Новости за 25.12.2023

JERUSALEM — Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza will likely cost it at least another 50 billion shekels ($14 billion) in 2024 and result in a near-tripling of its budget deficit, the Finance Ministry said Monday, projecting that fighting will last through February. Briefing lawmakers, the ministry's deputy budget commissioner Itai Temkin said the war was expected to stretch at least two months into 2024, adding 30 billion shekels for security and another 20 billion for civilian and other expenses. That... Читать дальше...

BANGKOK — China’s press and publications authority has approved 105 new online games, saying it fully supports the industry after proposed curbs caused massive losses last week for investors in major games makers. The National Press and Publication Administration issued a statement on its WeChat social media account Monday saying the approvals by the Game Working Committee of China Music and Digital Association were “positive signals that support the prosperity and healthy development of the online game industry.” Tencent's “Counter War... Читать дальше...

FRANKFURT, Germany — Shipping firm Maersk says that it's preparing to allow vessels to resume sailing through the Red Sea, thanks to the start of a U.S.-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping from attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Houthi attacks have led to a major disruption of shipping through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, one of the most important arteries for trade in oil, natural gas, grain and consumer goods between Europe and Asia. Maersk said in a statement Sunday that... Читать дальше...

We’ll experience Christmas in the war torn holy land as a new peace proposal is put forward by Egypt after a deadly night in Gaza. We visit an Estonian military base amid preparations for a larger conflict, and we stop in on the home of America's first president and experience the holiday traditions

BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike Monday in a Damascus neighborhood killed a high-ranking Iranian general, Iranian state media said.  The killing of Razi Mousavi, a long-time adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, comes as clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border between Hezbollah and Israel continue to intensify with fears of the Israel-Hamas war sparking a regional spillover with Iran-backed groups. The Israeli strikes killed two other generals earlier this month in Syria. Читать дальше...

VATRY, France — A charter plane grounded in France for a human trafficking investigation departed Monday for India with 276 Indians aboard, authorities said. The passengers had been heading to Nicaragua but were instead blocked inside a rural French airport for four days in an exceptional holiday ordeal.  Associated Press reporters outside the Vatry Airport in Champagne country saw the unmarked Legend Airlines A340 take off after the crew and passengers boarded the plane.  The regional administration... Читать дальше...

KINSHASA — Heavy rains triggered a landslide in eastern Congo overnight that killed at least four people and left at least 20 others missing, a local official said. The landslide happened late Sunday near the town of Kamituga in the South Kivu province, according to Deputy Mayor Alexandre Ngandu Kamundala. About 25 people, mostly miners, were sheltering from the rains in a cabin when the landslide struck their shelter, sweeping them into a fast-flowing river below, Kamundala said. “Five people... Читать дальше...

London — Britain's King Charles called on people on Monday to help those less fortunate during a time of economic hardship and global conflict, using his Christmas Day message to emphasize the importance of kindness, compassion and care for the environment.    In his second Christmas message since becoming king, Charles also paid tribute to volunteers, charity workers and people working over the holidays in roles caring for others.    "This is all the more important at a time of real hardship for many... Читать дальше...

Islamabad — Federal authorities in Pakistan confirmed Monday they had freed 290 activists arrested in Islamabad, where they had traveled via convoy to protest alleged extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances in their native southwestern Baluchistan province. “Peaceful protest is everyone's right, but no one can take the law into their own hands,” said a Pakistani interior ministry statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, while announcing the mass release of Baluch activists. The convoy of dozens of vehicles carrying women... Читать дальше...

Paris — Even as human-caused climate change threatens the environment, nature continues to inspire our technological advancement. "The solutions that are provided by nature have evolved for billions of years and tested repeatedly every day since the beginning of time," said Evripidis Gkanias, a University of Edinburgh researcher.  Gkanias has a special interest in how nature can educate artificial intelligence. "Human creativity might be fascinating, but it cannot reach nature's robustness — and engineers know that," he told AFP. Читать дальше...

Xenotransplantation is the process of transferring animal organs into humans. However, in the United States, the procedure is only allowed for patients with serious or life-threatening conditions. In New York, a surgeon is helping push this as a solution to the organ shortage worldwide. Johny Fernandez reports from New York City. (Camera: Johny Fernandez)

A new mobile clinic is providing much-needed medical services in northeast Syria and promoting awareness about female-related health issues in the war-torn country. VOA’s Jiro Mitani has the story from Derik, Syria, narrated by Sirwan Kajjo.

Washington — As the U.S marks the 80th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, thousands of Chinese immigrants are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, mostly for the same reasons as their countrymen did more than a century ago.  Zhongwei Wang made that journey this spring through Central America with his family. "When I knew there was a way to leave China, I felt overjoyed, really overjoyed," he said.  According to the U.S. Border Patrol, from January through September, more... Читать дальше...

Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, Iranian-backed proxies have ratcheted up attacks on U.S. service members in the Middle East, and Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have attacked several military and commercial ships with ballistic missiles and drones. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb reports.

SRINAGAR — The Indian army has launched an investigation into the deaths of three civilians allegedly in military custody in Indian Kashmir, and moved senior officers from the disputed area, a military official said on Monday. Residents in the area, which is claimed by India and Pakistan, said the civilians had been detained for questioning after militants ambushed Indian army vehicles on Thursday, killing four soldiers. The inquiry was ordered as a result of the civilians' deaths, said the official... Читать дальше...

Taipei, Taiwan — With less than three weeks until Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, the presidential frontrunner’s lead over his main opponent has narrowed in the polls, setting the stage for a hotly contested race. The election not only dominates domestic headlines but also pushes regional countries, such as China, the U.S., and Japan, to closely monitor the outcome and its potential implications for regional order. While the election results may not fundamentally alter dynamics across the Taiwan Strait... Читать дальше...

Washington — Iranian-American activists seeking to oust former Iranian officials from U.S. academia to hold them accountable for the Islamic republic’s poor human rights record say a U.S. college that suspended one former official last month needs to do more.  Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA) also tells VOA that the suspension of Mohammad Jafar Mahallati at Ohio’s Oberlin College has emboldened the nonprofit group to target a second former Iranian official for removal... Читать дальше...