Новости за 17.12.2023

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is traveling to the Middle East in a bid to strengthen regional security as Israel continues its war against Hamas. Israel is facing growing pressure to protect civilians in its military operations and secure the release of all the hostages kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7 terrorist incursion. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the latest.

Rome — Pope Francis turned 87 on Sunday, closing out a year that saw big milestones in his efforts to reform the Catholic Church as well as health scares that raise questions about his future as pope. Francis celebrated his birthday with cake during a festive audience with children Sunday morning, and there were “Happy Birthday” banners in St. Peter's Square during his weekly noon blessing. One early present came Saturday, when a Vatican tribunal handed down a mix of guilty verdicts and acquittals... Читать дальше...

Berlin — The German government Sunday faced a backlash after abruptly ending an electric car subsidy scheme in a blow to the already struggling automotive industry.    The scheme is one of the casualties of a budget crisis caused by a shock constitutional court ruling in November that upended the government's spending plans.   The economy ministry said Saturday that Sunday would be the last day prospective buyers could apply for the scheme, which paid out thousands of euros per customer to partially cover the cost of buying an electric car.

Paris — Notre Dame Cathedral got its rooster back Saturday, in a pivotal moment for the Paris landmark’s restoration. The installation by a crane of a new golden rooster, reimagined as a dramatic phoenix with licking, flamed feathers, goes beyond being just a weathervane atop the cathedral spire. It symbolizes resilience amid destruction after the devastating April 2019 fire — as restoration officials also revealed an anti-fire misting system is being kitted out under the cathedral’s roof. Chief architect Philippe Villeneuve... Читать дальше...

TOKYO — Leaders from Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, at a special summit on Sunday marking their 50th anniversary of friendship, adopted a joint vision that emphasizes security and economic cooperation while respecting the rule of law amid growing tensions with China in regional seas. Ties between Japan and ASEAN used to be largely based on Japanese assistance to the developing economies, in part due to lingering bitterness over Japan’s wartime actions. But in recent years... Читать дальше...

N'DJAMENA — Chad holds a referendum on a new constitution on Sunday that looks unlikely to mend deep divisions between the junta and opposing groups that have fueled a political and security crisis in one of the world's poorest countries.    The military authorities have called the vote as a vital stepping-stone to elections next year — a long-promised return to democratic rule after they seized power in 2021 when President Idriss Deby was killed on the battlefield during a conflict with insurgents. Читать дальше...

SANTIAGO — Chileans are once again heading to the polls to decide whether to replace their constitution that dates back to the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship.    This is the second time in as many years that Chile has held a vote to replace its current text, a promise born after large-scale, passionate and sometimes violent protests against inequality gripped the nation in 2019.    The first assembly elected to draft a new text was dominated by leftwing forces but their draft, which focused on social... Читать дальше...

AL-SIDDEEQ — Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, whose six-decade career in public service primarily focused on domestic issues, was buried on Sunday following a prayer service. His successor, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 83, was seen shedding a tear at the prayer service attended by members of the ruling Al Sabah family and speaker of Kuwait's parliament. Sheikh Meshal had been Kuwait's de facto ruler since late 2021, when a frail Sheikh Nawaf handed over most of his duties. ... Читать дальше...

CAIRO — A boat carrying dozens of migrants trying to reach Europe capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving more than 60 people dead, including women and children, the U.N. migration agency said. Saturday's shipwreck was the latest tragedy in this part of the Mediterranean Sea, a key but dangerous route for migrants seeking a better life in Europe. Thousands have died, according to officials. The U.N.'s International Organization for Migration said in a statement the boat was carrying 86 migrants... Читать дальше...

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio was in the throes of a bitter debate over abortion rights this fall when Brittany Watts, 21 weeks and 5 days pregnant, began passing thick blood clots. The 33-year-old Watts, who had not shared the news of her pregnancy even with her family, made her first prenatal visit to a doctor's office behind Mercy Health-St. Joseph's Hospital in Warren, a working-class city about 100 kilometers southeast of Cleveland. The doctor said that, while a fetal heartbeat was still present... Читать дальше...

NEW YORK — The scene: A crowded shopping center in the weeks before Christmas. Or a warehouse store. Or maybe a packed airport terminal or a commuter train station or another place where large groups gather. There are people — lots of people. But look around, and it's clear one thing is largely absent these days: face masks. Yes, there's the odd one here and there, but nothing like it was three years ago at the dawn of the COVID pandemic's first winter holidays — an American moment of contentiousness... Читать дальше...

MEXICO CITY — Guatemala violated Indigenous rights by permitting a huge nickel mine on tribal land almost two decades ago, according to a ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on Friday. The landmark verdict marks a monumental step in a four-decade struggle for Indigenous land rights and a long, bitter legal battle, which has at times spilled into the streets of northern Guatemala. It also comes at the close of the U.N. climate summit COP28, which stressed the importance of renewables... Читать дальше...

arlington, virginia — A Confederate memorial is to be removed from Arlington National Cemetery in the U.S. state of Virginia in the coming days, part of the push to remove symbols that commemorate the Confederacy from military-related facilities, a cemetery official said Saturday.  The decision ignores a recent demand from more than 40 Republican congressmen that the Pentagon suspend efforts to dismantle and remove the monument from Arlington cemetery.  Safety fencing has been installed around the memorial... Читать дальше...

HONG KONG — The trial of Hong Kong's most famous activist publisher who was arrested under China's crackdown on dissidents will start Monday after being delayed for more than a year. Jimmy Lai, 76, broke into the city's once freewheeling media world about three decades ago, armed with the belief that delivering information is equal to protecting freedom. Now, his own freedom is at stake as he faces a possible life sentence if convicted under a national security law imposed by Beijing following the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Читать дальше...

MEXICO CITY — Mexico's Maya Train rail project opened partially to the general public Saturday, amid hours-long delays and huge cost overruns. Passengers waiting for the twice-daily train to leave the resort of Cancun were left waiting on the platform for about five hours before being able to board. Officials apologized for the delayed and said it was due to trains being "reconfigured." Some passengers napped on the floor of the concrete platform. Some — many self-declared supporters of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ... Читать дальше...

LISBON, Portugal — Portugal's Socialist Party (PS) on Saturday elected Pedro Nuno Santos to lead them in a March 10 snap parliamentary election, following Antonio Costa's resignation as prime minister and party leader last month amid a corruption investigation. The 46-year-old former infrastructure minister beat acting Interior Minister Jose Luis Carneiro, who was seen as a more moderate candidate, with 62% of the vote to become the PS secretary-general.Nuno Santos, who has described himself as "a cobbler's grandson... Читать дальше...