Новости за 19.06.2023

France has banned an upcoming Iranian opposition rally over the risk of an attack, according to a letter sent to the organizers and seen by Reuters, after the release of an Iranian diplomat convicted of masterminding a plot to bomb the group in 2018.  The ban comes as Western powers seek to defuse tensions with Iran and a few weeks after Tehran released several Europeans from prison, including two French nationals. French President Emmanuel Macron held a 90-minute call with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on June 10. Читать дальше...

As the world mark Sickle Cell Day on Monday, Nigeria accounts for about 33% of the 300,000 children diagnosed every year with the disease. The World Health Organization and Nigeria's Health Ministry say 25% of the country's total population are carriers of mutant genes that give rise to the genetic disorder. In 2011, Nigeria's Health Ministry initiated mandatory screening for newborns to help detect the condition early, but many Nigerian hospitals have yet to comply with the directive. Anna Ochigbo... Читать дальше...

The Islamic extremists drove up to the American missionary's home in Niger under the cover of evening, gunning down two guards who stood watch. Jeff Woodke recalls seeing the muzzle blasts and hearing the screams before being thrown into a pickup truck that then sped away. So began more than six years of captivity, a period in which he says he was beaten, locked in chains for hours a day and pressured repeatedly to convert to Islam and endured self-imposed hunger strikes. "It was hell," said Woodke, 62, who was released in March. Читать дальше...

A new film charts the response of the large Iranian community in Los Angeles to the brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran. As Henry Ridgwell reports from Paris, Iranian communities across the world are coming together to try the help their countrymen and women back home. Camera: Vahid Karami

Three Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) soldiers were killed, and more than 10 others injured when their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device Sunday in coastal Lamu County. The incident comes a few days after eight KDF soldiers were killed in a similar attack in Garissa County in Kenya’s northeast. Security officials in Kenya suspect that al-Shabab militants were behind the IED attack Sunday along the Pandaguo route, near the vast Boni forest. The KDF soldiers had been sent to rescue police... Читать дальше...

The international community pledged $1.5 billion Monday toward tackling the massive humanitarian crisis in Sudan, as fighting between forces led by rival generals has only been punctuated by brief truces and no political solution appears close at hand. “The scale and speed of Sudan’s descent into death and destruction is unprecedented,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the conference. “Without strong international support, Sudan could quickly become a locus of lawlessness, radiating... Читать дальше...

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

Members of the United Nations adopted the first-ever treaty to protect marine life in the high seas on Monday, with the U.N.'s chief hailing the historic agreement as giving the ocean "a fighting chance." Delegates from the 193 member nations burst into applause and then stood up in a sustained standing ovation when Singapore's ambassador on ocean issues, Rena Lee, who presided over the negotiations, banged her gavel after hearing no objections to the treaty's approval. The treaty to protect... Читать дальше...

A global aid agency warned Monday that a large-scale plague of locusts is ravaging northern Afghanistan and could destroy 1.2 million metric tons of wheat, almost one-quarter of the country's annual harvest. "The escalating situation threatens to plunge millions of people into worsening levels of hunger," the nongovernmental aid group Save the Children said in a statement. The locust outbreak comes as funding shortfalls have cut off food aid for 8 million people in Afghanistan in the past two months, the group said. Читать дальше...

Malawi is emerging victorious in its battle against the deadliest cholera outbreak in the country's history, which has killed nearly 2,000 people since its onset in March of last year. Health authorities say the country has seen a steady decline in the death rate, with no new cases or hospitalizations for the past two weeks. A cholera report, which Malawi's health ministry released Sunday, shows that the outbreak has been fully controlled in 21 districts. These include Chitipa, Dowa, Kasungu, Likoma... Читать дальше...

Nine Egyptians have made their first court appearance in Greece to face smuggling charges in connection with one of the worst shipwrecks off the Greek coast in recent years. The incident has sparked fierce debate and criticism against the Greek Coast Guard and whether it could have prevented the vessel, which was full of migrants, from sinking. Amid tight security and a police escort, the nine suspects were whisked to a courthouse to face smuggling and murder charges in a closed-door hearing in the Greek city of Kalamata. Читать дальше...

A submarine on a tourism expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic has gone missing off the coast of southeastern Canada, according to the private company that operates the vessel. OceanGate Expeditions said in a brief statement on Monday that it was "mobilizing all options" to rescue those on board the vessel. It was not immediately clear how many people were missing. The U.S. Coast Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Media reports said the Coast Guard has launched search-and-rescue operations. Читать дальше...

