Новости за 26.12.2023

WASHINGTON — China last week announced that "zhen" — a term officially defined as “self-inspire” — is the Chinese character of the year. The reaction online has been less than enthusiastic. China conducts an annual survey to choose characters and words that reflect the public’s prevailing sentiment or buzzworthy developments regarding the outgoing year. The government officially approves the final list, but not everyone on China’s highly censored internet celebrated the picks. "Fake and empty,"... Читать дальше...

ISLAMABAD — A high court in Pakistan allowed former prime minister Imran Khan's party Tuesday to use its iconic cricket bat logo as an election symbol, a crucial legal victory for the jailed leader ahead of national polls in February.  Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, was stripped of the symbol by the Election Commission of Pakistan, or ECP, citing irregularities in the party's internal elections. PTI leaders rejected the decision as illegal and a "shameful attempt" to stop the country's... Читать дальше...

For water managers in drought-stricken regions, accurate forecasts of water availability are critically important. Matt Dibble shows how remote sensing technology is helping in the Rocky Mountains in this edition of LogOn.

As the end of December approaches, millions of Americans will make pledges to lose weight, save more money or learn a new language, only for most of these promises to be forgotten in a few months. So, why do we make New Year’s resolutions in the first place?

A future moon base is central to the vision of the U.S. space Agency NASA, which hopes to return humans to the moon within two years. It’s part of an international program called Artemis, which is guided by an agreement called the Artemis Accords. As Mike O’Sullivan reports, it’s a future that Hollywood has envisioned.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines is not provoking conflict in the South China Sea, its military spokesperson said on Tuesday, responding to China's accusation that Manila was encroaching on Beijing's territory. It was the latest salvo amid rising tension as the two have traded accusations in recent months over a series of maritime run-ins, including China allegedly ramming a ship this month carrying the Philippines' military chief. "The Philippines is not provoking conflict," Medel Aguilar told state broadcaster PTV. Читать дальше...

BEIJING — A distillery in southwestern China is aiming to tap a growing taste among young Chinese for whisky in place of the traditional “baijiu” liquor used to toast festive occasions.  The more than $100 million distillery owned by Pernod Ricard at the UNESCO World Heritage site Mount Emei launched a pure-malt whisky, The Chuan, earlier this month.  The French wine and spirits group says it is produced using traditional whisky-making techniques combined with Chinese characteristics including... Читать дальше...

Taipei, Taiwan — Christmas hasn’t been an easy time for Luo Shengchun. Instead of celebrating the holiday season with family in China, the wife of prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi has spent the last four years advocating for her detained husband and other Chinese dissidents. “Christmas has become a challenging holiday for me since 2019 after Chinese police arrested my husband in a crackdown targeting dissidents who participated in a private gathering,” Luo, who now lives in the U.S.... Читать дальше...

VATRY, FRANCE — A charter plane that was grounded in France for a human trafficking investigation arrived in India with 276 Indians aboard early Tuesday, authorities said. The passengers had been heading to Nicaragua but were instead blocked inside the Vatry Airport for four days in an exceptional holiday ordeal. The regional administration said that 276 of the original 303 passengers were en route to Mumbai, and that 25 others requested asylum in France. Those who remained were transferred... Читать дальше...

Israeli prime minister visits troops in Gaza, saying, “The fighting will take long and is not close to concluding.” Conflicts around the world have strained the U.N. as it tries to keep the peace, and science in the Southwest U.S. is helping mitigate the effects of a 24-year-long drought.

Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir — The Indian army ordered on Monday a Court of Inquiry to probe the circumstances around the deaths of three civilians on Friday in Poonch district on the Indian side of Jammu and Kashmir. India and Pakistan each control parts of Muslim-majority Kashmir, where militants have fought Indian security forces for decades. Troops from 48 Rashtriya Rifles — a counterinsurgency force of the Indian army — had detained eight people from Topa Pir village in the Poonch... Читать дальше...

KABUL, Afghanistan — Bahara Rustam, 13, took her last class at Bibi Razia School in Kabul on Dec. 11 knowing it was the end of her education. Under Taliban rule, she is unlikely to step foot in a classroom again. In September 2021, a month after U.S. and NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan following two decades of war, the Taliban announced that girls were barred from studying beyond sixth grade. They extended this education ban to universities in December 2022. The Taliban have defied global... Читать дальше...

SYDNEY — Christmas night thunderstorms and strong winds cut power to 110,000 homes in eastern Australia and toppled a tree that killed one woman, officials said Tuesday. People lost electricity as the storm wrought "catastrophic" damage, downing power lines in Queensland's capital Brisbane and the Gold Coast area, energy company Energex said. "There is no easy way to say this, but some customers will not have power for days -- we're looking at catastrophic and widespread damage on the scale of... Читать дальше...

The toll marked a sharp rise from the initial figure reported by the army Sunday evening of just 16 dead

Irbil, Iraq — A drone attack on Monday targeted a military base in northern Iraq used by U.S. and anti-jihadist coalition forces, U.S. and Iraqi officials said, in the latest such incident. The number of attacks targeting the coalition, which deployed troops to Iraq to fight the Islamic State group, has surged since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.  In Monday's incident a drone was launched towards a base close to Irbil airport, in Iraqi Kurdistan, Yehia Rasool, the Iraqi prime minister's spokesman for military affairs... Читать дальше...