Новости за 23.05.2023

A Nepali sherpa reached the summit of Mount Everest for a record 28th time on Tuesday, an official said, completing his second ascent in a week, as the toll in this year's climbing season reached 11. Kami Rita Sherpa, 53, reached the 8,849-meter summit by the traditional southeast ridge route, said Nepali tourism official Bigyan Koirala, following his 27th climb last week. Pioneered by the first summiteers, New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953, the route remains... Читать дальше...

Brazil declared a state of animal health emergency for 180 days in response to the country's first detection of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in wild birds, in a document signed Monday by Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro.   Infection by the H5N1 subtype of avian flu in wild birds does not trigger trade bans, based on guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health. However, a case of bird flu on a farm usually results in the entire flock being killed and can trigger trade restrictions from importing countries. Читать дальше...

Authorities in Washington detained the driver of a box truck that crashed into security barriers on Lafayette Square adjacent to the White House grounds, a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson said Monday night.  The truck was deemed safe by District of Columbia police, the Secret Service said, adding that charges would be filed by U.S. Park Police with investigative support from the Secret Service.  "There were no injuries to any Secret Service or White House personnel, and the cause and manner... Читать дальше...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Australia for an official visit. Talks with the Australian government are expected to focus on defense, trade and renewable energy.      Modi last visited Australia in 2014. Much has changed in the bilateral relationship since then. Defense and security ties have become stronger. Last year, the two nations signed an interim trade deal. Formal negotiations on a full pact are expected to begin shortly.    About 20,000 people are expected at a rally... Читать дальше...

Just after the G7 Hiroshima Summit ended, China's Cyberspace Administration of China, or CAC, issued a statement requesting that "operators of critical information infrastructures in China should stop purchasing products made by Micron Technology" due to "national security risks."   The U.S. Department of Commerce dismissed the ban issued Sunday as "unsubstantiated," while Micron, the biggest U.S. memory chipmaker, said in a written statement, "We have received CAC’s notice. … We are evaluating the conclusion and assessing our next steps. Читать дальше...

Guam's governor urged residents to stay home and warned the island could take a direct hit from Typhoon Mawar as the storm strengthened on a path toward the U.S. territory in the Pacific.  Governor Lou Leon Guerrero urged residents in a YouTube message to remain calm and prepare for Mawar, which the weather service said could hit the southern part of Guam around midday local time on Wednesday.  "We may take a direct hit," Patrick Doll, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tiyan, Guam, told The Associated Press. Читать дальше...

The United States military has confirmed conducting a new airstrike against al-Shabab militants in the Middle Juba region of southern Somalia.     The airstrike took place in Jilib town on Saturday in collaboration with the Somali federal government, according to a press statement released Monday by the U.S. Africa Command known as AFRICOM.     "The command's initial assessment is that no civilians were injured or killed," the statement said.     The AFRICOM statement did not say whether any... Читать дальше...

To attract students, colleges can lower costs or improve their academics – or they can make their colleges more fun. Schools across the U.S. have built lavish recreation centers with gym equipment, sports facilities and even designated spaces for video games. Dan Friedell of VOA Learning English has more. (May 2023)

The 15-year-old Beijing LGBT Center, one of the pioneers of the "different sexual orientation movement" in China, announced this week that it had terminated its operations without explanation. Analysts said the closure of the well-known rights center was seen as inevitable and a reflection of the increasingly repressive political environment in China under Xi Jinping. The LGBT Center released a statement on its social media accounts Monday evening, announcing that the center would cease operations... Читать дальше...

E. Jean Carroll, the columnist who won a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation award against former President Donald Trump, is seeking at least $10 million more in a new court filing Monday that seeks to hold him liable for remarks he made after the verdict. An amended lawsuit seeking the $10 million in compensatory damages — and more in punitive damages — was filed in Manhattan by lawyers for Carroll, who say remarks by Trump in response to her rape allegations so spoiled her reputation that... Читать дальше...

