Новости за 01.03.2024

new york — A New Jersey businessman pleaded guilty Friday to trying to bribe U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, agreeing to a deal with prosecutors that calls for him to testify in the corruption case against the powerful Democrat and his wife. Jose Uribe of Clifton, New Jersey, entered the plea in Manhattan federal court to seven charges, including conspiracy to commit bribery from 2018 to 2023, honest services wire fraud, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. Prosecutors allege that he gave Menendez's wife a Mercedes-Benz. Читать дальше...

Abuja, Nigeria — Advocacy groups are calling on the Dutch oil giant Shell to halt its plans to divest assets from Nigeria's Niger Delta region unless proper cleanup and decommissioning of its infrastructure is complete. This week, a Netherlands-based nonprofit released a report accusing Shell of trying to avoid responsibility for oil spills. The Center for Research on Multinational Corporations' report, entitled "Selling Out Nigeria — Shell's Irresponsible Divestment," said the Dutch oil giant's... Читать дальше...

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — An Iranian singer who won a Grammy presented by U.S. first lady Jill Biden has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for his anthem supporting the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. Shervin Hajipour posted on Instagram on Friday, the same day that Iran held its parliamentary election, what appeared to be part of the judgment against him. It said Hajipour received a three-year, eight-month sentence on charges of "propaganda against the system"... Читать дальше...

People progressing despite facing challenges.

When Ellen Oh became a mother, she struggled to find books featuring Asian-American children for her daughter. To fill this gap, she co-founded We Need Diverse Books and began writing children's literature herself. Meet the lawyer turned author champion diversity in storytelling. Producer | Camera | Editor: June Soh

We spend some time with members of the NY Metro Blind Hockey team, exploring the history of blind hockey and some of the modifications made for visually impaired players. Reporter | Camera: Aaron Fedor, Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin, Editor: Kyle Dubiel

Get an up-close look at Alaskans ice skating on Grewingk Glacier Lake in Kachemak State Park, Alaska. Camera | Editor | Producer | Gabrielle Weiss

ATLANTA — Not removing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump and others over her romantic relationship with a top prosecutor would undermine public confidence in the legal system, a lawyer for one of Trump's co-defendants told a judge Friday. After several days of extraordinary testimony, the judge began hearing arguments over whether Willis' relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade created a conflict of interest that... Читать дальше...

RENO, NEVADA — At least nine Lake Tahoe ski resorts closed and visitors to Yosemite National Park were told to leave urgently Friday as California's most powerful storm of the season bore down on the Sierra Nevada, where residents were urged to take shelter as they prepared for up to 3 meters (10 feet) of snow in some areas. The storm began barreling into the region on Thursday, with the biggest effects expected to close major highways and trigger power outages Friday afternoon into Saturday. A... Читать дальше...

Washington — Attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden may have put a dent in global trade. But U.S. officials argue a combination of airstrikes and naval convoys are allowing thousands of ships to still make the journey unscathed. Over the past three months, an estimated 4,677 cargo ships have transited the Red Sea, the U.S. Defense Department told VOA. Of those, 423 vessels passed through under the protection of Operation Prosperity Guardian... Читать дальше...

SINGAPORE — Chan Man Ping Philip, a 59-year-old Hong Kong-born businessman with strong connections to China, stands in a category of one. As of this week, he is the first and only person designated as a “politically significant person” under Singapore’s foreign interference laws, which places unique reporting requirements on influential individuals deemed to be susceptible to foreign pressure. Chan, who is heavily involved in Singapore’s property sector, must now annually disclose any political donations that he receives worth more than 10... Читать дальше...

The Israeli government and Palestinian officials each have different accounts of what happened when over 100 people awaiting aid were killed. A look at election security in the US and a possible protest vote in Iran. An update from Kyiv and a look at how Bird Flu has spread to all seven continents.

Western governments have for years tried to end the violence in Congo. Rwanda, on the other hand, has been involved both directly and indirectly in the violence.

GENEVA — U.N. investigators warn an alarming rise in violence and human rights violations threatens prospects for a durable peace in South Sudan and risks impeding free and fair elections in December, the first since the country gained its independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011. Members of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, which submitted its latest report Friday to the U.N. Human Rights Council, expressed hope that the government would live up to the commitments of the 2020 revitalized peace agreement. Читать дальше...

Feleti Teo spoke to The Associated Press on Friday via Zoom, his first interview with international media since his government took office earlier this week

Harare, Zimbabwe — An aircraft carrying Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa aborted a landing Friday in the city of Victoria Falls, where he was supposed to attend an international conference, after authorities received an email of a "credible bomb-firearm threat." Presidential spokesperson George Charamba issued a statement confirming that authorities received a bomb scare email at Victoria Falls airport. “As a precaution, the country’s security systems are now on heightened alert following... Читать дальше...

ISLAMABAD — Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have reportedly warned of barring female journalists and women at large from media platforms unless they comply with a dress code requiring that only their eyes be visible.    The Afghanistan Journalists Center, or AFJC, a press freedom organization, said the warning was issued Tuesday by Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, head of the Taliban’s Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Ministry, meeting with journalists in Kabul. In a statement on its website... Читать дальше...

Exploring the relationship between humanity and nature, the Reach to Forest international festival brings artists together to plant ideas among viewers about the environment and conservation. From the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, VOA's Cristina Caicedo Smit has the story. Camera: Phillip Datcher

As negotiators discuss a possible cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, the Parents Circle Family Forum, a nonprofit organization made of Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones in previous conflicts, sees reconciliation as the only way forward once hostilities cease. Keith Lane has more.