Новости за 04.01.2024

Islamic fundamentalism has been present in Iran and other Islamic countries for centuries. In Iran, this trend has primarily been associated with autocratic rulers. However, the prevalence of medieval religious ideas had never really become widespread, at least in Iran, until a historical event profoundly marked the contemporary history of Iran and the world. This event was the uprising of the Iranian people against the Shah.

Introduction

The contemporary world is in ripples, grappled with challenges that are endangering human welfare and security. Out of these challenges climate change is one of the most concerning hazards faced by the human kind. Being an unprecedented crisis, its complex and interconnected nature has caused severe damages to eco-system ranging from excessive wildfires to heat waves, glacier melting to flooding and droughts thereby hampering the well-being of life on planet. In addition... Читать дальше...

Ethiopia is, indeed, the largest country in the region of the Horn of Africa States both area-wise (1.1 million sq.km.) and demographically (about 120 million). It has also the largest and fastest growing economy with an average growth rate of about 6% over the past decade, but its population is marked as one of the poorest in the world who live on an annual US$ 1,000 per capita income.

Introduction

On January 1, 2024, Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a breakaway region of Somaliland. The memo will grant Ethiopia naval and commercial access to ports along Somaliland’s coast in the Red Sea corridor. In return, Somaliland would receive a stake in state-owned Ethiopian Airlines. (1)

Ethiopia indicated that the MOU is for commercial and military purposes; however, Muse Bihi Abdi, the breakaway region’s president, announced it as a prelude to diplomatic recognition. Читать дальше...

Bangladesh's ruling Awami League has organised an unique "human chain" rally with burn victims of Opposition violence to counter its call to boycott the 7th January parliament polls, using its star campaigner former actress-playwright Tarana Halim to mobilise support and ensure electoral turnout.

Parallel to its warmongering in the region, Iran’s regime continues to ratchet up human rights abuses in its prisons, especially against political prisoners. And the beginning of the new year has shown no respite in this trend of barbaric behavior.

By Chester Cabalza, Amadeus Quiaoit, and Rhon Ethelbert Ducos

Early in 2024, Manila will take ownership of the Indian Brahmaputra and Russian Moskova or Brahmos missile system, worth $374.96 million. New Delhi’s assurance of timely delivery for the three batteries of the India-Russia made supersonic cruise weaponries and shore-based anti-ship missiles will fortify the Southeast Asian nation’s contested West Philippine Sea, known as one of the world’s longest coastlines.

In 2022... Читать дальше...

By He Jun

On the last day of 2023, most cities in China did not hold official countdown events, and some places even canceled the celebrations. This reflects the current atmosphere of the country, that the economy is still in a downturn, while the market and public confidence remain insufficient. The government is both financially constrained and hesitant to take responsibility for many issues, fearing to overstep its bounds.

From 2020 to 2023, most people and businesses in the country have not had an easy time. Читать дальше...

Another year in the 2020s starts with the possibility of maritime blockades and trade disruptions—this time via Houthi rebels attacking commercial ships in the lower Red Sea—a critical artery for global trade and freight movement.

By Vera Yuen

Hong Kong was one of the last jurisdictions in the world to reopen after COVID-19 at the beginning of 2023. The ensuing economic recovery was short-lived and softer than expected. A mix of both cyclical and structural factors, including international monetary policy and geopolitical tensions, may mean the city never recovers its pre-pandemic shine.

Private consumption in Hong Kong continued to grow through the year but imports and exports remained weak. Capital... Читать дальше...

The US embassy in Moscow posted a New Year’s greeting online from the people of America to the people of Russia noting that “we have managed to find a common language” and declaring that “we wish you a happy and peaceful New Year, filled with hope for better times ahead.”

Faster, cheaper, and more transparent cross-border payment services have the potential to improve many lives by supporting economic growth, international trade, global development, and financial inclusion. The Group of Twenty has prioritized such progress.

By Kusumasari Ayuningtiyas

Radical and extremist groups in Indonesia have spread political disinformation online ahead of next month’s general election, with hoax content on the internet up nearly 80% last year compared with during the 2019 election, experts said. 

The intent isn’t to influence the election result, researchers said, but to provoke conflict in society and undermine the electoral process ahead of the nationwide polls set for Feb. 14 in Southeast Asia’s largest country. Читать дальше...

(RFE/RL) -- At least 95 people died and more than 200 others were injured in two explosions set off during commemorations of the fourth anniversary of the death of Qasem Soleimani, a former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC) elite Quds Force killed in January 2020 in an air strike by U.S. forces near Baghdad.

Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa need to diversify away from growing maize and switch to crops that are resilient to climate change and supply enough key micronutrients for the population, according to a major research study. 

Central features of human evolution may stop our species from resolving global environmental problems like climate change, says a new study led by the University of Maine.

New study sheds light on the previously overlooked Mongolian Arc—a monumental wall system in eastern Mongolia spanning 405 kilometers. This discovery not only reveals the significance of this ancient architectural marvel but also prompts crucial questions about the motives, functionality, and broader implications of such colossal constructions. Their findings contribute to a larger multidisciplinary project exploring historical wall systems and their socio-political, economic, and environmental impacts... Читать дальше...

Seismic events that coincided with sudden drops in pressure within the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines in September 2022 alerted the world to the rupture of pipelines in the western Baltic Sea. The suspected act of sabotage, which reportedly used explosive charges to rupture the pipelines, is still under investigation by multiple countries.

The Santa Barbara Channel’s kelp forests and its sandy beaches are intimately connected. Giant kelp, the foundation species of rocky reefs, serves as a major part of the beach food web as fronds of the giant seaweed break away from the forest and are transported to the beach. But the relationship goes deeper.

People who have more disrupted sleep in their 30s and 40s may be more likely to have memory and thinking problems a decade later, according to new research published in the online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that sleep quality causes cognitive decline. It only shows an association.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have created the world’s first functional semiconductor made from graphene, a single sheet of carbon atoms held together by the strongest bonds known. Semiconductors, which are materials that conduct electricity under specific conditions, are foundational components of electronic devices. The team’s breakthrough throws open the door to a new way of doing electronics.

A new analysis of fossils believed to be juveniles of T. rex now shows they were adults of a small tyrannosaur, with narrower jaws, longer legs, and bigger arms than T. rex. The species, Nanotyrannus lancensis, was first named decades ago but later reinterpreted as a young T. rex.