Новости за 26.10.2023

Violence has been escalating in the West Bank since the brutal Hamas attack on October 7. Israeli forces entered many Palestinian cities to arrest suspects linked to the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip. More than 1,000 people have been detained. In almost three weeks of war, Israeli forces and Jewish settlers killed more than 100 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

A month after federal officials recommended new versions of COVID-19 vaccines, 7% of U.S. adults and 2% of children have gotten shots. The numbers, presented Thursday at a meeting held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, come from a national survey of thousands of Americans conducted two weeks ago.  The data also indicated that nearly 40% of adults said they probably or definitely would not get the shot. A similar percentage of parents said they did not plan to vaccinate their children. Читать дальше...

Ahead of a scheduled visit to Kenya by Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the Talai clan of the Kipsigis community is petitioning the king to help it receive compensation for land lost during the colonial period. Francis Ontomwa reports.

Political leaders in the Mississippi River area are looking to form a multistate compact to manage threats from climate change, water pollution and drought-affected regions elsewhere. “Twenty million people drink from the Mississippi River and its tributaries every day, including me and my family,” said Colin Wellenkamp, executive director of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative. With the world’s fourth-largest basin, the Mississippi River supports more than 400 species of wildlife... Читать дальше...

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

More than two weeks after Hamas militants rampaged through a string of sleepy farming towns, many Israelis are furious at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, not just for failing to prevent the attack, but for failing to come to their aid afterward. While the military is launching unrelenting airstrikes in Gaza that have killed thousands of Palestinians, and hundreds of thousands of Israeli troops are massing for a possible ground offensive, government infighting and lack of help for... Читать дальше...

California high school students are helping girls in Afghanistan continue their studies under Taliban rule by sharing virtual lessons and fundraising. VOA’s Genia Dulot has the story from San Diego.

Nigeria’s Supreme Court confirmed President Bola Tinubu as the winner of February’s presidential election, dismissing challenges brought by his political opposition, who cited flaws in the voting system and said Tinubu lacked qualifications. The court said Thursday that the challenges were "devoid of merits." The ruling follows a decision in which two other candidates saw their petitions rejected by an appeals court last month, clearing the way for Tinubu’s presidency. The candidates who appealed the election results... Читать дальше...

An inquiry began Thursday into an apartment building fire that killed 76 people in South Africa in August and laid bare the deep problems of poverty and neglect in parts of Africa's richest city. The nighttime blaze swept through a five-story building in the Marshalltown district of Johannesburg, trapping many of the hundreds of people who were living there in badly overcrowded conditions. The building was believed to be one of what are known as "hijacked" buildings in Johannesburg. Authorities... Читать дальше...

The Taliban government in Afghanistan released a nationally known education activist Thursday after nearly seven months in prison. Matiullah Wesa, founder of PenPath, a community-based education support network, was picked up at gunpoint in Kabul in March for alleged "suspicious activities." His house was raided by de facto Afghan authorities. "Matiullah Wesa was released today after spending 215 days in prison," PenPath  confirmed through the X social media platform. Taliban officials did... Читать дальше...

Media watchdogs and journalists in Zimbabwe are fuming after members of the vice presidential security detail ordered journalists to delete photos and video of Second Vice President Kembo Mohadi collapsing at a campaign rally Saturday. As Mohadi was airlifted to an unknown destination for medical attention, the security detail rounded up journalists and ordered them to wipe out recordings of the event. Journalists from private and government-controlled media who were covering the Zanu-PF rally... Читать дальше...

Kharbarhub.com, a news site from Nepal, walks international students through the process of getting a U.S. student visa in this article. It includes information about applying and interviewing for a visa. Read the full story here. (October 2023)

Leaders from countries with the largest tropical forest basins are meeting in the Republic of Congo on Thursday to work together to protect the forests from deforestation and destruction. Delegates from Brazil, Indonesia, Republic of Congo and dozens of other countries at the Three Basins Summit in Brazzaville are hoping to form a coalition of leaders from the basins of the Amazon, the Congo and Borneo-Mekong in Southeast Asia to discuss how to finance the protection of their wildlife-rich regions... Читать дальше...

