Новости за 18.08.2022

Algerian firefighters battled Thursday to rein in forest fires that have ravaged large parts of the drought-hit North African country, killing almost 40 people including 12 who died in a bus trapped by the flames.

Chemists in the United States and China on Thursday said they had finally found a breakthrough method to degrade these polluting compounds, referred to as PFAS, using relatively low temperatures and common reagents. Their results were published in the journal Science, potentially offering a solution to a longstanding source of harm to the environment, livestock and humans. "It really is why I do science -- so that I can have a positive impact on the world," senior author William Dichtel of Northwestern... Читать дальше...

EU-mediated "crisis management" talks Thursday between Serbia and Kosovo failed to quell rising tensions between the Balkan neighbours, but further dialogue will take place, the bloc's diplomatic chief said.

Amid searing heatwaves, a historic drought has racked France since the end of July, causing water shortages in large parts of the country. Climate change is bound to make such droughts frequent, if not the new normal – so scientists are looking for technological fixes to find a way around the problem.

Terms of the deal also require Watson to undergo a professional evaluation by behavioral experts and to follow their treatment program. Watson has been accused of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions in civil lawsuits filed by 25 women during his time with the Houston, Texans. Watson missed the entire 2021 NFL season for "non-injury personal reasons" and was traded to the Browns in March for six NFL Draft picks, three of them first rounders. The Browns signed Watson to a five-year deal worth $230 million... Читать дальше...

Google has showcased a new robotic assistant that can understand and respond to spoken or typed commands to fulfil an array of tasks such as fetching food and drinks and cleaning up spills. The robot makes use of technology similar to that which powers advanced chatbots, scouring millions of pages of text from the web to help it make sense of natural human language.

US cases have quickly soared to 13,500 since May, when the current outbreak began in Europe. Latest official data shows 98 percent of cases have been among men, and 93 percent among men reporting recent sexual contact with other men. Hispanic and Black people are both disproportionately impacted. The federal government "is launching a pilot program that will provide up to 50,000 doses from the national stockpile to be made available for Pride and other events," White House monkeypox response coordinator Bob Fenton told reporters. Читать дальше...

Railway staff in Britain on Thursday staged the latest in a series of strikes, once again disrupting commuters and leisure travellers, as decades-high inflation hits salaries and prompts walkouts across various industries.

The transport sector currently accounts for a quarter of all fuel-related greenhouse gas emissions, which are warming the planet. Half of those emissions are from passenger cars, and worldwide transport demand is predicted to triple by mid-century. As they seek to decarbonise transport, governments and industry have turned towards electric vehicles, with 6.75 million units sold in 2021 alone. Vehicle sales are tracked and published each year. However, it has been difficult to calculate the production and ownership of a much older... Читать дальше...

A 27-year-old Afghan man was killed last weekend in Colmar, south of Strasbourg, after protest the noise caused by an urban rodeo.

Gill (82) and vice-captain Dhawan (81) were unbeaten as the tourists knocked off a modest target of 190 with 19.1 overs to spare at Harare Sports Club. The home side were all out for 189 in 40.3 overs, thanks largely to a brave 70-run ninth-wicket stand between Richard Ngarava and Brad Evans. "I am enjoying batting with young Shubman and today I feel like a youngster too," said Dhawan. "Once I was set, I went after the bowlers. I wanted to rotate the strike as well and then accelerate. "My rhythm with Gill has settled nicely. Читать дальше...

A blast that tore through a Kabul mosque during evening prayers on August 17 killed 21 people, Kabul police said on Thursday, as the United Nations expressed concern over a growing number of civilian casualties from explosions.

"Open" is a phone designed for people who cannot read or write. It speaks 50 languages. "For parents, it's very important. When you ask them their phone number, they can't say it, because they actually don't know their phone number", creator of the Open phone Alain Capo Chichi says.

EU has overseen years of talks to normalize ties. France 24 Laurent Rouy reports.

Victims of exhaustion, violence or disease, many migrants die each year on their journey to Europe. In Morocco, a country that lies on a common route taken by undocumented migrants to reach Spain, one volunteer organisation is working to identify those who died along the way and give them dignified burials.

Three people died and and several more were injured as hurricane-force winds battered Corsica on Thursday, leaving 45,000 households without electricity, authorities said.

France on Thursday denied accusations by Mali's foreign minister that the French army has provided support to Islamist groups and violated Malian airspace. Mali's relations with Paris have been deteriorating since a junta took power in an August 2020 coup, eventually culminating in the withdrawal of French troops that was completed on Monday after a nearly decade-long mission.

AFP Sport looks at what the All Blacks and Foster must do, starting with a home Test against Argentina on August 27 in The Rugby Championship, if they are to lift the World Cup for a fourth time. Show a united front The All Blacks set-up has resembled a soap opera in recent weeks. #photo1 They bounced back from three straight defeats with a stunning win over South Africa last Saturday in Johannesburg. But New Zealand Rugby boss Mark Robinson refused to say afterwards whether Foster would remain in charge. Читать дальше...

The huge fire in the Serra da Estrela national park in central Portugal was brought under control last week, only to restart again Monday. More than 25,000 hectares (nearly 61,800 acres) of land is estimated to have been scorched by the fire in the UNESCO-listed park, home to diverse wildlife species including wildcats and lizards. An official said late Wednesday the blaze was contained, but warned it could flare up again. "The fire is under control, but it is not extinguished. Consolidation... Читать дальше...

The number of bombings across Afghanistan has dropped since the Taliban returned to power, but several attacks -- many targeting minority communities -- have rocked the country in recent months, including several claimed by the jihadist Islamic State group. No group has yet claimed Wednesday evening's blast. "The blast was caused by explosives placed inside the mosque," Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran told AFP Thursday. He said 21 people were killed and 33 wounded. The Italian non-governmental organisation Emergency... Читать дальше...

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait have soared to their highest in years after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, sparking a furious response from Beijing which launched its largest military drills around the island. The negotiations would cover a variety of areas, including agriculture, digital trade, regulatory practices and removing trade barriers, the Office of the US Trade Representative said in a statement. The talks "will deepen our trade and investment relationship, advance mutual trade priorities based on shared values... Читать дальше...

2022-08-18 08:31 'A lot has already been achieved'

Beijing imposed a sweeping security law on Hong Kong after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests. The law has criminalised most dissent and transformed the once outspoken city into something more closely resembling the authoritarian mainland. The largest joint prosecution so far is of 47 leading democracy activists, most of whom have been held behind bars for over a year as prosecution and defence lawyers prepare for an eventual trial in what is new legal territory. They are charged with... Читать дальше...

France’s vineyards have had a difficult year thanks to the effects of climate change – with late frosts, hailstorms, repeated heatwaves and a historic drought. The industry is trying to adapt to this onerous new reality through a variety of techniques, from bringing back forgotten grape varieties to moving their vineyards to new locations.

Hooper pulled out of the team's two-match swing of Argentina this month a day before their opening clash and jetted home, saying he was not in the "right mindset" to lead his country. In his absence, the Wallabies won the first Test 41-26 but were humiliated 48-17 in the second. Rugby Australia boss Andy Marinos previously said "you cannot put time limits on these things" when asked about Hooper's return. Coach Dave Rennie said the 121-Test veteran had been "struggling a bit and masking that pretty well". Читать дальше...