Новости за 08.04.2023

The Biden administration next week will begin testing faster asylum screenings for migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, the Department of Homeland Security said on Saturday, part of preparations for the end of COVID-19 border restrictions in May. U.S. asylum officers will conduct initial asylum screenings for a small number of migrants within days while they remain in the custody of border authorities, Homeland Security spokesperson Marsha Espinosa said. The interviews will... Читать дальше...

At least 74 people were killed in Nigeria's Benue state in two attacks by gunmen this week, local officials and police said on Saturday, the latest clashes in an area where violence between pastoralists and farmers is common. Violence has increased in recent years as population growth leads to an expansion of the area dedicated to farming, leaving less land available for open grazing by nomads' cattle herds. Benue State police spokesperson Catherine Anene said 28 bodies were recovered at a camp... Читать дальше...

World Athletics on Saturday released details of a new event, the marathon race walk mixed relay, to be staged at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.  It takes the place of the men's 50km race walk, which first appeared at the 1932 Olympics, but which has been scrapped in the pursuit of gender equality.  The new mixed relay will feature 25 teams, each comprising one male and one female athlete, who will alternate to complete the marathon distance (42.195km) in four legs.  "This format is designed to be innovative... Читать дальше...

Younger Americans – millennials and adults in Generation Z – are more engaged in addressing climate change on- and offline, according to a 2021 Pew Research poll. Compared with older adults, Gen Zers and millennials are talking more about the need for action on climate change, including discussing and sharing information on social media platforms and by volunteering and attending rallies and protests on climate change, Pew found. Colleges and universities in the U.S. are taking note of students'... Читать дальше...

South Africa's justice minister has expressed shock after a court in the United Arab Emirates refused to extradite two brothers from the wealthy Gupta family. The Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola said he was dismayed to learn this week that a United Arab Emirates court held an extradition hearing for Atul and Rajesh Gupta in February. The court denied Pretoria’s request, but South Africa was only informed now.  The Indian-born siblings were close friends of former President Jacob Zuma and are... Читать дальше...

In a further attempt to rein in increasing numbers of women defying the compulsory dress code, Iranian authorities are installing cameras in public places and thoroughfares to identify and penalize unveiled women, the police announced on Saturday. After they have been identified, violators will receive “warning text messages as to the consequences”, police said in a statement. The move is aimed at “preventing resistance against the hijab law,” said the statement, carried by the judiciary’s Mizan news agency and other state media... Читать дальше...

China said Saturday it has begun three days of military exercises near Taiwan, a move widely viewed as a retaliatory measure for the Taiwanese president’s recent meeting in California with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.   In a statement, the Chinese military said the combat readiness patrols and “Joint Sword” exercises around Taiwan had begun as planned, adding it was a “serious warning to the Taiwan independence separatist forces’ and external forces’ collusion and provocation.” “The operations... Читать дальше...

In the midst of the long Easter weekend, the airport in Argentina’s capital is eerily quiet before dawn, hours before it will fill with travelers. About 100 people who sleep inside the facility are getting ready to start their day.  One of them is Ángel Gómez, who has been living in the Jorge Newbery International Airport for two years and has seen how the number of people joining him has soared.  “After the pandemic, this became a total invasion,” Gómez said early Thursday as he sat next to a sign advertising the Perito Moreno glacier... Читать дальше...

Last month, French journalist Olivier Dubois, who was held hostage in Mali for over a year, was finally released, but foreign and local journalists working in the Sahel tell VOA that press freedoms continue to be eroded in the region, making it more dangerous for those reporters who are still working. In the past decade, five journalists have been killed and six have gone missing in the Sahel, a vast, semiarid region of western and north-central Africa that stretches along the Sahara desert's southern rim from Senegal to Eritrea. Читать дальше...

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted unanimously to challenge China's status as a developing nation, a classification made by organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations that gives the world's second-largest economy special treatment for trade and low-interest loans. Young Kim, a Republican congresswoman from Southern California who introduced the bill, told lawmakers before the vote that China accounted for 18.6% of the global economy. "Their economy size is second only to that of the United States. Читать дальше...

Dust off your eclipse glasses: It's only a year until a total solar eclipse sweeps across North America.  On April 8, 2024, the moon will cast its shadow across a stretch of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, plunging millions of people into midday darkness.  It's been less than six years since a total solar eclipse cut across the U.S., from coast to coast. That was on August 21, 2017.  If you miss next year's spectacle, you'll have to wait 20 years until the next one hits the U.S. But that total... Читать дальше...

