Новости за 26.02.2024

vienna — Iran's stock of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade has shrunk, bringing it below the theoretical threshold at which it could produce three atom bombs, but problems with inspectors persist, reports by the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Monday. Although the International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran's enrichment of uranium to up to 60% continues apace, Iran diluted more than it produced in the past three months, one of the two confidential quarterly reports to member states said. ... Читать дальше...

Abuja, Nigeria — The decision by West African regional bloc ECOWAS to suspend sanctions against Niger and to ease sanctions on Mali and Guinea has been mostly welcomed by regional political analysts. ECOWAS said its decision, announced Saturday, was based on humanitarian grounds and will pave the way for talks with the three countries’ military juntas. But some analysts are skeptical the decision will have much effect. Forty-eight hours after ECOWAS announced its decision, there's excitement over... Читать дальше...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private U.S. lunar lander is expected to stop working Tuesday, its mission cut short after landing sideways near the south pole of the moon. Intuitive Machines, the Houston company that built and flew the spacecraft, said Monday it will continue to collect data until sunlight no longer shines on the solar panels. Based on the position of Earth and the moon, officials expect that to happen Tuesday morning. That's two to three days short of the week or so that NASA and other customers had been counting on. Читать дальше...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — An older U.S. couple whose catamaran was hijacked last week in the Caribbean by three escaped prisoners were likely thrown into the ocean and died, police in Grenada said Monday. The announcement is a blow to those who were independently helping search for Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel and had hoped they were still alive. Don McKenzie, police commissioner of the Royal Grenada Police Force, said at a news conference that the three prisoners escaped on Feb. 18 from the South Saint George Police Station. Читать дальше...

Leaders from Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau have been heavily lobbying Congress to restore funding to a vital agreement known as the Compacts of Free Association. The 7-billion-dollar 20-year deal guarantees U.S. exclusive access to these three key Pacific allies – and the right to turn others away – in exchange for critical economic aid. VOA’s Jessica Stone reports.

Washington — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday explored free speech rights in the digital age in a pair of cases testing the legality of Republican-backed laws in Florida and Texas that restrict the ability of social media platforms to curb content that these companies deem objectionable.  Arguments before the justices were ongoing.  At issue is whether these 2021 state laws regulating content-moderation practices by large social media platforms violate the free speech protections for the companies... Читать дальше...

New York — Donald Trump has appealed his $454 million New York civil fraud judgment, challenging a judge's finding that Trump lied about his wealth as he grew the real estate empire that launched him to stardom and the presidency. The former president's lawyers filed a notice of appeal Monday asking the state's mid-level appeals court to overturn Judge Arthur Engoron's Feb. 16 verdict in Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit. Trump's lawyers wrote in court papers that they're asking the appeals... Читать дальше...

JERUSALEM — The Palestinian prime minister announced the resignation of his government on Monday, paving the way for a shake-up in the Palestinian Authority, which the U.S. hopes will eventually take on a role in postwar Gaza.  Many obstacles remain to making a revamped Palestinian Authority a reality. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces were driven from Gaza by Hamas in 2007, has made clear that he would like the PA to govern the enclave after the war. But it is deeply unpopular among Palestinians... Читать дальше...

The Ugandan government says about 30 Ugandans are stuck in Myanmar, being forced to work as online scammers. Officials say they were lured there by traffickers with the promise of a job and are now being held by gangs who run the scamming operations. Halima Athumani and Mukasa Francis have more from Kampala where they spoke with other Ugandans who managed to make it back home.

HONG KONG/MANILA — Satellite images of the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea show a new floating barrier across its entrance, near where Philippine ships and China coast guard vessels have had frequent run-ins. One of the images taken by Maxar Technologies on Feb. 22 and viewed by Reuters showed the barrier blocking the mouth of the shoal, where the Chinese coast guard last week claimed to have driven off a Philippine vessel "illegally intruding" into Beijing's waters. The Philippines... Читать дальше...

ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s Taliban Monday carried out another public execution of a man charged with murder, defying international calls to stop the “inhuman” punishments. It was the third public execution within a week. The Taliban Supreme Court said in an announcement that the execution had taken place in a sports stadium in Sheberghan, the capital of the northern Afghan province of Jowzjan. It said that government and judicial officials, as well as residents, were among the spectators.   The... Читать дальше...

In South Africa, skateboarding is enjoying something of a revolution. The once predominantly male pursuit is attracting more and more women. VOA’s Zaheer Cassim reports from Johannesburg.

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's government gave striking young doctors four days to report back to work, saying Monday that they won't be punished if they return by the deadline but will face indictments and suspensions of medical licenses if they don't. About 9,000 medical interns and residents have stayed off the job since early last week to protest a government plan to increase medical school admissions by about 65%. The walkouts have severely hurt the operations of their hospitals, with... Читать дальше...

ALGIERS, Algeria — Algeria inaugurated a gigantic mosque on its Mediterranean coastline Sunday after years of political upheaval transformed the project from a symbol of state-sponsored strength and religiosity to one of delays and cost overruns. Built by a Chinese construction firm throughout the 2010s, the Great Mosque of Algiers features the world's tallest minaret, measuring at 265 meters (869 feet). The third-largest mosque in the world and largest outside Islam's holiest cities, its prayer room accommodates 120,000 people. Читать дальше...

SYDNEY — Tuvalu on Monday announced former attorney general and fisheries official Feleti Teo as its new prime minister, after he was elected unopposed by lawmakers in the Pacific Islands nation, officials said. Former Prime Minister Kausea Natano lost his seat in a general election on Jan. 26 closely watched by Taiwan, China, the U.S. and Australia, amid a geopolitical tussle for influence in the South Pacific. Tuvalu, with a population of about 11,200 spread across nine islands, is one of three remaining Pacific allies of Taiwan... Читать дальше...

MEXICO CITY — It wasn't his first choice, but Mexico is now home for Evens Luxama — along with thousands of other Haitians forced to put their hopes of migrating to the United States on hold. The 34-year-old is one of a growing number of people from the crisis-torn Caribbean nation pursuing what activists have described as the "Mexican dream," building a life in a land that migrants traditionally hurried through. "I wanted to go to the United States, but I don't think there's another country... Читать дальше...

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif — Kayakers have been paddling in one of the driest places on Earth after a series of record rainstorms battered California's Death Valley and replenished Lake Manly. Park Ranger Nichole Andler said Badwater Basin at Death Valley National Park, which runs along part of central California's border with Nevada, "is normally a very beautiful, bright white salt flat." This year it is a lake. In the past six months, Death Valley has received more than double its annual rainfall amount... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON — An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force has died after he set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., while declaring that he "will no longer be complicit in genocide."  The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.  Bushnell had walked up to the embassy shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday and began livestreaming on the video streaming platform Twitch, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Читать дальше...

Damascus, Syria — A blast Sunday from a landmine left by the Islamic State group killed 14 people foraging for truffles in the Syrian desert, state media said. "Fourteen citizens were killed, and eight others injured after a landmine left by IS terrorists exploded while they were collecting truffles in the Raqa desert," said Syria's official news agency SANA. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor earlier reported that the landmine blast had killed "13 civilians, including women" who were hunting for truffles. Читать дальше...