Новости за 21.07.2023

JERUSALEM — Israel's military said Friday it was examining the impact of a letter sent by air force reservists who threatened to stop volunteering for service if the government goes ahead with a planned judicial overhaul. Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the military was checking details of the letter that he said was initialed by more than 1,100 reservists and "accordingly, will examine the implications." The letter, published in Israeli media without listing the signatories, was the latest... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has chosen Adm. Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, a senior administration official said Friday. If confirmed, she would be the first woman to be a U.S. military service chief. Biden's decision to tap Franchetti, an admiral with broad command and executive experience, goes against the recommendation of his Pentagon chief, but he is selecting an officer whom insiders had considered the top choice for the job. Franchetti, the current vice chief of operations for the Navy... Читать дальше...

The U.S. is sending additional warships and thousands of Marines to the Middle East to increase security in the wake of Iranian attempts to seize commercial ships there.  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday approved the deployment of the USS Bataan amphibious readiness group and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Persian Gulf region, according to U.S. officials. The readiness group consists of three ships, including the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship. An expeditionary unit usually consists of about 2,500 Marines. Читать дальше...

The World Health Organization warns dengue fever is spreading to more regions and countries around the world due to the increased movement of people, urbanization, and climate-related issues. "About half of the world's population is at risk of dengue," Raman Velayudhan, a top official of the WHO's global program on the control of neglected tropical diseases, told journalists at a briefing Friday in Geneva. "Dengue affects about 129 countries. We estimate about 100 to 400 million cases are reported every year. Читать дальше...

Environmental activists and experts are increasingly concerned about the impact that military activity by India, China and Pakistan is having on the unique biodiversity and pristine ecosystems of Ladakh, an Indian-administered region high in the Himalayas. Simmering tensions between India and China since a deadly border confrontation in 2020 have led to a surge in military deployment, with both sides fortifying their positions to ensure territorial security. The influx of troops, equipment... Читать дальше...

Doctors Without Borders in Sudan warned Friday that it may end operations at a hospital in the capital, Khartoum, after 18 of its workers were “aggressively assaulted,” as conflict rages in the country. The medical aid group, commonly known by its French acronym MSF, said the team was transporting medical supplies to Turkish Hospital in southern Khartoum Thursday when unidentified armed men attacked its staff, “physically beating and whipping them,” the aid organization said in a statement. The... Читать дальше...

In its annual report this month, the state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission urged officials to pay closer attention to the tensions and violence in the Oromia region. The commission said there have been attacks in 13 of the 20 zones in the Oromia region, leading to an alarming number of casualties and an extremely concerning overall situation.  The Ethiopian government blames a rebel group, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), for the violence. But the commission said the response of government... Читать дальше...

VOA Connect Episode 288 – We take you to the village of Newtok, Alaska where climate change and the severe storms that come with it, are causing the erosion of the land, forcing the villagers to relocate. (Please note: this is the first of two episodes. The second will come next week)

A court in Malawi has ordered a Chinese national to leave the country in seven days after being found guilty of racial discrimination against children. The court had sentenced 26-year-old Lu Ke to one year in prison for selling exploitative videos of Malawian children. State lawyers say Lu Ke has since paid his victims compensation, but Malawian child rights campaigners say the punishment is not enough. The sentence comes after prosecutors amended some of the charges. Lu Ke, also known as Susu... Читать дальше...

The latest “nation’s report card” saw large declines in math and reading for 13-year-olds. Math scores, in particular, saw the biggest decline in 50 years, and fewer teens than ever say they like to read for fun. Lauren Camera summarizes the findings for U.S. News and World Report. (June 2023)

The party that won Thailand’s general election in May stands a good chance of being left out of the country’s next government when parliament meets again next week to pick a prime minister, analysts say, raising fears of a return of mass protests. “That’s where the trend is going,” Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University, told VOA on Thursday. Surprising most pundits, the youth-facing Move Forward party won a plurality in the May poll with promises of easing the royalist... Читать дальше...

The federal judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s trial on his mishandling of classified documents case has set a trial date for May 20, according to a court order on Friday. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who sits in Fort Pierce, Florida, places Trump's criminal trial less than six months ahead of the November 2024 U.S. presidential election. Trump is the current front-runner for the Republican nomination in the race. Federal prosecutors working for U.S. Special... Читать дальше...

Cambodia's Hun Sen, one of the world's longest-ruling leaders, has indicated his eldest son and anointed successor Hun Manet might take over as soon as next month in a surprise revelation just days out from a one-sided election. It had been widely expected that the U.S. and British-educated Hun Manet, 45, would take over from his father, who has ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades, but no timeframe had previously been given. "In three or four weeks, Hun Manet can become the prime minister. Читать дальше...

