Новости за 15.11.2023

It began as a familiar old story. In the early 2000s, multinational mining giant Rio Tinto came to the wilds of Michigan's Upper Peninsula to dig a nickel mine. Environmentalists feared pollution. The company promised jobs. The usual battle lines were drawn. The usual legal fights ensued. But this time, something different happened. The mining company invited a respected local environmental group to be an independent watchdog, conducting pollution testing that goes above and beyond what regulators require. Читать дальше...

The United Nations' nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that Iran's decision to withdraw the accreditation of several inspectors was "extreme and unjustified" and "directly and seriously affected" the agency's work.  "Iran's stance is not only unprecedented, but unambiguously contrary to the cooperation that is required," the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a confidential report seen by AFP.  In September, Iran withdrew the accreditation of several inspectors, a move Tehran described as... Читать дальше...

Among California’s farmers and ranchers, the recent return of the long-absent gray wolf also means a return of fears of livestock losses. From Tulare County, California, VOA’s Robin Guess reports. VOA footage by Matt Dibble.

A report by the World Meteorological Organization released Wednesday says efforts to stem climate change are at risk of going off the rails as greenhouse gas emissions reach record highs.  WMO's Greenhouse Gas Bulletin says global concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most important greenhouse gas, "in 2022 were a full 50% above the pre-industrial era for the first time."  Emissions of two other greenhouse gases, methane and nitrous oxide, also saw "the highest year-on-year increase on record from 2021 to 2022," it said. Читать дальше...

The debate over U.S. aid to Myanmar will remain unresolved until at least early next year, as U.S. lawmakers once again this week delayed passage of a final budget for 2024.   U.S. lawmakers are expected to pass a short-term continuing resolution that will fund the government at current levels through early next year that includes the BURMA Act, passed as part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization or NDAA.   But the 2024 version of the budget will require the Senate and the House to reconcile... Читать дальше...

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

Israeli troops have enters the Shifa Hospital in Gaza, claiming Hamas is using the site as a command center. We examine the consequences of a new anti-propaganda law in Israel; President Biden to meet with President Xi in California and the latest from Kyiv. Plus, is Christmas cancelled?

Vote counting from Liberia’s presidential runoff is underway, with opposition leader Joseph Boakai holding a slight lead over incumbent George Weah. Early results from about one-fifth of Liberia’s polling stations showed Boakai winning just under 51% of the vote, with Weah close behind at slightly over 49%. The two candidates entered a runoff after both failed to secure more than half of the vote in the first round of voting. Over 2.4 million people cast their ballots last month in the first round of voting... Читать дальше...

Nigeria's labor unions have begun an indefinite strike to protest the beating of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) president Joe Ajaero on November 1. The labor leader was to lead workers in protest over unpaid salaries in Imo state when he was picked up by security agents, who allegedly beat him. For a second day Wednesday, the nationwide strike called by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) held firm. Compliance is stricter in the capital, Abuja, the operational nerve center of the workers' unions. Читать дальше...

The national poll body of Bangladesh said Wednesday that parliamentary elections will be held on January 7 — an announcement that sparked immediate threats of a boycott from the opposition, which fears the elections will be rigged. The announcement comes as the country is reeling from widespread violent protests calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. At least four people, among them a police officer, were killed and hundreds of others wounded in recent demonstrations across Bangladesh. Читать дальше...

Democratic Party candidates who favor the right to an abortion recently secured big electoral wins in several conservative states. But to what extent could the issue of reproductive rights influence how Americans vote in the 2024 presidential election? VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias consulted with the experts.

Sexual violence can be an instrument of power in warfare, and female hostages face unique risks, warns a new report submitted to the International Committee of the Red Cross by a medical team working with the families of those kidnapped by Hamas. In Israel, photos of those abducted by Hamas to Gaza are everywhere — from the Ben Gurion Airport arrivals corridor and the huge posters along the highways to kids’ shop windows, lampposts, benches and T-shirts. On the wall full of photos at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art Square... Читать дальше...

