted at Hotel Ashish Plaza.


AN alleged Russian spy ring in the United States may have used more than one fake Irish passport with three of those arrested using Irish names.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is seeking more information on allegations that one of the people arrested, Richard Murphy, is said to have travelled on a forged Irish passport.
The firm position of the Government in relation to the fraudulent use of Irish passports was a matter of public record, a spokesman said.
The latest embarrassing revelation that spies may have used Irish passports comes in the wake of the use of forged Irish passports by Israeli agents who assassinated a Hamas official in Dubai. One Israeli Embassy official has been expelled from Dublin in protest.
One of the alleged spies, with the American alias, Richard Murphy, travelled in February this year to Rome to collect an Irish passport which bore the name Eunan Gerard Doherty and which had been issued in Dublin in July, 2001.
It was an old style paper document with a laminate over a passport photograph and no biometric information.
Murphy, who was born in Philadelphia and lives in New Jersey, flew from Newark to Rome last February where he was instructed to collect the Irish passport before flying on to Moscow, according to papers filed by FBI officers. The alleged spy was told to carry Time magazine and wait outside the Libreria shop near San Giovanni subway station in Rome.
The passport was described in communications as an old "transit passport".
He had to wait for a contact to approach and say: "Excuse me, could we have met in Malta in 1999?" Murphy was told to reply: "Yes, indeed. I was in La Valetta but in 2000."
According to Moscow's instructions, the stranger then slipped the spy a false Irish passport for travel on to Russia.
He flew on to Moscow and returned on March 3 with a mysterious laptop which he later turned over to another Russian agent in New York.
Richard and Cynthia Murphy appeared to be living a typical American middle class life in Montclair, New Jersey. They had arrived two years ago and were well liked by neighbours.
Billy Timmins, Fine Gael's foreign affairs spokesman, called for the US and Russian ambassadors to be questioned over the forgery allegations.
"It's only five months since we learned that eight Irish passports were used by a Mossad unit which carried out the assassination in a Dubai hotel," he said. "This highlights once again the vulnerability of Irish passports," he added, claiming, that more than 33,000 Irish passports had been reported lost, stolen or mislaid - 6pc of the total issued.


The Puffing Billy
Nestled in the village of Exton, The Puffing Billy serves classic British cuisine with a distinct modern twist. Alongside a personally compiled wine list and smooth real ales from nearby breweries,
a diverse menu includes delicious sharing platters and hearty main courses. A favourite Exeter restaurant, The Puffing Billy sources as much produce as possible from the local area, including
Dartmoor beef and venison, and fish from the Devon coast.


1 bedroom flat to rentDunbeth Avenue, Coatbridge
Let Agreed £450 pcm| £104 pw
|Reduced on Rightmove:||23 September 2016 (366 days ago)|
Located within the Dunbeth area of Coatbridge, LetUrWay offer this immaculate Traditional Upper Flat.
The accommodation on offer comprises entrance hall, spacious lounge and kitchen with all white goods.
Furthermore there is a double bedroom with bay window formation to the front and modern fitted bathroom.
The property benefits from gas central heating and double glazing.
More information from this agent
To view this media, please visit the on-line version of this page at www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-55967836.html
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Pre-pandemic, we saw a huge rise in e-scooters and other micromobility options across the country. Thanks to a new city ordinance and increased need for equitable transit, micromobility is back in Birmingham.
While some people think electric scooters are a sidewalk nuisance, others, like Birmingham Councilmember Darrell O’Quinn believe them to be key to providing affordable mobility to Birmingham’s population.
How it started
Until the contract ended 2019, Birmingham had several docking stations full of Zyp Bikes since 2015. The bikes were among Birmingham’s first solutions to micromobility. But, they didn’t last long, as they were only intended to run in the city for five years.
But despite the price tag, the bikes turned a corner for the city.
“The Zyp Bike share really proved that micromobility was viable for City of Birmingham and could really be utilized by our residents and visitors to explore the city and get around.”Darrell O’Quinn, City Council Member, Birmingham
Scooters, another popular micromobility option, are not unfamiliar to Birmingham. Bird briefly ruled the streets and sidewalks, but due to legislative issues at the city and state level, the company’s scooters were eventually taken away.
Where we are now
In November 2020, the Birmingham City Council passed a new ordinance for mobility, with new rules for e-scooters, bike shares and mopeds coming to the city. The goal of the ordinance is to not only bring more micromobility options to the city, but to encourage residents to use them.
A few of the new rules include:
- Corrals for chargers to place shared mobility vehicles throughout the city
- A 10PM curfew for e-scooters
- Incentives for companies to increase access to micromobility to those who need it most
According to O’Quinn, one of the biggest upsides to micromobility is its accessibility and cost. Roughly 12% of Birmingham residents do not own a car, which leaves them with limited options for mobility and decreased access to job opportunities. With about 25.9% of Birmingham residents in poverty, increased access to transportation that is more cost effective than owning a car and more convenient than the bus or a friend is needed
O’Quinn believes that by increasing dockless micromobility in the city, more people will be able to afford effective transportation.
“The City of Birmingham has a poverty rate of around 30% of our population, and until we address that issue, that’s going to be a significant burden for economic development and growth of the city. We can have all of the job training programs in the world and new employers coming in, but if people can’t get to those opportunities and can’t access them—what good are they?Darrell O’Quinn, City Council Member, Birmingham
Where we’re headed
The future of micromobility for Birmingham is looking bright! Thanks to these changes, Birmingham can expect to see VeoRides and Gotcha Mobility scooting, biking and moped-ing around town. Gotcha Mobility has also signed a lease for several thousand square feet of space in the M2 building in Avondale.
Curious about Birmingham’s micromobility journey? Check out these Bham Now stories:
- Get ready to ride…again! Electric bikes + scooters are back in Birmingham
- New City Council Ordinance could reintroduce micro-mobility to Birmingham
- Say bye-bye to Zyp bikes. So what’s next for micro-mobility in Birmingham?
- Bird wants to take over Birmingham with electric scooters
- Electric scooters may be coming (back) to Birmingham, thanks to new legislation
- Scooters Are Back in Birmingham! Here’s What You Need to Know


