Новости за 19.08.2023

A delegation from regional nations arrived in Niger on Saturday afternoon in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to reach a peaceful solution with mutinous soldiers who ousted the country's president last month.  The representatives from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, came to the capital, Niamey, and joined efforts by the United Nations special representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, who arrived on Friday, in trying to find a resolution to the ongoing crisis.  On Friday... Читать дальше...

Hurricane Hilary headed for Mexico's Baja California on Saturday as the U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” for the peninsula and for the southwestern United States, where it was forecast to cross the border as a tropical storm on Sunday. Officials as far north as Los Angeles scrambled to get the homeless off the streets, set up shelters and prepare for evacuations. Hilary is expected to plow into Mexico's Baja Peninsula on Saturday night and... Читать дальше...

Phil Durst recalled clawing at his face after a chemical from a commercial dishwashing machine squirted into his eyes, causing “the most indescribable pain I’ve ever felt — ever, ever, ever.” His left eye bore the brunt of the 2017 work accident, which stole his vision, left him unable to tolerate light and triggered four to five cluster headaches a day. Then he underwent an experimental procedure that aims to treat severe injuries in one eye with stem cells from the other. “I went from completely... Читать дальше...

The capital of Canada's Northwest Territories was virtually deserted after nearly all the residents of the city of just over 20,000 fled as a huge wildfire burned nearby. To the south, in British Columbia, thousands more people were told to leave their homes while firefighters battled a growing fire that set homes ablaze. British Columbia Premier David Eby declared a provincewide state of emergency in response to unprecedented wildfires Friday night. Evacuation orders in B.C. expanded from 4,000 houses to about 15,000 by nightfall. Читать дальше...

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Saturday that “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” will likely strike Baja California and the Southwestern United States through Monday as Hurricane Hilary makes its moves. Hurricane-force winds are expected Saturday night and Sunday morning along the west-central coast of the Baja California peninsula. The storm is moving with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. A hurricane watch is in effect for the Baja California peninsula north of Cabo San Quintin to Ensenada. Читать дальше...

A Swiss citizen was arrested in military-ruled Myanmar for creating a film that allegedly insulted Buddhism, state media reported Saturday. Didier Nusbaumer, 52, was arrested on Aug. 8 along with 13 Myanmar nationals, including a 12-year-old girl, Myanma Alinn newspaper said. Insulting Buddhism is a punishable offense in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where religious nationalism has surged in recent years. About 90% of Myanmar people are Buddhist. The news report said that Nusbaumer wrote, filmed... Читать дальше...

Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.  Afghan Pilots Wait in Pakistan, Hoping for Resettlement to US  Sitting on the carpet in a small, third-floor apartment of a crowded building on the edge of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, six Afghan men sip traditional green tea as they scroll through messages and videos on their phones. All of them are anxiously awaiting the same thing ... Читать дальше...

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will visit the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant on Sunday before setting a release date for its treated radioactive wastewater, as his government continues working to promote understanding over the controversial plan at home and abroad. "The government has reached the final stage where we should make a decision," Kishida told reporters in Washington on Friday after wrapping up his summit with U.S. and South Korean leaders at the American presidential retreat of Camp David. Читать дальше...

Aissata Sall was scrolling through WhatsApp in May when she first learned about the new route to the United States. For Ibrahima Sow, the discovery came on TikTok a few weeks later. By the time their paths crossed at the tidy one-story brick house in Cincinnati, they had encountered hundreds of other Mauritanians, nearly all of them following a new path surging in popularity among younger migrants from the West African nation, thanks largely to social media. "Four months ago, it just went crazy," said Oumar Ball... Читать дальше...

The Chinese military launched drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a "stern warning" over what it called collusion between "separatists and foreign forces," its defense ministry said, days after the island's vice president stopped over in the United States. Taiwanese Vice President William Lai's recent trip to Paraguay to reinforce relations with his government's last diplomatic partner in South America included stops in San Francisco and New York City. The mainland's ruling Communist Party claims... Читать дальше...

Former U.S. President Donald Trump plans to skip the first Republican primary debate next week and instead sit for an online interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, The New York Times reported, citing people briefed on the matter. Trump has for months suggested that he would likely pass on Wednesday night's debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, arguing that it did not make sense to give others a change to attack him given his sizeable lead among Republicans in national polls. Trump has also criticized Fox... Читать дальше...

Native Hawaiians and others from a Maui community devastated by ferocious fire said Friday they worry Hawaii's governor is moving too quickly to rebuild what was lost while the grief is still raw.  "The fire occurred only 10 days ago, and many people are still in shock and mourning," said Tiare Lawrence, who grew up in Lahaina. She spoke during an emotional news conference organized by community activists who called on Governor Josh Green to give residents time to grieve, provide community leaders with recovery decision-making roles... Читать дальше...

A Lebanese Shiite cleric who has angered politicians and religious leaders in Lebanon and Iraq said Friday that groups including Lebanon's militant Hezbollah were trying to silence voices of dissent within the sect, including his own.  Sheikh Yasser Auda has developed a reputation on social media in recent years for his criticism of corruption in Iraq and Lebanon. He has also spoken out against the use of violence against opponents of Iran-backed groups in the two crisis-hit countries. He vowed... Читать дальше...

Residents heeded warnings to evacuate the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories as a large wildfire burned just miles outside the city of 20,000 Friday, while firefighters in battled a growing fire that set homes ablaze in a city in British Columbia.  Thousands of people in Yellowknife drove hundreds of kilometers to safety, with authorities guiding motorists through fire zones, while others waited in long lines for emergency flights as the worst fire season on record in Canada showed no signs of easing. Читать дальше...

Leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea wrapped up their Friday summit at Camp David, cementing a newly established trilateral partnership with a pledge for a unified trilateral response during a regional crisis. VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports.

Beijing is pushing back on Seoul's demand that China stop repatriating North Koreans who have left their homeland and been detained as they attempt to make their way to a third country. China is detaining as many as 2,000 North Korean defectors who face severe punishment for fleeing the repressive Kim regime, South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yung Ho said Wednesday at a seminar in Seoul. Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights, estimated the number... Читать дальше...

The rallying cry "It's Coming Home" is one game away from reality and the end of England's 57-year drought in global soccer. The World Cup trophy can return this Sunday to the birthplace of soccer for the first time since 1966. But if it happens, the journey back to England will be with the women's national team and not the men's. The Lionesses have roared their way into their first Women's World Cup title game. The match with Spain will be the first all-European final since 2003, when Germany beat Sweden. Читать дальше...

U.N. human rights officials on Friday denounced what they called the "extreme brutality" of gangs in Haiti, with thousands fleeing several neighborhoods in the country's capital this week amid a surge in violence. The killings have intensified in recent weeks as a reconnaissance mission from Kenya composed of nearly a dozen senior police officers was expected to arrive in Haiti on Friday, Kenyan media reported. The eastern African country has offered to lead an international force to help Haiti's... Читать дальше...

A global media watchdog urged Pakistan to immediately disclose the whereabouts of a nationally known television journalist Friday who has been missing since his arrest on May 11. Imran Riaz Khan has 4 million YouTube subscribers and more than 5 million followers on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He was detained by police at the Sialkot airport in the central Punjab province as he tried to leave the country over fears of his arrest. The journalist, often referred to as Imran Riaz... Читать дальше...