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Can you mark all the words related to food in the passage below? This is a passage from Little House in the Big Woods, a book by Laura Ingalls Wilder that details her childhood in Wisconsin in the 1870s. The book has beautifully detailed descriptions of how a family lived at those times and made almost every little thing for themselves. The passage below is about food.

Welcome to Wider Europe, RFE/RL's newsletter focusing on the key issues concerning the European Union, NATO, and other institutions and their relationships with the Western Balkans and Europe's Eastern neighborhoods. I'm RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak, and this week I'm drilling down on two issues: the latest -- and weakest -- sanctions on Russia; and Schengen entry (of sorts) for Bulgaria and Romania. Brief #1: The EU's New Sanctions Package On Russia: Weak And Watered Down What You Need To Know: Just before the winter holidays and only a few days after a historic but turbulent European Union summit in Brussels, the bloc finally managed to agree on its 12th round of sanctions against Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. From EU officials speaking on background, I understand that the aim is to have yet another sanctions package ready for the second anniversary of the invasion on February 24 and that the Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities over the holidays convinced more officials in Brussels that further restrictive measures are needed. That said, it still takes a while for all 27 member states to agree on new sanctions, with the latest round taking over a month to green-light. And with no consensus on how to tackle the Russian energy sector, dramatic measures are in short supply. The biggest takeaway is that the EU, from the start of the new year, has banned imports of both natural and synthetic Russian diamonds, a business that generated over $4 billion for Moscow last year. Starting from March 1, imports of Russian diamonds processed in third countries will also be banned. The rest of the sanctions package was much weaker tea. A few more Russian exports face EU import bans in the future -- liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), processed aluminum, pig iron, and copper wires -- which should deprive the Kremlin of an estimated $2 billion to $3 billion in revenue. The bloc will also cease the export to Russia of thermostats, static converters, resistors, propellants, and lithium batteries -- components also used in drones and other military equipment. And it will be prohibited for EU companies to provide services such as software for industrial design and for Russian nationals to hold high positions in EU companies providing crypto-asset services. Deep Background: Senior European Commission officials briefed journalists that the 12th package would reduce Russia's war chest and close previous sanction loopholes. But looking at the final text, it seems that the EU has created new loopholes and exceptions as well. The diamond ban, for example, doesn't cover industrial diamonds. The LPG ban doesn't come into effect for another year. And some of the other import bans mentioned above also have phase-in periods ranging from between six to 18 months. Croatia got an extension till 2025 on its exemption on importing Russian vacuum gas oil, an oil product often upgraded to diesel or gasoline, and the same goes for crude oil imports to some landlocked Central European countries. Exemptions related to the imports of certain Russian steel products were also prolonged from 2026 to 2028. While no measures so far target the Russian nuclear sector, Hungary received legal assurances that there will be sanctions exceptions -- so-called "derogations" -- for all services related to the extension of Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant, which the Russian energy giant Rosatom is working on. Germany also pushed for the final sanctions text to include clarification regarding what Russians traveling into the European Union can bring with them. This was after widespread media reports in the fall that some EU border guards were seizing personal items such as toothpaste and clothes. The text now notes that the EU allows "the entry into the Union of personal effects, which do not pose significant circumvention concerns, such as personal hygiene items, or clothing worn by travelers or contained in their luggage, and which are clearly intended for their or their family members' strict personal use." While cars with Russian license plates are forbidden from entering the bloc, there are now exemptions for diplomatic vehicles entering the EU and for cars belonging to EU citizens living in Russia. Drilling Down - Along with the new exemptions, many of the new measures are, in