Новости за 04.01.2024

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean and U.S. troops have conducted joint combat firing drills near the border with North Korea involving heavy weapons, as Pyongyang lambasted the allies for dangerous moves pushing the region to the brink of "an inferno of nuclear war." The exercise by a South Korean Army mechanized infantry brigade and U.S. Army armored Stryker brigade was to test and enhance combat readiness simulating enemy aggression, South Korea said in a statement on Thursday. The drills took place over a week starting on Dec. Читать дальше...

NEW YORK — An imam who was shot Wednesday outside a mosque in New Jersey has died, the US state's attorney general said, adding that the killing did not initially appear to be driven by "bias" or domestic terrorism. Hassan Sharif was shot multiple times near a mosque in Newark, just west of New York, before being taken to hospital where he later died, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said. "We do not yet know the motivation for this crime (but) the evidence collected thus far does not indicate that this was an act motivated by bias... Читать дальше...

NEW YORK — More U.S. hospitals are requiring masks and limiting visitors as health officials face an expected but still nasty post-holiday spike in flu, COVID-19 and other illnesses. While many experts say this season likely won't prove to be as deadly as some other recent winters, it still could mean hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and many thousands of deaths across the country. New York City last week instituted a mask mandate for the city's 11 public hospitals. Similar measures... Читать дальше...

Twin bomb blasts in Iran killed at least 95 people attending an even honoring Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. The United Nations Security Council calls on Yemen’s Houthis to halt attacks in the Red Sea. And A simple fingerprint test to check for breast cancer could eventually replace mammograms.

A day after a top Hamas leader was killed in an apparent Israeli drone strike in Beirut, U.S. officials say they are working to contain the spread of the Israel-Hamas conflict while continuing to urge Israel to safeguard Palestinian civilians. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has more from Washington.

NEW YORK — Social media has been rife in recent weeks with posts speculating that a judge is about to release a list of clients or co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. There is no such list, and the truth is less scandalous. Previously sealed court documents related to Epstein are being released, but the great majority of those whose names appear in the documents aren't accused of wrongdoing or... Читать дальше...

Tel Aviv/Washington, DC — Families of Americans killed and injured in Hamas’ October 7 terror attack in Israel are contemplating a lawsuit against North Korea for indirectly supplying the Palestinian militant group with weapons, according to an Israeli attorney representing the families. Weapons that Hamas used in its surprise attack on Israel were provided by North Korea “knowingly and intentionally,” said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an Israeli attorney and human rights activist who spoke with VOA’s Korean Service in Tel Aviv on December 27. Читать дальше...

State Department — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the Middle East this week amid intense diplomatic efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and increasing international pressure on Israel to reduce civilian casualties among Palestinians.  Blinken's visit would come as Israel's war with Hamas militants approaches its three-month mark.  Reuters cited a senior U.S. official and reported that Blinken will depart on Thursday for the Middle East, including a stop in Israel. Читать дальше...

Mexico City — Mexican authorities have rescued 31 migrants, including women and children, who were kidnapped over the weekend in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, officials announced on Wednesday. Presidential spokesperson Jesus Ramirez confirmed the rescue on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. "They are already in the hands of the authorities and are undergoing the appropriate medical examinations," he added, along with a photo that showed men, women and children, including one holding a stuffed animal. Читать дальше...

washington — Scientists have found a way to help Alzheimer's drugs seep inside the brain faster — by temporarily breaching its protective shield. The novel experiment was a first attempt in just three patients. But in spots in the brain where the new technology took aim, it enhanced removal of Alzheimer's trademark brain-clogging plaque, researchers reported Wednesday. "Our goal is to give patients a head start," by boosting some new Alzheimer's treatments that take a long time to work, said Dr. Читать дальше...

Denver, Colorado — Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a ruling barring him from the Colorado ballot, setting up a high-stakes showdown over whether a constitutional provision prohibiting those who "engaged in insurrection" will end his political career. Trump appealed a 4-3 ruling in December by the Colorado Supreme Court that marked the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was used to bar a presidential contender from the ballot. Читать дальше...

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Argentine judges on Wednesday suspended labor law changes that form part of a decree of sweeping economic reforms and deregulation announced by the country's new libertarian president, Javier Milei. The CGT trade union body had challenged the changes, which technically took effect last Friday, on grounds that they erode basic worker protections such as the right to strike and parental leave. Judges of Argentina's labor appeals chamber froze elements of Milei's decree... Читать дальше...

Human rights groups and trusted media outlets have confirmed that Pakistan has been deporting Afghan refugees awaiting resettlement in the United States.