Новости за 01.09.2023

A Peruvian journalist who covers illegal gold mining in the La Pampa region has been speaking out about the threats he receives over his reporting. For more than 10 years, Manuel Calloquispe Flores has covered tensions between local government and groups involved in illegal gold mining in the region, as well as political and social issues in the Peruvian region of Madre de Dios. The journalist works for media outlets including Latina television, El Comercio and Inforegion Peru. In a call with VOA on Friday... Читать дальше...

Despite evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, major international travel companies are continuing to offer tours to the northwestern Chinese region, a new report found. Those trips risk bolstering Beijing’s destruction and co-optation of Uyghur culture and reinforcing the propaganda narrative that all is well in the region, according to the report released Wednesday by the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP). The report identifies at least seven travel... Читать дальше...

At least three freelance journalists have been denied entry to Hong Kong in the past eight months. The journalists had all covered the 2019 pro-democracy protests, which has led media watchdogs to question whether past coverage was a factor in authorities denying entry. All three journalists said they were questioned about their past coverage before being turned away. “Denial of entry is a method routinely used by the Chinese regime to punish foreign reporters seen as too critical. It is now... Читать дальше...

Another attempted coup in Africa, and a glimmer of hope for reviving the Black Sea grain deal. VOA Correspondent Margaret Besheer has more on the top stories this week at the United Nations.

Britain’s Education Department has ordered more than 150 schools to close buildings constructed with RAAC, a type of concrete that is prone to collapse. The decision came just days before the fall term is set to start, drawing fire from parents, teachers and politicians. A roof beam gave way over the summer, prompting the British government to examine the risks of RAAC, Schools Minister Nick Gibb told the BBC recently. The past few months have seen a number of instances where buildings containing RAAC suddenly failed... Читать дальше...

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

The new leader of Gabon's junta is due to be sworn in as president of the central African republic on Monday, but the opposition is asking for power to be handed over to civilians. Gabon is the latest country to fall into the hands of a military junta, adding to a record-setting eight coups in three years in sub–Saharan Africa.   While the coups bear some similarities, this latest one has notable differences, according to Sean McFate, professor at the National Defense University.  "The major... Читать дальше...

U.S. colleges often slash thousands of dollars off the "sticker price" to entice students to enroll. The more options a student has, the bigger the discount a college needs to offer. However, the savings have disproportionately gone to white and Asian applicants. "Put merit in quotation marks," says one admissions official. "It’s not really about rewarding students for their wonderful performance in high school, as much as it is trying to change that student’s enrollment decision." Read more from Jill Barshay in The Hechinger Report. Читать дальше...

An art exhibition in Rockville, Maryland, pays tribute to women in Iran who have been killed for speaking out against injustice. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more.

Beijing’s apparent claims to disputed territory in India, Southeast Asian neighbors’ maritime backyards and Russia’s half of a divided island has set off alarm bells across the region.

In 2023, the Trust for the National Mall and the National Park Service unveiled a state-of-the-art project: the U.S. Park Police Horse Stables and Wells Fargo Education Center. Reporting from the National Mall in Washington, Liliya Anisimova has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Videographer: Elena Matusovsky

The case of a Chinese man who reportedly rode his personal watercraft into the muddy shores of South Korea’s western port city of Incheon could pose a dilemma for Seoul, experts said. Kwon Pyong, a 35-year-old ethnic Korean believed to be an activist known to speak against the authoritarian government of China, reportedly crossed more than 300 kilometers of the Yellow Sea from the Chinese province of Shandong, apparently seeking asylum in South Korea. He was arrested for illegal entry on Aug. Читать дальше...

Armenia and Azerbaijan said Friday they had sustained casualties in fighting along their common border, northwest of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia's Defense Ministry said two of its servicemen had been killed and another wounded in shelling near the town of Sotk. Azerbaijan said that Armenia had struck positions in the Kalbajar region using drones, wounding two Azerbaijani servicemen. It said it was taking "retaliatory measures." Reuters was unable to verify the reports. Nagorno-Karabakh... Читать дальше...

