Новости за 23.11.2023

The militant Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday, a day after an Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the group's senior fighters.  The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the most intense bombardments since Hezbollah started attacking Israeli posts in the country's north at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.  Hezbollah has said that by heating up its actions on the Israel-Lebanon border... Читать дальше...

Iran secretly executed a man on Thursday after convicting him of killing a member of the security forces during mass protests that swept the country last year, rights groups said. It was the eight execution Iran has carried out in a case related to the protests which erupted in September 2022 following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurd who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress rules for women. Milad Zohrevand was executed at dawn in a prison in the western city of Hamadan... Читать дальше...

The European Parliament on Thursday condemned what it said were Iran's rights abuses against women, including "brutal murders," and its detention of EU nationals. A nonbinding resolution slammed the "deterioration of the human rights situation in Iran, and the brutal murders of women by the Iranian authorities, including the 2023 Sakharov Prize laureate Jina Mahsa Amini," a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who died last year in police custody. Parliament members also called for the immediate release from detention of human rights defenders... Читать дальше...

The Cambodian government has rejected an Amnesty International report into its mass eviction campaign near the Angkor Wat temple complex as “baseless,” even as a U.N. agency calls on the government to perform “corrective measures” and formally respond to the allegations. In an investigation released November 14, Amnesty accused the Cambodian government of forcibly evicting thousands of families at the World Heritage site. It also accused the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization... Читать дальше...

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

Officials in northern Cameroon say conflicts over food, water and other resources have greatly declined due to the planting of about half-a-million trees in and around a refugee camp. U.N. officials and rights groups visited the area to collect success stories on reforestation projects that also reduce climate shocks to share during the upcoming COP 28 climate conference. Residents and officials in northern Cameroon, near the borders with Nigeria and Chad, say clashes between refugees, displaced... Читать дальше...

This week on The Inside Story, we recount one of the most haunting moments in American history: The assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Sixty years after that fateful day in Dallas, questions linger. Join us for this special episode of The Inside Story; Shadow over Dallas.

The Gershkovich family is accustomed to having Thanksgiving without their son, journalist Evan Gershkovich, since he has lived abroad as a reporter for several years. But this year, his absence at the Thanksgiving table weighs particularly heavily because Gershkovich is jailed in a Russian prison. “Having a Thanksgiving with Evan there would have been a huge treat. But, of course, this Thanksgiving, it’s just hard,” Danielle Gershkovich, Evan’s sister, told VOA. There’s “a literal, physical darkness,” she said. Читать дальше...

Beloved characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants soared through the skies above New York City Thursday while bands marched along the streets below as the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushered in the holiday season. The parade started on Manhattan's Upper West Side making its way alongside Central Park in front of big crowds and a national television audience before ending in front of Macy's flagship store on 34th Street. Among the big names performing is Cher, who just released her first Christmas album. Читать дальше...

The rankings are the most popular in the U.S., but the rankings have changed their methodology amid recent criticism. Two professors, Ryan Allen and Tomoko Takahashi, argue that this new system is unfair to international students. It fails to capture their earnings after graduation and excludes them from its list of first-generation students. Weigh their arguments for yourself in Inside Higher Ed, (October 2023)

The proposed Disclose GIFTS Act would introduce tougher disclosure rules for universities receiving gifts or contracts from foreign countries. Academic infiltration and espionage from China is a serious concern, but critics say the bill, if signed into law, will harm Chinese international students. Sophie Hogan outlines the situation for The PIE News. (October 2023)

A new study from three professors, published in The Conversation, found that it can be hard to get foreign degrees accepted, or secure financing, particularly for students from Afghanistan. Read the report from Kerri Evans, Ishara Casellas Connors, and Lisa Unangst. (November 2023)

Niger's military ruler General Abdourahamane Tiani on Thursday arrived in Mali to meet his counterpart Colonel Assimi Goita in his first international visit since seizing power in July, an AFP journalist noted.    Niger's neighbors, Mali and Burkina Faso — which are ruled by military leaders who seized power in 2020 and 2022, respectively — have pledged solidarity to Niger's coup leaders.    The three Sahel countries in September signed a pact that includes provisions for mutual defense in the... Читать дальше...

