влада, вибори, народ
US Bans 76 Saudis Over Khashoggi Murder
US intelligence agencies released a report to Congress on Friday concluding that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation in 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey, ‘to capture or kill’ Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and US resident. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports on reaction to the long-awaited report.
Producer: Bakhtiyar Zamanov
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By Polityk | 02/27/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden Warns Iran: ‘Be Careful’
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday warned Iran to tread carefully in Iraq following a U.S. airstrike that destroyed parts of a compound used by Iranian-backed militias as they travel between Syria and Iraq.“You can’t act with impunity,” Biden told reporters in Houston, when asked what message he was trying to send Tehran by ordering the airstrike, carried out late Thursday, that hit a compound in Boukamal, on the Syrian side of the border with Iraq.“Be careful,” he added.The president’s comments — coming nearly 24 hours after two U.S. F-15 Eagles dropped seven precision-guided bombs, destroying nine facilities and severely damaging two others — were his first about the strike, which has become the subject of a political debate in the U.S.Administration officials spent much of the day defending the strike, arguing it was necessary to protect American forces in the region following a series of rocket attacks, including two in the past two weeks in Irbil and Baghdad.US ‘Outraged’ After Rocket Salvo Slams Baghdad Monday’s attack comes one week after a contractor was killed in a rocket attack in Irbil While the Katyusha rocket attack on Baghdad’s Green Zone caused only limited damage, the attack outside Irbil International Airport, in northern Iraq, killed a contractor for the U.S.-led coalition and injured nine others.Some members of Biden’s own political party, however, voiced concern Friday that the president may have gone too far by ordering a retaliatory strike.“The American people deserve to hear the administration’s rationale for these strikes and its legal justification for acting without coming to Congress,” Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, a member of both the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, said in a statement Friday.“Offensive military action without congressional approval is not constitutional absent extraordinary circumstances,” he added.Officials at the White House and the Pentagon quickly pushed back, arguing Biden was well within his rights, citing the attacks in Irbil and Baghdad while hinting more militia attacks were likely.”When threats are posed, he has the right to take an action at the time and in the manner of his choosing,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters accompanying the president on a trip to Houston.“The president is sending an unambiguous message that he’s going to act to protect Americans,” she said, adding, “There was a thorough legal process and review in advance.”The Pentagon on Friday said it had notified congressional leadership before the strike was launched and that a full, classified briefing was slated for the coming days.“This really was a defensive strike meant to help protect, in the future, American forces and coalition partners,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Friday.“We’re confident that these were legitimate targets,” he said. “We know that this compound was used by these groups to help resource and help facilitate their ability to conduct these kinds of attacks inside Iraq.”In a statement late Thursday, the Pentagon said the strike targeted a compound at a checkpoint on the Syrian side of the Iraq-Syria border used by Kataeb Hezbollah (KH) and Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS).Initial U.S. assessments indicated there were also some casualties, though Kirby declined to share any specifics.“These targets were chosen carefully, very deliberately, and struck in exactly the same manner,” Kirby said.According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the U.S. airstrike targeted a weapons shipment destined for the Iranian-backed militias. Citing sources on the ground in Syria, it said 17 militia members were killed.Kataeb Hezbollah confirmed the death of one of its fighters and condemned the U.S. action, insisting it was not involved in the recent attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq.“We stress the legitimate right of our Iraqi people to respond to this cowardly criminal operation,” it said in a statement translated by the SITE Intelligence Group.The group also urged Iraqis to “expel the American occupation forces and prosecute the traitors who conspire with them.”Iraqi officials, meanwhile, denied providing the U.S. with any assistance that led to targeting the Boukamal site, insisting cooperation with Washington was limited to the fight against the Islamic State terror group.بيان من المكتب الاعلامي لوزير الدفاعتعبر وزارة الدفاع العراقية عن استغرابها لما ورد في تصريحات وزير الدفاع الامريكي والمتعلقة بحصول تبادل للمعلومات الاستخباراتية مع العراق سبق استهداف بعض المواقع في الاراضي السورية. pic.twitter.com/Ve35X1RtwW— وزارة الدفاع العراقية (@modmiliq) February 26, 2021Kirby said while Baghdad did not provide any intelligence that helped in targeting the Iran-backed militia facilities, Iraqi intelligence “was able to help us better determine who was responsible” for the rocket attacks on U.S. and coalition troops.For its part, Iran condemned the U.S. airstrike, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh labeling it an “illegal aggression.”Syria’s Foreign Ministry likewise chastised Washington, saying, “It [the Biden administration] is supposed to stick to international legitimacy, not to the law of the jungle as [did] the previous administration.”Whether the U.S. strike will send a message and do much to deter the Iranian-backed militias, however, remains to be seen.“It sent the signal that Biden won’t be a pushover on [Iranian] proxy activities, though the Iranians may not even register that,” said Phillip Smyth, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who studies Shiite militias in the region.“It’s a softer, but still a rather nuanced hit,” Smyth added of the U.S. decision to strike a target in Syria, saying the response from the militias so far had been somewhat muted.“I get the impression it will cool down for a little bit and then possibly heat up,” he said.VOA White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara and Reuters contributed to this report.
