Новости за 12.01.2024

tehran, iran — Iran condemned strikes on Yemen by U.S. and British forces Friday, saying that the attacks against Tehran-backed Houthi rebels were "arbitrary" and a violation of international law.  The overnight strikes followed weeks of missile and drone attacks by the Houthis against Red Sea shipping, which they say have been in solidarity with Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.  Foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani said Iran "strongly condemns the military attacks of the United... Читать дальше...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A Danish appeals court Friday upheld the sentences of three members of an Iranian separatist group convicted of promoting terror in Iran and gathering information for an unnamed Saudi intelligence service.  The three had been convicted and sentenced in a lower court in 2022 to six, seven and eight years in prison, respectively. They will be expelled from Denmark for good, the Eastern High Court in Copenhagen ruled.  The appeals court did not release the men's names. They will serve their time in Danish prisons... Читать дальше...

Jakarta — Disputes in the South China Sea and how Indonesia should deal with China was a key focus at a nationally televised presidential debate earlier this week. Indonesians will elect a new president on February 14, and during the latest debate, the country's three candidates exchanged views on security, geopolitics and international relations.  When it comes to how they will deal with China, analysts tell VOA's Indonesian service that all three candidates' different experiences with Beijing... Читать дальше...

washington — House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted Friday he is sticking with the bipartisan spending deal he struck with the other congressional leaders, but he offered no clear path for overcoming hard-right opposition within his own party to prevent a partial government shutdown next week. Johnson emerged from days of testy meetings behind closed doors at the Capitol to read a terse statement. Just months on the job, the new speaker is trying to set the record straight that he will not renege on the budget deal he made earlier this week. Читать дальше...

VOA Connect Episode 313 - We look at a community dedicated to mindful choices and harmonious coexistence, and the stunning beauty of Kachemak Bay.

Ionia, a community in Kasilof, Alaska, aims to live a more sustainable and cooperative life. We join some residents as they harvest their yearly seaweed supply, a key part of their diet. Camera | Editor | Producer: Gabrielle Weiss

Located in the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, Kachemak Bay serves as the residence for a diverse array of birds.

geneva — The head of the U.N. health agency said Wednesday holiday gatherings and the spread of the most prominent variant globally led to increased transmission of COVID-19 last month. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nearly 10,000 deaths were reported in December, while hospital admissions during the month jumped 42% in nearly 50 countries — mostly in Europe and the Americas — that shared such trend information. "Although 10,000 deaths a month is far less than the peak of the pandemic, this... Читать дальше...

The US and the UK launch retaliatory air strikes against Houthis in Yemen as fears of a widening conflict grow. Israel is defending itself against charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice. We get an update from Kyiv and a look at the annual report from Human Rights Watch.

Relations between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel have become more fraught since the Hamas attack of October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza. Many Arab citizens say they worry they could be penalized if they speak freely. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Tel Aviv. VOA footage by Ricki Rosen.

Geneva — United Nations officials say Palestinians in Gaza are in a state of desperation after nearly three months of being militarily battered and left without sufficient supplies of food, water and medicine. "The level of desperation of people is palpable and breathable. It is a situation of desperation that you can feel it, that you can really touch it with your hands," said Andrea De Domenico, head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Читать дальше...

ISLAMABAD — Officials in Pakistan have cautioned that relentless cross-border militancy is testing bilateral relations with Afghanistan's Taliban and could eventually push Islamabad to scale back support for the de facto Kabul rulers. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan provinces, both lining Pakistan's 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) border with Afghanistan, have experienced almost daily attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021, killing hundreds of Pakistani security forces and civilians. Читать дальше...

The U.N. estimates more than a million Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar in successive waves. And while most ended up in neighboring Bangladesh, some have taken boats to Indonesia where authorities are now considering using a former refugee island for their resettlement. VOA's Ahadian Utama has more

In its annual report published Thursday, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of war crimes and said many governments were expressing “selective outrage” over atrocities committed in the conflict in Gaza. Henry Ridgwell reports

ISLAMABAD — Paskistani authorities said Friday they had arrested two alleged would-be suicide bombers linked to a regional affiliate of the Islamic State group known as Islamic State-Khorasan, or IS-K.   The provincial counterterrorism department said an "intelligence-based" operation had detained the two men near Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.     The statement said the alleged bombers "are members of Daesh Khorasan and graduated from... Читать дальше...

BEIJING — Myanmar's military has reached a cease-fire agreement with an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups it has been battling in the country's northeast, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday. Myanmar's military government confirmed the development. The agreement was brokered at talks mediated by China on Wednesday and Thursday in Kunming, a Chinese provincial capital about 400 kilometers from the border with Myanmar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. "China hopes the... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON — When U.S. and U.K. warships and aircraft launched waves of missiles at Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen early Friday in Sanaa, it capped weeks of warnings to the group to cease their drone and missile attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea or face severe consequences. Previously the U.S. had withheld striking back, reflecting larger U.S. concerns about upending the shaky truce in Yemen and triggering a wider conflict in the region. But on Tuesday the Houthis launched... Читать дальше...

Nairobi, Kenya — 2023 was a consequential year for human rights suppression and wartime atrocities, especially in the Horn of Africa, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch published Thursday. The rights group blames regional blocs and the international community for not doing enough to protect civilians. Governments in the Horn of Africa dealt with large-scale humanitarian crises in 2023. With no checks on abuses in Sudan and Ethiopia, civilians withstood the worst of atrocities committed in the name of war... Читать дальше...