China launched its youngest-ever crew for its orbiting space station on Thursday as it seeks to put astronauts on the moon before 2030. The Shenzhou 17 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China atop a Long March 2-F rocket at 11:14 a.m. (0314 GMT) According to the China Manned Space Agency, the average age of the three-member crew is the youngest since the launch of the space station construction mission, state broadcaster CCTV earlier reported. Читать дальше...

European Union leaders gathered Thursday to debate ways to use their combined leverage to ensure that more aid reaches Palestinians in need, and how to help EU citizens in Gaza escape danger, including some held hostage by Hamas. EU nations have long been divided in their approach to Israel and the Palestinians, but the brutal nature of the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7., which killed more than 1,400 people, and the hardship of civilians forced from their homes in Gaza have shone a bright spotlight on those divisions. Читать дальше...

At least 27 people died due to Hurricane Otis and four others were still missing, Mexico's government said on Thursday after one of the most powerful storms to hit the country smashed into the Pacific beach resort of Acapulco early the day before.   President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the government was working to re-establish power and clean up the devastation wrought by the Category 5 hurricane that tore through the southern state of Guerrero, leaving Acapulco incommunicado. "What Acapulco... Читать дальше...

With jailed American journalist Evan Gershkovich due to spend his birthday Thursday in prison, family and colleagues discuss their efforts to secure his release. VOA’s Cristina Caicedo Smit spoke with the Wall Street Journal reporter's sister about his case. (Camera: Cristina Caicedo Smit, Saqib Ul Islam; Produced by Cristina Caicedo Smit)

Malawi is seeing a spike in cholera cases. This, just two months after the government lifted a public health emergency declaration that had been in place since early 2022. Chimwemwe Padatha has this story from Lilongwe, Malawi

Jewish and Islamic law both say dead bodies must be treated with respect and mandates that bodies be buried as soon as possible. Observing these precepts with thousands of dead in a war zone is proving to be difficult, as Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Tel Aviv. (VOA footage by Ricki Rosen and produced by Rod James.)

According to a 2023 report by the Global Action for Sustainable Development, Liberia is losing an entire generation to drug abuse, with its capital, Monrovia, alone having more than 800 drug hubs and an estimated 100,000 drug users. An older generation of rehabilitated child soldiers have moved to join the fight against drugs, using a behavioral therapy approach. Senanu Tord reports from Monrovia. Video editor: Henry Hernandez.

In an emergency session of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) this week, the U.S. called on allies in the Middle East to increase efforts to cut off outside funding for Hamas, the organization that perpetrated a massive attack on Israeli civilians on October 7. The Treasury Department called on the member countries of the TFTC to use their influence to do more to cut off the flow of funds to Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, home to some 2.3 million Palestinians who have been under... Читать дальше...

No candidate won Argentina’s recent presidential election by an outright majority, but analysts say the surprise front-runner is most inclined to ensure that strong ties with China continue their current trajectory. After placing third in an August primary, ruling Peronist coalition candidate and current economy chief Sergio Massa captured nearly 37% of the vote over the weekend, defeating two other contenders both of whom questioned their nation’s ties with Beijing. Argentina’s battered economy... Читать дальше...

Nigerian authorities are seeking to pass a law that would give the government power to regulate digital platforms across the country. Supporters say social media has been used to spread falsehoods that threaten lives and property. But opponents say it's an attempt to stifle free speech and dissenting opinions. Timothy Obiezu has the story from the capital, Abuja.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a plan to mine and process critical minerals during an official visit to the United States.   Australia’s government wants to attract investment from U.S. companies and reduce reliance on China, which currently dominates the critical minerals sector. The Canberra government says without mining more critical minerals, Australia will not reach its target of net zero emissions by 2050. The $1.25 billion fund announced in Washington by Albanese... Читать дальше...

Latest developments: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is “preparing for a ground invasion” of Gaza. About 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians in the initial Hamas attack on October 7. At least 6,546 people, the majority are women and children, a number that some U.S. and Israeli officials question.   Israel’s military said late Thursday it again carried out a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces have been conducting airstrikes targeting Hamas militants for nearly three weeks. Читать дальше...