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By Polityk | 02/27/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
FBI Monitoring Domestic Extremists Who Might Threaten Biden’s Speech to Congress
The FBI is keeping close watch on violent domestic extremists who might pose a threat to the U.S. Capitol when President Joe Biden delivers a speech before a joint session of Congress next month, a senior FBI official said Friday.
“We have been worried that domestic violent extremists would react not only to the results of an election that they might not see as favorable, but the transition of a government that they may question,” the senior official told reporters on a press call.
“And so I think for the near future as we continue to go through that process — and I would view the first address [to] the nation part of that process — that we are watching very closely for any reaction from individuals that would show either an intent to commit an attack or somebody that has already committed one,” the official said. The official asked not to be named.
The comments came a day after the acting head of the U.S. Capitol Police warned that militia groups involved in the January 6 attack on the complex by supporters of former President Donald Trump want to “blow up” the building during Biden’s speech.
“We know that members of the militia groups that were present on January 6 have stated their desire that they want to blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible, with a direct nexus to the State of the Union,” Yogananda Pittman, the acting police chief, told lawmakers.In response, Pittman said, the Capitol Police force has kept in place security barriers and other enhanced measures implemented after the January 6 attack, steps that she said will likely be removed as the threat dissipates.President Joe Biden delivers a speech on foreign policy, at the State Department, Feb. 4, 2021, in Washington.
A date for Biden’s speech has not been announced yet. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that Biden will deliver his speech after Congress passes the president’s $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus package. Psaki referred a question about the threat to the Secret Service.The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment,Threats of right-wing violence ahead of Biden’s inauguration on January 20 led to the unprecedented deployment of more than 25,000 National Guard to Washington. While the ceremony passed without incident, security around the Capitol remains tight with fences that are more than 2 meters high still in place.
The attack on the Capitol left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer, and at least 140 other officers injured. It has also triggered a wide-ranging FBI investigation of an estimated 800 Trump supporters who stormed the building and others responsible for the attack.What the FBI knew about the threat of violence to the Capitol and how it conveyed that information to law enforcement agencies have become the subject of controversy in recent week.In the late hours of January 5, the FBI shared with law enforcement agencies a “raw intelligence” report that cited online chatter about impending violence aimed at Congress. “Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in,” the report quoted from an online thread.But Pittman said that even if it had reached them, it would not have changed their “security posture” as it was consistent with Capitol Police’s own threat assessment. Further, Pittman noted, the report advised law enforcement agencies not to “take action based on this reporting.”Meanwhile, the FBI’s massive manhunt for the perpetrators of the Capitol attack has resulted in more than 300 charges and more than 280 arrests, according to acting deputy attorney general John Carlin.
“The investigation into those responsible is moving at a speed and scale that’s unprecedented and rightly so,” Carlin told reporters during the press call. “Those responsible must be held to account, and they will be.”Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump clash with police at the west entrance of the Capitol during a “Stop the Steal” protest outside of the Capitol building in Washington D.C., Jan. 6, 2021.Of those arrested to date, more than two dozen are alleged members of the Oath Keepers, a loosely organized collection of militiamen and other anti-government activists, and the Proud Boys, a pro-Trump right wing organization. But the vast majority have no known ties to any domestic extremist groups.The attack has renewed attention to the growing threat of domestic terrorism in the United States. In recent years, violent domestic extremists have caused more deaths in the U.S. than terrorists with ties to international groups, the FBI official said, noting that 2019 was the deadliest year for violent domestic extremism since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.Last year the FBI arrested about 180 individuals involved in connection with acts of domestic terrorism, the official said.“We are increasingly arresting more domestic terrorists each year, and … we’ve arrested more this year than previous years,” the official said.The FBI investigates five types of domestic terrorism, two of which it has prioritized in the last two years — anti-government violent extremism and racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism. Between 2015 and 2019, the most lethal threat posed by domestic terrorists came from racially motivated violent extremists such as white supremacists, the official said.While 2020 marked the first year in nearly a decade without a fatal attack by white supremacists, three of the four lethal attacks reported during the year were committed by anti-government individuals, the official said.