Sexual violence can be a weapon in warfare. Female hostages face unique risks, warns a report submitted to the International Red Cross by a medical team of the Israeli Hostages and Missing Families forum. The group was formed to bring home the Israelis kidnapped by Hamas militants. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya has more from Tel Aviv, Israel. First, a warning: This video contains graphic images that some may find disturbing. Camera — Marie Cieslak.

A number of college campuses across the United States have been dealing with allegations of hazing in 2023, often involving athletic programs at schools.  CNN describes what hazing is, how it gained a foothold on campuses and how colleges are fighting it. (September 2023)

The photograph is an award-winning document of Bashar Assad regime’s destruction of the western city of Homs, the rebels’ stronghold during the Syrian civil war.

A new report says heat-related deaths will increase 370 percent by 2050 if global temperatures increase by 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, as predicted.  The findings were part of a report published Wednesday in the medical journal Lancet’s annual assessment, known as the Coundown, on the effects of climate change on public health.   The Countdown found that the number of heat-related deaths among people aged 65 and older has risen 85% over the last decade compared to the years between 1991 and 2000. Читать дальше...

Rheumatology diseases were previously considered to be rare in Africa but that is changing, as the number of cases is on the rise. Health experts attribute the trend to changing lifestyles on the continent. Juma Majanga reports from Nairobi, Kenya. (Camera and video editing: Jimmy Makhulo)

Climate activist Greta Thunberg pleaded not guilty to a public order offence charge in a British court on Wednesday, following her arrest last month at a protest in London. The 20-year-old was detained by police on Oct. 17 after she and dozens of demonstrators locked arms to obstruct the entrances to a hotel where an oil and gas conference was taking place. Thunberg has become famous as the face of climate activism since she started staging weekly protests in Sweden in 2018, and she now travels... Читать дальше...

President Joe Biden meets Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday outside of San Francisco, as the two leaders prepare for a gathering of Asia-Pacific economies. Biden said he is focused on stabilizing the rocky relationship between the two superpowers.   Laying out his aims ahead of the meeting, Biden said his priority is “to get back on a normal course of corresponding” with President Xi Jinping and his government.  But the meeting, on a bucolic estate near San Francisco, comes after a bruising year for China-U.S. relations... Читать дальше...

Attacks from Iranian-backed militants have not let up, with a multi-rocket attack coming within a half-kilometer of Mission Support Site Euphrates in eastern Syria on Tuesday. The U.S. says deterrence is working with Iran, and on Sunday the military struck two facilities used by Iran and Iranian-backed militant groups in Syria. Defense officials tell VOA Iranian-backed militants have attacked U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria at least 56 times in less than a month, with at least five attacks happening after the Sunday strikes. Читать дальше...

Attacks from Iranian-backed militants have not let up, with a multirocket attack coming within a half-kilometer of Mission Support Site Euphrates in eastern Syria on Tuesday. The U.S. says deterrence is working with Iran, but is it enough to stop the barrage of drones and rockets? VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has details.

Families of the hostages held by Hamas are marching from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to demand the Israeli government do more to free their loved ones. Supporters of Israel rallied by the tens of thousands on Washington's National Mall.

Middle East Forum’s Jonathan Spyer on why Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies are maintaining daily low-level attacks against northern Israel after five weeks of war. Iranian Americans on why they participated in the March for Israel rally in Washington. Iranian American activist Sarah Raviani on the status of congressional legislation to tighten U.S. sanctions on Iran’s Islamist rulers. Baha’i International Community’s Simin Fahandej on what is behind a surge in Iran’s arrests of minority Baha’is.

Tens of thousands of Jewish Americans rallied on Tuesday in Washington in support of Israel, to call for the release of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas and to reject antisemitism. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias covered the “March for Israel” and gathered many of the diverse points of view that were expressed.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered Tuesday on the National Mall in Washington in a show of solidarity as Jews across the United States and the world face a resurgence of antisemitism that activists at the protest compared with the hatred that culminated in the Holocaust. The rally, called Americans March for Israel, was organized by various Jewish organizations and featured speeches by politicians, intellectuals, musicians and relatives of hostages abducted by Hamas. Signs reading, "Free... Читать дальше...