Новости за 05.12.2017

Darkest Hour, a historical drama by acclaimed filmmaker Joe Wright, shows how Winston Churchill galvanized the British to fight against Nazi Germany. Though based on fact, the film runs like a political thriller chronicling Churchill's controversial decision to send England to a perilous war. In the spring of 1940, the West was losing the war against Germany. The Nazis had invaded Belgium and France, and Britain was on the verge of capitulating. As the British forces were cornered in the French coastal town of Dunkirk... Читать дальше...

Criticism of President Donald Trump's reported plan to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital is pouring in from across the Middle East, Europe and around the world.  One of the strongest statements of opposition to such a plan came from key NATO ally Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan Tuesday. Erdogan told a parliamentary group meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), "This could go as far as cutting our diplomatic relations with Israel. You cannot take such a step." ... Читать дальше...

Mexico's Senate on Tuesday prepared to debate legislation enshrining the use of the military in law enforcement, prompting criticism from the United Nations human rights body, a decade after troops were first deployed against the country's drug gangs. The lower house of Congress last week passed the long-debated bill that lawmakers say is needed to regulate soldiers used heavily since former President Felipe Calderon sent troops to fight gangs in late 2006. The United Nations human rights chief... Читать дальше...

The nomination to be ambassador to Singapore of K.T. McFarland, a former security adviser to President Donald Trump, has been delayed due to concerns about her testimony to Congress over communications with Russia, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Tuesday. "Her nomination is frozen for a while until that gets worked out," Republican Senator Bob Corker told reporters at the U.S. Capitol. Trump earlier this year nominated McFarland, a former deputy national security adviser... Читать дальше...

Venezuela's powerful former oil czar Rafael Ramirez said on Tuesday he resigned from his job as U.N. envoy on orders of the president, a sign of growing rifts in the Socialist Party once firmly united under late leader Hugo Chavez. Sources told Reuters last week that leftist President Nicolas Maduro fired Ramirez, who was thought to have presidential ambitions, and summoned him back to Caracas from New York. Several close allies of Ramirez, as well as a relative, have been arrested in Venezuela... Читать дальше...

Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland declared a state of emergency Tuesday and appealed for food and water because of shortages triggered by a severe drought. Drought has gripped large parts of the Horn of Africa country this year and the United Nations says children face acute malnutrition. The crisis is compounded by al-Shabab's Islamist insurgency that seeks to topple the central government that is backed by African Union peacekeepers and the West. Al-Shabab militants carry out bombings... Читать дальше...

French President Emmanuel Macron's popularity rose above 50 percent for the first time since he was elected in May with people approving of the way he defends the country's interests abroad, a poll showed on Tuesday. The poll, conducted by Ifop-Fiducial for Paris Match magazine, saw the head of state's popularity jump 6 percent compared to the same survey in November. It comes after Macron undertook a three-day tour to Africa promising a break from the past. During the trip, he was praised... Читать дальше...

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) is responsible for U.S. military operations in, and relations with, the 53 nations on the African continent. Through multinational exercises and military-to-military engagements, AFRICOM is intended to strengthen relationships with its African partner nations to build the defense capabilities of their security forces. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb spoke with one of AFRICOM's senior officials.

Special prosecutor Robert Mueller, investigating Russian meddling in last year's U.S. election, is now also looking at the financial affairs of President Donald Trump. Mueller is examining records about hundreds of millions of dollars in loans Deutsche Bank made to Trump's vast real estate empire, according to media reports. Mueller subpoenaed the records several weeks ago, according to Reuters and Bloomberg News. The bank said it complied with the request, but offered no details about its transactions... Читать дальше...

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

IGAD’s special envoy to South Sudan confirms the forum to revive the peace deal will be held in Addis Ababa on December 17th; church and community leaders in former Central Equatoria State share ideas on how to work together to promote peace; and South Sudan’s former deputy minister of finance believes he was fired because of his demands for more transparency within government institutions.

Health Chat is a live call-in program that addresses health issues of interest to Africa. The show puts listeners directly in touch with guest medical professionals. It includes a weekly feature spot, health news and comments from listeners on health issues. The program is hosted by veteran health reporter Linord Moudou.

We are live. In Extra Time Shaka answers your questions about politics in Africa.

