Новости за 22.10.2023

Hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside the United Nations on Sunday demanding the release of hostages seized by Hamas during the Islamist group's bloody attack on Israel. The protest on the square outside the U.N.'s Palais des Nations headquarters in Geneva was organized by the Voice for Freedom coalition, bringing together several Christian Zionist organizing committees.   The gathering therefore had a religious tone, with chants and slogans intermingled with prayers and psalms.    The... Читать дальше...

In a movie match-up almost as unlikely as "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," Martin Scorsese took on Taylor Swift in cinemas over the weekend. And while the box office belonged for a second time to "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour," Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon" got off to a strong start in Apple Studios' first major theatrical gambit. After a record-breaking opening weekend of $92.8 million, "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" took in an estimated $31 million over the weekend from 3,855 locations, according to AMC Theaters. Читать дальше...

Funeral services were set Sunday for a Detroit synagogue president found fatally stabbed at her home as authorities investigated a motive and asked the public not to draw quick conclusions. Samantha Woll, who led the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and was a former aide to Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin and campaign staffer for Attorney General Dana Nessel, was remembered as a community leader who worked to build bridges. "Sam was as kind a person as I've ever known," Nessel said Saturday on X, formerly known as Twitter. Читать дальше...

The father of freed American teen hostage Natalie Raanan said she's doing well following two weeks in captivity after she and her mother were abducted in Israel by Hamas and held in Gaza. Uri Raanan of Illinois told The Associated Press that he spoke to his daughter Friday by telephone. "She's doing good. She's doing very good," said Uri Raanan, who lives in the Chicago suburbs. "I'm in tears, and I feel very, very good." The 71-year-old said he saw on the news earlier Friday that an American mother and daughter would be released by Hamas... Читать дальше...

For three consecutive days, Palestinians took to the streets in cities across the West Bank to protest against the Israeli bombardments on Gaza. On Friday, hundreds of people marched in Gaza after the noon prayers, calling for an end to violence and criticizing the Israeli response to the Hamas attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 people in Israel.

Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific said on Sunday that it was canceling all flights between the city and Tel Aviv until the end of the year, over the Israel-Hamas conflict. "In view of the ongoing situation in Israel, all Cathay Pacific flights between Hong Kong and Tel Aviv from today up to and including 31 December 2023 will be canceled," the airline said in a statement on its website. It also urged its customers to continue to check its flight information and announcements for updates on departures beyond December 31. Читать дальше...

The U.S. State Department said on Sunday U.S. citizens should not travel to Iraq after recent attacks on American troops and personnel in the region. The travel advisory says, "Do not travel to Iraq due to terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest, and Mission Iraq’s limited capacity to provide support to U.S. citizens." There has been a spike in attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza broke out. Last week, a U.S. warship... Читать дальше...

A court in Iran sentenced two female journalists to up to seven years in prison for “collaborating” with the United States government among other charges, local reports said. Both have been imprisoned for over a year following their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody in Sept. 2022. This is a preliminary sentence that can be appealed in 20 days. The two journalists, Niloufar Hamedi, who broke the news of Amini’s death for wearing her headscarf too loosely, and Elaheh Mohammadi... Читать дальше...

Nine U.S. Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives – none of them well-known to the American public – announced by the Sunday deadline that they are running to become House speaker, the leader of the lower chamber of Congress. The House has been without a speaker for nearly three weeks after a hard-right faction of eight Republicans joined with all 212 Democrats in the chamber to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy.   The small group of Republicans was angered that McCarthy agreed to... Читать дальше...

Pakistan’s three-time former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, returned to the country Saturday after living in self-imposed exile for four years in the United Kingdom. Analysts say Sharif’s return will help restart politics in Pakistan, which have been stifled for months, but regaining political space lost to the powerful military will remain difficult. VOA’s Pakistan bureau chief Sarah Zaman reports from Sharif’s political stronghold, Lahore. VOA footage by Wajid Asad, Iqbal Khan. Video editing by Malik Waqar Ahmed.

Days after the Malaysian government released the findings of its probe into a deadly landslide, families of some victims are saying the report lacks credibility. They’re calling for a more thorough investigation. Dave Grunebaum has the story.

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

More humanitarian aid flowed into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, but the United Nations relief agency for Palestinian refugees warned that it would run out of fuel by Wednesday, complicating further assistance amid ongoing Israeli aerial attacks on Hamas militants and the looming threat of an Israeli ground invasion. “Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries,” said Philippe Lazzarini, the agency’s commissioner-general. “Without fuel, aid will not reach many civilians in desperate need. Читать дальше...

Families of victims of a deadly December landslide in Malaysia and an environmental development expert are saying a 141-page government report on the incident lacks credibility and are calling for a new and more thorough investigation. Thirty-one people were killed when the landslide swept over their tents at a campsite on Father’s Organic Farm in Batang Kali, a rural community that often draws tourists from the country’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. Families of the victims were pushing for months for the government to release its findings. Читать дальше...