|Type||Rent||Deposit||Beds||Baths||Sq. Feet||Furnishing||Lease Term||Availability|
|TypeApartmentApartment||Rent $1600||Deposit$1600||Beds 2 bd||Baths 2 ba||Sq. Feet862 ft2||FurnishingFurnished||Lease TermLong Term||AvailabilityImmediate|
|Apartment Furnished 862 ft2 Deposit: 1600 Term of Lease: Long Term|
|Utilities Included: Heat Water|
Downtn, 2bdrm, 2bath, heated pking, C-train, Gym
This beautifully appointed condo in new painted.. Some furniture is included. Two spacious bedrooms are separated by the living room. The upgraded funky kitchen features maple cabinetry and stainless steel appliances and is open to the living and dining rooms. This unit is air-conditioned and has a gas barbeque outlet on the balcony, in-suite laundry and titled parking. The building is across the street from the C-Train so perfect location for those without a vehicle! A heated parking stall in the basement. Owner is looking for long team tenants. Tenants need to pay electricity. Owner is offer a king size bed. New tenant is fine to replace the furniture. This building is offering Gym room.
This may not be the correct location of the property


Photo © Hoachlander Davis Photography
Curious about the man-made world around us? We are, too!
Welcome—explore virtual exhibitions on architecture, design, and urbanism. Discover the artistic side of buildings and spaces. Observe award-winning work by leading visionaries. Peek into the minds of next generation designers.
Take a look and enjoy.
2021 Professional Awards of the Potomac Chapter, ASLAThis exhibition highlights award-winning works of landscape architecture from the 2021 Professional Awards of the Potomac Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The range of projects encompasses residential, private and public practice, and a variety of project types that includes parks, campuses, plazas, historic landscapes, and more.
Lisa Noble: A Tale of Two Cabins
In 2017, artist Lisa Noble’s life turned inside out
with the sudden loss of her father. As a result, she began spilling her grief
and memories onto the canvas. The intimate scenes of her family’s Canadian
cabins were a series that she had just started a few months earlier. No longer
a tourist looking back at old photos, Lisa was forced to view the cabins in a
very different yet deeply meaningful way, working through loss to communicate
the pleasures of these important locations.
View past online exhibitions here.
View complete exhibition history here.


Cebu Daily Newscast: Fuel prices raised by up to P1.35 per liter effective July 25
Listen to Cebu Daily Newscast and get the latest stories in and around Cebu.
Here’s what you need to know on Tuesday, July 25.
Another round of increases in the pump prices of petroleum products will greet motorists on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, after oil companies announced hikes of as much as P1.35 per liter.
In separate advisories, the oil firms said the price of gasoline would rise by P1.35 per liter and diesel by 45 centavos per liter. The price of kerosene will also climb by 35 centavos per liter.
Seaoil and Shell will implement the price adjustments by 6 a.m. on Tuesday, July 25.
Seventeen areas are now under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) Number 2 as Typhoon Egay (international name: Doksuri) steadily intensifies, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its 5:00 p.m. update.
Pagasa said the center of Egay, which was last spotted some 500 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora, has increased its maximum sustained winds from 150 kph near the center to 155 kph and gustiness from 185 kph to 190 kph while moving northwest at 10 kph.
The concrete roof of a school gymnasium collapsed in China’s Qiqihar city on Sunday killing 10 people, with one person still trapped, state media reported on Monday.
Initially 15 people were thought to be trapped underneath the rubble and authorities pulled 14 individuals out from the debris, according to CCTV.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. urged Congress to pass laws that are aimed at amending taxation in the country.
He made this request during his second State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday.
The Chief Executive explained these measures needed to be passed to make the country progressive.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.