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By Polityk | 02/27/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Allies Show Fealty to Former President With Golden Statue
U.S. conservatives praised Donald Trump at an annual gathering Friday, even unveiling a golden statue of the former president, showing he remains a Republican political force despite violent scenes in Washington last month.Prominent congressional conservatives — including Senators Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley and Representatives Steve Scalise and Matt Gaetz — were among the Trump loyalists speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, which Trump will address on Sunday.Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Feb. 26, 2021, in Orlando, Fla.”Let me tell you something: Donald Trump ain’t going anywhere,” Senator Ted Cruz said.Trump’s tumultuous final weeks in office saw his supporters launch a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6 to try to block Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election, a win that Trump falsely claimed was tainted by widespread fraud.Golden statueIf there was any doubt that CPAC this year was devoted to Trump, the statue of the former president, dressed in a blue jacket, red tie, and red, white and blue boxing shorts, was on display at the conference site.The statue drew instant derision online.”Idol worship isn’t conservative. #RestoreOurGop,” Representative Adam Kinzinger, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump on a charge of inciting the January 6 attack, said on Twitter.Gaetz declared himself part of the “pro-Trump, America First” wing of the conservative movement. “We’re not really a wing, we’re the whole body,” he said.He also appeared to forecast a future role for Trump, who is pondering another run for president in 2024: “Trump may not have drained the swamp all the way – yet.”Trump is expected to speak Sunday about the future of the party and lay out policy differences within a group riven by differences in the wake of his four years in office.”The divide right now is between the ‘Beltway elites’ and the conservative grassroots around the country,” said a Trump adviser who helped prepare the speech.Trump will also offer rhetoric critical of Biden.Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Feb. 26, 2021, in Orlando, Fla.Trump supporters at the conference on Friday repeated some of his false claims, arguing that they justified new restrictions on voting.In addition to the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, seven Senate Republicans voted to convict him of inciting insurrection, although the 57-43 vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict.Some advisers say they want Trump not to use his speech to relitigate the election at length but instead offer a road map to Republicans’ regaining control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 2022 congressional elections.2024 candidacy?The prospect of Trump, 74, running for president again in 2024 complicates life for other Republican presidential hopefuls, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Vice President Mike Pence.Pence, who was in the Capitol with his family when rioters stormed in chanting, “Hang Mike Pence!” was not expected to attend this year’s CPAC.CPAC is an event organized by the American Conservative Union, whose chairman, Matt Schlapp, is close to Trump. It is a prime venue for speakers who want to gauge interest in whether they should run for president based on the enthusiasm they generate.Many Republicans think Trump will flirt with another run to freeze the 2024 field but believe he will ultimately opt out of running. Trump himself has mused privately to advisers that he would like to run.
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By Polityk | 02/27/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden Visits Texas to Survey Storm Damage
U.S. President Joe Biden visits the state of Texas on Friday to survey the extensive damage caused by a severe winter storm that triggered power outages and the loss of drinking water to millions of homes during the coronavirus pandemic. Biden and his wife, Jill, will visit a food bank in Houston, the largest city in Texas. They will also tour an emergency operations center before the president delivers remarks at a Federal Emergency Management Agency COVID-19 vaccination facility housed in a local stadium. At least 40 people in Texas were killed in a severe winter storm that swept across southern U.S. states in mid-February. Texas was hardest hit by the unusually cold temperatures that triggered widespread power outages and caused frozen water pipes to burst, flooding homes and leaving many without heat and running water. FILE – People wait in line to fill propane tanks in Houston, Texas, Feb. 17, 2021. Millions in the state had no power after a historic snowfall and freezing temperatures created a surge of demand for electricity the power grid could not provide.Temperatures in the region are returning to normal, but more than 1 million Texas residents are still under orders to boil water before drinking it. Biden has issued disaster declarations in 108 of the state’s 254 counties and signaled he may increase the number. Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked Biden last week to issue disaster declarations in all counties. Biden, a Democrat, will be accompanied by the Republican governor, who initially did not recognize his November presidential victory over Donald Trump, as he meets with local leaders and volunteers to discuss the storm and relief and recovery efforts. The declarations authorize FEMA to provide funding for temporary housing, home repairs, and low interest loans for uninsured property losses. The action also frees up funding to help distressed individuals and businesses owners. During the visit, Biden’s first to a disaster site since taking office nearly six weeks ago, he also plans to encourage people to get vaccinated for COVID-19 to help contain the pandemic that has killed more than 508,000 people in the United States. The disaster, coupled with the coronavirus crisis, poses a test to Biden’s promise to unify the country by working for all segments of American society. The White House said Biden will bring empathy and assurances of federal financial help to Texas but will refrain from lecturing about the perils of the state’s lack of regulation of its power grid.
