Новости за 07.06.2023

Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT are presenting problems in Kenya’s education system, as in so many others. Some writers who offer academic assistance to students say AI tools are cutting into their business, while professors worry students have new ways to cheat. Mohammed Yusuf reports.

Parents of children at a Los Angeles elementary school protested a book that discusses families that include LGBTQ parents. They also protested a Pride Month gathering at the school. But counterprotesters joined in the demonstrations, too. Angelina Bagdasaryan reports, with Anna Rice narrating. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian .

Nigerian immigrant Yemi Mobolade is the new mayor of Colorado Springs, the second-largest city in the western U.S. state of Colorado. VOA’s Haruna Shehu has this story from his inauguration. Video editing by Kim Dickens and Jon Spier.

Pakistanis traditionally give generously to charity, but most avoid paying taxes. Now, charities are feeling the pressure as donations drop amid record-setting 38% inflation. Low tax collection, meanwhile, hurts economic growth, forcing more to rely on charities for survival. VOA's Pakistan bureau chief Sarah Zaman has the story. Camera: Wajid Asad

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

India's top wrestlers decided to suspend their protests on Wednesday after the country's sports minister promised a swift probe of their federation chief who has been accused of sexually harassing female athletes. The wrestlers had been camping in New Delhi since April seeking arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has denied the allegations. Last month the protest site was cleared and several wrestlers were briefly detained as they kept demanding action against Singh... Читать дальше...

Iranian journalist Sajjad Shahrabi remains in jail at Tehran's Evin prison despite posting bail, a lawyer familiar with the case told VOA. Shahrabi, who worked as a reporter and host for the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, was arrested at his father's house last month in Tehran. His sister Shima, a journalist who lives outside of Iran, said her brother was detained due to her own media activities. She is a journalist for the website IranWire. In an interview with VOA, lawyer... Читать дальше...

As communities in countries rich and poor face soaring costs from extreme weather and rising seas, governments are grappling with how to set up a new fund to tackle "loss and damage" driven by global warming. The topic was for years controversial at U.N. climate talks, as wealthy nations rejected demands for "compensation" for the impacts of their high share of the planet-heating emissions that are turbo-charging floods, droughts and storms around the world. However, at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt last November... Читать дальше...

There is a sense among senior U.S. counterterrorism officials that the actions of a handful of Americans are helping to drive the growth of racist and far-right extremist groups around the world. Specifically, these officials point to mass shootings and other high-profile attacks in the United States, which have helped to turn the perpetrators into martyrs for like-minded groups and individuals. “I don't want to put up a number on it or anything. I can't quantify it,” U.S. Homeland Security Counterterrorism... Читать дальше...

The United States will push back on China's targeting of American firms, which Washington considers politically motivated and unfair, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said on Wednesday. Several U.S. companies have faced increased scrutiny in China in recent months, including U.S. memory chipmaker Micron Technology Inc, which China's cyberspace regulator said in May would be barred from selling to operators of key infrastructure.   Businesses groups have warned about the rise in China's use of exit bans... Читать дальше...

Ethiopia says its forces in Somalia thwarted an al-Shabab attack on a base Wednesday in the Somali town of Doolow. “The Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) stopped the attackers in their tracks before they could wreak havoc,” Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted. It added: “The ENDF neutralised suicide bombers and destroyed weapons to be used by the terrorist group.” Earlier, residents in Doolow reported that two explosions targeted an Ethiopian military base outside the town on Wednesday... Читать дальше...

Virginia Commonwealth University has two staff psychologists specializing in intercultural issues. Their mission? To help international students adjust to life in the U.S. as seamlessly as possible. Read the full story here. (June 2023)

After his May 29 inauguration, Nigerian president Bola Tinubu announced he would soon end a decades-old fuel subsidy, saying the country can no longer afford the cost. His comments sparked panic buying of gas and raised concerns about inflation in one of Africa’s top oil-producing countries. Gibson Emeka has this report from Abuja. Camera: Gibson Emeka

Prince Harry finished giving evidence at London's High Court on Wednesday after nearly eight hours of cross-examination in his phone-hacking case against a British tabloid newspaper group, and described the experience as: "It's a lot." Harry, the first senior British royal to appear in a witness box for more than 130 years, had been questioned for a second day over his allegations that tabloid newspapers had used unlawful means to target him since he was a child. The prince was more combative... Читать дальше...

