Новости за 31.01.2023

Haitians in the United States are facing enormous pressure to help family and friends under a U.S. migration program announced this month that may help some people escape Haiti's escalating violence but is also putting strain on the nation's diaspora.    Giubert St Fort, a South Florida resident from Haiti, said he was inundated with calls almost immediately after the Biden administration said on January 5 that it was opening a new legal pathway for migrants from four countries, including Haiti... Читать дальше...

Britain will announce a plan Tuesday to improve the environment, including a commitment to restore at least 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of wildlife habitat to protect the country's rarest species, from hedgehogs to red squirrels.  The proposals comprise 70 new projects including 25 new or expanded National Nature Reserves, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.  There are 225 National Nature Reserves in England, with a total area of over 98,600 hectares or about 0.7% of the country’s land surface... Читать дальше...

Health authorities in China's southwestern province of Sichuan will allow unmarried individuals to raise a family and enjoy benefits reserved for married couples, in the latest effort to bolster a falling birth rate. The government dictates that only married women are legally allowed to give birth, but with marriage and birth rates having fallen to record lows in recent years, provincial authorities revamped a 2019 rule to cover singles who want to have children. From February 15, married couples... Читать дальше...

During his visits to Egypt and Israel Sunday and Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed America’s commitment to peace in the Middle East. His remarks came amid a rise of violence in the region and growing concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details.

Azerbaijan said on Monday it was suspending work at its embassy in Iran, days after a gunman stormed the mission, killing one guard and wounding two others.  Iran has said the attack on Friday was motivated by personal reasons, but Baku labeled it an act of terrorism.  "The operation of Azerbaijan's embassy in Iran has been temporarily suspended following the evacuation of its staff and their family members from Iran," Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayxan Hacizada told Agence France-Presse. Читать дальше...

In the 1980s, more than 3 million people worldwide were infected with Guinea worm. At the end of 2022, the number of reported cases globally was down to 13. There were 15 cases reported a year earlier, “which does not sound like a big reduction, but when you are dealing with very small numbers in very remote areas we take it as a huge step forward,” said Adam Weiss, director of the Carter Center’s Guinea Worm Eradication Program. Guinea worm, a parasite usually ingested through contaminated water... Читать дальше...

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has filed a request for a six-month visitor visa to stay in the U.S., indicating he may have no immediate intention of returning home, where legal issues await.  The application was first reported by The Financial Times, citing Bolsonaro's immigration lawyer, Felipe Alexandre. Contacted by The Associated Press, the lawyer's firm, AG Immigration, confirmed the report.  Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida on December 30, two days before the inauguration of his leftist rival, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Читать дальше...

Iranian authorities have imposed a travel ban on leading filmmaker Masoud Kimiai, local media reported Monday, after he expressed support for protests that have gripped the Islamic republic for months. Iran has seen a wave of demonstrations that erupted after the September 16 death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, an ethnic Kurd, following her arrest for allegedly violating the country's strict dress code for women.  "The filmmaker, who wanted to go to the Netherlands on Sunday evening to participate in the Rotterdam film festival... Читать дальше...

The Treasury Department said Monday it plans to increase its borrowing during the first three months of 2023, even as the federal government is bumping up against a $31.4 trillion limit on its legal borrowing authority.  The U.S. plans to borrow $932 billion during the January-to-March quarter. That's $353 billion more than projected last October, due to a lower beginning-of-quarter cash balance and projections of lower-than-expected income tax receipts and higher spending.  The increased borrowing... Читать дальше...