Новости за 18.10.2023

Tensions between the United States and Turkey are growing, with each side accusing the other of posing a security threat. The war of words follows the U.S. downing of a Turkish drone that Washington said was threatening American forces in Syria. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

Pope Francis decried the “desperate” situation in Gaza, calling for peace, during his general audience on Wednesday. The pope, however, did not mention the deadly attack Tuesday on a hospital in Gaza. Pope Francis told the faithful gathering in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday that his “thoughts go to Palestine and Israel,” expressing concern that this war could spread. He urged the faithful to pray for peace.   “The victims are increasing and the situation in Gaza is desperate," Pope Francis said. Читать дальше...

Eleven days of bombing Gaza has caused widespread destruction of schools and hospitals, as well as displaced nearly 1 million people. Meanwhile, aid agencies warn of catastrophic shortages of medical supplies. Maxim Adams has the story. Camera: Aleksandr Bergan.

As desperate Palestinians in sealed-off Gaza try to find refuge, some ask why neighboring Egypt and Jordan don't take them in. The two countries, which flank Israel on opposite sides and share borders with Gaza and the occupied West Bank, respectively, have replied with a staunch refusal. Jordan has a large Palestinian population. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi made his toughest remarks yet on Wednesday, saying the current war was not just aimed at fighting Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip... Читать дальше...

In Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh, 62-year-old produce seller Sok Ul is sanguine, despite the threat that a Belt and Road project could uproot him from his neighborhood. Construction will soon begin on a $60 million bridge that spans two of the city’s bustling southern sections along the Tonle Sap river, and Sok Ul’s modest vegetable farm may need to go. “I am happy to see a bridge to ease traffic congestion,” he said, speaking with VOA’s Khmer Service from his roadside stall, where he sells cabbages and other produce. Читать дальше...

Nigeria's inflation rate has risen to its highest level in two decades, 26.72%, according to the national statistics bureau. The latest figure keeps millions of people in Africa's largest country struggling to cope with economic challenges that, analysts say, are exacerbated by government reform policies.  Nigeria's inflation rate in September rose for a ninth consecutive month from an already high 25.8%, recorded in August. On a year-on-year basis, the inflation rate was 5.94% higher than when... Читать дальше...

The United States is standing by Israel, pushing back against accusations by Hamas and other Palestinian officials that Israel is to blame for an explosion at a hospital that has left hundreds of people dead. Video of the explosion late Tuesday at the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza quickly circulated on television and social media, sparking outrage and protests in countries across the region. But U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking during a visit to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, said U.S. intelligence indicates Israel is not to blame. Читать дальше...

South Africa's foreign minister has been criticized for holding a phone call with the leader of Hamas just 10 days after the Palestinian militant group launched a deadly attack on Israel. While the South African government has long expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people, a South African Jewish organization says the phone call indicates the minister “supports” Hamas. Naledi Pandor, formally South Africa's minister of international relations and cooperation, said in a statement that she... Читать дальше...

US President Joe Biden is in Tel Aviv Wednesday, showing support for US ally Israel following the Oct. 7 attack by militant group Hamas that has escalated to an all-out war. Biden appeared to side with Israel, who denied responsibility for a massive explosion at a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds, ignited protests across the region, and scuttled Biden’s summit with regional leaders. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.

Russia is Europe’s last colonial empire, denying equal rights and the right to self-determination to indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities.

The chief suspect in Natalee Holloway's 2005 disappearance in Aruba admitted he killed her and disposed of her remains, and has agreed to plead guilty to charges he tried to extort money from the teen's mother years later, a U.S. judge said Wednesday, The disclosure came during a plea and sentencing hearing for Joran van der Sloot, 36, in a federal courtroom in Alabama — just a few miles from the Birmingham suburb where Holloway used to live. "You changed the course of our lives and you turned... Читать дальше...

Muslim and Jewish communities in the U.S. are on alert, fearing a rise in harassment and hostilities related to the Israel-Hamas War. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the perspectives of those affected and others who are calling to defuse the tensions. Masood Farivar contributed to this report.

For the second day in a row, Republican Representative Jim Jordan, a hard-line conservative and staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, lost his bid Wednesday to be elected as speaker of the House of Representatives. Jordan, a nine-term lawmaker from the midwestern state of Ohio, lost one vote from the first round of voting on Tuesday, leaving him far short of the 217-vote majority he needs among the current 433 House members. He won 199 Republican votes in the second round of voting, down one from Tuesday... Читать дальше...