fact, either lacking bite or have been completely watered down from the initial proposal, seen by RFE/RL, that was first presented to member states by the European Commission in November. - Take the oil cap that was set up late last year with the Group of Seven leading industrial nations at $60 per barrel. The cap will not be touched, but Brussels is pushing for more transparency as regulators fear that extra costs -- for example, related to insurance and freight -- are being inflated to create more revenue for Russia. The problem here is that the EU can ask for more information from shipping companies but can do little in the way of enforcement. - It's a similar issue with another novelty introduced in this latest package. The EU will introduce a notification register that will list all sales of EU tankers to all third countries in order to see how many of them are now part of Russia's "dark fleet" of vessels carrying oil around the world that is priced above the cap. The dark fleet is estimated at around 200 vessels, including those from EU countries. So, there isn't an actual ban on selling tankers to Russia. This is just a transparency measure for Brussels to "understand how the chain works," according to an EU official with knowledge of the issue who spoke on the condition of anonymity. - Other proposed sanctions have also been watered down. Take the list of mainly Russian companies that EU firms aren't allowed to trade with anymore because Brussels suspects them of contributing to Russia's war machine. In the original November 2023 proposal, there were 31 companies -- all Russian, apart from one from Singapore, one from Uzbekistan, and two from Kazakhstan. When the final list was published on December 18, the two Kazakh companies had been removed. When I asked a European Commission official on background why this was, I was told that it was connected to the EU's engagement with third countries. - In perhaps the starkest example of watering down, the original European Commission proposal stated that EU subsidiaries of Russian companies must get an authorization permit from Brussels to transfer funds above 100,000 euros ($109,000) either to Russia or to a third country -- a move that would potentially make it harder for Russia's EU subsidiaries to survive. What remains now -- again -- is just a notification system, meaning that the companies don't need a green light to send money out of the EU. While it may increase transparency, it certainly won't squeeze the Kremlin much economically. A European Commission official, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they weren't authorized to speak on the matter, said that certain member states were concerned that the original measure could be a heavy administrative burden for countries every time they needed to grant a potential authorization. Brief #2: Bulgaria And Romania Partially Join Schengen What You Need To Know: The European Union on December 30 agreed on the removal of internal border controls with Bulgaria and Romania for air and maritime traffic, with the new measures expected to come into force by March 31. For Sofia and Bucharest, this is a historic step, as the two countries have been waiting to join the bloc's visa-free Schengen Area ever since they became EU members in 2007. (Schengen now includes all of the EU member states, apart from the island nations of Cyprus and Ireland, as well as the non-EU countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.) This is also an unprecedented step as the two countries are only being granted partial Schengen entry, as for now land border controls between the two countries and the rest of the EU will remain. This means that motorists will continue to queue at borders, such as between Bulgaria and Greece and between Romania and Hungary, to enter the de facto Schengen zone, which won't help Romanian and Bulgarian hauling companies. The decision to have, for the first time, a staged Schengen entry -- air and maritime first, followed by the opening of land borders -- could potentially be a formula used for Moldova and Ukraine and countries in the Western Balkans when they eventually join the EU. Deep Background: The decision comes after a crushing disappointment for Bulgaria and Romania at the end of 2022 when they were blocked, but Croatia secured full entry into the Schengen Area, applicable as of January 1, 2023. That time -- as has been the case for many years -- the Netherlands wasn't satisfied that Sofia and Bucharest had fulfilled all the criteria for joining Schengen, especially when it came to the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM). The CVM was set up by the European Commission when Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU to ensure progress on judicial reform and the fight against corruption in both nations and