U.S. officials say that the United States is continuing talks with Nigerien officials, has not withdrawn any of U.S. military personnel from Niger and does not rule out a continued U.S. military presence there.
Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Haiti's National Library was looted Wednesday by armed gangs terrorizing the Caribbean nation's capital, Port-au-Prince, its director told AFP. Dangelo Neard said the history of Haiti — the Western Hemisphere's second-oldest republic — was being threatened. "I was told that the thugs are taking away the institution's furniture. They also ransacked the building's generator," Neard said. "Our documentary collections are in danger," he said. "We have rare documents over 200 years old... Читать дальше...
Kampala — Uganda's constitutional court has declined to annul or grant a permanent injunction against the enforcement of the country’s anti-gay law. In their ruling Wednesday, the judges said the law does infringe on some fundamental human rights. Lawyers representing members of Uganda's LGBT community described the ruling as retrogressive. The petitioners in the case had sought to have the court decide whether the anti-gay law passed in 2023 violates the principle of equal protection under the law for all Ugandans. Читать дальше...
JERUSALEM — Israel war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Wednesday called for national elections in September, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government faces pressure at home and abroad over the war in Gaza. "We must agree on a date for elections in September, toward a year to the war if you will," Gantz said in a televised briefing. "Setting such a date will allow us to continue the military effort while signaling to the citizens of Israel that we will soon renew their trust in us." Thousands... Читать дальше...
Turkey's nationwide local elections this week dealt Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party its worst electoral defeat, signaling what analysts say is a momentous change in Turkey’s political direction. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
GENEVA — Human rights experts warn the always-shaky security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is deteriorating further, as armed violence by Congolese and foreign forces battling for control of the region intensifies and threatens to spread throughout the country and beyond. “As insecurity reaches some of the most alarming levels in recent years, I fear that the enjoyment of human rights in the country will come to a screeching halt,” said Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights. Читать дальше...
islamabad — The United Nations has warned that delivering life-saving aid to millions of people in Afghanistan could be “severely impeded” as donors have given only 6% of the humanitarian funding appeal for 2024. Indrika Ratwatte, the humanitarian coordinator for the impoverished country, has urged the international community to redouble its commitment and increase financial support for the Afghan people. According to a U.N. statement released on Tuesday, Ratwatte expressed “deep concern” over... Читать дальше...
New Orleans — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments this month about presidential immunity and whether former President Donald Trump can be tried on charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The high court’s decision will determine how some of the presumptive GOP nominee’s legal cases advance in an election year where he is facing 91 felony charges across four trials. They include the willful retention of national defense information in violation of the Espionage Act. Читать дальше...
WASHINGTON — The U.S. prosecutor leading the case against Donald Trump for retaining classified documents after leaving office pushed back at a federal judge after she signaled she may accept the former president's claim that the records were his personal property. U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith said in a court filing late on Tuesday that his office would appeal any decision by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon that would instruct jurors in the case to consider what he called Trump's "fundamentally flawed legal premise." Trump... Читать дальше...
Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe appealed to the United Nations, aid agencies and individuals on Wednesday for $2 billion to avert food insecurity caused by an El Nino-induced drought. At the State House in Harare, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a nationwide state of disaster. He told reporters that Zimbabwe is expecting a harvest of 868,000 metric tons of grain this year — far short of expectations and about 680,000 tons less than the country needs. "Preliminary assessment shows that Zimbabwe... Читать дальше...
YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — Troops from Chad and Cameroon have freed scores of civilians who were kidnapped for ransom or to fight with jihadist groups on both sides of the two central African states’ border. Military officials from both countries say the number of civilian kidnappings has increased along the border, with several hundred people still in captivity. Cameroon’s military said Tuesday it received five civilians — a 54-year-old man and four people between 17 and 24 years old — from Chadian government troops. Читать дальше...
Helsinki — A 12-year-old suspected of shooting and killing a classmate and wounding two girls at a school in Finland said he had been motivated by bullying, police said Wednesday. Flags flew at half-staff as the northern European country observed a day of mourning a day after the boy opened fire in a classroom in Vantaa. "The suspect has told the police during interrogations that he has been the victim of bullying, and this information has also been confirmed in the police's preliminary investigation," police said in a statement. Читать дальше...
An Indigenous graphic artist in the Southwest U.S. state of New Mexico is using a comic book to tell a story about same-sex love and identity on a Native American reservation. Gustavo Martínez Contreras has our story from Albuquerque.
Seoul, South Korea — South Korea is investigating a vessel that allegedly violated United Nations sanctions on North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday, after it was reportedly seized over the weekend. The investigation comes after Moscow last week used its veto power to effectively end official UN monitoring of sanctions on North Korea amid a probe into alleged arms transfers between Moscow and Pyongyang. South Korean authorities seized the 3,000-ton cargo ship known as the DEYI on Saturday... Читать дальше...
WASHINGTON — Speculation has been spreading about the future, role, and place in China’s power structure of Premier Li Qiang since the unexplained cancellation of a routine press conference he was expected to hold last month. It was arguably the biggest news about Li, a figure largely unknown to the outside world, since he took office a year ago. Analysts tell VOA that to better know Li, it is important to understand his place in China’s leadership structure – highly centralized under Communist... Читать дальше...
Taipai, Taiwan — A magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook Taiwan early Wednesday, causing massive power outages and the partial collapse of several buildings in eastern Taiwan. At least seven people died and more than 700 were injured. The earthquake’s epicenter was located 25 kilometers off the island’s east coast, with a depth of 15.5 kilometers. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said the earthquake caused changes in water levels off the east coast and issued a tsunami warning. The alert was lifted... Читать дальше...
