Новости за 13.01.2024

CAIRO — The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker seized by Iran in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday has been located east of Iran's Qeshm Island, monitoring service TankerTrackers.com said in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.  Iran seized the St. Nikolas, loaded with Iraqi crude destined for Turkey, in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its Iranian oil cargo by the United States, Iranian state media reported.  "The Greek-owned, U.K.-insured and... Читать дальше...

KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO — The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of Congo, which helped in the fight against rebels for more than two decades before being asked by the Congolese government to leave, will complete its withdrawal from the Central African nation by the end of 2024, the mission said Saturday. A three-phased withdrawal of the 15,000-member force will begin in the South Kivu province, where at least 2,000 security personnel will leave by the end of April in the first phase... Читать дальше...

MOSCOW — A huge fire tore through a large warehouse used by Russia’s largest online retailer south of St. Petersburg on Saturday morning. The blaze covered an area of 70,000 square meters (more than 750,000 square feet), with 50,000 square meters (around 540,000 square feet) of the Wildberries warehouse collapsing, according to Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry. No casualties were reported. Videos posted to social media appeared to show employees running down fire escapes and fleeing the scene. Читать дальше...

LONDON — Children joined thousands of other demonstrators making their way through central London for a pro-Palestinian march Saturday, part of a global day of action against the longest and deadliest war between Israel and Palestinians in 75 years. The plight of children in the Gaza Strip after nearly 100 days of the Israel-Hamas war was the focus of the latest London march, symbolized by the appearance of Little Amal, a 3.5-meter (11.5-foot) puppet originally meant to highlight the suffering of Syrian refugees. Читать дальше...

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA — A mudslide in western Colombia killed at least 18 people Friday and left dozens injured, officials said. The National Disaster Risk Management Unit said in a statement the avalanche covered a busy highway in a mountainous area connecting the cities of Quibdo and Medellin, in western Colombia. At least 35 injured people were taken to different hospitals, it said. Authorities announced they would start a search operation for missing people potentially still buried under the debris, the statement said. Читать дальше...

LONDON — It has become a daily ritual. Every morning, before she’s even out of her pajamas, Rachel Goldberg-Polin tears a piece of masking tape off the roll, grabs a marking pen and in thick black strokes writes down the number of days her son, Hersh, has been held hostage by Hamas militants. Then she sticks the tape to her chest. “I find it so remarkable how nauseating it is every single time,’ she said. “And it’s good. I don’t want to get used to it. I don’t want anybody to get used to the... Читать дальше...

ISTANBUL — Turkey carried out airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in neighboring Iraq and Syria on Saturday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said. This comes a day after an attack on a Turkish military base in Iraq killed nine Turkish soldiers. Turkey often launches strikes against targets in Syria and Iraq it believes to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, a banned Kurdish separatist group that has waged insurgency against Turkey since the 1980s. The defense ministry said aircraft struck targets in Metina... Читать дальше...

HONOLULU — In life, Abigail Kawananakoa embodied the complexities of Hawaii: Many considered her a princess — a descendant of the royal family that once ruled the islands. But she was also the great-granddaughter of a sugar baron and inherited vast wealth thanks to Westerners who upended traditional ways of life through the introduction of private property and the diversion of water for industrial plantations. Now, more than a year after her death at age 96 and the bitter battles over her fortune in the twilight of her life... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON — Archaeologists have uncovered a cluster of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest, an area that was home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago.  A series of earthen mounds and buried roads in Ecuador was first noticed more than two decades ago by archaeologist Stephen Rostain. But at the time, " I wasn't sure how it all fit together," said Rostain, one of the researchers who reported on the finding Thursday in the journal Science.  Recent mapping by laser-sensor technology... Читать дальше...

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa this week classified 22 gangs as terrorist groups and declared a “state of war” against them. The move followed an armed attack during a live television broadcast in the port city of Guayaquil on Tuesday during which hooded men took journalists hostage. Veronica Villafañe reports the designation paves the way for military intervention.

WASHINGTON — The United States launched a follow-up strike against a Houthi target in Yemen early Saturday, after officials said they were not satisfied with the damage inflicted during the initial round of airstrikes late Thursday. U.S. Central Command said it launched the additional strike from the USS Carney, a guided missile destroyer, firing multiple Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles to take out a radar site that it said presented a continuing threat to maritime traffic. The strike comes a little... Читать дальше...

LIMA, Peru — Aliens they are not. That's what forensic experts in Peru said Friday about two doll-like figures and an alleged three-fingered hand that customs authorities in the South American country seized last year from a shipment heading to Mexico. The forensic experts with Peru's prosecutor's office said the objects were made with paper, glue, metal and human and animal bones. The findings quash some people's belief that the figures come from an "alien center or come from another planet... Читать дальше...

Taiwan’s Indigenous people officially make up more than 2% the island’s population. In recent times, they have found themselves in the middle of political tension between China and Taiwan. VOA's Elizabeth Lee explains. Camera: Elizabeth Lee, Bill Gallo and Stephen Boitano

Miaoli, Taiwan — Following weeks of intense campaigning and numerous rallies, more than 19 million voters across Taiwan headed to the polls on Saturday to determine who will be the next president to lead the democratic island amid heightened tension across the Taiwan Strait. While Taiwan's presidential election is traditionally a referendum on its relationship with China, a wider range of issues are on the agenda, including social and economic issues such as residential justice and low-wage problems for young people. Читать дальше...

new york — Former President Donald Trump was ordered Friday to pay nearly $400,000 in legal fees to The New York Times and three investigative reporters after he sued them unsuccessfully over a Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 story about his family's wealth and tax practices. The newspaper and reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russell Buettner were dismissed from the lawsuit in May. Trump's claim against his estranged niece, Mary Trump, that she breached a prior settlement agreement by giving... Читать дальше...

McALLEN, Texas — The Justice Department on Friday asked the Supreme Court to order Texas to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border where large numbers of migrants have crossed in recent months, setting up another showdown between Republican Governor Greg Abbott and the Biden administration over immigration enforcement. The request comes after Texas put up fencing to take control of a nearly 20-hectare public park along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, which was... Читать дальше...

The Iran-backed Houthis vowed Friday to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea following U.S. and British retaliatory strikes in Yemen. U.S. President Joe Biden said he would respond accordingly. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Accused of committing genocide against Palestinians, Israel insisted at the United Nations' highest court Friday that its war in Gaza was a legitimate defense of its people and that it was Hamas militants who were guilty of genocide. Israel described the allegations leveled by South Africa as hypocritical and said one of the biggest cases ever to come before an international court reflected a world turned upside down. Israeli leaders defend their air and ground offensive... Читать дальше...

The U.S. and U.K. launch retaliatory strikes at Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Israel defends itself at the U.N.'s top court against allegations of genocide. Extreme weather in Iowa to challenge voter motivation Monday in what is seen as the start of the 2024 presidential campaign.

TALLINN, Estonia — A Belarusian journalist went on trial Friday on charges linked to his professional work covering protests, the latest move in a government crackdown on dissent.  Photojournalist Alyaksandr Zyankou faces up to six years in prison if convicted on charges of "participation in an extremist group" at Minsk City Court. Such accusations have been widely used by authorities to target opposition members, civil society activists and independent journalists.  Zyankou has been in custody since his arrest in June... Читать дальше...