Новости за 29.12.2023

NEW DELHI — A rebel group that fought for decades to free India's northeastern state of Assam from New Delhi's rule signed a peace accord Friday with the government pledging to end the insurgency in the region.  The United Liberation Front of Assam — also known as ULFA and led by Arabinda Rajkhowa — concluded 12 years of negotiations with the Indian government. The signing ceremony in New Delhi was attended by India's Home Minister Amit Shah and the top elected official of Assam state Himanta Biswa Sarma. Читать дальше...

kinshasa, congo — At least 20 people have died following landslides caused by torrential rains that hit the South Kivu region in eastern Congo, officials announced Friday. That brings to more than 60 the number of deaths caused by flooding and landslides in Congo in the past week alone. Officials said the landslides swallowed up houses and dwellings Thursday in the locality of Burhiny, in the Mwenga territory. “The 20 deaths are the direct result of landslides that buried houses," said territory administrator Walubila Ishikitilo. Читать дальше...

As the U.S. and Britain introduced travel bans over the past month on extremist Israeli settlers linked to attacks on Palestinians, VOA traveled to the West Bank to meet some of the settlers, who say they’re victims of biased media coverage. Henry Wilkins reports from Itamar.

BLANTYRE, MALAWI — Tanzania has banned imports of soybeans from Malawi to protect its agricultural sector from the presence of the tobacco ringspot virus in that neighboring country. The Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticide Authority said in a recent statement that its pest risk analysis on soybeans from Malawi has established the presence of the tobacco ringspot virus, which poses significant risk to soybean production in Tanzania. The virus is highly contagious and can lead to yield reduction... Читать дальше...

the hague, netherlands — South Africa launched a case Friday at the United Nations' top court accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and asking the court to order Israel to halt its attacks. South Africa's submission to the International Court of Justice alleges that “acts and omissions by Israel ... are genocidal in character" as they are committed with the intent "to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.” It... Читать дальше...

flagstaff, arizona — Kicking up a cloud of dust, the men riding bareback were in a rowdy scramble to be the first to lean down from atop their horses and grab hold of the chicken that was buried up to its neck in the ground. The competition is rarely on display these days and most definitely not with a live chicken. And yet, it was this Navajo tradition and other horse-based contests in tribal communities that evolved into a modern-day sport that now fills arenas far and wide: rodeo. With each competition... Читать дальше...

This past year has been one of the most momentous years in Israel’s history, from the massive protests against the judicial overhaul to the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel and the war in Gaza. For many Israelis and Palestinians, life will never be the same. Linda Gradstein reports. Camera: Ricki Rosen.

PARIS — With a name that doesn’t ring old-school French like Jean, Pierre or Jacques, and a home address in a tough suburb of Paris where riots flared, Salah Benkadmir is discovering how hard it can be to make prospective employers in France see beyond their prejudices. Despite having a high school diploma in sales and work experience as a vendor on his resume, the 19-year-old job seeker says that when he sends it to stores making hires, often no one calls him back. “I feel like I've got a label stuck to me. Читать дальше...

Taipei, Taiwan — A growing number of home buyers in China have seen their dream of moving into new homes dashed in the past year after a slew of bankrupt developers left behind millions of unfinished pre-sold properties. Many of the buyers could do nothing but vent their anger and frustration on Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin, known internationally as TikTok, over what they called “rotting apartments” that represented their lifetime savings. Police are cracking down on protests.... Читать дальше...

LOS ANGELES — Powerful surf rolled onto beaches on the West Coast and Hawaii on Thursday as a big swell generated by the stormy Pacific Ocean pushed toward shorelines, causing localized flooding.  Forecasters urged people to stay off rocks and jetties, and to not turn their backs to the ocean because of the danger of "sneaker waves" — occasional much bigger waves that can run far up the sand and wash someone off a beach.  A high surf warning for parts of Northern California said waves would... Читать дальше...

Taipei, Taiwan — China appointed Dong Jun, a former commander of the Chinese Navy, as its new defense minister, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Friday. Dong's appointment was announced by the Standing Committee of China's rubber-stamp parliament and comes two months after the removal of former Chinese defense minister Li Shangfu from his role without explanation.  Because Dong is not a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Military Commission, some analysts think his appointment... Читать дальше...

ISTANBUL — Turkish authorities have detained 29 people suspected of having ties to militant group Islamic State in operations across nine provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Friday.  Suspects captured in "Operation Heroes-37" on Friday were planning to attack churches and synagogues in Istanbul, Yerlikaya said on social media platform X.  Citing security sources, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said three other suspects linked to the 29 detainees had been captured in the operations as well. Читать дальше...

BEIJING — Chinese lawmakers Friday weighed in on a fiery online debate on whether fireworks should be used to ring in the Lunar New Year in February, saying a total ban on pyrotechnics in the country credited with inventing them would be hard to implement.  In an unusually frank response, lawmakers said air pollution prevention laws and fire safety regulations have led to "differences in understanding" of the ban on fireworks, which was never absolute.  In 2017, official data showed 444 cities had banned fireworks. Читать дальше...

In Belarus, searches targeting 2020 presidential election observers have been underway for days. These former observers are under watch and their phones are being inspected, and the government has issued warnings about potential criminal charges for "promoting extremist activity." Maxim Adams has the story. Video: Andrey Degtyarev

It has been more than three decades since the last U.S. military base was removed from the Philippines, but amid fears of an expansionist China, Manila is granting more U.S. military access to sites across the country. VOA’s Bill Gallo visited some of the sites and has this report. Camera: Ron Lopez

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Three leaders at key Chinese aerospace and defense firms have been removed from the Communist Party’s top political advisory organ amid Beijing’s effort to purge key figures related to the Chinese military, the official Xinhua News Agency said Thursday. The military purge is part of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s hallmark anti-corruption campaign that has seen several top-level commanders being removed from their positions and facing corruption-related investigations. The anti-corruption... Читать дальше...

New wars and growing hunger and poverty on a warming planet — and little the United Nations can do to fix it. VOA correspondent Margaret Besheer looks at the U.N.’s future in a world where its impact is shrinking.

LAHAINA, Hawaii — The restaurant where Katie Austin was a server burned in the wildfire that devastated Hawaii's historic town of Lahaina this summer. Two months later, as travelers began to trickle back to nearby beach resorts, she went to work at a different eatery. But she soon quit, worn down by constant questions from diners: Was she affected by the fire? Did she know anyone who died? "You're at work for eight hours and every 15 minutes you have a new stranger ask you about the most traumatic day of your life," Austin said. Читать дальше...

ADELAIDE, Australia — A 15-year-old surfer has died in the third fatal shark attack in the waters off South Australia state in recent months. Khai Cowley was attacked by a suspected great white shark Thursday while surfing with his father off remote Ethel Beach on the Yorke Peninsula west of his hometown of Adelaide, authorities said. He was brought to shore, but emergency services were unable to revive him. Surfers died in shark attacks in remote parts of South Australia in May and October. Читать дальше...