Новости за 16.03.2023

A court in Namibia is hearing an appeal by the local branch of Russia's state-owned atomic energy agency, Rosatom, which is seeking water permits needed for uranium mining. The government of Namibia, the world’s second-biggest producer of the nuclear fuel, said last year that a mining company owned by Rosatom had failed to prove its uranium extraction method would not cause pollution. The Uranium One mining company is asking the court to set aside the decision by the Ministry of Agriculture,... Читать дальше...

One of the Islamic State terror group’s most dangerous affiliates has its sights set on the West and could launch an attack before the year is out, according to a top U.S. military official. Despite sporadic skirmishes between Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban and Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate, known as IS-Khorasan or ISIS-K, the terror group is closer to taking its fight beyond Afghanistan’s borders, U.S. Central Command’s General Michael Kurilla told lawmakers on Thursday. "They can do external... Читать дальше...

Plumes of smoke and tear gas spilled into the Dakar sky Thursday as police clashed with opposition protesters. It marked the third day of unrest in Senegal’s capital where opposition leader Ousmane Sonko is facing trial for alleged defamation. Hundreds of protesters surrounded the car taking Sonko to the courthouse as police in riot gear encircled the area. Just before the officers dispersed the crowd with tear gas, Sonko stepped out of the vehicle to send a message. “It’s the police that are preventing me from moving. Читать дальше...

Officials say Tropical Cyclone Freddy, one of the longest lasting tropical storms on record, has killed more than 350 people in southeastern Africa and displaced tens of thousands of others before dissipating over land Wednesday. Malawi’s disaster management agency said Thursday at least 326 people died as the result of flooding and landslides generated by the storm. President Lazarus Chakwera declared a 14-day period of national mourning Wednesday, calling it a national tragedy and appealing for international support. Читать дальше...

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on March 23. Lawmakers have questions about the app’s connections to China. For VOA, Deana Mitchell reports.

Transcript: The Inside Story: Belt & Road and Beyond Episode 83 – March 16, 2023   Show Open: Unidentified Narrator: China’s influence is growing around the world.     Ammar Malik, Chinese Development Finance Expert:   The idea of the Belt and Road Initiative was to develop connectivities between China and the Global South.        Unidentified Narrator: From energy generation in Ecuador to generational education in South Africa ---    The impact of China’s investments ---    Now... Читать дальше...

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

To some people, the annual NCAA basketball tournament means betting on the outcome of the games. But that could be a problem, especially for young people, according to the National Center for Responsible Gambling.  Karina Bafradzhian has the story. Camera: Dana Preobrazhenskaya

In Mozambique, girls often drop out of school due to teen pregnancy, forced marriages, poverty, sexual violence and abuse. To help combat the problem, the U.S. Agency for International Development is providing millions of dollars over five years to promote girls' education. Adina Sualehe has this story narrated by Salem Solomon.

In a February visit to Sudan, the head of the U.N. World Food Program said 75% of the country's farmland goes unused, but with the help of investors, Sudan can go from receiving food aid to exporting food. But as Henry Wilkins reports from Khartoum, others say it’s more complicated than that.

Microsoft on Thursday trumpeted its latest plans to put artificial intelligence into the hands of more users, answering a spate of unveilings this week by its rival Google with upgrades to its own widely used office software. The company previewed a new AI "copilot" for Microsoft 365, its product suite that includes Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and Outlook emails.   Going forward, AI can offer a first draft in Microsoft's applications, speeding up content creation and freeing up workers' time... Читать дальше...

U.S. anti-foreign bribery enforcement activity perked up last year after trending down for three consecutive years, according to a new report from TRACE International. The U.S. Justice Department and the Securities Exchange Commission, the two agencies responsible for enforcing anti-foreign bribery laws, brought a total of 11 enforcement actions in 2022, up from eight in 2021, the report said. TRACE International, which helps businesses comply with anti-graft laws, defines an enforcement action... Читать дальше...

A sharp drop in illegal border crossings along the Southwest border that started in January after the Biden administration announced stricter immigration measures continued into February, the administration announced Wednesday. The data released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection paints a picture of who is attempting to enter the country at a time of intense political controversy with Republicans seeing immigration as a potent issue with voters and accusing President Biden and Homeland Security... Читать дальше...

