Новости за 14.02.2023

The U.S. government said Tuesday that so far it has no evidence that the three airborne objects it shot down last weekend over North America were linked to China or any other foreign spy program. U.S. investigators “thus far haven't seen any indication or anything that points specifically to the idea that these three objects were part of [China’s] spy balloon program or that they were definitely involved in external intelligence collection efforts,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House. Читать дальше...

Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein announced Tuesday that she will not seek reelection in 2024, signaling the end of a groundbreaking political career spanning six decades in which she shattered gender barriers and left a mark on political battles over reproductive rights, gun control, and environmental protection. "I am announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends," Feinstein said in a statement. Читать дальше...

Botswana's president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, is threatening to walk away from a diamond mining deal with industry giant De Beers unless the firm offers better terms. Under the current deal, which expires in June, Botswana - Africa's largest diamond producer – is entitled to purchase up to 25% of the stones mined in a joint venture. Analysts say Botswana is in a strong position to push for a 50-50 arrangement. Addressing ruling party supporters in his home village of Moshupa, just outside Gaborone... Читать дальше...

The largest and longest running auto show in North America, the Chicago Auto Show, is an annual showcase of the latest vehicle technology and offerings available to customers. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports this year’s show reflects consumer demand, and government mandates.

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

More than six months after the United States killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in an airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan, the terror group’s leadership appears to have quietly passed to his heir apparent in Iran. A new report from the United Nations, based on member state intelligence, concludes Saif al-Adel “is now the de facto leader of al-Qaida, representing continuity for now.” Al-Qaida itself has been quiet about the status of its leadership following the July 31 strike that killed al-Zawahiri. Читать дальше...

Opposition leaders welcomed the release on bail Monday night of two legislators allied with the National Unity Platform, led by Bobi Wine. Despite several bail applications by lawyers in recent months, the prosecutor had blocked the requests on the grounds the legislators would interfere with the investigations. The legislators, Allan Ssewanyana and Muhammed Segirinya, were incarcerated for 17 months on charges including murder, attempted murder, and aiding and abetting terrorism. They were held... Читать дальше...

Health rights campaigners in Malawi are welcoming a national campaign against a record cholera outbreak, which has affected all 29 districts in the country and killed nearly 1,400 people. President Lazarus Chakwera launched the campaign Monday, pledging to reduce the transmission and mortality rate of the water-borne illness. Chakwera said the spread is largely because people in the country are not following good hygiene practices. "And because the behavior is not changing, the situation has become dire," he said. Читать дальше...

Tax officials in India searched the British Broadcasting Corporation’s offices Tuesday in New Delhi and Mumbai, weeks after the Indian government called a BBC documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi “propaganda.” The documentary, “India: The Modi Question,” focuses on communal riots that swept through the western state of Gujarat in 2002, killing at least a 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, when Modi was its head. In a statement on Twitter, the BBC said it was “fully cooperating” with income tax authorities... Читать дальше...

Rescuers in Turkey pulled several more people alive from the rubble Tuesday, nearly 200 hours after a series of powerful earthquakes struck the region but experts warned the window is closing for finding more people alive.     In neighboring Syria, more aid is starting to flow to war- and now earthquake-scared civilians in the country’s northwest, following President Bashar al-Assad’s agreement with the United Nations on Monday to allow humanitarian workers to use two additional crossing points... Читать дальше...

The head of the Somali Journalists Syndicate has vowed to work without self-censorship after a court found him guilty of flouting government orders. Abdalle Ahmed Mumin was arrested in October for rejecting the government's demand to refer to al-Shabab militants only as Khawarij, which is Arabic for dissenters of Islam. He was sentenced to two months in prison Monday but immediately released. Abdalle Ahmed Mumin said prison officials freed him after informing him that previous arrests and court... Читать дальше...

Villages in northwestern Syria are facing a double disaster. First devastated by last Monday's massive earthquake and then subsequently deluged by the collapse of local levees. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. Camera: Mouneb Taim.

