Новости за 28.05.2023

Nigeria’s military this month rescued three more schoolgirls abducted by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram more than nine years ago in northeastern Borno state. In that 2014 incident, Boko Haram raided a government secondary school in the town of Chibok and seized nearly three hundred schoolgirls. Many of the girls have been freed through negotiations, but scores more remain captive. From Abuja, Timothy Obiezu has this report, narrated by Vincent Makori.

Britain's health minister, Steve Barclay, said on Sunday that the government would not negotiate on pay with the nurses' union, as the threat of further strikes looms. The government's offer, which includes a one-off payment equivalent to 2% of salaries in the 2022/23 financial year and a 5% pay raise for 2023/24, was rejected by the members of the Royal College of Nursing in April. When asked by Sky News whether the government would resume talks with the union, Barclay said, "Not on the amount... Читать дальше...

Christian Jonathan's mother was holding the 9-month-old boy in her arms when she was shot dead during an attack on their village in northwestern Nigeria. The assailants cut off one of Christian's fingers and abandoned him by the side of the road with a bullet wound in his tiny leg. "They left him on the ground beside his mother's body," said Joshua Jonathan, Christian's father. "They thought the boy was dead." The late-night attack in April in Runji in Kaduna State left 33 people dead, most of them burned alive or shot dead. Читать дальше...

Fresh deadly clashes were reported Sunday in the remote northeastern Indian state of Manipur although the exact number of fatalities was not immediately clear.  Manipur has been on edge after an explosion of inter-ethnic violence this month killed at least 70 people and left tens of thousands displaced.  The state's chief minister N. Biren Singh told local media, in comments confirmed by a government official to AFP, that 40 suspected militants had died along with two police in the past two days. Читать дальше...

A meeting of a United Nations committee dedicated to eradicating plastic pollution begins in Paris Monday. Plastic piles up from ocean beds to landfills. Manufacturers have begun the shift to biodegradable materials, but the billions of tons of plastic waste already in our environment are here to stay, at least for now. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.

Republican and Democratic House leaders expressed optimism Sunday that they will get enough votes in favor of raising the debt ceiling. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has details on a deal that has in principle, been struck. Video editor: Marcus Harton.

Former U.S. Congresswoman Liz Cheney implored new college graduates to not compromise when it comes to the truth, excoriating her House Republican colleagues for not doing enough to combat former President Donald Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen. In a commencement speech at Colorado College, the Wyoming Republican repeated her fierce criticisms of Trump but steered clear of talking about his 2024 reelection campaign or her own political future. Cheney, who graduated from Colorado College in 1988... Читать дальше...

U.S. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an agreement Sunday for a deal to increase the government’s borrowing limit and are urging Congress to approve the legislation to avoid a first-ever default. However, progressive Democratic lawmakers from the party’s ideological left and right-wing Republicans immediately voiced opposition Sunday to the deal agreed to by the two leaders. Speaking from the White House Sunday evening, Biden said the deal was “good news” and urged congressional lawmakers to pass the bill. Читать дальше...

U.S. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are urging Congress to approve an increase in the government’s borrowing limit to avoid a first-ever default, but progressive Democratic lawmakers from the party’s ideological left and right-wing Republicans on Sunday immediately voiced opposition to the deal agreed to by the two leaders. Biden late Saturday said in a statement, “The agreement represents a compromise, which means not everyone gets what they want. That’s the responsibility... Читать дальше...

Good relations with China are possible even without being part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deal, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an interview published Sunday, as her government weighs abandoning the project. Italy is the only major Western country to have joined China's BRI scheme, which envisions rebuilding the old Silk Road to connect China with Asia, Europe and beyond with large infrastructure spending. In an interview with Il Messaggero daily, Meloni said it was too... Читать дальше...

China’s first domestically made passenger jet flew its maiden commercial flight Sunday, as China looks to compete with industry giants such as Boeing and Airbus in the global aircraft market. The C919 plane, built by the Commercial Aviation Corporation of China, carried about 130 passengers on the flight, according to state-owned newspaper China Daily. The jet took off Sunday morning from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and landed less than two hours later in Beijing. The flight was operated by state-owned... Читать дальше...

India’s prime minister presided over the opening of the country’s new massive and controversial parliament building in New Delhi Sunday. Many of the opposition parties refused to join in the opening ceremonies. They have criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s takeover of the ceremony and called for President Droupadi Murmu’s participation in the event. The parties said in a joint statement last week, “ ...Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President Murmu... Читать дальше...

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities and neighboring Iran said Sunday deadly clashes between their border security forces had subsided, with both sides engaging in talks to ease tensions. The skirmishes erupted in the Afghan border province of Nimroz Saturday, killing two Iranian security forces and a Taliban border guard, officials in both countries said. Both sides traded blame for the heavy exchange of cross-border gunfire, escalating Iran's tensions with Afghanistan amid a dispute over water resources. Читать дальше...

