Новости за 27.09.2023

Iran claimed on Wednesday it successfully launched an imaging satellite into space, a move that could further ratchet up tensions with Western nations that fear its space technology could be used to develop nuclear weapons. Iranian Communication Minister Isa Zarepour said the Noor-3 satellite had been put in an orbit 450 kilometers (280 miles) above Earth's surface, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. It was not clear when the launch took place. There was no immediate acknowledgment from... Читать дальше...

TV's late-night hosts planned to return to their evening sketches and monologues by next week, reinstating the flow of topical humor silenced for five months by the newly ended Hollywood's writers strike. Bill Maher led the charge back to work by announcing early Wednesday that his HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher" would be back on the air Friday. By mid-morning, the hosts of NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers," ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and "The... Читать дальше...

In Goma, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, residents say plastic and other waste is increasingly polluting Lake Kivu. A new initiative is keeping some of that waste out of the lake. Austere Malivika has this report from Goma, narrated by Aida Issa.

In a grand farewell to its beloved giant pandas, Smithsonian's National Zoo is hosting "Panda Palooza," a celebration ending October 1. From their longtime Washington base, the pandas have brought joy to millions of visitors and generations of fans — and now they are being moved to China. Liliya Anisimova has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Sergey Sokolov.

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

Thailand’s progressive Move Forward Party won a May election but has been pushed into opposition. Its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, has stepped down — for now — under legal pressure, and the party faces the specter of dissolution. But at a recent town hall, party members were in a defiant mood, saying democracy will win eventually. Vijitra Duangdee reports from Bangkok.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of taking bribes from three New Jersey businessman, as calls for his resignation from his fellow Democrats escalated. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan last week accused Menendez, 69, and his wife of accepting gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for the senator using his influence to aid Egypt's government and interfere with law enforcement investigations of the businessmen. Menendez entered the... Читать дальше...

The U.S. college system is different from most others: Students are graded from A to F, and often choose their course of study — their "major" — one to two years after enrolling. Anayat Durrani of U.S. News & World Report explains the differences. (August 2023)

Half of the world’s children breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke, and about 51,000 children die each year from illnesses related to second-hand smoke. Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva about the World Health Organization's call to schools to protect children from the harmful effects of tobacco.

The Indian side of Kashmir is seeing more female authors emerge in the Indian side of Kashmir. Muheet Ul Islam has more from Srinagar. Camera, video edit: Wasim Nabi

Afghanistan's Taliban says it has captured 200 suspected militants for staging deadly cross-border attacks against Pakistan and has implemented other "concrete steps" to "neutralize" the terrorist activity, VOA learned from Pakistani officials privy to the process. The de facto Afghan rulers shared the details about the crackdown on the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, in bilateral talks they hosted last week in Kabul with a high-level delegation from Islamabad. The dialogue came two... Читать дальше...

The chairman of China Evergrande Group has been placed under police surveillance, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, raising more doubts about the embattled developer's future as it grapples with the mounting threat of liquidation.  Citing people with knowledge of the matter, the report said Hui Ka Yan, who founded Evergrande in 1996 in the southern city of Guangzhou, was taken away by police earlier this month and is being monitored at a designated location.  Evergrande is the world's most... Читать дальше...

North Korea has decided to expel American soldier Travis King who it said has admitted to illegal intrusion into the country and was "disillusioned about unequal U.S. society," state media KCNA said on Wednesday. KCNA released the final results of an investigation into King's border crossing in July, after saying in its interim findings that he wanted refuge in North Korea or elsewhere because of maltreatment and racial discrimination within the army. "King confessed that he illegally intruded... Читать дальше...

France's ambassador to Niger left the country early on Wednesday morning, around one month after the military government ordered his expulsion and days after President Emmanuel Macron said the diplomat would be pulled out and French troops withdrawn. Relations between Niger and France, its former colonial ruler which maintained a military presence in the country to help fight Islamist insurgents, have broken down since army officers seized power in Niamey in July. The junta had ordered French... Читать дальше...

While remaining noncommittal about who will represent China at a coming economic gathering, Beijing is hinting that Chinese President Xi Jinping's attendance — and thus a possible summit with U.S. President Joe Biden — depends on Washington's creating the right environment. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco in November should promote cooperation rather than provoke confrontation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday during a news briefing, in response to a question about Xi's participation. Читать дальше...

The Chinese government on Wednesday accused Taiwan's ruling party of seeking independence, a day after the self-governing island's president lobbied for Australia's support in joining a regional trade pact. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, also said the recent Chinese military drills around Taiwan were held to combat "the arrogance of Taiwan independence separatist forces." China claims Taiwan, an island about 160 kilometers off its east coast, as its territory.The... Читать дальше...

The United States and Germany added to calls for international observers to be allowed into the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as Azerbaijan said Wednesday that 192 of its soldiers were killed in an operation to retake the area from ethnic Armenian separatists. The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in a phone call to assure people in Nagorno-Karabakh their rights will be protected and to allow for humanitarian access to the region. ... Читать дальше...

Six young people from Portugal will argue that governments across Europe aren't doing enough to protect people from the harms of climate change at the European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday, in the latest and largest instance of activists taking governments to court to force climate action. The lawyers representing the young adults and children claim that the 32 European governments they're suing have failed to adequately address global warming and therefore violated some of their fundamental rights. Читать дальше...

The Eagle Pass area in Texas continues to experience an influx of migrants — the majority from Venezuela, the largest displacement in the Western Hemisphere and the second-largest globally, trailing only behind the Syrian refugee crisis, according to the U.N. refugee agency. U.S. border authorities said they are managing the situation, but the noticeable rise in migrant arrivals in Eagle Pass has strained local resources and overwhelmed already crowded facilities.

New Zealand researchers will investigate how climate change could increase the risk of damage triggered by earthquakes and landslides, two of the country’s deadliest and most costly natural disasters. The team from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand said a warming climate and frequent storms will have a profound impact on lives and property. The study will investigate the impact of climate change on natural disasters such as landslides, cliff collapse and flooding that are triggered by earthquakes. Читать дальше...

Seven Republicans battling to be their party’s nominee in next year’s U.S. presidential election are set to face off Wednesday in their second debate. The event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California will not feature the current front-runner in the Republican race, former President Donald Trump. The field will be largely the same as in the first Republican debate held last month in Wisconsin, which Trump also skipped. Former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley... Читать дальше...

The United States government ramped up its diplomatic efforts and humanitarian assistance for thousands of ethnic Armenians fleeing the Nagorno-Karabakh region. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports on how the crisis is evolving, after Azerbaijan regained control last week of the breakaway territory.

A fire that raced through a hall hosting a Christian wedding in northern Iraq killed at least 100 people and injured 150 others, authorities said Wednesday, warning the death toll could rise. The fire happened in Iraq's Nineveh province in its Hamdaniya area, authorities said. That's a predominantly Christian area just outside of the city of Mosul, some 335 kilometers northwest of the capital, Baghdad. Television footage showed flames rushing over the wedding hall as the fire took hold. In the blaze's aftermath... Читать дальше...

Deeply entrenched gender norms, biases and perceptions are affecting the ability of girls and young women to use the internet, influencing their online activity and hurting their access to information and work, a new report has found. A survey of more than 10,000 users aged 14-21, and their parents, in over half a dozen countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and India, found that girls are constantly being monitored and told they are vulnerable and not competent online, "creating... Читать дальше...

A judge rules that former President Donald Trump has committed fraud; President Joe Biden joins a picket line and the U.S. government sues Amazon.com. We take a look at the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and at the economy in Zimbabwe. Plus a look ahead to Wednesday's Republican debate.