The prospect of an east-west intercontinental gas pipeline has again reared its head after the Morrison Government’s national COVID-19 co-ordination commission promoted it as a way to power industry on the east coast with cheap gas from the west.
The proposal should not come as a surprise to anyone; the commission is headed up by long-time gas lobbyist Nev Power.
On first sight the proposal might sound like a good idea. However, the reality is that here in WA gas is neither cheap nor clean.
While spending billions of tax payers dollars on a cross-continental white elephant might buoy the ailing gas industry, it will be a disaster for the climate and deliver an energy supply that Australia cannot afford.
And its re-emergence flies in the face of a 2019 $5 million feasibility study from Acil Allen ordered by the Morrison government. That study showed that the pipeline would neither stack up commercially nor provide a good return on taxpayers’ investment.
In order to pay back the cost of building the 2900-kilometre trans-continental pipe, the price of the gas to consumers would have to be significantly higher than the price of sea-borne LNG.
Furthermore, since the Acil Allen study, the cost of both renewable energy and batteries for ensuring supply – the most common purpose of gas generation – has continued to fall even further.
The South Australian battery paid for itself within two years and several more are planned for installation while the cost of solar panels continues to decline.
Gas does not stack up against renewable energy now, and it certainly will not in five years’ time when the billions of dollars it would take to build a pipeline must be recovered in the form of even higher gas prices for Australian households and businesses.
But the biggest problem may not be the cost to consumers, but the cost to the climate.
Gas is repeatedly claimed by its backers to be a ‘clean fuel’ and an ‘ideal partner’ to renewable energy, but the experience in the west has been very different.
Thanks to the WA Domestic Gas Reservation policy the WA gas market is in an almost constant state of oversupply, providing a valuable lesson on what actually happens when you add a lot more gas into the energy mix.
The example of WA provides a cautionary tale; WA has the highest proportion of gas generation of any Australian state but the lowest proportion of renewable energy and the fastest growth in carbon
pollution, placing Australia’s Paris Agreement targets out of reach.
Instead of paving the way for solar and wind to enter the market by providing a reliable backup, the
abundance of gas generation here in WA has made it more difficult for renewable projects to enter the market because of oversupply.
Not only is gas driving up WA’s emissions, but Australian taxpayers are being forced to pay the gas
industry’s pollution bill as the country spends billions offsetting gas emissions through the taxpayer-funded Emissions Reduction Fund.
If that is not bad enough, the industry is planning its biggest expansion yet.
The giant Burrup Hub proposal by Woodside, Shell, BP and others would produce around four times the emissions of the Adani coal mine – over six billion tons of CO2 from direct and indirect emissions over its 50-year lifetime.
To offset the direct emissions of this project through the ERF would cost taxpayers over $17 billion dollars.
The gas industry does not just pollute the climate, it pollutes our politics too.
Gas companies, led by Woodside, have stridently opposed action on climate change in WA, using their corporate influence to prevent emissions reduction targets or regulation of pollution, leaving the state a global laggard on job-creating climate action.
Despite its excessive profits, the gas industry is the smallest employer of any sector in WA, producing fewer jobs per dollar of investment than any other industry.
Gas is dominated by foreign-owned corporations meaning its profits are going overseas while Australians pay its huge pollution bills.
The multinational companies behind WA’s huge gas projects pay virtually no tax or royalties for the gas they extract and export or sell at a tidy profit to Australian households and businesses.
With his direct commercial interests in WA gas projects, it is no surprise that Nev Power and his COVID-19 commission are pushing a taxpayer-funded pipeline that would subsidise the next round of profits for the gas industry.
But let us not be confused – this will cost Australians dearly.
It will be a disaster for the climate and it will hold our country back from the opportunities in clean and affordable renewable energy that can underpin a recovery from COVID-19 and set Australia on a clean and competitive path for the jobs and growth of the future.
Piers Verstegen is the director of the Conservation Council of Western Australia


The Government will keep at least 65% stake in State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in seven sectors, including the finance, banking, and aviation industries after completing privatization or divestment of State capital.
|Customers at BIDV. Photo: Quoc Viet|
The information was revealed in the Government’s decision No.22/2021/QD-TTg stipulating criteria for the classification of SOEs subject for privatization and divestment in the 2021-2025 period.
The decision is applied for airport management; air navigation services; seaport management; large-scale natural resources extraction; cartoon production for children; finance, banking (excluding insurance, securities, fund management, financial and financial leasing companies); and wholesale of essential food.
The State will hold from 50-65% stake at water purification and provision; basic chemical production; air transportation; petroleum distributors with at least 30% of market share; and others.
Sectors and fields subject to wholly owned by the State are survey and mapping for purpose of national security; production and distribution of industrial explosives and explosive precursors; national grid management and distribution; lottery; gold bar production and money printing; and debt solving.
The decision is set to take place from August 19.


