Новости за 25.05.2017

U.S. President Donald Trump's budget director told the Senate Budget Committee Thursday that Republican legislation aimed at revamping the nation's health care law would curtail the growth of health care costs. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued a report Wednesday estimating the bill, which narrowly passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, would achieve $119 billion in savings over 10 years. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told lawmakers... Читать дальше...

Pakistan has started a crackdown against social media activists who are critical of its powerful military, but a major opposition party says the ruling party is using the military as cover to suppress criticism. Ayesha Tanzeem reports from Islamabad.

A suicide car bombing and clashes with Taliban insurgents across Afghanistan have killed at least 25 security personnel. The violence comes as the United Nations urges parties to the Afghan conflict to cease hostilities during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, beginning this week. Local television stations quoted security officials in the embattled Helmand province as saying that a suicide bomber Thursday afternoon rammed his explosives-laden car into an office of the Afghan intelligence agency. Читать дальше...

After the Chinese government detained her husband on March 19, Ching-yu Lee, wife of Taiwanese nongovernmental organization worker Ming-che Lee, dedicated herself to a rescue mission that raises international awareness and seeks his release. Ching-yu Lee received a warm reception from senior U.S. officials and congressional members during a recent trip to Washington. A State Department spokesman told VOA on Wednesday that Virginia Bennett, the acting assistant secretary for democracy, human rights and labor affairs... Читать дальше...

Former Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos was injured Thursday when a bomb exploded inside his vehicle in Athens, officials said. Two Bank of Greece employees in the car were also injured. All three were conscious and hospitalized in stable condition, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said, calling the blast an "attack." "With all out heart, we wish Mr. Papademos and his companions a speedy recovery. The prime minister has been updated about all the events by the minister of public... Читать дальше...

A federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday declined to reinstate President Donald Trump's executive order limiting travel from six predominantly Muslim countries for three months. The ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the order did amount to a Muslim ban. "Laid bare, this executive order is no more than what the president promised before and after his election: naked invidious discrimination against Muslims," the judges said in their 205-page ruling. A majority... Читать дальше...

A Senate panel has overwhelmingly approved new U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's support for international terrorism and its ballistic missile program, the first move to punish Tehran since a landmark nuclear accord went into effect. Thursday's 18-3 vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee came days after President Donald Trump pledged common cause with Israel and Sunni Arab states to counter Iranian influence in the region. "The bill passed overwhelmingly today [in committee] and I believe... Читать дальше...

It’s probably not a good idea to decide what to eat based on how many calories your wearable fitness tracker says you’ve burned, according to a new study. Researchers at Stanford University in California, who tested several popular fitness trackers on 60 volunteers, say the fitness trackers are good for measuring heart rate and counting steps, but they’re bad at measuring energy expenditure. The volunteers, 29 men and 31 women, engaged in a variety of physical activities, including walking or... Читать дальше...

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

A U.S. military investigation into a deadly March airstrike has found that a secondary explosion caused the deaths of more than 100 civilians in Mosul, Iraq. U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, said Thursday the investigation determined that Islamic State fighters had placed “large amounts” of explosives in a building that housed civilians and then began attacking Iraqi forces from that building. When the coalition targeted snipers on the roof... Читать дальше...

New data Thursday paint a mixed picture of the U.S. economy. A report on the job market shows a slight increase in the number of people signing up for unemployment assistance last week. But the data also show that the number of people laid off remains at a low level consistent with a strong job market, where it has been for well over two years. Economists say strong employment data will encourage the U.S. central bank to raise interest rates at its next meeting in June. The U.S. unemployment rate will be updated late next week. Читать дальше...

It was not just family and friends mourning Martyn Hett this week. Even Mariah Carey was shocked by his death in the Ariana Grande concert bombing. Carey posted a picture of Hett — one of 22 people killed in Monday night's bombing at the Manchester Arena — on Instagram wearing a T-shirt bearing her image.   "Devastated to learn that one of the victims in Manchester was part of the (hash)Lambily," Carey wrote in the post, using the name she has given to her legion of fans. "RIP Martyn Hett. We will cherish your memory forever. Читать дальше...

