Новости за 10.01.2023

Genomic sequencing allowed the world to track new coronavirus variants throughout the pandemic. Now British researchers plan to use it to better understand a host of other respiratory pathogens, from influenza to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).   The work is aimed at shedding more light on known threats and, potentially, emerging ones, said the team at the Wellcome Sanger Institute working with the UK Health Security Agency.  The world has never had access to the kind of real-time information... Читать дальше...

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, center, president of the Supreme Court Rosa Weber, center right, are accompanied by governors and ministers for an inspection visit and support for the Supreme Court headquarters on Jan. 9, 2023. Brazilian police on Tuesday questioned about 1,000 supporters of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro held at a gymnasium in the capital of Brasilia. They are investigating anti-government riots over the weekend that badly damaged public buildings in... Читать дальше...

Colleagues of the late Nate Thayer paid tribute to a “fearless” American journalist who went “further than all of us” in his search for answers about Khmer Rouge atrocities in Cambodia.  “He was fearless in terms of his work style, and he was uncompromising when it comes to pursuing the truth,” said Ker Munthit, who worked with Thayer at The Phnom Penh Post in the 1990s.  “On a regular basis, he scooped the world with his stories on Cambodian political conflicts,” Munthit told VOA shortly after Thayer’s death in early January at 62. Читать дальше...

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan advocated Tuesday for a cooperative bilateral relationship with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, warning mutual tensions could turn his country's counterterrorism efforts into a "disastrous forever war." Khan spoke at a seminar in the capital, Islamabad, as a new wave of terrorism grips Pakistan, particularly its northwestern districts near the Afghan border, killing hundreds of security personnel and civilians. Much of the violence is blamed on or claimed... Читать дальше...

A three-day mourning period began in southern Peru on Tuesday after 17 more people were killed in the most violent day of protests since they began in December over the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo. The mourning period in the southeastern region of Puno came as Prime Minister Alberto Otarola was set to appear in the opposition-dominated Congress, seeking a vote of confidence in his cabinet - a constitutional requirement to lead a new government. Otarola regretted the deaths on Monday... Читать дальше...

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

China’s new foreign minister, Qin Gang, has begun a five-nation tour of Africa aimed at bolstering Chinese-African ties. Qin, who had been ambassador to the U.S. until December, will visit African Union headquarters in Ethiopia before traveling to four other African countries.  Analysts say trade and investment are the top priorities for both sides as China and the U.S. compete for influence in Africa. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed Qin to Addis Ababa as the Chinese foreign minister began his week-long tour. Читать дальше...

Botswana has announced the country has lost a sixth soldier sent to fight insurgents in Mozambique. Botswana Defense Force spokesperson Magosi Moshagane said in a recent media statement that the unnamed soldier committed suicide in Cabo Delgado province, where African troops are battling Islamist insurgents. Moshagane said investigations are under way to establish the circumstances surrounding the death. In December, a high-ranking BDF army official killed a female subordinate and injured a colleague, before turning a gun on himself. Читать дальше...

For nearly half a century in the village of Al-Sherif, 120 kilometers south of Cairo, Muslim and Christian neighbors have marked the birth of Jesus with a five-day-long, open-door celebration that began on January 2, ahead of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Christmas on the 7th. Photojournalist Hamada Elrasam has the story. Captions by Elle Kurancid.

Rights groups say a brutal attack on Zimbabwe opposition supporters was clearly intended to harass and intimidate them ahead of elections expected later this year. Amnesty International called on Zimbabwe to fully investigate a video showing ruling-party youth beating and kicking older supporters of the Citizens Coalition for Change (Triple C). The video, which has gone viral on social media, showed some elderly members of the Triple C being assaulted over the weekend in Murehwa about 100 kilometers east of Harare. Читать дальше...

A court in Uganda on Tuesday quashed a section of a communications law that has been used to prosecute government critics, journalists and writers, including two who fled to exile in Germany, its judgment said. Under Uganda's Computer Misuse Act, one of the sections proscribes the use of electronic communication to "disturb the peace, quiet or right of privacy of any person with no purpose of legitimate communication." Punishments for offenders can range from steep cash penalties to jail sentences of several years. Читать дальше...

Nigerian officials say security forces have rescued seven people who gunmen abducted from a train Saturday, in the first such attack in southern Edo State. Another 24 passengers are still missing. Edo State police spokesman Chidi Nwabuzor told VOA Tuesday that the rescued victims include one adult male, two women, and four children. He said the abductors left them behind as the armed men fled from security forces. "Due to pressure of the operatives who are in the bush for the rescue operation... Читать дальше...

