Новости за 14.12.2023

Three top U.S. universities and their presidents have drawn criticism after accusations that they failed to stop antisemitism and Islamophobia on their campuses. University leaders testified on Capitol Hill last week, but that did little to end the controversy over their mission and the safety of students. Robin Guess reports.

Russia detained U.S. citizens Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich on bogus allegations.

The war between Israel and Hamas means the economy in the West Bank is suffering. Employees of the Palestinian Authority have not been paid properly in weeks and work permits for Palestinians working in Israel have been revoked, those being just two of the issues. In this report from Ramallah in the West Bank, Henry Wilkins speaks to tradesmen whose businesses have ground to a halt, as commentators say the squeeze could lead to civil unrest.

As Egyptians struggle with record-high annual inflation, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi appears poised to be declared the winner of a third, six-year term in an electoral race against three low-profile candidates. Cairo-based photojournalist Hamada Elrasam followed voters over the course of the three-day voting period that ended on December 12. Results are expected on December 18. Written in collaboration with Elle Kurancid.

KINGSTOWN, ST. VINCENT — The leaders of Guyana and Venezuela landed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for a tense meeting Thursday as regional nations sought to defuse a long-standing territorial dispute that escalated when Venezuelans voted in a referendum to claim two-thirds of their smaller neighbor. Pushed by regional partners, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro agreed to meet at the Argyle International Airport on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent. Читать дальше...

Russia's two new nuclear submarines are not the world’s most advanced, but they pose a challenge to the U.S. and NATO.

Washington — A Navy officer jailed in Japan over a deadly car crash that killed two Japanese citizens has been transferred into U.S. custody and is being returned to the United States, his family said Thursday. Lt. Ridge Alkonis had been serving a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the negligent driving deaths of an elderly woman and her son-in-law in May 2021. "After 507 days, Lt. Ridge Alkonis is on his way home to the United States. We are encouraged by Ridge's transfer back... Читать дальше...

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan urged Afghanistan’s Taliban government Thursday to take decisive action against “terrorist entities” on its soil and extradite fugitive militant leaders allegedly responsible for plotting this week’s deadly assault on a Pakistani military base. “We have noted the statement by the Afghan interim government that it will investigate the terrorist attack of December 12,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch told a weekly news conference in Islamabad. Tuesday’s gun-and-suicide bomb attack... Читать дальше...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish police made several arrests Thursday, saying they carried out the operation "on suspicion of preparation for a terrorist attack." The arrests were made in "a coordinated action" in several locations in Denmark early Thursday. No other details were given. The Copenhagen police and Denmark’s domestic intelligence service were to give a press conference later. "This is extremely serious," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a European Union summit in Brussels. Читать дальше...

HONG KONG — Hong Kong police on Thursday issued bounties of $128,000 for each of five prominent activists currently living overseas, accusing them of national security crimes. All five are living abroad after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the financial hub in 2020 to quell dissent after massive, and at times violent, pro-democracy protests. The five "have fled overseas and are suspected of offences under the national security law," said Chief Superintendent Li Kwai-wah of Hong Kong's National Security Department. Читать дальше...

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — A senior leader of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's main opposition party, is in China for meetings with the Taiwanese community, his party said Thursday, a highly sensitive visit one month before elections on the island. The trip of KMT Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia, a former Taiwanese diplomat and onetime head of Taiwan's China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council, comes as his party seeks to narrow the ruling party's lead ahead of the January 13 presidential and parliamentary elections. Читать дальше...

BANGKOK — A court in Thailand convicted and sentenced a recently elected lawmaker Wednesday to six years in prison for defaming the monarchy under a controversial law that guards the royal institution. Human Rights Watch decried the ruling, saying it "violated her rights to freedom of expression protected under international human rights law." Rukchanok Srinork arrived for her court hearing in the capital, Bangkok, as her fellow lawmakers were convening in Parliament. "I submitted a request... Читать дальше...

The US House of Representatives authorized the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The Supreme Court says it'll hear appeals that could up-end hundreds of charges stemming from the Capitol riot, including against ex-President Donald Trump.

State Department — The United States and Taiwan are exploring ways to expand Taiwan’s participation in the United Nations system and other international forums, as well as addressing a range of global challenges, including public health, aviation safety and climate change. The most recent routine consultation between the U.S. and Taiwan took place Wednesday, days after the Chinese delegation at COP28 opposed calls to include Taiwan in the United Nations climate talks in Dubai. All participants... Читать дальше...

The Republican-majority U.S. House of Representatives narrowly voted Wednesday to authorize a formal impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Joe Biden, a step forward in the investigation into any involvement by the president in his son’s business dealings. As VOA's congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, the White House denies any wrongdoing.

Hong Kong — Zhang Congzhi started borrowing money two or three years ago when online loans were easy to get. Now, the Changsha businessman has no money to repay those loans. “I’m in debt for more than 100,000 yuan [approximately $13,700],” Zhang told VOA Mandarin. “Nobody can help me. The only solution I can think of is to delay repayment.”   Zhang is one of the millions of Chinese people who are in debt from loans they took out to get by during the economic disruption caused by the COVID pandemic and China’s strict lockdowns. Читать дальше...