Новости за 06.01.2023

A top dissident Iranian Sunni cleric on Friday denounced as un-Islamic Iran's alleged use of forced confessions to convict detained protesters, as weekly demonstrations continued in the county's southeast. Meanwhile, the authorities' crackdown following nationwide protests continued with arrests, including that of a celebrity chef and a prominent journalist. Anti-government marches have been held on Fridays in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province as part of protests after the death... Читать дальше...

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Tuerk has warned about what he sees as the "systematic countering of women's rights and gender equality" around the world. In an exclusive interview Wednesday with Agence France-Presse, the French news agency, Tuerk said he was very concerned about the "backsliding and the pushbacks" he has seen against women recently, particularly on social media. "We see it in social media, for example, where misogynistic, sexist comments seem to be allowed in a way... Читать дальше...

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Friday that they had arrested more than 100 suspects in an eight-day operation against Islamic State group militants.  Kurdish-led forces launched the sweep, dubbed Operation Al-Jazeera Thunderbolt, last week after thwarting an IS attempt to free fellow militants from prison in Raqqa, the jihadi group's former Syrian stronghold.  The Syrian Kurds have been seeking to underline their value as a partner to the West in its campaign against IS as NATO... Читать дальше...

VOA Connect Episode 260 - We visit William Padilla-Brown, a self-taught citizen scientist and mycologist whose passion for mushrooms is leading to new discoveries as he teaches others and works to build a healthier, more sustainable world. Director | Producer: Aaron Fedor and Kathleen McLaughlin, DP | Drone: Aaron Fedor, DP: Clint Bolduc, Editor: Kyle Dubiel, Additional Camera: Mike Hiltz,

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

Security forces in Somalia's breakaway republic of Somaliland on Thursday withdrew from the contested border town of Las Anod after days of deadly protests.  The town is claimed by Somalia's Puntland State but run by Somaliland, which broke from Somalia in 1991.  Anti-government protests erupted there last week after a politician was shot dead, leading to clashes with police in which at least eight other people were killed. Las Anod Mayor Abdirahim Ali told VOA calm returned to the town Thursday... Читать дальше...

Rights groups are welcoming Kenyan President William Ruto’s order for investigations into extra judicial killings carried out by police.  Ruto told Kenyan media Wednesday one police station had a shipping container where "people were being slaughtered." But critics note Ruto said little about the issue as vice president and say police reforms are key to ending the practice. Ruth Mumbi recounts the day in 2017 when she says her brother was murdered on the road by a policeman.  Mumbi says her brother's... Читать дальше...

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday the U.S. added 223,000 jobs in December while the unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent. In its monthly report, the bureau said notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, health care, construction, and social assistance. The report said the unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range of 3.5 percent to 3.7 percent since March. The report shows modest gains in wages during December, rising by just 0.3 percent, Over the past 12 months... Читать дальше...

Major tech companies are appealing to consumers' evolving lifestyles, tastes and personal values with connected devices that touch on nearly every aspect of daily life. From the CES 2023 consumer technology show in Las Vegas, VOA's Tina Trinh has the story. Video editor: Matt Dibble

Somali officials say a pre-dawn attack by militants on an army base was repelled but left at least seven soldiers dead. The attack took place in a part of southern Somalia recaptured from the militant group al-Shabab last week. The attack took place early Friday in the village of Hilowle Gaab, on the outskirts of the recently liberated town of Runirgod in the Middle Shabelle region. The army said Runirgod, 240 kilometers north of Mogadishu, was the last al-Shabab stronghold in the region. Daaud Haji Irro... Читать дальше...

In June, after North Korea fired eight short-range ballistic missiles into the ocean, South Korea and the United States responded by sending the exact same number of missiles into the sea. Five months later, when a North Korean missile crossed the de facto inter-Korean sea border for the first time since the 1950s Korean War, South Korea hours later launched three of its own missiles north of the sensitive maritime boundary. Last week, after North Korea sent five small reconnaissance drones across the land border... Читать дальше...

Police in Miami and witnesses at the scene say as many as 10 people were wounded in a shooting outside a Miami restaurant late Thursday. Police responding to the incident said it occurred around 8 p.m. local time near a restaurant called The Licking in the Miami Gardens section of the city. One witness reported as many as 12 shots were fired. Media reports citing witnesses said as many as 10 people were killed, but police would only confirm multiple injuries and said there were no fatalities. Читать дальше...

At a meeting of its member states on Thursday, World Health Organization Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivered both good and bad news about COVID-19. He said that in the fourth year of the pandemic, “The world is in a much better place than it was several years ago, because of clinical care management, vaccines and treatments. For most of last year, COVID-19 was on the decline. Vaccination increased across the world, and there was sustained progress in many lower- and middle-income countries.” He warned... Читать дальше...

