Новости за 31.07.2023

The European Union and the United States have called for the military junta that seized power in Niger last week to halt their coup and return President Mohamed Bazoum to office.   European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday expressed support for actions by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which Sunday imposed sanctions on the coup leaders and gave them a one-week deadline to cede power or face measures including "the use of force."   Borrell said in a... Читать дальше...

A dazzling array of celestial events is in store for stargazers in August: two supermoons, a rare blue moon, and a once-in-a-year meteor shower. Those turning their eyes to the heavens will not have to wait long for the first nighttime showing. On August 1, the full moon will rise in the southeast.  When Tuesday’s moon is at its fullest, it will also be making its closest pass to Earth in its orbit, known as perigee. This will make the moon appear about 8% larger than a typical full moon and... Читать дальше...

President Joe Biden will travel to Arizona, New Mexico and Utah next week and is expected to talk about his administration's efforts to combat climate change as the region endures a brutally hot summer with soaring temperatures, the White House said Monday. Biden is expected to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act, America's most significant response to climate change, and the push toward more clean energy manufacturing. The act aims to spur clean energy on a scale that will bend the arc of U.S. Читать дальше...

Shawn Steik and his wife were forced from a long-term motel room onto the streets of Anchorage after their rent shot up to $800 a month. Now they live in a tent encampment by a train depot, and as an Alaska winter looms, they are growing desperate and fearful of what lies ahead.  A proposal last week by Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson to buy one-way plane tickets out of Alaska's biggest city for its homeless residents gave Steik a much-needed glimmer of hope. He would move to the relative warmth of Seattle. Читать дальше...

The National Institutes of Health is beginning a handful of studies to test possible treatments for long COVID, an anxiously awaited step in U.S. efforts against the mysterious condition that afflicts millions. Monday's announcement from the NIH's $1.15 billion RECOVER project comes amid frustration from patients who've struggled for months or even years with sometimes-disabling health problems — with no proven treatments and only a smattering of rigorous studies to test potential ones. "This... Читать дальше...

Chinese factory activity contracted in July as export orders shrank, a survey showed Monday, adding to pressure on the ruling Communist Party to reverse an economic slowdown.  A purchasing managers' index issued by the national statistics agency and an industry group improved to 49.3 from June's 49 on a 100-point scale but was below the 50-point level that shows activity contracting.  "China's manufacturing PMI remained in contraction, albeit a softer pace, as the drag from the external sector deepened," Erin Xin of HSBC said in a report. Читать дальше...

The dangers for journalists in Haiti have escalated in recent months, with killings, abductions, and attacks among the most pressing threats. In the latest incident, the independent broadcaster Radio Antarctique was burned down in an apparent gang attack. About 50 men armed with assault-style rifles attacked the town of Liancourt, about 110 kilometers from the capital, Port-au-Prince, in the early hours of July 23 and burned down the station along with dozens of houses, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists... Читать дальше...

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also the military's commander-in-chief, appointed a new head of the armed force overseeing the nation's conventional and nuclear missiles, Monday, one day before the anniversary of the People's Liberation Army. Wang Houbin, former deputy commander of the navy, was named the new head of the PLA Rocket Force, and Xu Xisheng, its new political commissar, with both men acquiring the top rank of general, according to state media. Until his move to the PLA Rocket Force... Читать дальше...

Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian whose character Pee-wee Herman became a cultural phenomenon through films and TV shows, has died. Reubens died Sunday night after a six-year struggle with cancer that he did not make public, his publicist said in a statement. "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years," Reubens said in a statement released with the announcement of his death. "I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. Читать дальше...

Cameroon's separatist conflict, now in its sixth year, has left thousands of people dead while an estimated 2 million survivors struggle with emotional wounds. In Bafoussam, the capital of Cameroon's West Region, a trauma healing center is overwhelmed with requests for help. Anne Nzouankeu has the story, narrated by Moki Edwin Kindzeka.

It takes just a fraction of a second to suffer a pretty serious burn. Asphalt and concrete in direct sunlight can often reach surface temperatures as high as 82 Celsius (180 Fahrenheit) on the hottest days, said Dr. Kevin Foster, who directs the Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix. Forecasters predict another heat wave in Phoenix this week after the U.S. National Weather Service declared the city had sweltered under high temperatures above 43°C (115°F) for 30 consecutive days in July. Across Europe... Читать дальше...

A group of Sudanese rights and professional bodies has accused both warring parties in Sudan of committing atrocities that could be prosecuted as war crimes and crimes against humanity. In a petition addressed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the coalition called for an investigation by the International Criminal Court.  More than 30 Sudanese rights groups and professional entities are accusing both the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of committing... Читать дальше...

