Новости за 15.12.2017

Expired, moldy, and spoiled foods. Poor conditions in bathrooms. Long waits to receive medical care. These are some of the observations cited at a federal report released on Thursday that said detained immigrants, at four large U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) centers, are being treated inhumanly. The report issued by the Inspector General's Office of the Department of Homeland Security shows that facilities in California, Georgia, New Jersey and New Mexico require “immediate... Читать дальше...

What makes a film fit for the holidays? Not so much a religious subject as an appeal to the whole family and audiences of all ages. This year, three high-budget films, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," the political thriller "The Post" and the musical "The Greatest Showman," fit the bill. VOA's Penelope Poulou has more.

We're gathering the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending Dec. 16, 2017. Winter is fast approaching here in the Northern Hemisphere, and sure enough, the chart freezes up this week, yielding no new titles. Number 5: Imagine Dragons "Thunder" Imagine Dragons retreats a slot to fifth place with "Thunder." This Las Vegas band was rock's biggest crossover success story with two Top Five singles in 2017. "Believer" and "Thunder" are streaming smashes... Читать дальше...

United Nations human rights officials are condemning what they call the shocking and appalling mass executions of 38 men in Iraq on Thursday. The men, who were executed at a prison in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, were convicted for terrorism-related crimes.  A spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Liz Throssell, told VOA her office did not learn of the mass executions until after the fact. "That again just underscores the situation, that suddenly we get sort of word... Читать дальше...

Two titans of U.S. business have come together to demand that Congress find an immediate solution for DACA recipients, whose legal immigration status will come to an end in March without intervention. Charles Koch, chairman and chief executive of Koch Industries, and Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, wrote in an opinion piece published Thursday in The Washington Post that “we strongly agree that Congress must act before the end of the year to bring certainty and security to the lives of dreamers. Читать дальше...

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa appealed Friday to his ZANU-PF party to unite ahead of next year's elections. Mnangagwa spoke to about 6,000 delegates at a ZANU-PF congress after delegates endorsed him as the party's leader and its candidate for the 2018 elections.  The party was divided for years over who should succeed longtime president Robert Mugabe. Mnangagwa took office less than a month ago, after the army forced Mugabe to step down.  The new president spoke of the challenges... Читать дальше...

U.S. Republican Senate and House negotiators finalized a final version Friday of their compromise $1.5 trillion tax bill, after trying to appease recalcitrant Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who demanded an expansion of the child tax credit that provides benefits for low-income families. Republican sources said the measure should be released later Friday. Republican lawmakers hammered out differences Wednesday between the House and Senate versions, and both chambers of Congress plan to vote on the final bill early next week... Читать дальше...

Taxi driver Eduardo washes his blue car just a few blocks from the Presidential Palace of Guinea Bissau's leader, Mario Vaz. He says the political stalemate — the country's parliament has not met in over two years — going on just down the road has led to a decrease in his income. "The situation of the country is getting worse, nothing is getting better. The price of petrol is cheaper now, but food is more expensive," he said. "It's harder now to find customers. You just drive and drive and you have no customers. Читать дальше...

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

Saying you have spotted the first sliver of the moon could lead to a year in jail and a fine of about $2,000, according to proposed legislation in Pakistan. Moon sighting is a sensitive subject in Pakistan, which has a special body, comprising religious scholars, to make sure the country’s nearly 200 million Muslims are 100 percent right in observing the religious festivities of Eid, Ramadan and the prophet’s birthday. So spotting the baby crescent on the horizon in the evening is a big deal... Читать дальше...

Air traffic controllers in Senegal shut down the capital Dakar's newly inaugurated airport Friday, claiming they were striking to protect travelers after they received inadequate training before the facility opened this month. The government says the new $680 million airport, which opened on Dec. 7, will help make Senegal a transport hub in West Africa and boost the country's tourism sector. But Mame Alioune Sene, the president of the union representing the airport's air traffic controllers,... Читать дальше...

The House Ethics Committee said Friday it had opened an investigation into Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen over allegations of sexual harassment. A former campaign aide said Kihuen, a freshman congressman, propositioned her for dates and sex despite her repeated rejections during his 2016 campaign. This week, a lobbyist told the Nevada Independent that he touched her thighs and buttocks and made unwanted sexual advances while he was a state senator. In a statement, the Ethics panel said it was "aware... Читать дальше...