Caribbean holidays a little bit of luxury
By Pedro Murray
Honeymoon holidays in the caribbean
Your honeymoon is one of the top vacations you'll ever take. This is the commencement of a fresh beginning with your loved one. This offers you a good incentive to holiday in one of the finest destinations in the world. Whether or not you leave directly from your reception or put off a few weeks until the exhilaration dies down, a honeymoon is a vacation that you will memorize for the rest of your life. One of the most prevalent places to go on a honeymoon is the Caribbean with Sandals resorts.
There are a lot of factors why the Caribbean is the ideal honeymoon spot. First, not many people reside in a magical tropical paradise as is found on the majority of the Caribbean islands. Because we do not reside in this type of weather conditions, the Caribbean is an escape from realism. An additional reason when the Caribbean is a excellent location for a vacation is because it is in fact so well-liked. The islands cater to couples and love, and you can discover a variety of special activities accessible just for newlyweds.
To plan a honeymoon with luxury Caribbean holidays, you must begin long before you even finish scheduling your wedding. First, consider how much the honeymoon will cost in your budget. If you overspend, you'll find yourself coming home to a new life filled with credit card debt, and that is in no way a great way to start a new life. Make certain you start with a financial plan, you will find a caribbean holiday to meet your wants.
The next thing you ought to consider when it comes to setting up a Caribbean honeymoon is that you'll need a way to transition from the wedding party to the honeymoon. Historically, the honeymoon was to begin on your wedding night, but most couples also love to hold wedding receptions. As most wedding receptions party on into the night, it is not always a good thought to catch a flight at that time. It is best to finish the night at the hotel and leave next morning to go on your honeymoon. Still others spend the week after the wedding moving into a new home and depart on the honeymoon after that. A number of couples even wait an entire year and plan their honeymoon for their first anniversary in order to save up money. You need to do what feels best for you.
When on your honeymoon in the Caribbean, make sure that you bring up this fact to people. More often than not you will receive some special treatment like upgrades on your flight and upgrades at your resort. Champagne and other free drinks, special costs are dining places, and hotel gifts are some of the other excellent honeymoon specials you may receive on your honeymoon in the Caribbean. This is a good way to start your new life, so even if small things go wrong, simply focus on enjoying your time together, book now with Sandals holidays.
Book your luxury holiday at sandals holidays and check out kuoni holidays
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Views expressed in the article are those of the author and are not necessarily the opinions of CaribbeanChoice, its staff or members.


Completely renovated building with plenty of parking and fantastic exposure. Ideal for an office, retail, food establishment or coffee shop. 150sqft up to 950sqft is available. Price varies depending on office size. Speak with LA for details and location. Multiple spaces available. This building is next to the Carmel High School, conveniently located across the street from the Carmel Post Office and in front of the County Court House, Sheriff's Department and County Administration. Municipal Water and Sewer. Natural Gas on the street. Space can be subdivided. Efficient building. All LED lightening and spray foam insulation as well as extremely efficient and heat and ac units. Classy and quality workmanship throughout. Fantastic and Professional curb appeal. Walk to Putnam County Courthouse.
Listing Agent: Angela J. Briante
Courtesy of: Briante Realty Group, LLC
Updated: 21st March, 2018 10:37 AM.
16 Fair Carmel, NY


I have an affinity for proverbs and calendars that provide me with little quotes for each day of the year. In fact, I have one such calendar in my entry and each morning I pull off the previous day’s quote to reveal what the thought of the day might be today…
Two of these quotes caught me eye over the past week:
We should never try to follow another’s path for that is his way, not yours.When that path is found, you have nothing to do but fold your arms and the tide will carry your to freedom. Swami Vivekananda
When you get to the top of the mountain, keep climbing. Zen Proverb
I have internalized these two quotes and have taken some time to reflect on their meaning as it pertains to me. I know in my heart that I need to walk my own path and I have been following it for years now, but every once in a while a distraction pulls me off this path and has me get lost in its vistas and exciting possibilities. I am fine with this and allow extra time and energy for such occasions as they provide new ideas and possibilities. Eventually I return to my own familiar path. As to keeping on climbing – I am doing that! There is no mountain top high enough – besides, I get vertigo when I look down – so the only option is to continue climbing…
It was a crazy time last week with getting prepared for the Open Studio, putting finishing touches on the food, making sure enough seating was provided for visitors. I am sure you get the picture and certainly have heard enough about it in last week’s posts.
After taking a day off to take down the student exhibition, clearing space for new work and just not worrying what tomorrow might bring I am slowly emerging with recharged batteries. I have started to complete a quilt for friends and unrolled the handwoven silk and linen fabric Colin wove for our future son-in-law’s wedding shirt. There is a field of flowers in the distance and I am walking to toward it. Summer is in full swing with sunny days, heat waves, the hum of air conditioners and fans disrupting the song birds’ concert – but I am not complaining!
New adventures and challenges are what keep me advancing – the life of the artist is never dull!
Yes, Anna , this artist’s life is never dull or boring ! Where did you take the photo of the little buildings on platforms on the water ? I love the image , especially with the shadow lines along the way . It calls to be a quilt ! I was also wondering what kind of bird that little puffed up fellow with the orange feet is .
Thanks , Joyce
All the images from this slide show were taken in Germany almost two years ago. The crow was captured at the entrance to the “Eagles Nest” above Berchtesgaden, where we experienced snow and fog at the end of September. The buildings on stilts are located at Lake Constance, the historic site was originally settled by Celts and dates back to more than 7 thousand years. The buildings have been replicated according to archeological records. The town where the open air museum is located is called Unter-Uhldingen. I visited it for the first time with my grandmother when I was 12. Only one building was standing at that time but what I saw and learned has stuck with me till today!
Anna, I love Zen Proverbs. Here is another you might like to ponder: “The obstacle is the path.” When there is no way around we need to find a way through. Ann
Thank you, Ann!
I would love to see a photo of the wedding shirt when done! Handwoven silk and linen — how lucky is this groom????
Very lucky – but so are we! Greg is a wonderful guy and what better way to gain a son?


