Новости за 29.08.2023

AZRA shares her story through her signature sound, which she has termed as "Substance Pop" - an entirely new genre of music that channels cathartic power pop, rock, dance, and metal influences with heavy 808 beats to electrify your entire body.  Her EP, The Chronicles of Substance Pop: The Rebellion, was released in July.

With no political solution in sight, the United Nations refugee agency warns that Niger’s political crisis could rapidly deteriorate into a humanitarian crisis as attacks by non-state armed groups continue and sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States on the country begin to bite. Since a military coup ousted Niger's democratically elected president on July 26, "there has been a crisis of uncertainty," said Emmanuel Gignac, the representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Niger. Читать дальше...

With visa challenges and security issues forcing more foreign journalists to report from outside China, international audiences are missing out. In recent years, journalists have decamped from cities such as Beijing or Shanghai to Taiwan, South Korea or Singapore. When VOA spoke with five reporters who currently cover China from outside its borders, they said that reporting from afar has made them feel more disconnected from the country. In turn, that risks skewing and stymieing how the international community understands China. Читать дальше...

A global operation led by the FBI has dismantled one of the most notorious cybercrime tools used to launch ransomware attacks and steal sensitive data. U.S. law enforcement officials announced on Tuesday that the FBI and its international partners had disrupted the Qakbot infrastructure and seized nearly $9 million in cryptocurrency in illicit profits. Qakbot, also known as Qbot, was a sophisticated botnet and malware that infected hundreds of thousands of computers around the world, allowing... Читать дальше...

Christians in Pakistan, a Muslim majority country, often face discrimination. Sister Zeph was in seventh grade when poor treatment from teachers forced her to quit school. She went on to educate herself and, over the next two decades, provide free education to several hundred poor Christian and Muslim children in her community. VOA's Pakistan bureau chief Sarah Zaman brings this story of resilience. Camera — Wajid Asad

Sudan’s military commander and head of the interim council that is officially running the country, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, arrived in the Egyptian coastal town of el- Alamein Monday to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. It is his first official trip outside Sudan since the outset of the country's bloody conflict, which began in April. The conflict pits Sudan’s army against the country’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.  Burhan was welcomed as a visiting head of state by... Читать дальше...

Attorney Sidney Powell, one of former U.S. President Donald Trump's 18 co-defendants in the Georgia 2020 election subversion case, has waived a formal arraignment and pleaded not guilty, a court filing on Tuesday showed. Other Trump allies, Trevian Kutti and Ray Smith, have also waived formal arraignment and entered not guilty pleas. The former president is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 6 as Fulton County prosecutors eye an October start to the trial. The Fulton County has charged Trump... Читать дальше...

While it might be too early to assess the effects the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin and other leaders on the Wagner Group’s operations in Africa, some analysts say there will be short-term disruptions. Given Prigozhin’s reach on the continent the past few years, it will take time to replace Wagner’s top man, said Steven Gruzd, head of the Africa Russia Project at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg. “There’s going to be a period of uncertainty; of people jockeying for position... Читать дальше...

Dutch prosecutors demanded a 12-year prison sentence Tuesday for a former Pakistani cricketer accused of incitement to murder firebrand anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders. The suspect, identified by Wilders as Khalid Latif, is accused of offering a bounty of some 21,000 euros ($23,000) to anybody who killed Wilders. Latif did not appear in the high-security courtroom near Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport for the trial. He is believed to be in Pakistan. Prosecutors did not name Latif, but said in... Читать дальше...

Cameroon officials say a fifth case of polio was reported in the capital, Yaounde, this week, despite the launching of a new polio vaccination campaign in the central African country and its neighbors. Health officials are increasing surveillance and encouraging parents, many of whom still resist vaccination programs, to have their children inoculated.  Cameroon's health ministry says that five cases of type-2 poliovirus variants were discovered in the central African state’s capital, Yaounde, this week. Читать дальше...

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled as unconstitutional affirmative action — the practice of giving underrepresented racial groups a leg up in admissions. Now Wesleyan University, a prestigious liberal arts school in Connecticut, is voluntarily getting rid of legacy admissions, which give an advantage to people whose relatives previously attended the college. Many schools are now facing lawsuits over legacy admissions, including Harvard. At a few schools, including Cornell and Dartmouth, legacy students outnumber Black students... Читать дальше...

The tech industry is rushing to unlock the potential of artificial intelligence, and AI hackathons — daylong collaborations using the technology to tackle real-world problems — are increasing in popularity. From the state of Washington, Natasha Mozgovaya has more.