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By Polityk | 02/27/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Медсили ЗСУ заперечують, що військових зобов’язували до згоди чи відмови від щеплення без даних про вакцину
У командуванні вказують на те, що особовий склад Збройних Сил України вакцинують у рамках першого етапу вакцинації
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By Gromada | 02/26/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Данілов про новий канал «трійки Козака»: «у нас демократична країна», але «свавілля не допустимо»
«Такого свавілля, яке було до певного часу, ми не допустимо», – заявив секретар РНБО
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By Gromada | 02/26/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Native American Nominee’s Grilling Raises Questions on Bias
When Wyoming U.S. Sen. John Barrasso snapped at Deb Haaland during her confirmation hearing, many in Indian Country were incensed. The exchange, coupled with descriptions of the Interior secretary nominee as “radical” — by other white, male Republicans — left some feeling Haaland is being treated differently because she is a Native American woman. “If it was any other person, they would not be subjected to being held accountable for their ethnicity,” said Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, chairwoman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah in Massachusetts. FILE – Senator John Barrasso, R-WY, listens to Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., during a confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill, Feb. 23, 2021.At Wednesday’s hearing, Barrasso wanted assurance that Haaland would follow the law when it comes to imperiled species. Before the congresswoman finished her response, Barrasso shouted, “I’m talking about the law!” Barrasso, former chairman of Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said his uncharacteristic reaction was a sign of frustration over Haaland dodging questions. Among Haaland supporters across the nation who tuned in virtually, it was infuriating. “It was horrible. It was disrespectful,” said Rebecca Ortega of Santa Clara Pueblo in Haaland’s home state of New Mexico. “I just feel like if it would have been a white man or a white woman, he would never have yelled like that.” The Interior Department has broad oversight of energy development, along with tribal affairs, and some Republican senators have labeled Haaland “radical” over her calls to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and address climate change. They said that could hurt rural America and major oil and gas-producing states. Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy after two days of hearings called Haaland a “neo-socialist, left-of-Lenin whack job.” Andrews-Maltais saw “radical” as a code for “you’re an Indian.” FILE – Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., speaks during a hearing on the nomination of Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, on Capitol Hill, Feb. 24, 2021.But Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana said it’s not about race. Daines frequently uses the term to describe Democrats and their policies, including President Joe Biden and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, whom Daines defeated in November. “As much as I would love to see a Native American be on the president’s Cabinet, I have concerns about her record. … To say otherwise is outrageous and offensive,” he told The Associated Press. Civil rights activists say Haaland’s treatment fits a pattern of minority nominees encountering more political resistance than white counterparts. FILE – Neera Tanden, nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget, appears before a Senate Committee on Capitol Hill, Feb. 10, 2021.The confirmation of Neera Tanden, who would be the first Indian American to head the Office of Management and Budget, was thrown into doubt when it lost support from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.He cited her controversial tweets attacking members of both parties. FILE – Associate Attorney General nominee Vanita Gupta speaks at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Jan. 7, 2021.Critics also have targeted Vanita Gupta, an Indian American and Biden’s pick to be associate attorney general, and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as Health and Human Services secretary.Conservatives launched campaigns calling Gupta “dangerous” and questioning Becerra’s qualifications. FILE – Xavier Becerra testifies during a hearing on his nomination to be secretary of Health and Human Services, on Capitol Hill, Feb. 24, 2021.Democrats pushed back against Haaland’s treatment and questioned whether attempts to block her nomination are motivated by something other than her record. Former U.S. Sens. and cousins Tom Udall of New Mexico and Mark Udall of Colorado said Haaland “should be afforded the same respect and deference” as other nominees. The hearing itself, in which Haaland was grilled on oil and gas development, national parks and tribes, represented a cultural clash in how the Democrats and many Indigenous people view the world — everything is intertwined and must exist in balance, preserving the environment for generations to come. That was seen in Haaland’s response when asked about her motivation to be Interior secretary. She recalled a story about Navajo Code Talkers in World War II who prioritized coming up with a word in their native language for “Mother Earth.” “It’s difficult to not feel obligated to protect this land, and I feel that every Indigenous person in this country understands that,” she said. That broader historical context is missing from Republican talking points against Haaland that instead simplify the debate to a battle between industry and environmentalists, said Dina Gilio-Whitaker, a lecturer in American Indian studies at California State University, San Marcos. “There’s obviously a really huge conversation about how the land came to be the United States to begin with,” she said. “That’s the elephant in the living room nobody wants to talk about.” Andrew Werk Jr., president of the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre Tribes on Montana’s Fort Belknap Reservation, said Republicans’ brusque treatment of Haaland was unfair to her and to Americans. But he doesn’t see any racial bias in Daines’ actions for dismissing Haaland as a “radical,” only hardened partisanship. “For all the reasons Senator Daines opposes her, those are all the reasons we support her in Fort Belknap,” Werk said. “Our land is our identity, and as tribes we want to be good stewards and protect that.” FILE – U.S. Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM), top right, is honored by Ho-Chunk tribal drummers at a reception hosted by the Congressional Native American Caucus in Washington, Jan. 3, 2019.Despite Republican opposition, Haaland has enough Democratic support to become the first Native American to lead the Interior Department. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is expected to vote on the nomination next week before the full Senate chimes in. Haaland, 60, weaved childhood memories, experiences on public land and tribes’ rights into her answers during the hearing. She talked about carrying buckets of water for her grandmother down a dusty road at Laguna Pueblo, where she’s from, careful not to spill a drop because she recognized its importance. She talked about harvesting an oryx, a type of antelope, that fed her family for a year, about her support for protecting grizzly bears indefinitely and her ancestors’ sacrifices. Frank White Clay, chairman of the Crow Tribe, which gets much of its revenue from a coal mine on its southeastern Montana reservation, said Republicans have “legitimate concerns about natural resources.” But he urged them to consider the historic nature of Haaland’s nomination. “A Native woman up for confirmation — her issues are Indian Country issues,” White Clay said. Haaland pledged to carry out Biden’s agenda, sidestepping specifics on what she would do if confirmed. While the vagueness rattled Republicans, her backers said it showed she’s a consensus-builder. “She did not lose her cool,” said Kalyn Free, who is Choctaw and supports Haaland. “To me, that’s not an indicator of her performance. … That’s because she had to put up with this crap for 60 years. This was not a new experience for her.”