Superconductors are substances that allow electricity to pass through them without resistance, helping machines run faster and save energy. But some of the most effective ones work only when they stay super cold. Scientists are hunting for higher-temperature superconductors for the practical advances they might bring. For VOA News, Shelley Schlender reports

The latest in a string of Pacific storms blamed for at least 12 deaths soaked California on Monday, prompting evacuations of some 25,000 people, including the entire town of Montecito and nearby areas of the Santa Barbara coast, due to heightened flood and mudslide risks, Reuters reported.

Space sector bosses on Tuesday said they were disappointed by the failure of the country's historic first attempt to launch satellites from UK soil but pledged to investigate and try again. The failure of the mission late on Monday is a blow to the UK's fledgling space sector. Had it been successful, it would have made the UK one of only nine countries able to launch rockets into Earth's orbit. A Virgin Orbit Boeing 747 carrying the 70-foot (21-meter) rocket took off from a spaceport in Cornwall, southwest England, at 2202 GMT on Monday. Читать дальше...

China is suspending short-term visas for South Koreans seeking to visit the country in an apparent retaliation of South Korea’s new coronavirus testing requirements on Chinese visitors. The China Embassy in Seoul made the announcement Tuesday on its official WeChat account. The statement said it would lift the suspension once Seoul ends its “discriminatory” entry restrictions against Chinese citizens. The new policy was announced a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang expressed concerns... Читать дальше...

U.S. officials on Monday criticized Iran’s execution of two people in connection with anti-government protests and expressed concern that Iran could soon put more people to death after unfair trials as part of a crackdown. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters the United States condemns the executions of Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini “in the strongest terms.” Iran said it executed the two men Saturday after they were convicted of killing a member of the Iranian... Читать дальше...

In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, Rohingya Muslim refugee Anwara Begum, 55, choked back tears as she tried to cajole her 7-year-old granddaughter, Umme Habiba, into swallowing a morsel of food.     Habiba was unconsolable, wailing in grief for her 27-year-old mother, Hatemon Nesa, and her 5-year-old sister, Umme Salima. The family had recently learned that the engine of the Malaysia-bound ramshackle wooden boat the two were on had broken down at sea.   The approximately 200 passengers aboard the boat that had left Bangladesh on November 25... Читать дальше...

The leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States met Tuesday in Mexico City for a summit and said they have made the regional partnership stronger after two days of meetings.   During the North American Leaders’ Summit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to strengthen economic ties, including making more goods in the region and ramping up semiconductor production.  Biden said at a news conference after a... Читать дальше...

The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Monday adopted a package of internal rules that give right-wing hardliners more leverage over the chamber's newly elected Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy.    Lawmakers voted 220-213 to approve the legislation. One Republican, Representative Tony Gonzales, joined all 212 Democrats in voting against the rules package. Another Republican did not vote.    The rules package, which will govern House operations over the next two years, represented... Читать дальше...

It’s been six months since the James Webb Space Telescope began transmitting breathtaking pictures of the cosmos back to Earth, transfixing star gazers and scientists alike.   The images have led to new discoveries about the universe, including the formation of stars, the evolution of black holes and the composition of planets in other solar systems.  NASA’s Webb telescope — a collaboration between the United States, Europe and Canada — was launched on Christmas Day 2021. However, it was not until July 12... Читать дальше...

National security forces have intervened to restore order in Brazil after an estimated four thousand supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, who do not accept the results of the October elections, took over and vandalized the Congress, the Supreme Court and President’s Palace, in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia. Edgar Maciel in Sao Paulo reports.

China's new Foreign Minister Qin Gang is starting his term with a weeklong trip to five African countries, the Foreign Ministry announced Monday.  Qin, who until recently was ambassador to the United States, will visit Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin and Egypt from January 9-16, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily media briefing. In Egypt, Qin will also meet the secretary-general of the Arab League.  The new foreign minister is following in the footsteps of his predecessors, who have for... Читать дальше...

A court in Kenya says five suspects are being held in connection with the murder of prominent LGBTQ activist Edwin Chiloba, whose mutilated body was found on a roadside last week stuffed in a metal trunk.    Kenyan police say they are investigating a possible love triangle as motive for the killing.    Rights activists suspect the killing was one in a series of hate crimes in Kenya, where homosexuality is illegal.       Among the five suspects arraigned in court in Eldoret Monday was Jacktone Odhiambo... Читать дальше...

Beijing is touting a promising new drug, VV116, as COVID-19 cases surge nationwide after the abrupt end to its "zero-COVID" policy. Described as "superior goods of Chinese provenance" in government-affiliated media reports, a phase 3 comparative clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded the oral antiviral agent VV116 is as effective as Paxlovid at curbing mild to moderate illness among people at high risk of severe disease caused by COVID-19 with even lower incidence of adverse effects. Читать дальше...