Новости за 31.08.2023

Pakistani officials said Thursday that a “motorcycle-borne” suicide bomber struck a military convoy in a remote northwestern region, killing at least nine soldiers and wounding several others.      The deadly attack occurred in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, according to the military’s media wing.      Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, condemned the bombing in a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.      “Heartbroken... Читать дальше...

TRANSCRIPT: The Inside Story: A Free Press Matters Episode107 – August 31, 2023     Show Open:   Unidentified Narrator:   This week on The Inside Story: A Free Press matters.   A local newspaper in the US gets raided/.   Latin American journalists armor up.   China pushes propaganda while African fact checkers fight disinformation.   What's happening to journalists around the world?   What's next for reporters on the front lines on the inside?   The Inside Story: A Free Press Matters. Читать дальше...

A journalist who reports for VOA's Deewa Service was held in custody overnight in Pakistan's restive Swat Valley.  Police late Wednesday arrested Fayaz Zafar and took him to a district jail on accusations that he "exploits freedom of speech," including on social media, according to an order issued by the office of the deputy commissioner in Swat. The journalist said police beat him while he was in custody, before releasing him on Thursday. Zafar told VOA's Deewa Service that police beat him for about 15 minutes... Читать дальше...

Tokyo’s release of treated Fukushima radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean has led to acts of harassment of Japanese citizens in China. Meanwhile, scientific studies suggest the release of the diluted radioactive wastewater will have a negligible effect on the oceanic environment.

Nearly 60,000 asylum-seekers are in New York City’s care. Some of them have no choice but to sleep outside, and some residents don’t want them. Nina Vishneva has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.

A former organizer of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Thursday to 17 years in prison for spearheading an attack on the U.S. Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election. The sentence for Joseph Biggs is the second longest among hundreds of Capitol riot cases so far, after the 18-year prison sentence for Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. Federal prosecutors had recommended a 33-year prison sentence for Biggs... Читать дальше...

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

A campaign in Africa to make beans the answer to food insecurity in areas affected by climate change will begin next week, with a focus on Kenya. A coalition of proponents will present its roadmap for increased production and consumption of beans and similar foods like lentils and peas at the Africa Food Systems Forum, to be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  “Beans is How,” the name for a coalition of more than 60 non-profit organizations, companies and research institutes, has set its eyes on Kenya... Читать дальше...

The United Nations says 1 million people have fled Sudan, confounding expectations about the scale of the exodus triggered by the country's war. While some neighboring states, such as Chad and South Sudan, welcome refugees, others, such as Egypt, are pushing them away. Henry Wilkins reports from Renk, South Sudan, and Adre, Chad.

A doctoral student from Indonesia studying community well-being at Harvard University hopes to use her research to aid her country. Fairuziana, who uses a single name, is studying emotion regulation in youth mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries. Eventually, she'd like to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety in psychosis in youth. Read the full story at UNews. (July 2023)

Chinese state media report at least 121 passenger trains are suspending service in anticipation of the arrival of Typhoon Saola. People in areas of southern China were warned to stay away from the coastline, and several cities delayed the start of the school year. The suspensions on key lines running from north to south, as well as on regional networks, will begin Thursday and continue through Sept. 6, state broadcaster CCTV reported. China's National Meteorological Center said Saola was moving... Читать дальше...

U.N.-backed human rights experts focusing on racial discrimination urged Italy's government to do more to eliminate violence, hate speech, stigmatization and harassment against Africans and people of African descent. They also expressed concern that no legal cases have been brought to punish fans and others for racist acts at sports events. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a panel of independent experts that works with the U.N.'s human rights office, also said it regrets... Читать дальше...

The Panama Canal has been significantly impacted by climate change and an El Niño-induced drought, leading authorities to impose restrictions on vessels to keep trade and the canal flowing. From Panama City, Óscar Sulbarán has the story, narrated by Veronica Villafañe. (Camera: Óscar Sulbarán, Produced by: Veronica Villafañe)

A 2023 study found that in 2021, almost 2 billion people worldwide were affected by anemia, a condition in which red blood cell concentration is lower than usual. It also found that anemia was especially prevalent in Western and Central Africa. From Nairobi, Kenya, Mohammed Yusuf reports on the scope of the problem in Africa and the ways it can be reversed.