South Korea and Japan agreed to ease tensions Thursday during a rare meeting between the country’s top leaders. The meeting in Tokyo came hours after North Korea fired a long-range missile, highlighting a security challenge faced by each country. More from VOA’s Bill Gallo in Seoul.

Two journalists in Togo who are currently in hiding have been sentenced to three years in prison for insulting public authorities, their lawyer said. The small West African state, ruled since 2005 by President Faure Gnassingbe, is often accused by rights groups of cracking down on opposition figures and the media. Ferdinand Ayite and Kokou Kouwonou, also known as Isidore Kouwonou, respectively director and editor of the biweekly publication l'Alternative, were charged in December 2021 with public... Читать дальше...

A Pakistani court on Thursday extended a pause in the effort to arrest former premier Imran Khanin a graft case, a sign of easing tension in the country's cultural capital after clashes erupted this week when police tried to detain him. The decision is a reprieve for Khan, who was due to be arrested a few hours earlier. The Lahore High Court ordered police to suspend the plan to arrest the 70-year-old opposition leader until Friday. It also asked Khan's legal team for talks to resolve the issue. Читать дальше...

Returning to the United States seven years ago, I was puzzled how the Bureau of Land Management had seemingly become involved with race politics. Then I deciphered that the hashtag #BLM had taken on a new meaning during my quarter century abroad: Black Lives Matter. I was likewise confused when newscasters recently began speaking about the IRA — the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The abbreviation had spent decades in the headlines representing the Irish Republican Army. Then, there is the personal IRA... Читать дальше...

More than 100 Thai immigration officers are expected to face bribery-linked charges in the coming weeks after allegedly helping thousands of Chinese enter Thailand illegally to set up criminal businesses.  Speaking to reporters March 9, Deputy National Police Chief General Surachet Hakparn said cases have been drawn up against the officers, including at least one with the senior rank of police general. Their files have been handed to the National Anti-Corruption Commission to bring charges on a... Читать дальше...

Dany Bill is a Cameroon native and seven-time Muay Thai world champion. He was recently in Los Angeles, raising money for his foundation in Africa, which trains young people in the sport. Genia Dulot caught up with him there.

At least one person was killed and two were injured in an explosion that caused a fire at a building belonging to the border patrol of Russia's FSB security service in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don on Thursday, local authorities said. Footage captured by Reuters showed a plume of thick black smoke billowing into the air, near residential buildings and a shopping center in a built-up district of the city. Local emergency services said an explosion had occurred, igniting a fire that spread to an area covering 880 square meters. Читать дальше...

Dutch farmers dealt a blow to Prime Minister Mark Rutte's environmental plans Wednesday, ploughing up the political landscape to win elections that will shape the upper house of parliament. Exit polls showed the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BoerBurgerBeweging, BBB), which was founded less than four years ago, riding a wave of recent protests to win the most seats in the Dutch senate. The farmers' party immediately vowed to challenge the Rutte government's plans to cut nitrogen emissions by reducing... Читать дальше...

The US Air Force released this video of two Russian Su-27 aircraft dumping fuel and colliding with a US unmanned MQ-9 drone operating in international airspace over the Black Sea on March 14, 2023.

Flights to and from Greece were grounded and ships remained docked at ports on Thursday, as Greek workers walked off the job to protest over the country's deadliest train crash on record which killed 57 people on Feb. 28. The walkout, called by Greece's largest private and public sector unions, is the latest in a series of protests since the head-on collision of a passenger train with more than 350 people on board, most of them university students, with a freight train in the central Greek region of Tempi. Читать дальше...

Credit Suisse announced Thursday that it would borrow almost $54 billion from the Swiss central bank to reinforce the group after a plunge in its share prices. The disclosure came just hours after the Swiss National Bank said capital and liquidity levels at the lender were adequate for a "systemically important bank," even as it pledged to make liquidity available if needed. In a statement, Credit Suisse said the central bank loan of up to $53.7 billion would "support... core businesses and clients,"... Читать дальше...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed optimism Wednesday about the re-establishment of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. “If this agreement actually bears out, and particularly if Iran follows through on the commitments that it’s apparently made, again, that would be positive,” Blinken said during a news conference at Addis Ababa University during a visit to Ethiopia. “From our perspective, anything that can help reduce tensions, avoid conflict, and curb in any way dangerous... Читать дальше...