What do a former U.S. president, LeBron James and a guy who really, really likes chicken nuggets have in common? They all made the biggest splash on Twitter this year. Twitter on Tuesday released its top trending people and topics for 2017, ranging from sports to politics to Korean boy bands. It was a year in which almost every sector of society was mashed together or clashing on social media, with the "Tweeter in Chief," President Donald Trump, leading the way. The top retweet came from fast food lover Carter Wilkerson... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump’s order restricting travel goes into effect Tuesday in its entirety - for the first time since the original travel order was signed last January. The nation’s highest court, the Supreme Court, okayed the order Monday with one important caveat: it still has to make its way through two appeals courts, both of which have scheduled hearings later this week. “The Supreme Court said there should be a full implementation pending merits and explicitly noted they believe that the... Читать дальше...

Authorities in the Chinese capital, Beijing, have launched a sweeping campaign that is forcing tens of thousands of migrant workers out of their residences and out of the city. The government says the effort was initiated for public safety. VOA’s Bill Ide and Ye Bing recently visited some villages that have been caught up in the campaign and file this report.

President Donald Trump is telephoning several Middle East leaders ahead of an expected announcement that could come as early as Wednesday that the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.   A White House statement said Trump was speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah in the morning, and would be calling other regional leaders later in the day.   There was no immediate word from the White House on the substance of the conversations... Читать дальше...

The top U.N. human rights official is condemning the persecution, and widespread and systematic brutal attacks against the Rohingya in Myanmar, suggesting this treatment might verge on genocide.  Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva, the site of a special session on Myanmar at the U.N. Human Rights Council. Speaking in Geneva at a special session on Myanmar at the U.N. Human Rights Council, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein says genocide is a legal concept and only... Читать дальше...

Afghanistan’s security forces, in joint counterterrorism raids with U.S. partners, have killed several high-profile leaders of al-Qaida, along with 80 other members of the terrorist network and Taliban fighters. The Afghan intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS), announced details of the operations Tuesday, saying Omar bin Khetab, also known as Omar Mansoor, was among the dead. Khetab was said to be the second-in-command of al-Qaida in Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent. Читать дальше...

Afghanistan's security forces, in joint counterterrorism raids with U.S. partners, this week have killed several high-profile leaders of al-Qaida, along with 80 other members of the terrorist network and the Taliban insurgency, The Afghan intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS), announced details of the operations Tuesday, saying Omar bin Khetab, also known as Omar Mansoor, was among the dead. Khetab was the second-in-command of al-Qaida in Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent.He... Читать дальше...

Thousands of people are fleeing villages in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon less than a week after President Paul Biya declared war against anglophone separatist groups. Fleeing villagers complain troops are engaging in rape, killings, and harassment, but the military says they are out to defend the population. The number of people traveling along the Kumba Mamfe Road in the English-speaking southwest region of Cameroon has drastically dropped. It is along this road that goods from Nigeria are brought into Cameroon and vice versa. Читать дальше...

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the country's police force to resume their role in his sweeping crackdown on illicit drugs. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Tuesday Duterte signed an order mandating the police to support the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, citing a resurgence in illegal drugs in the Pacific archipelago.    The 72-year-old Duterte launched the campaign shortly after he took office in June 2016 on a pledge to wipe out illicit drugs within six months. Читать дальше...

South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday formally charged two former spy chiefs who were arrested last month over suspicions they used their agency's funds to make illegal payments to former President Park Geun-hye. Park was removed from office and arrested in March, and is being tried on broad corruption charges. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said Nam Jae-joon and Lee Byung-kee were indicted on charges including bribery and causing unjust losses to state funds. Prosecutors believe... Читать дальше...

The federal government, in the most complete statistical snapshot of immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, says Border Patrol arrests plunged to a 45-year low while arrests by deportation officers soared.   The Border Patrol made 310,531 arrests during the fiscal year that ended September 30, a decline of 25 percent from 415,816 a year earlier and the lowest level since 1971. Despite the significant decline, arrests increased every month since May - largely families and unaccompanied children. Читать дальше...

The U.S. government is detaining more immigrants in the U.S. interior under President Donald Trump’s administration, while deporting fewer, federal immigration officials announced Tuesday. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose officers pick up people for deportation away from the border, made 143,470 arrests, an increase of 25 percent from 114,434 a year earlier, according to data for the 2017 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30.  The agency also said Tuesday deportations totaled 226,119... Читать дальше...