"The war never ends. Tomorrow it will start again," remarks a character in "Goodbye Julia," the first Sudanese film ever selected for Cannes. It explores the racism fueling decades of conflict in the country, and director Mohamed Kordofani admitted to "contradictory feelings" about walking the glitzy red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival while his fellow Sudanese are cowering from bombs. The irony is not lost on Kordofani, who did not expect his debut feature to coincide with the breakout of a new conflict in Sudan. Читать дальше...

Ray Stevenson, who played the villainous British governor in “RRR,” an Asgardian warrior in the “Thor” films, and a member of the 13th Legion in HBO’s “Rome,” has died. He was 58.   Representatives for Stevenson told The Associated Press that he died Sunday but had no other details to share Monday.   Stevenson was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, in 1964. After attending the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and years of working in British television, he made his film debut in Paul Greengrass’s 1998 film “The Theory of Flight.” In 2004... Читать дальше...

Arizona, Nevada and California said Monday they’re willing to cut back on their use of the dwindling Colorado River in exchange for money from the federal government — and to avoid forced cuts as drought threatens the key water supply for the U.S. West. The $1.2 billion plan, a potential breakthrough in a year-long stalemate, would conserve an additional 3 million acre-feet of water through 2026, when current guidelines for how the river is shared expire. About half the cuts would come by the end of 2024. Читать дальше...

Colombia’s government said Monday it is suspending a cease-fire with rebels accused of recently killing four Indigenous people — at least three of them minors — who tried to avoid forced recruitment in the south of the country. President Gustavo Petro’s administration said in a statement that the military will resume attacks on factions of the FARC-EMC group operating in the provinces of Caqueta, Putumayo, Guaviare and Meta, due to the group's lack of commitment to the cease-fire. “If a bilateral... Читать дальше...

Portuguese police have said they will resume searching for Madeleine McCann, the British toddler who disappeared in the country’s Algarve region in 2007, in the next few days. Portugal’s Judicial Police released a statement confirming local media reports that they would conduct the search at the request of the German authorities and in the presence of British officials. Early Monday, police were seen erecting tents and cordons in an area by the Arade dam, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Praia da Luz... Читать дальше...

The United Nations Children’s Fund recently said Sudan’s war has displaced at least 450,000 children from their homes, with tens of thousands fleeing into neighboring countries. Aid groups say these refugee children are being deprived of education, without which they are at higher risk for exploitation, child marriage and recruitment into armed groups. Henry Wilkins has more on the story from Borota, Chad, near the border with Sudan.

The United States is not considering lifting current sanctions on China’s defense chief, Li Shangfu, the State Department said Monday. U.S. officials had said sanctions on Li do not prevent him from conducting official meetings with his American counterparts, nor should sanctions be hurdles for military talks between Washington and Beijing. Over the weekend, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters that he would not consider easing sanctions on Chinese officials to improve relations. He later... Читать дальше...

As the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula approaches Tuesday, scores of women who have been treated for the medical condition are encouraging their peers in northern Cameroon to get help. Many sufferers of obstetric fistula — characterized by urinary and fecal incontinence — believe the disease is a curse for wrongdoing. Now former patients and aid groups are telling families fistula can be treated. The network of women who have been successfully operated on for obstetric fistula in Cameroon's... Читать дальше...

The U.S. State Department and media analysts have criticized Russia over its refusal to allow regular consular access to a U.S. journalist who has been detained in Moscow since his arrest in late March. The State Department had sought a meeting this Thursday with Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, but Moscow denied the request, the paper reported. A State Department spokesperson was cited as saying officials strongly objected to Russia’s failure to comply with its responsibilities... Читать дальше...

Some 60 delegates representing most G-20 nations arrived in Indian-administered Kashmir on Monday for a tourism meeting that drew criticism from China and Pakistan before it began. India has deployed high security for the meeting, with National Security Guards, marine commandos and Border Security Force personnel joining dedicated police units to provide security for the third G-20 Tourism Working Group Meeting in the scenic landscapes of Srinagar, Kashmir. Delegates are expected to discuss ecotourism... Читать дальше...