Новости за 01.08.2023

WASHINGTON — North Korea has offered a very brief response to the United Nations Command about a U.S. soldier who dashed across the heavily guarded border with South Korea in mid-July and was immediately taken into custody, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. However, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said that North Korea only acknowledged the U.N. Command's request for information about U.S. Army Private Travis King and did not offer detailed information about him. "I can confirm... Читать дальше...

Syrian refugees in Somalia haven't given up on their dreams to return home, as they struggle as refugees in Somalia. Abdulkadir Zubeyr has more from Mogadishu in this report narrated by Salem Solomon. Sirwan Kajjo contributed to this report. Produced by: Bakhtiyar Zamanov

WASHINGTON — Washington added more China-based companies to a blacklist Tuesday, barring their goods from entering the United States as officials seek to remove forced labor — especially involving minorities such as the Uyghur people — from supply chains. Battery maker Camel Group, along with spice and extract company Chenguang Biotech Group, are the latest to be included in the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) entity list, according to U.S. authorities. The firms were targeted over... Читать дальше...

The fallout from the new law that limits the power of the Israeli judiciary is already being felt. Thousands of Israelis say they will leave the country, thousands of reservists say they will no longer serve, and investors are losing faith in the Israeli economy. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. VOA footage by Ricki Rosen.

Efforts to help Haitians survive the gang violence ravaged their nation suffered a new blow with the kidnapping of an American nurse from New Hampshire and her young daughter, who remained missing Tuesday. Haiti’s gangs have grown in power since the July 7, 2021, assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and are now estimated to control up to 80% of the capital. Hundreds of people have been reported kidnapped since January, a significant uptick from previous years. The surge in killings, rapes and... Читать дальше...

Amazon is adding video telemedicine visits in all 50 states to a virtual clinic it launched last fall, as the e-commerce giant pushes deeper into care delivery. Amazon said Tuesday that customers can visit its virtual clinic around the clock through Amazon’s website or app. There, they can compare prices and response times before picking a telemedicine provider from several options. The clinic, which doesn’t accept insurance, launched last fall with a focus on text message-based consultations. Читать дальше...

Nigerian labor unions held meetings with the government Tuesday to discuss the removal of fuel subsidies that have led to increases in fuel prices and the threat of strikes. The meetings come a day after the president announced a $650 million financial package to assist households hurt by economic reforms.  During a televised address, President Bola Tinubu defended his decision to scrap the fuel subsidy, saying it only benefited a few so-called elites. Tinubu said he was aware of the hardships... Читать дальше...

Botswana’s parliament on Tuesday abandoned debate on a bill that if passed would decriminalize same-sex relations. In 2019, Botswana’s High Court and Court of Appeal ruled that laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relations were unconstitutional. But religious groups protested the attempt to amend the country’s laws. Minister of Justice Machana Shamukuni told parliament Tuesday that public concerns over introduction of the bill have necessitated further consultation on the matter. “I therefore... Читать дальше...

Greek authorities are planning tougher penalties for arson — with fines to be increased to 10 times the current level — following a spate of major wildfires that have already caused more damage than the 2022 annual total.  Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said details of the measures would be announced next month, but added that fines for causing fires deliberately or because of negligent behavior would match penalties introduced two years ago for the abuse of animals. Those carry a... Читать дальше...

As World Breastfeeding Week got underway Tuesday, child advocates called for the promotion of mothers’ milk as the best way to get babies off to a healthy start in life and save lives. The World Health Organization and UNICEF said exclusive breastfeeding could save the lives of more than 820,000 children under 5 years of age every year. The U.N. health agencies said they are making inroads in getting across their message about the benefits of breastfeeding, noting, “The prevalence of exclusive... Читать дальше...

Torrential rain in areas around China's capital, Beijing, killed at least 20 people and left 27 missing, the government reported Tuesday, as flooding destroyed roads, uprooted trees and knocked out power.  Thousands of people were evacuated to shelters in schools and other public buildings in suburban Beijing and in the nearby cities of Tianjin and Zhuozhou. The severity of the flooding took the Chinese capital by surprise. Beijing usually has dry summers but had a stretch of record-breaking heat this year. Читать дальше...

One Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces, Palestinian health officials said, after committing a shooting attack that wounded five Israelis outside a shopping mall in the settlement of Ma' ale Adumim in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday. Israeli emergency services said one of the five Israelis was in a serious condition. "We went into the restaurant where we saw the victim lying fully conscious with gunshot wounds to his upper body," Israeli paramedic Oren Brill said. "We provided him with... Читать дальше...

