Новости за 06.02.2024

GENEVA — On the first anniversary of devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, millions of survivors remain destitute and traumatized while still awaiting pledged assistance they desperately need, say U.N. and relief organizations. “A year since a series of earthquakes killed 50,000 people in Turkey and 5,900 people in Syria, thousands of families have yet to heal from the impact of the devastation,” Martin Griffiths, the U.N.’s undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said Tuesday. Читать дальше...

Abuja, Nigeria — Nigerian authorities say they are worried after hundreds of people took to the streets of central Niger state and northwest Kano state Monday to protest the rising cost of food. Finance Minister Olawale Edun, speaking in Abuja on Monday during a meeting with a visiting German delegation, said the government is concerned about the surge in prices and working to fix the problem.  He blamed the recent increase in food prices on rising demand, saying the only way to address the situation is to boost agricultural production. Читать дальше...

Jakarta, Indonesia — From all-expenses paid trips to cover China's Belt and Road summit to content-sharing agreements with major media outlets, Beijing is investing in ways to share its narrative with Indonesian audiences, analysts say. One of the biggest deals came in November, when the Indonesian network Metro TV signed an agreement with China Media Group to expand content for Metro TV's flagship Mandarin-language news program, "Metro XinWen." The broadcaster joins the ranks of The Jakarta Post... Читать дальше...

Paris — A Mali-born man suspected of injuring several people with a knife and hammer at a Paris railway station deliberately sought out French people to attack, Paris prosecutors said Tuesday. On Tuesday, the 32-year-old was charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault with a weapon, prosecutors said. An investigating magistrate questioned the suspect earlier Tuesday. He was set to appear before another judge who will decide where he should be remanded in custody. The man went on a... Читать дальше...

Chinese automakers are betting on electric cars to gain a foothold in the Brazilian automobile market, the sixth largest in the world. BYD and GWM, two of the largest Chinese manufacturers, are investing about US$2.5 billion to start production in the country. Yan Boechat reports from Sao Paulo.

NAIROBI, KENYA — Opposition leaders in Senegal are protesting the move to postpone elections that had been set for February 25, while some analysts say the delay hurts Senegal’s reputation as a beacon of democracy. President Macky Sall announced the delay this past weekend, saying it was necessary because of allegations of corruption in election-related cases and the disqualification of some leading candidates, including Ousmane Sonko, who came third in the 2019 elections, and Karim Wade, son of former President Abdoulaye Wade. Читать дальше...

Nairobi — Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 29 associates were charged on Tuesday with the murder of 191 children whose bodies were found among more than double that number buried in a forest. The defendants all denied the charges brought before a court in the coastal town of Malindi. One suspect was found mentally unfit to stand trial. Prosecutors say Mackenzie ordered his followers to starve themselves and their children to death so that they could go to heaven before the world ended. More... Читать дальше...

New Delhi — At least eight people died and 80 were injured Tuesday in a giant explosion at a firework factory in India that saw balls of flames soar into the sky, officials said. Footage on Indian television showed a tower of flame after the explosion at the firecracker plant, with dozens of ambulances sent and army helicopters called in to evacuate the wounded. Senior district police official Rajeshwari Mahobia told AFP there were "eight deaths so far and around 80 injured", at the factory in Harda in Madhya Pradesh state... Читать дальше...

Iranian-backed militants in the Middle East were not deterred by U.S. strikes in Iraq, Syria and Yemen over the weekend, launching three attacks in Syria and causing the U.S. to conduct at least two self-defense strikes in Yemen. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb reports.

An unusually powerful series of storms are striking California. Matt Dibble has our story from Oakland, California.

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM — Vietnamese real estate tycoon Truong My Lan is set to go on trial next month, along with 85 alleged accomplices, on charges of embezzling about $12.5 billion from Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank. Lan faces a sentence of 20 years to life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. VOA was unable to contact Lan or her lawyers. The corruption case is the largest instance of alleged financial fraud in the Southeast Asian nation’s history, and experts say it reveals weaknesses... Читать дальше...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Protests shut down major cities in Haiti on Monday as demonstrators clashed with police and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Banks, schools and government agencies closed in Haiti's northern and southern regions while protesters blocked main routes with blazing tires and paralyzed public transportation, according to local media reports. In Hinche, a city in Haiti's central region, protesters celebrated the arrival of heavily armed state environmental agents and their commander... Читать дальше...

mogadishu, somalia — Three women were killed in Somalia last week in what police say were marriage disputes. The country’s parliament called for urgent investigations and the arrest of the perpetrators as citizens expressed outrage. The killings occurred in Mogadishu, the Lower Shabelle region and the Qoryooley district. One woman was stabbed, a second shot and a third set afire, all allegedly at the hands of their husbands. Police Chief Moalim Mahdi, chief of the Banadir region that covers Mogadishu, pledged action against the offenders. Читать дальше...

Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe's ruling party has achieved a two-thirds majority in Parliament according to by-election results released by the country's elections commission over the weekend. That paves the way for the ZANU-PF party to amend the constitution as it wishes — including removal of the two-term limit for the presidency — but creates dread for opposition parties. ZANU-PF now holds 190 out of 280 seats in the National Assembly after winning six seats over the weekend, according to Zimbabwe Electoral Commission figures. Читать дальше...

hong kong — Last week, Hong Kong’s government began the process of adopting a controversial new national security law that critics worry will further roll back civil liberties in the Asian financial hub. The government says the law is needed because the city is required by Article 23 of its mini constitution, the Basic Law, to establish its own national security legislation. The national security legislation will also build on the Hong Kong National Security Law, or NSL, that China enacted in 2020. Читать дальше...

MADRID — Shares in Santander and Lloyds fell after the Financial Times reported that Iran used accounts from two of the U.K.'s biggest banks to covertly move money around the world as part of a vast sanctions-evasion scheme backed by Tehran's intelligence services.  According to documents seen by the Financial Times, Lloyds and Santander U.K. provided accounts to British front companies secretly owned by a sanctioned Iranian petrochemicals company based in London.  Shares in Madrid-based parent... Читать дальше...

london — Germany is debating a ban on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party amid mass protests across the country against far-right extremism. The discussion follows revelations last month that senior AfD politicians attended a secret meeting where the forcible deportation of migrants, including German citizens, was discussed. Details of the meeting, published by the investigative organization Correctiv on January 15, evoked painful memories in Germany, a country especially sensitive to fears... Читать дальше...