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By Polityk | 02/26/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
US House to Vote on $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives votes Friday on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-relief package that aims to provide relief to businesses, governments and millions of Americans whose lives have been upended by the coronavirus crisis.
Lawmakers are expected to vote largely along party lines in the Democratic-controlled House. Passage would give Biden his first major legislative victory since entering office on January 20.
Debate over the package will likely be vigorous. Most Republicans oppose the cost of the measure that would cover the costs of vaccines and other medical supplies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed more than 508,000 lives in the United States and pushed millions out of work.
The package would also provide an additional $1,400 direct payments to individuals and emergency financial aid to households, small businesses, and local and state governments.
Emergency unemployment benefits and tax breaks to lower wage earners and families with children would be funded in the relief bill, and business sectors hurt by the pandemic’s economic fallout, such as the restaurant and airline industries, would also receive financial relief.
A federal minimum hourly wage increase from $7.25 to $15 proposed by Democrats is unlikely to be in the final version of the bill. The parliamentarian in the Senate — the chamber’s advisor on the interpretation of its rules and procedures, which also votes on the package — said Thursday the proposal must be dropped from the bill, as required by chamber rules.
The decision by Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough forces Democrats to seek other pathways for the minimum wage proposal to pass in the face of stiff Republican opposition.
Democrats have a 221-211 advantage in the House, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi hopes nearly all Democrats will vote to approve the relief bill, paving the way for a vote in the evenly divided 100-member Senate, where Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has the tie-breaking vote.
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By Polityk | 02/26/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
В Ужгороді весняні канікули в школах перенесли на початок березня
Таке рішення ухвалили педагогічні ради навчальних закладів за рекомендаціями міської комісії з питань техногенно-екологічної безпеки та надзвичайних ситуацій
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By Gromada | 02/26/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
US Senate Referee Says Democrats Can’t Include $15 Wage in COVID-19 Bill
The Democratic-controlled Senate cannot include President Joe Biden’s proposed $15 per hour minimum wage in a $1.9 trillion coronavirus bill the party aims to pass without Republican votes, the body’s parliamentarian ruled, a Bloomberg reporter said Thursday on Twitter.Bloomberg White House reporter Jennifer Epstein tweeted that the Senate parliamentarian had “ruled minimum-wage boost out of order.”Biden and many of his fellow Democrats want to more than double the minimum wage by 2025 to $15 per hour. They included the rise in his coronavirus relief bill to help tackle the heavy human and economic toll of the pandemic, which has killed more than 500,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work.Democrats are trying to advance the COVID-19 bill under a special budget reconciliation process that would allow them to pass it in the Senate using a simple majority, so they will not need Republican support.But there are rules that limit what can be included using that process, and it is the job of Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to determine what is allowed.A negative ruling, however, would not mean the idea of raising the minimum wage is dead. Proponents could seek to pass a separate bill without using the reconciliation process, but they presumably would need Republican support.
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By Polityk | 02/26/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Supporters Want to ‘Blow Up’ Capitol, Police Chief Warns
Donald Trump supporters, who launched a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol last month, have indicated they want to “blow up” the building and kill members of Congress, the acting chief of the Capitol Police said Thursday. Threats suggest extremists could target the building during an address by President Joe Biden, Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told lawmakers as she advocated for continued high security around the building. “Members of militia groups that were present on January 6 have stated their desires that they want to blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible with a direct nexus to the State of the Union,” Pittman told members of the House Appropriations Committee. FILE – National Guard personnel and police secure a street near the Capitol, Jan. 17, 2021.”We think that it’s prudent that Capitol Police maintain its enhanced and robust security posture until we address those vulnerabilities going forward,” she said. A date has not been announced for Biden to deliver his address to Congress, which typically happens early in the year. Unprecedented security measures were imposed in Washington following the deadly January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, including fences topped with razor wire and checkpoints manned by the National Guard. About 5,000 troops are expected to stay through mid-March. Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s electoral victory over the Republican president, who falsely claimed the November election had been marred by widespread fraud. The attack delayed the certification of Biden’s win by several hours, as lawmakers were forced to flee the mob. Five people died in the violence, including a Capitol Police officer. More than 200 people have been charged for their roles in the riot, including some with ties to far-right fringe groups such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
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By Polityk | 02/26/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
«Динамо» продовжує боротьбу у Лізі Європи
Київське «Динамо» у Бельгії з мінімальним рахунком переграло у четвер місцеве «Брюгге». Матч завершився з рахунком 1:0. На 83-й хвилині єдиний гол матчу оформив Віталій Буяльський.
