Новости за 04.05.2017

President Donald Trump on Thursday declared Obamacare "essentially dead" after the House of Representatives narrowly passed a Republican-crafted health care replacement. Trump celebrated the bill's approval in the White House Rose Garden, surrounded by many of the Republicans who voted to repeal and replace Obama's Affordable Care Act. WATCH: Ryan Says 'We Still Have A Lot Of Work To Do' "They're doing it for the country, not for the party," Trump said of his fellow Republicans. He said... Читать дальше...

Logistical challenges and disputes during Kenya's primaries last month have raised concerns about the nationwide polls in August and how best to avoid a repeat of the deadly post-election violence in 2007. When poll results are contested, the final decision often lies with the courts. "Electoral cases cannot be treated in the same way as other matters that come before the courts, because of their inherent political sensitivity, the high public interest in their outcomes, the intense bursts in... Читать дальше...

Daddy Yankee feels streaming his music online has finally revealed a hidden reality about Latin artists' popularity.   The reggaeton icon, who this week reached the No. 4 spot in Billboard's Hot 100 with a new version of his and Luis Fonsi's megahit "Despacito'' featuring Justin Bieber, also saw it land on Spotify's No. 12 global hits and No. 2 on its Viral 50 chart, above songs by Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Bieber.   "I really feel very blessed to see what has happened. It is incredible. 'Despacito'... Читать дальше...

The leader of Mozambique's Renamo opposition party and rebel movement said Thursday that he was extending a cease-fire indefinitely, part of an agreement reached in talks with the government to end violence since a disputed 2014 election. Renamo and the ruling Frelimo party fought on opposing sides of a civil war from 1976 to 1992 in which a million people died before a peace accord ended the fighting. But fighting has sporadically flared since Renamo challenged results of the southern African nation's 2014 elections. Читать дальше...

Students held demonstrations across Caracas Thursday as a two-month-old protest movement that shows no signs of letting up claimed more lives. At the Central University of Venezuela, soldiers bathed hundreds of student protesters in tear gas. Many of the protesters stayed put, and medics in gas masks attended to others with bloodied faces and limbs. Students from another university marched peacefully to deliver a petition to the office of the country's Catholic bishops, asking the pope to speak out against the violence... Читать дальше...

We’re holding court with the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending May 6, 2017. All we can say is “wow” – yet another big song debuts in the Top Five this week. In fact, we get two new tracks. Number 5: Future "Mask Off" Future makes his first career Top Five appearance, as “Mask Off” jumps two slots to fifth place. The Atlanta rapper launches his “Nobody Safe Tour” on May 4 in Memphis, and Kodak Black has been dropped from the lineup. Читать дальше...

Researchers from Harvard University, Princeton University and the Environmental Defense Fund proposed a new, more precise way to measure the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on Earth's climate in an article published on Thursday in the academic journal Science. The proposal would create a two-digit measurement system the scientists likened to blood pressure readings in medicine, which show the pressure on blood vessels both during heartbeats and in between them. It would help scientists and... Читать дальше...

What makes a country? What's to stop you from planting a flag in your own front yard and declaring your home a sovereign nation?  It seems like a ridiculous question, but it has merit. In the past 25 years, the world has recognized dozens of new countries, and mapmakers have been scrambling to keep up. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 created 15 new republics. Countries, it turns out, come and go. And on today's maps, there are plenty of wannabe countries that are struggling for recognition. Читать дальше...

The United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday he would push Ethiopia to allow his agency to investigate rights abuses during months of unrest in 2015 and 2016 in which hundreds of people were killed. The Horn of Africa country declared six months of emergency rule in October after more than a year of violent protests in its Oromiya and Amhara regions. Demonstrators in the areas say the government has trampled on their political rights. The state of emergency has since been extended by four months. Читать дальше...

U.S. President Donald Trump is returning to New York City Thursday evening for the first time since becoming president to meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Trump spoke to Turnbull by telephone in February, discussing his election win and an agreement for the United States to resettle some refugees currently in Australian custody. Trump reportedly called the deal "dumb" and "the worst deal ever" before ending the call abruptly. Turnbull later denied reports that the American president had hung up on him. Читать дальше...

“I let down my friends. I let down the country. I let down our system of government… most of all, I let down an opportunity that I would have had for two-and-a-half more years to proceed on great projects and programs for peace.” The words of former President Richard Nixon spoken on this day in 1977, just a few minutes of hours of televised interviews, edited down to 90 minutes, conducted by British journalist Sir David Frost. It was an apology of sorts — the closest the public would ever get from the president... Читать дальше...

