Новости за 19.02.2024

TAIPEI, Taiwan — China has ramped up efforts to challenge the longstanding status quo across the Taiwan Strait in recent weeks, with Beijing altering a flight path near the median line of the Taiwan Strait and announcing the plan to increase regular patrol in waters near Taiwan’s Kinmen island. Some analysts say the series of moves are part of Beijing’s attempt to erode Taiwan’s ability to maintain control over waters near islands like Kinmen and Matsu, which are just a few kilometers from the Chinese mainland... Читать дальше...

NORFOLK, Va. — Like the other Founding Fathers, George Washington was uneasy about the idea of publicly celebrating his life. He was the first leader of a new republic — not a tyrant. And yet the nation will once again commemorate the first U.S. president on Monday, 292 years after he was born. The meaning of Presidents Day has changed dramatically, from being mostly unremarkable and filled with work for Washington in the 1700s to the consumerism bonanza it has become today. For some historians the holiday has lost all discernible meaning. Читать дальше...

BANGKOK — Thai prosecutors will conduct further investigations into whether former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra broke a royal defamation law, they said Monday, a day after the billionaire's release on parole in a separate graft case. The former Manchester City owner is one of the most divisive figures in modern Thai history, loved by millions of rural voters for his populist policies but opposed by the royalist and pro-military establishment. On Sunday he was released on parole just six... Читать дальше...

SYDNEY — A group of asylum-seekers has been flown from Australia to Nauru, after they were discovered in a remote part of Western Australia. Their arrival on the Australian mainland reignited the political debate about immigration policy and border protection. The Canberra government has been criticized by the conservative opposition of losing control of Australia’s maritime borders. About 40 men, reportedly from Pakistan and Bangladesh, were discovered near a remote Indigenous community near Beagle Bay in Western Australia. Читать дальше...

BERLIN — This week's Berlin international film festival is wrestling on- and off-screen with the weight of the Nazi past and the menace of a resurgent far right. The 74th Berlinale, as the event is known, has a reputation for confronting political realities head-on with high-profile movies and hot-tempered debates. German director Julia von Heinz brought together an unlikely pair, U.S. actor Lena Dunham and Britain's Stephen Fry, for her drama "Treasure," about a Holocaust survivor who returns to Poland with his journalist daughter. Читать дальше...

SAN FRANCISCO — The latest in a series of wet winter storms blew ashore in Northern California on Sunday, with forecasters warning of possible flooding, hail, strong winds and even brief tornadoes as the system moves south over the next few days. Gusts topped 48 kph (30 mph) in Oakland and San Jose as a mild cold front late Saturday gave way to a more powerful storm that will gain strength into early Monday, said meteorologist Brayden Murdock with the National Weather Service office in San Francisco. Читать дальше...

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea — Papua New Guinea police said 53 people have been killed in tribal violence in the country's volatile highlands, the latest in a string of mass deaths linked to long-running feuds. Police Commissioner David Manning on Sunday said that officers and soldiers had retrieved the bodies of 53 men. They are believed to have been killed near the town of Wabag, 600 kilometers northwest of the capital Port Moresby. The exact circumstances of the deaths were not immediately clear... Читать дальше...

Baghdad, Iraq — A visit by the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force to Baghdad has led to a pause in attacks on U.S. troops by Iran-aligned groups in Iraq, multiple Iranian and Iraqi sources told Reuters, saying it was a sign Tehran wants to prevent a broader conflict. Esmail Qaani met representatives of several of the armed groups in Baghdad airport on Jan. 29, less than 48 hours after Washington blamed the groups for the killing of three U.S. soldiers at the Tower 22 outpost in Jordan, the sources said. Читать дальше...

Baghdad, Iraq — A visit by the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force to Baghdad has led to a pause in attacks on U.S. troops by Iran-aligned groups in Iraq, multiple Iranian and Iraqi sources told Reuters. Here's a look at Iraq's most influential Shiite parties and armed groups, who remain divided over how to address the presence of U.S. forces in the country: The coordination framework The ruling Shiite coalition of Iraqi parties and armed groups and main backer of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani... Читать дальше...

Bangkok — Thailand is bracing for an influx of refugees after Myanmar’s military recently announced a conscription law.  Analysts say the Thai government should put those fleeing Myanmar into safe zones.  Last week, Myanmar’s military activated the People’s Military Service Law, meaning men aged 18 to 45 and women aged 18 to 35 can be drafted into the armed forces for two years of compulsory service. Certain personnel in specialist professions, like doctors and engineers, must serve for three years. Читать дальше...

Mexico City — Thousands of demonstrators cloaked in pink marched through cities in Mexico and abroad on Sunday in what they called a "march for democracy" targeting the country's ruling party in advance of the country's June 2 elections. The demonstrations called by Mexico's opposition parties advocated for free and fair elections in the Latin American nation and railed against corruption just days after presidential front-runner Claudia Sheinbaum officially announced her candidacy under the country's ruling party Morena. Читать дальше...