У першій 1/16 «Динамо» та «Брюгге» розписали мирову – 1:1. На 62-й хвилині відзначився Віталій Буяльський, але за 5 хвилин Брендон Мехеле зрівняв рахунок. За результатами двох матчів кияни виходять до 1/8 фіналу Ліги Європи.
Раніше «путівку» до наступного етапу виборов донецький «Шахтар», який у матчі-відповіді виграв у ізраїльського «Маккабі» з рахунком 1:0.
26 лютого українські клуби дізнаються своїх суперників. Жеребкування 1/8 фіналу відбудеться в штаб-квартирі УЄФА в Ньйоні (Швейцарія).
Перші поєдинки будуть зіграні 11 березня, матчі-відповіді заплановані на 18 березня.
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By Gromada | 02/26/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
«Шахтар» пробився до 1/8 фіналу Ліги Європи
Донецький «Шахтар» на НСК «Олімпійський» у Києві виграв у ізраїльського «Маккабі» з рахунком 1:0. На 67-й хвилині пенальті реалізував Жуніор Мораєс. Таким чином команда вирвалась до 1/8 фіналу Ліги Європи.
У першій зустрічі «гірняки» перемогли тель-авівський «Маккабі» з рахунком 2:0. На 31-й хвилині відзначився Алан Патрік, Тете на 93-й хвилині подвоїв рахунок.
Київське «Динамо» проводить зустріч в Бельгії з місцевим «Брюгге», гра почалася о 22:00.
Жеребкування 1/8 фіналу відбудеться 26 лютого в штаб-квартирі УЄФА в Ньйоні (Швейцарія). Перші поєдинки будуть зіграні 11 березня, матчі-відповіді заплановані на 18 березня.
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By Gromada | 02/26/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Акція на підтримку Стерненка під ОП: активісти заявляють про виклик на допит одного з учасників
Поліція відкрила кримінальну справу за ознаками «опору працівникові правоохоронного органу»
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By Gromada | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Найчастіше заявляють про мінування «Майдану Незалежності», «Хрещатика», «Площі Льва Толстого» – Київський метрополітен
Від початку року Київському метрополітену надійшло два повідомлення про замінування станції
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By Gromada | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Ртуть, пестициди та важкі метали: Міністерство захисту довкілля оприлюднило дані про якість води в Дніпрі
У Дніпрі виявили близько 21 специфічної сполуки-забрудника, серед них важкі метали, фармацевтичні препарати та велика концентрація пестицидів.
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By Gromada | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Senators to Question Biden Trade, Health Nominees
U.S. Senate committees will hear testimony Thursday from three more of President Joe Biden’s nominees, including his picks to be the country’s trade representative, its top public health official and the assistant secretary of health.Katherine Tai, nominee for U.S. trade representative, is set to tell the Finance Committee that she would prioritize rebuilding international alliances and re-engaging with international institutions to address common challenges such as climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects.In her written testimony released ahead of the hearing, Tai says she would focus on enforcing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, saying the deal reached during former President Donald Trump’s administration marked “an important step in reforming our approach to trade.”Tai, who for several years was the head of China enforcement at the trade representative’s office, also highlights a need to keep China accountable.“I know firsthand how critically important it is that we have a strategic and coherent plan for holding China accountable to its promises and effectively competing with its model of state-directed economics,” Tai said.In the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, lawmakers will hear testimony from Dr. Vivek Murthy, Biden’s nominee for surgeon general who is seeking to return to the post he held during former President Barack Obama’s administration.In his written statement, obtained by ABC News, Murthy says his top priority will be ending the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 505,000 people in the United States.”I have seen first-hand the importance of providing clear, science-based guidance to Americans on how to protect themselves and others,” Murthy said.The same committee will consider the nomination of Dr. Rachel Levine to serve as assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services.Levine formerly served as health secretary in the state of Pennsylvania, where she was one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions in the United States.She would be the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate.The full Senate will also meet Thursday to vote on the nomination of former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to serve as energy secretary.The Senate Energy Committee gave its approval to Granholm in a 13-4 vote earlier this month.
