Новости за 16.02.2023

The death toll from last week’s earthquakes that hit parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria has reached more than 41,000, and aid groups say humanitarian assistance into affected areas of Syria has been slow. With more than 5,800 deaths from the 7.5-magnitude quake in Syria alone, there are many factors impeding the delivery of aid to those in need there. Northwest Syria, the region of the country affected the most by the earthquakes, is largely under the control of anti-government opposition forces. Читать дальше...

China’s commerce ministry announced Thursday that it was imposing sanctions on two U.S. defense companies for selling arms to Taiwan, banning them from moving goods into China or making any new investments in the nation. The action was taken a little more than a week after China promised “countermeasures” in response to the U.S military shoot-down of what's believed to have been a spy balloon that flew over the much of the U.S. In a statement, China’s commerce ministry said Lockheed Martin Corp. Читать дальше...

A top U.S. law enforcement official on Thursday unveiled a new "disruptive technology strike force" tasked with safeguarding American technology from foreign adversaries and other national security threats. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, the No. 2 U.S. Justice Department official, made the announcement at a speech in London at Chatham House. The initiative, Monaco said, will be a joint effort between her department and the U.S. Commerce Department, with a goal of blocking adversaries from... Читать дальше...

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday removed from its argument calendar a Republican bid to keep in place a COVID-19 pandemic-related policy that has allowed American officials to quickly expel hundreds of thousands of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.  The Justice Department had said in a court filing that the case would become moot when the policy, known as Title 42, expired as a result of the government's announcement that the COVID-19 public health emergency would end effective May 11.  The... Читать дальше...

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has extended by 60 days the deadline for older currency notes to remain legal tender following violent protests over a shortage of cash. During a nationally televised address early Thursday, Buhari said the 200-naira note would be allowed back into circulation until April 10. The deadline was not extended for the old 500- and 1,000-naira notes. Buhari said the decision followed consideration of the impact of the currency transition on citizens. "I'm addressing... Читать дальше...

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

Every spring in Washington, the Japanese cherry trees bloom bright pink and white; however, the U.S. National Park Service has announced that one of the indicator trees, which usually blooms two weeks before the others, is already budding even though it’s still winter. Gifted by the mayor in Tokyo in 1912 as a demonstration of the strong relations with the United States, the cherry blossoms are a popular attraction. Most of the trees are around the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial. The... Читать дальше...

A South African court this week seized a superyacht and two properties of Equatorial Guinea's vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue. The property is expected to be auctioned to pay a South African businessman who sued him for wrongful arrest and torture after an airline deal went wrong. The vice president is also the son and presumed successor Equatorial Guinea’s president, Teodoro Obiang, who rules the country with an iron fist.  South African businessman Daniel Janse van Rensburg says... Читать дальше...

Imagine if your dog or cat could use words to let you know when they’re angry, lonely or in pain. Well now they can, thanks to an innovative communication tool that’s helping them express themselves more effectively. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. Camera: Adam Greenbaum            Produced by: Julie Taboh, Adam Greenbaum

Cameroon's military has released about 30 youths it detained as suspected rebels after a protest by several hundred women, including mothers of those detained.  The women from the Southwestern town of Ekona also accused Cameroon's military of committing abuses in the region, which it denies.  In a video posted on social media, several hundred women celebrated on the streets of Buea Wednesday after Cameroon’s military released 30 young men, most of them students. The military said the youths were... Читать дальше...

Dozens of journalists and rights activists protested in the Tunisian capital on Thursday, accusing the state of "repression" and attempts to intimidate the media. The protest, organized by the SNJT journalists' union, came three days after police arrested Noureddine Boutar, the director of popular private radio station Mosaique FM. The station has often been critical of President Kais Saied, who in 2021 sacked the government, froze parliament and seized almost total power in moves that rivals have called a coup. Читать дальше...

Avian flu has reached new corners of the globe and become endemic for the first time in some wild birds that transmit the virus to poultry, according to veterinarians and disease experts, who warn it is now a year-round problem. Reuters spoke to more than 20 experts and farmers on four continents who said the prevalence of the virus in the wild signals that record outbreaks will not abate soon on poultry farms, ramping up threats to the world's food supply. They warned that farmers must view the disease as a serious risk all year... Читать дальше...

Police use of automated data analysis to prevent crime in some German states was unconstitutional, a top German court said on Thursday, ruling in favor of critics of software provided by the CIA-backed Palantir Technologies PLTR.N. Provisions regulating the use of the technology in Hesse and Hamburg violate the right to informational self-determination, a statement from the constitutional court said. Hesse has been given a Sept. 30 deadline to rewrite its provisions, while legislation in Hamburg ... Читать дальше...

