Новости за 28.02.2017

Civilians trapped by conflict in South Sudan's Leer County of former Unity State, one of the areas hit by famine, say they have survived on water lilies and other wild fruits for the last three years. Aid agencies say they have not had access to the area for several months. Villagers say they cannot farm the land due to sporadic military attacks. A community mobilizer assembled thousands of people who stood in a long line at the Thonyor registration center to register with the World Food Program and UNICEF for relief aid. Читать дальше...

Michael Phelps is to be in Washington to speak out in support of more consistent drug testing for competitive athletes. The retired swimmer testified Tuesday on Capitol Hill before a congressional committee looking into ways to improve the international anti-doping system. In a witness statement posted on the committee's website, Phelps expresses his frustration in seeing athletes he knows are cheating "break through performance barriers in unrealistic time frames." While Phelps says the U.S. Читать дальше...

The Chinese Communist Party has "intensified" its persecution of religious practitioners in recent years under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, and the ramifications are being felt well beyond the boundaries of religious policy, according to the U.S.-based Freedom House nonprofit. In a new report released Tuesday, the group said increased oppression from the Chinese government is creating a thriving "black market" for believers to practice their religion outside of the official institutions. Читать дальше...

Former President George W. Bush says he didn't intend to criticize President Donald Trump when he said recently that a free press is essential to democracy.   Speaking by telephone Tuesday with The Associated Press, Bush said he was simply responding to a reporter's question about the role of journalism. Trump has referred to the press as the "enemy of the people," but Bush said Tuesday that it's important to hold people in power "to account." He called his own relationship with the media "symbiotic,"... Читать дальше...

The billionaire heir to South Korea's Samsung corporate conglomerate was indicted Tuesday on bribery, embezzlement and other charges in the corruption scandal that has imperiled the government of President Park Geun-hye. Samsung's de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, was charged along with four company executives.  Prosecutors had spent months building a case against Lee, alleging that he'd played a role in $37 million in payments made by Samsung executives to a friend of the Korean leader in exchange... Читать дальше...

French authorities say two people were shot Tuesday during an address by President Francois Hollande, when a gun belonging to a police sniper accidentally discharged.  Early reports described both victims with minor injuries. Hollande was inaugurating a new high-speed rail line in the southwestern village of Villognon when gunshots caused him to briefly stop his remarks. Several local reports said the injured included the soldier with a faulty weapon. He and a nearby waiter are said to have... Читать дальше...

The International Organization for Migration warns that many of the millions of people facing famine in three African countries and in Yemen risk starving to death without urgent action to help them. More than 20 million people reportedly are suffering from severe food shortages in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and northeast Nigeria. Somalia's problems are largely due to a severe drought, though conflict also plays a part. The United Nations says man-made disasters caused by conflict, insecurity... Читать дальше...

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

A Jewish advocacy group is calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to step up federal efforts to stamp out hate crimes after vandalism at a slew of Jewish cemeteries and bomb threats at schools have raised concerns for some in the Jewish community. Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, told VOA he wants to see the federal government take several actions, including a federal hate crime investigation of the recent bomb threats and vandalism to stop the “surge of hate... Читать дальше...

Suicide bombings by militants in the town of Homs and airstrikes by government warplanes in recent days in northwest Syria have rattled United Nations-led peace talks aimed at finding a resolution to the six-year-long conflict in Syria. The warring sides have accused each other of seeking to wreck a peace process that has been limping along for months. Even before these latest developments, the signs indicated there would be no breakthrough this week in Geneva talks overseen by U.N. mediator Staffan de Mistura. Читать дальше...

Thousands of women and children who risk the dangerous central Mediterranean Sea crossing from North Africa to Italy to escape war and poverty are subjected to violence, sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse, according to a new report by the U.N. Children’s Fund.   A survey conducted late last year on conditions in Libya reveals what UNICEF describes as appalling levels of abuse along the migration route. At that time, 256,000 migrants were recorded in Libya, including 30,803 women and more than 23,102 children. Читать дальше...

Americans born in 1990 have double the risk of colon cancer and quadruple the risk of rectal cancer than those born around 1950, a new study suggests. The study found that colorectal cancer is on the rise among young and middle-aged adults in their early 50s. Rectal cancer is growing particularly fast among people younger than 55, with 30 percent of diagnoses in people under 55. "Trends in young people are a bellwether for the future disease burden," said Rebecca Siegel, of the American Cancer... Читать дальше...

Two explosions occurred at a military facility in central Serbia Tuesday, killing at least one person and injuring 25 others, Serbia's Defense Ministry said. Three people are missing.   The statement said the blasts took place at an ammunition depot in Kragujevac, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Belgrade, which stores mines and other ammunition.   Local media said a roof caved in, possibly trapping some people inside. Firefighting teams were at the scene.   Local hospital officials said most of the victims suffered severe burns.