Defense attorneys say medical care for a former Salvadoran colonel accused of helping to plot five killings is declining since his transfer to a new facility to await a final decision on his extradition.   A lawyer for Inocente Orlando Montano Morales says in a filing that routine blood sugar checks were missed and he has had a fever and other symptoms indicating that he could have a new infection.   Judge Terrence Boyle had tried to send Montano to a federal prison hospital because of concerns about his health... Читать дальше...

Israel is marking this week the 50th anniversary of its capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war - an event it celebrates as the "unification" of its eternal capital. But for Palestinians, there is little to celebrate. They also claim east Jerusalem as their capital, and live in neighborhoods under Israeli control that suffer from poverty, neglect and poor services. These stark contrasts are on display this week. Parades, light shows and festivals are being held throughout the city... Читать дальше...

Spinning off the shelves

Attacks on hospitals, doctors, ambulances, the wounded and sick took place in at least 20 countries affected by conflict last year, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday. Guterres told a U.N. Security Council meeting on health care in conflict that in most of the countries "fragile medical systems were already at the breaking point" — and in most cases no one was held accountable.   "These attacks are evidence of a broader trend: parties to conflict are treating hospitals and health clinics as targets... Читать дальше...

The next generation hypersonic space plane just took a big step toward reality as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced Boeing will “complete advanced design work” for the Experimental Spaceplane, XS-1. The goal of the project is to offer quicker access to low Earth orbit, decreasing the preparation time to launch from months to days. For example, in the case of the loss of a military or commercial satellite, the unmanned, reusable XS-1 could quickly be used to launch a replacement. Читать дальше...

Brazil's president on Thursday cancelled an order to deploy the military to the streets of the capital after criticism that the move was excessive and merely an effort to hold onto power amid increasing calls for his resignation. In a decree published in the Official Diary, President Michel Temer revoked the order issued a day earlier, "considering the halt to acts of destruction and violence and the subsequent reestablishment of law and order." On Thursday afternoon, however, soldiers were still stationed in Brasilia. Читать дальше...

The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday officially condemned the violent crackdown on protests outside the Turkish embassy in Washington last week. "This timely resolution sends a clear signal to the Turkish government that we will not allow any foreign government to stifle the rights of our citizens," the committee said in a statement following the passage of House Resolution 354, which condemned the violence against what it deemed peaceful protests. U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan thanked the committee... Читать дальше...

Al-Jazeera is among sites blocked Wednesday night

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday lectured NATO leaders for spending what he sees as insufficient money on defense, and said the group should be more focused on terrorism. “The NATO of the future must include a great focus on terrorism and immigration as well as threats from Russia and on NATO’s eastern and southern border. These grave security concerns are the same reason I have been very very direct with Secretary Stoltenberg and members of the alliance in saying that NATO members must... Читать дальше...

While NATO heads of states are meeting in their newest headquarters to discuss increasing defense budget spending, leading peace activists from around the world are gathered for a counter-summit to advocate for less militarization. Military spending will be one of the issues topping the NATO summit agenda Thursday in Brussels. Increasing defense spending to 2 percent of GDP is a requirement for member countries, but only five of the 28 abide by this rule. President Donald Trump has been... Читать дальше...

Toni Morrison praised the power of literature and the “community” of writers. James Patterson told some jokes, and even sang. Both received Distinguished Service Awards Wednesday night at the 25th annual Authors Guild dinner gala, held in Manhattan. The Guild, which represents thousands of published writers, also gave a service award to the heads of the self-publishing platform IngramSpark. The 86-year-old Morrison, who won the Nobel literature prize in 1993, was cited by longtime editor Robert... Читать дальше...

The sand on Siesta Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast is as fine as powdered sugar, a pure, sparkling white and soft as a kitten's fur — all because it's comprised of 99 percent pure crushed quartz.   For that reason, and many others, it was selected this year as the best beach in America by a professor who's made a career ranking and studying beaches around the United States.   "The sand is outstanding," said Stephen Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach, a professor at Miami's Florida International University. Читать дальше...

Aid agencies warn that humanitarian efforts against hunger in northeastern Nigeria are dangerously underfunded and some communities remain cut off from aid and their farms as the military continues to battle Boko Haram. Communities in northeastern Nigeria are facing the dual threats of hunger and the terrorist group known as Boko Haram. The zone has been identified by aid agencies as one of four conflict-torn parts of the world at risk of famine this year. The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates... Читать дальше...