Новости за 14.03.2023

Somali officials are warning the federal and regional governments of Somalia not to underestimate the strength of militant groups al-Shabab and Islamic State as authorities plan new military operations against them. Despite recent successes in dislodging al-Shabab from vast countryside areas in central Somalia, the militant group hit back, setting off deadly explosions and raiding military bases and installations, killing dozens. In the latest attack Tuesday, an al-Shabab suicide car bomb targeted... Читать дальше...

Police in Pakistan attempted to arrest former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday but were blocked by hundreds of his supporters outside his residence in the eastern city of Lahore.  In major cities later in the day, supporters of Khan's opposition Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party protested the possible arrest of their leader.  The 70-year-old politician has been facing dozens of court cases, including sedition, terrorism and corruption charges, since a parliamentary vote of no-confidence toppled his government last April. Читать дальше...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces what analysts say is his biggest electoral challenge in May elections by a man many have dubbed the Turkish “Gandhi.” Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

Hit by tropical storms and hurricanes over recent years, including 2017's deadly Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico is looking for ways to combat the impact of climate change. A community in a mountainous region of the island has taken matters into its own hands, creating Puerto Rico's first solar town. Salomé Ramírez reports.

The U.S. military says a Russian fighter jet collided Tuesday with a U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drone operating within international airspace over the Black Sea, causing the drone to crash. A U.S. military official told VOA the unmanned U.S. MQ-9 has not yet been recovered. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the United States is summoning the Russian ambassador over the incident. "We are engaging directly with the Russians, again at senior levels, to convey our strong objections to this unsafe... Читать дальше...

A surprise government shakeup by South Sudan's President Salva Kiir this month has raised new concerns about the country's stability. The opposition in Juba's transitional unity government has called on the president to reverse the moves or risk the country's fragile peace. Vice President Riek Machar says if Kiir does not heed the demand, his "options are open." When Kiir made changes to the Cabinet, just over a week ago, most South Sudanese just took it as one of the many decrees from the head of state usually read out on state television. Читать дальше...

Pakistan recorded the second largest increase in terrorism-related deaths worldwide in 2022, with the toll rising significantly to 643, a 120% rise from the 292 deaths the previous year, a new report said Tuesday. The year saw Pakistan overtake Afghanistan as the country with the most terrorist attacks and deaths in South Asia, a position held by the latter since 2017, said the annual Global Terrorism Index (GTI), released by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). Burkina Faso had the largest number of deaths globally... Читать дальше...

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

Senior Mexican and U.S. officials have spoken ahead of a meeting in April on tackling drugs and weapons trafficking, the two governments said on Tuesday, even as Mexico sought to argue it is not a production hub for synthetic opioid fentanyl. Officials are set to meet in Washington to discuss the so-called Bicentennial Framework, which will address the production of synthetic drugs, particularly fentanyl, and weapons smuggling. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mexican Foreign Minister... Читать дальше...

According to recent studies, working four days a week instead of five can improve people's overall wellness. The challenge, however, is whether businesses can maintain the same level of productivity in shorter periods of time. VOA's Veronica Balderas Iglesias spoke with those who have experimented with the formula.

Feroza Amiri is a teacher who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. She and her son started a new life in Northborough, Massachusetts, where she now works at a high school as a teacher’s assistant. Roshan Noorzai has the story. Camera and video editing by Hoshang Fahim.

Poorer countries are increasingly losing health care workers to wealthier ones as the latter seek to shore up their own staff losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes through active recruitment, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.  The trend for nurses and other staff to leave parts of Africa or Southeast Asia for better opportunities in wealthier countries in the Middle East or Europe was already under way before the pandemic but has accelerated since, the U.N. health agency said, as global competition heats up. Читать дальше...

The increase in U.S. consumer prices eased again in February, the Labor Department reported Tuesday, dropping to 6% over the last year, the slowest annualized jump since September 2021.  The favorable data, however, leaves open the question of what policymakers at the Federal Reserve might do about the central bank’s benchmark interest rate when they meet next week and consider inflation, as well as the collapse of three banks in recent days.  With inflation easing, analysts have been predicting the Fed could increase the interest rate... Читать дальше...

