Новости за 09.10.2023

Iran's support for the Palestinian group Hamas is in the spotlight, after Hamas militants crossed into southern Israel on Saturday, attacking civilians and soldiers. Several hundred Israelis and Palestinians have been killed as the conflict rapidly escalates. Henry Ridgwell has more from London.

The Taliban have been forced to deny claims that they are trying to join Hamas fighters, after a fake post on the X social media platform claimed the Afghan militant group wants to travel to fight in the war. Analysts say this has put the Taliban into the difficult position of publicly backing away from active support for Hamas and possibly angering some of their own cadre. A social media account, Taliban Public Relations Department, which later changed its name to #Free Palestine, posted on Saturday that the Taliban contacted Iran... Читать дальше...

President Joe Biden met with top U.S. officials Monday to discuss Washington’s response to an all-out war between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, as officials confirmed that the U.S.-designated terrorist group holds Americans among the hostages they seized in a weekend attack on Israel. Biden “directed his team to follow up on coordination with Israel on all aspects of the crisis and to continue their work with regional partners to warn anyone who might seek to take advantage... Читать дальше...

Longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday he will run for president as an independent and drop his Democratic primary bid, adding a wrinkle to a 2024 race heading toward a likely rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Kennedy, a member of one of the most famous Democratic families in politics, was running a long-shot primary bid and has better favorability ratings among Republicans than Democrats. It's unclear whether... Читать дальше...

As Indonesia celebrates the launch of its first high-speed railway, the government is dealing with cost overruns and Chinese bank loans with high interest rates. In Jakarta, Devianti Faridz has the story. Camera: Ahadian Utama

The Taliban government and aid groups in western Afghanistan said Monday that rescue efforts were ongoing to find and recover survivors trapped under rubble, two days after a powerful earthquake and multiple aftershocks killed hundreds of people and injured many more. The 6.3 magnitude quake hit the western province of Herat on Saturday, destroying more than a dozen villages in and around the hardest-hit remote Zinda Jan district. Officials and witnesses said the disaster zone was twice shaken by fresh tremors Monday... Читать дальше...

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

Security concerns have been raised In Liberia following the deaths of at least two people in preelection violence. Political watchers say campaign messaging has deepened political divides, and are calling on the national police to be more proactive during the presidential and legislative elections set for Tuesday.  On the streets of Monrovia, university students chanted, "We want peace, Liberia is our only country; we want peace," as they distributed peace-branded handbills to commuters, urging voters to desist from violence. Читать дальше...

At least 27 people were killed, and more than 50 others were injured after floods devastated the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde and some surrounding neighborhoods Sunday.  Heavy rains unleashed flooding in the district of Yaounde 2 near the capital, sweeping away buildings in a torrent of water and mud, reducing many to chunks of rubble.  Adding to the disaster, the rising floodwater overwhelmed a dike built in the colonial era, and it gave way, releasing a manmade lake which swept several structures down a hill Sunday... Читать дальше...

Major airlines have suspended flights in and out of Israel after the nation declared war following a massive attack by Hamas. Israel hit more than 1,000 targets in Gaza and Palestinian militants continued firing barrages of rockets, setting off air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Video posted online appeared to show a plume of smoke near a terminal at Ben Gurion International Airport. Scores of arriving and departing flights at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport were canceled or delayed, according to the airport's online flight board. Читать дальше...

Gabon's military-appointed government says it will invest more than $10 million and distribute hundreds of luxury vehicles said to be part of ill-gotten wealth recovered from family and friends of ousted President Ali Bongo since the military junta took power about six weeks ago. The government says the money will be used to provide public social amenities such as water, electricity and education.  Gabon's military junta says the government, appointed by transitional President General Brice Oligui Nguema... Читать дальше...

U.S. policymakers are worried about losing potential American advances in science and technology to China, and this could lead to limits on academic exchanges. Fewer research papers are being jointly authored by scientists from the two countries, and there are signs that the United States is becoming a less desirable study destination for Chinese students. But academic ties should be preserved, according to an article in Foreign Affairs magazine.

Reporter Lai Sufen was in Tel Aviv on Saturday when Hamas launched attacks across southern Israel. She spoke to VOA Mandarin service about what she experienced. At about 6:30 in the morning on October 7, we were awakened by a piercing air raid siren. This scene is common in Israel. I have lived here for many years and experienced many rocket attacks. I am already familiar with air defense sirens, hiding in air defense rooms, and the explosion sound of rockets intercepted by the Iron Dome system. Читать дальше...

