Новости за 13.09.2023

The United Nations’ top envoy in Sudan is stepping down, four months after being told by the government to leave. In parting remarks, he criticized Sudan’s military and the rebel Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. “This conflict is leaving a tragic legacy of human rights abuses,” Volker Perthes told a Security Council meeting on Wednesday. “Indiscriminate attacks against civilians committed by the warring parties constitute gross violations of human rights.” The United Nations says at least 5,000... Читать дальше...

A Philippine court on Tuesday acquitted Maria Ressa and her news website Rappler in a tax case. Now the Nobel laureate is fighting two other challenges. VOA News reporter Cristina Caicedo Smit has the story. (Produced by: Cristina Caicedo Smit)

The damage caused by the most powerful earthquake to hit Morocco in more than a century has been extensive. But residents say the quake has shown the resilience and spirit of Moroccans. Emmanuel Moadjidibaye visited the village of Moulay Brahim and reports this story narrated by Arzouma Kompaore. Camera: Emmanuel Victoire Ngapela, Emmanuel Moadjidibaye.

Earth is exceeding its "safe operating space for humanity" in six of nine key measurements of its health, and two of the remaining three are headed in the wrong direction, a new study said.  Earth's climate, biodiversity, land, fresh water, nutrient pollution and "novel" chemicals (human-made compounds like microplastics and nuclear waste) are all out of whack, a group of international scientists said in Wednesday's issue of the journal Science Advances. Only the acidity of the oceans, the health... Читать дальше...

Social media users leverage videos of flashing lights in Morocco, some faked, to falsely pin Morocco earthquake on a U.S. weather weapon.

The Taliban government has been pressing for the extraction of copper from Afghanistan's Mes Aynak mine as an additional revenue source, but the mine is located at an ancient historical site, which worries some archaeologists. The mine is more than 40 kilometers southeast of Kabul in the Logar province. The area is considered one of the largest untapped copper mines in the world, with deposits worth at least $50 billion.  The Mes Aynak mine is at the site of an ancient Buddhist city of the same name along the Silk Road. Читать дальше...

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

China has sent a new ambassador to Afghanistan, marking the first time a foreign envoy has been appointed at the ambassadorial level since the Taliban regained power in Kabul two years ago. On Wednesday, the Taliban-led foreign ministry said that Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund had accepted Ambassador Zhao Xing's credentials at a ceremony in the Afghan capital. Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi joined Akhund in welcoming the Chinese envoy at the presidential place. Beijing did... Читать дальше...

The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, has launched a plan to assist at least 10 million Sudanese farmers, herders and fishermen across 17 states. The 12-month program aims to address the threat of food insecurity in the country, which has been exacerbated by a five-month-old armed conflict. The FAO will add to recent seed distribution efforts to enhance food production, with the hope of feeding 13 to 19 million people in coming months. Abdulhakim Elwaer, FAO regional representative for the Near East and North Africa... Читать дальше...

A fire engulfed a nine-story apartment complex in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan district, killing at least 56 residents and injuring 37 more, authorities said Wednesday. Children were among the casualties. The blaze started not long before midnight and wasn’t subdued until 2 a.m. local time. Television footage showed firefighters climbing ladders, hosing down the flames. First responders struggled to stop the inferno in the building, which is squeezed into a narrow alley large enough for only motorcycles to easily pass. Читать дальше...

Amena Sadat, a political science Ph.D. student at the University of California, Riverside, fled Afghanistan with only the clothes on her back after the Taliban took over. Her educational journey has been harrowing. Many of her family members did not want her to study, and one, a local politician, even canceled a scholarship rather than award it to her. But she did not give up. Imran Ghori reports for the university publication Inside UCR. (August 2023)

A fishing vessel owned by Greenland's government will attempt to use a high tide to pull free a Bahamas-flagged luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people that ran aground in the world's northernmost national park, authorities said. Capt. Flemming Madsen of the Danish Joint Arctic Command told The Associated Press that the passengers and crew on the ship stranded in northwestern Greenland were doing fine and "all I can say is that they got a lifetime experience." The scientific fishing vessel was... Читать дальше...

Cindy Wang never thought she would be building a career in online live streaming. The 37-year-old mother of one from the Chinese city of Suzhou used to have a promising job in China’s booming retail industry. An industry she worked in for more than 10 years.  However, since being laid off by a major international sporting company for unexplained reasons in February, she has struggled to find another full-time job in one of China’s wealthiest regions.   “During interviews, the hiring managers... Читать дальше...