Spanish voters head to the polls on Sunday in regional and municipal elections, the results of which will serve as a barometer for an end-of-year general election. Voting is taking place in 12 regions and 8,000 towns and cities, most currently run by the governing Socialist Party (PSOE). Polls are predicting gains for the conservative People's Party (PP), which if replicated later in the year could unseat the current left-wing coalition. Voting opened at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) and will close at 8... Читать дальше...

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday defended his record on the economy and the outcome of a disputed presidential election, saying he was leaving a legacy of credible and fair votes, a day before he hands over power to his successor. Buhari first came to office in 2015 after promising to reboot the economy and end corruption and insecurity, but many Nigerians say these issues have worsened under his watch. Incoming President Bola Tinubu's victory is being challenged by his two closest opposition rivals... Читать дальше...

South African customs officials recently became suspicious when they noticed that shipments of "Made in China" children's toys were being sent, oddly, back to China. On closer inspection, the packages did not contain toys at all but were filled with poached contraband. Chinese criminal syndicates, often the very same ones that already have established smuggling routes in South Africa for illegal abalone or rhinoceros horns, have now moved on to trafficking in elephant's foot. But elephant's foot is not what you think. Читать дальше...

Along with the poaching of elephants for their ivory and rhinos for their horns, wildlife officials in South Africa are dealing with a new problem -- the trafficking of succulents, plants that don’t need much watering. Many types of succulents in South Africa's semi-arid Karoo region are now critically endangered because of a sharp rise in illegal harvesting for international markets -- with China being the main destination. Kate Bartlett reports from the Little Karoo, South Africa.

Memorial Day is a U.S. holiday dedicated to those who died while serving in America’s wars. To commemorate the day, which falls on the last Monday in May, people flock to Washington to decorate the graves of fallen military service members, attend parades and visit national monuments. VOA’s Penelope Poulou has more.

Saudi Arabia and the United States called on Sunday for the extension of a cease-fire deal that has brought some let-up in a six-week war between military factions but little humanitarian relief for civilians. There were clashes overnight in the capital Khartoum and Omdurman, an adjoining city across the Nile, residents said, while human rights monitors reported deadly fighting in El Fashir, one of the principal cities in the western region of Darfur. The conflict between Sudan's army and the... Читать дальше...

U.S. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have reached an agreement in principle on legislation to increase the nation's borrowing authority and avoid a default. Negotiators are now racing to finalize the bill's text. McCarthy said the House will vote on the legislation on Wednesday, giving the Senate time to consider it ahead of the June 5 deadline to avoid a possible default. While many details are unknown, both sides will be able to point to some victories. But some conservatives... Читать дальше...

Voters in Turkey are going to the polls Sunday to decide who will be the country's president. Sunday's vote is the second runoff vote for the presidency. Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has led Turkey for 20 years, fell just a few points short of winning the election in a first runoff poll earlier this month. The president's challenger is 74-year-old Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of a six-party alliance and leader of Turkey's center-left main opposition party. Kilicdaroglu... Читать дальше...

The United States conducted an airstrike on al-Shabab militants Friday in Somalia, according to U.S. Africa Command. The strike destroyed weapons and equipment "unlawfully taken by al-Shabab fighters," the U.S. Africa Command said Saturday. The command did not report where the weapons and equipment were stolen from. The strike against the militants, according to the command, was conducted near an African Union Transition Mission in Somalia forward operating base in Bulo Marer. The command said... Читать дальше...

Somalia's political leaders have agreed to reshape the country's political system after four days of meetings in the capital, Mogadishu. In a communique issued early Sunday, the National Consultative Council, which includes the federal leaders, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, and Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama, as well as four regional leaders and the mayor of Mogadishu, have agreed to introduce direct elections as early as next year and unify the election schedules... Читать дальше...

Iraq on Saturday presented an ambitious plan to turn itself into a regional transportation hub by developing its road and rail infrastructure, linking Europe with the Middle East. Once completed, the $17 billion project known as the "Route of Development" would span the length of the country, stretching 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from the northern border with Turkey to the Gulf in the south. Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani announced the project during a conference with transport ministry representatives from Iran... Читать дальше...

The chants of "monkey!" at the Spanish soccer stadium echoed across the Atlantic, reaching people on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. That's where Vinícius Júnior, who is Black, grew up and launched his soccer career. Now, despite his global fame and millions, he was again the target of crude European racism. His city in multiracial Brazil was sickened and has rallied to his defense. Racism in the Spanish league has intensified this season, especially after Vinícius started celebrating goals by dancing. Читать дальше...