When U.S. President Joe Biden visits Vietnam in early September, experts say Washington and Hanoi are likely to upgrade ties to a strategic partnership, an important step for bilateral relations. Experts add, however, that this should not be misinterpreted as Vietnam aligning with the United States. In Hanoi's diplomatic hierarchy, a strategic partnership is the second tier, only surpassed by the highest-level designation – a comprehensive strategic partnership. The White House said August 8... Читать дальше...

The Central African regional bloc ECCAS Thursday condemned the use of force to resolve political conflicts as it called for a rapid return to constitutional order in Gabon. The Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States said in a statement it was closely monitoring the situation in Gabon, and that heads of state would hold an imminent meeting to discuss the political and security situation. After army officers said they seized power and placed President Ali Bongo under house arrest Wednesday... Читать дальше...

A building fire in central Johannesburg, South Africa, killed at least 58 people and injured 43 others. Emergency Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi released the death toll on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying search and recovery efforts were ongoing. The fire broke out before dawn in a multi-story building that Mulaudzi said was being used as an informal settlement. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters

A Hong Kong singer turned democracy activist was jailed for more than two years on Thursday after pleading guilty to sedition and money laundering. Tommy Yuen, a former member of the Cantopop boyband "E-Kids," became an outspoken supporter of the Chinese city's democracy protests in 2019, before Beijing cracked down on the movement and imposed a national security law. Authorities have also recently used the long-dormant offence of sedition, created under British colonial rule, to jail protesters and activists. Читать дальше...

A growing crisis in China’s “shadow banking” sector is threatening further damage to an economy reeling from multiple problems, even as a new report questions the ability of the government in Beijing to come to the rescue via fiscal stimulus. On Wednesday, Bloomberg News reported that Chinese authorities have enlisted the Citic Trust Co., a subsidiary of the state-owned China Construction Bank, to assess the state of Zhongrong International Trust Co. When Citic was asked to make a similar assessment of a large asset manager in 2021... Читать дальше...

Fiji will sign a defense agreement with France, after the Cabinet of the Pacific Islands nation approved the deal, Fiji's government said in a statement Thursday. France's President Emmanuel Macron in July toured the Pacific Islands, where France has overseas territories, denouncing predatory behavior by big powers in a region where China is extending trade and security ties. Macron's advisers say France can be an "alternative" and help island nations diversify their partnerships without becoming too reliant on one single country. Читать дальше...

North Korea said Thursday its latest missile launches simulated “scorched earth” nuclear strikes on South Korea and that it’s also been rehearsing an occupation of its rivals’ territory in the event of conflict. Pyongyang has previously tested nuclear-capable missiles and described how it would use them in potential wars with South Korea and the U.S. But the North’s disclosure of detailed war plans reaffirmed its aggressive nuclear doctrine to intimidate its opponents, as it escalates its protest... Читать дальше...

The military in Gabon arrests its president and announces a transitional leader. After a court Tuesday suspended the sentence of Pakisrtan’s former Prime Minister, another court kept him in custody. And how so-called smart bandages can help those with diabetic wounds.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders hailed it Wednesday as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the agency has responded to President Joe Biden's request "to provide a scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA." "We’ve worked to ensure that a scientific... Читать дальше...

Tropical Storm Idalia brought heavy rain to the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina late Wednesday after slamming into Florida’s Gulf Coast as a powerful hurricane early in the day. The National Hurricane Center warned of the potential for flooding in the Carolinas on Thursday as the center of the storm moved back into the Atlantic. The forecast path for Idalia could take it to Bermuda still at tropical storm strength sometime around Sunday.  The island dealt Wednesday with rains from another storm, Hurricane Franklin. Читать дальше...

Army officers in the central African nation of Gabon said they seized power Wednesday, placed President Ali Bongo Ondimba under house arrest, and named the country's new leader. General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, chief of the Republican Guard, was designated president of the transitional committee. Oligui is Bongo's cousin. He had been a bodyguard for Bongo's late father, President Omar Bongo, and was the head of the secret service before becoming the leader of the guard. The mutinous soldiers... Читать дальше...