US lawmakers are reviewing a Biden administration proposal to renew 20-year-old agreements with three Pacific Island nations. The goal of the compacts, as they are called, is to counter China’s influence in the region. But time is running out for Congress to approve them. VOA’s Jessica Stone reports from Washington.

Syria's 11-year conflict has created chaos across the country. But one odd and unique element of that chaos is an environment where fake international brands are widespread. VOA's Zana Omer and Sirwan Kajjo have the story.

A judge in Hong Kong said Friday he will give his decision next week about a song that was popular during the \city’s 2019 anti-government protests. The government wants the pro-democracy song banned from the internet and wants access to the song restricted.    The pro-democracy song Glory to Hong Kong has been mistakenly played at international sports events instead of China’s national anthem, March of the Volunteers. Critics have warned that the song’s restriction would be yet another example of the withdrawal of freedoms in Hong Kong... Читать дальше...

Comic-Con 2023 is happening in San Diego — without large movie studios and high-profile stars. Some participants say the Hollywood actors and writers strikes are taking the event back to its comic book roots. For VOA, Genia Dulot has the story. Camera: Roy Kim

Hybrid work is here to stay, and if cities are to thrive, they must adapt to the new reality that workers will be downtown less often. That’s according to a new report that analyzes the COVID-19 pandemic’s lasting impact on office and retail space. “What has fundamentally changed is just the broad uptake and the persistence of hybridity,” says Ryan Luby, an associate partner at McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm that released the report. “And that has knock-on implications for demand for office... Читать дальше...

SYDNEY - Scientists are warning that Australia faces a scorching summer as the weather bureau is forecasting unseasonably hot and dry weather in coming months. Heatwaves are Australia’s deadliest natural hazard. They kill more people than bushfires, floods, storms and drought combined. This year, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting warmer and drier conditions between August and October. Academics warn that if the El Niño weather pattern is supercharged by climate change, then the summer could be scorching. Читать дальше...

BAGHDAD — Muslim-majority nations expressed outrage Friday at the desecration of a copy of the Quran in Sweden. Some prepared for street demonstrations following midday prayers to show their anger. In Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, protesters planned demonstrations after Swedish police permitted a protest Thursday in which an Iraqi Christian living in Stockholm kicked and stood on a Quran, Islam's holy book, outside of the Iraqi Embassy. Hours before that, demonstrators in Baghdad broke into the Swedish... Читать дальше...

DIMONA, ISRAEL — For two years, Toveet Israel and dozens of other residents of the Village of Peace have lived in fear. Dimona, a city on the edge of the nation of Israel's Negev Desert, has been her home for 24 years. Her eight children were born here and know no other country. Now, she and 44 other undocumented members of the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem face deportation. Receiving the order to leave two years ago was a "moment of disbelief" for Israel, 53. "I feel like the government... Читать дальше...

SEOUL, South Korea — So what will North Korea do about the first U.S. soldier in decades to flee into its territory? Its official media have yet to mention Pvt. Travis King, there's little precedent for his situation and guesses about the country's next steps vary widely. Unauthorized crossings across the Koreas' heavily fortified border are extremely rare. The few Americans who crossed into North Korea in the past were a few soldiers, missionaries, human rights advocates or those simply curious... Читать дальше...

Rescue workers have resumed their search in western India on Friday for survivors of a landslide in Maharashtra state. The landslide, which was triggered by torrential rains late Wednesday killed at least 16 people in Irshalwadi village in Raigad district. Officials say 75 people were rescued. Authorities say other people and bodies may be trapped under the rubble. Search and rescue operations were suspended Thursday because of heavy rains. Officials say 17 of the town’s 50 houses were buried in the landslide. Читать дальше...

BEIJING - Rescue services braced for flooding as heavier-than-expected summer storms rolled across China as forecast Friday, drenching Beijing and other major cities. Historically, China enters its peak rainy season in late July, but extreme weather has made storms more intense and unpredictable, exposing heavily built-up megacities with poor drainage to sudden floods and waterlogging. In Beijing this week, authorities have deployed more than 2,600 people to drain 87 pumping stations in advance... Читать дальше...

STOCKHOLM — A recent string of public desecrations of the Quran by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Sweden has sparked an angry reaction in Muslim countries and raised questions – including in Sweden – about why such acts are allowed. In the latest such incident, an Iraqi living in Sweden on Thursday stomped on and kicked Islam's holy book in a two-man rally outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm. The protest was authorized by Swedish police, who kept a handful of agitated counterdemonstrators at a safe distance. Читать дальше...