Новости за 01.08.2017

U.S. senators renewed calls on Tuesday for President Donald Trump to promptly sign sweeping sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea that both houses of Congress overwhelmingly approved last week. The White House has repeatedly indicated the president’s intention to sign the legislation into law, but no date has been set nor has a signing ceremony been announced for a bill that already prompted retaliation from Moscow. “It’s a concern now. I’m not sure that there is any rational or defensible... Читать дальше...

Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is urging peaceful elections as candidates begin campaigning to replace the Nobel Peace Prize winner who has led the West African country through the Ebola crisis and recovery from civil war. Among those running in the October 10 election are her vice president and two of the men she faced during Liberia's last vote in 2011. In a radio broadcast late Monday, the 78-year-old Sirleaf urged political leaders to put Liberia first and control the emotions of their supporters. Читать дальше...

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov signed a friendship treaty on Tuesday in a move designed to end years of diplomatic wrangling and boost Macedonia's European integration. Macedonia's difficult relations with its bigger eastern neighbor, with which it shares close religious, historic and linguistic ties, have hampered Skopje's efforts to join NATO and the European Union. Bulgaria belongs to both organizations. Bulgaria still does not recognize the Macedonian language... Читать дальше...

A new Human Rights Watch report accuses nine leaders in both of South Sudan’s warring parties of committing serious rights violations and possibly war crimes during 2016 and 2017. It recommends placing sanctions on all nine men, including President Salva Kiir, former First Vice President Riek Machar, and former army chief of staff Paul Malong. Jehanne Henry of Human Rights Watch’s Africa division, says that based on HRW's research, the leaders are implicated in abusive operations across the country. Читать дальше...

The Buenos Aires Herald, a storied English-language newspaper lauded for its coverage of Argentina's 1976-1983 military dictatorship, will close after more than 140 years of publication, the newspaper said late on Monday. "Herald's staff have been informed that the newspaper is closing," the paper said in a Twitter message, along with a photo of the front page of its 140th anniversary edition from last September. The move comes less than a year after the paper, which once called itself the only English language daily in Latin America... Читать дальше...

At least two heavily armed suicide bombers attacked a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in western Afghanistan, killing at least 20 worshippers and wounding 40 others. The assault took place Tuesday night in the city of Herat, bordering Iran. Doctors confirmed the death toll to VOA and said they expected it to increase. Afghan media quoted local officials and witnesses as saying the incident began with one assailant blowing himself up outside the mosque, while another stormed the building and opened fire. Читать дальше...

The acting director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has chastised President Donald Trump for urging law enforcement officers not to be "too nice" when physically detaining criminal suspects, urging DEA agents to maintain "the very highest standards" when involved in such situations. Acting Director Chuck Rosenberg emailed a memo to DEA personnel on Saturday, one day after Trump seemingly encouraged excessive police force when addressing police in Brentwood, New York. "When you see... Читать дальше...

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Tuesday it is pushing toward the center of Raqqa after seizing most of the southern neighborhoods from the Islamic State (IS) militants. VOA’s Mahmoud Bali reports.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s White House is under new management. Retired Marine Corps General John Kelly has taken over as White House chief of staff after serving as the secretary for Homeland Security. Trump supporters and critics alike are wondering if Kelly, who was sworn in on Monday, can bring a sense of order to a White House that has been rocked by turmoil in recent weeks. “He will do a spectacular job, I have no doubt, as chief of staff,” Trump said as he sat next to Kelly in the Oval Office. Читать дальше...

At least one other state offered Foxconn more than the $3 billion incentives package Wisconsin used to lure a plant that will be the electronics giant's first in the U.S., Gov. Scott Walker said Tuesday. Walker said "at least one if not several other states were prepared to give the Taiwan-based company more money, although the governor added "it wasn't a huge gap.'' He didn't indicate which state or states topped the offer or signal how he learned about it. Foxconn also considered sites in Michigan... Читать дальше...

The U.S. government oversight agency for operations in Afghanistan has requested the Pentagon declassify a report detailing alleged sexual abuse of children by Afghan soldiers. The request from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) says the report, which recently was issued to Congress, is classified because much of the information upon which it is based is classified. According to SIGAR, Afghan officials are failing to properly deal with the sexual abuse and, in some cases... Читать дальше...

