Новости за 27.01.2023

More than 300 Muslim clerics meeting in Somalia's capital this week have declared their support for the government's war against the Islamist militant group al-Shabab. The clerics issued their declaration following a four-day conference of Muslim scholars that ended Thursday with the formation of a Supreme Council. It was the first time in years that Somali clerics from all sects of Islam came together to denounce terrorism. Even the conservative Wahhabi sect, which has been accused of sympathizing with al-Shabab, participated. Читать дальше...

The United Nations held a solemn ceremony Friday to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, plus the Roma, disabled people and countless others who died at the hands of Nazi Germany. It began with a lullaby composed by Gideon Klein, who perished in a Nazi concentration camp. Klein’s music was followed by a solemn ceremony in which six candles were lit in memory of the 6 million victims of the Holocaust. The event also paid tribute to... Читать дальше...

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

VOA Connect Episode 263 - We visit communities who are working together to make food production more sustainable.

Three members of an Eastern European criminal gang with ties to Iran have been indicted in connection with plotting to murder Iranian-American human rights activist and VOA Persian host Masih Alinejad, the Justice Department announced on Friday. Rafat Amirov, 43, of Iran, Polad Omarov, 38, of the Czech Republic, and Khalid Mehdiyev, 24, of Yonkers, New York, are all in custody and face charges of murder for hire and money laundering, Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a press conference. “In the United States of America... Читать дальше...

Cameroon journalists are calling for an investigation and say their profession is in danger after a popular radio host investigating government corruption was found dead. On his radio program two weeks ago, Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo said he had information that people involved in corruption wanted him dead. Then, on January 17, Zogo, the director of the urban radio station Amplitude FM, was abducted, prompting fears for his safety. On Sunday, Zogo’s body was found. Government spokesperson... Читать дальше...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday proposed revisions to its guidelines to make it easier for gay and bisexual men to donate blood, eliminating a three-month abstinence period before donations. The restrictions were implemented years ago to prevent the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In a release posted to the agency's website, the FDA said under the draft proposals, all donors — regardless of sexual orientation — would be given a questionnaire regarding new partners, sexual history... Читать дальше...

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Greenfield says greater efforts are needed in Mozambique to push back insurgents who are spreading south from the northern province of Cabo Delgado. Greenfield was in Mozambique on Friday as she makes a three-nation tour of Africa. Addressing a media briefing at the end of her two-day visit, Greenfield said the United States is willing to work with Mozambique in the United Nations Security Council. Early this month, Mozambique took its one-year non-permanent seat on the Security Council. Читать дальше...

The Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 has likely become the dominant variant in the United States, accounting for 61.3% of COVID cases in the week ended January 28, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed on Friday. The subvariant accounted for 49.5% of cases in the week ended January 21, according to estimates from the CDC. XBB.1.5, which is currently the most transmissible variant, is an offshoot of XBB, first detected in October. The now-dominant XBB-related subvariants... Читать дальше...

Officials in Nigeria say the death toll from an attack on animal herders has risen to 40. The strike took place Wednesday in Rukubi, a village on the border between Nigeria's Nassarawa and Benue states, a region known for ethnic and religious conflict. Nassarawa state governor Abdullahi Sule has refuted claims that a military jet bombed pastoralists and said Thursday it was an unidentified drone operated from an unknown location that exploded. He said he has deployed security operatives to the area to prevent tensions or reprisals. Читать дальше...

Ugandan journalist Solomon Serwanjja has seen first-hand how investigative reporting can bring change. His coverage of shady foreign adoptions led to legal reform. Now, as executive director of the African Institute for Investigative Journalism, he is using his 14-plus years of experience to train the next generation of reporters. "I started as a young reporter, just passion driving me," Serwanjja told VOA. "Done some amazing stories, some of which have put me in trouble, but with those, there... Читать дальше...

A Finnish court on Friday said two journalists at Finland's largest daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat were found guilty of revealing classified defense intelligence, in a rare criminal trial restricting press freedom in the Nordic country. Helsinki district court said it had sentenced Tuomo Pietilainen, the lead writer of a 2017 report entitled "Finland's most secret place," to pay a fine, while his colleague Laura Halminen was sentenced but left without a punishment because of her minor role in the reporting. Читать дальше...

Hundreds of Nigerian refugees who fled Boko Haram terrorism to northern Cameroon started returning home this week, with about 2,000 expected to leave by Monday. This is the first large repatriation of Nigerian refugees from Cameroon in two years, but 76,000 refugees are still reluctant to return to Nigeria Cameroon’s Territorial Administration Ministry says convoys of Nigerian refugees, most of them women and children, left Minawao camp this week to to Banki, in Nigeria’s Borno state.   Scores... Читать дальше...

