Новости за 31.01.2023

Authorities in Canada continue to discover what may be previously unknown graves of Indigenous children at former residential schools. The latest discoveries of 66 possible graves are on the site of what was once St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School near Williams Lake, British Columbia, about a six-hour drive north of Vancouver. Earlier exploration with the use of ground-penetrating radar found 93 similar impressions last year. So far, only 0.18 square kilometers of the former school grounds have been investigated. Читать дальше...

China says it is “deeply concerned” over reports that the United States is moving to further restrict sales of American technology to Huawei, a tech company that U.S. officials have long singled out as a threat to national security for its alleged support of Beijing’s espionage efforts. As first reported by the Financial Times, the U.S. Department of Commerce has informed American firms that it will no longer issue licenses for technology exports to Huawei, thereby isolating the Shenzen-based company... Читать дальше...

An Iranian court has handed jail sentences of more than 10 years each to a young couple who danced in front of one of Tehran's main landmarks, activists said on Tuesday.  Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s, had been arrested in early November after a video went viral of them dancing romantically in front of the capital's Azadi Tower.   Haghighi did not wear a headscarf in defiance of the Islamic republic's strict rules for women, while women are also not allowed to dance in public in Iran... Читать дальше...

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

The Somali government has sent thousands of military recruits to nearby countries for training to strengthen the army for its war against al-Shabab militants, according to the national security adviser for the Somali president. In an exclusive interview on January 26 with VOA Somali, Hussein Sheikh-Ali said Somalia has sent 3,000 soldiers each to Eritrea and Uganda in the past few weeks. He said an additional 6,000 recruits will be sent to Ethiopia and Egypt. "We want to complete making 15,000... Читать дальше...

Kenyan state prosecutors are charging a suspected lover of LGBTQ activist Edwin Kipruto, known as Edwin Chiloba, with his murder. Chiloba's body was found in a metal box on the side of the road earlier in January, sparking fears of a hate crime. However, Kenya's state counsel, Anthony Fedha, told a court Tuesday that investigators have gathered evidence linking Chiloba's lover, Jackton Odhiambo, to the death. Odhiambo, a freelance photographer, appeared in Eldoret town Tuesday to face murder charges. Читать дальше...

U.S. Representative George Santos, who has admitted to fabricating much of his resume, told fellow Republican lawmakers on Tuesday he would not serve on committees for now, lawmakers said. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the freshman lawmaker asked if he could recuse himself from his committee assignments while he works to clear up an ethics cloud. McCarthy called it an "appropriate decision." "The voters have elected him," McCarthy told reporters. "He'll have a voice here in Congress. Читать дальше...

Ghanaian photographer and film maker Paul Ninson has opened Africa’s largest photography library in Ghana’s capital, Accra.  The hub called the ‘Dikan Center,’ houses more than 30,000 photography books and collections on African photography pioneers, diaspora, and creatives.  Nneka Chile reports from Accra, Ghana.

The United States and its allies imposed further sanctions on Myanmar on Tuesday, marking the two-year anniversary of the coup with curbs on energy officials and members of the junta, among others.  Washington imposed sanctions on the Union Election Commission, mining enterprises, energy officials, and current and former military officials, according to a Treasury Department statement. Details of the U.S. move were first reported by Reuters.  It marks the first time the United States has targeted... Читать дальше...

Pakistan is facing a severe economic crisis. Prices of staples like food and fuel are skyrocketing. The country must repay billions in external debt, but its foreign reserves are so low it can barely afford to buy a few weeks' worth of imports. As the government tries to revive stalled talks with the International Monetary Fund to unlock much-needed assistance, Sarah Zaman looks at how delaying reforms has brought Pakistan to the brink of economic disaster.

Striking workers disrupted French refinery deliveries, public transport and schools on Tuesday in a second day of nationwide protests over President Emmanuel Macron's plan to make people work longer before retirement.  Huge crowds marched through cities across France to denounce a reform that raises the retirement age by two years to 64 and poses a test of Macron's ability to push through change now that he has lost his working majority in parliament.  On the rail networks, only one in three... Читать дальше...

The United States has been increasing the pressure on Myanmar’s military junta in part by targeting their financial resources. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports that two years after the military seized power from Myanmar’s elected leaders, the sanctions are still escalating but the generals remain in charge.