to combat organized crime in Bulgaria. In the fall of 2023, the CVM process was formally closed for both Bulgaria and Romania. With a European Commission fact-finding mission to Bulgaria near the end of last year giving a positive assessment about Sofia's readiness to join Schengen, the Netherlands finally relented. This was confirmed at a Dutch parliamentary debate on December 20. It's possible that the Dutch change of heart was due to a desire to sign off on the Schengen issue before the likely formation of a more EU-skeptical government, led or heavily influenced by the populist Geert Wilders, who finished first in parliamentary elections in November 2023. Drilling Down - Instead, the biggest obstacle to the pair's Schengen entry proved to be Austria. For some time, Vienna has expressed concern about including Bulgaria and Romania in the visa-free zone, citing fears of increased illegal immigration into the EU, with migrants using the two countries as transit points. The conservative-led Austrian government has taken much harder lines on many issues, notably on everything pertaining to migration, but also by delaying its approval of the EU's Russia sanctions and by watering down positive EU language on Ukraine. For context, Austria will hold parliamentary elections in the fall, in which polls indicate that the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria will comfortably finish first. In the end, Austria, Bulgaria, and Romania worked out a deal at the end of 2023, helped along by other EU member states and the United States. - Apart from the partial accession to Schengen in three months' time, there was also a commitment from Bucharest and Sofia to make several key changes in the near future. This includes a tripling of personnel from the EU's external border agency Frontex on Bulgaria's border with Turkey and beefing up security on its border with Serbia. - The Austrians are also asking the European Commission to increase financing to strengthen Bulgaria's and Romania's external borders with more fences, drones, and electronic surveillance systems. Vienna has also asked to deploy EU officials who can advise about documents for some flights at airports in Bulgaria and Romania and to conduct random spot checks upon arrival in Austria. Unsurprisingly, the Austrians are also asking both countries to take back all third-country asylum seekers, notably from Afghanistan and Syria, who have come to Austria via Bulgaria or Romania. - Perhaps the most interesting commitment from the European Union is boosting controls on the land border between Bulgaria and Romania -- a border that is already under a good deal of surveillance. Some diplomats I spoke to suggested that this might be being done to prepare for a future decision to "decouple" Romania from Bulgaria, meaning that the former will be a fully fledged Schengen member before the latter. - The reason for this suggestion is that Bulgaria is considered by Brussels to be the more problematic of the two -- mainly due to its border with Turkey, which is one of the main migration routes into the EU. While the 500-kilometer Bulgarian-Turkish border is partially fenced and guarded, there are still places, especially in the mountains, that can be used for illegal crossings, and EU officials have sometimes voiced concerns about the poor cooperation of Turkish border guards. - So, when can Bulgaria and/or Romania become full Schengen members? Few believe there will be any movement before the elections for the European Parliament in June. A joint Austrian-Bulgarian-Romanian statement issued when the deal was announced just mentioned "a commitment to discuss in 2024 a date for a possible lifting of the checks at land borders." - The statement from the Council of the EU, where ministers from each member state meet to amend and adopt laws and coordinate policies, noted that it "shall endeavor to take a decision lifting checks on persons at internal land borders," whereas the European Commission said that discussions will continue in 2024 and "a decision by the Council on this matter is expected to be taken within a reasonable time frame." Looking Ahead Brussels is still slowly waking up after the Christmas and New Year's holidays, but on January 10 a NATO-Ukraine Council on the ambassadorial level will be convened in Brussels in which Kyiv will brief the military alliance members about the latest barrage of Russian missiles targeting Ukrainian cities and key infrastructure. It's likely that NATO will reiterate its call on members to provide the war-torn country with more air-defense systems. That's all for this week. Feel free to reach out to me on any of these issues on Twitter @RikardJozwiak, or on e-mail at jozwiakr@rferl.org. Until next time, Rikard Jozwiak If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here.