Buying an electric vehicle remains challenging for many consumers. High prices and limited access to charging stations can make it a difficult decision, especially in emerging markets like Indonesia. VOA’s Ahadian Utama reports. Camera: Ahadian Utama, Indra Yoga

China's expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea place it at odds with many Southeast Asian nations. Some of those countries have their own territorial disputes. Resolving could be smart economically but put them at odds with Beijing. VOA's Yuni Salim explains in this report narrated by Nova Poerwadi.

January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  The date was chosen because it marks the day in 1945 that Auschwitz, Nazi Germany’s largest concentration and death camp, was liberated by Soviet troops, revealing the horrors within.  The United Nations is commemorating the day with an event that will be livestreamed.   According to History.com, Soviet troops thought the camp in southern Poland was empty, but they were wrong.  “Auschwitz seemed silent and abandoned at first, soldiers... Читать дальше...

Asian Americans in California, already on edge over a wave of hate crimes against their communities, are taking small comfort from the fact that the suspected perpetrators of the past week's two mass shootings were Asian Americans themselves. "Simply because this person happens to be Asian American from Monterey Park, doesn't mean he wasn't also targeting community members," said community advocate Manjusha Kulkarni in reference to the man accused of fatally gunning down 11 people at a dance hall on Saturday night. Читать дальше...

A gunman has killed the head of security at Azerbaijan's embassy in Iran. The shooter, armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, also wounded two other people. Police in Tehran say a suspect has been arrested. The suspect, according to Agence France-Presse, is an Iranian man who says his wife has been held at the embassy for nine months. Tasnim news agency reports the man entered the embassy with two small children and his attack on the embassy may have been due to personal issues. Some information... Читать дальше...

South Korean concerns about the U.S. nuclear umbrella are expected to be a major focus of U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s upcoming trip to Seoul. Austin, who arrives in the South Korean capital on Monday, is expected to meet President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to South Korean media. Earlier this month, Yoon made headlines when he said South Korea could demand the redeployment of U.S. nuclear weapons, or even develop its own nuclear arms, if its security situation with North Korea worsens. Читать дальше...

U.S. President Joe Biden called for calm Thursday, a day before the police department of Memphis, Tennessee, was scheduled to release the bodycam footage of a brutal beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old African American motorist, by five police officers. “Outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable,” Biden said in a statement. “Tyre’s death is a painful reminder that we must do more to ensure that our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice... Читать дальше...

Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Friday in response to rocket fire by militants in the Palestinian territory. The exchange comes amid increasing tensions following a deadly raid by Israeli forces on the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military said it had carried out at least two rounds of strikes targeting Islamic Jihad militants who had allegedly shot several Israelis. There were no reports of injuries on either side. Israel says most of the Gaza rockets were intercepted by the Israeli defense system. Читать дальше...

Nigeria's electoral commission says will hold elections in February despite threats to its facilities and staff. Since Nigeria's last elections in 2019, the commission has recorded more than 50 attacks on its facilities. Observers say such violence could hinder voting if it happens in the run-up to the polls. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja, Nigeria.

Panic spread though Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, on Thursday as dozens of angry police took to the streets to protest the killing of their fellow officers by armed gangs. Protesters, dressed in black T-shirts with the word "Police" written in white, attacked Prime Minister Ariel Henry's residence earlier in the day, but it was unclear how much damage was done inside the gates. VOA Creole's reporter at the residence heard multiple gunshots but could not determine whether anyone had been wounded or killed. Читать дальше...

There have been several "small" positive developments in the situation of jailed Iranian hip-hop star and dissident Toomaj Salehi, according to a German lawmaker serving as his political sponsor. Salehi has been in solitary confinement for 89 days at Dastgerd Prison in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, according to the latest update from his official Twitter account, which is being administered by his supporters. He was detained by Iranian authorities on October 30, 2022, and charged with several offenses... Читать дальше...

The Biden administration on Thursday granted a two-year stay of deportation for Hong Kongers in the U.S. who left amid what the administration calls a “significant erosion of human rights and fundamental freedoms” as Beijing tightens its control over the special administrative region. “The United States is committed to a foreign policy that unites our democratic values with our foreign policy goals, which is centered on the defense of democracy and the promotion of human rights around the world,”... Читать дальше...