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By Polityk | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
До 150-річчя Лесі Українки відбудеться прем’єра опери «LE» від Влада Троїцького
25 лютого виповнюється 150 років від дня народження поетеси Лесі Українки
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By Gromada | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Вийшов новий тизер-трейлер мультфільму «Мавка» за мотивами твору Лесі Українки
Група FILM.UA 25 лютого оприлюднила офіційний тизер-трейлер анімаційного фільму «Мавка». Ролик довжиною в майже 2 хвилини з’явився на Ютуб-каналі компанії.
Автори трейлеру зазначають, що він «фокусується на магічних здібностях Мавки як душі лісу». В ньому також з’являються звірі, яким загрожує вимирання.
При цьому зовнішність головної героїні відрізняється від того, як вона була зображена в першому тизері 2019 року.
«Рухи та жести Мавки створені з моделі прими-балерини Українськохї національної опери Катерини Кухар. Вона відігравала дії Мавки на майданчику та навіть виконала пару трюків у сцені з зубрами», – йдеться в описі до відео.
Читайте також: 10 іпостасей Лесі Українки: нестримна геніальність європейки і витончена українська душа
Згідно з ним, творці фільму планують презентувати його в кінотеатрах у 2022 році.
Над фільмом працює компанія Animagrad, яка входить до структури FILM.UA. Режисерка – Олександра Рубан.
Проєкт «Мавка. Лісова пісня» у 2016 році отримав фінансування від Державного агентства з питань кіно, але відтоді перебував у розробці.
Сюжет фільму ґрунтується на драмі-феєрії української письменниці Лесі Українки – 25 лютого виповнюється 150 років із дня її народження.
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By Gromada | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Biden Orders Review to Shore Up US Supply Chain Resiliency
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday for a government review of global supply chains and potential US vulnerabilities in key industries, including computer chips, electric vehicle batteries, pharmaceuticals and critical minerals used in electronics. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
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By Polityk | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden’s Trade Pick to Focus on Enforcement, Supply Chains, Alliances
Katherine Tai, President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. trade representative, will vow to U.S. senators that she will work to strengthen U.S. supply chains, enforce a new trade deal with Canada and Mexico, and hold China to its trade promises.In written testimony prepared for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, Tai underscored the Biden administration’s determination to pursue new, longer-term trade policies to focus on “workers and wage earners,” support U.S. innovation and enhance U.S. competitiveness abroad.As the trade “czar” for the world’s largest economy, biggest importer of goods and second-largest exporter after China, Tai would wield immense clout.If confirmed, as expected, Tai faces a long list of challenges, including a push by allies who want Washington to rescind tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump on steel and aluminum, aircraft and wine.Tai, the top trade lawyer for the House Ways and Means Committee and a fluent Mandarin speaker, said it was critically important that the United States have a strategic, coherent plan to deal with China and help U.S. companies compete with its model of “state-directed economics.”Rebuilding alliancesIn her testimony, Tai said she would prioritize rebuilding U.S. alliances and re-engaging with international institutions, to better address common threats like climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and a global economic downturn, while investing to make the U.S. economy more resilient.”China is simultaneously a rival, a trade partner, and an outsized player whose cooperation we’ll also need to address certain global challenges,” she said in the prepared testimony, which was seen by Reuters.”We must remember how to walk, chew gum and play chess at the same time,” she said.Tai’s testimony has been eagerly awaited for months by industry, U.S. trading partners from Beijing to Brussels, labor groups and lawmakers — all in a long queue to lobby her as soon as she is confirmed.Tai said she would make it a priority to implement and enforce the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that she helped renegotiate in 2019 to include tougher labor and environmental standards. She said that the deal marked an “important step in reforming our approach to trade” and that its success was vital.
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By Polityk | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Did Intelligence Failure Lead to US Capitol Attack?
