Новости за 29.05.2023

Since the start of the year, at least six rhinos have been poached in Etosha National Park, home to the highest concentration of black rhinos in the world. Last week, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism kicked off the annual dehorning campaign with a goal of removing the horns of 600 rhinos in the next 12 months. Increased incidents of poaching — which recently led to several arrests — have prompted Namibian authorities to embark on a mixed approach to deter would-be poachers from targeting black rhinos. Читать дальше...

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Monday he would welcome a resumption of diplomatic relations with Egypt, during a meeting with Oman's visiting Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. Ties between Tehran and Cairo soured following the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and Egypt's recognition of Israel, the Islamic republic's sworn enemy. Khamenei said that the Omani leader had told him that Egypt would be willing to resume relations. "We welcome the Omani Sultan's statement about Egypt's willingness... Читать дальше...

Sudan's warring sides agreed Monday to extend a shaky cease-fire in their battle for control of the country, after two key international mediators signaled impatience with persistent truce violations.  The five-day extension of the cease-fire between Sudan's military and its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, was announced in a joint statement late Monday by Saudi Arabia and the United States.  "The extension will provide time for further humanitarian assistance, restoration of essential services... Читать дальше...

Two jailed female Iranian journalists, who helped break the story of the case of a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody last September, have gone on trial in Iran. Elaheh Mohammadi, with the Ham Mihan newspaper, published a story about Mahsa Amini's funeral.  Her trial began Monday behind closed doors in a Revolutionary Court. Her lawyer, Shahab Mirlohi, told Ham Mihan that despite attending the hearing on Monday, there was a one-hour delay, and the lawyers were not given a chance to... Читать дальше...

Saudi Arabia said it executed two Bahraini men on Monday after being convicted of belonging to a militant group wanting to destabilize the two Mideast kingdoms. Amnesty International and other rights groups have criticized their trial as being grossly unfair. The Saudi Interior Ministry's announcement, carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, identified the men as Jaafar Sultan and Sadeq Thamer. The Saudi statement said that the Specialized Criminal Court convicted the two men of belonging... Читать дальше...

Poland imposed sanctions Monday on 365 Belarusian citizens and froze the financial assets of 20 entities and 16 other people associated with the Russian capital in reaction to what it condemned as a "draconian" verdict against a journalist. Under the sanctions announced by Poland's interior ministry, the 365 Belarusians will be barred from entering the Schengen area, an area of visa-free travel in Europe. The group includes lawmakers, judges, prosecutors, members of state media, athletes and people working for state enterprises. Читать дальше...

A United Nations committee met in Paris Monday to work on what is intended to be a landmark treaty to bring an end to global plastic pollution, but there is little agreement yet on what the outcome should be.  The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for Plastics is charged with developing the first international, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. This is the second of five meetings due to take place to complete the negotiations by the end of 2024. Читать дальше...

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won Sunday's presidential runoff, giving him a third term in power. His victory comes despite an ailing economy and criticism over the handling of devastating earthquakes. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

In Malawi, hundreds of people who were forcibly relocated to the country's only refugee camp are complaining of poor conditions with no food, clean water or shelter. The U.N.’s refugee agency and the World Food Program say they cannot cater to the needs of those at the highly congested camp because of funding shortfalls. Malawi’s government recently started to forcefully relocate about 8,000 refugees or asylum seekers who were residing in areas outside the Dzaleka refugee camp. The action followed... Читать дальше...

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

A Libyan court Monday sentenced 23 convicted Islamic State group militants to death for launching deadly attacks that killed dozens of people, including Egyptian Coptic Christians. The appeals court in the western city of Misrata also sentenced 14 other militants to life in prison who were convicted on the same charges, which include destruction of police facilities and public property. The court sentenced nine defendants to between three and 12 years in prison. It acquitted five suspects. The court did not elaborate on further details. Читать дальше...

China’s burgeoning space program plans to place astronauts on the moon before 2030 and expand the country's orbiting space station, officials said Monday. Monday’s announcement comes against the backdrop of a rivalry with the U.S. for reaching new milestones in outer space, reflecting their competition for influence on global events. That has conjured up memories of the space race between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s, although American spending, supply chains and... Читать дальше...

Bangladesh should not bear the burden of more than 1 million Rohingya refugees alone while the agencies of the United Nations are facing challenges to feed them, an official of the United Nations said Monday. Olivier De Schutter, a U.N. special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, made the statement after ending a 12-day trip to Bangladesh, where he visited camps sheltering the refugees from Myanmar. He said the response from the international community to support the refugees against... Читать дальше...