Nevada lawmakers are considering a remarkable shift in allowing the water agency that manages the Colorado River supply for Las Vegas to limit single-family residential use in the desert city and surrounding county. It's another potential step in a decades-long effort to ensure one of the driest metropolitan areas in the U.S. has enough water. Already, in Las Vegas ornamental lawns are banned, new swimming pools have a size limit and the water used inside homes is recycled. While some agencies... Читать дальше...

Illegal fishing is a multibillion-dollar global industry closely linked to organized crime. The trade will pose a greater threat to security as climate change warms the world’s oceans, according to a report from Britain’s Royal United Services Institute. Henry Ridgwell has more from London.

A so-called space environmentalist is working to make the public more aware about space debris by tracking its movement in real time on a website. He says we need to think about space as an ecosystem. Deana Mitchell has the story.

Lebanon’s currency fell to a new low Tuesday, with parallel market rates hitting 100,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar. While the official rate is set at 15,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar, private money exchangers said the black-market rate used in most transactions in the country had reached 100,000 pounds to a dollar. The currency has been sinking since an economic crisis erupted in Lebanon in 2019, one that the World Bank has called one of the world’s worst since the mid-19th century. The currency plummet... Читать дальше...

Lahore in Pakistan jumped more than 10 places to become the city with the worst air in the world in 2022, according to an annual global survey by a Swiss maker of air purifiers. The report published on Tuesday by IQAir also said that Chad in central Africa had replaced Bangladesh as the country with the most polluted air last year. IQAir measures air quality levels based on the concentration of lung-damaging airborne particles known as PM2.5. Its annual survey is widely cited by researchers and government organizations. Читать дальше...

Sudan has said it will host Russia’s first navy base in Africa, despite opposition from the West, as soon as the country completes a transition from military to civilian rule. But while some Sudanese support the business that a base would bring, local tribal leaders are opposed to a foreign military presence. Henry Wilkins reports from Port Sudan, Sudan.

Weather officials in Mozambique are urging evacuations and bracing for heavy rain after Cyclone Freddy killed at least ten people there and scores more in neighboring Malawi.  The deputy director of Mozambique’s National Institute of Meteorology, Mussa Mustafa, told VOA Tuesday they’re appealing to people in risky areas to evacuate. He said although Cyclone Freddy has weakened to a low-pressure system in neighboring Malawi, more rains are expected in Mozambique’s north and west in the next two days. Читать дальше...

The Indian government has opposed the recognition of same sex marriage in response to petitions filed in the Supreme Court seeking their legalization, but petitioners and gay rights activists remain hopeful of eventually securing the milestone right for the gay community.      Calling it a matter of “seminal importance” the court set up a five-judge panel on Monday to hear final arguments starting April 18th.     The government led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has told the... Читать дальше...

China says it will resume issuing visas of all types and reopen its borders to foreign tourists Wednesday, ending the three-year ban imposed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.  The government said Tuesday that visa-free entry will resume for such destinations as Hainan Island, as well as cruise ships entering the central port city of Shanghai, neither of which had any visa requirements before the pandemic. Foreigners who were issued visas before March 28, 2020, when Beijing closed its borders to most overseas visitors... Читать дальше...

North Korea conducted a ballistic missile launch Tuesday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a flurry of North Korean weapons tests and condemnations over U.S.-South Korea joint military drills that began this week.  The North fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast between 7:41 a.m. and 7:51 a.m. local time, according to an alert from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It offered no further details, including the type and exact range of the missiles. Читать дальше...

Micronesia's president accused China of “political warfare” in a letter to other national leaders and discussed switching diplomatic allegiance from China to Taiwan in exchange for $50 million. President David Panuelo said China had been using nefarious tactics, including spying and offering bribes, to ensure that if it goes to war with Taiwan, Micronesia would be aligned with China rather than the United States, or would at least abstain from taking sides. Panuelo sent the 13-page letter dated March 9... Читать дальше...