Новости за 13.02.2024

Geneva — The head of the U.N. agency that assists Palestinian refugees has dismissed calls for it to be disbanded and says that UNRWA is the best positioned agency to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “I have talked with the member states about all these calls for UNRWA to be dismantled, to be terminated and I have warned about the impact. I have said that these calls are short-sighted,” said Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of UNRWA. Major donors, including the United States... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON/CARACAS, VENEZUELA — The United States is "deeply concerned" by reports that human rights activist Rocio San Miguel and members of her family have been arrested in Venezuela, the White House said on Tuesday.  San Miguel is president of the nongovernmental organization Control Ciudadano, which advocates for citizen oversight of Venezuela's armed forces. She was arrested this week on charges of involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.   "We are watching this very... Читать дальше...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits Egypt Wednesday (Feb 14), after more than a decade to mark a reset in ties between the two regional powerhouses. The Israel-Hamas war is expected to top the agenda. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

After years of focus on oil and gas, Nigerian authorities are taking a new look at the mining industry as part of their drive to diversify the economy. But the country is still reeling from environmental damage caused by old mining operations, and the illegal mining that continues. Timothy Obiezu reports.

Bangkok — Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire ex-premier once at the center of Thailand’s political divisions, is poised to be freed from a police hospital within days, after he was granted parole just six months after returning to the country from a 15-year self-exile overseas. The 74-year-old Thaksin faced an eight-year jail term but was given a royal reprieve shortly after his return to Thailand on August 22, which slashed his sentence to one year. He could be released as soon as this weekend after qualifying for parole... Читать дальше...

Farmers in South Africa’s red meat industry are excited to resume exporting beef and lamb to Saudi Arabia after a long hiatus. Kate Bartlett reports from a ranch outside Johannesburg that stands to benefit from the new trade partnership. Camera and edit: Zaheer Cassim

Hybrid work relaxed office fashion, but formal attire might be making a comeback

Washington — Chinese-linked cyber actors appear to have made a massive, last-minute push to try to derail Taiwan’s recent elections, though the precise goals of the sudden campaign — and the extent to which the attacks succeeded — remain unclear. A new report Tuesday by the U.S.-based cybersecurity firm Trellix found what researchers described as a significant spike in activity, with attacks on Taiwanese organizations more than doubling in the 24-hour period before Taiwan’s January 13 election. Читать дальше...

YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenia and Azerbaijan on Tuesday traded accusations over a border skirmish that left at least four Armenian soldiers dead and escalated tensions between the two Caucasus neighbors.  Armenia's Foreign Ministry denounced what it described as a "provocation" by Azerbaijani troops who fired on Armenian forces across the border in the eastern Syunik region early Tuesday. Four Armenian soldiers were killed and one was wounded, the ministry said. It urged Azerbaijan to refrain from "destabilizing" actions. Читать дальше...

Jordan’s King Abdullah II, the first Arab leader to visit the White House since October 7, met with President Joe Biden to discuss a hostage deal and the future of Gaza as Israel began operations Monday in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Jordan is pushing a cease-fire, while Biden over the weekend appeared to criticize Israel’s strategy. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House.

BANGUI, Central African Republic — About 10,000 children are still fighting alongside armed groups in Central African Republic more than a decade after civil war broke out, the government said Monday. Marthe Kirima, the minister for family and gender, said in a statement that children are still being recruited as fighters, spies, messengers, cooks and even used as sex slaves. While 15,000 children have escaped from rebel forces, she said, many are traumatized and find it difficult to return to normal life. Читать дальше...

Canberra, Australia — Thousands of sheep and cattle stuck on a ship that was forced to abandon a passage through the Red Sea last month have begun disembarking at the same Australian port they left nearly six weeks ago, Australia's agriculture ministry said late Monday. The MV Bahijah sailed from Fremantle, Western Australia on January 5 for Israel with about 14,000 sheep and 2,000 cattle onboard but diverted from its route due to the threat of attack by Yemen's Houthi militia before being ordered home by the Australian government. Читать дальше...

san juan, puerto rico — Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister said a large oil spill near the twin-island nation in the eastern Caribbean has caused a “national emergency” as crews struggled to contain the oil already coating numerous beaches on Tobago’s southwest coast. The government has yet to identify the owner of the vessel that overturned near Tobago last week, Prime Minister Keith Rowley said Sunday. It was not immediately clear how much oil had spilled and how much remained in the largely submerged vessel. Читать дальше...

united nations — The U.N. Security Council said Monday that it was concerned by "escalating violence" in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, condemning in a statement the offensive launched this month by M23 rebels near Goma.  Clashes have intensified recently between the M23 — among the strongest of dozens of armed groups roaming the country's troubled east — and the Congolese army.  The DRC, the U.N. and Western countries say Rwanda is supporting the rebels in a bid to control vast mineral resources, an allegation Kigali denies.

LOS ANGELES — The casts of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" gathered Monday for the annual Academy Award nominees' luncheon along with other Oscar hopefuls coming together for photos, hugs and congratulations.  The luncheon is a warm, feel-good, egalitarian affair where little-known first-time nominees in categories like best animated short get to rub shoulders and share tables with acting nominees like Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.  Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, whose snubs for best director and best actress... Читать дальше...

PALU, Indonesia — Indonesian police Monday named two Chinese nationals as suspects in the explosion of a smelting furnace at a Chinese-owned nickel plant on Sulawesi Island that killed 21 workers and injured dozens of others. Four Chinese and nine Indonesian workers died instantly on December 24 when the furnace at PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel, or PT ITSS, exploded while they were repairing it. Eight others died in the following days while being treated at hospitals. Of the total number of workers killed, eight were from from China.

Tehran, Iran — An Iranian court has sentenced a man to death over the killing of renowned filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui and his wife months ago at their home near Tehran, the judiciary said Monday. Mehrjui, an 83-year-old director associated with the Iranian new wave of cinema, was stabbed to death along with his wife, Vahideh Mohammadifar, in October at their home in Karaj, west of the Iranian capital. The convicted killer, who was arrested days after the attack, was a former employee of Mehrjui... Читать дальше...