Iranian authorities have arrested a journalist who published interviews with families of death row inmates sentenced in connection with nationwide protests, the reformist daily Etemad said Friday. Fourteen Iranians have been sentenced to death in connection with the unrest triggered by Mahsa Amini's death in custody on September 16. Morality police in Tehran arrested the 22-year-old Iranian Kurd for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's dress code for women. "Mehdi Beikoghli, head of the political service at Etemad daily... Читать дальше...

Here's what you need to know about how the House elects a speaker: No House without a speaker Choosing a speaker will be the first vote the House will take before new and returning lawmakers are even sworn into office on Tuesday. As set out under the Constitution, the session will begin at noon on Jan. 3, with all the lawmakers seated on the House floor and members from both parties joining in the vote for speaker. The chamber cannot organize until it has a speaker since that person effectively... Читать дальше...

The United Nations humanitarian agency in Ethiopia said Thursday it has been getting increasing amounts of aid to the embattled northern Tigray and Afar regions.  But in its latest report, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said malnutrition rates are critical and alarmingly high.  Despite a November peace deal between Ethiopia’s federal and Tigrayan authorities, the U.N. said access to provide aid remains difficult in some areas.  The United Nations Office for the Coordination... Читать дальше...

Congressional Republicans will try for a fourth day Friday to choose a new speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. A band of 20 right-wing lawmakers has successfully blocked California Congressman Kevin McCarthy for three days from becoming speaker because they believe he is not beholden enough to the conservative cause. The third day of balloting to pick a new leader of the 435-member lower chamber of Congress looked much like the first two days, with McCarthy, a 16-year lawmaker and the current House Republican leader... Читать дальше...

Last month, officials said activity at the Hawaiian volcano Kilauea had stopped. That changed Thursday when officials at the U.S. Geological Survey said Kilauea had erupted again and posted photographs of the lava flow at the volcano’s summit. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said late Thursday, “Kīlauea’s volcano alert level and aviation color code will remain at WARNING/RED as this eruption and associated hazards are evaluated overnight." Ken Hon, a scientist at the observatory, told KITV... Читать дальше...

Kenyan police are investigating the apparent killing of a gay model and activist. LGBTQ rights groups allege he was the victim of a hate crime. The body of Edwin Chiloba, an LGBTQ activist, was found Wednesday in the western Kenyan town of Kapsaret. Police say the body, which had multiple stab wounds, had been stuffed into a metal box that was left along the side of a road. Now, rights campaigners are raising concerns about the safety of the LGBTQ community in Kenya. "Just knowing one person... Читать дальше...

An Australian woman appeared in court Friday charged with entering or remaining in an area controlled by the Islamic State militant group. Police allege Mariam Raad chose to travel to the Middle East to join her husband in 2014 and was aware of his activities with the terrorist organization. Raad was repatriated by Australia with her children from a Kurdish-run detention camp in Syria last October. She was charged following a joint investigation between New South Wales Police and the Australian Federal Police. Читать дальше...

Friday is the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, when an angry mob, supporters of former president Donald Trump, sought to block the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election. A bipartisan group of members of Congress will gather on the East Front Steps of the Capitol building Friday morning to honor the officers who lost their lives or were injured as a result of the attack. U.S. President Joe Biden is marking the day... Читать дальше...

Opponents of the largest lithium mine planned in the United States urged a federal judge in Nevada on Thursday to vacate the U.S. government's approval of the project until it completes additional environmental reviews and complies with all state and federal laws. U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said after a three-hour hearing in Reno that she hoped to make a decision "in the next couple months" on how to proceed in the nearly 2-year-old legal battle over the Bureau of Land Management's approval of the mine Lithium Nevada Corp. Читать дальше...

US lawmakers will try for a fourth day Friday to elect a speaker of the US House of Representatives as a group of 20 conservatives continued to block Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s bid for the post. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has reaction from Capitol Hill.

U.N. Security Council members on Thursday reaffirmed the need to preserve the historic status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites in the aftermath of a visit to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound by a hard-line Israeli minister. “As we have seen numerous times in the past, the situation at Jerusalem’s holy sites is deeply fragile, and any incident or tension there can spill over and cause violence throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, in Israel and elsewhere in the region,” Khaled Khiari, U.N. assistant secretary-general for the Middle East... Читать дальше...

China's CanSino Biologics reported on Thursday "positive" interim data from its experimental COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccine in a mid-stage clinical trial, as the country races to tame a severe outbreak of infections. Infections have soared since China abandoned its strict "zero-COVID" policy last month after protests over tight restrictions placed on its citizens. The CanSino booster vaccine is one of China's first home-grown potential vaccines based on mRNA technology. The 433-person trial... Читать дальше...