As the U.N. calls for more participation of women globally in peace and security efforts, West African women are playing a more prominent role in the region's military effort to stop extremism. U.S.-led training is helping to bring more women to the front lines to win hearts and minds in terrorist hot spots. Henry Wilkins reports. Camera: Senanu Tord, Henry Wilkins.

In South Africa, a legal battle is being waged over people who live in shacks in the center of Cape Town. City officials are reasonably confident they will win an order to tear down 300 shacks erected on pavements, under bridges and even at historic landmarks. But human rights groups say it’s far from a done deal. Vicky Stark reports from Cape Town.

A men’s knitting group in New York City is unraveling gender stereotypes by stitching in public, joining the multitudes of knitters who find the hobby calming as well as creative. Nina Vishneva has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Natalia Latukhina, Vladimir Badikov

Monday marks the 155th observation of Memorial Day in the United States as the nation honors those who have lost their lives in service to the country.  Recognized annually on the last Monday in May, this year the holiday falls on May 29.  President Joe Biden will mark the day at Arlington National Cemetery, where about 400,000 people — veterans and their eligible dependents — are buried.  He will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and deliver an address. "As a nation, we undertake a sacred ritual... Читать дальше...

Spain’s prime minister called early general elections on Monday after unsatisfactory results in regional and local elections Sunday. Speaking on national television, Pedro Sanchez said he would dissolve parliament and Spain would hold snap elections on July 23.  “I have taken this decision given the results of the elections held yesterday,” Sanchez said, speaking from the Moncloa presidential palace. "Although yesterday's elections had a local and regional scope, the meaning of the vote conveys a message that goes beyond that. Читать дальше...

Zimbabwe officials hope vaccinations will tame a cholera outbreak as citizens continue to drink unsafe water. As Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare, authorities are urging people to practice good hygiene to contain the waterborne disease. Camera: Blessing Chigwenhembe

Gay activists in Uganda are calling for a repeal of the Anti-Homosexuality Act signed into law Monday by President Yoweri Museveni. With members of Uganda’s LGBTQ community in shock, critics say the law, which allows life imprisonment and the death penalty in some cases, is draconian and the world’s harshest. The new law calls for up to 20 years in prison for promoting homosexuality and life imprisonment for anyone convicted of homosexuality.  The law also imposes the death penalty for what it... Читать дальше...

At least three people died and one person is missing after a 16-meter tourist boat capsized and sank on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy Sunday evening.  Divers backed by a helicopter continued to search for the missing person.  An air ambulance, several emergency vehicles, and firefighters, as well as the Coast Guard and the police were involved in the rescue and search.     The National Fire and Rescue Service said 20 people managed to swim ashore or were rescued by other boats, and five of... Читать дальше...

Japan says North Korea’s plan to launch a satellite into orbit within the next two weeks would be a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions over the North’s previous missile tests.    Pyongyang notified the Japanese coast guard Monday that it plans to launch the satellite sometime between May 31 and June 11.  The notification comes just weeks after North Korea’s state-run media said leader Kim Jong Un has approved final preparations for the launch.  North Korea would have to send a satellite... Читать дальше...

For those seeking to live in the most sustainable way, there now is an afterlife too. A Dutch intrepid inventor is now "growing" coffins by putting mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms, together with hemp fiber in a special mold that, in a week, turns into what could basically be compared to the looks of an unpainted Egyptian sarcophagus. And while traditional wooden coffins come from trees that can take decades to grow and years to break down in the soil, the mushroom versions biodegrades... Читать дальше...

U.S. lawmakers are examining the details of an agreement to increase the country’s borrowing limit ahead of votes expected in the coming days, as both President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy urge them to approve it.  The proposal includes waiving the debt ceiling until January 2025 and a two-year budget deal that keeps federal spending flat in 2024 and increases it by 1% in 2025.  Among the other pieces of the compromise package are reducing some funding to hire new Internal Revenue Service agents... Читать дальше...

Seventy years ago, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Tenzing Norgay Sherpa became the first humans to summit Everest on May 29, 1953.     The British expedition made the two men household names around the world and changed mountaineering forever.    Hundreds now climb the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak every year, fueling concerns of overcrowding and pollution on the mountain.     AFP looks at the evolution of the Everest phenomenon.    What is the mountain called?  Initially known only to British mapmakers as Peak XV... Читать дальше...