Новости за 21.06.2023

A California man who drove a stun gun into a police officer's neck during one of the most violent clashes of the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced Wednesday to more than 12 years in prison. Daniel "D.J." Rodriguez yelled, "Trump won!" as he was led out of the courtroom where U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him to 12 years and seven months behind bars for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack. Only two other January 6 defendants have received longer prison terms so far after hundreds of sentencings for Capitol riot cases. Читать дальше...

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday accused Amazon.com of enrolling millions of consumers into its paid subscription Amazon Prime service without their consent and making it hard for them to cancel, the agency's latest action against the ecommerce giant in recent weeks.  The FTC sued Amazon in federal court in Seattle, alleging that the company has "knowingly duped millions of consumers into unknowingly enrolling in Amazon Prime." In a statement, Amazon called the FTC's claims "false... Читать дальше...

Iran met in Qatar with European Union mediator Enrique Mora as part of efforts to revive its 2015 nuclear pact with world powers, as Tehran and Washington seek to cool tensions with a mutual understanding to help end the deadlock.   Having failed to revive the deal in indirect talks that have stalled since September, Iranian and Western officials have met repeatedly in recent weeks to sketch out steps that could curb Iran's fast advancing nuclear work, free some U.S. and European detainees held in Iran... Читать дальше...

Giraffes are considered endangered, and in Kenya, the population of the world’s tallest animal is declining. Officials say four to five giraffes are being lost daily because of relentless poaching for meat and the harsh realities of climate change. Ahmed Hussein reports from Wajir County, Kenya.

The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, for the first time scaled back Tuesday’s commemoration of World Refugee Day in Malawi after refugees called out the tough living conditions there. Malawi authorities have been forcibly relocating refugees into the Dzaleka refugee camp, where refugees say there is inadequate shelter, food, and clean water. In previous years in Malawi, the day typically was marked by holding a special event with activities like dance presentations, displays from refugees and speeches... Читать дальше...

Turkey’s LGBT+ movement is celebrating pride this week in Istanbul, but authorities are cracking down on any public displays as newly reelected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses the movement of posing a threat to Turkish society. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

For the first time, U.S. regulators on Wednesday approved the sale of chicken made from animal cells, allowing two California companies to offer "lab-grown" meat to the nation's restaurant tables and, eventually, supermarket shelves.  The Agriculture Department gave the green light to Upside Foods and Good Meat, firms that had been racing to be the first in the U.S. to sell meat that doesn't come from slaughtered animals — what's now being referred to as "cell-cultivated" or "cultured" meat as... Читать дальше...

A strong explosion hit a building in Paris' Left Bank on Wednesday, leaving four people injured and igniting a fire that sent smoke soaring over the domed Pantheon monument and prompted the evacuation of buildings, police said. The cause of the blast was not immediately known. The facade of a building in the 5th arrondissement, or district, collapsed and emergency services were working to determine if anyone was still inside, a Paris police official said. Florence Berthout, mayor of the arrondissement... Читать дальше...

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Myanmar's defense ministry and two banks used by the ruling military junta to buy arms and other goods from foreign sources. The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement the military has relied on foreign sources, including Russian entities under sanctions, to purchase and import arms, equipment and raw materials to manufacture weapons to support its "brutal repression." Washington accused the defense ministry of importing goods and materiel... Читать дальше...

A top U.S. military commander accused the Russian air force of encouraging its pilots to engage in "buffoonery in the air," raising the risk of accidents or even conflict in Syria. Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, the combined forces air component commander for U.S. Central Command, told reporters Wednesday Russian jets continue to violate deconfliction protocols in Syria multiple times a day, putting U.S. forces at risk. And despite previous warnings from the United States, Grynkewich said... Читать дальше...

Weeks after the discovery of mass graves on land owned by cult leader Pastor Paul Mackenzie, some families are still searching for news about their loved ones in Kenya. One family has been relying on accounts and clues from survivors to try to piece together the whereabouts of their lost brother. Saida Swaleh met this family from Mombasa and has this report. Camera: Moses Baya Produced by: Saida Swaleh

Drone photographers and videographers from around the world submitted more than 65,000 pieces of work in an annual online competition. VOA’s Julie Taboh highlights some of the winning entries. Editing: Adam Greenbaum

Nearly two-and-a-half months after deadly fighting between rival factions erupted in Sudan, ending tenuous moves toward democracy and shattering the hopes of millions for a brighter future, Sudan has descended into violence and chaos that threaten to engulf the entire region. “It is heartbreaking to see that hope decimated,” said Volker Türk, U.N. high commissioner for human rights. “This is a human rights and humanitarian crisis that is unfolding at an alarming rate, on a devastating scale and... Читать дальше...

