Новости за 03.08.2023

Hundreds of migrants are outside of the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan in New York City. The hotel operates as the migrant processing center for city shelters. But the shelters are full and migrants are sleeping on sidewalks as they wait for help. Evgeny Maslov has the story narrated by Anna Rice.

The U.S. military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, in what would be an unprecedented action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, four American officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. The U.S. didn't even take the step during the so-called “Tanker War,” which culminated with the U.S. Navy and Iran fighting a one-day naval battle in 1988 that was the Navy's largest since World War II.  While officials offered few details of the plan... Читать дальше...

South Korea is scrambling to support an outdoor youth gathering taking place at a reclaimed tidal flat amid scorching August temperatures, as hundreds were treated for heat-related symptoms in the event’s first couple of days. The 25th World Scout Jamboree opened on Tuesday, hosting about 43,000 people from 158 countries, mostly Scouts ages 14 to 18, according to organizers. The quadrennial event is taking place at the Saemangeum Delta at Buan County along Korea’s southwest coast, where observers note conditions can be punishing... Читать дальше...

A Syrian national accused of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes during the early stages of the Syrian Civil War has been arrested in Germany, prosecutors announced Thursday. The federal prosecutor's office said the suspect was detained on July 26 in the northern city of Bremen. He was remanded in custody on Thursday. Named only as Ahmad H., the suspect is accused of perpetrating the atrocity crimes of torture and enslavement between 2012 and 2015 as a local leader of pro-government "shabiha" militiamen in Damascus. Читать дальше...

Tugboats towed a freight ship that burned for a week on the North Sea while carrying thousands of cars into a Dutch port on Thursday for salvaging, laying to rest fears that it could sink close to shipping lanes and a protected habitat for birds. The Fremantle Highway was taken to the northern port of Eemshaven, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management said. A boat that has special booms to clean up oil spills accompanied the nearly 200-meter-long (around 650-foot-long) vessel as a precaution. Читать дальше...

As West African states consider intervening in Niger to restore democracy one week after a military coup, hundreds of supporters of Niger's junta gathered in the capital Niamey on Thursday to protest sanctions imposed by the country's neighbors. General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the former head of Niger's presidential guard, ousted President Mohamed Bazoum last week in a military coup and declared himself head of state. Tchiani said the power grab was necessary because of ongoing insecurity in the... Читать дальше...

FRANKFURT, Germany — Adidas brought in $437 million from the first release of Yeezy sneakers left over after breaking ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, as the German sportswear maker tries to offload the unsold shoes and donate part of the proceeds to groups fighting antisemitism and other forms of hate. The first batch of shoes released in June, which sold out, helped the company reach an operating profit of $192 million in the second quarter, better than it originally planned, Adidas said Thursday. Читать дальше...

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

Ballistics experts will fire up to 139 shots at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Friday during a reenactment of the 2018 Parkland massacre organized as part of a lawsuit that accuses a sheriff's deputy of failing in his duty to protect the victims.  As the reenactment takes place, technicians outside a three-story classroom building will record the sound of the gunfire, seeking to capture what the deputy assigned to the school, Scot Peterson, heard during the six-minute attack.  The shooting... Читать дальше...

Amnesty International says Sudan’s warring military factions are committing war crimes as the country is ravaged by more than three months of violence. The group has documented premeditated attacks against civilians, sexual violence and action that amounts to war crimes. In the Darfur region, Amnesty says some communities are targeted because of their ethnic identity, leading to hundreds of thousands fleeing into neighboring Chad.    Sarah Jackson, deputy regional director for Amnesty’s East Africa... Читать дальше...

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A highway bridge in northern China collapsed due to flash floods triggered by heavy rains, and two cars fell into the river, state media reported Thursday as parts of China are experiencing the worst floods in decades. There were no known casualties as of Thursday afternoon after a bridge across the Mayi River collapsed along the Harbin-Mudanjiang Highway in Heilongjiang province, according to the Beijing News. Images published by local media showed two badly damaged cars floating in the water. Читать дальше...

Visits to the Acropolis of Athens, Greece's most popular archaeological site, will be capped starting next month at a maximum 20,000 daily and subject to varying hourly entry limits, the Greek government said Wednesday.  Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said the controls are needed to prevent bottlenecks and overcrowding at the UNESCO World Heritage site. As many as 23,000 people a day have been squeezing into the monument complex, mostly large groups visiting before noon.  "That's a huge number,"... Читать дальше...

At CUNY, the public university system in New York City, officials found that investment in students increases their chances of graduating by almost double. CUNY’s highly successful ASAP program gives at-risk students financial aid, unlimited public transit access and intensive one-on-one advising. The city believes it’s a win-win, and claims the return is three times the investment because graduates earn more money and pay more taxes. Read more in an op-ed from Elizabeth Davidson Pisacreta and Katherine Giardello in The Hechinger Report. Читать дальше...

