Новости за 01.06.2023

Amazon agreed Wednesday to pay a $25 million civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations it violated a child privacy law and deceived parents by keeping for years kids' voice and location data recorded by its popular Alexa voice assistant. Separately, the company agreed to pay $5.8 million in customer refunds for alleged privacy violations involving its doorbell camera Ring. The Alexa-related action orders Amazon to overhaul its data deletion practices and impose stricter, more transparent privacy measures. Читать дальше...

Iran carried out 142 executions in May, marking the highest number of people put to death in one month in the country since 2015, a rights group said Thursday. More than half of the executions were for drug-related crimes and the rest were given for the Islamic crimes of blasphemy, adultery and “spreading corruption on Earth,” according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights, or IHRNGO.   Between January and May, Iran carried out 307 executions, a number significantly higher than the 220 executions reported in the same period last year. Читать дальше...

The International Energy Agency says Chinese car manufacturers are emerging as a major force in the global electric car market, with more than 50% of all electric cars on roads worldwide now produced in China. Spain is the second-largest vehicle manufacturer in Europe after Germany and its market has become a target for Chinese automakers. From Barcelona, Alfonso Beato has this report, narrated by Marcus Harton.

We take a closer look at the growing threat of Fentanyl. Highly addictive, cheap, and potentially lethal, this synthetic opioid is responsible for a dramatic spike in overdose deaths across the United States. How are communities, healthcare professionals, and law enforcement responding to this new danger? This week on The Inside Story, The Fentanyl Threat.

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on members and affiliates of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its external operations arm, the IRGC-Quds Force, whom Washington has accused of participating in terrorist plots targeting former U.S. government officials and Iranian dissidents, including journalists.     The U.S. Treasury Department said the action targeted three Iran- and Turkey-based individuals, a company affiliated with the IRGC-QF, and two senior officials of the IRGC’s... Читать дальше...

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

TRANSCRIPT: The Inside Story: The Fentanyl Threat Episode 94 – June 1, 2023     NATASHA MOZGOVAYA, VOA Correspondent:     In 2019, the city of Sammamish, quiet community east of Seattle, was shocked by the death of two classmates from Skyline High School who died within a month from one another from an accidental Fentanyl overdose.        Olga Davidov-Beirer, teenage son Lucas died from Fentanyl overdose:   I lost my son Lucas in September 2019 to fentanyl. He was 16 year old. Читать дальше...

Critics are skeptical about whether a recently reported rare meeting between the reclusive supreme leader of Afghanistan's Taliban and the prime minister of Qatar would lead to the removal of sweeping restrictions imposed on Afghan women's access to education and work. Hibatullah Akhundzada's secret talks with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, first reported by Reuters, were held May 12 in the Afghan city of Kandahar. It was the first meeting the Taliban chief is known to have had with a foreign leader. Читать дальше...

While a lot of attention has focused on migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry, Brooks County, Texas, about 130 kilometers north of the Rio Grande, faces a separate immigration reality. Migrants who crossed without authorization into the United States and were not identified or taken into custody often use the brushy mesquite region as a corridor to their next destination. "Last year, we found a total of about five bodies or remains. Some were recent. Some had been there for a while," said Fernando Cervantes... Читать дальше...

The U.N.’s weather service, the World Meteorological Organization, selected Argentinian meteorologist Celeste Saulo Thursday to be the agency’s first woman secretary-general, effective in January 2024. In a statement, the WMO said Saulo was elected by the organization’s 193 members as part of the World Meteorological Congress being held at the U.N. in Geneva.  In the WMO statement, Saulo said inequality and climate change are among the biggest threats facing the world, and that “the WMO must... Читать дальше...

The US Border Patrol has recorded more than 8,000 migrant deaths along the US-Mexico border since 1998. VOA immigration reporter Aline Barros visited a South Texas county with a high number of migrant deaths. Camera: Henry Hernandez, Hai Lun, Victor Hugo Castillo, Ning Lu

Zimbabwe's government has instituted several measures it says will increase demand for the local currency and raise its value, as well arrest demand for the U.S. dollar. But as Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare, economists say the new measures will not work as Zimbabweans have lost faith in the local dollar which continues sliding against the greenback. Videographer: Blessing  Chigwenhembe

Almost two dozen people have died from cholera just outside South Africa's capital, Pretoria, over the past two weeks, and hundreds have been hospitalized. VOA spoke to residents who have been affected and officials who are still searching for the source. Kate Bartlett reports from Hammanskraal, South Africa. Camera: Zaheer Cassim.

