Новости за 14.09.2017

Observers found some technical problems but no evidence of vote-rigging in Kenya's presidential election last month, the European Union said on Thursday, based on random checks of tallies from polling stations. The finding was announced as Kenya gears up for a re-run of the contest between President Uhuru Kenyatta and challenger Raila Odinga on Oct. 17, after the Supreme Court nullified Kenyatta's victory citing irregularities in the tallying process. Credible elections would boost Kenya's role... Читать дальше...

Colombia on Thursday defended its anti-narcotics efforts after U.S. President Donald Trump said he considered downgrading the country in a White House assessment because of an uptick in the cultivation of coca, the base ingredient for cocaine. Tens of millions of dollars in development and security funding and logistical help could be in danger should the United States decide the South American country is not doing enough, and such a decision could even jeopardize Colombia's access to monies from multilateral organizations. Читать дальше...

Informal mining in Brazil is seen by many as a scourge polluting the Amazon rainforest, poisoning indigenous tribes and robbing the nation of its wealth. For others it is a way of life. Brazilian garimpos, or wildcat mines, are operated by small crews of men, often caked in red-brown mud and working with rudimentary pans, shovels and sluice boxes that have been used for centuries. More sophisticated operations use water cannons and boats sucking mud from the bottoms of rivers. Regardless of the method... Читать дальше...

To say that Josie Ho has been busy is an understatement. The Hong Kong singer and actress is putting out new music, touring Asia and has shot a new travel show on TLC. Together with her indie rock band, Josie and the Uni Boys, Ho is releasing seven new singles on vinyl records, one song at a time. She said her new music is inspired by the psycho thriller film Split starring James McAvoy, about three young girls kidnapped by a man who suffers from a multiple personality disorder. Fittingly, the first single is named Skitzo. Читать дальше...

The Catalonian government on Thursday launched its official campaign for an independence referendum, which Madrid has declared illegal, buoyed by the support of the capital Barcelona. Crowds filled a bull ring in the northeastern city of Tarragona, applauding and shouting "We will vote!" as regional president Carles Puigdemont arrived to rally support for the October 1 vote. In a boost for the credibility of the referendum, the mayor of Barcelona said earlier on Thursday that the vote would go ahead in the city... Читать дальше...

When she woke up one morning in February, Catherine Kagendo realized that one of her cows could not stand. "It was lying on its side, had lost its appetite and was breathing heavily," she told Reuters from her farm in Meru, in eastern Kenya. With her husband, she decided to turn to WeFarm, a text-based network of small-scale farmers, for help. Within an hour, their text — "one of my lactating cows cannot stand" — generated a flurry of suggestions, from "feed your cow with minerals rich in calcium"... Читать дальше...

Nearly eight months into his presidency, Donald Trump appears intent on reshaping his image into one of a bipartisan deal maker.  On Thursday, Trump told reporters he and Democratic congressional leaders are “fairly close” to reaching a deal to extend protections for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Trump’s comments came a day after he hosted a White House dinner for Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the latest example of what... Читать дальше...

Iraq's parliament on Thursday voted to dismiss the Kurdish governor of the ethnically mixed Kirkuk province, in a move that could escalate tensions ahead of a planned Kurdish referendum on independence. To the south of Baghdad, meanwhile, militants attacked a checkpoint and nearby restaurant in southern Thi Qar province, killing at least 60 people and wounding 83, according to provincial Gov. Yahya al-Nassiri. The so-called Islamic State group, through its Amaq news agency, claimed responsibility. Читать дальше...

Larry and Elida Dimas didn't have much to begin with, and Hurricane Irma left them with even less. The storm peeled open the roof of the old mobile home where they live with their 18-year-old twins, and it destroyed another one they rented to migrant workers in Immokalee, one of Florida's poorest communities. Someone from the government already has promised aid, but Dimas' chin quivers at the thought of accepting it. “I don't want the help,” said Dimas, 55. “But I need it.” Dimas is one of millions of Floridians who live in poverty... Читать дальше...

In the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, traffic cameras nail speeders, and trash thrown on the street is whisked away by morning. High-level officials from all over the country dine in five-star hotels, and parks, malls and cafes are packed on nights and weekends. People speak Kurdish, listen to Kurdish music, marry Kurdish spouses and eat Kurdish food. There are plenty of Arab residents and visitors, but they come with permission from Kurdish authorities, and after passing through Kurdish military checkpoints. Читать дальше...

In a Croatian port sits a boat built to carry bananas from Africa to Italy, that laid mines for Nazi Germany and was sunk by Allied planes before it was salvaged as the personal yacht of a globe-trotting communist leader. Josip Broz Tito and the state he led - Yugoslavia - have long passed into history, and the boat, the Galeb (Seagull), was left to rust in a corner of Rijeka's once mighty docks. Now, with Rijeka readying to become European Capital of Culture in 2020, city authorities have secured... Читать дальше...