Taiwan has asked retired military women to volunteer for the reserves to help strengthen its military capabilities in the face of Chinese aggression. For VOA News, Katie Tam reports from Taipei on some of the first women to step forward.

A government watchdog agency in France has ordered Apple to withdraw the iPhone 12 from the French market, saying it emits levels of electromagnetic radiation that are too high. The National Frequency Agency, which oversees radio-electric frequencies as well as public exposure to electromagnetic radiation, called on Apple in a statement Tuesday to "implement all available means to rapidly fix this malfunction" for phones already being used. Corrective updates to the iPhone 12 will be monitored by the agency... Читать дальше...

Afghanistan’s Permanent Mission to the U.N. is one of the country’s few diplomatic missions that is still operating since the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021. Naseer Ahmad Faiq, who leads the mission, says that his team’s priorities are to represent the people of Afghanistan and help the humanitarian efforts in the country. Zafar Bamyani reports from New York, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. Camera: Zafar Bamyani, Contributor: Roshan Noorzai

Kashmiri soldiers in the Indian army face risks on the job and also when they travel home to India-controlled Kashmir. There, they face an ongoing insurgency and attacks by anti-India militants. For VOA, Muheet Ul Islam reports from Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir

Johannesburg, South Africa’s most populous city, has for years struggled to keep up with housing demand due to an influx of people who come in search of opportunities. Some residents, many with little financial means, find themselves in sub-par housing that has a high risk of fire and little to no access to water and electricity. Jan Bornman reports from Johannesburg, South Africa. Camera: Zaheer Cassim

Donald Trump skipped the first Republican debate in Wisconsin last month, and the GOP frontrunner has indicated he will not join his party’s second debate in California on Sept. 27. Republican primary voters are split over whether this strategy will help or hurt the former president in his quest to win the GOP's nomination to unseat Joe Biden in next year's presidential election. "I have zero issue with him not debating," said Marilyn Moses, a registered nurse and self-identified Trump supporter from Zionsville, Indiana. Читать дальше...

A former Australian economic adviser to Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi is calling on Canberra to impose sanctions on the Southeast Asian country’s state-owned banks. Sean Turnell was imprisoned by Myanmar’s military authorities for 650 days before being released last year. Australia has also announced new sanctions against Iranians “who oppress women and girls.” Sean Turnell, an Australian economics professor, was an adviser to Myanmar’s former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was overthrown by the military in 2021. Читать дальше...

At bus stops and metro stations in the Indian capital and towns around it, passengers are accustomed to the familiar call by three-wheel electric rickshaw drivers to take an eight-cent, shared ride to their offices, homes or markets. The ride-hailing trade is flourishing according to the hundreds of rickshaw drivers crowding the streets. "It is much better than a petrol vehicle. It does not create pollution and it is cheaper to run. After charging, my battery lasts for 80 to 120 kilometers," said Abdul Alam... Читать дальше...

The International Organization for Migration said Wednesday that the deadly flooding that hit eastern Libya displaced more than 30,000 people. The U.N. agency said at least 30,000 of the displaced were from Derna, with thousands more from other areas including Benghazi. More than 5,000 people are believed dead, with exact figures difficult to confirm in the country where rival governments have competed for control for a decade. Some officials say that number could double. Hichem Abu Chkiouat... Читать дальше...

The Taliban's "successful" offensive against the Islamic State branch in Afghanistan, IS-Khorasan, has "significantly degraded" its capability and steadily decreased large-scale attacks against civilians, according to a senior US envoy. Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, shared the assessment during a Tuesday seminar at the nonpartisan Stimson Center think tank in Washington. "They have a very aggressive violent offensive ongoing that has significantly degraded ISKP capability," West said... Читать дальше...

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, South Korea said on Wednesday.  The latest launches came as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin. South Korea’s military said it detected two short-range ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area into the East Sea around 11:43 to 11:53 on Wednesday morning. “Our military will closely monitor North Korea's activities in preparation for further provocations, in close cooperation with the United States... Читать дальше...

Most Americans should get an updated COVID-19 vaccine, health officials said Tuesday. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the new shots for everyone 6 months and older and the agency's director quickly signed off Tuesday on the panel's recommendation. That means doses should be available this week, some as early as Wednesday. The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has faded, but there are still thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths in the U.S. each week. Читать дальше...