Human Rights

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats pushed legislation buttressing the 2010 health care law and curbing prescription drug prices through the House Thursday, advancing a bill that has no chance of surviving in the Senate or getting President Donald Trump’s signature and seemed engineered with next year’s elections in mind.

The measure forced Republicans into the uncomfortable political position of casting a single vote on legislation that contained popular drug pricing restraints they support, plus language strengthening President Barack Obama’s health care statute that they oppose.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal count shows the number of homeless people increased by double-digit percentages in three San Francisco Bay Area counties over two years as the region struggled to tackle the growing problem, including 17% in San Francisco and 43% in the county that includes Oakland.

More than 25,000 people were counted as homeless during an overnight tally conducted in San Francisco, Alameda and Silicon Valley’s Santa Clara counties in January. Detailed reports are expected later this year.

YEKATERINBURG, May 17. /TASS/: Yekaterinburg’s Verkh-Isetsky District Court has arrested another participant in the May 15 authorized protest that took place in the city center, where St. Catherine’s Cathedral is planned to be rebuilt, the court’s spokesperson told TASS on Friday.

"The court’s magistrate ruled to arrest another one of those detained on May 15 for five days under Article 20.21 of the Russian Administrative Violations Code (public drunkenness)," the spokesperson said.

GROZNY, May 16. /TASS/: US sanctions against Chechnya's Terek Special Rapid Response Team mean that the United States is afraid of Chechnya, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Thursday.

The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) earlier added Chechnya's Terek Special Rapid Response Team and five Russian nationals, including Terek's commander Abuzayed Vismuradov, to the Magnitsky Act.

UNITED NATIONS, May 17 (APP): A senior United Nations humanitarian official has condemned attacks on civilians and health facilities in Syria’s Idlib de-escalation zone.

Speaking at a news conference in Geneva on Thursday after a meeting of an international Humanitarian Task Force (HTF) for Syria, UN Senior Humanitarian Advisor Najat Rochdi said at least 100 civilians lost their lives or were injured in recent attacks in the northwestern Idlib province.

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua): The United Nations on Thursday called for "maximum restraint" from all parties amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States and in the Gulf region.

"We are very concerned about the volatility of the situation. We call on everyone to exercise maximum restraint, prevent any escalation of and heightening of tensions," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters.

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua): At least six civilians were reported killed and five more injured in an apparent airstrike in populated areas of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said on Thursday.

Citing humanitarian colleagues as a source, Dujarric said the casualties were victims of explosive weapons used in Qasr Bin Ghashir, Tripoli, during an airstrike on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua): U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a plan on Thursday to reform the nation's immigration system, intended to favor high-skilled immigrants and restrict family-based migration.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said that his plan aims to create a "fair, modern and lawful system of immigration for the United States."

ANKARA, May 16 (Xinhua): Turkey and Iraq have deepened their relations and fostered trade, economic and political cooperation during Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's visit to Ankara amid regional instabilities, said experts.

The visiting prime minister met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, discussing issues such as Turkey's concerns on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) activities in northern Iraq and the new border crossing to be established between the two countries.

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua): U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday held back from further escalating tension with Iran.

When asked by a reporter at the White House on Thursday morning about whether the United States was going to war with Iran, Trump replied "I hope not."

Washington has piled up military pressure on Tehran over the past week by intensifying deployment including an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East following U.S. intelligence information revealing "an escalating of threatening actions" from Iran.