In an episode that fuses simmering conflicts in the United States over race, gun control, and the country’s deep political divide, Republican legislators in Tennessee have come under widespread criticism following a vote Thursday to expel two Democratic members from the state’s House of Representatives. The expulsion votes came just days after the two lawmakers, Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, interrupted a House session to demand that lawmakers implement stronger gun control laws. Читать дальше...

Here are some of the Native American-related news stories that made headlines this week: Veterans Affairs to drop health care copayments for Native American vets Native Americans and Alaska Natives who have served in the armed forces will no longer have to make copayments for health care and emergency care received through Veterans Affairs. “American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans deserve access to world-class health care for their courageous service to our nation,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a press release Monday. Читать дальше...

Editor's note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.  Immigration system problems linger Ten years ago this month, Senator Chuck Schumer declared, “We all know that our immigration system is broken, and it’s time to get to work on fixing it.” Senator John McCain quoted Winston Churchill. But it was Lindsey Graham who offered the boldest prediction. “I think 2013 is the year... Читать дальше...

Former President Donald Trump was arraigned on 34 felony charges earlier this week, accused of falsifying New York business records to conceal his role in paying hush money to an adult film actress before the 2016 election. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara looks at how the unprecedented charges could inject fresh uncertainties into the 2024 presidential race.

A British Iranian man who has been on a hunger strike outside the British Foreign Ministry building in London for 44 days says he is ready to continue his protest for 100 days. Vahid Beheshti told Forbes that he is preparing to more than double the length of his strike, despite not knowing "how long my physical body can cooperate with me." Beheshti is on a hunger strike to pressure the British government to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the country's list of terrorist organizations. Читать дальше...

North Korea conducted another test of a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone, state media said on Saturday, the latest in a show of force against the U.S. and South Korea. The country tested another kind of a nuclear-capable unmanned underwater attack weapon called Haeil-2, more than a week after it disclosed a new underwater drone system dubbed Haeil-1, which translates to tsunami in Korean, designed to make sneak attacks in enemy waters. Analysts said North Korea was displaying its diverse... Читать дальше...

The Manhattan district attorney's indictment of Donald Trump on 34 felony charges and the prospect of more charges to come have injected more uncertainty into the November 2024 race for the White House. Trump, who has declared himself a candidate for next year's Republican presidential nomination, was formally charged this week with falsifying New York business records to conceal his role in paying hush money to an adult film actress before the 2016 election. He is also facing potential charges in at least three other cases. Читать дальше...

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced Friday that his government has banned people from carrying weapons on the streets of Mogadishu, the country's capital. "We impose a strict ban on carrying guns in the streets of Mogadishu. One cannot justify having machine guns mounted on vehicles and rocket propelled grenades in the streets, for protection from a hiding al-Shabab militant armed with a pistol," the president said. The president announced the ban during a Friday prayers sermon held... Читать дальше...

Nigeria has deployed security forces to a village in central Benue state where state police say suspected herders killed 10 people this week. But Nigerian media report dozens were killed, citing a local community leader. Herders and farmers frequently clash over land rights for grazing. Benue State Police Commissioner Wale Abbas, told VOA by phone on Friday that a joint security team patrolled the Umogidi village in Otukpo district of the state to restore calm. He said heavily armed men invaded... Читать дальше...

Changes in air patterns as the world warms will likely push more and nastier hurricanes up against the United States' East and Gulf coasts, especially in Florida, a new study said. While other studies have projected how human-caused climate change will probably alter the frequency, strength and moisture of tropical storms, the study in Friday's journal Science Advances focuses on where hurricanes are going. It's all about projected changes in steering currents, said study lead author Karthik Balaguru... Читать дальше...

The killing of Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo earlier this year brought into focus the threats media face. VOA's Jackson Mvunganyi and Salem Solomon have the story.

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is "better than he was," his friend Fedele Confalonieri said on Friday after visiting him in hospital, where he is being treated for a lung infection caused by chronic leukemia. The 86-year-old billionaire media tycoon was rushed to Milan's San Raffaele hospital on Wednesday, triggering speculation that his life might be in danger and drawing a stream of family and friends to his bedside. His doctors said on Thursday that had been suffering from... Читать дальше...