Welcome to the latest installment of Vox’s Ask a Book Critic, in which I, Vox book critic Constance Grady, provide book recommendations to suit your very specific mood: either how you’re feeling right now or how you’d like to be feeling instead. Ask a Book Critic: Books to read when you’re losing your purpose Vox’s book critic recommends books to suit your very specific mood. I have spent the last week poking around my galley pile, trying to find a book that fit my particular mood. I spent a long time with the forthcoming novel Beach Read, which aims to dramatize the old debate over whether “women’s fiction” is just as worthy of respect and acclaim as literary fiction is. That’s a debate I’m always interested in — but the characters in Beach Read spend all their time acting as though the problem the literary establishment cites with “women’s fiction” is the happy endings, and I truly do not believe that is the case! I ended up getting too frustrated and putting it down before I finished. But even though I struck out on finding a book to fit my own mood, I’m still here for you. Tell me how you’re feeling, or how you’d like to feel, and I’ll find the perfect book to match. The recommendation requests below, submitted to me via email and on Twitter, have been edited for length and clarity. I’m looking for a book with the moody sophistication of Francis Abernathy from The Secret History (bonus if he’s written gay). Try Real Life by Brandon Taylor. It’s a campus novel about a gay black man. Very carefully observed, with really gorgeous thoughtful prose. (And not for nothing, the characters wear some truly exceptional sweaters.) I just read the complete works of Bertrand Russell. Can you recommend some other important philosophers and their books? Especially Americans. Have you read Emile Durkheim yet? Elementary Forms of Religious Life is challenging, but it’s a fantastic book that honestly changed the way I saw the world. (Durkheim is a sociologist, and also French, but I think he’s interesting from a philosophical perspective.) Since this is Vox, I would be remiss if I did not recommend Tim Scanlon, who invented the moral theory of contractualism and whose work underlies a lot of what my colleagues at Future Perfect are doing. (His work is also the basis for the ethics of The Good Place!) The book to start with is What We Owe to Each Other. In terms of contemporary philosophers, I would also point you toward Martha Nussbaum, who writes about ethics and the law from a pretty classical liberal perspective; From Disgust to Humanity is her most famous book. I also think everyone should also read Judith Butler (start with Gender Trouble), if just to understand what “performativity” means. And if you want to go earlier in the history of American philosophy, William James, who established pragmatism, is an interesting thinker. You could try Essays in Radical Empiricism. I like dark, kinda depressing novels like the Shadow Country trilogy (Killing Mr. Watson) or anything Cormac McCarthy. Got any suggestions? Have you tried Jonathan Lethem? Fortress of Solitude is astonishing, and also caused me to weep like a small child. It’s about two boys who are best friends in pre-gentrification Brooklyn — one white, and one black — and what happens as they grow up and systemic racism pushes them apart. Also there are superpowers! I’m devoting this year to reading fiction written by women of color. The mood I prefer is something that may have historical overtones or rely on history, flashbacks, or generational knowledge. Might you have a suggestion or two? Absolutely! I’ve recommended The Seamstress by Frances de Pontes Peebles in this column before, but I’ll throw it out there again because I like it and it’s not read enough. It’s about two sisters in Brazil in the 1930s. Both of them are great seamstresses, but one of them marries rich, and the other one becomes an outlaw. Brit Bennett’s The Mothers is set in a black SoCal community, narrated by a Greek chorus of church ladies. It’s about a 17-year-old girl who takes up with the pastor’s son and the complications that ensue. Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli deals with the border crisis and is really beautiful. Kathleen Collins was a brilliant black writer who died in 1988 and was somewhat ignored for a while, but a collection of her short stories came out a few years ago and they’re stunning. It’s titled Whatever Happened to Interracial Love. I’m going to recommend two books for you. First, for catharsis, try The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s very good at capturing what it feels like to have things that matter to you taken away, and when the Count responds to his loss by devoting himself to revenge, it gets extremely satisfying. (Fun fact: Alexandre Dumas based the count on his dad, who was this super charismatic general in the Revolutionary army and who Napoleon had imprisoned because he considered the general a threat to his own power. It’s basically his “What if my dad came back and beat you all up, you assholes” fantasy.) It’s also long and old-fashioned, so pushing through it can be a satisfying project. After that, try Lincoln in the Bardo, which is (a) about finding a way to live while awful things are happening, and (b) extremely funny and tender. Good luck! If you’d like me to recommend a book for you, email me at constance.grady@vox.com with the subject line “Ask a Book Critic.” The more specific your mood, the better!

