Новости за 05.04.2024

pentagon — U.S. and Chinese defense officials met this week for the first time in nearly two years to talk about unsafe and aggressive incidents between the two militaries’ ships and aircraft in the Pacific region. The talks, which ran from Wednesday through Thursday in Hawaii, mark the restart of a dialogue Beijing abruptly ended following then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as its own. Chinese officials have criticized U.S. support for Taiwan as interference. Читать дальше...

GENEVA — The U.N. Human Rights Council overwhelmingly adopted a resolution Friday calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Only six countries voted against the resolution, which passed with 28 votes in favor and 13 abstentions. The council chamber erupted in a wild burst of applause when the results of the vote were announced to the glee of the many countries that supported the resolution and to the dismay of those that did not. “The... Читать дальше...

Following a conversation between Biden and Netanyahu, Israel opens a border grossing in northern Gaza as the UN Security Council meets in New York. NATO wraps up its 75th birthday party in Brussels, US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen is in China and a look at water scarcity in the Middle East

VOA Connect Episode 325 - The resurgence of lowrider cars and the cutting-edge manufacturing techniques transforming the automotive industry.

Kevin Czinger, an automaker based in Los Angeles, and his son Lucas are introducing 3D printing to create digital manufacturing for vehicles that will change how we make cars and save the environment. Reporter | Camera | Editor: Genia Dulot

A lowrider or low rider is a customized car with a lowered body. It has been a part of Mexican American culture in the U.S for many decades. This year the state of California repeals the laws from 1958 and 1986, that prohibited lowering the cars and cruising. Reporter | Camera | Editor: Genia Dulot

Once on the verge of extinction, sea otters now thrive in the icy harbors, in Homer, Alaska. These adorable creatures must eat as much as 25% of their body weight every day to stay healthy and warm. Producer | Camera | Editor: Gabrielle Weiss

Nairobi, Kenya — American firms are losing out on business and contracts in Kenya because top government officials demand bribes, the U.S. trade office said in a report released last week, warning that corruption will hurt foreign investment. According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, American businesses are finding it hard to secure Kenyan government contracts meant to develop the East African nation because senior government officials seek a bribe before awarding such jobs. The... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON — Deputy Minister of Human Rights of Myanmar’s shadow government, the National Unity Government (NUG), Aung Kyaw Moe told VOA that the Myanmar people distrust the ruling military leader's recent claim that he is interested in restoring democracy in the country. In a recent interview with VOA, the minister, also the NUG’s first Rohingya minister, called for caution in assessing China’s efforts to facilitate the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh and delved into the Rohingyas’... Читать дальше...

berlin — Human rights lawyers said Friday they had filed an urgent appeal against Germany's government to stop exports of war weapons to Israel, citing reasons to believe they were being used in ways violating international humanitarian law in Gaza. A Dutch court has ordered the Netherlands to block all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel over concerns they were being used for attacks on civilian targets in the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have been killed. Israel... Читать дальше...

Taipei, Taiwan — Several human rights organizations say China has intensified persecution against human rights lawyers and their family members in recent months, as the ailing wife of a lawyer is denied access to her pension and medical insurance, while the children of two lawyers are repeatedly forced by local authorities to drop out of schools.  VOA has reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment but has yet to receive a response.  On March 31, 16 human rights lawyers and dissidents... Читать дальше...

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations secretary-general warned Friday that children are dying in the Gaza Strip from hunger and dehydration and that a “quantum leap” in the delivery of lifesaving aid is urgently needed. “When the gates to aid are closed, the doors to starvation are opened,” Antonio Guterres told reporters. He said that as the six-month mark in the war between Israel and Hamas approaches Sunday, the “speed, scale and inhumane ferocity” of the war mark it as one of the deadliest conflicts for civilians... Читать дальше...

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK — Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir announced her resignation Friday and said that she will run for president, a ceremonial post that is mostly above the daily political fray. It was not immediately clear who would succeed her as prime minister, a job she has held since late 2017. "I had decided some time ago not to seek reelection in the next parliamentary elections. At the same time, I still have a burning desire to continue to offer my services to Icelandic society," Jakobsdottir said in a video message. Читать дальше...

The Iranian-backed Houthis have fired dozens of long-range missiles at Israel since the war in Gaza began, most of which have been shot down. As the war continues, there is concern the Houthi attacks could spark a regional confrontation. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. VOA footage by Ricki Rosen.

WASHINGTON — More than 68,000 illegally trafficked firearms in the United States over a five-year period came through unlicensed dealers who aren't required to perform background checks, according to new data released Thursday by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  That represents 54% of the illegally trafficked firearms in the U.S. between 2017 and 2021, Justice Department officials said. The guns were used in 368 shooting cases, which are harder to investigate because unlicensed... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON — America's employers delivered another outpouring of jobs in March, adding a sizzling 303,000 workers to their payrolls and bolstering hopes that the economy can vanquish inflation without succumbing to a recession in the face of high interest rates.  Last month's job growth was up from a revised 270,000 in February and was far above the 200,000 economists had forecast. By any measure, it amounted to a strong month of hiring, and it reflected the economy's ability to withstand the pressure... Читать дальше...

Ho Chi Minh City — A heatwave in Vietnam is worsening environmental conditions in the Mekong Delta region, and farmers and gig workers have told VOA the heat is causing grueling working conditions and cutting crop yields. The heatwave is fueled by the El Nino weather pattern causing hotter and drier conditions in Vietnam. Le Dinh Quyet, head of the Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Center, told local news outlet VnExpress that peak temperatures hit the South early this year due to the El Nino... Читать дальше...

Qamishli, Syria    — In an economy largely shattered by a 13-year conflict, most business owners and shopkeepers in northeast Syria would be content to receive a few customers each day. But it would certainly make them happier if such customers paid in U.S. dollars. "If you don’t have Syrian money, no problem, I take any U.S. dollar bill you have," a teenage fruit vendor in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli told VOA as he was trying to sell his produce. "If you buy these strawberries, I’ll... Читать дальше...