As Typhoon Saola barrels toward China, expected to make landfall late Friday, authorities there say more than 460,000 people have been evacuated in southern Guangdong province, and schools, businesses and financial markets have been closed in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Forecasters say that although Saola lost “super” typhoon status as its top winds dropped from 240 kilometers per hour to 220 kph, it remains the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. Power outages, wind damage and coastal flooding due to storm surge are expected. Читать дальше...

The U.S. space agency NASA says a new 10-meter-wide crater on the moon “is likely the impact site of Russia’s Luna 25 mission.”   The Russian mission was aiming to pull off a soft landing on the moon’s south pole last month, but instead the spacecraft crashed on the moon.     NASA said, “the Russian spacecraft Luna 25 experienced an anomaly,” causing the spacecraft to crash on August 19.     NASA said Russia had pictures of the area surrounding the crash site that were taken in June 2022 and... Читать дальше...

VOA Connect Episode 294 - We meet a number of people who are making efforts to reduce ocean pollution and help sea creatures.

Erin Pelletier, executive director of a Maine-based nonprofit, works with local lobstermen to remove abandoned fishing gear from the ocean. Reporter | Camera | Editor: Linus Manchester

Brook Thompson, a Yurok and Karuk Native American civil/environmental activist is fighting for river restoration and restoring the habitat for fish and ecosystems that sustain other wildlife in the Klamath River.

From its wooded trails to its rocky beaches, Fort Foster Park in Kittery, Maine is a microcosm of the state’s natural beauty. Reporter | Camera | Editor: Linus Manchester

Ecuador's fragile security situation was underscored Thursday by a series of car bombings and the hostage-taking of more than 50 law enforcement officers inside various prisons, just weeks after the country was shaken by the assassination of a presidential candidate. Ecuador's National Police reported no injuries resulting from the four explosions in Quito, the capital, and in a province that borders Peru, while Interior Minister Juan Zapata said none of the law enforcement officers taken hostage in six different prisons had been injured. Читать дальше...

The United States, South Korea, and Japan are imposing new sanctions on individuals and companies that facilitate North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, following Pyongyang’s failed launch of a spy satellite last week – the second attempt this year. The move also came after North Korea’s military exercise that rehearsed occupying all South Korea territory and a tactical nuclear strike drill earlier this week. South Korea’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said Friday... Читать дальше...

The ouster of Gabon's president by mutinous soldiers appears to have been well organized and capitalized on the population's grievances against the government as an excuse to seize power, analysts said. Soldiers on Wednesday ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose family has ruled the oil-rich country in Central Africa for more than five decades. The coup leaders accused Bongo of irresponsible governance that risked leading the country into chaos and said they put him under house arrest and detained several Cabinet members. Читать дальше...

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday floated the idea of a transition back to democracy in neighboring Niger similar to the nine-month period his country underwent in the late 1990s. The Economic Community of West African States has imposed sanctions on Niger after troops ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in a coup on July 26 and the bloc threatened military intervention as a last resort if talks fail to restore civilian rule. In a statement Thursday, the bloc insisted it wanted Bazoum back in power right away. Читать дальше...

A U.S. congressional delegation visiting Taiwan said Friday the U.S. would act if the island was attacked and promised to resolve the $19 billion backlog in its defense purchases from the U.S. "Know that any hostile unprovoked attack on Taiwan will result in a resolute reaction from the U.S.," said Rob Wittman, vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, in a speech, ahead of meetings with President Tsai Ing-Wen. U.S. law requires Washington provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself... Читать дальше...

Former President Donald Trump pleads not guility to Georgia charges. Gabon’s military junta has named General Brice Oligui Nguema as transition leader, and dozens of people were killed overnight when fire raged through a five-story Johannesburg apartment bloc.