Author Salman Rushdie called Sunday for the unconditional defense of freedom of expression as he received a prestigious German prize that recognizes his literary work and his resolve in the face of constant danger. The British-American author decried the current age as a time when freedom of expression is under attack by all sides, including from authoritarian and populist voices, according to the German news agency dpa. He made his remarks during a ceremony in St. Paul's Church in Frankfurt... Читать дальше...

The South Korean, U.S. and Japanese militaries conducted their first-ever trilateral aerial exercise Sunday in response to evolving North Korean nuclear threats, South Korea’s air force said. The training held near the Korean Peninsula was to implement the three countries’ earlier agreement to increase defense cooperation and boost their joint response capabilities against North Korean threats, the air force said in a statement. The drill involved a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber from the United... Читать дальше...

Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum is with his family and is doing well, a relatives told AFP Sunday, after claims by the country's new military rulers this week that he had tried to escape. "He is at the presidential residence [in Niamey] with his wife and son and is doing well," the family member said, adding that he was allowed to make one phone call. The source added that his doctor was able to see him and "bring him food". On Thursday, the military regime which overthrew the democratically... Читать дальше...

Venezuelans get a chance Sunday to pick who they think can end the decade-long crisis-ridden presidency of Nicolás Maduro. They will cast ballots in a primary election independently organized by the country’s opposition despite government repression and other obstacles. The contest is in itself an exercise in democracy because it required the deeply fractured opposition to work together to give the South American country its first presidential primary since 2012. But it could prove an exercise in futility if Maduro’s government wishes. Читать дальше...

"Ordain women priests!" Not far from the Vatican, where hundreds of Catholics have gathered to debate the future of the Church, purple-clad activists make their voices heard against the "patriarchy". The place of women in the Catholic Church -- led for 2,000 years by a man, which outlaws abortion and female priests and does not recognize divorce -- is one of the hot topics at the general assembly of the Synod of Bishops taking place over four weeks. Women campaigning for change have come to Rome to make their case... Читать дальше...

The house on Villegas Street, in the heart of Old Havana, looks nothing like the stately two-story home it used to be a century ago, with its high ceilings, wrought iron railings, semicircular arches and stairs covered in white marble. Its former elegance is such that local lore says it used to belong to a marquise. Today, everything inside the six-family unit is chaos. The roots of a tree protrude through the wall of a makeshift toilet where birds have made their nests. The roofs of the first and second floors are propped up. Читать дальше...

The latest: Israel's military strikes a West Bank mosque where it says Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were planning an "imminent attack." No consensus at the Cairo Summit on the Israel-Palestinian violence. The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened Saturday, allowing the transportation of humanitarian aid.  Clashes between Israel and Hamas continue, with Israeli airstrikes killing 19 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian media. Israel issued a warning advising its citizens against traveling to Egypt... Читать дальше...

Economy Minister Sergio Massa held the lead Sunday night in early results from Argentina's presidential election, a surprise reflecting voters' reluctance to hand the presidency to his chief contender, a right-wing populist who has pledged to drastically overhaul the state. With 86% of the votes counted, Massa had 36.2%, compared to the anti-establishment candidate Javier Milei's 30.3%, meaning the two were poised to face off in a November second round. Most pre-election polls, which have been notoriously unreliable... Читать дальше...

A Chinese coast guard ship and one of its militia vessels separately bumped a Philippine coast guard ship and a military-run supply boat Sunday off a disputed shoal, Philippine officials said. They did not say if there were injuries or damage. The Philippine government condemned the incident in "the strongest degree" and called it a violation of Manila’s sovereignty, the officials said. A Philippine government task force said the collisions occurred off Second Thomas Shoal as two Philippine... Читать дальше...

Venezuelans became the largest nationality arrested for illegally crossing the U.S. border, replacing Mexicans for the first time on record, according to figures released Saturday that show September was the second-highest month for arrests of all nationalities. Venezuelans were arrested 54,833 times by the Border Patrol after entering from Mexico in September, more than double from 22,090 arrests in August and well above the previous monthly high of 33,749 arrests in September 2022. Arrests... Читать дальше...

An extreme drought in parts of the Amazon has led to a dramatic drop in water levels in the river, exposing dozens of usually submerged rock formations with carvings of human forms that may date back some 2,000 years. Livia Ribeiro, a longtime resident of the Amazon's largest city, Manaus, said she heard about the rock engravings from friends and wanted to check them out. "I thought it was a lie ... I had never seen this. I've lived in Manaus for 27 years," said Ribeiro, an administrator, after viewing the dazzling relics. Читать дальше...