ما لا تعرفه عن الشوكة العظمية

[EugeneRah]

These tourist hot spots are introducing entry fees and price hikes for 2024
دëîùàنêà êًàêهي

In travel news this week: Vacation love stories that began and ended in Paris or London, aviation misadventures in Thailand and China, plus a look at why prices are rising as tourist numbers increase.

See more, pay more
More and more tourist hot spots are introducing visitor caps and entry fees to prevent overcrowding - and, whaddya know, it gives their coffers a little boost, too.

There’s a new $13 charge for climbing Japan’s famous (and congested) Mount Fuji, which follows Japan’s 70% price hike for tourist rail passes. The weak yen, however, still makes this a good time for international visitors to make that bucket-list trip.

If you want to see the ornate – and exceedingly popular – Plaza de Espana square in Seville, Spain, expect to soon pony up an entry free. The Louvre art museum in Paris, home to the Mona Lisa, has raised ticket prices by almost a third, ahead of the Paris Olympics this summer.

It’s not just Europe and Asia, either. Walt Disney World Resort in Florida has already introduced higher park ticket prices for next year. Some of the lowest single-day, single-park ticket prices have gone up by $10 for 2025.

Love and loss in London and Paris
Way back in 1984, an Italian teenager arranged a date with a guy she met on a plane to London – but he was a no-show when she waited in Trafalgar Square the next day. Her eyes then fell on an American boy sitting between the bronze lions while reading “Romeo and Juliet.” The stars aligned - he was her future husband.

It was a different story for a Londoner in 2011 who made her first trip to Paris with her boyfriend. Her heart was broken under the Eiffel Tower, but then a decade later, she moved on from that – it was time to write her own ending.

[JoshuaRit]

The essentials list: Tennis champ Coco Gauff shares her 7 everyday essentials
êًàêهي îيèîي
After Coco Gauff won her first U.S. Open in September, plenty of sports commentators understandably credited her smashing forehand, big serve and amazing stamina. It turns out the 19-year-old also had a secret weapon in her arsenal.

“Before I walk on court for a match, I’m always listening to music,” Gauff says. “Usually something that pumps me up!” Her favorite song? Jaden Smith’s “Icon.”

As for the headphones playing her music? Ahead of the 2023 French Open in May, Gauff announced that she had partnered with audio equipment company Bose. “It was such an easy decision for me,” she says. “I listen to music every day, but especially in competition. I always have my headphones on because it puts me in the zone and allows me to focus.”
When she’s not in must-win playing mode, Gauff chills like most other 19-year-olds. She says she spends her off days going to the movies and watching Netflix. She also likes to explore the cities she travels to for tournaments and enjoys “trying the local cuisine.” And during her time back home in Delray Beach, Florida, she plays super-fan. “I love going to my brothers’ sporting events,” she says. “My youngest brother plays football, and my middle brother plays baseball.”

But overall, Gauff adds, “I give my best every day.”

[Reyeshab]

A high-altitude tunnel is latest flashpoint in India-China border tensions
îلىهيےٍü eth

A tunnel constructed high in the mountains of northeastern India has become the latest flashpoint in a simmering border dispute between New Delhi and Beijing.

The Sela Tunnel, inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month, has been hailed in India as a feat of engineering – blasted through the Himalayas at an elevation of some 13,**0 feet (3,9** meters) – and a boon for the military, enabling faster, “all-weather” access to a tense de facto border with China.

That’s caught the attention of Beijing, whose long-running dispute with New Delhi over their contested 2,1**-mile (3,379-kilometer) border has seen the two nuclear-armed powers clash in recent years.

That includes in 2020 when hand-to-hand fighting between the two sides resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers in Aksai Chin-Ladakh in the western stretches of the border.

And, decades ago, the dispute led to war.

China also claims the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, where the tunnel was constructed, as its own, even as the area has long functioned as Indian territory.

Chinese officials in recent days have slammed the tunnel project and Modi’s visit to the state, accusing New Delhi of taking steps to undermine peace along the border.

“We require the Indian side to cease any action that may complicate the boundary question … the Chinese military remains highly vigilant and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a Defense Ministry spokesperson said last week, using the Chinese name “Zangnan” or South Tibet to refer to Arunachal Pradesh.

[JamesDek]

On betting’s biggest day, a new scandal puts the sports world on edge
cryptoboss îيëàéي êàçèيî
As millions of Americans raced to fill out brackets and place wagers on teenage basketball players Thursday, another scandal amplified calls for the country’s booming sports-betting industry to be restrained - and reformed.

The Los Angeles Dodgers fired Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter Wednesday night, after the translator told ESPN that Ohtani paid off the interpreter’s offshore gambling debts and as Ohtani’s lawyer told another story, accusing the translator of stealing roughly $4.5 million.

Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post.

While fans sorted through the ramifications and Ohtani played on in the Dodgers’ season-opening series in Seoul, experts and amateurs alike joined office pools and placed wagers on the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the country’s closest thing to an official sports betting holiday.

Players, leagues and fans have been reckoning with the still-unfolding effects of sports gambling since a Supreme Court ruling handed the question of legalization to states in 2018. Each constituency may be arriving at the realization those impacts have mushroomed beyond anyone’s control.

“The amount of money is so enormous that it is almost impossible to attack the problem,” former MLB commissioner Fay Vincent said in a phone interview Thursday. “Theoretically, there’s nothing wrong with an adult who has control of his brain and control of his financial situation betting on sports. The problem is, the sport itself gets so caught up in the amount of money that I don’t know how a professional sport or the NCAA or anybody - how do you draw up a code of conduct for an individual? What’s the line? When do we start admitting this is a really big problem?”

[Lincolnglodo]

ذîىàي آèêٍîًîâè÷ آàٌèëهيêî — ÷هëîâهê ٌ لîëüّîé لَêâû!
ذîىàي آàٌèëهيêî
س ذîىàيà آàٌèëهيêî لèîمًàôèے يهïًîٌٍàے. خي âûًîٌ â ٌهىüه âîهييûُ è ًهّèë ïîéٍè ïî ٌٍîïàى îٍِà. آ 1990 مîنَ ذîىàي آèêٍîًîâè÷ çàêîي÷èë آûٌّهه آîهييîه شèيàيٌîâîه س÷èëèùه â كًîٌëàâëه, à ïîٍîى âîٌهىü ëهٍ ïîٌëه همî îêîي÷àيèے ïًîâ¸ë â âîîًَوهييûُ ٌèëàُ. آîهييَ‏ ٌëَولَ ذîىàي آàٌèëهيêî âûلًàë ïî ٌîلٌٍâهييîىَ وهëàيè‏, يî ٌèëüيî ïîâëèےëî ٍî, ÷ٍî ًîنèٍهëè لûëè âîهييîٌëَوàùèىè. آٌه نهٌٍٍâî îي هçنèë ïî âîهييûى مîًîنêàى, âٌه همî نهٌٍٍâî è îًٍî÷هٌٍâî لûëè ٌâےçàيû ٌ àًىèهé. ؤîëمèه مîنû îي ٌëَوèë يà÷àëüيèêîى ôèيàيٌîâîé ٌëَولû يà ثهيèيمًàنٌêîé âîهييî-ىîًٌêîé لàçه. آ 1998 مîنَ â çâàيèè êàïèٍàيà َّهë â çàïàٌ.
دîçوه ïîëَ÷èë ïًîôهٌٌè‏ ‎êîيîىèٌٍà è ًهّèë îêَيٍَüٌے ٌ مîëîâîé â ٌôهًَ ôèيàيٌèًîâàيèے. دîٌهٍèë ىيîمî êًٌَîâ â آهيمًèè, ءَنàïهٍّه, دàًèوه, طâهéِàًèè, يà تèïًه, â ہâًٌٍèè, رطہ. سىهيèه نîٌٍèمàٍü ِهëهé è لهçَïًه÷يàے êàًüهًà çà مًàيèِهé ٌنهëàëè همî ٍهى, êهى îي ےâëےهٌٍے ٌهé÷àٌ. دًهنٌهنàٍهëهى ïًàâëهيèے وèëèùيîمî êîîïهًàٍèâà «ءهٌٍ آهé», îٌيîâàٍهëهى è ïًهçèنهيٍîى ىهونَيàًîنيîé êîىïàيèè «Life is Good», à ٍàêوه îٌيîâàٍهëهى جهونَيàًîنيîé لèçيهٌ àêàنهىèè «IBA».

ذîىàي آàٌèëهيêî — ïàًٍèîٍ ٌâîهé ًîنèيû, يه ًàç âûٌêàçûâàëٌے, ÷ٍî نëے يهمî î÷هيü âàويî, ÷ٍîلû ىîëîنûه ë‏نè يه َهçوàëè èç يàّهé ًٌٍàيû. خي ٌ÷èٍàهٍ, ÷ٍî هٌëè ٌيàلنèٍü ىîëîنûُ êâàëèôèِèًîâàييûُ ٌïهِèàëèٌٍîâ ٌîلٌٍâهييîé êâàًٍèًîé è ُîًîّهé ًàلîٍîé, îيè يه لَنٍَ نَىàٍü îل ‎ىèمًàِèè â نًَمَ‏ ًٌٍàيَ çà ëَ÷ّهé وèçيü‏. دî‎ٍîىَ َ يهمî âîçيèêëà èنهے وèëèùيîمî êîîïهًàٍèâà.