Raised voices could be heard through the thick door to the Oval Office as John Kelly — then secretary of Homeland Security — offered some tough talk to President Donald Trump. Kelly, a whip-cracking retired general who was sworn in as White House chief of staff on Monday, had demanded to speak to the president alone after Trump complained loudly that the U.S. was admitting travelers from countries he viewed as high risk. Kelly first tried to explain to Trump that the admissions were standard ... Читать дальше...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is exempting itself from complying with environmental and other laws in constructing a wall along the Southern California border with Mexico, the agency said Tuesday. The waiver would apply to a number of wall prototypes the agency intends to build in the area in carrying out an executive order signed by President Trump in January. In its statement announcing the decision, DHS cited the San Diego sector in particular as "an area of high illegal entry for... Читать дальше...

Several dozen protesters marched to the electoral commission offices Tuesday in central Nairobi, demanding justice for election official Chris Msando. Msando was found dead Monday after going missing Friday. According to the head of Kenya's electoral commission, Msando was tortured before he was killed. Anti-corruption campaigner John Githongo says Msando's killing was meant to derail the electoral process. "The timing of his torture and murder serves to undermine Kenya's elections management... Читать дальше...

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

The war in Syria destroyed more than its cities. It destroyed its soul, says American drummer and photographer Jason Hamacher, who has recorded a large collection of Syrian religious music in an effort to preserve it. Arman Tarjimanyan reports.

People identify so-called Islamic State (IS) and climate change as the most pressing global threats of 2017, according to a Pew Research Center survey published Tuesday. The survey asked people in 38 countries about eight possible threats — IS, climate change, cyberattacks, the global economy, and the Syrian and Iraqi refugee crisis — as well as U.S., Russian or Chinese power and influence. IS and climate change are identified as major threats by about 60 percent of those surveyed. Pew said IS was named the top threat in 18 countries... Читать дальше...

Nearly 500 people suspected of involvement in an unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey last year went on trial Tuesday, where they face the prospect of the death penalty if found guilty. Those on trial Tuesday include top Army generals and pilots who are accused of directing the coup and bombing government buildings. They face charges that include murder and attempting to overthrow the government. The main defendant named in the case is the U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gulen, whom has been blamed of masterminding the coup attempt. Читать дальше...

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration as a whole has been rocked by a series of high-profile exits since he took office in January.  Here are the most notable people who've either been fired or resigned from the Trump administration.

On the latest leg of his first official tour of Eastern Europe, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence assured regional allies the United States will stand by their side. Facing a crowd of Georgian and international journalists at government offices in Tbilisi, Pence, standing alongside his host, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, said America first does not mean America alone. “President Trump has sent me with the simple message to you and to the people of Georgia, we are with you, we stand... Читать дальше...

Three days before the presidential election in Rwanda, the country's electoral commission says it is not bothered by people who suggest the outcome is a fait accompli. "It is not a foregone conclusion and we are not wasting money," said the commission's executive secretary, Charles Munyaneza, in an exclusive interview with VOA's Central Africa service. "We are not bothered as a commission and I also think Rwandans are also not bothered," he said. "... We are running elections, we are spending... Читать дальше...

An investigator who worked on the Seth Rich case claims Fox News fabricated quotes implicating the murdered Democratic National Committee staffer in the WikiLeaks scandal and coordinated with the Trump administration as it worked on the story. The investigator, Rod Wheeler, sued Fox for defamation. His lawsuit, filed Tuesday in New York, lays out an explosive tale of Trump allies conspiring to push a false story to take the pressure of the Russian collusion investigation off the president, and... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump's choice to replace James Comey as head of the FBI is heading toward Senate confirmation.   The Senate is slated to vote Tuesday evening on the nomination of Christopher Wray. The former Justice Department official won unanimous support from the Judiciary Committee last month, with Republicans and Democrats praising his promise never to let politics get in the way of the bureau's mission.   Wray would replace Comey, who was abruptly fired by Trump in May amid an investigation... Читать дальше...

The Trump administration will allow American journalists, Red Cross employees and other humanitarian workers to apply for exemptions to a ban on travel to North Korea. The ban will take effect on September 1, 30 days after the regulations are published Wednesday in the Federal Register. A preview of the documents was posted online on Tuesday. The preview says that in addition to journalists and humanitarian workers, Americans whose travel to North Korea "is otherwise in the national interest'' will be considered for exemptions. Читать дальше...

Tropical Depression Emily is rumbling further out into the Atlantic, a day after slogging across the Florida peninsula. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says remnants of the brief-lived tropical storm have maximum sustained winds near 30 mph (45 kph) as the storm moves further away from Florida.   The depression was centered at 11 a.m. EDT Tuesday about 120 miles (195 kilometers) east-northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and moving to the northeast at 14 mph (22 kph).   Forecasters say the... Читать дальше...