Новости за 01.03.2023

Attorney General Merrick Garland was pressured in a Senate hearing to say what his department was doing about the flood of the highly dangerous opioid into the country, which is largely behind the rise of overdose deaths to 106,000 last year. He was asked his view about Congressional efforts to hold social media companies responsible for marketing of the drug on their sites, despite their legal protection from liability for user content. Garland acknowledged that drug cartels are marketing fentanyl... Читать дальше...

A report from the UN has laid bare huge regional disparities in maternal death rates. The problem touches every region in the world but poorer countries and those affected by conflict are particularly vulnerable. In 2020, Subsaharan Africa’s Maternal mortality rate was 136 times that of Australia and New Zealand where MMR was lowest. South Sudan has the highest numbers followed by Chad and Nigeria. FRANCE 24 is joined by Argentina Matavel Piccin, regional director for the UN Population Fund.

After notching an impressive straight-sets victory over Dutch world number 39 Tallon Griekspoor on Wednesday to reach his 13th Dubai quarter-final in as many appearances, Djokovic spoke about his ambitions for the Olympic Games next year. "I hope that I'll be able to play healthy for next year's Paris Olympics," said Djokovic, whose best showing at the Games so far came in 2008 when he won bronze in singles. "It's going to be played on clay at Roland Garros, I'm familiar with those grounds, so... Читать дальше...

Both athletes have used the winter to build the foundations for a summer that promises rich pickings. Bol smashed the 400m world indoor record set by Czech runner Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1982 with a stunning time of 49.26sec at the Dutch indoor championships in February. She had earlier given an indication of her impressive form when she clocked the fastest women's indoor 500m ever with a time of 1min 05.63sec at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix. Hodgkinson has re-written the British record books this winter... Читать дальше...

Iran arrested Olivier Vandecasteele, 42, in February 2022 and sentenced him at the start of this year to more than 12 years behind bars for "espionage" as well as ordering him to be subjected to 74 lashes. "My message was very clear: Olivier Vandecasteele is an innocent man and must be released immediately," De Croo tweeted after a phone call with Iran's Ebrahim Raisi. "In the meantime, his inhumane prison conditions must change." UN rights experts have slammed Vandecasteele's detention as a "flagrant violation" of international law. Читать дальше...

The second day of the first Test ended dramatically with the West Indies hitting back after their batting crumbled after tea. Nortje took four wickets inside four overs, finishing with figures of five for 36, as the West Indies crashed to 212 all out, giving South Africa a first innings lead of 130. But the West Indies bowlers grabbed four South African wickets before the close, leaving the hosts reeling at 49 for four, an overall lead of 179. “In general at SuperSport Park, wickets fall late in the day,” Nortje told journalists. Читать дальше...

Two South Africans detained in a prison in Equatorial Guinea for over two weeks still face no formal charges despite Pretoria's attempts to negotiate their release. They were arrested after the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea’s luxury yacht was seized in Cape Town after he lost a court case for wrongfully imprisoning a South African businessman.The boat was released last Friday, but the prisoners’ remain in detention. Nadine Theron has spoken to their families.

Batsman Towhid Hridoy, pace bowler Rejaur Rahman Raja and left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam were included following some impressive performances in the recently held Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament. Batsmen Shamim Hossain and Rony Talukdar were also recalled to the Twenty20 side after doing well in the BPL. Shamim played the last of his 10 T20 internationals against Pakistan in 2021 while 32-year-old Rony’s only T20 international was against South Africa eight years ago in 2015. Batsmen Yasir Ali... Читать дальше...

Iranian officials have said they are investigating the mysterious poisonings of schoolgirls around the country over the past three months. One official has blamed the attacks on unspecified groups opposed to education for girls, but many Iranians believe that the state is itself behind these “chemical attacks”, to intimidate women and girls and keep them at home and out of school. Photos and videos shared online show the impacts of these widespread attacks, resulting in as many as 800 poisonings.

"I ask Gianni Infantino: what message are you sending to the victims of racism, of homophobia, of sexism? As the highest authority, FIFA should apply a policy of zero tolerance," Sonia Souid told AFP on Wednesday. Several members of the French federation's executive committee confirmed on Tuesday after Le Graet's resignation that he would continue to work at FIFA's recently-opened office in Paris as a delegate to Infantino, the president. It is a position he was named to in January last year. ... Читать дальше...

Israelis protesting a contentious government plan to overhaul the judicial system on Wednesday (March 1) blocked roads and highways, clashing with police in central Tel Aviv during what organizers dubbed a “national disruption day".