In many African societies, elders are highly regarded as powerful figures who keep the culture alive and guide the young. But sometimes that power doesn’t help when it comes to obtaining health care. Juma Majanga reports from Nairobi, Kenya. (Camera and produced by: Jimmy Makhulo)

As China marks 10 years of its global Belt and Road Initiative, VOA's Pakistan bureau chief Sarah Zaman looks at why one of the BRI's biggest projects, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, failed to spur substantial economic growth in Pakistan despite boosting its infrastructure.

Monday in the United States is celebrated as both Columbus Day and as Indigenous Peoples' Day.  When the Spanish-financed Italian explorer Christopher Columbus made contact with native inhabitants of the Caribbean in 1492, there were more than 500 languages spoken across the Americas. In the land that became the United States, the remaining number of such languages has dwindled to about 100. Most now have only a handful of speakers.  Alex Fire Thunder’s two young boys are a thriving exception... Читать дальше...

Saudi Arabia on Monday unveiled an initiative to allow companies to purchase credits offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, part of the Gulf kingdom's stated goal of hitting net-zero emissions by 2060. The Greenhouse Gas Crediting and Offsetting Mechanism (GCOM), set to launch in early 2024, "aims to increase cooperation among national entities seeking to fulfill their climate ambitions by helping to mobilize finance in all sectors for a variety of projects and activities", according to its website. Читать дальше...

Vodafone underlined its commitment to Open RAN networks on Monday by confirming it would create purpose-built chipset architecture for the nascent technology with Intel INTC.O. The European operator also said it had made its first 4G calls using Open RAN over network sites shared with Orange ORAN.PA in Romania, and it was partnering with Nokia NOKIA.HE to pilot the technology in Italy. Open RAN allows mobile operators to mix and match equipment from various suppliers, potentially increasing flexibility. Читать дальше...

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will give $40 million, including to a Belgian biotech company and two leading African vaccine manufacturers, in a bid to boost access to mRNA vaccines for protection against various diseases in Africa.    Nivelles-based Quantoom Biosciences will get $20 million to advance work on its mRNA manufacturing platform, while the Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal and Biovac in South Africa will get $5 million each to buy the technology. A further $10 million is... Читать дальше...

Air force helicopters were able to land Monday to rescue people in India's Himalayan northeast after a 6-year-old hydroelectric dam cracked open last week in intense rain, flooding a valley with glacial lake water and washing away bridges and homes as thousands fled. Police said rescuers have found 52 bodies so far, and the search was continuing while around a 100 people are still missing. As weather conditions improved in Sikkim state, helicopters arrived in the worst-hit Mangan district to help some 3,000 stranded tourists. Читать дальше...

The Nobel economics prize was awarded Monday to Claudia Goldin, a professor at Harvard University, for research that has advanced the understanding of the gender gap in the labor market. The announcement went a tiny step to closing the Nobel committee’s own gender gap: Goldin is just the third woman to win the prize out of 93 economics laureates. She has studied 200 years of women's participation in the workplace, showing that despite continued economic growth, women's pay did not continuously... Читать дальше...

Monday is World Mental Health Day. This year’s theme is “Mental health is a basic universal human right.” People all over the world who have mental health conditions, according to the World Health Organization, face discrimination. “Having a mental health condition should never be a reason to deprive a person of their human rights or to exclude them from decisions about their own health,” WHO said in a statement. “Yet all over the world, people with mental health conditions continue to experience... Читать дальше...

Two rallies faced off Sunday in Kirkland, Washington State. Israeli expats came to support their country in its war on Hamas, while pro-Palestinian rally participants came to express support for Gaza. Natasha Mozgovaya reports from Kirkland.

With Saturday's attack on Israel saturating the global news media, people around the world are reacting with large scale rallies. Aron Ranen reports from New York.

Monday is Colombus Day in the United States.  It is also a day that many people now celebrate as Indigenous Peoples Day. Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1937, in honor of Christopher Columbus’ so-called discovery of America. Many people, especially Native Americans, have taken offense at the notion that Columbus discovered the Americas when there were already established and thriving peoples and civilizations on the North and South American continents. "Columbus Day is not just... Читать дальше...