Новости за 18.04.2024

CORTE, CORSICA   — The colorful graffiti sprinkled across this mountain town offers one clue about some political sentiments here. "Liberty for Stephanu Ori," is plastered on one peeling wall, referring to a Corsican militant arrested last month. Another pays tribute to nationalist Yvan Colonna, killed in jail where he was serving time for the assassination of a top French official. Still others offer the shorthand call — AFF — for French to leave the island. Perched on a hill of rugged northern Corsica... Читать дальше...

abuja, nigeria — Nigeria has been Africa’s largest or second-largest oil exporter for years, but relies heavily on imports to meet local energy needs. The government is trying to change that, saying the country’s four moribund oil refineries will be revived and put back in operation. This week, authorities also announced a new policy that oil producers must sell a share of their crude oil to local refiners before they are permitted to export crude. Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory commission announced... Читать дальше...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan travels to Iraq next week for the first time in 12 years. Erdogan is looking for Iraqi support in his war on Kurdish rebels based in Iraq and as Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the visit also aims to counter Iran’s influence.

Gaborone, Botswana   — A coalition of churches in Botswana has voiced its opposition to parliament's latest effort to amend the constitution to include gay rights. Botswana’s minister for state president, Kabo Morwaeng, introduced a constitutional amendment bill for the first reading Wednesday. Among proposed amendments is the inclusion of a clause that would “protect and prohibit the discrimination of intersex persons and persons with a disability.”  However, churches are opposed to the move promoting gay rights. Читать дальше...

NAIROBI — A Kenyan military helicopter crashed in the west of the country, killing five soldiers inside on Thursday, a police source said.  Three other soldiers on the helicopter were injured and taken to hospital, the police source said, asking not to be named.  The helicopter came down in Elgeyo-Marakwet county, the president's spokesman said, without going into detail on any casualties. "President William Ruto convened an urgent meeting of the National Security Council at State House Nairobi... Читать дальше...

YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — In response to growing campaign violence, Chad's transitional president, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, has ordered his military to arrest angry civilians and make sure peace reigns in the run-up to the May 6 presidential election and afterwards. Opposition and civil society groups, which have called for a boycott of the vote, which they dismiss as a sham, acknowledge that some civilians have attacked members of the Deby’s campaign team. Chad's transitional president, General Mahamat Idriss Deby... Читать дальше...

New York — Google fired 28 employees following a disruptive sit-down protest over the tech giant's contract with the Israeli government, a Google spokesperson said Thursday. The Tuesday demonstration was organized by the group "No Tech for Apartheid," which has long opposed "Project Nimbus," Google's joint $1.2 billion contract with Amazon to provide cloud services to the government of Israel. Video of the demonstration showed police arresting Google workers in Sunnyvale, California, in the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian's... Читать дальше...

Nyon, Switzerland — Barcelona was fined $26,600 by UEFA on Thursday for Nazi salutes and monkey gestures by fans at a Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain last week. UEFA, the governing body of soccer in Europe, said the proven charge of "racist behavior" followed images circulating of misconduct by some fans at Parc des Princes on April 10. UEFA also deferred a one-game ban on selling tickets to Barcelona fans for an away game in the Champions League next season for a probationary period of one year. Читать дальше...

Taipei, Taiwan — A new report by a team of Tibet-focused cybersecurity analysts details how hackers with links to the Chinese government are using cyber espionage tactics to target members of the Tibetan government-in-exile and the office of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. “Spyware-as-a-Service," which was released Thursday, uses information from an enormous data leak in February from Chinese cybersecurity firm I-Soon. According to the report, hackers have been targeting the mobile... Читать дальше...

Islamabad — A survey released Thursday revealed that over the past seven months, nearly 250,000 children have returned to Afghanistan from neighboring Pakistan with almost nothing, and they urgently need food, shelter and access to education. The study by Save the Children said that more than 520,000 Afghans have returned home since September 2023 after Pakistan asked all undocumented foreigners to leave the country or face deportation. Nearly half of all the returnees are children. Despite attending school in Pakistan... Читать дальше...

A gold mine in Zimbabwe has turned its former dumpsite into a solar station, generating all the energy it needs for operations at the mine and releasing excess energy into the national grid. Located in Zimbabwe’s southwestern Bubi district, some 500 kilometers from the capital, the project has drawn praise from environmentalists. Columbus Mavhunga has more.

Islamabad — Pakistan announced Thursday that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will pay a three-day official visit to Islamabad, starting April 22, as the neighboring countries seek to mend relations after an unprecedented exchange of antiterror missile strikes on each other’s territory. “He is coming. We welcome them,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told reporters in the Pakistani capital. “The visit is on the card for April 22nd, 23rd and 24th. We are obviously making full preparations for it.” Dar... Читать дальше...

India’s mammoth phased election that begins April 19 will pit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party against an opposition alliance of over two dozen parties. While Modi is wooing voters by promising to continue the country’s development, the opposition has raised concerns about threats to democracy. Anjana Pasricha reports from New Dehli.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is steadfast that Israel will make its own decisions about how to defend itself after a barrage of Iranian missiles and drones launched from Tehran last Saturday. Western countries meanwhile are pleading for a restrained response from Isarel. Jordan’s King Abdullah says his country will not be a battleground for any party in the confrontation between Israel and Iran and the protection of its citizens and sovereignty are paramount. Michael Cohen, who once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump... Читать дальше...

London/Cairo — From her home in Cairo, Etemad Abu Tahoun watches with terror as -- hour by hour -- the television news relays the devastation wrought on Gaza. Her only son, 23-year-old Momen, is trapped in the Palestinian territory. A brief, broken video call confirms he is still alive – before the signal cuts off. She is trying to crowdfund enough money to pay for her son’s escape. "I will help him to escape from the killing," she said. "And his presence will be my support as I navigate... Читать дальше...