Новости за 24.02.2017

Hundreds of Mosul residents fled after IS fighters, ousted by U.S.-backed forces from the city's airport, infiltrated nearby neighborhoods. VOA's Kawa Omar reports.

Russia says it will veto a draft U.N. resolution blaming the Syrian government for some chemical weapons attacks in Syria if it is brought to a vote. "The resolution prejudges the results of the investigation, it is one-sided [and] based on insufficient evidence," Russian Deputy U.N. Envoy Vladimir Safronkov told reporters after a closed meeting of the council to discuss the issue. The Security Council created a special OPCW-U.N. (The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) Joint Investigative Mechanism ... Читать дальше...

The Correspondents is VOA’s weekly discussion of the world’s top stories, as seen through the eyes of our dedicated reporters in the US and around the globe. Hosted by Mil Arcega, our panel of journalists goes beyond the headlines to give listeners and viewer real context and understanding of what’s driving the story.

U.S. President Donald Trump's $1 trillion proposal to fix the nation's crumbling infrastructure is expected to be the primary focus of the country's governors as they gather in Washington for three days of meetings. Health care reform, education, childhood hunger and cybersecurity will also dominate policy discussions at the annual winter gathering of the National Governors Association, according to the NGA. California Governor Jerry Brown on Friday announced a $437 million plan for flood control... Читать дальше...

Vincent Makori heads up the reporting team to inform you about Africa, the U.S. and the world.

VOA reporter Jamie Dettmer in London, and VOA Kurdish Service reporter Khalid Fatah about the effort of US-led Iraqi forces to retake western Mosul.

Mexico does not need U.S. financial aid, Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said on Friday, after President Donald Trump ordered a report on such assistance given by the United States to its southern neighbor over the last five years. The main U.S. aid to Mexico is under the Plan Merida program which allocated $2.6 billion to security assistance. Trump asked for the review of aid in a Jan. 25 order on immigration security that mandated the construction of a border wall. Speaking on... Читать дальше...

VOA Asia in a Minute host Steve Miller about the additional news coming out of Malaysia regarding the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

VOA Film and Entertainment Reporter Penelope Poulou talks about this year’s Academy Awards show, Hollywood’s Oscars, the nominees and the likely winners.

Mosul 00:48, North Korea Assassination 11:42, Oscars 2017 21:01

Yemeni security officials say a suicide bomber killed at least eight soldiers Friday at a security base in the southern city of Zinjibar. The bomber, disguised as a driver delivering a load of wood, blew up his vehicle at the gate of the Yemeni military base after failing to get inside. Heavy gunfire ensued as other assailants tried to enter the base, injuring 10 others. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but a military source said al-Qaida has carried out similar attacks in the area. Читать дальше...

The New York Times will air its first TV ad in seven years on Sunday's broadcast of the Academy Awards on ABC, as the 166-year old newspaper looks to highlight independent journalism amid U.S. President Donald Trump's attacks on the media as “fake news.” The Oscars are among the pricier ad buys on television, with 30-second commercials going for between $1.9 and $2 million, according to ad-tracking firm Kantar Media. While ABC, owned by Walt Disney, does not comment on how much it receives from advertisers... Читать дальше...

Iraq said Thursday that its U.S.-backed forces had taken control of the airport in Mosul, which Islamic State extremists had controlled since 2014.

Of the five films nominated for the Academy Awards's Best Foreign Language Film, none has won either a BAFTA in Britain or a Golden Globe in the United States.  So the Oscar field is wide open. South Pacific Romeo and Juliet The Australian entry, Tanna, tells a Romeo-and-Juliet style story set on a South Pacific Island.  The film’s Australian director, Bentley Dean, said he had wanted to go back to Tanna to make a movie ever since he went there more than 10 years ago to make a documentary. ... Читать дальше...

We’re interacting with the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending February 25, 2017. When an artist performs at the Super Bowl and the Grammy Awards one week apart, good things tend to happen on the chart. Number 5: Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello "Bad Things" More on that coming up, but let’s begin in fifth place, where Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello retreat a slot with “Bad Things.”  Cabello left Fifth Harmony in mid-December... Читать дальше...