Chris Licht is out after a year as chief executive at CNN, following a series of missteps and plunging ratings. David Zaslav, the CEO of CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, announced the leadership change on CNN’s morning editorial call on Wednesday. Zaslav appointed a four-person leadership team to lead the network in the interim. Licht replaced Jeff Zucker as CNN’s chief executive last year, with a mandate to make the network move the network more toward the political center. But a... Читать дальше...

More than a dozen U.S. states were under air-quality alerts on Wednesday as smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in eastern Canada wafted south, casting a dull gray pallor over the skyline of New York and other big cities. Health authorities in 15 states from Vermont to South Carolina as well as Ohio and Kansas in the Midwest warned that fine matter in the atmosphere could exceed unhealthy levels and make breathing difficult for millions of residents. Washington, D.C., was also under an air-quality warning... Читать дальше...

Pangolins – a type of anteater – have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, but the demand for their scales is putting some pangolin species at high risk of extinction. Officials in South Africa are trying to ensure the animal’s survival, cracking down on the illegal trade and rehabilitating rescued animals. Kate Bartlett reports from Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa. Camera and edit: Zaheer Cassim

Kosovo must give greater autonomy to Serb-majority municipalities in the north of the country if it wants to move closer to joining NATO and the European Union, the U.S. envoy to the Western Balkans said on Wednesday. Violence has flared since Kosovo authorities installed ethnic Albanian mayors in offices in the municipalities after they were elected in a vote in April on a turnout of just 3.5%, angering Serbs who form a majority in northern areas and who had boycotted the event. Envoy Gabriel... Читать дальше...

Bob Gurr, the legendary amusement ride designer and imagineer who "designed everything on wheels" for Disney was also hiding a secret. It wasn't until the 2000s that Gurr announced his homosexuality to the world, and in so doing became something of an icon for Disney's gay community. Maxim Moskalkov spoke with the 91-year-old legend. Camera and edit: Elena Matusovsky, Anna Rice

Sudan's army has been battling to defend a military industrial complex believed to contain large stocks of weapons and ammunition in southern Khartoum, close to fuel and gas depots that are at risk of exploding, residents said on Wednesday. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in the eighth week of a power struggle with the army, had attacked the area containing the Yarmouk complex late on Tuesday before retreating after heavy fighting, witnesses said. Clashes could still be heard on Wednesday morning. Читать дальше...

Daily power cuts have returned to west-central Venezuela, shutting air conditioners during a heat wave and hitting factories, households and utilities as poorly maintained thermal plants fail to compensate for weak hydroelectric generation, residents, engineers and analysts said. "It is inhumane that in a city like this they cut our power during the hottest hours," said 42-year-old housewife Mariana Barboza in Maracaibo, where temperatures typically surpass 40 °C (about 104 °F) this time of year. Читать дальше...

Air India sent an aircraft on Wednesday to pick up passengers whose Delhi to San Francisco flight was diverted to Russia's Far East after their Boeing BA.N 777 plane developed engine trouble, India's aviation minister said. The 216 passengers and 16 crew on board Tuesday's flight had been moved to makeshift accommodation, given infrastructure limitations at the remote Magadan airport, the airline said in a statement. The diversion raised questions over how quickly the $200 million U.S.-built plane... Читать дальше...

A group of human rights organizations warned Tuesday about executions in Iran and said the situation demands an “urgent and united response from the international community.”  Impact Iran and 11 member organizations issued a joint statement condemning “the chilling surge in executions by the Islamic Republic of Iran over the past few months, including the recent wave of executions targeting protesters.”  The groups called on the United Nations to “hold accountable those responsible for these... Читать дальше...

Pope Francis, 86, will have surgery on his abdomen on Wednesday afternoon at Rome's Gemelli hospital, the Vatican said in a statement.  It added that his medical team had decided in recent days that surgery was required and that he was expected to stay in hospital for "several days" to recover.  He will have the operation on his abdominal wall under a general anesthetic, the Vatican said.  Francis was due to be taken to hospital following his weekly audience at the Vatican on Wednesday morning... Читать дальше...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to meet Wednesday with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council as part of his visit to Saudi Arabia. He met earlier with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah where the State Department said he expressed thanks for Saudi Arabia's help evacuating Americans from Sudan earlier this year. "The two affirmed their shared commitment to advance stability, security, and prosperity across the Middle East and beyond... Читать дальше...