At least 70% of quake dampers feared failing to meet required quality, says maker (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO -- At least 70 percent of earthquake shock absorbers for buildings shipped by a leading manufacturer and its subsidiary potentially do not meet quality standards set by the government or clients, the manufacturer, which earlier admitted to fabricating quality inspection data, told the Mainichi Shimbun. Nearly 1,000 buildings nationwide, including Tokyo Skytree tower, Tokyo Station and prefectural government buildings in Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi, use products made by leading shock absorber manufacturer KYB and its subsidiary Kayaba System Machinery Co. (KSM). According to KYB Corp., the data cheating is suspected to have started in 2000, and a total of 10,369 such absorbers -- also called seismic isolation oil dampers -- have been shipped. Of the total, 7,550 products that did not or are suspected of failing to meet the required standards were received at 903 facilities. As many as 20,779 stabilizers, or vibration control dampers, were sent to customers, and 3,378 dampers of problematic quality were used at 83 buildings. These products are in use at 986 facilities nationwide, but 576 of them lack inspection data and KYB is in the process of investigating them. Seismic isolation dampers are designed to weaken earthquake jolts and reduce the seismic shaking felt by the buildings. When damper firmness is greater than the standard, buildings tend to shake more. When they are lower than the standard, dampers soften and buildings oscillate with greater amplitude. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism sets a margin of plus and minus 15 percent from the standard figure as acceptable, while customers generally seek a 10-percent margin. A sampling survey by KYB of remaining data on shipped products indicated that quality deviation for isolation dampers was 16.0 percent to 42.3 percent above the ministry standard. As for vibration control dampers, for which no government standard exists, their quality varied between 17.9 percent below the standard sought by customers and 20.5 percent above it. The ministry says the problem dampers can withstand earthquakes with an intensity of around a maximum 7 on the 7-point Japanese seismic scale, but still instructed KYB to replace the products. The dampers of non-compliant quality were produced by KYB from 2000 to 2007, and by its subsidiary KSM from 2007 onward. After KYB reported the data cheating on Sept. 19, ministry officials conducted an on-the-spot inspection of a KSM factory in the city of Tsu in the central Japan prefecture of Mie on Oct. 10, and checked the company's quality control arrangements. (Japanese original by Norihito Hanamure, City News Department)

Zong is a renowned telecom company that holds the largest numbers of the subscribers in the world. It is owned by China Mobile Communications Corporation. Due to its high-quality services and best performance it won the “No. 1 Operator in Voice and Data Services” award by PTA. Recently, the 4G coverage of Zong has captured more than 100 cities of our country and the number of users is increasing day by day due to the best quality of the offer. Zong has tremendous internet packages and to use 3G and 4G internet, you need to change some settings on your handset. Here, I am going to discuss different ways to change the settings for 3G and 4G internet on your cell phone. So, let’s start with the first one. Zone Internet Settings Via SMS You can receive the internet and MMS settings by using the SMS service. You just need to follow the steps below to do so. Type “All” and send it to 2161. It is because you want to receive the MMS, Internet and WAP settings. You will receive a few messages from the telecom company. Save them by using the “Save” option. When you click “Install” option to install all settings, you will be asked to enter the pin code. Type “1234” and move ahead. Now restart your Android phone and that’s all. Note: The SMS is free of charges. Manual Zong Internet Settings If you do not want to follow the first method, just change the settings of your handset manually. It is a bit lengthy process, but it does not require any expertise. You can just change the settings by using the step-by-step guide below. Zong WAP Settings First, you need to change the Zong WAP Settings. Open the “Settings” on your phone. Select “Wireless & Networks” category from here. Now tap “Mobile Networks” from this category. Select “Access Point Names” from here. Here, you