Новости за 22.06.2023

Some of the Syrian refugees taken in by Spain have accomplished big things, including Adnan Almousa Alfermli. His eyes are set on winning a gold medal at the Paralympics. Miguel Amaya narrates this report from Alfonso Beato in Barcelona. Camera: Alfonso Beato.

Ali Hussain’s mother can barely speak a sentence without breaking down. Her voice is hoarse from crying. Holding back tears, she says that she recites the Quran all day, praying for her son’s miraculous return. Hussain is among the hundreds of Pakistanis missing since an overloaded fishing boat carrying up to 750 migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea on June 14. The accident near Greece could be one of the deadliest in recent history. Reports suggest the boat was carrying about 200 to 300 Pakistanis, the most from any single country.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's future in office hung in the balance on Thursday, as the country's federal electoral court (TSE) began a trial that could leave him in the political wilderness for nearly a decade.  Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist who in October narrowly lost Brazil's most fraught election in a generation, stands accused of abusing his presidential power last year when he summoned foreign diplomats to publicly vent unfounded attacks on the country's electronic voting system. Читать дальше...

Afghanistan's Taliban rejected a fresh call Thursday from the United Nations to remove what it says are "punishing restrictions" on the impoverished country's female population.     The rebuke comes a day after a meeting of the U.N. Security Council was told the restrictions block Afghan women and girls from accessing education and work and participating in public life at large.   Since regaining control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has banned girls from universities and teenage... Читать дальше...

Russia's Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a lawsuit by imprisoned opposition leader Alexey Navalny contesting prison regulations that allow prison officials to deprive him of stationery and pens.  Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court in a maximum security penal colony in Melekhovo 250 kilometers (150 miles) east of Moscow. This week, another trial against the Kremlin's archfoe began right there in the penal colony on charges of extremism. If convicted, Navalny... Читать дальше...

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday that it’s “critical” the U.S. and China maintain a relationship so they can “work together” on global challenges, coming just after President Joe Biden’s remarks calling Chinese leader Xi Jinping a “dictator” drew condemnation from Beijing. Speaking at a news conference in Paris, Yellen said that “with respect to the comments, I think President Biden and I both believe it’s critical to maintain communication ... to clear up misperceptions, miscalculations. Читать дальше...

Women make up 58% of American undergraduates, and many colleges are struggling to attract male applicants and get them to graduate on time. The gender gap is sharpest among minorities, rural communities and low-income students. Many men struggle to ask for help and believe they “do not belong” in college. Andrew Smith has more for VOA Learning English, based on reporting by Matt Krupnick of the Hechinger Report. (June 2023)

Palorinya refugee settlement in Uganda is reporting high numbers of suicides and suicide attempts by the people who live there. Organizations and individuals who work with the refugees say denial of food and a failure to meet basic needs are the main causes. Halima Athumani reports from Obongi District, Uganda. Camera: Francis Mukasa

Militance by separatist insurgents in Jammu, part of India’s Jammu and Kashmir territory, is resurfacing after a gap of 14 years, a former top military officer told VOA June 20. There have been at least six deadly attacks, resulting in the loss of 33 lives, including 10 civilians, since 2021. The first wave of militancy emerged in 1990. Deependra Singh Hooda, former general officer commanding-in-chief of the Indian army’s Northern Command said two factors contribute to the resurgence – difficulties... Читать дальше...

A tornado ripped through the northern Texas town of Matador on Wednesday, killing four people and injuring several others while damaging at least a dozen buildings, officials said. Touching down at 8 p.m. local time (0100 GMT), the "unprecedented tornado" brought high gusting and battering winds to the small community of about 600 residents, according to Lubbock Fire Rescue. The agency is one of multiple emergency crews from the region to join in search and rescue efforts. At least ten people were transported to area hospitals... Читать дальше...

Kenyan video gamers are joining forces to advocate for bringing to Africa more world-class gaming servers that provide greater stability and control. Apart from South Africa, many African countries lack servers, placing players at a disadvantage and discouraging many from joining esports. Mohammed Yusuf has more from Nairobi.