Andrew Tate, a social media personality known for expressing misogynistic views online, appeared Wednesday at a court in Romania, where prosecutors have charged him with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women.  Tate and his brother, Tristan, who is also charged with the offenses, arrived Wednesday at a court in the capital Bucharest, flanked by six bodyguards.  Prosecutors have also filed charges against two Romanian women in the case. Romania's anti-organized crime... Читать дальше...

Dozens of heads of state, along with leaders from business, multilateral institutions and civil society are set to gather in Paris Thursday to discuss ways to rehaul the global financial system, as climate change inflicts ever harsher consequences especially on debt-strapped developing countries. The two-day Summit for a New Global Financial Pact is the latest in a raft of ambitious meetings French President Emmanuel Macron has hosted over the years with mixed results. The goal of these latest talks... Читать дальше...

More than a half-million refugees in Kenya will not receive assistance from the U.N. refugee agency, due to a lack of funding. Amid the tough conditions, a refugee-led organization in Nairobi — Youth Voices Community — is helping thousands of refugees through education in business and learning new skills to earn a living. Mohammed Yusuf reports.

As two Indian states that are reeling under a heat wave reported scores of deaths in recent days, the government said it will take steps to prevent casualties from heatstroke and mitigate the impact of the searing temperatures.   In recent years, heat waves fueled by climate change have become more intense across large parts of India, say experts.  In the last week, more than 100 deaths have been reported in two of India’s most populous states in the north and east, but it remains unclear if... Читать дальше...

The United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar said Wednesday the international community needs to take a different approach to resolve the crisis in the country. “I’m worried that the deepening crisis in Myanmar has become invisible to much of the world and that some governments are beginning to think that the junta’s tyranny is inevitable,” Tom Andrews told reporters in Indonesia.  “This narrative is exactly what the junta wants and needs to prevail.” Andrews... Читать дальше...

A Chinese aircraft carrier group led by the vessel Shandong sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, Taiwan's defense ministry said, amid heightened military tension over the island Beijing claims as its own territory. The ministry said the Shandong, commissioned in 2019, had sailed in a southerly direction through the western part of the strait, and it had dispatched "appropriate forces" to monitor the Chinese activities. The aircraft carrier participated in Chinese military drills around Taiwan in April... Читать дальше...

Greece is under growing pressure to launch an independent investigation into the June 13 sinking of a vessel that was carrying up to 750 migrants, amid accusations from survivors that the actions of the Greek coast guard came too late and may have contributed to the shipwreck.  Greek authorities strongly deny the claim. In one of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks in recent years, at least 82 people are confirmed to have died and hundreds are still missing, including many women and children. Most were from Egypt, Syria, and Pakistan. Читать дальше...

Greece is under growing pressure to launch an investigation into the June 13 sinking of a vessel that was carrying up to 750 migrants. At least 82 people died and hundreds are still missing, including many women and children. Most were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan. Henry Ridgwell reports.

Heavy clashes broke out between rival military factions in several parts of Sudan's capital on Wednesday as a 72-hour cease-fire that saw several reports of violations expired, witnesses said. Shortly before the truce ended at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) fighting was reported in all three of the cities that make up the wider capital around the confluence of the Nile: Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman. Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been battling each other for more than two months... Читать дальше...

One by one, the 10 women, mostly aged under 30, went defiantly to their deaths by hanging in a city square in Shiraz in southern Iran. The youngest was only 17 years old. They had been charged with crimes including espionage but, for supporters around the world, they were simply being hanged because they were Bahais, and refused to renounce their faith even under pain of death. On Sunday, Iranian Bahais marked 40 years since the June 18, 1983 executions of the 10 Bahai women in Shiraz, seen as... Читать дальше...

Since the start of the year, Iran has intensified its diplomatic activity, engaging with friends and foes alike as it seeks to reduce its isolation, improve its economy, and project strength. Iran's ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi has led the way, swinging through China, Syria and Venezuela, hosting Saudi Arabia's top diplomat, and reaching out to other long-time regional rivals such as Egypt. And this week his foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has travelled to Oman, the mediator... Читать дальше...

Chinese state media and nationalist netizens accused Western media of deliberately darkening China’s image by dimming footage of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent visit to Beijing. However, VOA Mandarin found the same gloomy tones in coverage published by China’s official media outlets. A collage started circulating on China's social media shortly after Blinken's arrival early Sunday. It compares three photos from the scene. The first was taken at a distance from Blinken's plane,... Читать дальше...