Новости за 09.11.2023

The kidnapped father of Liverpool football star Luis Diaz was released Thursday by the guerrilla group National Liberation Army or ELN, according to the Colombian government. Luis Manuel Diaz and his wife, Cilenis Marulanda, were kidnapped in the small town of Barrancas on October 28. Marulanda was rescued by police within hours of being captured. The kidnapping drew international attention, with the younger Diaz voicing public concern over his father. After scoring a goal November 5 in a match for Liverpool... Читать дальше...

Climate change is having a big impact on the Arctic permafrost — the subsurface soil that usually remains frozen throughout the year. VOA's Natasha Mozgovaya reports from Alaska on how warming permafrost is changing infrastructure planning and the local landscape.

French President Emmanuel Macron gave opening remarks on Thursday in Paris at an aid conference for Gaza, stressing that “all lives have equal worth.” Representatives from more than 50 nations, including the U.S. and several Arab states, were in attendance. Israeli officials weren’t invited but were informed of the meeting in advance, Macron’s press office said. Macron appealed for a humanitarian pause in Israel’s counteroffensive against Hamas, saying that ensuring the safety of civilians is... Читать дальше...

Surgeons have performed the world's first transplant of an entire human eye, an extraordinary addition to a face transplant — although it's far too soon to know if the man will ever see through his new left eye.  An accident with high-voltage power lines destroyed most of Aaron James' face and one eye. His right eye still works. But surgeons at NYU Langone Health hoped replacing the missing one would yield better cosmetic results for his new face, because it would support the transplanted eye socket and lid. Читать дальше...

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

While the video is from Hezbollah, it was first released in 2019, and was not created in response to U.S. naval deployment in eastern Mediterranean.

With data showing Mexico as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists outside a war zone, and with the country’s long record of impunity for perpetrators, the country’s media look to one another for safety. VOA’s Jessica Jerreat has the story. VOA footage by Vicente Calderon, Nelson Vignolles. Cristina Caicedo Smit contributed.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen kicks off two days of talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng Thursday as the U.S. looks to manage tensions with Beijing and keep dialogue open on a range of issues from climate change to trade and defense. Following Yellen’s meetings on Thursday and Friday, presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are expected to meet next week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, forum in San Francisco. Analysts say Yellen’s meeting with He... Читать дальше...

Spanish police say that veteran right-wing politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras, has been taken to the hospital after being shot in the face in Madrid. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, 78, a member of Spain's conservative popular party, and was its regional leader in Catalonia, was shot in the wealthy Salamanca area of central Madrid at about 1.30 p.m. local time. Vidal-Quadras was conscious when he was taken to the hospital. Police have identified two men in connection with the shooting, who got away on a black motorcycle. Читать дальше...

Recent heavy rain and flooding killed 15 people in Kenya and displaced thousands of others, the Kenya Red Cross Society says. The heavy rainfall also killed livestock and destroyed businesses and farmland, said Peter Murgor, a disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation manager with the Kenya Red Cross Society. “Schools [are] being affected ... and even hospital facilities in some of the places that have been marooned are also affected,” Murgor told VOA. The situation could get worse, Murgor said. Читать дальше...

Student athletes in the U.S. can have their tuition paid for and even win lucrative sponsorships, but the path there is not easy. For US News & World Report, Anayat Durrani explains the recruitment process and the differences between the major intercollegiate athletic groups. (October 2023)

Britain's interior minister on Thursday accused the country's largest police force of being more lenient toward pro-Palestinian demonstrators than other groups, deepening a political feud sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.  In a highly unusual attack on the police, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said London's Metropolitan Police force was ignoring lawbreaking by "pro-Palestinian mobs." She described demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as "hate marchers."  Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was under growing pressure to fire Braverman... Читать дальше...

A dangerous encounter between a Chinese jet fighter and a Canadian helicopter over the South China Sea has called attention to Canada’s heightened interest in the Western Pacific, including participation in patrols through the disputed Taiwan Strait.  In the October 29 incident, first reported by CNN, a helicopter was flying off the deck of the frigate HMCS Ottawa over international waters east of the Paracel Islands when the Chinese warplane began circling the helicopter, firing flares and at... Читать дальше...

Businesses in the Ethiopian traditional clothing market say cheaper garments made by Chinese manufacturers is driving them out of work. Kennedy Abate has this report from the capital Addis Ababa, narrated by Vincent Makori.