In the past few years, political tensions have derailed U.S.-Mexico cooperation in fighting the illegal trafficking of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. U.S. legislators and experts are now calling for a reset of bilateral relations. Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports. (Camera: Mino Dargakis)

Introduced in Nigeria by the U.S. Peace Corps in the 1960s, baseball is slowly becoming a sport of note, thanks to the efforts of a few dedicated enthusiasts of the game. Timothy Obiezu reports from Ekiti state.

Artificial intelligence is changing how wildlife reserves prevent poaching, with smart cameras, drones, and other technology helping rangers protect endangered species. Kate Bartlett and Zaheer Cassim report from Limpopo, South Africa. Video editor: Jason Godman.

Former Texas congressman Will Hurd, a onetime CIA officer and fierce critic of Donald Trump, announced on Thursday that he's running for president, hoping to build momentum as a more moderate alternative to the Republican primary field's early front-runner. Hurd, who made the announcement on "CBS Mornings," served three terms in the House through January 2021, becoming the chamber's only Black Republican during his final two years in office. He said in a video launching his White House bid that... Читать дальше...

The search for the missing submersible on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic neared the critical 96-hour mark Thursday when breathable air is expected to run out, reaching a vital moment in the intense effort to save the five people aboard. The Titan submersible was estimated to have about a four-day supply of breathable air when it launched Sunday morning in the North Atlantic. That puts the deadline to find and rescue the sub at roughly between 6 a.m. EDT (1000 GMT) and 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT)... Читать дальше...

Six people remained in a critical condition and one person was believed still missing on Thursday, one day after a blast ripped through a street near Paris' historic Latin Quarter, the city's public prosecution office said. "These figures may still change," prosecutor Maylis De Roeck told Reuters in a text message, adding that around 50 people had been injured in the blast, which set buildings ablaze and caused the front of one to collapse onto the street. Of two people initially believed missing... Читать дальше...

A U.S. Coast Guard ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday in a transit that China described as "public hype," after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken having wrapped up a high-profile, widely watched visit to Beijing a day earlier. The national security cutter Stratton made a "routine" Taiwan Strait transit Tuesday "through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law," the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said Thursday. The politically sensitive strait... Читать дальше...

The death toll from a riot at a women's prison in Honduras rose to 46, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday, as anxious relatives demanded information about the fate of incarcerated family members. President Xiomara Castro's office said Honduras' military police would take control of most of the country's penal system after the riot, the latest in a spate of deadly prison incidents in the country. Honduras' government also expanded a state of exception implemented in December and said... Читать дальше...

Evidence is growing about the many ways that traveling in the microgravity environment of space tampers with the human body, with new research showing how it dials down the activity of genes in white blood cells crucial to the immune system. A study involving 14 astronauts who spent 4½ to 6½ months aboard the International Space Station found that gene expression in these cells, also called leukocytes, quickly decreased when they reached space and then returned to normal not long after returning to Earth, researchers said Thursday. Читать дальше...

U.S. President Joe Biden hosts Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for talks Thursday at the White House. "The visit will strengthen our two countries’ shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and shared resolve to elevate the technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space," the White House said ahead of the meeting. In a rare move for the Indian leader, Modi and Biden are scheduled to appear at a joint news conference Thursday. Modi is also... Читать дальше...

A massive cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China killed 31 people and injured seven, Chinese authorities said Thursday. The blast tore through the establishment at around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday on a busy street in Yinchuan, the capital of the traditionally Muslim Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as people were gathering on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The festival is a national holiday devoted to eating rice dumplings and racing boats manned by teams of paddlers.

The US is not backing down on comments made by President Joe Biden likening Chinese President Xi Jinping to a dictator. The remarks, which came a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China to repair bilateral relations, drew sharp criticism from Beijing. White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.

The White House is not backing down on comments made by President Joe Biden likening Chinese President Xi Jinping to a dictator. "It should come as no surprise that the president speaks candidly about China and the differences that we have — we are certainly not alone in that," a senior administration official said in a statement sent to VOA on Wednesday. At a California fundraiser for his 2024 presidential campaign Tuesday, Biden said Xi was unaware and embarrassed over a suspected Chinese spy... Читать дальше...

People-to-people relations are a huge component of diplomacy between India and the U.S., especially in science and technology. India’s prime minister met with U.S. and Indian students at the National Science Foundation to underscore these ties. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from Alexandria, Virginia.