Новости за 26.05.2017

Residents of the northern Syrian city of Raqqa who escaped the Islamic State's de-factor capital say IS has become increasingly brutal toward residents. The militant extremists are using many as human shields as U.S.-backed Syrian forces intensify their siege around the city. VOA's Zana Omar reports.

South Sudanese authorities released a journalist Thursday who had been detained without charges since August 22, 2014. George Livio, who worked for the U.N.-sponsored Miraya FM radio station, had been arrested by national security operatives and detained at an unknown location. The U.N. did not immediately provide a reason for Livio's release, though the U.N. mission in South Sudan had been pushing for his freedom and that of two other staff members. Several rights groups, including Amnesty International... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump has announced his intent to nominate Henry Kerner, vice president of a nonpartisan watchdog agency, as special counsel in the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, a federal agency that protects employee rights. Kerner is the vice president of a watchdog group called Cause of Action that monitors and reports on federal government waste, fraud and abuse. Kerner, a career prosecutor, previously served on the staffs of the House Oversight Committee and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations... Читать дальше...

Tests are underway to determine the genetic sequence of the Ebola virus behind an outbreak in central Africa, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control researcher said Friday. Dr. Barbara Knust, an epidemiologist, told VOA's Horn of Africa service that scientists are looking for "clues" about where this strain of Ebola originated and how to treat it. "That could help [us] understand how this virus is related to other viruses that have caused other Ebola outbreaks," she said. The latest Ebola outbreak... Читать дальше...

A picture of a smiling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan flanked by EU President Donald Tusk and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker adorned much of Turkey's pro-government media this week. “Erdogan got his picture of his handshake in Brussels, which is really only what he wanted,” said political science professor Cengiz Aktar, “because he is looking for legitimacy in his new position as strongman of Turkey.” Erdogan's narrow referendum victory extending his presidential powers remains mired in vote-rigging allegations. Читать дальше...

Sur, a central district in Diyarbakir, which was destroyed in the monthslong clashes in 2015 between Turkish security forces and the youth branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), is finally being rebuilt. But some families are refusing to leave their homes, saying a state-sponsored subsidy is too low. Power and water to the district have been cut, and the families are struggling to live without electricity and having to carry water for their needs.

A top official said Friday that forces from the United Arab Emirates could soon be flying fighter jets from a new base in the breakaway republic of Somaliland. Somaliland Foreign Minister Saad Ali Shire said the UAE could use the base in the town of Berbera for any purpose, including "training, surveillance and military operations." Berbera is about 250 kilometers south of Yemen, where a Saudi-led military coalition that includes UAE troops is fighting Houthi rebels. The base is still under construction... Читать дальше...

Philippine officials say foreigners are among the gunmen loyal to Islamic State who seized control of the southern city of Marawi as government forces raided a suspected hideout of a wanted terrorist. Tens of thousands of residents have fled the violence raging through Marawi, one of the biggest Muslim cities in the primarily Catholic Philippines. Marawi is on southern Mindanao island. "What is happening in Mindanao is no longer a rebellion of Filipino citizens," Solicitor General Jose Calida said Friday. Читать дальше...

U.S. pop singer Ariana Grande says she will return to Manchester, England, to play a benefit show to raise money for the 22 victims and families of this week's terrorist attack. Grande had just finished her show Monday night when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the crowded lobby of the Manchester Arena. She was unharmed, although deeply shaken by the attack, and canceled her concert dates for the next two weeks. No date has yet been set for the benefit concert, which Grande announced in a letter posted on Twitter Friday... Читать дальше...

The U.N. envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process warned Friday that the Gaza Strip was on the brink of a violent crisis. "In Gaza, we are walking into another crisis with our eyes wide open," Nickolay Mladenov told the U.N. Security Council. "I am today warning the Security Council that unless urgent measures are taken to de-escalate, the crisis risks spiraling out of control with devastating consequences for Palestinians and Israelis alike," he said via a video link. He said an intra-Palestinian... Читать дальше...