The United States is expanding the requirements for dozens of countries taking part in the Visa Waiver Program, demanding that the countries check traveler information against U.S. counterterrorism information. Trump administration officials said Friday that the countries will have to use U.S. information to screen travelers crossing their borders from third countries. Many countries in the program already do that, one administration official said. The changes also affect VWP countries that have... Читать дальше...

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 rocked the Indonesian capital of Jakarta and other cities on the country's island of Java late Friday, with authorities reporting at least two death.  Disaster relief officials say buildings collapsed in several western Java districts and a hospital was evacuated after suffering damage. The quake made buildings sway in Jakarta.  Authorities say a 62-year-old man in the Ciamis region and an 80-year-old woman in Pekalongan city died in building collapses. It... Читать дальше...

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 rocked the Indonesian capital of Jakarta and other cities on the country's island of Java late Friday, with authorities reporting at least one death.  Disaster relief officials say buildings collapsed in several western Java districts and a hospital was evacuated after suffering damage. The quake made buildings sway in Jakarta.  Authorities say a 62-year-old died in the Ciamis region in western Java after becoming trapped in a collapsed house. They say at... Читать дальше...

More than half of South Sudan's children have suffered abuse, trauma and hunger over the past four years of war, the United Nations Children's Fund says. According to the report "Childhood Under Attack" — released on the fourth anniversary of the start of the war — more than 2,300 children have been killed or injured since South Sudan erupted into conflict in December 2013.  Among those who are living, around three million have very little to eat. More than one million of those children are acutely malnourished... Читать дальше...

Four Palestinians were killed and hundreds wounded Friday in violence across the Palestinian territories, amid more fallout following U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Palestinian health ministry said two of the deaths occurred at the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip in clashes with Israeli soldiers. A third incident was reported north of Jerusalem, with the person shot in the chest by Israeli troops, according to the health ministry. Police... Читать дальше...

On a recent Saturday, BloomBars was filled with energy. "Give me the peace sign," announced Baba Ras D, holding up his two forefingers in the "V" that is known in the U.S. as the peace sign. "Pass the peace, pass the peace," he said, touching his fingers with those of some of the toddlers in his audience, before beating on his drum. "Give me the peace sign!" The toddlers beat on drums, too. The nonprofit community arts center in Washington rocked with sound and movement, some of it rhythmical, some of it not. Читать дальше...

U.S. President Donald Trump Friday left open the possibility of a presidential pardon on behalf Michael Flynn, who Trump fired after serving just over three weeks as his national security adviser because Flynn lied about his interactions with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. "I don’t want to talk about pardons for Michael Flynn yet," Trump told reporters outside the White House before departing for the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy in nearby Quantico, Virginia. Trump added: "We’ll see what happens. Читать дальше...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday bashed the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Russia probe and left open the possibility of a presidential pardon for former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents. "I don't want to talk about pardons for Michael Flynn yet," Trump told reporters outside the White House before departing for the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy in nearby Quantico, Virginia. He added: "We'll see what happens. Let's see. Читать дальше...

Thousands of displaced Iraqi Sunnis who fled the Islamic State to the refugee camps of Iraqi Kurdistan’s regional capital of Irbil are complaining about a lack of services amid the looming winter season. VOA’s Ahmad Zebari reports from the region.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday that North Korea's growing nuclear capabilities are a direct threat to the United States, and Washington "will use all necessary measures" to defend itself against such aggression. "In the face of such a threat, inaction is unacceptable for any nation," Tillerson said. "We have been clear that all options remain on the table in the defense of our nation," the secretary told a packed chamber of the U.N. Security Council in New York. "But we do not seek... Читать дальше...

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday that North Korea's growing nuclear capabilities are a direct threat to the United States, and Washington "will use all necessary measures" to defend itself against such aggression. "In the face of such a threat, inaction is unacceptable for any nation," Tillerson said. "We have been clear that all options remain on the table in the defense of our nation," the secretary told a packed chamber of the U.N. Security Council in New York. "But we do not seek... Читать дальше...

Representatives of Venezuela's government and opposition coalition return Friday to the negotiating table in the Dominican Republic to try to resolve the nation's long-running political and economic crisis. Gathering at the Foreign Ministry building in Santa Domingo, they will pick up where discussion left off two weeks ago. The opposition Democratic Unity coalition demands free and transparent elections, the release of political prisoners, the restoration of the National Assembly's power,... Читать дальше...

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