The resignation of a pope should not become the norm within the Catholic Church, and that prospect is not "on my agenda", Pope Francis said in an interview published Thursday. Francis acknowledged writing a resignation letter two months after becoming pope in 2013 in case of future health problems that would prevent him from carrying out his work. "However, this does not at all mean that resigning popes should become, let’s say, a 'fashion', a normal thing," said Francis, 86, in an interview in the magazine Civilta Cattolica. Читать дальше...

The UK is working on a new arrangement with Greece through which the Parthenon Sculptures could be seen both in London and in Athens, British Museum chair George Osborne said on Thursday, describing it as a win-win situation. Osborne, a former finance minister, reiterated that the museum was having constructive talks with the Greek government about the marbles which have been a source of dispute between the two European countries for centuries. "It's a very hard problem to solve," Osborne told BBC Radio. Читать дальше...

Several dozen Lebanese protesters attacked banks in a Beirut neighborhood on Thursday, while blocking roads protesting against informal restrictions on cash withdrawals in place for years and rapidly deteriorating economic conditions. At least six banks had been targeted as the Lebanese pound hit a new record low on Thursday, a spokesperson for Depositors Outcry, a lobby representing depositors with money stuck in the country's banking sector, said. A bank in the Badaro neighborhood smouldered as firefighters sprayed water... Читать дальше...

Extra military surveillance aircraft and ships have been sent to Australia's northern waters to boost border protection efforts. The move comes amid warnings from the conservative opposition that government changes this week to refugee visas could see a resumption in people-smuggling activities. Since 2013, the Australian navy has been towing or turning away migrant boats trying to reach Australian waters under the government’s Operation Sovereign Borders. The military component of the effort is called Operation Resolute. Читать дальше...

Caribbean leaders meet Thursday for the second of three days of talks in the Bahamas with a focus on the situation in Haiti, as well as regional health, food security, climate, trade and security issues.  As the meeting of CARICOM leaders opened Wednesday, Secretary-General Carla Barnett reiterated the preference for finding a Haiti-led solution to the country’s challenges.  “Even as progress is being made on some fronts, CARICOM and indeed the wider international community continue to struggle to help Haiti resolve its multifaceted crises... Читать дальше...

Hundreds of discontented Chinese retirees protested on Wednesday because of cuts to their monthly medical allowances that are part of reforms to a complex public health care system strained by three years of pandemic-related expenses.  Social media posts show demonstrations erupted simultaneously in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people where the coronavirus was first identified in humans in late 2019, and Dalian in the northeast on Wednesday morning. In both cities, the protesters sang "The Internationale," the Marxist anthem. Читать дальше...

The United States said Wednesday its assessment aligns with a United Nations report concluding that the new de facto head of the al-Qaida terror group, Saif al-Adel, is based in Iran.  “When it comes to his presence there, offering safe haven to al-Qaida is just another example of Iran’s wide-ranging support for terrorism, its destabilizing activities in the Middle East and beyond,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters during a daily briefing.  The U.N. based its report on member state intelligence... Читать дальше...

The FBI searched the University of Delaware in recent weeks for classified documents as part of its investigation into the potential mishandling of sensitive government records by President Joe Biden. The search, first reported by CNN, was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The person would not say whether anything was found. The university is Biden's alma mater. In 2011, Biden... Читать дальше...

The confirmation of more bird flu cases in South America raised alarm bells in Brazil, which remains free of contagion even after its close neighbors Argentina and Uruguay confirmed cases there on Wednesday.  In a press conference to discuss the global sanitary hazard, Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro said Brazil, the world's biggest chicken exporter, would bolster measures to prevent outbreaks as the virus continued to spread.  Until now, bird flu cases had been detected in commercial farms in Bolivia... Читать дальше...

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is running for US president. As VOA’s chief national correspondent Steve Herman reports from Washington, Haley is the first prominent Republican to formally oppose former President Donald Trump, whom she served as U.N. ambassador. Cameras: Phillip Datcher, Anne-Marie Fendrick

For the past year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has waged a struggle against what he sees as a left-wing bias in educational institutions in the United States. This week, he escalated the conflict, suggesting he might block popular Advanced Placement (AP) courses from being offered in Florida high schools. The remarks came just a few days after the nonprofit College Board, which sets the curricula for the dozens of AP courses offered across the country, criticized DeSantis and his administration... Читать дальше...

The Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday said the United States Treasury Department will exhaust its ability to pay its bills sometime between July and September unless the current $31.4 trillion cap on borrowing is raised or suspended. In a report issued alongside its annual budget outlook, the nonpartisan budget office, also known as the CBO, cautioned that a historic federal debt default could occur before July if revenues flowing into the Treasury in April — when most Americans typically submit annual income tax filings ... Читать дальше...