Новости за 20.06.2024

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — Louisiana has become the first U.S. state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom, the latest move from a Republican-dominated legislature pushing a conservative agenda under a new governor.  The legislation that Republican Governor Jeff Landry signed into law on Wednesday requires a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in "large, easily readable font" in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. Читать дальше...

Quito, Ecuador — Ecuador suffered a nationwide blackout for several hours on Wednesday as the electrical grid failed, with metro services, traffic lights and other critical services crippled. The blackout hit abruptly just after 3 p.m. local time, surprising subway riders in the capital, Quito, as trains came to a halt and hundreds of people were evacuated. Some were forced to walk long distances through dark metro tunnels until they found an exit. Three hours after the stoppage hit, Energy... Читать дальше...

Washington/Peshawar, Pakistan — Every morning, Zakira prepares Afghan dumplings known as mantu and waits for her sons Arsalan, 12, and Alyan, 10, to return from school when they take the mantu to the nearby streets to sell. "As refugees in Pakistan, this is how we earn a living," said 38-year-old Zakira, who goes by her first name, adding that her husband, a laborer, "can't often find a job." Zakira, a teacher, told VOA she can't find a job in Pakistan because of her refugee status, and that is why her children work. Читать дальше...

A Chinese consortium last month was awarded the contract to develop a deep-sea megaport on Georgia’s Black Sea coast. But critics say the Georgian government is putting the country’s economy and democracy at risk by turning away from Western partners toward China. Henry Ridgwell reports from Tbilisi.

Abuja, Nigeria — The Nigerian air force said Tuesday it will acquire 50 new aircraft to strengthen its capabilities against armed gangs and terrorists in northwest Nigeria. Nigerian Chief of Air Staff Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar made the announcement at the opening of new military facilities, including two aircraft hangars in northwest Katsina state. Abubakar said the aircraft would include 12 AH-1 attack helicopters, 24 M-346 combat planes, 12 AW109 multipurpose helicopters and a pair of Casa 295 transport aircraft. Читать дальше...

MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, has formed over the western Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), said on Wednesday, bringing  flooding across the southern coast of the United States.  The storm was located about 300 kilometers (186.4 miles) east of Tampico, Mexico, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (40.3 miles per hour), the forecaster said. Alberto is likely to dissipate over Mexico as early as Thursday night. Читать дальше...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran's imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Narges Mohammadi, has been sentenced to another year in prison over her activism, her lawyer said Wednesday.  Mostafa Nili, Mohammadi's lawyer, told The Associated Press that his client was convicted on a charge of making propaganda against the system. Nili said the sentence came after Mohammadi urged voters to boycott Iran's recent parliamentary election, sent letters to lawmakers in Europe, and made comments regarding... Читать дальше...