Carrie Fisher's hand-annotated script for her Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back movie is expected to fetch up to $50,000 at an auction next month of her personal property. California auctioneers Profiles in History said Thursday that the 158-page shooting script is marked and underlined in pencil by Fisher for every page with dialogue for her character, Princess Leia. The three-day auction in Los Angeles, starting Oct. 7, will also include bound presentation scripts signed by movie director George Lucas for the 1977 first Star Wars movie... Читать дальше...

The United States is responding to Russian propaganda with new media efforts aimed at countering “Kremlin distortions” with objective news, Broadcasting Board of Governors CEO John Lansing told a Senate panel on Thursday.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Thursday welcoming recent efforts to bring opposing sides together on the conflict in Libya, which Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling ripe for mediation to end the chaos and restore peace. The resolution extends the U.N. political mission in the country until September 15, 2018, with a mandate "to exercise mediation and good offices" to support "an inclusive political process" and a Libyan transition. Libya sank into chaos... Читать дальше...

Two branches of a chain motel in Phoenix, Arizona, have been sharing guest information with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), resulting in at least 20 arrests since February, according to a report by a local paper. Last week's report by the Phoenix New Times says that employees at two locations of corporate-owned Motel 6 said it was “standard practice” to share guest information with ICE. Motel 6 responded officially Wednesday, saying that... Читать дальше...

Venezuela's government this week urged citizens to see rabbits as more than "cute pets" as it defended a plan to breed and eat them even as the opposition says this would do nothing to end chronic food shortages. The "Rabbit Plan" is an effort by the government of President Nicolas Maduro to boost food availability. Authorities have also taught citizens to plant food on roofs and balconies of their homes. Maduro's adversaries dismiss such ideas as nonsensical, insisting the real problem is a... Читать дальше...

Trucks carrying emergency supplies to children affected by the Rohingya refugee crisis are making their way to Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of members of Myanmar's Rohingya community have fled for safety, the U.N.’s children’s agency said Thursday. Up to 400,000 Rohingya so far have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh and, according to UNICEF, about 60 percent of them are children. “There are acute shortages of everything, most critically shelter, food and clean water,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Representative in Bangladesh. Читать дальше...

SpaceX has put together a bloopers video showing "How NOT to land an orbital rocket booster." Set to John Philip Sousa's rousing march "The Liberty Bell," the two-minute video posted Thursday shows rockets exploding at sea and over land. The opening blast, from 2013, is even synchronized to the music. SpaceX chief Elon Musk can afford to poke fun at his early, pioneering efforts at rocket recycling, now that his private company has pulled off 16 successful booster landings. The most recent occurred last week in Florida. Читать дальше...

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

In the Turkish capital, Ankara, the trial of two educators charged with terrorism has started.  The defendants have been on a hunger strike for more than five months to protest their firing as part of a government crackdown after last year’s failed coup. Their hunger strike and trial have become a focal point of government opposition. The Ankara courthouse where Semih Ozakca and Nuriye Gulmen are on trial was surrounded by a large security presence. Police outside the court prevented opposition... Читать дальше...

More than 50 local and national charities have raised more than $350 million in the nearly three weeks since Hurricane Harvey struck the Texas Gulf Coast, and the disparate groups are trying to decide on priorities while some storm victims still await help. Distrust of large charities such as the American Red Cross has driven many donors to smaller, local organizations. For instance, Houston Texans football star J.J. Watt has raised more than $30 million for his foundation, an effort he started by posting appeals on social media. Читать дальше...

Fans of the old Latin Mass descended on Rome on Thursday for their annual pilgrimage, facing indifference to their cause, if not outright resistance, from none other than Pope Francis.   Ten years after Pope Benedict XVI passed a law allowing greater use of the Latin Mass, Francis seems to be doing everything possible to roll it back or simply pretend it never happened.   In recent weeks, he has affirmed with “magisterial authority” that the reforms of the 1960s allowing for Mass to be celebrated... Читать дальше...

The Northland area of Columbus, Ohio was booming in the 1960s and 70s. About 65 square kilometers, the area was a shopping and dining destination. Its centerpiece was the Northland Mall on Morse Road. “You couldn’t get a parking space at the mall at Christmas time,” Dave Cooper, president of the Northland Area Business Association, told Columbusalive.com. In the early 2000s, the area fell on hard times. Retailers began to desert the mall – Columbus’s oldest – for newer shopping centers and in 2002... Читать дальше...

The leader of Yemen's Shiite rebels is threatening to attack territory in the United Arab Emirates, a key member of a Saudi-led coalition fighting to defeat his Iranian-backed forces and restore an internationally recognized government.   In a speech aired Thursday on the rebel-run al-Masirah TV, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi says the UAE is now within range of missiles available to his forces after a "successful'' missile test showed they could reach the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi.   The rebels, also known as Houthis... Читать дальше...

Overwhelmed and underfunded, aid agencies in Bangladesh are at a breaking point. But nearly three weeks into Rakhine State’s bloody conflict and the humanitarian crisis shows no signs of relenting. Around 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have now sought refuge in the country's southern state of Chitagong, but with refugee camps at full capacity and insufficient support from aid agencies, it makes for an inhospitable home.  “Too many Rohingya have arrived, so there is not enough room of us in the camps," said Noor Mohammed, a Rohingya refugee. Читать дальше...