A court in Senegal Thursday acquitted opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on charges of rape but sentenced him to two years in prison for corrupting youth, disqualifying him, for now, from participating in next year’s presidential elections. The 48-year-old Sonko, the leader of the PASTEF-Patriots party, has maintained the charges were politically motivated since they first made in 2021 and did attend the court hearing Thursday. He had been accused of raping a massage parlor worker in 2021 and of making death threats against her. Читать дальше...

In a tit-for-tat move in the evolving dispute over South China Sea sovereignty, China has set up three “navigation beacons” in the maritime region to offset five navigation buoys placed by the Philippines.  The move comes as Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has pursued warmer ties with the United States, including giving the U.S. access to more military bases in the face of China's increasingly aggressive actions in the area. China’s Ministry of Transport announced on May 24: "To ensure... Читать дальше...

Zimbabwe's parliament approved a controversial law that ostensibly promotes patriotism but has been denounced by the opposition as a "draconian" attempt to stifle dissent ahead of national elections. The bill, passed by the lower house on Wednesday evening, criminalizes acts that damage "the sovereignty and national interest" of the southern African country. In the most extreme cases, violators run the risk of up to 20 years in prison. "Free speech is now dead," prominent journalist and activist Hopewell Chin'ono wrote on Twitter... Читать дальше...

Pakistan said Thursday that two of its soldiers were killed when a security outpost along the border with Iran came under attack from a "group of terrorists." A military statement said the insurgent raid occurred in the Kech border district in Baluchistan province. Pakistani troops responded "with all available weapons" and pushed back the assailants in the ensuing heavy gun battle, it added. "Security forces have launched an immediate sanitization operation in the area and are in communication... Читать дальше...

The United States said Thursday it is ready to facilitate discussions between Sudan’s warring sides if they show a commitment to abiding by a U.S.-Saudi-brokered cease-fire. "Once the forces make clear by their actions that they are serious about complying with the ceasefire, the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are prepared to resume facilitation of the suspended discussions to find a negotiated solution to this conflict," a State Department spokesperson said. The statement came... Читать дальше...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken touted his department’s achievements in a recent address to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The State Department has relaxed student visa and study abroad requirements. In fact, it issued over a half-million student visas last year – the highest number in five years. Blinken, who spent part of his childhood in France, thanked educators for “helping us to see the world through another’s eyes.” Watch his remarks in this press release from the State Department. Читать дальше...

The arrest of Byuhar, a popular rapper in Myanmar, has caused widespread alarm among his loved ones and fellow artists. The 38-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Min Oak Myanmar, had strongly criticized the Myanmar junta, calling them "incompetent fools," on social media because of the worsening power outage situation in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon. He was arrested at his residence in North Dagon, a suburb of Yangon, on May 24. In the video posted on Facebook, Byuhar praised the ousted civilian... Читать дальше...

Cambodia’s succession won’t be rushed. When speculation swirled almost two years ago that the prime minister’s eldest son would take over in this summer’s election, his father, Hun Sen, the premier for some 40 years, quashed it. “I am still standing, so what’s the point of my son being the prime minister,” Hun Sen said late in 2021. “So, his possible [premiership] is not before 2028. It is more likely to take place between 2028 and even 2030. He must wait.” In the meantime, the 46-year-old son, Lt. Читать дальше...

The United Nations said Wednesday its envoy for Myanmar will leave the job when her contract ends June 12. Noeleen Heyzer, from Singapore, has been in the role since October 2021, months after a military coup in Myanmar ousted the country’s democratically elected government. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters Wednesday that U.N. chief Antonio Guterres is thankful to Heyzer “for her tireless efforts on behalf of peace and the people of Myanmar.” Heyzer told the U.N. General Assembly... Читать дальше...

The effort to avoid a U.S. default shifts to the Senate after the House of Representatives approved a measure late Wednesday to suspend the country’s borrowing limit and cap some federal spending.  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said they hope to get the bill approved in the Senate in the coming days and send it to President Joe Biden for his signature.  The U.S. Treasury Department has warned it will run out of money to pay the nation’s bills... Читать дальше...

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday it was  “unfortunate” that China declined a request for Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu to meet as both attend the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Speaking alongside Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada during a visit to Tokyo, Austin said he would welcome “any opportunity to engage with leadership” and that he believes defense departments should have open channels of communication. Austin told reporters that countries with... Читать дальше...

Namibia’s president recently signed a projected $10 billion deal that calls for Namibia and the German company Hyphen Energy to produce “green hydrogen,” a clean energy source that advocates see as the fuel of the future. Hyphen Energy last Friday concluded a multibillion-dollar agreement with the Namibian government to construct the project in the Tsau Khaeb National Park. If a study finds the project to be feasible, Hyphen will build factories, pipelines and ports with the goal of producing 2 million tons of ammonia by 2030. Читать дальше...