More than 13,000 kilometers from Jerusalem, in the Marshall Islands, stands an Israeli consulate. It’s one of only 10 foreign missions in the Marshalls, a symbol of the strong link between the South Pacific islands and the state of Israel.   At an October 27 U.N. General Assembly vote demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, only 12 nations joined the United States and Israel in voting against the resolution. Six of those “no” votes came from the South Pacific: Fiji, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. Читать дальше...

An exhibition featuring the work of Simone Leigh — one of America's most influential contemporary female artists — is now on display at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington. Leigh, known for her focus on feminism, gender equality and racial justice, became the first Black artist in history to represent the U.S. at the Venice Biennale in 2022, where she was awarded the coveted Golden Lion. Maxim Adams has the story. Camera: Sergii Dogotar.

The Australian government could face hundreds of false imprisonment claims after the country’s High Court ruled that it was unlawful to indefinitely hold a person in immigration detention.   The Canberra government says the High Court ruling could allow the release of about 100 people held by Australia in immigration detention who cannot return to their home countries. About nine detainees are deemed to be stateless, while others cannot be deported because of fears of persecution at home. The... Читать дальше...

Arab allies of the United States continue to press for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war as Palestinian civilian deaths mount at an alarming scale in Gaza. Analysts say that as anger grows on the Arab street over civilian casualties and enormous destruction, Arab leaders worry that the security of their countries and, potentially, the entire region, is increasingly at risk. Mideast analyst Nicholas Heras at the Washington-based New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy points to U.S. allies... Читать дальше...

An industrial robot grabbed and crushed a worker to death at a vegetable packaging plant in South Korea, police said Thursday, as they investigated whether the machine was defective or improperly designed. Police said early evidence suggests that human error was more likely to blame rather than problems with the machine itself. But the incident still triggered public concern about the safety of industrial robots and the false sense of security they may give to humans working nearby in a country... Читать дальше...

The third Republican presidential debate took place Wednesday in Miami, Florida, featuring fewer candidates than past debates. The candidates tried to set themselves apart from each other and from front-runner Donald Trump with several international issues. VOA's Senior Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti brings us the highlights.

Latest developments: Israeli forces battle Hamas fighters in Gaza City. IDF extended for an extra hour Wednesday its evacuation corridor for Palestinians to leave northern Gaza, as U.N. says 50,000 flee south. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says the death toll from Israeli attacks has surpassed 10,500. G7 backs Israel’s right to self-defense, while calling for pauses in fighting to allow humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian civilians. Israeli forces battled Hamas militants Thursday... Читать дальше...

Bangladesh police fired rubber bullets and tear gas Thursday, officials and witnesses said, as violence broke out at a protest by garment workers who rejected a government-offered pay raise. A government-appointed panel raised wages on Tuesday by 56.25 percent for the South Asian nation's 4 million garment factory workers, who are seeking a near-tripling of their monthly wage. Bangladesh's 3,500 garment factories account for around 85 percent of its $55 billion in annual exports, supplying many of the world's top brands including Levi's... Читать дальше...

The man accused of breaking into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home, bludgeoning her husband with a hammer and seeking to kidnap her goes on trial Thursday. Opening statements are scheduled in the federal trial of David DePape, who prosecutors say assaulted then-82-year-old Paul Pelosi, sending shockwaves through the political world just days before last year's midterm elections. The attack in the early hours of Oct. 28, 2022, also highlighted how conspiracy theories and misinformation... Читать дальше...

A judge in Michigan is expected to hear arguments Thursday on whether Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has the authority to keep Donald Trump's name off state ballots for president. Activists are suing Benson in the Michigan Court of Claims to force her to keep Trump's name off ballots and to assess Trump's constitutional qualifications to serve a second term as president. Meanwhile, attorneys for the former president are demanding that Trump's name be allowed on the 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot. Читать дальше...

Some 80 countries and international organizations meet in Paris on Thursday to coordinate aid and assess how to help the wounded in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, although expectations for concrete results are low without some pause in fighting. France offered support for Israel after a deadly Oct. 7 attack by Hamas Islamists, yet Israel's retaliatory bombardment has raised concerns as civilian casualties have soared. Thousands have been killed, wounded and displaced in Gaza. "It's not a secret... Читать дальше...