need to add the following parameters as given below. | Category | Parameters | |---|---| | APN | zongwap | | Login Name | Leave the field blank | | Password | Leave this field blank too | | WAP Gateway IP | 10.81.6.33 | | Port (if required) | 8000 | You do not need to fill other fields. Just leave them as they are and tap “Save” to save these changes. Zong Internet/EDGE/GPRS Settings Once again you need to launch “Settings” on your Android phone. Tap “Wireless & networks” from here. Now, select “Mobile Networks” category from this section. Select “Access Point Names” from here. Now add the following parameters as given below. | Category | Parameters | |---|---| | APN | zongwap | | Login Name | Leave this field blank | | Password | Leave this field blank | | WAP Gateway IP | 10.81.6.33 | | Port (If required) | 8000 | Leave all other fields blank as they are. Do not make any changes and tap “Save” option to save the settings. Zong MMS Configuration Now you need to change the MMS Settings for 3G/4G Settings. Launch “Settings” on your handset. Select “Wireless & Networks” category from there. Now tap “Mobile Networks” here. Tap “Access Point Names” from here. Now, you will see “Add” option at the top right corner of the screen. Select this option to move ahead and add the following parameters as given below. | Category | Parameters | |---|---| | APN | zongwap | | Login Name | Leave this field blank | | Password | leave this field blank | | WAP Gateway IP | 10.81.6.33 | | Port (if required) | 8000 | | Relay server/messaging server | http://10.81.6.11:8080 | Don’t make any change in other fields. Leave them blank as they are and tap the “Save” option to save the settings. Zong Internet Settings for Android & iPhone For Android and iPhone, you need to change a few settings on your handset by following the steps below. | Category | Parameter | |---|---| | APN | internet | | APN | zonginternet | | Authentication Type: | None | | APN Type | default | Zong MMS Settings for Android & iPhone Here are the MMS settings for your Android & iPhone. | Category | Parameter | |---|---| | APN Name | MMS | | APN | zongmms | | MMSC | http://10.81.6.11:8080 | | MMS Port | 8000 | Zong Internet Settings Via Call If you do not want to follow the methods discussed above, another easy way is to call the Zong helpline. Before making the call, you need to know the make and model of your handset. It is required because the representative at the helpline will send you the settings according to your handset. Check the make and the handset model and call 310 from your Zong number. Now provide the required information to the call representative. He will configure the handset for MMS and Internet services and let you know. Note: Make sure you are using a handset that is compatible with 3G/4G internet service.

A California jury on Friday found Monsanto liable in a lawsuit filed by a man who alleged the company’s glyphosate-based weed-killers, including Roundup, caused his cancer and ordered the company to pay US$289 million in damages. The case of school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson was the first lawsuit to go to trial alleging glyphosate causes cancer. Monsanto, a unit of Bayer AG following a US$62.5 billion acquisition by the German conglomerate, faces more than 5,000 similar lawsuits across the United States.

Democracy Dies in Darkness Caramelized Cabbage Soup Think of this as a lighter take on onion soup, done with cabbage that gets sweet from long cooking. Instead of the gooey cheese and bread on top, this soup is accompanied with thin Parmesan toasts. To read the accompanying story, see: This simple soup unlocks cabbage’s sweet side. The soup can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months. Ingredients measuring cup Servings: 8 (makes 11 cups) For the soup - 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter - 10 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (from 1 medium-large head) - 1 medium onion, thinly sliced - 8 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped - 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish - 8 cups homemade vegetable broth (see related recipe) - 1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari - 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper For the toasts - Half long, stale baguette, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 32 slices) - 1/2 cup grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese or Gruyère