La La Land is up for a total of 14 Academy Awards on Sunday. The film has two chances of taking home the best original song award: for Ryan Gosling's performance of "City of Stars" and for Emma Stone’s showpiece, "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)." Damien Chazelle, who is nominated for best director and best original screenplay, says he always thought the movie would resonate with audiences. "It was hard movie to get financed, and there’s always that question about who is the audience," Chazelle said. Читать дальше...

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed border cooperation in a phone call on Thursday as pressure mounted in Canada over rising numbers of asylum seekers arriving from the United States. The phone call, which followed a positive meeting between the two leaders in Washington last week, also covered the softwood lumber trade dispute, among other issues, Trudeau's office said in a statement. The number of asylum seekers crossing into Canada at isolated and... Читать дальше...

The commander of U.S. forces in Africa has told VOA the only way to restore peace in Libya is to bring rival factions together, and that will require cooperative efforts by many parties, including Russia. General Thomas Waldhauser, who heads the U.S. Africa Command, discussed the continuing political chaos in Libya while in Germany for the recent Munich Security Conference. Libya is a checkerboard of separate, divided power centers: The internationally backed Government of National Accord controls only part of Tripoli... Читать дальше...

The original Oscar statue was hand carved by Los Angeles sculptor George Stanley.  For decades the statuettes have been made by a Chicago trophy company and gold-plated.  But last year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided they wanted to return to the original bronze figure made using the lost wax process.  The Academy chose Polich Tallix as the foundry to cast the bronze figures. 3-D Scans Merge Previous Versions They started by scanning a classic Oscar from 1928 and the... Читать дальше...

In a city best known for fashionable beaches and world-class surf, bathers at one local watering hole take pride in the exact opposite - the no-fuss atmosphere of a giant, artificial pond. Known as the "piscinão," or big pool, the swimming hole brims daily with locals from the surrounding neighborhood of Maré and other working class districts nearby, especially on steamy days of the ongoing Brazilian summer. Filled with seawater and covering an area the size of three soccer fields, the pond... Читать дальше...

Astrobiologists seeking to understand where life might be found on Mars, and what form it might take, are finding that the Atacama desert in Chile, the driest in the world, may hold some important clues. Since a 2003 study that examined microbial life in the 'Mars-like soils' of the Atacama, astrobiological research - the study of life on Earth to understand how it may form elsewhere in the universe - in the desert has grown dramatically. "It is much cheaper than traveling to Mars," said Armando Azua... Читать дальше...

Pregnant singer Beyonce on Thursday pulled out of performing at California's Coachella music festival in April, citing doctor's orders. The "Formation" singer, 35, who is expecting twins, will however headline the event in 2018, organizers said in a statement. "Following the advice of her doctors to keep a less rigorous schedule in the coming months, Beyonce has made the decision to forgo performing at the 2017 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival," the statement from festival organizer... Читать дальше...

The leader of Macedonia's Social Democrats said on Thursday he expected to be able to form a new government in March, ending a two-year political crisis in the wake of a wiretapping scandal that brought down the previous administration. Zoran Zaev said he had secured the support of ethnic Albanian parties and expected to complete talks on forming a government in early March. The conservative VMRO-DPMNE party at the center of the scandal had tried but failed to form a coalition after winning a... Читать дальше...

Authorities in Gambia have arrested the former head of the National Intelligence Agency, which has been accused of systemic human rights abuses while it was under the control of ousted former President Yahya Jammeh. Officials said Yankuba Badjie and eight other NIA employees were arrested Monday. No specific charges were listed. Jammeh, Gambia's ruler since 1994, when he took power in a coup, formed the intelligence agency, which became notorious for alleged intimidation, torture and killings of government opponents. Читать дальше...

Islamic State (IS) fighters on Thursday fled the Mosul airport to nearby neighborhoods as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces began pounding their military positions. VOA’s Kawa Omar Reports.