Новости за 23.04.2023

The U.S. government said it is "deeply concerned" by Azerbaijan establishing a checkpoint on the only land route to the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, saying it undermines efforts toward peace in the region. "The United States is deeply concerned that Azerbaijan’s establishment of a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor undermines efforts to establish confidence in the peace process," the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Sunday. The State Department urged free and open movement... Читать дальше...

U.S. lawmakers have been reacting after the Supreme Court on Friday preserved women’s access to a pill long used for medically induced abortions while a lawsuit on the matter continues. The move blocked a lower court ruling that would have imposed restrictions on the use of the drug mifepristone. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.

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

Workers in Iran’s oil industry are continuing a strike over inadequate wage growth in several cities across the country, according to reports and videos sent to VOA. Following the increase in the inflation rate in Iran and the large gap between household income and expenses, various unions and groups, including workers, teachers, and retirees, have started mass protests and strikes in recent weeks. The striking workers in the oil industry have recently called for a 79% increase in the wages of... Читать дальше...

With the peak tourism season setting in, Greece is bracing for a record number of arrivals and is welcoming back Chinese tourists. The warm feelings follow a period of discontent due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions placed on travelers from China for the past three years, and other issues. On the cobblestone streets of Athens, tavern owner Spiros Bairaktaris spreads his arms wide open, welcoming news of what is already called the Chinese return. He says, “We await them with great love, from the bottom of our hearts. Читать дальше...

The UK conducted its first test of a new emergency alert service on Sunday, with millions of mobile phones emitting a loud alarm and vibrating. The national system, modelled on similar schemes in Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States, aims to warn the public if there is a danger to life nearby but has generated criticism over "nanny state" intrusion. The alert was due to go off at 3:00 pm (1400 GMT), although some phones sounded the alarm before the scheduled time, and others minutes later. Читать дальше...

On the receding shorelines of low-lying Vypin Island off India's western coast, T. P. Murukesan fixed his eyes on the white paint peeling off the damp walls of his raised home and recounted the most recent floods.  "The floods are occurring more frequently and lasting longer," he said. The last flood was chest-height for his young grandson. "Every flood brings waters this high, we just deal with it."  Sea level rise and severe tidal floods have forced many families in Murukesan's neighborhood to relocate to higher grounds over the years. Читать дальше...

The Biden administration announced more than $80 million in funding Thursday in a push to produce more solar panels in the U.S., make solar energy available to more people, and pursue superior alternatives to the ubiquitous sparkly panels made with silicon. The initiative, spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and known as Community solar, encompasses a variety of arrangements where renters and people who don't control their rooftops can still get their electricity from solar power. Читать дальше...

Pakistan is bracing for a new military offensive that is expected to target militants in the northwest as ethnic Pashtuns in the area say they are still looking for accountability for the army's last offensives in the region, in 2014 and 2017. The country's national security committee, comprising top civilian and military leaders, has not said when the operation will start. When announcing it earlier this month, the committee described it as a nationwide anti-militant operation to halt a rise in... Читать дальше...

Planning for next month's coronation of King Charles III, the first for a British monarch in 70 years, is being met with subdued enthusiasm in Canada, the Commonwealth's largest country by area. While some Canadians are eagerly awaiting the pageantry-filled spectacle steeped in centuries of history, most of their compatriots say they have little interest in the event and don't want Charles as their king. But Canada is unlikely to cast off the monarchy and become a republic any time soon. "The... Читать дальше...

Iran’s new domestic surveillance program for enforcing its mandatory hijab law is having a shaky start, with many women appearing to ignore it, lawyers sharply criticizing it and activists observed to be plotting to subvert it. Iranian state media said the program went into effect April 15. A week earlier, Iran’s national police chief, Ahmad Reza Radan, said it would employ advanced surveillance capabilities, including street cameras, to identify women violating the law requiring them to wear a... Читать дальше...

Ten civilians and three soldiers were killed and 88 jihadis "neutralized" in multiple incidents across Mali on Saturday, the government said, in a wave of bloodshed it described as a resurgence of "terrorist incidents." Early Saturday morning, suspected jihadis attacked the Sevare airport area in the central Mopti region, detonating car bombs, which killed 10 civilians and injured 61 others, the government said in a statement. The blasts destroyed some houses in the airport's surrounding area, which is home to a Malian military camp. Читать дальше...

The deputy head of Myanmar's election commission was shot dead in Yangon on Saturday by rebel fighters, the military said, in the latest killing of a high-profile individual linked to the country's junta. Myanmar's military has led a bloody crackdown on dissent after seizing power in a coup more than two years ago, sparking social unrest and an economic crisis. Self-declared civilian "People's Defense Forces" have sprung up in opposition to the junta, with their fighters targeting officials perceived to be working with the military. Читать дальше...

China's foreign minister said Saturday his country is willing to work with the Philippines to resolve their differences as tensions rise over Beijing's behavior in the disputed South China Sea and Manila's deepening military cooperation with the U.S. Foreign Minister Qin Gang held talks in Manila with his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, and was scheduled to meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. just days before he travels to Washington for a meeting with President Joe Biden. China... Читать дальше...

It's April 22, 2027, and 72 hours into a first-strike Chinese attack on Taiwan and the U.S. military response. Already, the toll on all sides is staggering. It was a war game, but one with a serious purpose and high-profile players: members of the House select committee on China. The conflict unfolded on Risk board game-style tabletop maps and markers under a giant gold chandelier in the House Ways and Means Committee room. The exercise explored American diplomatic, economic and military options... Читать дальше...

The United States is setting a record pace for mass killings in 2023, replaying the horror on a loop roughly once a week so far this year. Eighty-eight people have died in 17 mass killings over 111 days. Each time, the killers wielded firearms. Only 2009 was marked by as many such tragedies in the same period of time. Children at a Tennessee grade school, gunned down on an ordinary Monday. Farmworkers in Northern California, sprayed with bullets over a workplace grudge. Dancers at a ballroom outside Los Angeles... Читать дальше...

The U.S. State Department told VOA it is “aware of reports that a number of U.S. citizens were able to depart Sudan” on Saturday, despite heavy clashes in Khartoum. Hours earlier, Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah Burhan said his troops would facilitate the evacuation of diplomats and citizens from Britain, China, France and the U.S. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from the State Department.

France is trying to limit the diplomatic fallout after President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe should reduce its dependence on the U.S. and avoid ‘getting caught up in crises that are not ours’ after a state visit to China earlier this month. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.

Tens of thousands of protesters flocked to Tel Aviv and cities across Israel on Saturday to vent their opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government and its divisive plan to overhaul the country's judicial system. The mass protest — which has raged weekly since the start of the year — comes just ahead of Israel's landmark 75th anniversary celebration. The holiday honoring Israel's founding in 1948, typically meant to be a display of national unity, has been marred by one of Israel's gravest crises in its history. Читать дальше...

The daughter of an environmentalist imprisoned by Iran said on Saturday she had lost confidence in U.S. President Joe Biden's efforts to free her father. Morad Tahbaz, an Iranian American who also holds British citizenship, has served five years of a 10-year sentence after being convicted of spying. He was briefly released to house arrest with an electronic tag in March 2022 when two other dual nationals, including British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, were allowed to leave Iran. Читать дальше...