Russia and China have vetoed a United Nations resolution that would have placed sanctions on Syria in response to alleged chemical weapons attacks. The measure, backed by the Western powers of Britain, France and the United States, would have imposed sanctions on 21 Syrians, organizations and companies that were allegedly involved in chemical attacks in 2014 and 2015. The resolution would have also banned all countries from supplying the Syrian government with helicopters, which were used in the attacks. Читать дальше...

To discipline their misbehaving children, parents may use techniques like giving a time out, taking away favorite activities, or spanking. But child psychologist Ross Greene says this controlling style of parenting is not effective. In his recent book, "Raising Human Beings," he explains why and makes a case for rethinking common approaches to disciplining children. He suggests a different approach, which he calls collaborative parenting. Control vs. Influence Throughout his career, Ross Greene... Читать дальше...

Protesters planned marches Tuesday in downtown Vancouver as President Donald Trump's two eldest sons attended the grand opening of their company's new hotel and condominium tower in a city known for diversity and progressive politics. Security officers in black suits surrounded the building's entrance while police gathered on sidewalks at the soaring tower, which has drawn praise for its sleek design but has raised ethical concerns about the business interests of the new U.S. president. Vancouver... Читать дальше...

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has declared a state of disaster as the Horn of Africa nation struggles with a severe drought and food crisis.   According to the United Nations, the crisis in Somalia threatens 6.2 million people, more than half the population. Conditions are driest in the north. Crop production and livestock numbers have fallen sharply after back-to-back poor rainy seasons last year. Last week, U.N. aid agencies warned there is only a two-month window to avert a catastrophe in Somalia. Читать дальше...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was criticized on Tuesday by Israel's main government watchdog over what it said was a lack of preparation and Cabinet consultation over a network of Hamas tunnels that confounded the military in the 2014 Gaza war. Political commentators did not expect the report, released by State Comptroller Joseph Shapira on the government's and military's handling of several aspects of the 50-day conflict, to seriously weaken the prime minister's grip on power. But the findings... Читать дальше...

More than 120 retired U.S. military generals and admirals are urging Congress not to cut spending on diplomacy and foreign aid, two government functions that may be targeted in President Donald Trump's first budget proposal. When he unveils his budget proposal Tuesday before Congress, Trump is expected to call for a $54 billion boost in military spending while offsetting the increase by slashing domestic spending, particularly at the State Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. In... Читать дальше...

U.S. House speaker Paul Ryan says "answers" are needed on reports of improper contacts between President Donald Trump's campaign officials and Russia during the presidential campaign. "We need to get answers. We need to make sure that nothing happened that shouldn't have happened as we go forward," Ryan said during a televised interview Tuesday with NBC's Today show. Three congressional probes into possible links between the Trump and Russia are underway. Ryan did not indicate whether a special... Читать дальше...

Italy said on Tuesday it had dismissed the head of its visa office in Erbil, Iraq, following reports that visas were sold for thousands of euros, some to people rejected by other countries as security risks. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that an investigation of its consulate in the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region had found "irregularities". The information was sent to Italian magistrates for further investigation, it said. Corriere della Sera newspaper reported on Tuesday that Kurds... Читать дальше...

Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross was sworn in as U.S. commerce secretary on Tuesday after helping shape Republican President Donald Trump's opposition to multilateral trade deals. Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office to Ross, 79, a day after the U.S. Senate voted to confirm the corporate turnaround expert's nomination, with strong support from Democrats. WATCH: Ross' remarks at his swearing-in ceremony Ross is set to become an influential voice in Trump's economic... Читать дальше...

Humans are responsible for 84 percent of all wildfires in the United States, a new study suggests. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst say during 20 years, human-started fires have “tripled the length of the fire season and dominated an area seven times greater than that affected by lightning-caused fires.” The study looked at the years 1992 to 2012 and found that of the 1.5 million fires that were large enough to require fire fighting... Читать дальше...

Yemen has food reserves for only 2-4 months, bringing it to the brink of famine as fighting escalates, a senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday on return from the country. Robert Mardini, ICRC regional director for the Middle East, called for the lifting of restrictions on the import and movement of goods and voiced concern at the fate of 500,000 people in the port city of Hodeidah as the conflict moves north up the Red Sea coast. The "lifeline"... Читать дальше...

Few spots on the globe are as troubled as East Africa, where South Sudan is struggling with conflict and famine, Burundi remains stuck in political crisis and Somalia and Kenya are trying to deal with a resurgent al-Shabab. Analysts say ethnic mistrust and weak governments are undermining the regional response to crises.   Five years ago, East Africa appeared to be on the dawn of a peaceful age. After years of regional intervention, South Sudan had become independent, al-Shabab was retreating in Somalia and Burundi's long civil war was over. Читать дальше...