Новости за 18.02.2024

New York — Paramount Pictures' Bob Marley biopic "Bob Marley: One Love" outperformed expectations to debut at No. 1 at the box office with a $27.7 million opening weekend, while Sony's "Madame Web" flopped with one of the lowest debuts for a movie centered on a Marvel character. Both films launched in theaters on Tuesday to rope in Valentine's Day moviegoers. But on a weekend that was once expected to go to "Madame Web," "One Love" emerged as the much-preferred option in theaters, despite largely poor reviews. Читать дальше...

Russian authorities are detaining people mourning the death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny. He died in custody at an Arctic Circle penal colony late last week. Western leaders blame Russia. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.

Israel’s Cabinet said Sunday that it rejects the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. The news came amidst growing calls by the United States and other countries for a two-state solution, as the Middle East conflict worsens. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details.

London — Hollywood stars descended on London on Sunday for the annual BAFTA Film Awards, where U.S. historical drama "Oppenheimer," one of the highest-grossing films of 2023, leads nominations for Britain's top movie honors.  The three-hour epic about the making of the atomic bomb during World War Two has 13 nods, including for the night's top prize — best film — which it is the current favorite to win.  Also leading betting odds are the film's Irish star Cillian Murphy — who plays the American theoretical physicist J. Читать дальше...

Berlin — A labor union in Germany has called on ground staff for Lufthansa to walk off the job at seven airports on Tuesday following a similar strike earlier this month. The Ver.di union said Sunday that the one-day strike will affect the airports in Frankfurt and Munich, Lufthansa's two main hubs, as well as Berlin, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne-Bonn and Stuttgart. It will run from 4 a.m. Tuesday to 7:10 a.m. Wednesday. A 27-hour strike at five of the same airports that started Feb. 7 prompted the airline to cancel hundreds of flights. Читать дальше...

Washington — U.S. forces in the Red Sea have "successfully conducted five self-defense strikes" to foil attacks by land and sea from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the Pentagon said Sunday. The strikes occurred on 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sanaa time (1200 and 1700 GMT), the U.S. military said, and are part of a series of actions taken by the United States and its allies against the Houthis, aimed at halting the Iran-backed rebels' repeated attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes. The five strikes included... Читать дальше...

Kampala — The U.S. has condemned Saturday Rwanda's support of the armed M23 group in eastern Congo, whose rebellion has caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, and called on the rebel group to “cease hostilities.” The U.S. State Department in a statement strongly criticized “the worsening violence ... caused by the actions of the Rwanda-backed, U.S.- and UN-sanctioned M23 armed group.” It called on Rwanda "to immediately withdraw all Rwanda Defense Force personnel from the [Congo]... Читать дальше...

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The International Olympic Committee will not change its rules to let boxing great Manny Pacquaio compete at the Paris Games aged five years beyond the entry limit. Pacquaio, who retired in 2021, wanted to box at age 45 in the Olympic tournament in Paris where medal bouts will be held in the Roland Garros tennis complex.  The IOC said Sunday it wrote to Olympic officials in Philippines explaining the age limit for boxers of 40 will be upheld. The IOC now oversees Olympic... Читать дальше...

Dakar — Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Sunday demanded his immediate release in the name of "equal treatment" under the constitution. "All candidates must benefit from the constitutional principles of equal treatment," said a statement from the Diomaye President coalition. "That's why the release without delay of candidate Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye is a popular demand and respectful of the Constitution," the statement said. The coalition noted the... Читать дальше...

In the U.S. state of Texas, people are making clones of their beloved pets so the genetically identical animal can live after their pet dies. From the Texas capital, Austin, VOA’s Deana Mitchell has our story.

WHITEFISH POINT, Mich. — Shipwreck hunters have discovered a merchant ship that sank in Lake Superior in 1940, taking its captain with it, during a storm off Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and shipwreck researcher Dan Fountain announced Monday the discovery of the 74-meter bulk carrier Arlington in about 200 meters of water some 60 kilometers north of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. The Arlington left Port Arthur, Ontario, on April 30, 1940, fully loaded with wheat and headed to Owen Sound... Читать дальше...

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal's gods and goddess are returning home. An unknown number of sacred statues of Hindu deities were stolen and smuggled abroad in the past. Now dozens are being repatriated to the Himalayan nation, part of a growing global effort to return such items to countries in Asia, Africa and elsewhere. Last month, four idols and masks of Hindu gods were returned to Nepal from the United States by museums and a private collector. Among them was a 16th century statue of Uma-Maheswora... Читать дальше...

BANGKOK — China is stepping up patrols in the waters off the coast of Taiwan's Kinmen archipelago, days after two of its fishermen drowned while being chased by the Taiwanese coast guard, which accused the boat of trespassing. The Chinese coast guard's Fujian division will regularly monitor the waters off the southern coast of the city of Xiamen — a few kilometers from Kinmen — to strengthen maritime law enforcement, said the coast guard's spokesman, Gan Yu, in a statement Sunday. Fishermen... Читать дальше...

The Hague, Netherlands — The U.N.'s top court will from Monday hold hearings on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967, with an unprecedented 52 countries expected to give evidence. Nations including the United States, Russia, and China will address judges in a weeklong session at the Peace Palace in The Hague, seat of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In December 2022, the U.N. General Assembly asked the ICJ for a nonbinding "advisory opinion"... Читать дальше...

WAYCROSS, Ga. — Two young citizen-soldiers who became close friends after enlisting in the Army Reserve were remembered at funerals in southeast Georgia on Saturday, nearly three weeks after they died in a drone attack while deployed to the Middle East. A service for 24-year-old Sgt. Kennedy Sanders was held in the packed 1,200-seat auditorium of Ware County Middle School in Waycross. Fellow soldiers recalled Sanders' courage, her loving personality, and her willingness to volunteer for tasks few wanted to do... Читать дальше...

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Just blocks from the shuttered Bethlehem Steel plant, the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley was bustling on a recent day with scores of older people eating lunch. Downstairs, out of sight, a constant stream of visitors was shopping in its massive food pantry. Over the past seven months, the number of visitors to the pantry has risen by more than a third. The center's executive director, Raymond Santiago, sees that as a stark sign of something he has felt over the past couple years... Читать дальше...

Washington — The United States on Saturday deplored growing violence by the Democratic Republic Congo's M23 rebels, saying the group's backers in Rwanda must remove sophisticated ground-to-air missiles that are threatening lives in the country's east. Fighting has flared in recent days around the town of Sake, 20 kilometers from Goma, between M23 rebels and Congolese government forces. "The United States strongly condemns the worsening violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) caused by the actions of the Rwanda-backed... Читать дальше...

LONDON — The cultural richness brought by migrations across the world, familial nostalgia and the frenetic pace of London life marked the second day of the city's Fashion Week on Saturday as up-and-coming designers showed off their styles for the season ahead. Some 60 designers, ranging from rising talents to renowned brands like Burberry, are exhibiting their new designs over five days, hoping to draw the interest of buyers and fashion influencers. The 40th anniversary edition of the event is... Читать дальше...

beijing — There are no off limits or restricted areas for fishing around a group of Taiwanese islands close to China's coast and Beijing reserves the right to take further measures after two Chinese nationals died near the islands, the government said. Taiwan on Thursday defended the actions of its coast guard after two people on a Chinese speedboat, which got too close to a frontline Taiwanese island, died when their boat overturned while trying to flee a coast guard ship. Two others survived. Читать дальше...