Новости за 08.10.2023

China’s foreign ministry Sunday responded to the surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israel by calling on all sides to exercise restraint, echoing Russia’s position.  “China is deeply concerned over the current escalation of tensions and violence between Palestine and Israel. We call on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation,” said a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Читать дальше...

Hundreds are dead and thousands injured as Israel engages for a second day in urban fighting with Hamas militants in the streets of southern Israel, while Lebanon's powerful armed group Hezbollah, in a coordinated attack, exchanged artillery and rocket fire with Israel in the north. This follows Hamas’s unexpected incursion Saturday into southern Israel from Gaza.   Hamas fighters poured through Israeli towns, killing 600 people and abducting dozens more, as violence spirals out of control and threatening a major new Middle East crisis. Читать дальше...

In recent years, UNICEF and UNESCO reports have emphasized that female teachers are making a big difference when it comes to educating girls across Africa. VOA visited Lusaka, Zambia, to see the impact they are having there. Kathy Short has this story. Camera and video editing by Richard Kille.

In Nigeria, public affairs experts are concerned that poverty among older adults could worsen in a few years if the government does not address pension coverage issues. Statistics from the Nigerian pension regulator show that only a small fraction of workers in the West African country are subscribed to pension plans. Gibson Emeka has this story from Abuja, Nigeria, narrated by Vincent Makori. Video editing by Betsy Ayoub.

More than two thousand people have died in western Afghanistan following earthquakes and aftershocks, two with a magnitude of six-point-three magnitude, according to a Taliban spokesperson. The United Nations says hundreds of homes have been destroyed. As VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports, those numbers are expected to rise. A warning, this story contains sensitive content that some viewers may find disturbing.

Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a statement expressing concern about the escalating conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.  “Indonesia is deeply concerned with the escalation of conflict between Palestine and Israel. Indonesia urges the immediate end of violence to avoid further human casualties,” said the statement published on X, formerly known as Twitter. Without naming Hamas as the attacker, the ministry said in a separate tweet, “The root of the conflict, namely... Читать дальше...

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

The British government's contentious policy to stem the flow of migrants faces one of its toughest challenges this week as the U.K. Supreme Court weighs whether it’s lawful to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda.  The Conservative government is challenging a Court of Appeal ruling in June that said the policy intended to deter immigrants from risking their lives crossing the English Channel in small boats is unlawful because the East African country is not a safe place to send them.  Three days of... Читать дальше...

The Israeli government formally declared war Sunday on Hamas militants in Gaza, setting the stage for a massive Israeli military response to the Islamist militant group’s surprise attack on the Jewish state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already said Saturday his country was at war with Hamas as the militants’ attack raged, but his assessment was rhetorical. The Cabinet decision was an official declaration of war. Ahead of the Cabinet vote, Netanyahu declared that Israel would “take mighty vengeance” against Hamas... Читать дальше...

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday inaugurated the first church built with government backing in overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey's 100-year history as a post-Ottoman state. The Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church's opening marks an important cultural and political moment for both Turkey and its powerful leader. Erdogan drew widespread condemnation during his two-decade rule for converting ancient churches into mosques and making Islamic conservatism into a leading social force. He has always... Читать дальше...

American mountaineer Anna Gutu and a Nepalese guide Mingmar Sherpa were confirmed dead Sunday after avalanches struck the slopes of a Tibetan mountain, while two others remained missing, according to Chinese media reports. The avalanches struck Tibet’s Mount Shishapangma Saturday afternoon at 7,600 (about 25,000 ft) and 8,000 meters (about 26,000 ft) in altitude, according to state-owned Xinhua News Agency. Two others, American climber Gina Marie Rzucidlo and a Nepalese mountain guide Tenjen Sherpa went missing, the news agency said. Читать дальше...

Waving Spanish and Catalan flags, tens of thousands of people marched through Barcelona on Sunday to protest against a potential amnesty deal which Spain's Socialists must strike over Catalonia's 2017 separatist bid if they want to form a government.   The protest, organized by the anti-separatist organization Societat Civil Catalana, took place five days after Spain's acting Socialist prime minister was nominated to seek backing of other political parties for a new mandate.    Pedro Sanchez... Читать дальше...

The Asian Games closed their 16-day run on Sunday at the 80,000-seat Olympic Sports Center Stadium with host nation China again in command as Premier Li Qiang ended a show aimed partly at winning the hearts of Asian neighbors. They're officially called the Asian Games, but the more accurate description would be the "China Games," illustrative of the country's four-decade domination of the continental, multi-sports championships. The 19th Asian Games — they began in 1951 in New Delhi, India — were a celebration for Hangzhou... Читать дальше...