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

India's expanding economy was expected to bring more women into the workforce, but in the world's most populous nation, their low participation continues to pose a challenge. While demographers hope that the country's huge working-age population will propel economic development, they say women need to be included to reap the benefits of growth. Anjana Pasricha has a report.

The group that successfully won a landmark college affirmative action lawsuit earlier this year is suing to end raced-based admissions at the United States Military Acadamy at West Point.   According to a report from CNN, the conservative group Students for Fair Admissions is asking that the academy be prohibited from considering or knowing an applicant’s race during the admissions process. (September 2023).

The United States sanctioned Hamas’ financial entities on Wednesday, seeking to disrupt the militant group’s funding for attacks on Israel. The U.S. targeted what it described as “a secret Hamas investment portfolio,” a financial facilitator tied to Iran and a Gaza-based virtual currency exchange, along with nine individuals. The U.S. Treasury said some of the Hamas entities were based in Sudan, Turkey, Algeria and Qatar. The sanctions were announced while President Joe Biden was in Israel to... Читать дальше...

U.N. aid officials said Tuesday that they are racing against time to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to tens of thousands of earthquake survivors in western Afghanistan, north of the city of Herat, before winter sets in and people whose houses have been destroyed are exposed to freezing temperatures. "Most of the people, even inhabitants of Herat, that has almost a million population — most of these people stay outside their homes, especially at night," said Daniel Endres, humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan... Читать дальше...

This week, China’s Belt and Road forum in Beijing was not only a chance for Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold meetings with world leaders, it also was a rare opportunity for the Taliban, which has yet to be recognized by any country. The Taliban’s attendance at the meeting, which marks the 10th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road Initiative or BRI, was the highest-profile multilateral meeting the group has attended since its takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.  Experts say the Taliban’s... Читать дальше...

Ghana's forests are shrinking largely to make room to grow cocoa, the raw ingredient in chocolate. The country lost a record amount of forest last year, and experts say it's not sustainable. Under an upcoming European Union regulation, chocolate companies will have to show there is no deforestation in their supply chains. But such a rule will affect Ghana's roughly 800,000 cocoa farmers, many of whom live in poverty. VOA's Steve Baragona has more. Camera: Mary Cieslak, Senanu Tord

With at least 15 journalists killed in the first week of the Israel-Hamas conflict, including a Reuters video journalist, newsrooms and safety specialists are discussing how to keep crews safe. From Washington, VOA's Cristina Caicedo Smit has the story. Video editor: Barry Unger

In Nigeria, finding solutions to the growing trend of out-of-school children has become a national emergency. An estimated 20 million children are not attending school, a situation that experts blame on a mix of cultural, economic and infrastructure problems, none of which have easy solutions. Gibson Emeka has this story from Abuja, Nigeria.

The terror attack by the Hamas militant group that killed approximately 1,400 Israeli civilians, and Israel’s determination to destroy the Palestinian militant group in return, may be the start of a new, painful chapter in a region already badly scarred by decades of conflict and violence. Current and former officials, analysts and aid groups, speaking to VOA directly and at public forums, warn that unlike past conflicts between Israel and Hamas, when each side sought to damage the other before eventually easing off, this time is different. Читать дальше...

China’s economy slowed in the third quarter of this year, thanks in part to a crisis in the nation’s debt-ridden property sector. Figures released Wednesday by the government’s statistics bureau showed the world’s second-largest economy grew by 4.9% between July and September compared to the same period a year before.  The rise was better than the 4.5% rate forecast by most analysts but far below the 6.3% growth in the previous three-month period. The data also showed that China’s gross domestic product grew 1.3% during the third quarter... Читать дальше...

Latest developments: U.S. President Joe Biden arrives for Israel visit, blames “other team” for hospital blast Hundreds killed when rocket hits Gaza City’s Ahli Arab Hospital. Hamas blames Israel; Israel blames Palestinian militants; Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesman denies the group is responsible. U.N. Security Council to vote on resolution calling for humanitarian pause. More than 1,400 Israelis, 3,000 Palestinians have been killed.   U.S. President Joe Biden is in Israel Wednesday... Читать дальше...