Новости за 17.01.2023

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said Tuesday the M23 rebel group had not fully withdrawn from areas it seized in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, accusing the militia of faking an agreed pullback of its forces.  Regional leaders brokered an agreement in November under which the Tutsi-led group was meant to withdraw from recently seized positions by January 15 as part of efforts to end a conflict that has displaced at least 450,000 people and sparked a diplomatic crisis between Congo and neighboring Rwanda. Читать дальше...

There was visible excitement among students when schools reopened Tuesday in Malawi's two biggest cities, Lilongwe and Blantyre, after a two-week suspension caused by a cholera outbreak.  The bacterial illness has killed close to 800 people, more than 100 of them children, and affected more than 25,000.  Malawi's government announced measures to prevent cholera from spreading in schools but warned it will shut down the schools again if needed.   To many students, especially those who are preparing to take national examinations this year... Читать дальше...

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

The U.N. refugee agency, the UNHCR, has recorded an alarming rise in the death toll of Rohingya refugees while attempting dangerous sea journeys in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal in 2022. At least 348 people died or disappeared while fleeing Myanmar or Bangladesh by sea last year, making it one of the deadliest years since 2014. That was when more than 700 people reportedly lost their lives or disappeared in a desperate bid for protection from persecution. The U.N. refugee agency says... Читать дальше...

Hundreds of Afghan women employed by international non-governmental organizations have started returning to work despite a Taliban order banning their work. At least three NGOs — CARE International, Save the Children, and International Rescue Committee — have confirmed resumption of humanitarian operations in Afghanistan with Afghan women on staff. “CARE will be resuming its health and nutrition operations in Afghanistan after obtaining the necessary assurances from the Ministry of Public Health... Читать дальше...

UNICEF warns some 4 million children living near contaminated and stagnant waters in flood-affected districts of Pakistan are fighting for survival. The U.N. children’s fund reports about 1.6 million children already were suffering from severe acute malnutrition and another 6 million from stunting before last year’s disastrous floods struck Pakistan. The UNICEF representative in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil, said the situation has likely worsened since then, putting many children at risk of dying. Читать дальше...

Somalis are hailing the capture of the port town of Haradhere as a major victory in the fight against the Islamist militant group al-Shabab. The port, once a base for Somali pirates, was a key revenue source for the militants. But analysts say holding onto Harahere and other territories seized from the militants while winning over locals will be a challenge. The capture of Harardhere is perhaps the single biggest trophy for the Somali army and clan militia who have been waging a ground offensive against al-Shabab since July. Читать дальше...

Under the Taliban, the mannequins in women's dress shops across the Afghan capital of Kabul are a haunting sight, their heads cloaked in cloth sacks or wrapped in black plastic bags.

American Idol star Fritz Hager has released his new single “Caroline” last week.  The song follows the release of his self-titled EP, which hit #1 on the pop charts and his top 5 sing “Hearts Align.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday she backed listing Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization to respond to the "trampling" of "fundamental human rights" in the country. Ties between the EU member states and Tehran have deteriorated in recent months as efforts to revive nuclear talks have stalled. Tehran has detained several European nationals and the bloc has become increasingly critical of a continuing violent crackdown on protesters, including executions. Читать дальше...

Nearly two thirds of the sharks and rays that live among the world's corals are threatened with extinction, according to new research published Tuesday, with a warning this could further imperil precious reefs. Coral reefs, which harbor at least a quarter of all marine animals and plants, are gravely menaced by an array of human threats, including overfishing, pollution and climate change. Shark and ray species -- from apex predators to filter feeders -- play an important role in these delicate... Читать дальше...

TRANSCRIPT: The Inside Story” Yellowstone at 150 Episode 74 – January 12, 2023   NATASHA MOZGOVAYA, VOA Correspondent:   Yellowstone, America’s first National Park, is marking 150th anniversary - celebrating achievements, dealing with climate challenges, and fixing the historic narrative by bringing in Native American voices.   Yellowstone National Park covers nearly 9,000 square kilometers of the Western United States across Montana, Wyoming and Idaho in four mountain ranges driven by powerful magmatic forces underground. Читать дальше...

Belarus has opened the trial of a journalist and prominent member of the country's sizable Polish minority, the latest in a series of court cases against critics of the authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko. Andrzej Poczobut, 49, faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted of the charges of harming national security and inciting discord. Poczobut, a journalist for the influential Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza and a top figure in the Union of Poles in Belarus, has been behind bars since his detention in March 2021. Читать дальше...

