Новости за 21.11.2023

Iranian lawmakers have approved legislation raising the retirement age for men to 62 and increasing the years of employment required to qualify for a full pension, state media reported. The bill, which requires approval by the Guardian Council, a conservative-dominated vetting body, aims "to reduce pension fund shortfalls," according to the official IRNA news agency. In Sunday's vote in the 290-seat parliament, 127 lawmakers voted in favor, 78 against and eight abstained, with the remainder absent. Читать дальше...

Nineteen-year-old Dewa — not her real name — had an admission letter to an undergraduate college program in the United States and a scholarship covering all her expenses. But the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, rejected her student visa application, saying they believed she was intending to immigrate.   Following the initial refusal in August, Dewa made a second attempt in October, bolstering her application with a support letter from a U.S. congressman urging the embassy to give "full and fair consideration" to her case. Читать дальше...

The European Union said on Tuesday a review of its development aid to Palestinians, ordered after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, found no evidence of funds going to the militant group and that its assistance would continue. The EU is the biggest provider of such aid to Palestinians. It has earmarked $1.3 billion for its programs for the period between 2021 and 2024. The European Commission, the EU's executive body, announced the review two days after Hamas militants attacked Israel from Gaza... Читать дальше...

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

U.S. forces came under attack at the Ain al-Asad air base west of Baghdad early on Tuesday and U.S. forces responded in self-defense, two U.S. military officials said, in the first reported U.S. response in Iraq to dozens of recent attacks.  The attack against Ain al-Asad caused minor injuries and damage to infrastructure, one official said, with another saying U.S. forces used an AC-130 gunship to respond.   The U.S. had previously responded to attacks against its forces in Iraq and neighboring Syria... Читать дальше...

The United Nations and partner agencies renewed a call Tuesday for countries to immediately suspend mass deportations of Afghan nationals, citing the onset of a harsh winter and the “worsening” humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The call comes amid reports that Iran and Pakistan have collectively forced out more than 500,000 Afghans over the past two months, with the number of deportees growing by the day. The International Organization for Migration, or IOM, said Tuesday that nearly 375,000... Читать дальше...

An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed two journalists who were reporting for a Beirut-based TV news channel Al-Mayadeen on military activity along the border with Israel, according to Lebanese officials and the broadcaster. A Palestinian official and a Lebanese security official said a separate strike at another location in Lebanon killed four members of Hamas, the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip and is at war with Israel. The Pan-Arab TV channel Al-Mayadeen, which... Читать дальше...

In some places the water came on like a pack of cars, speeding more than 120 kilometers an hour over the tops of 30-meter-high palm trees.  As Hani Elbah, a 47-year-old government worker, saw the flood approach, he mentally prepared for death. It was September 11, the day Storm Daniel swept into his city, Derna, in eastern Libya. A nearby building, seven stories high with 21 families inside, collapsed. "The families were all upstairs," recalls Elbah. "The flood crushed it like a milk carton."... Читать дальше...

A surge in the number of migrants making the treacherous journey from West Africa to the Spanish Canary Islands is straining local authorities, with human rights groups warning that many child migrants are being wrongly classed as adults by Spanish police, putting them at increased risk.   So far this year, more than 32,000 migrants have arrived on the Canary Islands from West Africa - the highest number since 2006. Unaccompanied children  Fifteen-year-old Moussa Camara was orphaned following the 2021 coup in his home country of Guinea. Читать дальше...

A surge in the number of migrants making the treacherous journey from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands is straining local authorities. Human rights groups say many child migrants are being wrongly classified as adults by Spanish police — putting them at increased risk. Henry Ridgwell reports.

Fourteen informal gold miners were killed in a tunnel collapse in Suriname on Monday afternoon on a concession belonging to a subsidiary of Chinese state miner Zijin Mining, a Surinamese official said.  Fellow miners had recovered most of the bodies by the time government rescue teams arrived at the site in the country's south, Jerry Slijngard of the Disaster Management Coordination Centre told local Radio ABC Suriname on Tuesday morning.  A French search and rescue team will assist in recovering more potential casualties, he added. Читать дальше...