Ugandan police say they have arrested 20 suspected collaborators of the rebel Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, who killed 42 people in a school Friday night. Addressing journalists at the Naguru Police Headquarters in Kampala, police spokesperson Fred Enanga revealed security personnel had arrested 20 suspected collaborators of the Allied Democratic Forces rebels. The ADF are militants with ties to the Islamic State group. This comes as Uganda’s armed forces continue to pursue the rebels in... Читать дальше...

The Keystone Education Group, based in Oslo, Norway, surveyed 23,800 prospective international students representing more than 195 countries and found that students are evolving in the way they approach decisions about study abroad. (June 2023) Several highlights from the group’s 2023 State of Student Recruitment Report conducted from January-April 2023 include: A growing number of students are researching study abroad options less than six months before applying. Three-quarters of students... Читать дальше...

Indian Eagle magazine takes a look at the U.S. student visa interview process, offering tips and success strategies. Among them: organize your documents, be honest and concise, and demonstrate strong ties to your home country. Also: don't be nervous or defensive, and don't memorize responses. Read the full story here. (June 2023)

Women on the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe are finding creative ways to make a living and protect the environment. Oscar Medeiros spoke to some of them in this story narrated by Barbara Santos.

June 21 marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere – in Seattle, Washington, the summer solstice was celebrated this past weekend with the annual Fremont Solstice Parade. Natasha Mozgovaya has more.

A Somali woman announced her candidacy for mayor of St. Louis Park, a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. If elected, she would become the first Muslim and Somali mayor in the state. Mohamud Mascadde has this story from Minneapolis, narrated by Salem Solomon.

Even the clergy are not immune from Britain's cost-of-living crisis, which has now forced Church of England vicars to make a formal pay claim for the first time in their nearly 500-year history.    The trade union Unite, which represents more than 2,000 clergy and lay officers in the Church of England, said on Monday it has demanded a 9.5% increase in the stipend that clergy receive, to be paid from April 2024.    "The Church of England has billions in the bank and can fully afford to pay its... Читать дальше...

The Israeli military killed five Palestinians and wounded 91 others on Monday as it deployed helicopter gunships in a raid on a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jenin. The violence marked a rare use of Israeli airpower in the Israeli-occupied territory. The Israeli military said seven members of its paramilitary border police and the army suffered light and moderate wounds during 10 hours of fighting. The Israeli military said its troops came under fire during an arrest raid in Jenin, the... Читать дальше...

On Sunday, Uganda began burying the victims of a brutal attack on a school. The assailants are suspected of belonging to the Allied Democratic Forces – militants with ties to the Islamic State group. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said in a statement that their attack was “criminal, desperate, terrorist and futile.” Most of the victims were students at Lhubiriha Secondar School, close to Uganda’s border with Congo. Forty-two people were killed.  Eight people were wounded, but one of them has now died. Читать дальше...

Pakistan said Monday that it has arrested 12 people suspected of being traffickers in connection with the migrant boat that capsized last week off the coast of Greece. Pakistan has only confirmed that 12 Pakistanis lost their lives when a fishing trawler reported to be carrying about 750 men, women, and children capsized in the Mediterranean five days after leaving Libya for Italy. Pakistani media said Sunday that nearly 300 Pakistanis died in the incident. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif... Читать дальше...

Historic legislation to approve a referendum to recognize First Nations people in the Australian constitution by establishing a powerful advisory body was approved by the federal parliament Monday. The reform passed the Senate, the upper chamber of parliament, by 52 votes to 19. It had previously been passed by lawmakers in the lower chamber. There is no mention of Australia’s original inhabitants in the 1901 constitution, the founding document of the former British colony. That could change later this year when a referendum is held. Читать дальше...

More than 1 million people have been dropped from Medicaid in the past couple months as some states moved swiftly to halt health care coverage following the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Most got dropped for not filling out paperwork. Though the eligibility review is required by the federal government, President Joe Biden's administration isn't pleased at how efficiently some states are accomplishing the task. "Pushing through things and rushing it will lead to eligible people — kids and families ... Читать дальше...

Authorities in northern Mexico said Sunday they have destroyed 14 homemade armored cars of the kind used by drug cartels to fight land battles. The vehicles are usually adapted from commercial trucks, with steel plate armor welded on. Known in Mexico as "monstruos," or "Monsters," some of the vehicles junked were truly monstrous. Many had thick steel ramming prows welded to the front. Others had firing ports and gun turrets. At least one was painted in green camouflage to resemble a Mexican army vehicle. Читать дальше...