Новости за 02.10.2017

The family of a former Rwandan presidential candidate is demanding answers a week after she was taken into police custody. Officially, Diane Rwigara has been charged with “offenses against state security and forgery” following her arrest on Sept. 23. Her family believes the only crime she committed was challenging the authority of President Paul Kagame by running for president. “These charges are false; they are totally false, and nobody in Rwanda believes the validity of these charges. Everybody... Читать дальше...

Google is ending a decade-old policy that required publishers to provide some free stories to Google users — though it's not clear how many readers will even notice, at least for the moment. Publishers had been required to provide at least three free stories a day under the search engine's previous policy, called "first click free.'' Now they have the power to choose how many free articles they want to offer readers via Google before charging a fee, Richard Gingras, vice president of news at Google Inc.... Читать дальше...

Prosecutors and defense lawyers gave starkly different portrayals on Monday of Ahmed Abu Khattala, the alleged mastermind of the 2012 attacks on U.S. outposts in Benghazi, Libya, that killed ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. A government lawyer said that when Abu Khattala's hatred of America boiled over, he orchestrated the attacks and then triumphantly strode around the attack site carrying an AK-47. Assistant U.S. attorney John Crabb said that later, the defendant was heard at his apartment saying... Читать дальше...

Two Eritrean TV journalists who spent more than a decade imprisoned in Ethiopia have been released, according to family members and Eritrean press freedom advocates. The sources told VOA's Horn of Africa service that Tesfaldet Kidane and Salih Gama were released over the weekend. A family member of Kidane said Gama has already left for Eritrea, while Kidane is still in Ethiopia. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Gama, a show host for Eritrea's state broadcaster, and Kidane, a cameraman... Читать дальше...

Turkey’s armed forces chief, General Hulusi Akar, is in Tehran for talks with Iran’s political and military leadership, including President Hassan Rouhani. His visit precedes President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit, scheduled for Wednesday, and comes as analysts suggest the use and threat of and military force are increasingly becoming part of Turkish foreign policy. Analysts point out preliminary talks before a presidential visit are traditionally carried out by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, but... Читать дальше...

Even though gasoline-powered SUVs are what people are buying now, General Motors is betting that electric vehicles will be all the rage in the not-to-distant future. The Detroit automaker is promising two new EVs on Chevrolet Bolt underpinnings in the next 1 ½ years and more than 20 electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2023. The company sees its entire model lineup running on electricity in the future, whether the source is a big battery or a tank full of hydrogen. "We are far along in... Читать дальше...

U.S. President Donald Trump says the government has brought a “tremendous” amount of food and supplies into storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, following criticism that his administration has been slow to respond to the disaster. Trump told reporters at the White House Monday, “It's been amazing what's been done in a very short period of time on Puerto Rico.” The president said he will be traveling to the U.S. territory on Tuesday to meet with first responders, the military, “and frankly most importantly... Читать дальше...

A Moscow court has sentenced leading opposition politician Alexei Navalny to 20 days in jail on charges that he violated the legal procedure for organizing public gatherings. The 41-year-old anti-corruption blogger was arrested Friday for what police said were "repeated calls to take part in unsanctioned public events." Navalny plans to challenge Vladimir Putin in Russia's presidential election next March, though Putin, who has ruled Russia for 17 years, has not yet officially announced that he will run for a fourth presidential term. Читать дальше...

Las Vegas, one of the world’s top tourist attractions with its gambling and adult entertainment earning it the nickname “Sin City,” has been trying to diversify into a family vacation mecca in recent years, with amusement parks, outlet shopping malls and other attractions sprouting up. That helped account for the large number of women and children among the 22,000 people attending the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival Sunday night when a gunman opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino across the street. Читать дальше...

Critics of a new hate speech law in Germany are upbeat that it can be revised after its SocialDemocratic sponsors vowed to drop out of the ruling coalition following last month's national election and go into opposition. The German parliament in June approved legislation that will allow authorities to fine social media networks up to 50 million euros if they fail to remove hateful postings promptly, despite warnings that the law could limit free expression. Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives... Читать дальше...

Following numerous Islamic State attacks on Afghanistan's Shi'ite minority in several provinces, the government in Kabul has enlisted hundreds of Shi'ite civilians to protect their religious sites against the growing IS threat. “Based on the demands of Shi'ite elders and scholars, and a decision by the National Security Council, local people have been recruited to help protect mosques in Kabul,” Mohammad Sadeq Muradi, Kabul deputy police chief told VOA. Monthly salary for members of force ... Читать дальше...