Israel's Ambassador to Turkey, Irit Lillian, said Sunday it was too early to talk about mediation offers between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas, adding the attacks showed that Hamas should not have any presence in Turkey or elsewhere.  On Saturday, Hamas launched an attack against Israel, for which Israel vowed "mighty vengeance" in response. Hundreds of Palestinians and Israelis have been killed, in what Israel has said is a war.  In an online briefing with journalists after Turkey said... Читать дальше...

The Israeli army said it was working to clear out Hamas fighters who remained in the country a day after the militant group’s surprise attack on Israel.

Iran showed signs of close coordination with its Palestinian militant proxies in the weeks before and immediately after Hamas launched Saturday’s surprise attacks on Israel from Gaza, observers tell VOA. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held “an extended meeting” with the leaders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller Gaza-based militant group, in Beirut on September 1, according to Iran’s state-approved agency Tasnim. “Both sides laid emphasis on the need for the liberation... Читать дальше...

A police officer opened fire on Israeli tourists Sunday in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, killing two Israelis and one Egyptian. A fourth person was wounded in the incident. The police officer who allegedly carried out the attack was apprehended. According to an Egyptian security source cited by Reuters, policeman said he lost control and fired randomly on the tourist group after being provoked. The killings came amid the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas militants. Egypt and Israel... Читать дальше...

The president designate of COP28, to be held in the United Arab Emirates later this year, Sultan Al Jaber, said on Sunday that adaptation must be "front and center" of the climate agenda. “We live in a region of extreme heat, water scarcity and food insecurity. We are also suffering harsh climate impacts, from droughts to the devastating floods of Derna," Jaber said, speaking at the MENA Climate Week in the Saudi capital Riyadh. “To deliver for our region we must put adaptation front and center... Читать дальше...

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said in an interview published on Sunday that she was confident the ECB would meet its target of getting inflation back down to 2%, and relatively confident over Europe's gas reserves situation.  Last month, the ECB raised its key interest rate to a record high of 4%. "The key ECB interest rates have reached levels that, maintained for a sufficiently long duration, will make a substantial contribution to the timely return of inflation to the target,"... Читать дальше...

A spate of arrests of leading Vietnamese environmentalists is drawing criticism of Hanoi during an infusion of international aid to support the country's shift away from coal. Police arrested Ngo Thi To Nhien, the executive director of the Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition Social Enterprise, a Hanoi-based think tank focused on energy transition, in Hanoi on Sept. 20. She was the sixth environmentalist detained in the past two years and had been involved – with the U.N. Development Program Vietnam office ... Читать дальше...

Mike Dulak grew up Catholic in Southern California, but by his teen years, he began skipping Mass and driving straight to the shore to play guitar, watch the waves and enjoy "the beauty of the morning on the beach," he recalled. "And it felt more spiritual than any time I set foot in a church." Nothing has changed that view in the ensuing decades. "Most religions are there to control people and get money from them," said Dulak, now 76, of Rocheport, Missouri. He also cited sex abuse scandals... Читать дальше...

The Amazon Region is experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history. A combination of extreme weather events linked to the warming of the waters in the Pacific and North Atlantic oceans has significantly reduced rainfall throughout the region, and the area's rivers are approaching their lowest levels on record. The conditions threaten the livelihoods of approximately 200,000 people, and Brazilian officials say more than half a million people could be at risk of isolation and supply shortages in communities only accessible by rivers... Читать дальше...

In the Middle East and North Africa, where religion is often ingrained in daily life's very fabric, rejecting faith can come with consequences. So, many of the "nones," a group that includes agnostics, atheists and "nothing in particular" conceal that part of themselves. Openly declaring disbelief may spur social stigma, ostracism by loved ones or, in some cases — especially if coupled with real or perceived public criticism of religion or God — unleash threats, or the wrath of authorities. On the Internet... Читать дальше...

Tourists at the Acropolis this holiday season can witness the resolution of one of the world's most heated debates on cultural heritage. All they need is a smartphone. Visitors can now pinch and zoom their way around the ancient Greek site, with a digital overlay showing how it once looked. That includes a collection of marble sculptures removed from the Parthenon more than 200 years ago that are now on display at the British Museum in London. Greece has demanded they be returned. For now,... Читать дальше...

Fighting raged in parts of Israel and the Gaza Strip early Sunday, one day after the Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a surprise large-scale attack against Israel. Israeli retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday destroyed Hamas locations and several residential buildings. The Associated Press reports one airstrike flattened a 14-story tower that held dozens of apartments as well as Hamas offices in central Gaza City. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s... Читать дальше...