A 14-year-old Ethiopian-born American in the U.S. state of Virginia has won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, an annual science competition for U.S. students in grades five through eight. VOA’s Eden Geremew recently spoke with the winner in Fairfax County, Virginia, in this report narrated by Salem Solomon. Camera: Karina Choudhury

A Thai-backed hydropower dam is under construction on the Mekong River near Luang Prabang, the old royal capital of Laos. It aims to export electricity to neighboring Thailand. But it is also raising alarm over the future of this scenic UNESCO heritage site. Tom Fawthrop reports from Luang Prabang, Laos. Camera: Houmphanh

Pope Francis has removed a Texas Bishop who was a vocal online critic of Vatican policy. The defrocked prelate says he was teaching the true word of God, especially regarding the LGBTQ community. Deana Mitchell has our story from the Texas capital.

The Indian side of Kashmir is home to very few Christians, but people from the region put their blood and sweat into preparing gifts for Christmas celebrations. For VOA, Muheet Ul Islam has more from Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir. Camera: Wasim Nabi

Australia said Thursday it is not on track to reach its target of obtaining 82% of its power from renewable sources, including wind, solar, batteries and hydroelectricity by 2030. Renewable sources now account for about 35% of Australia’s electricity.  Government hopes of bringing the number up to 82% by 2030 are not on track, according to Chris Bowen, the minister for climate change and energy. He told local media Thursday progress is too slow, planning regulations are often too strict and... Читать дальше...

Walt Disney said on Thursday its TV channels in India and digital streaming platform both set new viewership records in the recently concluded men's cricket World Cup. A record 518 million viewers from India watched matches during the 48-day event on TV, while Disney's streaming app recorded a peak concurrent viewership of 59 million during the finals. Disney's disclosure comes as it competes aggressively with billionaire Mukesh Ambani's JioCinema in the streaming sector. In recent months,... Читать дальше...

Talks between Taiwan's two main opposition parties on forming a joint presidential bid teetered on collapse on Thursday after a dramatic showdown broadcast live on television in which party leaders bickered and revealed sensitive private conversations. The dramatic scenes came less than a day before the opposition has to register its presidential candidates with the election commission ahead of the Jan. 13 polls, which are happening as China steps up its military pressure to try and force the island to accept Beijing's sovereignty claims. Читать дальше...

Riot police used batons and tear gas to halt tens of thousands of supporters of Nepal’s former king who attempted to march to the center of the capital on Thursday to demand the restoration of the monarchy and the nation's former status as a Hindu state. The protesters, waving the national flag and chanting slogans supporting former King Gyanendra, gathered on the edge of Kathmandu and attempted to move toward the center of the city. Riot police blocked them, beating them with bamboo batons and firing tear gas and a water cannon. Читать дальше...

He's been called the Dutch Donald Trump. He's been threatened with death countless times by Islamic extremists, convicted of insulting Moroccans, and Britain once banned him from entering the country. Now Geert Wilders has won a massive victory in a Dutch election and is in pole position to form the next governing coalition and possibly become the Netherlands' next prime minister. An exit poll revealing his landslide appeared to take even 60-year-old political veteran Wilders by surprise. In his first reaction... Читать дальше...

Three New Zealand political leaders said Thursday that they have reached an agreement to form the next government, pending a final signoff from their parties which they expected within hours. The three party leaders said they expected to hold a formal signing ceremony Friday at parliament. The announcement brought to an end nearly six weeks of negotiations since New Zealand held a general election on Oct. 14. What has never been in question is that former businessman Christopher Luxon will be the next prime minister... Читать дальше...

Every year, on the fourth Thursday in November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s a commemoration of the 1621 harvest feast when the colonists, who came from England, shared a friendly meal with the land’s Native people. But how much of the Thanksgiving story is true? VOA’s Dora Mekouar visited Plymouth, Massachusetts, the site of the first Thanksgiving, to separate fact from fiction. Producers: Dora Mekouar, Adam Greenbaum. Camera: Adam Greenbaum.

Electric vehicle sales are expected to hit a record 9% of all passenger vehicles in the U.S. this year, according to Atlas Public Policy. That will be up from 7.3% of new car sales in 2022. It will be the first time more than 1 million EVs are sold in the United States in one calendar year, probably reaching between 1.3 million and 1.4 million cars, the research firm predicts. Although the numbers show significant progress for electrification, the nation is lagging behind countries like China, Germany and Norway. Читать дальше...