How to stop people who are determined to kill and maim is again the focus of debate in Britain following the Manchester bombing, the worst terrorist attack in the country in more than a decade. While visiting hospitalized children injured in the attack, Britain's Queen Elizabeth determinedly stressed Thursday how "everyone is united" in the aftermath of the attack, dubbing the bombing "dreadful, very wicked." Not everyone, though, is emphasizing the importance of unity. Allison Pearson, a columnist... Читать дальше...

Democratic Republic of Congo opposes an international investigation into the deaths of two U.N. investigators, the foreign minister said on Thursday, amid mounting criticism of the Congolese authorities' own probe. Congolese military prosecutors announced last weekend that two suspected militiamen would soon face trial for the March killings of U.N. investigators Zaida Catalan, a Swede, and American Michael Sharp in the insurrection-plagued Kasai region. Rights groups, however, say they suspect... Читать дальше...

This is the Top Five Countdown! We’re sizing up the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart, for the week ending May 27, 2017. On the one hand, we don’t get any new songs this week…but on the other, the championship changes hands. So: is the glass half full or half empty? You be the judge. Number 5: Kendrick Lamar "Humble " Let’s open in fifth place, where Kendrick Lamar “sits down” a slot with “Humble.”   Number 4: Ed Sheeran "Shape of You" Ed Sheeran has a bounce-back week... Читать дальше...

One traffic spat in western Zambia has grown into an international incident with life-or-death implications — one that could taint Zambia's history of peaceful and democratic rule. For more than six weeks now, opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has been in jail, awaiting trial on treason charges, which carry a possible death penalty. He was arrested in April, after his convoy crossed paths with the motorcade of President Edgar Lungu on a country road, and Hichilema's drivers refused to yield to the president. Читать дальше...

A group of 50 Somali nationals deported from the United States arrived in Mogadishu on Friday, officials says.   The Somali ambassador to United States, Ahmed Isse Awad, told VOA Somali that the 50 deportees are the second group to be sent to Mogadishu this month.   “There were 50 people deported; 30 of them were removed due to criminal cases against them, 20 had their asylum applications rejected,” he said. Samir Abdirahman Arab was among the Somali nationals who were deported.   “The judge... Читать дальше...

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on graduates to fight for "truth and reason" Friday during a commencement address at her alma mater. "Don't be afraid of your ambition, of your dreams, or even your anger," she told Wellesley College's class of 2017. "Those are powerful forces, but harness them to make a difference in the world." This was Clinton's third address at a Wellesley commencement. She also addressed graduates in 1992 as first lady and as a student speaker at her own commencement. Читать дальше...

Host Mil Arcega discusses the Congressional testimony on Russian US election meddling this week of former CIA Director John Brennan, speaking with VOA Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson, and VOA White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman.

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

The U.N. human rights chief called on air forces Friday to take greater care in distinguishing legitimate military targets from civilians in Syria. "The same civilians who are suffering indiscriminate shelling and summary executions by ISIL [Islamic State], are also falling victim to the escalating airstrikes, particularly in the northeastern governorates of Al-Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said. "Unfortunately, scant attention is being... Читать дальше...

African delegates celebrated with ululations and high-fives when Ethiopia's Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was elected director-general of the World Health Organization earlier this week in Geneva. Now, Tedros faces a slew of challenges as he takes the helm of a sprawling organization with more than 7,000 employees in 150 countries, responsible for improving health care around the world. Tedros, who goes by his first name, won by a clear majority, defeating British and Pakistani candidates in the... Читать дальше...

He was quiet and withdrawn, a college dropout who liked soccer — and, some say, showed alarming signs of being radicalized years before he walked into a pop concert at Britain's Manchester Arena and detonated a powerful bomb, killing himself and 22 others. While some claim Salman Abedi had been banned from the mosque he attended for statements glorifying terrorism and his angry rhetoric even prompted an acquaintance to report him to the authorities, others deny that account, saying he never showed any worrying or erratic behavior. Читать дальше...

The U.N. Children’s Fund is urging G-7 leaders meeting in Taormina, Sicily to adopt an action plan to keep refugee and migrant children safe, following the deaths of at least 200 refugee and migrants children this year. UNICEF reports the refugees and migrants children, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, died along Mediterranean Sea routes from North Africa to Italy. Data from early 2017 shows a growing number of refugees and migrants are taking the perilous central Mediterranean route to reach Europe. Читать дальше...