Thailand slipped deeper into political crisis on Thursday as the latest vote for a prime minister was postponed, leaving the kingdom without a new leader or new government, a day after the election-winning Move Forward Party was dumped from its own coalition, sparking accusations of betrayal. The vote was to have taken place on Friday, Aug. 4. The political uncertainty comes three months after Move Forward Party, or MFP, won the most seats in elections, which saw the public decisively reject... Читать дальше...

Cameroon said Thursday that at least 12 people have been killed in new attacks by Boko Haram in Darak, a fishing island on Cameroon's northern border with Chad and Nigeria. Military officials say troops have been deployed to stop more incursions and attacks by the Nigeria-based insurgent group. Regional officials say the 12 corpses were discovered by civilians. Government troops say civilians have escaped to safer locations on the island. The military says ongoing sporadic attacks make it difficult to establish a total number of casualties.

Mexican officials met Tuesday with U.S. and Canadian officials in Mexico to talk about combating the trafficking of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. To get a better understanding of the problem, VOA visited addicts and a counselor from a harm reduction center in Washington. Júlia Riera has the story.

For 51-year-old Taiwanese businessman Lee Meng-chu, the last four years have been a life-altering journey. His two-day business trip to southern China turned into an experience that involved lengthy detention, a forced televised confession, a two-year exit ban, and being sentenced for "espionage" by the Chinese government. "It’s been a painful four years for me," he told VOA in a telephone interview. “I didn’t do anything wrong, and the Chinese government arrested me as a scapegoat amid rising political tension" between Beijing and Taipei. Читать дальше...

A man rammed a car onto a sidewalk Thursday in South Korea, then stepped out of the vehicle and began stabbing people at a shopping mall. Authorities said at least 14 people were wounded in the country's second mass stabbing in a month. At least five people were hurt by the car, and nine others were stabbed in the attacks that occurred in a crowded leisure district near a subway station in the city of Seongnam, according to Yoon Sung-hyun, an official from the southern Gyeonggi provincial police department. Читать дальше...

BRISBANE, Australia — Germany failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time at the Women's World Cup after being held to a 1-1 draw against South Korea on Thursday. Morocco's 1-0 win over Colombia meant Germany needed a win to advance. Led by captain Alexandra Popp, Germany created numerous scoring opportunities but could not find the winner. Colombia topped Group H and Morocco took second place, both with six points. Germany finished with four. KEY MOMENTS South Korea struck early... Читать дальше...

U.S. President Joe Biden called Thursday for the immediate release of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted last week in a military coup. Biden said in a statement that Niger is "facing a grave challenge to its democracy." "The Nigerien people have the right to choose their leaders. They have expressed their will through free and fair elections—and that must be respected," Biden said. Defense chiefs from the Economic Community of West African States were due to complete a second... Читать дальше...

The coup in Niger that toppled the democratically elected president has led to several nations and international agencies suspending aid -- a move that will hit one of the world's poorest countries hard. What does Niger receive? Niger, which has a population of 26.2 million, received $1.8 billion in aid in 2021, according to the latest figures from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). That is more than any other West African country except its large neighbor Nigeria... Читать дальше...

The U.S. Defense Department said Wednesday the Pentagon's top official for Asia has discussed U.S.-China defense relations and regional security issues with a Chinese foreign ministry official.  The talks between Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, and Yang Tao, director of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry's Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs, came days after Ratner and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrapped up a trip focused... Читать дальше...

At least 108 people were treated for heat-related illnesses at the World Scout Jamboree being held in South Korea, which is having one of its hottest summers in years. Most of them have recovered but at least two remain in treatment at an on-site hospital as of Thursday morning, said Choi Chang-haeng, secretary-general of the Jamboree's organizing committee. The committee, which plans to proceed with the event while adding dozens more medical staff to prepare for further emergencies, did not... Читать дальше...

Aided by rain, firefighters fought to contain a massive blaze that swept through the California desert into Nevada and threatens the region's famous spiky Joshua trees.  The York Fire that erupted last Friday is California's largest wildfire this year. As of early Wednesday it had burned through more than 333 square kilometers of land and was 30% contained, fire officials said.  Humid monsoonal weather conditions Tuesday afternoon brought brief but heavy rain, especially on the south end of the fire... Читать дальше...

The White House says it's closely watching a coup in Niger, as the U.S. Embassy prepares to evacuate some staff from the West African nation. With the coup plotters staring down a Sunday deadline to reinstate the deposed democratically elected president, analysts say Moscow and Beijing are also monitoring Niamey, and looking for opportunities to widen their influence. "We're watching this very, very closely," John Kirby, director of strategic communications for the National Security Council, told reporters this week. Читать дальше...