At the March 10 meeting of the Roxboro Kiwanis Club, Judy Batten with the Person County Partnership for Children received a contribution from the club for the local Dolly Parton Imagination Library program.
At the Feb, 17 meeting of the Roxboro Kiwanis Club, Person County Recreation, Arts and Parks Director John Hill reminded the club of the April 4 Cyclysm bike ride to benefit the United Way and the June Mud Run sponsored by Parks and Rec as possible service projects which the club could support.
Boy Scout Troop 412 was established in March 1954 when a meeting was called by the chairman of the Christian Education Committee of Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church for the purpose of organizing a Boy Scout troop. About 25 people attended, including a district scout executive who explained the procedure for forming a troop with the church as its sponsor.
The TrailHeads, a group of trail running and outdoor enthusiasts, love playing in the woods. They also are dedicated to introducing others to the joys of the trails, and to helping create and protect natural spaces for public use.
Durham Kiwanis club members donated 347 books to Book Harvest (www.bookharvestnc.org) on Feb. 27 after Ginger Young, the founder, gave a passionate presentation to the club.
Durham’s Partnership for Children hosted its first Early Childhood Bus Tour of 2014 on Feb. 11th.
This event, sponsored by Mechanics and Farmers Bank, provided guests an opportunity to learn more about the partnership’s work throughout Durham and view the community through the lens of early childhood.
Michael Walter Lee, a sophomore at Jordan High School, has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in scouting. He is the son of Mark and Jodie Lee.
At the Jan. 20 meeting of the Roxboro Kiwanis Club, local attorney Brent Groce spoke about the Teen Court program in Person County.
Grandmaster Jessie Bowen, a 10th degree black belt in karate, was named Ambassador of Goodwill to the Martial Arts by Action Martial Arts Magazine and was inducted into the Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame Jan. 25 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Wow, time flies! It’s a new year for new beginnings and new partnerships.


Cheap hotel in Charlotte, United States of America
Hotels.com has something for everyone in its huge selection of fantastic hotel deals. With savings available all over the world a Cheap hotel in Charlotte is surprisingly easy to find. But be quick – all sale deals are subject to availability and are selling fast!
"Charlotte's hoodlum neighborhood."
Reviewed by a Hotels.com guest on Feb 26, 2013
The room was cleaned well but the room heater was too hot and I woke up sweaty. This side of charlotte is a high crime area and the 3rd floor door lock was not working and any body could walk right in and rob you. It's OK I know this neighborhood I'v been here many years.
"Convenient location for airport access."
Reviewed by a Hotels.com guest on Feb 23, 2013
I enjoyed the location, the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff, and the location. This was a very successful trip for me, and I would return to the Microtel the next time I visit the Charlotte area.


There are bodyboards that serious boogie boarders use to surf. And then there are the cheaply made bodyboards found in tourist shops. They’re constructed of thin pieces of styrofoam wrapped in a colorful cloth decal with a nylon cord for a wrist-strap, usually sold for $10-15. They’re generally only good for one or two sessions and have become a story at beach destinations across the world, with families on vacation buying one, two, or three at a time, only to have them end up broken in half and stacked next to the beach garbage can by the end of the day.
In a radical move to reduce such waste, Maui County, Hawaii is looking to enact a ban on the sale or rental of the cheap polystyrene boards, which they are describing as “disposable” or “single-use” bodyboards.
“I could just put a fist through (them),” council member Tamara Paltin, who introduced the legislation, recently told other members of the Maui County Council. “The little wrist strap really wouldn’t do anything for you in any kind of real surf.” Paltin, a former Ocean Safety Lieutenant, described how she and her team members would, “find all of these disposable styrofoam boogies in half on the beach and we’d go and pick them up and you couldn’t really throw them away because the rubbish can was overflowing with boogie boards.”
“They break up into a million tiny little balls that are easily ingested by our marine life and eventually into us because there are fish that are eating these little pieces of plastic,” said Maui Council member Kelly King. Maui Mayor Michael Victorino supports the ordinance as well, saying the council needs to be specific about the type of bodyboards which are being banned for it to work.
In a similar initiative that has been running in the U.K., environmental group Plastic Free North Devon is seeking a similar ban of the “disposable” bodyboards in its region. The group cited a Keep Britain Tidy report, stating that “over 16,000 cheap polystyrene bodyboards are discarded on UK beaches annually.” In the video above from March of this year, big-wave surfer Andrew Cotton shares his support for the initiative.
“Everyone is waking up and changing their usage of single-use plastic bags and straws, so why shouldn’t single-use bodyboards be the same?” Cotton said. “The amount of bodyboards collected on the beaches this summer is insane so it’s definitely time to educate people and change our habits.”


