Новости за 21.09.2023

Despite claims of judicial independence, Erdogan has used Turkey’s courts to target dissent.

When protests whirled by his home early this week, Khalid Alkowash, 42, a local government worker in Derna, Libya was concerned but not surprised. Thousands of people were dead and thousands more missing because dams that were known to need repair burst. People were angry. And now, with most journalists barred from working in Derna, locals have increasingly few outlets to express this anger publicly. "They were out of their minds,” Alkowash said outside his home near the city mayor’s house, charred from fires set by protesters. Читать дальше...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, boosting hopes of a rapprochement between the countries. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

New York City is hosting world leaders at the United Nations this week. But it is also facing a crisis because border states such as Texas are sending hundreds of migrants to the city each day. Jorge Agobian has the story in this report narrated by Aline Barros.

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

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's attempt to restart his stalled spending agenda failed on Thursday when Republicans for a third time blocked a procedural vote on defense spending, raising the risk of a government shutdown in just 10 days.  The House of Representatives voted 216-212 against beginning debate on an $886 billion defense appropriations bill amid opposition from a small group of hardline conservative Republicans.  It represented a setback for McCarthy the morning after his fractious... Читать дальше...

Thailand has some of the world’s strictest laws against criticizing the country’s monarchy, with up to 15 years in prison for each offense. At an exhibition in New York this week, which featured the stories of 25 people prosecuted under the law, the Thai King’s disavowed son came and told reporters he was there to learn about the issue.  Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, the second son of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, now lives in New York City and attended the opening of an exhibition at Columbia University... Читать дальше...

Kenya is marking 10 years since a group of Somali al-Shabab militants attacked a major shopping mall in Nairobi, killing more than 60 people. While terror threats in the capital have since decreased, the group continues to perpetrate attacks along Kenya's coast and in the country’s northeastern region. One Saturday in 2013, four armed men from the al-Shabab terror group stormed Westgate Mall, attacking shoppers and killing anyone on sight. The attack was followed by a siege, wherein the attackers... Читать дальше...

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said Thursday that his government is appealing for more international support in its long-running war against al-Shahab militants. In an exclusive interview with VOA, Barre says he will appeal to the U.N. General Assembly this weekend about removing an international arms embargo so Somalia is capable of eliminating al-Shabab, a U.N. and U.S.-designated terrorist organization that has fought the Somali government for 16 years. Barre said Somalia’s first priority is security... Читать дальше...

The official panel responsible for organizing elections in Pakistan announced Thursday the much-awaited national parliamentary polls will take place in the last week of January, confirming a delay of about two months and ending uncertainty about the fate of the electoral process. In a brief statement, the Election Commission of Pakistan, or ECP, defended the decision, saying it needed more time to redraw nationwide constituencies following the latest population census. "The final list of the... Читать дальше...

International students have many things to learn about the U.S. when they arrive on American campuses. U.S. News & World Report delves into a less-common topic: academic integrity. The magazine explores basic expectations at many U.S. schools, including how to use quotes and citations in papers, how to avoid plagiarism and navigating artificial intelligence pitfalls. Read the full story here. (August 2023)

At least five organizations that are authoritative in cybersecurity have independently verified that the Chinese government has created a massive network of social media users tasked with sowing discord in the United States.

Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Cardinal, Louis Sako, is asking for more Vatican support to regain his title of patriarch, stripped from him in July by the Iraqi president.  Analysts and others say the move was likely instigated by a Chaldean Catholic militia leader with ties to Iran seeking a land grab.  Sako and observers accuse Rayan al-Kildani, a leader of a nominally Chaldean Catholic militia in Iraq, the Babylon Brigades, and closely tied to Iran, of getting him stripped of his title as patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic church... Читать дальше...

The public in Gabon appears to support the military junta’s arrest and detention of the son of ousted president Ali Bongo and members of his cabinet. Military officials in the capital, Libreville, charged them this week with crimes, including treason and corruption. Marches have been held in several towns in a show of solidarity with junta’s action.Andre-Patrick Roponat, the state prosecutor for Libreville, reads names and tells Gabon's National Television that two of the 12 persons arrested on August 30... Читать дальше...