Jill Biden’s inaugural outfits have a new home at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington. These inaugural dresses have always been about much more than looking great, as the first lady and the fashion designers explain. Maxim Moskalkov has the story. Camera: Dmytri Shakhov

Voice experts have long known that a person's voice can provide important information about their emotional, physical and mental health. Now a U.S. government-funded project is collecting and analyzing thousands of voices and using artificial intelligence to diagnose illnesses. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more.

In India, Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress Party has concluded a five-month long foot march through the country, hoping to resurrect the political fortunes of the party that has been pushed to the sidelines in the last decade since the rise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. Anjana Pasricha in New Delhi reports on the impact of the march. Camera: P. Pallavi

India’s opposition Congress Party leader, Rahul Gandhi wrapped up a grueling long march that he began five months ago with the same message he delivered in towns and villages as he walked more than 3,500 kilometers from the country’s southern tip to Kashmir in the north. “The ideology that wants to break this nation, we need to stand against it together. But not with hatred, that is not our way,” Gandhi said in Srinagar, the capital of Indian Kashmir, on Monday. He said he wants to show that India... Читать дальше...

Lawmakers in Peru have postponed debate on a proposal from embattled President Dina Boularte to schedule general elections for later this year.  Congress was scheduled to debate the proposal on Monday, but the legislature issued a statement that a debate has been delayed until Tuesday.  A proposal to move the elections scheduled in 2026 to April 2024 has attracted growing support in Congress, but President Boularte is pressuring lawmakers to approve her proposal in order to quell the massive... Читать дальше...

Pope Francis is heading to central Africa Tuesday to bring a message of peace to two of the region’s most violence-plagued nations.  The 86-year-old pontiff's six-day trip will begin in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he will preside at an outdoor Mass at N’dolo airport in the capital, Kinshasa, that is expected to draw more than one million people. At least half of the DRC’s 95 million people are members of the Roman Catholic Church, making it the Church’s largest community in Africa.... Читать дальше...

In a photograph posted on an Instagram page with almost 15,000 followers, a little girl smiles brightly, her hands folded and pressed together in a common Indian greeting gesture. She sits on an elaborate throne decorated with roses. Dressed in a pastel pink outfit, diamond jewelry and a tiara, she looks like the daughter of any affluent Indian family — enjoying a Disney Princess-themed birthday party, perhaps. The caption dated January 17, however, spells a different story: “Antim Vidai Samaroh” — The Final Farewell Ceremony. Читать дальше...

Tuesday brought a new round of strikes in France as citizens protest proposed pension reforms.  Worker strikes severely limited Paris metro and other rail services, while Air France canceled some of its short and medium flights.  Half of the primary school teachers planned to strike, their union said, while power supplies were down with workers in the electrical sector also going on strike.  Tuesday’s round of protests follows an initial round on January 19 in which more than a million people participated. Читать дальше...

Pope Francis on Tuesday is expected to land in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa's largest predominantly Catholic country, for a landmark three-day visit.    Here are five things to know about this vast nation:    Mineral wealth, dire poverty   The Democratic Republic of Congo is awash with minerals and precious stones, from gold, diamonds and coltan to tin, copper and cobalt.     Harboring the Congo River — the second-largest in Africa after the Nile — the Democratic Republic of Congo also has huge hydroelectric potential... Читать дальше...

The death toll from Monday’s suicide bombing attack of a mosque in northwestern Pakistan has risen to at least 87 people.   More than 150 others were wounded in the bombing in central Peshawar, the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Rescuers were still pulling victims out of the rubble Tuesday. The explosion was so powerful that the roof of the building collapsed.   The victims were mostly members of the provincial police force, as the mosque was frequented by security and government officials. Читать дальше...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to meet Tuesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as part of a visit to the region in which Blinken has urged Israelis and Palestinians to ease tensions amid the bloodiest violence between them in years.  The U.S. State Department said Blinken would discuss with senior Palestinian officials the importance of a two-state solution as well as political reforms.  Ahead of his visit to the West Bank, Blinken met Tuesday with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Jerusalem... Читать дальше...

Pakistani authorities say a suicide bomb attack on a mosque filled with police officers in the country’s northwestern city Peshawar has killed 61 people and wounded more than 150 others. Iftikhar Hussain has this report from Washington. Usman Khan and Umar Farooq contributed.

A grand jury is hearing evidence in New York over former President Donald Trump's role in hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.  A grand jury could lay the groundwork for possible criminal charges against the former president by the Manhattan district attorney's office.  Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified before the grand jury, one source told Reuters. Pecker was seen... Читать дальше...