Education is normally not as important to presidential voters as cultural issues and the state of the economy. But as communities battle over curricula, support for LGBTQ students, and post-pandemic learning loss, Republican presidential candidates are making education a major talking point. Read more from Savannah Kuchar of USA Today. (October 2023)

Preeti Aghalayam of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras has suggestions for welcoming international students to campuses. Instructors should carefully introduce their material and avoid complex diagrams and grading schemes. Read more in the Chronicle of Higher Education. (October 2023)

North Korea appears to have launched a military spy satellite late Tuesday, South Korea’s military reported, just hours ahead of a launch window set by Pyongyang.  Japan’s government also reported that North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile, while warning residents in Okinawa prefecture to take shelter immediately.  About 30 minutes later, Japan lifted the evacuation order, saying the missile had likely passed over Japan and fell into the Pacific Ocean at about 10:55 p.m. local time. Читать дальше...

Kenya is struggling to repay a massive debt owed to China for the construction of the Standard Gauge Railroad that links the Kenyan cities of Mombasa and the capital, Nairobi. But President William Ruto is asking for an additional billion-dollar loan from China to complete some other stalled development projects in the country. Kennedy Wandera has more from Nairobi. Camera: Jimmy Makhulo

In the bustling local markets of Mogadishu, Somalia, local business owners say imported Chinese products are rapidly displacing their own manufactured goods. Abdulkadir Zubeyr spoke to several business owners in Mogadishu and has this report narrated by Carol Van Dam

Growing up in Lahore — Pakistan’s cultural capital — fall used to be the perfect time for Mariam to enjoy outdoor activities after months of scorching summer heat. Now, she cannot imagine the same for her young daughters as Lahore’s air, ranked the most polluted globally, becomes unusually toxic in cooler months. “You can just smell, sometimes you can taste it, and feel it as well,” said the mother of two describing what it is like to breathe the polluted air. With an AQI reading of 345 early in the day... Читать дальше...

Online digital influencers make millions of dollars selling products and services on social media. But with developments in artificial intelligence, these human internet celebrities are facing competition from metaverse avatars who never stop to sleep. Deana Mitchell has the story in this edition of LogOn. (Produced by Deana Mitchell)

More people work from home in Colorado, while Mississippi has the lowest percentage of teleworkers

Latest developments:  Hamas leaders say an agreement to release hostages could be reached soon. There has been no comment from Israel. Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, citing a source involved in the negotiations, says Qatar will publish details of the deal on Tuesday. Qatar has been involved in mediation efforts. Fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants is reported in an urban refugee camp near Gaza City as Israel expands its military operation in Gaza. Israel recalls its ambassador... Читать дальше...

The White House says it is closer than ever to a deal to release the more than 230 hostages held by Hamas, but that it did not have an update to share Monday. The White House also reaffirmed that the U.S. does not want Israel and Hamas firefights at Gaza hospitals. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from the State Department.

In India, the first images of 41 construction workers trapped in a tunnel in the northern state of Uttarakhand emerged on Tuesday as rescue teams established visual contact with them.  The workers were building the tunnel as part of an ambitious highway project in the Himalayan mountains when it partially collapsed on Nov. 12.   A video, released by state authorities, shows the men wearing their helmets and construction jackets and standing around the medical endoscopy camera that was sent through... Читать дальше...

Shlomi Eldar has a rare specialization for an Israeli media personality: for over 30 years, he’s been covering Hamas and Gaza. In his books and award-winning documentaries, Eldar has tried to tell the stories of the Palestinians beyond the wall. He still grapples with the shock of the Oct. 7 attack, no longer seeing them as a group that can be reasoned with. After the Oct. 7 attack, he said he got a phone call from a Palestinian who told him of family members killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza. Читать дальше...

For over three decades, Israeli media personality Shlomi Eldar been covering Hamas and Gaza. In his books and award-winning documentaries, he’s tried to tell the stories of the Palestinians beyond the wall. Natasha Mozgovaya spoke with him in Israel.

Despite inflation and memories of past holiday travel meltdowns, millions of people are expected to hit airports and highways in record numbers over the Thanksgiving break. The busiest days to fly will be Tuesday and Wednesday as well as the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday and 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday. Sunday will draw the largest crowds with an estimated 2.9 million passengers, which would narrowly eclipse a record set on June 30. Читать дальше...