Новости за 26.03.2023

Keep an eye to the sky this week for a chance to see a planetary hangout. Five planets — Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars — will line up near the moon. Where and when can you see them? The best day to catch the whole group is Tuesday. You'll want to look to the western horizon right after sunset, said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke. The planets will stretch from the horizon line to around halfway up the night sky. But don't be late: Mercury and Jupiter will quickly dip below the horizon around half an hour after sunset. Читать дальше...

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

Powerful tornadoes tore through mostly rural parts of the American South, killing dozens over the weekend. Search and rescue efforts are under way as tens of thousands of people are without power or running water. President Joe Biden declared the region a "disaster area,” clearing the way for federal aid in support of recovery efforts. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.

A small group of female activists staged a protest rally in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Sunday, demanding that Taliban authorities reopen schools and universities for girls nationwide. Protesters marched through the city's western Pol-e Sokhta neighborhood before being forcefully dispersed by Taliban security forces. Around 25 women and girls attended the demonstration, carrying placards and chanting slogans "freedom, work, education," "wise mother strong nation," and "education is our right,” organizers said. Читать дальше...

Sudan's leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said on Sunday that the country's army will be brought under the leadership of a new civilian government. Speaking before a session for security and army reforms in Khartoum Burhan said his country will build a military force that will not intervene in politics and will be trusted by the Sudanese people in building a modern and democratic state. More than a year after the military took power in a coup, the military and its former civilian partners... Читать дальше...

Berlin votes on Sunday on making the city climate neutral by 2030, in a binding referendum that will force the new conservative local government to invest heavily in renewable energy, building efficiency and public transportation. Climate campaigners gathered over 260,000 signatures in support of the referendum, which will make Berlin one of few major European cities with a legally binding goal to become carbon neutral in seven years. The European Union last year started a scheme to help 100... Читать дальше...

Tens of thousands of Israelis poured into the streets of cities across the country Sunday night in a spontaneous outburst of anger after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly fired his defense minister for challenging the Israeli leader's judicial overhaul plan. Protesters in Tel Aviv blocked a main highway and lit large bonfires, while police scuffled with protesters who gathered outside Netanyahu's private home in Jerusalem. The unrest deepened a monthslong crisis over Netanyahu's plan to overhaul the judiciary... Читать дальше...

U.S. President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration early Sunday for four Mississippi counties following the powerful tornadoes that swept through them Friday that leveled buildings and killed at least 26 people, including one in Alabama. The Mississippi counties included in the declaration are Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe and Sharkey. The towns of Rolling Fork and Silver City were especially hard hit by the twisters. The declaration frees money to help people in the recovery process and includes both grants and loans. Читать дальше...

A former Formula One champion has been fined nearly $1 million in damages for racist and homophobic remarks about Lewis Hamilton, the sport’s only Black driver. Nelson Piquet, 70, a three-time Formula One champion, used a Brazilian racial and homophobic slur in a 2021 television interview about a crash, involving Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who is in a relationship with Piquet’s daughter. Piquet’s comments went viral, and he has since apologized. World champion Hamilton called for “archaic... Читать дальше...

Renewed interest comes as states scramble for alternatives to lethal injection after pharmaceutical companies barred use of their drugs

A controversy over John Paul II's legacy looks set to spur some undecided voters in Polish elections due by November, political analysts say, as allegations that the late pope concealed child abuse deepen rifts in the predominantly Catholic country. Claims in a new book and TV documentary that the late pope, born Karol Wojtyla, knowingly hid clerical pedophilia scandals as archbishop of Krakow have led some Poles to demand that his legacy be reassessed. This has provoked a furious response from religious conservatives... Читать дальше...

Honduras said on Saturday it was ending its decades-long diplomatic relations with Taiwan, bringing it closer to China as it expands its footprint in Central America. "The government of Honduras recognizes the existence of just one China," the Honduran foreign ministry said in a post on Twitter. "The government of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China." The ministry said Honduras had notified Taiwan of its decision to break ties, and that it would not return to... Читать дальше...

Asylum-seekers warned by police that they could be sent back continued to walk into Canada through the unofficial United States border crossing into Quebec at Roxham Road a day after the two countries amended a 20-year-old asylum pact trying to stem the influx.  On Saturday afternoon, as snow began to fall at Roxham Road, a Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson said officials had just begun to process asylum-seekers apprehended under the new protocol and had sent one back to the U.S.  ... Читать дальше...

The family of a South African held hostage by jihadis in Mali for more than five years launched a fresh appeal for his release Saturday, just days after a French journalist was freed.  Gerco van Deventer, 47, was kidnapped in Libya on November 3, 2017, on his way to a power plant construction site about 1,000 kilometers south of the capital, Tripoli.  Three Turkish engineers seized at the same time were freed seven months later, but Van Deventer remained in captivity and was moved to Mali.  ... Читать дальше...