With our head office in Barcelona, DABA is the Exclusive Distributor for Nespresso in Spain, Andorra and some African countries. The Spanish market is the largest of those run by DABA. Our company, in turn, forms part of the Cobega Group, a family run group of companies with international present and a great tradition in business.
We currently have a team of over 1,200 people and run a network with more than 100 Boutiques in the countries managed by our company.
The Principles and Values of DABA are the basis for achieving our corporate mission: to be the best performing Nespresso operator and a reference for other countries.
Our values are summed up by what we refer to as the DABA Attitude. This attitude is made up of experience, flexibility, know how, excellence, proximity, innovation, pleasure...
Passion for Nespresso.
Honesty and Ethical Principles.
In Pursuit of Excellence.
Oriented towards results.
Commitment and pride in belonging to DABA.


Procreation Park (Apocalypse)
Official Entry: "Since giving birth is now a risky process all babies are now developed in artificial wombs. This has the added advantage of allowing the prospective parents to view the baby's progress by visiting special Procreation Parks. These buildings are designed to be attractive places to visit with open green spaces, bushes and trees."
Alien Infiltration Potential: Average
- Sanctuary Clinic
- Garden of Delights
- The Lineage Foundation


Woman left homeless after morning highrise fire
Highrise apartment fire leaves a woman homeless.
A woman is homeless after a fire destroyed her high-rise apartment in east Ottawa Friday morning.
Ottawa fire crews said they responded to a fire on the tenth floor of a 17-storey building in the 300 block of Montreal Road around 11:30 a.m.
There were smoke and flames visible from the street as firefighters successfully kept the fire to that unit, although there was minor smoke damage to the hallway and minor water damage to an apartment below the fire.
The lone female occupant will be staying with family after the fire completely destroyed her apartment while she wasn't home.
Four other people suffered smoke inhalation and were tended to by paramedics.
Firefighters said there was an estimated $70,000 damage to the building and $20,000 to its contents.
The cause remains under investigation.


Brunei officials have flagged a new programme of reforms aimed at speeding up the pace of establishing a business, cutting bureaucratic red tape and gaining access to valuable land resources.
On November 11, Prince Haji Al Muhtadee Billah, crown prince of Brunei and senior minister at the prime minister's office, announced that as part of the government's programme of adapting the country's socio-economic policies to meet the contingencies of an ever-changing world, there would be an increase in the use of technology to promote business activity.
Speaking in an address to mark Brunei's 15th Civil Service Day, he cited one example as a plan to establish a system to allow entrepreneurs to apply for business licenses online, describing it as a joint programme that would involve a number of ministries and departments.
The implementation of this initiative would help to raise the country's status in terms of ease of doing business and enhancing investor confidence in Brunei Darussalam, His Highness said, specifically referencing the World Bank's recent "Ease of Doing Business" report, in which Brunei's ranking dropped slightly from last year.
However, the Crown Prince added that Brunei's bureaucracy needed to adapt to changing times in order for the new online application system as well as other planned measures - including increased investments and boosting accountability and transparency - to facilitate economic activity.
"Members of the civil service must be dynamic and much more forward-looking. This is because the challenges that we face intermittently are not static and often occur unexpectedly, thereby stretching our capabilities in handling them," he said.
The online application system is part of the country's ongoing drive to institute an extensive e-government network, which was launched by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in 2000. While there has been some notable progress, especially in the education system - where most of Brunei's schools have been provided with computers and wireless internet access - the programme has had less impact on the economy.
When implemented, the proposed online licensing system could address an issue that was raised in the recent World Bank report, which showed that Brunei underperformed when it came to ease of incorporating and registering a new firm.
In terms of ease of starting a business, the bank's 2008 report, released in mid September, ranked Brunei 111th out of 130 economies, with the country requiring 18 specific procedures over an average period of 116 days. This compares to an average of 8.6 steps and 44 days needed to register a business in countries in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the report.
Though no date for the implementation of the online licensing system has been announced, it will provide a boost to the economy, the Crown Prince said in his address. Streamlining this registration process could serve as an incentive for both local and foreign entrepreneurs to enter the market, knowing they could be in business in a relatively short time.
Another area where reforms will be implemented is in land use, with Brunei looking to overhaul planning and zoning regulations as part of its Land Use Master Plan 2006-2025.
Pehin Dato Haji Abdullah Bakar, minister of development, announced on November 11 that the plan, which he said would be completed soon, will shape state policy on the optimum use of land resources and assist in the strategic development of the economy and providing for the needs of society.
This strategic development has to be complimented with investments in developing basic necessities and infrastructure, such as roads and communications systems, he told delegates attending a seminar on World Town Planning Day 2008.
The minister went on to say that as part of the reforms in the new land use plan, the application process for those seeking to carry out construction work for business or residential projects will be sped up.
According to the Ministry of Development, making the best use of land and infrastructure development in Brunei is being hampered by the duplication of efforts and disparity in standards and regulations, with municipal boards and the Land Department all having a role in the approvals process.
In order to address this problem and reduce red tape, the Ministry of Development, along with relevant government agencies, was looking into the possibility of a unified development and building control authority, Pehin Dato Haji Abdullah added.
Through clarifying land zoning regulations and slimming down the usage applications approval process, along with reforming the procedures needed to license a business, Brunei will bolster its economy, having projects up and running quicker and encouraging investment when and where it is needed most.