Afghanistan and Pakistan have reported a very small number of polio infections in their region this year, fueling expectations the neighboring countries could be just months away from interrupting the endemic transmission of the crippling virus. Pakistani authorities have reported a three-year-old child with paralytic polio, the only case in the country in the first seven months of 2023 compared to 20 cases last year. Afghan health officials have confirmed five cases of polio paralysis in children... Читать дальше...

Yvonne Spann Sowers and her daughter Eyamba Sowers Scott say their thirst for lifelong learning brought them back to the classroom after fulfilling careers in public service. "I still felt like I needed to learn some more," said Spann Sowers. They chose to become "non-traditional learners," and despite age, self-doubt and medical issues, both succeeded. Read the whole story from Mary Walrath-Holdridge in USA Today. (July 2023)

Myanmar's military-controlled government has extended the state of emergency it imposed when the army seized power from an elected government over two years ago, state-run media said Monday, forcing a further delay in elections it promised when it took over.  MRTV television said the National Defense and Security Council met Monday in the capital, Naypyitaw, and extended the state of emergency for another six months starting Tuesday because time is needed to prepare for the elections. The NDSC is nominally a constitutional government body... Читать дальше...

Greece’s prime minister said Monday that his government wants to take full advantage of a developing positive political climate with neighboring Turkey to improve bilateral relations despite a string of decades-old disputes. But Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that doesn’t mean Turkey has “substantially changed” its stance on key differences between the two countries and needs to “decisively abandon its aggressive and unlawful conduct” against Greece’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Читать дальше...

Multi-platinum alt-pop trio Echosmith have released their brand new self-titled album, “Echosmith” featuring summer bop and current radio single “Sour.”

In Beijing's western suburbs, cars were swept away on Monday as relentless rain since the weekend transformed roads into rivers, killing at least two and trapping hundreds, despite an overnight evacuation of tens of thousands from their homes. Hundreds of roads have become flooded in China's capital, with videos posted by state media showing half-submerged vehicles in Mentougou district pulled along by fast-moving torrents as the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri dumped record rainfall on the city of nearly 22 million. Читать дальше...

Smoking rates are falling, and lives are being saved as more countries implement policies and control measures to curb the global tobacco epidemic, according to a World Health Organization report issued Monday that rates country progress in tobacco control.  New data show that the adoption of the WHO’s package of six tobacco control measures 15 years ago has protected millions of people from the harmful effects of tobacco use. The measures, which were launched in 2008, call on governments to monitor tobacco use and prevention policies... Читать дальше...

Debutants Zambia claimed their first ever victory at the Women's World Cup with a 3-1 win over Costa Rica at Waikato Stadium on Monday, although both teams were already out of contention for the knockout stage. Zambia, whose first two games ended in 5-0 hammerings, finished third in Group C, with Japan top after their 4-0 thrashing of Spain. Costa Rica finished bottom and did not pick up a point in their three matches. Defender Lushomo Mweemba scored the fastest goal of the tournament so far... Читать дальше...

The European Union and the United States have called for the military junta that seized power in Niger last week to halt their coup and return President Mohamed Bazoum to office.  European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday expressed support for actions by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which Sunday imposed sanctions on the coup leaders and gave them a one-week deadline to cede power or face measures including "the use of force."  Borrell said in a... Читать дальше...

Fourteen members of the U.S. Congress have written to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations expressing concerns over reports of an alleged violent crackdown by the Bangladesh government on opposition parties and other dissidents ahead of general elections likely taking place in January. In their letter to Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the congressmen and women called for the deployment of U.N. peacekeeping forces during the next general election in Bangladesh to ensure free and fair polls. Читать дальше...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a stern warning to Niger’s military junta that took over the government. China angered over new U.S. multimillion-dollar military aid package for Taiwan, and the steady decline in what was once a giant broadcasting platform across America.

The Teamsters said on Sunday that the union was served a notice that Yellow Corp. is ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy.  "Yellow has historically proven that it could not manage itself despite billions of dollars in worker concessions and hundreds of millions in bailout funding from the federal government," Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.  Yellow did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment.  Earlier in the day, The Wall Street... Читать дальше...

The United Arab Emirates announced plans on Sunday to establish judicial bodies to prosecute money laundering and financial crime following increased monitoring by a global watchdog dedicated to battling illicit cash flows.   The official WAM news agency reported that the UAE has approved a "proposal to establish federal prosecution entities specialized in economic crimes and money laundering."  It said the move "represents a first step towards investigating and cracking down on" shady financial transactions. Читать дальше...