Новости за 06.03.2024

Paris — Iranian authorities are subjecting women to widespread surveillance to enforce the obligatory headscarf, even inside cars, and then imposing punishments including the confiscation of vehicles, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. The Islamic republic's leadership was shaken in 2022 by mass protests that saw women denounce the dress code but has made clear it has no plan to abandon the obligatory hijab imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Amnesty said in a report, based on “a... Читать дальше...

PRAGUE — The Czech Parliament's upper house, the Senate followed the lower house on Wednesday to approve changes in the gun law that tighten requirements for owning a weapon following the worst mass killing in the nation's history.  The legislation now must be signed by President Petr Pavel before becoming law, which is expected.  On December 22, a lone shooter killed 14 people and wounded dozens before killing himself at a Charles University building in downtown Prague. The assailant was a 24-year-old... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday issued sanctions targeting two companies and two vessels that the Treasury Department said had facilitated commodities shipments on behalf of a network of an Iranian-backed Houthi financial facilitator. The action targets two Hong Kong- and Marshall Islands-based ship owners and two vessels for their role in shipping commodities on behalf of Sa'id al-Jamal, the Treasury Department said in a statement. The revenue from the commodity sales supports the... Читать дальше...

The Darien Gap is a dangerous stretch of jungle on a narrow strip of land that connects Colombia, in South America to Panama in Central America. The path is taken by many migrants heading north to the U.S. border, one in five of them is a child. And officials say the number of migrants traversing the perilous route is growing. For VOA, Austin Landis traveled to the starting point of their trek to hear some of their stories. Camera: Jorge Calle

New Delhi — India has commissioned a new naval base on an island that lies off its southwest coast, as it looks to strengthen its presence in the Indian Ocean amid growing concerns about China’s expanding footprint in the strategic waters and a downturn in ties with the Maldives. The base, called INS Jatayu, lies on Minicoy, the southernmost island in India’s Lakshadweep archipelago, which straddles key trade routes. It will be India’s second naval base on the archipelago and is closer to the Maldives. Читать дальше...

Nairobi, Kenya — More than 350 delegates from governments, research institutions and seed production companies are gathering in Kenya this week to address challenges in getting good-quality seeds to African farmers. Experts say the lack of good seeds is hampering food production across the continent and contributing to the hunger crisis in many countries. According to U.N. agencies, more than 280 million people in Africa are food insecure, with over a billion unable to afford healthy diets.  ... Читать дальше...

BEIRUT — Islamic State militants attacked villagers collecting truffles in eastern Syria on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people and leaving dozens injured and missing, opposition activists and pro-government media said. It was one of the deadliest attacks by the Islamic State group in the area in more than a year, they said. The attack occurred in a desert area near the town of Kobajeb, in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq. Despite the militant group's defeat in Syria in March 2019... Читать дальше...

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins next week, is a time of fasting and prayer for Muslims. This year, it is being held in the shadow of the war in Gaza, and emotions on all sides are running high, especially at East Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem.

LONDON — Europeans scrolling their phones and computers this week will get new choices for default browsers and search engines, where to download iPhone apps and how their personal online data is used. They're part of changes required under the Digital Markets Act, a set of European Union regulations that six tech companies classed as “gatekeepers” — Amazon, Apple, Google parent Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok owner ByteDance — will have to start following by midnight Wednesday. The DMA... Читать дальше...

Super Tuesday — the night that has been known to make or break candidates in the past — is over. More convention delegates are awarded on Super Tuesday than any other night of the campaign year. Fifteen states and a U.S. Territory conducted primaries and caucuses for the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. VOA’s Senior Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti brings us the highlights and tells us what’s next.

Brussels — The European Union moved a step closer Tuesday to banning products made from forced labor after negotiators reached an agreement on a law that supporters hope will help block imports from China involving the Uyghur Muslim minority. The bloc's draft text does not specifically mention China, but focuses on all products made from forced labor, including those made within the European Union. Human rights groups say at least one million people, mostly members of Muslim minorities, have... Читать дальше...

Port Sudan, Sudan — Sudan's nearly 11-month war between rival generals "risks triggering the world's largest hunger crisis", the United Nations' World Food Program warned Wednesday. The war between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has killed tens of thousands, destroyed infrastructure and crippled Sudan's economy. It has also uprooted more than eight million people, in addition to two million who... Читать дальше...

SYDNEY — Six Chinese fishing boats were found to be violating Vanuatu's fisheries law after being inspected by local police who were on board the first U.S. Coast Guard boat to patrol the waters of the Pacific Islands nation, Vanuatu police and officials said. The infringements included failing to record the fish caught in logbooks, a fisheries official told Reuters, noting it was the first time in several years police could inspect Chinese boats that fish in Vanuatu's exclusive economic zone and then offload their catch in other countries. Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation on Tuesday to give China's ByteDance about six months to divest popular short video app TikTok or face a U.S. ban, seeking to tackle national security concerns about its Chinese ownership. The bill is the first significant legislative move in nearly a year toward banning or forcing ByteDance to divest the popular app, after Senate legislation to ban it stalled in Congress last year in the face of heavy lobbying by TikTok. Mike Gallagher... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON — China announced a 7.2% increase in its defense budget on Tuesday, which has more than doubled under President Xi Jinping's 11 years in office, as Beijing hardens its stance on Taiwan. Since Xi became president in 2013, the defense budget has ballooned to $230 billion this year from $100 billion. The increase mirrors the rate presented in last year's budget and is well above the government's economic growth forecast for this year. The growth target for 2024 is about 5%, similar to last year's goal... Читать дальше...