Новости за 15.02.2024

Istanbul/Washington — Journalists in Turkey are welcoming a recent Constitutional Court ruling that revoked bans on online access to hundreds of news articles. Last week, the court published a ruling that lifted the bans, stating that the restrictions are unconstitutional and violate freedom of expression. Lower courts had blocked the stories, citing Article 9 of Law No. 5651, which enables such bans or removal of content in cases of personal rights violations. Press freedom advocates and journalists... Читать дальше...

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The mass shooting that unfolded amid throngs of people at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl celebration appeared to stem from a dispute between several people, authorities said Thursday.  Police Chief Stacey Graves said that the 22 people injured in the shooting ranged between the ages of 8 and 47 years old, half of whom were under the age of 16. A mother of two was also killed.  Three people were detained — including two juveniles — and firearms were recovered during the mayhem, police said. Читать дальше...

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — Houthi drone and missile attacks on Red Sea shipping have spurred the development of an alternative “land bridge” to carry cargo by truck from the Persian Gulf across Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Israel and Egypt. The project, which is already seeing dozens of trucks per day reach the Israeli port of Haifa, is seen as an early benefit of the 2020 Abraham Accords normalizing ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. It bodes well for future cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Читать дальше...

GENEVA — Health agencies are urging governments and civil society to step up action to eliminate cervical cancer, a vaccine-preventable disease that kills a woman every two minutes, mostly in low- and middle-income countries.   “It is the fourth-most common cancer among women worldwide. It is also one of the few types of cancer that can be prevented by a vaccine,” said Herve Verhoosel, spokesperson for Unitaid, an organization that provides affordable lifesaving health products for people in low- and middle-income countries. Читать дальше...

Venezuelan sports journalist Mari Montes says she has endured years of online abuse directed at her and her family. Analysts say digital attacks are frequently used to try to discredit and silence female journalists. For VOA, Julia Riera has the story. Video editor: Veronica Villafane.

The nightmare of the October 7th attacks by Hamas gunmen and the war that’s followed them is far from over for Eritrean refugees in southern Israel. With no Israeli IDs and limited access to benefits, the refugees - twice displaced - are struggling to rebuild their lives as the war in nearby Gaza shows no signs of ending. VOA’s Celia Mendoza reports from the southern Israeli port city of Ashkelon.

Zimbabwe authorities say they are worried about rising crime, especially armed robberies, whose enforcement has led to law enforcement officers firing at and killing suspects. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare, where analysts say Zimbabwe's crime rate is increasing because poverty has left people in desperate conditions. Camera: Blessing Chigwenhembe

DUBAI — U.S. forces seized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid from Iran that were bound for Houthi-held areas of Yemen on a vessel in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 28, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Thursday.  Over 200 packages containing medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components were discovered on board, it said. Читать дальше...

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan on Thursday defended the actions of its coast guard after two people on a Chinese speedboat, which got too close to a frontline Taiwan island, died when their boat overturned while trying to flee a coast guard ship. China's Taiwan Affairs Office said Taiwan had for some time been treating Chinese fishermen in a "rough and dangerous" manner, which was the main reason for the "wicked" incident. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained in recent years... Читать дальше...

SYDNEY — Using satellite technology and sophisticated machine learning, a team led by marine experts in Australia have created new maps of the world’s coral reefs. The scientists discovered there are more coral reefs around the world than previously documented, with Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines having the most coral reefs.  Over 100 trillion pixels of data were examined. The result is a high-resolution map that gives fresh insight into the distribution of reefs. The Allen Coral... Читать дальше...

Berlin — German automaker Volkswagen said Wednesday several of its models had been refused entry into the United States, after it emerged that a Chinese-made component may have breached labor laws. "We are working to rectify a delay in delivering certain Volkswagen Group vehicles from ports to dealers due to a customs issue," Volkswagen said in a statement. The trouble related to a "small electronic component," which was "in the process of being replaced," Volkswagen said. The part, said to... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON — Last year, VPN usage in China nearly doubled, according to data from IT education news outlet Techopedia, this despite the country’s strict regime of internet controls of everything from overseas websites to online games. China’s “Great Firewall” is one of the world’s most comprehensive internet censorship regimes, preventing citizens from accessing websites like Instagram, Wikipedia and YouTube, as well most major news organizations including VOA. VPNs are outlawed in China because... Читать дальше...

Taipei, Taiwan — A slowing economy is prompting Chinese shoppers to reassess their free-spending habits during this year’s Lunar New Year, traditionally the country’s most important shopping season. Analysts and shoppers say that this year, young Chinese consumers especially are focusing more on "cost-effectiveness" when buying clothing, accessories, food, and electronic products. Xu, 31, who works for a state-owned airline in Beijing, says that in the past, her income was high and she would spend on travel, entertainment and eating out. Читать дальше...

Washington — The White House along with other top officials are seeking to reassure the American public after a key lawmaker sounded alarms about a "serious national security threat" facing the United States. In an unusual move that caught some of his fellow lawmakers by surprise, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee publicly called on President Joe Biden to declassify intelligence on the unnamed threat so that the American public and its allies could formulate a response. Republican... Читать дальше...

Journalists covering conflicts around the world have unique access to the scenes of war crimes, but there are few mechanisms to use that content as evidence in a court of law. The Reckoning Project aims to change that. For VOA, Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv.

dubai, united arab emirates — Explosions struck a natural gas pipeline in Iran early on Wednesday, with an official blaming the blasts on a "sabotage and terrorist action" in the country as tensions remain high in the Middle East amid Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Details were scarce, though the blasts hit a natural gas pipeline running from Iran's western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province up north to cities on the Caspian Sea. The roughly 1,270-kilometer (790-mile) pipeline begins in Asaluyeh... Читать дальше...