An Iranian woman was arrested in December for appearing on a Tehran street with an uncovered head and waving a white scarf. Vida Movahedi's protest against the law requiring women to wear the hijab has inspired dozens of other Iranians to take action. (Margot Buff, RFE/RL)

Jinsiy zoʻrlangan 10 yashar qiz farzand koʻrdi Hindiston Oliy mahkamasi abort qilishini taqiqlagan 10 yashar qiz Kesarevo jarrohlik amaliyoti bilan qiz farzand koʻrgan. Matbuot xabarlariga koʻra, qiz tugʻayotganini anglab yetmagan ham. Kattalar unga "oshqozoningda katta tosh bor, shuning uchun qorning katta boʻlib ketayapti", deb aytishgan. Kesarevo amaliyotining mahalliy vaqt bilan soat 9:22da Chandigarhdagi shifoxonada boʻlib oʻtgani xabar qilingan. Doyalarning BBCga maʼlum qilishlaricha, qiz chaqaloqning ogʻirligi 2,5 kilogrammni tashkil etgan. Onaning ham, chaqaloqning ham salomatligi yaxshi, deyishgan shifokorlar. Xabar qilinishicha, qizaloqni oxirgi yetti oy mobaynida togʻasi bir necha marta jinsiy zoʻrlagan. Iyul oyi oʻrtalarida qiz qornidagi ogʻriqdan shikoyat qilgan va ota-onasi uni shifokorga olib borishgan. Tibbiy tekshiruv payti uning jinsiy zoʻrlangani va homilador ekani ayon boʻlgan. Togʻasi hibsga olingan. Chandigarhdagi mahkama ota-onaning homilani abort qilish talabini qondirishdan bosh tortgan va bu 10 yoshli qiz homilador boʻlishi mumkin emas, degan qaror chiqargan. Shifokorlar hayʼati esa bu yoshda abort qizning hayoti uchun "haddan ziyod xatarli" degan xulosa berganlar. Keyinroq Hindiston Oliy mahkamasi ham abort soʻrovini rad etgan. Chaqaloqning 35 haftalik boʻlib tugʻilgani aytilmoqda. Shu bois chaqaloq tugʻruqxonada bir necha kun saqlanishi lozim, demoqdalar shifokorlar. Yosh onani ham 10 kun davomida shifoxonada parvarishlashga qaror qilingan. 10 yashar qizaloqning ota-onasi homiladan allaqachon voz kechganlar. BBC muxbirlari xabar qilishlaricha, rasmiylar chaqaloqning yetimxonaga berilishi, soʻng biror oilaga boqib olishga berilishi mumkinligini aytishgan. Bu qadar yosh qizning tugʻishi Hindiston tarixida birinchi marta kuzatilgan. Shu bois bu hodisa nafaqat Hindiston, balki jahon matbuotining ham eʼtiboriga tushdi. Hindiston qonunlari boʻyicha homilani 20-haftasidan keyin abort qilish mumkin emas, faqat onaning hayoti uchun tahdid bor, deb koʻrilgan holatlardagina abortga ruxsat beriladi. Biroq soʻnggi yillarda jinsiy zoʻravonlik qurbonlari boʻlgan qizlar tarafdorlari petitsiyalar uyushtirdilar, 20 haftadan oshgan boʻlsa ham homilani oldirishni talab qildirdilar. Aksar hollarda bolalarning oʻzlari ham homiladorligini anglab yetmaganlari aniq boʻldi. Hindistondagi jinsiy zoʻravonlik miqyosi - Mamlakatda har 155 daqiqada yoshi 16 dan kichik bir qiz yoki bola jinsiy zoʻrlanadi, har 13 soatda esa yoshi 10 dan kichik qiz yoki oʻgʻil - 2015 yili 10000 bola zoʻrlangan - Hindistonda yoshi 18 ga toʻlmay turib 240 million qiz turmushga uzatilgan - Hukumat oʻtkazgan soʻrovda qatnashgan bolalarning 53.22% foizi jinsiy tegajogʻlikka duch kelganini aytgan - Jinsiy zoʻravonlikka qoʻr urganlarning 50% i bolaga yaqin inson boʻlgan Manbalar: Hindiston hukumati, UNICEF BBC Oʻzbek xizmati bilan Whatsapp, Telegram va Viber orqali bogʻlanishni istasangiz, telefonimiz: +44 78-58-86-00-02

State Senate bills aim to make homes more affordable, but they won’t spur nearly enough construction A trio of bills aim to alleviate California’s housing affordability crisis. (Aug. 11, 2017) - Share via Last month, Gov. But the measures now contemplated to alleviate the state’s affordability crisis will not make much of a dent in California’s housing needs, according to analyses from state officials and housing groups. Even if high-profile housing bills pass, the state would need to find at least an additional $10 billion every year for new construction just to help Californians most burdened by high rents. The three marquee measures under consideration — Senate Bills 2, 3 and 35 — aim to increase funding for low-income housing projects and ease development regulations. The measures are unlikely to help spur enough home building in general. Development would still fall short by tens of thousands of new homes needed annually just to keep pace with projected population growth. “If [lawmakers] get a package that includes SB 2, SB 3 and some version of SB 35, it is reason to celebrate,” said Jim Mayer, the president and CEO of California Forward, a nonprofit that has urged the state to act more aggressively on housing. “But it won’t have solved the problem, and nobody in their communities is going to think it’s solved the problem.” About 1.7 million low-income California renters spend more than half their income on housing. Helping to finance new homes for those residents alone would cost