Voice of America

MBABANE, ESWATINI   — Residents and environmentalists in Eswatini have arrayed against Taiwan’s Michael Lee Enterprises in a battle over mining in the country’s picturesque Malolotja Nature Reserve. The company has been accused of exploiting the park for green chert, a rare mineral found in the area, putting the park’s wildlife and natural beauty at risk. Some locals and environmentalists are calling for an unbiased investigation to determine what damage, if any, is being caused by the green... Читать дальше...

washington — The ability of a lone gunman to fire eight shots at Donald Trump during a campaign rally in rural western Pennsylvania was partially the result of multiple failures by the agents charged with protecting the former president, according to a new report.  The Secret Service's internal investigation into the attempted assassination of the one-time U.S. leader and current Republican presidential candidate, released Friday, identified problems with communication and coordination ahead of the July 13 rally in Butler... Читать дальше...

washington — When he walked by the military base entrance, French journalist Arthur Jeanne said he couldn't keep his eyes off the machine guns fixed on him as he headed to a high-security prison.   After what Jeanne described as a "frightening" kilometer-long walk to the Mariscal Zavala prison in Guatemala, he came face-to-face with a man he had only heard stories about: José Rubén Zamora.   The imprisoned journalist appeared to be in good spirits.   "From the first second I met him, I noticed... Читать дальше...

Harare, Zimbabwe — A new report released by the main United Nations agency for action on AIDS and HIV says growing public debt is choking sub-Saharan African countries, leaving them with little fiscal room to finance critical HIV services. In the report, launched ahead of the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of UNAIDS, asks the international community for more funding to ensure Africa eliminates AIDS by 2030. She said Africa, which... Читать дальше...

Washington — New clashes erupted Friday between U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and Iran-backed Syrian government forces in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, a war monitor and local sources reported.   The fighting began when Syrian government forces and their allied militias launched mortar attacks against positions belonging to the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, in the restive province, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.  A resident in the area told... Читать дальше...

GENEVA — The United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, warned Friday that children in Burundi are bearing the brunt of the mpox outbreak, with cases of this deadly, infectious disease spreading at an alarming rate among a young population. “Of the nearly 600 reported cases, two-thirds are in children under 19. The situation has escalated rapidly, with a more-than-40% increase in cases over the past three weeks,” Dr. Paul Ngwakum, UNICEF’s regional health adviser for Eastern and Southern Africa... Читать дальше...

In the U.S. presidential election, Republican candidates have spread false claims that migrants in the Midwest state of Ohio are eating residents’ pet cats and dogs. That has led to security threats and more divisions in an election where immigration is a central campaign theme. VOA Correspondent Scott Stearns has our story. Videographer: Obed Lamy