Новости за 30.11.2023

An award-winning reporter from the South China Morning Post has gone missing following a work trip to China at the end of October, the Japanese news outlet Kyodo News reported on Thursday, citing unidentified people close to the issue. Minnie Chan, who covers defense and diplomacy in China, has become unreachable after traveling to Beijing to report on the Xiangshan Forum. The three-day international security forum concluded on October 31. Chan’s last story, about China’s response to the Israel-Hamas war, was published on November 1. Читать дальше...

More than 2,000 of Britain’s churches of several denominations have closed in the last decade. Many have been demolished, but as Umberto Aguiar reports from London, some are finding new life and are being used for purposes other than religion. Marcus Harton narrates. Camera: Umberto Aguiar.

International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan visited Israel "at the request and invitation" of the survivors and families of the victims of Hamas' October 7 attacks, the ICC said on Thursday. "The visit, while not investigative in nature, represents an important opportunity to express sympathy for all victims and engage in dialogue," the court wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Khan is also to travel to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, where he will meet with senior Palestinian officials, the ICC said. Читать дальше...

Emilio Gutierrez Soto came to the National Press Club on Wednesday with a message of gratitude. Press freedom advocates came with a call to action. The 60-year-old journalist fled with his son to the U.S.-Mexico border in 2008 seeking asylum after receiving death threats because of his reporting on Mexican military corruption. After 15 years, the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled in favor of Gutierrez Soto. He still needs to go in front of an immigration judge in March 2024 to receive his asylum papers... Читать дальше...

There is potential good news this World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), with a new injection that prevents development of HIV showing excellent results in trials. There are still some obstacles to its further rollout in South Africa however. South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world, with over seven million people living with the virus. While the country has made significant strides in terms of treatment, with millions of people on anti-retroviral medication, there were still about 160,000 new infections last year... Читать дальше...

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

The Israel-Hamas truce is extended one more day as Antony Blinken visits the region and as Israel faces another attack, this time at a bus station and as President Netanyahu faces opposition from within his right-wing coalition. We visit a Palestinian restaurant and we get the latest from Kyiv .

Nearly all the countries attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP28, agreed Thursday to create a fund that would help poor nations deal with the effects of climate change. The floor was opened for pledges to be made to the new “loss and damage” fund, in which Germany committed to contribute $100 million. The United Arab Emirates, the host of COP28, also promised $100 million. The fund received additional pledges of $51 million from Britain, $17.5 million from the United States and $10 million from Japan. Читать дальше...

The heavy rains that triggered September's deadly floods in Libya are only one side of how climate change is impacting North Africa. The other is drought — an issue that will be on the table at COP28 in Dubai. For VOA, Lisa Bryant has the story from Tunis.

Nigerian authorities say national defense, internal security and economic stability are the top priorities in the 2024 budget that President Bola Tinubu delivered to lawmakers on Wednesday.  Improving security is a major challenge for Tinubu's government as it desperately seeks to attract foreign investments to grow the country's struggling economy.  Under the new $35 billion budget, authorities allocated about $4 billion or 12% of the total budget to defense and security — the largest single allocation to any sector. Читать дальше...

In Southern California, a gun club for Jewish Americans is attracting new members following the October 7 attack in Israel and an increase in antisemitism in the United States. Genia Dulot has our story.

Facing prejudice is, for most Asian Americans, an all-too-familiar part of life, a new report from the Pew Research Center shows. The study, which is based on a survey of more than 7,000 respondents, found that the majority of Asian Americans think too little national attention is being paid to their experiences with discrimination. About one-third of Asian Americans have been told to go back to their home country, the report found. Forty-four percent of Asian Americans ages 18 to 29 said they... Читать дальше...

Shane MacGowan, the boozy, rabble-rousing singer and chief songwriter of The Pogues, who infused traditional Irish music with the energy and spirit of punk, died Thursday, his family said. He was 65. MacGowan's songwriting and persona made him an iconic figure in contemporary Irish culture, and some of his compositions have become classics — most notably the bittersweet Christmas ballad "Fairytale of New York," which Irish President Michael D. Higgins said "will be listened to every Christmas for... Читать дальше...

Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, who had been previously detained for showing support to anti-government protests and was released on bail earlier this month, was arrested again, Iran's state media reported on Thursday. "Salehi has been arrested for publishing false information and disturbing public opinion, after being released upon an order by Iran's supreme court to revise his case," the judiciary news agency said. Following the death in custody of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September 2022... Читать дальше...

The U.N. weather agency said Thursday that 2023 is all but certain to be the hottest year on record, and warning of worrying trends that suggest increasing floods, wildfires, glacier melt, and heat waves in the future. The World Meteorological Organization also warned that the average temperature for the year is up some 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial times – a mere one-tenth of a degree under a target limit for the end of the century as laid out by the Paris climate accord in 2015. Читать дальше...

Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has warned that global warming could lead to increased national security risks. Bowen presented his annual climate change statement to Australia’s Federal Parliament on Thursday. Bowen told lawmakers Thursday the climate emergency had national security implications for Australia, which has had to accelerate its transition to green sources of energy to curb its emissions. "This year’s national Climate Change Statement also includes a frank... Читать дальше...

Vietnam, with the world’s second-largest reserves of the rare earths used in such modern devices as electric vehicle batteries and smart phone screens, is intensifying mining of the critical minerals. The industry, though, faces high processing costs, environmental concerns, and the takedown of industry leaders for illegal mining and mineral sales. Vietnam's rare earth resources are second only to those of China, which has held a tight monopoly since the 1980s. With Chinese relations with the West becoming more volatile... Читать дальше...

Local authorities in a village in Nepal registered the Himalayan nation's first same-sex marriage on Wednesday, officials and activists said, five months after the Supreme Court issued an interim order clearing the way for such marriages in the largely conservative country. The marriage between 36-year-old Ram Bahadur (Maya) Gurung, who was born male but identifies as female, and Surendra Pandey, 26, who was born and identifies as male, was formally registered at the Dordi rural municipality office in the Lumjung district in west Nepal... Читать дальше...

The Hamas massacre of Oct. 7 has persuaded tens of thousands of Israeli civilians to get personal guns for the first time, and some groups are voicing concerns about the implications. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. Camera: Ricki Rosen.

Hamas militants freed 16 hostages Wednesday, the sixth and potential final day of a truce between the warring parties, while negotiators worked to extend the pause in fighting and free even more hostages in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Five Israeli women, three children and two young men were freed along with four Thai nationals. Hamas had freed two Russian Israeli women, ages 50 and 73, earlier in a separate release. Early Thursday, Israel released 30 Palestinians from its jails in return... Читать дальше...

Henry Kissinger, the former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State whose global influence long outlasted his time in office under former President Richard Nixon, has died at age 100, at his home in Connecticut. His death was announced by his consulting firm and no cause was given. Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports on the life and legacy of a controversial and celebrated American statesman.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday touted his Bidenomics agenda in Colorado, contrasting his economic vision with that of the so-called MAGA Republicans as he gears up for his 2024 reelection bid. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports.

Three days of tributes and memorial services for former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Sunday, culminated Wednesday in Plains, Georgia. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports.

Vice President Kamala Harris will lead the U.S. delegation to the world's premier climate summit, the White House said Wednesday. The White House stressed that President Joe Biden considers the climate crisis among his top four priorities, but the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas has consumed much of his time and attention. "Throughout her engagements, the vice president will underscore the Biden-Harris administration's success in delivering on the most ambitious climate agenda in history... Читать дальше...

Wang Gang, a Chinese internet celebrity chef with millions of followers, has been attacked over the past few days by thousands of nationalist netizens over his tutorial video on how to prepare egg fried rice.  The irate netizens believe the video was intended to satirize Mao Anying, the son of Mao Zedong, the former paramount Chinese leader and founder of the People's Republic of China.    According to a long-circulated rumor, Mao Anying was making egg fried rice when he was killed by an airstrike during the 1950-53 Korean War. Читать дальше...