Новости за 03.10.2023

Pope Francis has suggested there could be ways to bless same-sex unions, responding to five conservative cardinals who challenged him to affirm church teaching on homosexuality ahead of a big meeting where LGBTQ+ Catholics are on the agenda. The Vatican published a letter Monday that Francis wrote to the cardinals on July 11 after receiving a list of five questions, or “dubia,” from them a day earlier. In it, Francis suggests that such blessings could be studied if they didn't confuse the blessing with sacramental marriage. Читать дальше...

Pakistan has decided that all citizens of neighboring Afghanistan will be required to enter the country with a valid passport and visa starting next month, similar to travelers from other countries, VOA learned Monday. The landmark "one document regime" policy will replace the decades-old practice of granting special travel permits to individuals with divided tribes straddling the nearly 2,600-kilometer border between the two countries. The "passport as the only traveling document is going to be implemented from November 1... Читать дальше...

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi confirmed on Monday that he will stand for a third term in office in an election in December, as opposition parties complained that people trying to register support for other candidates had faced obstacles. "Just as I responded to the call of the Egyptians before, today I respond to their call again," el-Sissi said in a closing speech for a three-day event that promoted policies under his rule at a new capital being built in the desert outside Cairo. "We are on the cusp of our new republic... Читать дальше...

A judge is planning a spring trial for U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, who are accused of accepting bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen who sought the senator's help and influence over foreign affairs. The tentative trial date of May 6 would come just one month before New Jersey's June 4 primary, meaning it could still be underway when voters start casting ballots on whether to return Menendez to the Senate. An attorney for the government gave the judge an estimate of four to six weeks. Читать дальше...

The office of Montana’s Republican attorney general is appealing a landmark climate change ruling that said state agencies aren't doing enough to protect 16 young plaintiffs from harm caused by global warming. The state filed notice Friday that it is going to appeal the August ruling by District Court Judge Kathy Seeley, who found the Montana Environmental Policy Act violates the plaintiffs' state constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. The 1971 law requires state agencies to... Читать дальше...

The Australian Open will begin on a Sunday next year, expanding the Grand Slam tennis tournament to a 15-day event for the first time, with the intention of decreasing the likelihood of late-night finishes. Tennis Australia announced the change Monday, saying it hopes to make things better for the athletes and spectators by avoiding matches that stretch well past midnight. The change for next January's tournament at Melbourne Park comes after this year's Australian Open included a second-round... Читать дальше...

The World Health Organization on Monday announced the recommendation of a second malaria vaccine, with the aim of giving countries a cheaper and more readily available option to tackle the deadly disease. Developed by Oxford University with the help of the Serum Institute of India, the new vaccine, known as R-21, will be rolled out in some African countries early next year, and expand into other countries later in 2024, according to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Research that has not... Читать дальше...

Writing in the Baltimore Sun, Jay A. Perman, chancellor of the University of Maryland system, says  that despite falling enrollments and public trust in universities, graduates still earn more, live longer and happier lives, and even volunteer more often. Read the op-ed here. (September 2023)

The U.N. Security Council voted Monday to authorize an international force to support Haiti’s police amid a gang-driven security crisis. “The vote on this text represents significant progress towards resolving the multidimensional crisis that Haiti is going through,” Haitian Foreign Minister Jean Victor Geneus told the council. “It is a glimmer of hope for the people that have for too long been suffering the consequences of a difficult political, socioeconomic, security and humanitarian situation."... Читать дальше...

Two scientists who jointly worked on the ground-breaking technology behind some of the most effective COVID-19 vaccines have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize for medicine, one of the most prestigious accolades in the field. Hungarian American scientist Katalin Kariko and her American colleague, Drew Weissman, began working on so-called “mRNA” technology in the early 1990s at the University of Pennsylvania. Their breakthrough was crucial in developing the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNtech coronavirus vaccines... Читать дальше...

After a decline in illegal immigration at the border, there was a sudden surge in migrants crossing the Rio Grande in September. The rapid influx of thousands into the Texas border city of Eagle Pass prompted city officials to declare and extend a state of emergency. Verónica Villafañe narrates this report by Divalizeth Cash.

A Hungarian American scientist and her American colleague who jointly worked on the ground-breaking technology behind some of the most effective COVID vaccines have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize for medicine. Henry Ridgwell reports.