Новости за 14.02.2024

Washington — A top U.S. lawmaker is sounding an alarm about a potentially significant threat to the country's security, publicly calling on President Joe Biden to declassify intelligence so that the American public and its allies can formulate a response.  The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Republican Representative Mike Turner, issued a statement Tuesday warning of a "serious national security threat."  Turner's statement did not elaborate on the threat, but noted he has requested... Читать дальше...

ROME — Pope Francis urged Catholics to forgo worldly trappings and focus on essentials as he opened the season of Lent with a traditional Ash Wednesday Mass on one of Rome's historic seven hills. He criticized people's tendency to lay bare their lives on social media, deploring "a world in which everything, including our emotions and deepest feelings, has to become 'social.'" Instead, the faithful should enter their "inner chamber" to find time for quiet reflection and prayer, the 87-year-old pontiff said in a homily. Читать дальше...

The Adora Magic City is heavily reliant on foreign technology. According to the cruise’s chief designer, only 30% of the ship was built by domestic suppliers, while the rest was sourced from Europe.

Turkish security forces are detaining hundreds of people in the aftermath of an Islamic State attack on an Istanbul church. Authorities are warning of further attacks against Jews and Christians. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

Gabarone, Botswana — Botswana's coalition of opposition parties has slammed the country's electoral body for traveling to Zimbabwe to benchmark its election procedures — the process by which the performance of a system is assessed for success and emulation. Botswana will hold its general election later this year, and officials with the country's Independent Electoral Commission have been criticized for choosing the example of Zimbabwe, a country that held disputed polls in August 2023. The two-day benchmarking trip ended Wednesday... Читать дальше...

A unique program called Shark Spotters is helping keep water lovers safe. Vicky Stark has this report from Cape Town, South Africa.

Cairo — Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Edrogan and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fatah el-Sissi, united their efforts Wednesday in Cairo, calling for a halt to Israel's looming offensive on a southern Gaza city in its war against Hamas. Erdogan's visit comes as ties between Ankara and Cairo are back on track after years of tensions and frosty relations. Turkey has long been a backer of the pan-Islamist Muslim Brotherhood group, which has been outlawed as a terrorist organization in Egypt. ... Читать дальше...

In an effort to connect to younger voters, the Biden campaign has joined TikTok. But while many users have welcomed the move, security experts and even legislators have expressed disapproval amid long-standing privacy concerns surrounding the use of the Chinese-owned app. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has details from Washington. (Produced by: Veronica Balderas Iglesias)

BERLIN — Volkswagen is in talks with its joint venture partner in China over its presence in Xinjiang, it said on Wednesday after a German newspaper reported what it said was evidence of the carmaker's involvement in forced labor. The issue adds to pressure on Germany's biggest corporations to rethink ties with China, specifically in the Xinjiang region, where rights groups have documented abuses including forced labor in detention camps. Beijing denies any such abuses. The report in business... Читать дальше...

PARIS — A Paris appeals court ruled Wednesday that former President Nicolas Sarkozy was guilty of illegal campaign financing over his failed 2012 reelection bid, confirming a previous ruling by a lower court, but his lawyer said he would take his case to France's highest court.   Sarkozy was handed a one-year prison sentence, half of which was suspended, that can be served through alternative means, such as wearing an electronic bracelet without going to jail.   Sarkozy, 69, had been handed a... Читать дальше...

The Indian capital’s severe air pollution, which has failed to improve despite efforts, is prompting a small but growing number of people to leave New Delhi to escape the health hazards posed by dirty air. Many are relocating to the western coastal city of Goa, which has witnessed an influx of what are being called pollution migrants. Anjana Pasricha spoke to two families on why they decided to quit the capital. Video: P. Pallavi

A Kenyan government agency is helping students from low-income families access laboratories for science classes. The producer is making solar-powered mobile laboratories that are cheaper than building permanent facilities. Victoria Amunga reports from Nairobi. Camera: Jimmy Makhulo

West Bank Palestinians say that since the October 7 Hamas attack, Israeli settlers have significantly increased acts of violence against them, with the aim of forcing the Palestinians to abandon their homes. A settler council, however, denies these allegations, saying incidents have decreased. For VOA, Linda Gradstein reports from the South Hebron Hills of the West Bank.  Camera: Ricki Rosen

Over 1.7 million electric cars are currently on the road in California. But drivers in the nation’s largest EV market say they are struggling to find chargers. VOA's Anna Rice narrates this report by Angelina Bagdasaryan. Video: Vazgen Varzhabetian

ISLAMABAD — The United Nations says it would like to see Taliban representatives attend a two-day international conference on Afghanistan that will take place in Qatar next week. Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said Wednesday the Taliban would participate in the February 18 meeting, provided they are received as official representatives of Afghanistan. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host the two-day session, with member states and regional organizations’ special envoys on Afghanistan in attendance. Читать дальше...