The town of Lyman in the Donetsk region was occupied by Russian forces between May and October 2022. It has been severely damaged, and those locals who have not left are doing what they can to get through the winter. Yaroslava Movchan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Arthur Shagalin

The European Union will ban new sales of fossil fuel cars from 2035, after MEPs approved a new law Tuesday, as Brussels also draws up plans to slash carbon emissions from trucks and buses.  European Union member states have already approved the legislation on cars and vans and they will now formally nod it into law, but much debate lies ahead on proposed measures against larger freight and passenger vehicles. Supporters of the car bill -- passed in the European Parliament in Strasbourg -- argue... Читать дальше...

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said Tuesday she is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination against her one-time boss, former President Donald Trump, who appointed her as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Haley, 51, made the announcement in a social media video, saying, “Joe Biden’s record is abysmal. It’s time for a new generation of leaders.” The 3½-minute video never mentioned Trump who, in November, announced he also is seeking the Republican nomination... Читать дальше...

GPS coordinates are used worldwide to identify a precise location on Earth, but they can be difficult for people to use day to day. This British company has developed an app that allows users to share their GPS coordinates by saying three simple words. Genia Dulot reports.

A Syrian family once displaced by conflict has to start life over for a second time after a powerful quake hit the region on February 6. VOA's Arif Aslan has more in this story, narrated by Sirwan Kajjo. Videographer: Arif Aslan

Ethiopia has long struggled with problems of communal friction turning into violent, ethnic conflict. Members of the two largest ethnic groups, the Oromos and Amharas, have come together to showcase traditional conflict resolution through musical drama. Maya Misikir reports from Adama, Ethiopia. Camera: Vinicius Assis.

Eight Afghan journalists who worked for the BBC broadcaster won a legal challenge on Monday against Britain's refusal to relocate them from Afghanistan, which they said put them at high risk of being killed by the Taliban rulers. The journalists' lawyers told London's High Court in December that the government had "betrayed the debt of gratitude" owed to them by refusing to relocate them after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021. Representatives for the government had argued... Читать дальше...

The foreign ministers of five Western powers said Tuesday they were "deeply troubled" by the Israeli government's decision to legalize nine West Bank settlements and build thousands of new units. The ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States said: "We strongly oppose these unilateral actions which will only serve to exacerbate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and undermine efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution." They underlined their backing for a "comprehensive... Читать дальше...

Air India has agreed to buy 250 jets from Airbus AIR.PA, part of a mammoth deal for 470 planes that is also expected to include 220 Boeing BA.N jets, as the airline heralds a decades-long transformation under its new owners, Tata Group. The Airbus order includes 210 A320neo narrowbody planes and 40 A350 widebody aircraft, which Air India will use to fly "ultra-long routes across the globe," Tata Chairman N Chandrasekaran said on Tuesday. The combined 470-jet order is the largest by a single airline. Читать дальше...

Australian security agencies say they have shut down a foreign interference plot by Iran. The conspiracy allegedly included individuals conducting surveillance of the home of an Iranian-Australian, who was linked to Australian protests about the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran last year. Australia Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil revealed the alleged conspiracy in a speech Tuesday at the Australian National University. She said an Iranian-Australian was targeted by perpetrators taking orders from... Читать дальше...

Brazil's federal police said on Tuesday they were carrying out new raids as part of a probe into the Jan. 8 riots in Brasilia, in which supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings. They were serving eight preventive arrest warrants and 13 search and seizure warrants ordered by the Supreme Court in five states, a statement said. The raids represent the sixth phase of an operation launched last month aimed at identifying people who participated in, funded or fostered the riots... Читать дальше...

Taliban security forces in Afghanistan have raided an Islamic State “hideout” in the capital, Kabul, and killed several members of the militant group, according to officials. The Monday night counterterrorism action came a week after Saudi Arabia evacuated all its diplomats and embassy staff in the country reportedly citing security concerns. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced a few details of the raid in the Kart-e-Now residential area shortly after it was carried out. But he has since not shared new information. Читать дальше...

The African Union Commission announced Tuesday that it will be sending a 90-strong observer mission to Nigeria for this month's elections. Africa's most populous country goes to the polls on February 25, but has been plunged into crisis in the runup to the vote with dire shortages of cash and fuel. The African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) is being headed by former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, who helped broker a deal to end two years of war in northern Ethiopia and is mediating... Читать дальше...