Our most recent question, sent to mayor and council candidates in the City of Surrey, Township of Langley, and City of Langley, was the following:
For the portion of the Surrey-Langley rapid transit line running along Fraser Highway, do you believe LRT or Skytrain technology is best, and why?
Here are early responses. We welcome commentary from all candidates; we will continue to publish submissions as they come in.
Stacey Wakelin – Township of Langley (Independent)
The challenge with Skytrain would be cost—which one would assume would be between 2-3 billion. LRT needs to connect with Skytrain, etc to be most useful. This is a great question, with rapid development we need more transit options in the Langleys.
Vera LeFranc – City of Surrey (Surrey First)
Recently I responded to a constituent who wrote to let me know that they believe Skytrain should be the preferred technology to LRT. It is no secret that I support LRT, and it compelled me to put my thoughts to paper. The following is a refined version of that letter:
1. Housing affordability
We are in a crisis of housing affordability. Sky train stations cost $40M compared to about $3M for LRT. With LRT we will have about 19 stations. Why is this important? Development accelerates around stations, and if you notice the density around current stations is intense with towers as the main built form, small square footage, and high cost per square foot. Surrey is a city of families. More stations mean that the density will be more evenly distributed along the line, creating family friendly low rises along the line, and a mix of townhouse and single family homes moving away from the line. LRT builds the kind of city that we want to live in. LRT will create affordable housing within connected neighbourhoods.
I take Skytrain whenever I need to go to downtown Vancouver or to Metro Vancouver in Burnaby. I live on a frequent transit network so I’m able to walk from my home, catch a bus, and then take Skytrain. I’m able bodied, so I can access the Skytrain station. This is not true for those who are older, who have mobility challenges, or might have children and strollers. If you take Skytrain on a regular basis, you will note that often the escalators or elevators are out of service. In fact, during the Metrotown renovation, elevators were out of service for over a year and Granville Station will have the escalators out of service for 2 years! Imagine what that means for people with reduced mobility. LRT is incredibly seamless, with the ability to take strollers, wheelchairs and bicycles without negotiating stairs or elevators. In Phoenix I rode in a train car with one person in a wheelchair, two moms with strollers, and six bicycles hanging in the rack. LRT will create complete, connected and accessible neighbourhoods.
3. Local commutes
Most commutes in Surrey are within Surrey. About 46 per cent of our workers commute to other municipalities, which include New West, Langley, Delta, and yes, Vancouver. However, the further out you move, the lower the number of Vancouver bound commuters. Langley is endorsing LRT because fewer than 4 per cent of their citizens commute to Vancouver. They want LRT to ensure local commuter’s needs can be met.
Surrey is huge geographically, and can fit Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond within our borders. We envision a future when LRT connects every one of our city centres and where the vast majority of our residents are within a five minute walk to a frequent transit stop, and can navigate a system to get them from point A to point B within Surrey — whether they want to get from City Centre to Port Kells, or from South Surrey to Cloverdale. LRT will help us to achieve our goal of proximity to frequent transit by the majority of residents.
4. Support for local business
Skytrain flies over local business, making it difficult to access locally owned and operated retailers and restaurants. As previously mentioned, when development accelerates around Skytrain stations, real estate becomes very expensive, squeezing out the local retailers and restaurants. In order to compete with the high lease rates, you need to be a chain. In cities like Phoenix, LRT provides hop on and off which supports local business and increases economic opportunities for the people who live in their community. LRT will support a thriving local economy.
5. Stations as neighbourhood hubs
Skytrain stations are in themselves problematic. Not only are they inaccessible and incredibly expensive to build and operate, they also can be a magnet for crime. We have a vision of LRT stations that are community connectors, activated with significant public art that become points of neighbourhood pride and ownership. They will reflect the unique identities of the neighbourhoods that they serve. LRT Stations will create a sense of pride, place and points of connection.
6. Moving beyond the primacy of single occupancy vehicles
Skytrain seems to be the preferred mode for those who want to maintain the primacy of cars. By lifting skytrain above our streets we would leave room for vehicles to continue to use up road space. The argument is that LRT will cause collisions between vehicles and trains if the train is at grade. While there have definitely been instances of collisions of this sort, what we learned in Phoenix is that this happened in the beginning as drivers got used to the new road signals. We will do a better job, and learn from other communities how to implement seamlessly. As well, because there will be so few stations, residents will not be able to walk to the stations, and are far more likely to get into their cars. LRT will move people out of their cars and onto transit.
6. LRT is being embraced by cities around the world
Often I hear that LRT is second-best, i.e. “my cousin came from Calgary and took Skytrain and prefers it to the CTrain.” Many cities in the United States, Europe, China and Australia are either in the process of adopting this technology, or have adopted it and are expanding because not only is it working well, but the residents love it, and are riding it in record numbers. In Phoenix we heard from business, citizen groups and government that even those who adamantly opposed their LRT are now wholehearted fans. LRT is the best technology to achieve the city that we all want to live in.
So I believe that we do deserve LRT. It is better, more modern, more human scale, more adaptable, more accessible, builds neighbourhoods, is safer, and can connect us much more effectively than Skytrain. After years of study and community consultation, LRT is the technology of choice that has been endorsed by the Mayors Council, has received funding approval from both the Federal and Provincial Government, and will be built in Surrey.
Adam MacGillivray – City of Surrey (Proudly Surrey)
Thank you for including me in providing input from potential councillors for our plans on working with the federal and provincial governments to supply Surrey with this much needed upgrade to our transit infrastructure. Our first choice for the Fraser Highway expansion is Skytrain. It makes the most sense for that route and will be able to connect the most people in the fastest way to our neighbouring communities. In the end we will work to provide the best possible system for our residents.