Representatives for ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh met Thursday with the Azerbaijan government to discuss the future of the breakaway region. The talks in Yevlakh, Azerbaijan come a day after local fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to lay down their arms to end an offensive by Azerbaijan’s forces. The U.N. Security Council is due to hold its own talks Thursday about the situation. Gunfire was reported Thursday in the main city in Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenians call Stepanakert and Azeris call Khankendi. Читать дальше...

Canada's High Commission said Thursday it would "adjust" the number of its diplomats in India after threats on social media against staff, as a diplomatic row with New Delhi escalates. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded India treat with "utmost seriousness" allegations that Indian agents played a role in the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver. The fallout prompted diplomatic expulsions and a forceful denial from India, which said any suggestion it played a role... Читать дальше...

The United States on Wednesday announced a $255 million program it says will support emerging democracies. As part of the effort, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation is providing a loan of up to $100 million to Siddhartha Bank to facilitate loans to small and medium businesses in Nepal. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power announced the funding on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. USAID is providing $23 million for projects in Malawi... Читать дальше...

Haiti and Kenya established diplomatic relations on Wednesday. The move comes amid international discussions over the possibility of Kenya leading a United Nations-backed multinational security force to help police fight escalating gang warfare in Haiti. The United Nations Security Council could vote on the multinational force for Haiti in about a week, Brian Nichols, U.S. assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs, said in an interview with Voice of America this week. Henry's government... Читать дальше...

Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in China on Thursday on his first visit to the country since the start of Syria's 12-year conflict during which Beijing has been one of his main backers. China’s foreign ministry said Assad would attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, an international sports event beginning Saturday in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. Assad’s office said earlier that the Syrian leader was invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit and would bring with him a high-ranking Syrian delegation. Читать дальше...

Scorching conditions have come early to parts of Australia, with an extreme fire danger warning issued for Sydney and emergency crews battling blazes across Tasmania and Queensland. A record spell of September heat is baking southern states in temperatures up to 18 degrees Celsius above average. About a dozen towns in the country's southeast have already broken longstanding September temperature records. The spring heat has intensified the risk of bushfires. Almost 70 blazes are burning across the state of New South Wales. Читать дальше...

Morocco plans to spend at least $11.7 billion in a post-earthquake reconstruction plan over the next five years, the royal palace said Wednesday. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Sept 8, killing more than 2,900 people, mostly in the hard-to-reach villages of the High Atlas mountains. The plan would target 4.2 million people in the worst-hit provinces of Al Haouz, Chichaoua, Taroudant, Marrakech, Ouarzazate and Azizlal, the royal palace said, following a meeting of King Mohammed VI with government and army officials. Читать дальше...

Beijing's latest annual income data from the National Bureau of Statistics tell a tale of two Chinas, revealing an income gap that is the widest it has been since data collection began in 1985. Two lives, briefly told, illustrate the divide. Zhu Chengzhi makes 3,000 yuan a month, or just over $411, as a driver in Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan province. He told VOA Mandarin he pays no rent and spends less than 100 yuan a day, or about $14, on food. But with an annual income of about $4,930, he worries about the future. Читать дальше...

The Biden administration said Wednesday that it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country as it grapples with growing numbers of people fleeing the South American country and elsewhere to arrive at the U.S. border with Mexico. The move — along with promises to accelerate work permits for many migrants — may appease Democratic leaders who have pressured the White House to do more to aid asylum-seekers, while also providing grist for... Читать дальше...

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, putting him in place to succeed Gen. Mark Milley when he retires at the end of the month. Brown's confirmation on an 83-11 vote, months after President Joe Biden nominated him for the post, comes as Democrats try to maneuver around holds placed on hundreds of nominations by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville over the Pentagon's abortion policy. The Senate is also expected to confirm Gen. Randy George to be Army Chief of Staff and Gen. Читать дальше...

Two days after the U.S. and Iran began a prisoner exchange, VOA has learned that two of the three Iranians who remained in the U.S. after being granted clemency had conditions attached to their clemencies. The legal status of the third individual was unclear. Court filings seen by VOA show Kambiz Attar Kashani was released from a federal prison in Michigan on Monday after receiving a presidential commutation of his sentence, while Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi received a presidential pardon as he awaited trial on federal charges. Читать дальше...