Threats to Sweden have increased after recent Quran burnings, the country's government said Tuesday, adding that it would strengthen border and internal controls and give police wider authority to stop and search people as a result.  Sweden and Denmark have seen a string of protests in recent weeks, in which copies of the Quran were burned or otherwise damaged, prompting outrage in Muslim countries and demands that the Nordic governments put a stop to the burnings.  More Quran burnings took place... Читать дальше...

The world's largest gathering of young Catholics kicked off on Tuesday in Lisbon, with hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the globe flocking to the Portuguese capital for the event's highlight, Pope Francis, who will arrive on Wednesday. Pilgrims have been arriving to attend World Youth Day over the last few days and will stay in schools, gyms, fire stations and with families, with many planning to sleep in the open before the closing Mass on the riverside Parque Tejo on Aug 6. The cross-cultural festival... Читать дальше...

More than 70 years after doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took Henrietta Lacks’ cervical cells without her knowledge, a lawyer for her descendants said they have reached a settlement with a biotechnology company they sued in 2021, accusing its leaders of reaping billions of dollars from a racist medical system. Tissue taken from the Black woman’s tumor before she died of cervical cancer became the first human cells to be successfully cloned. Reproduced infinitely ever since, HeLa cells have become a cornerstone of modern medicine... Читать дальше...

Many countries practice cultural diplomacy by funding research centers at colleges, such as Germany's Goethe Institutes or the U.K.'s British Council. But in the U.S., China's Confucius Institutes have been accused of stealing scientific research and intimidating campus critics of Beijing. A new report from the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine provides recommendations for colleges that aim to balance cultural openness with security risks. Natalie Schwartz of Higher Ed Dive summarizes the findings. Читать дальше...

There are now more golden lion tamarins bounding between branches in the Brazilian rainforest than at any time since efforts to save the species started in the 1970s, a new survey reveals. Once on the brink of extinction, with only about 200 animals in the wild, the population has rebounded to around 4,800, according to a study released Tuesday by the Brazilian science and conservation nonprofit Golden Lion Tamarin Association. "We are celebrating, but always keeping one eye on other threats... Читать дальше...

By banning opposition, shuttering independent media and persecuting political opponents, Cambodian strongman Hun Sen made the transfer of power to his son a foregone conclusion.

The commission that enforces U.S. election rules will not be regulating AI-generated deepfakes in political advertising ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Deana Mitchell has our story.

Protesters have taken to the streets as Thailand's pro-democracy coalition struggles to form a government despite winning nearly three quarters of the vote in the May general election. As Vijitra Duangdee reports from Bangkok, conservative parties are using their constitutional powers to turn the tables back in their favor. (Camera: Black Squirrel Productions)

Unknown gunmen killed two police officers in southwestern Pakistan in an attack Tuesday on polio vaccinators. The deadly shooting occurred during a national immunization campaign in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. Area police officer Asif Marwat said that health workers were administering polio doses to children in the Nawa Killi area when two men riding a motorcycle opened fire on them and fled the scene. The shooting left two police guards dead, but the polio vaccinators escaped unhurt, Marwat said. Читать дальше...

Myanmar reduced ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's 33-year prison sentence by six years in a partial pardon on Tuesday, as the junta struggles to quell bloody resistance to its rule.  The country has been ravaged by violence in the two years since Suu Kyi was deposed in a coup and hit with 19 criminal cases ranging from corruption to breaching COVID-19 rules.  There have been concerns for the 78-year-old Nobel laureate's health and the junta moved her from prison to a government building last week. Читать дальше...

France said it would start an evacuation effort Tuesday from Niger for its citizens and citizens of other European nations, nearly a week after a military junta seized power.  France's foreign ministry said in a statement the decision to carry out the evacuations was prompted by violence against the French Embassy in Niamey and the closure of Niger's airspace.  The ministry said French citizens were left unable to leave the country on their own.  Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said... Читать дальше...

Officials in Pakistan say the death toll from Sunday’s suicide bombing at a political rally in the northwestern part of the country has risen to 46. One more person died in hospital overnight.  Authorities VOA has spoken to are denying the figure of 54 deaths reported by some media.  The blast happened during a workers’ convention of a religious political party, Jamiat Ulema Islam , in the town of Khar in the tribal area of Bajaur near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.  Mourners began holding funerals Monday for the victims. Читать дальше...

Across the scenic Himalayan slopes in India, tourism is booming, bringing economic prosperity to many. But it also has brought tons of trash, prompting scores of volunteers to organize clean-up drives. Anjana Pasricha speaks to a group in the northern hill town of Dharamshala that hopes to raise awareness about preserving the environment while cleaning it up. Camera: Rakesh Kumar.