African women are looking for different ways to style their hair, particularly to reduce the use of harsh chemicals that can have adverse health effects. One option is synthetic hair. While no apparent health issues are associated with its use, disposing of it raises environmental concerns. As Juma Majanga reports, women in Kenya’s Kisumu County have found a clever way of recycling it. Camera — Amos Wangwa

The blood thinner Eliquis and popular diabetes treatments including Jardiance are among the first drugs that will be targeted for price negotiations in an effort to cut Medicare costs. President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday released a list of 10 drugs for which the federal government will take an unprecedented step: negotiating drug prices directly with the manufacturer. The move is expected to cut costs for some patients but faces litigation from the drugmakers and heavy criticism from Republican lawmakers. Читать дальше...

Every 30 seconds, someone in the world has a limb amputated because of a diabetic wound. University researchers in California are developing a "smart" bandage that they hope will change that grim statistic. For VOA, Genia Dulot has our report.

An 8-centimeter worm has been found alive in the brain of a woman in Australia, and researchers say it is the first time the parasite has ever been discovered in humans. The worm was extracted from the patient’s brain during surgery in the Australian capital, Canberra, in June 2022. The extraordinary case has been documented in the latest edition of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The red 8-centimeter-long worm was alive and wriggling when it was pulled from the patient’s brain. ... Читать дальше...

A huge money laundering case has riveted attention in Singapore. In a series of raids across the city-state in mid-August, authorities seized close to three quarters of a billion U.S. dollars in assets including more than 100 luxury condos and dozens of flashy cars. It's one of the city-state's largest ever money laundering cases. Hundreds of bags were seized, some worth up to $100,000 from the likes of Hermes, Chanel and Prada, plus Patek Philippe watches and jewelry. Police images of the wines... Читать дальше...

Sudan's army chief, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, traveled Tuesday to Egypt for talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. The trip is Burhan's first outside of Sudan since the outbreak of conflict with Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Response Forces in mid-April. A military statement said the talks would include the latest developments in Sudan and bilateral relations between Sudan and Egypt. El-Sissi hosted a summit of Sudan's neighbors in July that yielded a cease-fire plan.  Multiple halts in fighting have failed to hold. Читать дальше...

An imprisoned Taiwanese drug lord who was freed by masked shooters during a dental appointment in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province earlier this month has been arrested along with 10 accomplices following a manhunt, Cambodian police announced.  The convict, Chen Hsin Han, 45, was serving a 52-year sentence for drug trafficking. He was freed the morning of August 17 while being escorted by four prison guards to a dental office in Siem Reap City, according to a prison letter obtained by VOA Khmer.  ... Читать дальше...

The U.S. State Department has picked veteran diplomat Mark Lambert as its top China policy official, five sources familiar with the matter said, bringing in new leadership for a part of the department that has faced staffing problems and criticism over its handling of China-focused initiatives. Lambert will likely be named as the deputy assistant secretary for China and Taiwan, the sources said, filling the post left in June by Rick Waters. Waters had also served as the head of the Office of... Читать дальше...

Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas were ordered to pack up and leave Tuesday as Hurricane Idalia gained steam in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and threatened to unleash life-threatening storm surges and rainfall.  Idalia also pummeled Cuba with heavy rains on Monday and Tuesday, leaving the tobacco-growing province of Pinar del Rio underwater and many of its residents without power.  Idalia strengthened to a Category 2 system on Tuesday afternoon with winds of 155 kph (100 mph). Читать дальше...

Somali government forces Monday retreated from towns and villages captured in recent months after the al-Shabab militant group carried out a deadly attack on a newly captured base in the village of Cowsweyne.  Two Somali government officials who did not want to be identified because they are not allowed to comment on sensitive military operations told VOA Somali that government troops retreated from El Dheer, Masagaway, Gal'ad and Budbud. Without naming towns, Somali government commander Major... Читать дальше...

President Joe Biden will observe next month's 22nd anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil at an Alaska military base with service members and their families, the White House announced. Biden will not participate in any of the observances at 9/11 memorial sites in New York City, Virginia or Pennsylvania. Instead, the president will stop in Alaska for a Sept. 11 observance at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage on his way back to Washington after a trip to Asia. Biden is scheduled to travel to India from Sept. Читать дальше...

A federal judge has set the trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump for next March, on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. This puts the historic trial right in the middle of the 2024 presidential campaign, with Trump the front-runner among Republican candidates. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports.

The Chinese government over the weekend launched an effort to shore up the country's troubled stock market, putting in place various measures to encourage investment. As of Monday, those measures appeared to have had only a modest impact. After opening more than 5% higher Monday than it had been at the end of trading the previous week, an index that tracks the share prices of 300 of the country's largest companies lost most of those gains before the end of the day. It closed up just 1.2% at the end of the day. Читать дальше...