Activists in Cameroon are urging more women candidates to enter races for Senate seats before a January 28 deadline. Only 26 members of Cameroon's 100-member senate are women, a number advocates want to see doubled. But patriarchal beliefs and a lack of political support are preventing more women from contesting the March election.  Female activists have been visiting political party leaders in northern Cameroon to push for greater representation for women in Cameroon’s upper house of parliament, the Senate. Читать дальше...

In early January the United States put in place a new humanitarian parole process which allows some Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants to live and work temporarily in the U.S. and expands the number of Venezuelans eligible. Some Central American migrants argue they should also qualify for the same humanitarian relief. Victor Hugo Castillo reports from Reynosa, Mexico. Video editor -  Veronica Villafane.

In California, a camera the size of a car is being prepared for its mission: documenting unseen phenomena in the universe. Matt Dibble has the story.

Al-Shabab launched a deadly attack on a Somali military base on Tuesday, just a day after the government claimed a "historic victory" over the jihadists with the capture of a strategic coastal town. There were conflicting reports about the death toll after the Islamist fighters stormed the camp in the town of Hawadley north of the capital Mogadishu. Army chief Odowaa Yusuf Rage said on national radio that five soldiers including a senior officer had died in the attack claimed by the al-Qaida-allied militant group. Читать дальше...

China’s economic growth plunged to one of its worst levels in more than four decades due to the country’s strict response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Bureau of Statistics released data Tuesday that showed China’s economy grew by just 3% in 2022, far less than the 8.1% mark it reached the year before. It was the second-worst economic showing since the late 1970s, surpassed only by the 2.4% mark set in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. The world’s second-largest economy dropped 2.9% during the fourth quarter of last year... Читать дальше...

A high-level delegation from the United States is in Taiwan this week to resume negotiations on a new trade initiative between Washington and the self-ruled island.  The delegation, led by Terry McCartin, the assistant trade representative for China in the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, arrived in Taipei last Friday to begin four days of talks over the U.S.-Taiwan 21st Century Trade Initiative.  The initiative will cover 11 areas, including anti-corruption, agriculture, digital trade, environmental and labor practices. Читать дальше...

China says its population declined last year, the first such decline in the world’s second largest economy in six decades.  Figures released Tuesday by the Bureau of Statistics show China had 9.56 million births in 2022, while 10.41 million people died, a decline of 850,000 people.  The decline was the first since the late 1950s, when founder Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward economic experiment caused massive famine, killing millions of people.  The declining birth rates are a result of China’s... Читать дальше...

The latest viral video capturing the hearts of millions of users on social media is of a 10-year-old Jamaican boy singing about beauty and gratitude. The song, “Beautiful Day,” along with its myriad remixes, has been shared globally across Tik Tok, Instagram and YouTube. While the video has only recently gone viral, the story of the song began nearly a decade ago when singer-songwriter Jermaine Edwards debuted “Beautiful Day” in Jamaica in 2014. Several years later, 10-year-old Rushawn Ewears... Читать дальше...

Colombia's national police said Monday they confiscated an arsenal of weapons, including guns, grenades and a machine gun belonging to dissidents from the now-disbanded FARC rebel group. Though the Estado Mayor Central dissidents have rejected the 2016 peace deal signed by the FARC, they agreed to a recent cease-fire with the government of leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has promised to make peace or surrender deals with Colombia's armed groups. The arsenal of 33 guns, a M-60 machine gun... Читать дальше...

At least 50 women were abducted by Islamic extremists in Burkina Faso’s northern Sahel region last week, a local official said Monday. The kidnappings occurred January 12 and 13, approximately 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the town of Arbinda in Soum province, Lt. Col. P.F. Rodolphe Sorgho, the governor of Sahel, said in a statement. The women were kidnapped while in the countryside gathering wild fruit, he said. Jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group has overrun Burkina Faso... Читать дальше...

President Joe Biden declared Monday that "in America, hate will not prevail," as he recalled the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the national holiday commemorating the slain civil rights leader and his quest for justice and equal rights for Blacks in the United States. Biden, speaking in Washington to leaders of the National Action Network, a civil rights group, said Americans must "never grow weary in doing what is right." He cited actions he has taken to improve the lives of Black... Читать дальше...