As Africa grapples with a severe drought, and famine threatens millions of people, experts at the World Economic Forum on Africa this week in the South African city of Durban say food security needs to be a major part of discussions on advancing the continent economically. The annual World Economic Forum in Switzerland is usually a high-powered event, but at this week’s Africa meeting of the international organization, the continent’s big players are welcoming the humble farmer, now known as the... Читать дальше...

The Iraqi government is struggling to accommodate the thousands of people fleeing fighting in west Mosul, and some civilians are being sent back to Islamic State-free sectors in the eastern part of the city to make room, Kurdish officials told VOA. People have been fleeing Mosul in large numbers since the start of the Iraqi offensive against IS in October 2016. Their ranks rose to 600,000 this week, the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement said. "Most camps are full now," Ghayath Surchi... Читать дальше...

Congress should consider authorizing the U.S. Department of Energy to study encasing much of the nuclear waste at the nation's largest waste repository in a cement-like mixture instead of turning it into glass logs, according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Doing so before burying the waste would be less expensive than a process called vitrification to turn the waste into the glass logs, said the report issued Wednesday. The process called grouting might also allow... Читать дальше...

California family says they were forced off a Delta plane and threatened with jail after refusing to give up one of their children's seats on a crowded flight. A video of the April 23 incident was uploaded to Facebook on Wednesday and adds to the list of recent encounters on airlines that went viral, including the dragging of a passenger off a United Express plane. Brian and Brittany Schear of Huntington Beach, California, told KABC-TV in Los Angeles that they were returning from Hawaii with... Читать дальше...

Last week, the White House unveiled what it called “the largest tax reform in U.S. history.”  Gary Cohn, who heads the President's National Economic Council said, “We’re going to cut taxes for businesses to make them competitive and we’re going to cut taxes for the American people, especially low- and middle-income families.” But analysts say to call the one page proposal a plan, may be a bit of a stretch.  Policy documents from the White House usually provide pages of detail says Scott Greenberg... Читать дальше...

The U.S. Senate cast aside partisan acrimony Thursday and overwhelmingly passed a trillion-dollar spending bill that keeps the federal government funded through September. The 79 to 18 vote came one day after the House of Representatives approved the measure, which now awaits President Donald Trump’s signature to become law. “This represents the first demonstration of Republicans and Democrats in both houses of Congress working with the White House in order to pass an important piece of legislation... Читать дальше...

As national parks traveler Mikah Meyer continued his journey across western Texas, he got a chance to immerse himself further in American history. A frontier post At Fort Davis National Historic Site, he learned what an important role the military outpost played in the 1800s, helping to defend American interests in the West Texas Chihuahuan Desert. The desert spans more than half the Mexico-U.S. border, covering much of West Texas – arguably, a perfect place for a fort. Established by Brevet Major General Persifor F. Читать дальше...

Germany's top general on Thursday said it was unclear if the officer arrested last week on suspicion of planning a racially motivated attack was part of a broader network. "We don't know that at this point. ... We are trying to examine the environment around the suspect," General Volker Wieker, inspector general of the German Bundeswehr, told the broadcaster ARD. German media reports have said officials are looking into a possible network of five people around the 28-year-old lieutenant, identified only as Franco A. Читать дальше...

Pill Could Help People Who Can’t Exercise

The State Department wants to review social media, email addresses and phone numbers from some foreigners seeking U.S. visas. It's part of the Trump administration's enhanced screening of potential immigrants and visitors. The department is seeking public comment on the requirement. But it's also requesting White House budget office approval so the plan can take effect for 180 days, beginning May 18. People would have to provide five years of social media handles and 15 years of travel and work history... Читать дальше...

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Thursday to seek their support in pressing North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs. Tillerson's first meeting with all members of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations will also address another pressing regional issue - China's assertive pursuit of territory in the South China Sea, where several ASEAN members have competing claims. Tillerson told reporters at the start of the Washington... Читать дальше...

Wednesday was World Press Freedom Day, but in South Sudan, journalists say freedom to do their work has all but disappeared. Alfred Taban, editor in chief of the independent Juba Monitor, says his English-language newspaper is routinely censored by security agents prior to publishing. Taban was arrested last year for writing an editorial calling for South Sudan’s leaders to step down. “In July when I wrote that President Kiir and the then-First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar should be removed... Читать дальше...

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

A former Afghan warlord who became the first insurgent to sign on to a peace deal has arrived in Kabul with an entourage of more than 100 pick-up trucks packed with his men, some brandishing automatic rifles and rocket launchers.   Thursday's appearance in the Afghan capital was Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's first in 21 years.   Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed Hekmatyar to the presidential palace. Ghani is championing a peace deal he hopes would be embraced by others.   But Taliban spokesman... Читать дальше...