The Canadian-born artist joins an elite coterie of composers including Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett and Carole King in receiving the US Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize, which is named for the brothers behind American standards such as "I Got Rhythm" and "Rhapsody In Blue." A-listers including James Taylor, Annie Lennox, Herbie Hancock and Graham Nash were primed to pay homage to Mitchell's life and work at the concert ceremony, which will be broadcast on March 31. The trailblazing Mitchell... Читать дальше...

Weeks of anti-government protests in Israel turned violent on Wednesday for the first time as police fired stun grenades and a water cannon at demonstrators who blocked a Tel Aviv highway. The crackdown came shortly after Israel’s hard-line national security minister urged a tough response to what he said were “anarchists.”

TotalEnergies has long been cautious about the possibility of restarting operations on the $20-billion onshore liquefied natural gas project in the African country's restive Cabo Delgado province. But Saipem, an energy services company tasked with the project's development, said that following talks with the French firm it expected operations to restart soon. "We are following TotalEnergies' indications about the resumption plan," Saipem told AFP in a statement. "We have been told that the security... Читать дальше...

The Catalans face Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday in the first leg, without injured trio Pedri, Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski. Barcelona have a seven point advantage on Madrid in La Liga, but have suffered two consecutive defeats -- elimination by Manchester United in the Europa League and then a stumble against minnows Almeria. "It's a strong Madrid, a Madrid that have won trophies recently, we are a team in the process of construction," Xavi told a news conference. "Madrid are competing in Europe... Читать дальше...

The Burkinabe foreign ministry advised the French government that the country was "renouncing the technical military assistance agreement reached in Paris on April 24 1961", according to the correspondence, dated Tuesday. The accord was forged between the newly independent Republic of Upper Volta, as Burkina Faso used to be called, and its long-time colonial power. It is one of the legal bases for French military support in the deeply troubled Sahel state. In the correspondence, seen by AFP on Wednesday... Читать дальше...

The outgoing La Nina phenomenon, a cooling of surface temperatures that can have a widespread impact on global weather conditions, started in September 2020. However, despite La Nina's cooling effect, both 2021 and 2022 were warmer than any year prior to 2015. Now El Nino, its warming opposite in the cycle, El Nino, could be on the way this year, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said in its quarterly update. The WMO said that after an unusually stubborn and protracted La Nina dragged... Читать дальше...

The UN chief's visit comes as Iraq, blighted by corruption and broken infrastructure, prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion that toppled longtime dictator Saddam Hussein. Guterres said he wanted to demonstrate "solidarity" with Iraq "in the consolidation of its democratic institutions and advancing peace". He said he also wanted to express his "confidence that Iraqis will be able to overcome the difficulties and challenges they still face through an open and inclusive dialogue". Читать дальше...

The announcement comes as the cost of insulin has surged in recent years, with demand increasing significantly as well. "Lilly is taking these actions to make it easier to access Lilly insulin and help Americans who may have difficulty navigating a complex healthcare system," the Indianapolis-based drugmaker said in a statement. The company added it would cut the price of its non-branded insulin to $25 a vial starting May 1. It will also lower the price of Humalog, its most commonly prescribed insulin... Читать дальше...

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Wednesday (March 1). FRANCE 24's Yena Lee tells us more.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited rebel-held northwestern Syria on Wednesday, his first trip to areas outside Damascus's control since a devastating quake last month, an AFP correspondent reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated on Wednesday that his government still intends to hold elections a month earlier than scheduled despite an earthquake last month that devastated parts of southern Turkey.

After the massive 7.8-magnitude quake that killed more than 45,000 people in Turkey, speculation mounted on whether the polls -- which could keep Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government in power until 2028 -- would be able to proceed. Last month, Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency across 11 quake-hit provinces, and the region is still suffering from strong tremors that make the likelihood of campaigning in the area extremely unlikely. But Erdogan told his ruling party lawmakers in the... Читать дальше...

Brussels hosted the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia on Monday, as the European Union ramped up pressure on the long-time bitter foes to iron out a pathway for an agreement that would lead to "de-facto" normalisation of ties. But despite vows that an agreement was close at hand, the talks ended in a stalemate with both sides blaming the other and insisting many issues remained unresolved that would prevent an agreement. Vucic took to the airwaves late Tuesday where the president told viewers he would... Читать дальше...

Moeen Ali, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid each claimed two wickets to ensure Bangladesh's innings never got going after the hosts elected to bat first at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. The hosts made a decent start, skipper Tamim Iqbal making 23. But after Chris Woakes earned the first breakthrough with the wicket of Liton Das, England struck whenever a partnership was developing. Tamim was bowled by Wood before spinners were called into action, as England got valuable... Читать дальше...