Новости за 14.07.2023

Sudanese activists are calling for an investigation into reports of rape, sexual assault and other gender-based violence during the fighting in Sudan. Activists say they have credible information that members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, have been carrying out such abuses in Khartoum and the West Darfur region. Sudan's Gender-Based Violence Unit has documented nearly 90 cases of sexual assault and rapes of women and girls since fighting began three months ago between the paramilitary RSF and the Sudanese armed forces. Читать дальше...

A barter of Iranian natural gas for Iraqi oil as described by the Iraqi prime minister this week would likely violate U.S. sanctions on Tehran unless the U.S. issued a waiver permitting it, three former U.S. officials said on Thursday.  Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Tuesday said Iraq would begin trading crude oil for Iranian gas to end recurring payment delays to Tehran due to required U.S. approval for such transactions.  Sudani said Iran had cut gas exports to Iraq by more... Читать дальше...

Countries at this year's U.N. climate summit must face up to how far behind they are on climate change targets and agree to a plan to get on track, the United Arab Emirates' incoming president of the event said on Thursday.  In a speech laying out the country's plan for the COP28 summit, to be held in Dubai in November, Sultan al-Jaber said the event should also yield international goals to triple renewable energy as well as double energy savings and hydrogen production by 2030.  "We must be... Читать дальше...

Nigerian authorities have declared a national emergency on food security as record inflation has made basic foods unaffordable for many and has pushed up malnutrition rates. Food prices jumped after Nigeria controversially removed a long-held, costly fuel subsidy. Officials say they will use those funds instead for the agricultural sector and to provide fertilizers and grains to farmers and households struggling with high prices. President Bola Tinubu's adviser on special duties, communication and strategy... Читать дальше...

We follow performing artists with disabilities who foster acceptance, adaptation and are thriving in their professions.

Ryan J. Haddad, an actor and playwright, uses his platform to shed light on living with a disability, pushing boundaries to make theater inclusive and accessible for everyone. Reporter | Camera: Aaron Fedor, Producer | Photography: Kathleen McLaughlin

This week we get a glimpse of Urban Wildlife in the heart of Washington DC. Camera | Producer | Editor: Jeff Swicord

Driven by her passion for entertainment, Sandy Benton didn't let her disability hinder her from pursuing her dreams, taking the stage as a stand-up comic a few days a week. Producer: Marsha James, Camera | Editor: Philip Alexiou

Health care providers in Zimbabwe are leaving the country in droves for better work abroad. The government is scrambling to fill the gaps by better equipping hospitals, as Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare, Zimbabwe.

Pakistan reiterated a call for Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities Friday to rein in “terrorists” plotting assaults across their shared border after insurgents killed at least 12 Pakistani soldiers this week.      “Such attacks are intolerable and would elicit an effective response from the security forces of Pakistan,” a military statement said without elaborating. “The involvement of Afghan nationals in acts of terrorism in Pakistan is another important concern that needs to be addressed.”   ... Читать дальше...

The U.S. national team, like most of the rest of the field, faces a long flight to the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Already seasoned travelers, the American players have strategies for wiling away the time. And they'll certainly need those tactics: The flight to New Zealand, where they'll spend the group stage of the tournament, is 12 hours. Midfielder Andi Sullivan plans on napping, while defender Emily Fox intends to keep with a soccer theme and finally watch "Ted Lasso." Midfielder Andi Sullivan plans on napping. Читать дальше...

Pakistan held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for what will be its largest civil nuclear power plant — constructed by China — that will contribute 1,200 megawatts of electricity daily to the national grid and is estimated to cost at least $3.5 billion. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and senior Chinese officials attended the televised event in the central city of Chashma, dubbed the birthplace of China-Pakistan nuclear energy cooperation. Over the past 30 years, Beijing has installed four nuclear power generation units in Chashma... Читать дальше...

For international students, getting to and through a U.S. college or university is only part of the challenge. The students face additional hurdles once they graduate, says Idaho Ed News. It talks about those challenges, and some of the students facing them, here. (June 2023)

Suspected al-Shabab militants killed two police officers and a teacher early Friday morning in an attack on the Wargadud police camp in the Mandera South area, in Kenya's northeast, Kenyan authorities say. The militants also carjacked a police vehicle and destroyed two communications towers. Security officials declined VOA's request for a comment. However, Mandera South Member of Parliament Abdul Haro confirmed the incident. "I can confirm last night there was a terror attack in my constituency... Читать дальше...