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Thailand’s prime minister is visiting the White House, a rare honor for a military leader who seized power in a 2014 coup and has resisted returning the country to democratic rule. President Donald Trump and the first lady welcomed Prayuth Chan-ocha and his wife to the White House Monday, where the two leaders held talks in the Oval Office. "Our relationship on trade is becoming more and more important and it's a great country to trade with," Trump told reporters before turning to the Thai leader and noting... Читать дальше...

Myanmar told the United Nations refugee agency on Monday that its top priority was to bring back Rohingyas who have fled to Bangladesh.   Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed on Monday to set up a “working group” to plan the repatriation of more than half a million Rohingya Muslim refugees who have fled to Bangladesh to escape an army crackdown, the Bangladeshi foreign minister said earlier. Win Myat Aye, Myanmar's Union Minister, Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, told UNHCR's Executive Committee meeting in Geneva... Читать дальше...

Las Vegas police have identified Stephen Paddock, 64, from Mesquite, Nevada, as the gunman in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Authorities believe Paddock shot into a crowd of 22,000 people attending an outdoor concert, killing 58 and wounded hundreds more before before he killed himself in a hotel room that overlooked the area. At least 10 guns were found in the room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort, police said. He had checked into the hotel room on Thursday, according to authorities. Читать дальше...

Police in Las Vegas, Nevada, are searching for a motive after a man opened fire on a country music concert late Sunday, killing at least 58 people and wounding more than 500 others, in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. VOA's Jeff Custer reports from Washington.

Cambodia's detained opposition leader, who is accused of treason by the government of strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen, denied the charges against him on Monday in his first comments since his arrest last month. Kem Sokha, head of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) is accused of trying to overthrow the government with help from the United States and of espionage — charges he denies and says are politically motivated. His arrest last month is part of ongoing efforts by the government... Читать дальше...

Facebook Inc plans to hire 1,000 more people to review ads and ensure they meet its terms, as part of an effort to deter Russia and other countries from using the social media network to interfere in others' elections, it said on Monday. Facebook said last month that it believed people in Russia bought about 3,000 politically divisive ads on its network in the United States in the months before and after the November U.S. presidential election. Since its disclosure, Facebook has faced questions... Читать дальше...

Iraqi forces and Shi'ite paramilitaries captured an air base from Islamic State on Monday, the army said, gaining a strategic foothold in the north of the country as they push towards the town of Hawija. Iraq launched an offensive on September 21 to dislodge Islamic State from Hawija, which lies west of the oil city of Kirkuk and is one of two areas of the country still under the control of the militant group. Iraqi army commanders said the Rashad air base, which is around 30 km (20 miles) south of Hawija... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump ordered flags to fly at half-staff Monday as the nation recoiled in horror at the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. “We are joined together in sadness, shock and grief,” he said in a nationally televised address less than 12 hours after the shooting began. “It was an act of pure evil.” Trump began the day with a tweet as the extent of the carnage unfolded. "My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless... Читать дальше...

Two children were killed in an exchange of gunfire between Pakistani and Indian troops Monday in disputed Kashmir, the Indian army said. Twelve other Indian citizens were killed in what the military called an "unprovoked attack" on the Indian side of the heavily militarized Line of Control that divides Kashmir. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry summoned the Indian envoy over the violence, citing similar violence on Saturday. "This is the fifth ceasefire violation by the Indian forces in the past 12 days," the ministry said in a statement. Читать дальше...

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U.S. factory activity surged to a more than 13-year high in September amid strong gains in new orders and raw material prices, pointing to underlying strength in the economy even as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma are expected to dent growth in the third quarter. The economic outlook was also bolstered by other data on Monday showing a rebound in construction spending in August. The acceleration in manufacturing activity and the accompanying increase in prices could harden expectations that the Federal... Читать дальше...

When Alfred Nobel established the literature prize in his name, he perhaps could have benefited from an editor. The terms of his will leave the prize's exact intentions tantalizingly vague - making the literature award one of the most debated and entertaining of the Nobel Prizes. The Swedish industrialist said he wanted the prize to recognize “the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.”   On Thursday, the Swedish Academy will... Читать дальше...

More than 10 people are reported dead in suicide attacks on a police station in Syria's capital, Damascus. The French news agency, citing the Interior Ministry, says two suicide bombers blew themselves up at the station in the al-Midan neighborhood, leading to the "deaths of a number of civilians and a number of policemen." According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, 11 people were killed, among them civilians and police officers. There were also conflicting... Читать дальше...