Property Name: Ryde Castle Hotel
Property Address: Esplande Ryde, , PO33 1GA
Property Description: Originally built as a Victorian home, large and spacious for a family, the hotel has a lot of history dating back to the reign of Henry VIII. The Ryde Castle Hotel is located in the popular Isle of Wight tourist town of Ryde. It makes a great location from which to enjoy the attractions and beauty of the island. The hotel also benefits from being next door to The Ryde Brasserie, which offers a wide range of food from bar snacks to a-la-carte fine dining that can either be enjoyed within the restaurant or out on the terrace. Many rooms within the hotel enjoy views out over the Solent. Offering 18 rooms, ensuite and non-smoking, the hotel accommodations include many with a sea view, TV, tea and coffee makers, hairdryer, iron and board. The hotel also has a range of facilities that can be booked for both business and celebratory events. The staff are able to arrange everything for you, including assisting with catering arrangements. The large Tudor Room is able to accommodate up to 150 people. Continental as well as full traditional breakfast is served daily from 7:30-10:00 a. m.
Location Description: Near Ryde Harbour
Property Facts: Year Built: 1599Year of Last Renovation: 1996


Senior Seminar 2008: Nationalism & Music
This year's Senior Seminar dealt with the topic of nationalism and music. The seminar focused on three countries: Brazil, Mexico, and the United States. That national identity constitutes a large and important part in the music of the Brazil and Mexico is well known. But the ways in which our own music is of the United States is a far more complex story.
Students in the class capped their seminar experience by writing about a topic of their choice, framing the music they selected in terms of nationalism or national identity.
You may view their presentations by clicking on the links below. Enjoy!
- Jamo Farrelly, U2, Globalization, and the Identity Trade
- Julie Grubbs, Piazzolla's tango nuevo: territorial or territorialized music?
- Mejin Leechor, Black, White, and Blue: U.S. Identity in the Music of Justin Timberlake
- Matt Petit, Everywhere an Intruder: "Nationalism" and creation in Mahler’s Third Symphony
- Josiah Rich, Kenyan Hip-hop: The Music of Urban Youth in Kenya


RedBud Court is the newest subdivision in Perryville, MO. Located adjacent to Dogwood Court, one of the town’s most established and desirable areas. Close to the soccer park, restaurants, St. Marys of the Barrens Seminary, Higher Education Center, and easy access to the interstate. Lot sizes start at 1/4 an acre and offer spacious yards for plenty of play and entertaining. These beautiful, modern, quality built homes offer five customizable floor plans. Prices start in the $200,000s and go up to the $350,000s with living space ranging from 1571 sq ft to 2037 sq ft. You may choose from one of the already built homes or customize your favorite design with the colors and materials you desire. For more details, contact us!