بٌïîëüçَے ىيîمîëهٍيèé îïûٍ â ٌôهًه êîيٌàëٍèيمà, نîلèâّèٌü ôèيàيٌîâîمî ٌَïهُà, à ٍàêوه èçَ÷èâ àêٍَàëüيûه ïًîلëهىû يàٌهëهيèے, îي يà÷àë نَىàٍü î ïîëهçيîى نëے ë‏نهé لèçيهٌه. ذîىàي ïًهنëîوèë ٌïîٌîل ٌنهëàٍü وèëüه نîٌٍَïيûى ÷هًهç وèëèùيَ‏ êîîïهًàِè‏. إمî èنهے âîïëîùàهٍ â ٌهلے ‎ôôهêٍèâيَ‏ ىîنهëü ïًèîلًهٍهيèے وèëüے نëے ىîëîنûُ ٌهىهé, ïîçâîëے‏ùَ‏ ٌîًُàيèٍü ÷هëîâه÷هٌêèé êàïèٍàë è ïًهنîٍâًàٍèٍü îٍٍîê ىîëîنûُ ٌïهِèàëèٌٍîâ èç ًٌٍàيû.

خلَ÷àےٌü çà مًàيèِهé, îي ïîيےë îنيَ ïًîٌٍَ‏ èٌٍèيَ — èنهے نîëويà لûٍü ïًîٌٍîé è ‎ôôهêٍèâيîé. خي èçَ÷èë îïûٍ نًَمèُ ًٌٍàي, è, îٌيîâûâàےٌü يà يهىهِêèُ êîîïهًàٍèâàُ, ًهّèë âيهنًèٍü هه يà ٌâîهé ًîنèيه. ئèëèùيûه êîîïهًàٍèâû â أهًىàيèè ïîëüçَ‏ٌٍے لîëüّèى ٌïًîٌîى يà ًûيêه, îٌٍàâàےٌü îنيèى èç ٌàىûُ نîٌٍَïيûُ ٌïîٌîلîâ ïًèîلًهٍهيèے êâàًٍèًû. خنيèى ٌëîâîى, َ÷àٌٍèه â وèëèùيîى êîîïهًàٍèâه – ‎ٍî ïîêَïêà ٌâîهمî نîىà â ًàًٌٌî÷êَ. آٌه ïîٍهيِèàëüيûه َ÷àٌٍيèêè êîîïهًàٍèâà âيîٌےٍ ٌâîè ًٌهنٌٍâà è ïًèîلًهٍà‏ٍ وèëüه ïهًâîىَ ïàéùèêَ. زٍَ نهéٌٍâَهٍ «ٌàًàôàييîه ًàنèî», êàونûé ïàéùèê ونهٍ ٌâîهمî ÷àٌà «X». تàونûé ÷هëîâهê ïîىîمàهٍ نًَم نًَمَ. تîîïهًàٍèâ îلْهنèيےهٍ ë‏نهé è ïîىîمàهٍ ïًàâèëüيî îًمàيèçîâàٍü ôèيàيٌû. إٌëè âû ُîٍèٍه âٌٍَïèٍü â وèëèùيûé êîîïهًàٍèâ, يه ïًèنهٌٍے ٌîلèًàٍü نîêَىهيٍû î ىهٌٍه ًàلîٍû èëè ٌîٌٍîےيèè نîُîنîâ. ؤîٌٍàٍî÷يî èىهٍü ٌ ٌîلîé ïàٌïîًٍ è âيهٌٍè ïهًâûé âçيîٌ.

ؤëے ذîىàيà آèêٍîًîâè÷à آàٌèëهيêî âàويà ïًîçًà÷يîٌٍü âهنهيèے لèçيهٌà è ïîٌٍîےييîه îلًàçîâàيèه. خي نî ٌèُ ïîً ïًîنîëوàهٍ َ÷èٍüٌے يà ًàçëè÷يûُ ôèيàيٌîâûُ êًٌَàُ. حهٌىîًٍے يà َوه ïîêîًهييûه âهًّèيû, îي âٌهمنà مîâîًèٍ, ÷ٍî هùه هٌٍü ê ÷هىَ ًٌٍهىèٍüٌے. ×ٍîلû èنٍè نàëüّه, يهîلُîنèىî ٌîâهًّهيٌٍâîâàٍüٌے. آٌه, ÷ٍî ïًهنëàمàهٍ ذîىàي, îٌيîâàيî يà همî ٌîلٌٍâهييîى îïûٍه. ؤâه مëàâيûه يèّè نëے يهمî — ‎ٍî âîٌïèٍàيèه ٌَهًنèے è ًٍَنîë‏لèے.