The first in a series of congressional hearings on the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack has sparked a debate over whether intelligence breakdowns left the building vulnerable to what some officials and lawmakers have termed a “planned and coordinated” insurrection by supporters of former President Donald Trump.Former officials responsible for Capitol security appeared before two Senate panels on Tuesday to defend their actions in the lead-up to and during the bloody riot that left five dead and hundreds injured, saying they did everything they could to prepare for the attack and that the intelligence community failed to see it coming.But some experts say blaming the riot solely on faulty intelligence is misplaced.”It was very much of a collective failure, much like one could argue that September 11, 2001, was a collective failure in response or anticipation,” said Bruce Hoffman, a veteran terrorism expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.FILE – Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund testifies before the Senate’s Homeland Security and Rules committees on Capitol Hill, Washington, Feb. 23, 2021.Intelligence failure?The claim that the FBI and other agencies failed to predict the attack came from Robert J. Contee III, current chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, and Steven Sund, former chief of the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), the 2,000-plus-strong force tasked with protecting the Capitol and surrounding government buildings.Sund told lawmakers that while Capitol Police had prepared for a large, potentially violent protest, it received no intelligence from the FBI or other agencies indicating that a planned takeover of the Capitol was in the works — one designed to prevent House and Senate lawmakers from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the November 3 presidential election.“Without the intelligence to properly prepare, the USCP was significantly outnumbered and left to defend the Capitol against an extremely violent mob,” Sund said.Based on its own intelligence assessments, the Capitol Police believed the January 6 event would be “similar” to two previous pro-Trump rallies in Washington in November and December, and police officials took what they considered to be appropriate actions.But Hoffman said there was plenty of open and clandestine social media chatter prior to January 6 to suggest it “would likely be very different from all previous protests as a last and final opportunity to contest and disrupt the 2020 presidential election.”A lack of good intelligence before January 6 was not an issue, Hoffman said. As The Washington Post reported, Hoffman noted, the Capitol Police’s own intelligence unit warned in a 12-page January 3 memo that “Congress itself” could be targeted by pro-Trump protesters as “the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election.””I don’t know how much more explicit one can get,” Hoffman said in an interview.What did agencies know, and when?What the FBI and other intelligence agencies knew in advance of the January 6 attack and whether they took the right steps to warn other law enforcement agencies remain hotly debated.The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security collect intelligence on domestic threats and routinely share their assessments with other law enforcement agencies around the country.FILE – Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., talks to reporters as he walks to attend the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Jan. 28, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington.Democratic Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of a panel in charge of Capitol security, recalled calling FBI Director Christopher Wray on January 4 to express concern about potential violence, and having a number of conversations with other top FBI officials on January 5 and 6.“I felt like the FBI felt that they were in better shape in terms of intel and preparation than what came to be the case,” Warner said.But while FBI officials apparently knew of no looming attack on the Capitol by radical groups and ardent Trump supporters, the bureau, in the late hours of January 5, warned law enforcement agencies around the country about online calls for violence that would begin the next day in Washington.Prepared by the FBI’s Norfolk, Virginia, office, the “raw intelligence” report cited an online thread of extremists that stated, “Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in. … Get violent. Stop calling this a march, or rally or a protest. Go there ready for war.”In a statement issued late Tuesday, the FBI said, “The language was aspirational in nature with no specific and credible details.”Such “aspirational” threats are often vague in nature and cannot be traced to a specific individual or group, according to security experts.With the rise in recent years of far-right extremism, determining what threat is aspirational and what is more serious has become all the more challenging for law enforcement agencies, said Colin Clarke of the Soufan Group, a nonpartisan global security research consultancy.”We’re dealing with a much, much bigger — in aggregate — mass of people than we would have been even a year or two ago,” Clarke said.Top officials overlookedThe January 5 FBI memo was shared widely with law enforcement but failed to reach the top officials at the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department, raising questions about a breakdown in intelligence-sharing.Sund said the report was sent through a joint terrorism task force to a Capitol Police sergeant but was not pushed up the chain of command.FILE – Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks at the start of a joint hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Rules committees on Capitol Hill, Washington, Feb. 23, 2021.Lawmakers questioned why such vital information was not flagged to top officials. Senator Amy Klobuchar, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, said the fact that the report did not reach top leaders “is very disturbing on both ends.””You can’t just push ‘send’ on an email” without following up on it and raising concerns at the highest levels, she said.In a statement, the FBI defended its handling of the intelligence. It said it shared the memo with its law enforcement partners within 40 minutes of receiving it. In addition, the report “was also posted on the Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP), which is available to law enforcement officers nationwide,” the bureau said.
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By Polityk | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
В Україні розпочалася вакцинація від COVID-19 (відео)
24 лютого в Україні стартувала вакцинація від коронавірусної інфекції. Перші дози вакцини надійшли в 7 областей України. А офіційно перше щеплення зробили лікареві-реаніматологу з Черкас. Напередодні в Україну прибула партія вакцини за ліцензією Oxford/AstraZeneca з Індії. Там її виробляють під назвою Covishield. Загалом прибуло 500 тисяч доз. Офіційно цю вакцину в Україні зареєстрували 22 лютого.
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By Gromada | 02/24/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
«Укрзалізниця» припинила продаж квитків на потяги на Івано-Франківщину
Повернути квитки можна упродовж 30 днів, починаючи з 26 лютого.
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By Gromada | 02/24/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
US Will Seek Seat on UN Human Rights Council
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States will seek to rejoin the U.N. Human Rights Council when elections are held later this year.
Blinken said in a video address to the council Wednesday, “We humbly ask for the support of all U.N. member states in our bid to return to a seat in this body.”
Seats on the 47-member council are held for a three-year term, and Blinken said the United States would seek to occupy one for 2022-24.
The United States withdrew from the body under the administration of former President Donald Trump with arguments that the council unfairly targeted Israel and included among its membership a number of countries with poor human rights records.
“As the United States re-engages, we urge the Human Rights Council to look at how it conducts its business. That includes its disproportionate focus on Israel,” Blinken said.
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By Polityk | 02/24/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