the state at least $15 billion a year, according to an estimate from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, an amount roughly equivalent to state spending on Medi-Cal. Senate Bill 2 would add a $75 fee on mortgage refinancings and most other real estate transactions except for home and commercial property sales and funnel the money toward low-income housing financing. Senate Bill 3 would place a $3 billion bond on the 2018 statewide ballot also to help build low-income projects. Neither bill is a sure thing — they require two-thirds votes in both houses of the Legislature. Some influential Democrats likely needed to vote in favor of SB 2 are already balking at raising fees. And voters will ultimately decide the bond’s fate. If both measures pass and their funding is combined with private investment and federal and local dollars, they could raise about $3.9 billion a year, according to an analysis by the California Housing Partnership Corp., a nonprofit low-income housing advocate. But current federal and state funding for low-income development remains low, leaving the overall $10-billion gap in spending needs. A similar shortfall exists in home building. Developers need to construct 180,000 new homes annually just to accommodate California’s projected population growth, according to the state Department of Housing and Community Development. Developers in the state have built more than 180,000 homes a year in just three years since 1989, according to permit data from the construction industry. The low amount of building has contributed to a longstanding housing shortage that’s led to sky-high prices. Roughly 101,000 new homes were built last year. The revenue generated from Senate Bill 2’s real estate fee and Senate Bill 3’s bond funding could help finance the development of about 14,000 homes a year, according to the California Housing Partnership Corp. estimate, leaving a gap of 65,000 houses. Even more home building would be needed to account for prior shortfalls, which would help reduce housing costs. Moreover, the bond money authorized by Senate Bill 3 could be spent in as little as five years, and the funding and home building gaps would get larger after that. The goal of Senate Bill 35 is to make it easier to build homes. It would require cities and counties to limit environmental, planning and other reviews on land already zoned for a developer’s proposed amount of housing. The effort aims to give developers more certainty that their projects will get built, saving them time, money — and increasing the housing stock. A 2014 state study of low-income housing development found projects that needed approval at multiple local boards cost at least 5% more to build. But the bill’s author, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), said he’s not sure how many new homes the measure would help produce. “The state is too big and diverse to accurately predict a number,” Wiener said. Last year, Brown proposed a similar measure and a UC Berkeley estimate found it could have created up to 2,350 homes total in San Francisco, for instance. Brown’s effort failed, and Wiener’s approach is more narrow. Brown’s plan would have affected every city and county in the state, but Wiener’s only applies to local governments that have fallen behind on state goals for home building in their communities. Wiener also would require developers who want speedier local reviews for their projects to pay construction workers higher wages and accept union-level hiring standards, which some business interests have criticized as being too costly. Wiener said that reducing local government regulations and adding new funding for low-income developments are significant in addressing the state’s housing problems. But the state, he said, ultimately will have to look at bigger-ticket items, such as making it more financially beneficial for cities to approve housing developments and giving state and regional governments a larger role in approving large, transit-friendly projects if local governments are opposed to them. “We need to be very clear that passing this package doesn’t mean that the Legislature is done with housing,” Wiener said. “We can’t check that box. It’s going to take years.” Lawmakers are expected to vote on the housing bills when they return from their summer recess later this month. The deadline for passage is Sept. 15 when the legislative year ends. liam.dillon@latimes.com ALSO A Bay Area developer wants to build 4,400 sorely needed homes. Here's why it won't happen

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