In the heart of Gaza City lies a neighborhood that has historically been inhabited by ethnic Kurds. Despite their assimilation into Palestinian culture, Gazans of Kurdish descent remain proud of their ancestral heritage. VOA’s Sirwan Kajjo has the story. Camera: Ola Almadhoun

An Indian rocket hurtled into space Friday to land a robotic rover on an unexplored area of the moon – a challenging feat India was unable to accomplish on a mission four years ago.    Only three countries, the U.S., China and Russia, have made what is called a “soft” or “controlled” landing on the lunar surface. If the Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO, is successful this time, some observers say the mission will establish India’s position as one of the world’s leading space powers.... Читать дальше...

Leading global health agencies report consumers who limit their intake of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are at little risk of getting cancer. “The occasional level of exposure, which is far from the acceptable daily intake, is safe and is not producing appreciable health risk,” said Francesco Branca, World Health Organization director, department of nutrition and food safety. “The problem is for high consumers and the problem is for situations where consumption is shifting towards high consumers,” he said. Читать дальше...

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiners' office says Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of the iconic musician Elvis Presley, died earlier this year as a result of “a small bowel obstruction.”   Presley, who was also a musician, died January 12th, just two days after she attended the Golden Globes where she saw Austin Butler take home the Best Actor award for his portrayal of her father in the film Elvis. The obstruction that Presley had “is a known long-term complication” of bariatric weight loss surgery... Читать дальше...

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong held talks Thursday with the Chinese Communist Party's foreign affairs director, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the East Asia Foreign Ministers summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.   Australia has urged China to continue to ease restrictions on Australian commodities imposed during the height of diplomatic frictions between the two countries. China has started to allow imports of Australian coal and timber, but tariffs remain on other products, including wine and lobsters. Читать дальше...

India is set to launch a spacecraft to the moon Friday. If successful, it would make India only the fourth country to do so, after the U.S., the Soviet Union, and China. It will take the $75 million Chandrayaan-3 over a month to reach the moon's south pole  in August. The south pole is a special place of interest because scientists believe water is present there. Chandrayaan-3's equipment includes a lander to deploy a rover. Chandrayaan-3 means "moon craft" in Sanskrit.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the guest of honor at this year's Bastille Day celebration Friday in Paris. Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron will watch the spectacle together as French and Indian soldiers march down the Champs Elysee. French-manufactured Rafale fighter jets that India purchased a few years ago will also participate in a flyover of the Arc de Triomphe. Modi's guest of honor status in the annual event marking France's national holiday comes after India's recent... Читать дальше...

China's attempt to strike peace between Israelis and Palestinians is likely to fail but could create an image that U.S. influence in the region is waning, experts said, even as Beijing is optimistic it could resurrect talks that have been stalled for nearly a decade. China brokered a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March that restored diplomatic ties that were severed in 2016. Now Beijing is trying to replicate the achievement with Israel and the Palestinians, whose U.S.-brokered negotiations have been frozen since 2014. Читать дальше...

Exiled Hong Kong democracy activists say an intensified new campaign authorities launched this month to silence those overseas could have a chilling effect going forward. It is also forcing those in exile, they say, to consider additional precautions as security risks increase for themselves and their families still in Hong Kong. A little more than a week ago, Hong Kong authorities issued arrest warrants and offered a bounty of 1 million Hong Kong dollars – about $128,000 – apiece for eight prominent activists overseas. Читать дальше...

South Africa’s Constitutional Court has ruled that former President Jacob Zuma’s early release from prison because of claimed medical conditions was unlawful.   In 2021, Zuma was released from prison less than eight weeks after beginning a 15-month sentence for contempt of court. That came after he refused to testify in an anti-corruption inquiry conducted while he was in office.   Zuma’s medical parole was granted by the prison service, led by Arthur Fraser, an ally of the former president.... Читать дальше...

China’s official internet regulators are tightening control over unofficial grassroots online activities by blacklisting people who stoke hot social issues to gain followers and holding some platforms responsible for the authenticity of information in their posts. The target group, so-called self-media, are social media accounts that publish news and information but are not government-run or state-approved. Most of the content released by self-media avoids politically sensitive information. The Central Cyberspace Administration of China... Читать дальше...