Новости за 08.03.2017

Ernestine Shepherd is the world's oldest competitive female body builder. VOA's Shahzad Khokhar caught up with her in Baltimore, Maryland. This is Ernestine's story, in her own words.

A new statue of a resolute young girl now faces Wall Street's famous Charging Bull, erected by a major asset managing firm for International Women's Day to make a point: There's a dearth of women on the boards of the largest U.S. corporations. State Street Global Advisors, the Boston-based investment giant, had the statue created to push companies to increase the number of women directors. Artist Kristen Visbal's "Fearless Girl" drew both tourists who came to pose for pictures with the bull and... Читать дальше...

The hooves of nomads' livestock forged the critical middle link between the civilizations of East and West along the Silk Road, according to new research. Rather than seeing pastoralists as marginal players in the stories of the great civilizations of Asia and Europe, the new study puts these herders squarely at the center of the ancient transcontinental trade route. The Silk Road was a conduit for the exchange of goods and ideas at least as far back as the third century BCE. Maps of the route typically resemble modern highway maps... Читать дальше...

The United States is open to a dialogue with North Korea on denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, but the onus is on Pyongyang to take "meaningful actions" toward that end and to refrain from provocative acts, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said China's proposal that the United States and South Korea halt their annual military exercises in exchange for a suspension of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs was not a "viable deal." "This is apples and oranges," he said. Читать дальше...

A fire that killed 19 girls at a home for abused teens in Guatemala on Wednesday started when some residents set mattresses ablaze, police said, after an overnight riot and attempt to escape from the overcrowded government-run center. A crowd of relatives, some wailing with grief, gathered outside the Virgen de Asuncion home for children up to 18 years old, in semi-rural suburb San Jose Pinula, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of the capital Guatemala City. ​ Nery Ramos, the head of Guatemala's national police... Читать дальше...

Two hundred years ago on March 8, 1817, the New York Stock & Exchange Board was officially launched by a group of financial brokers, who rented rooms at 40 Wall Street. It was renamed the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 1863.  The idea for stock market was informally created in 1792, when 24 brokers and merchants signed The Buttonwood Agreement to trade securities in return for commission. It was named for the group’s meeting place under a Buttonwood tree.   ​ Throughout the early 1800's... Читать дальше...

The United States has publicly accused Russia for the first time of deploying a cruise missile in violation of a 30-year-old arms control agreement. Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman General Paul Selva confirmed on Capitol Hill the deployment of the land-based missile violates the "spirit and intent" of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Selva's remarks Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee were the U.S. military's first public confirmation of reports last month that Russia had secretly positioned them. Читать дальше...

Hungary’s parliament has passed a law allowing the detention of all asylum seekers in border camps and the summary deportation of any illegal migrants back to the country from which they came. The U.N. refugee agency and several human rights groups, say the policy violates international and European Union laws, as Henry Ridgwell reports from London.

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U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says the United States must see "some sort of positive action" from North Korea before any discussions to lower tensions on the Korean peninsula can begin. After an emergency closed-door briefing among members of the U.N. Security Council, Haley said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not "a rational person" and the council is not "ruling anything out" in its reevaluation of North Korea. The council held a special closed-door briefing on North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches... Читать дальше...

A rundown of some of the  International Women's Day events (all times local):   9 a.m. - Poland   Women across Poland are staging rallies and marches to demand protection against violence, equal rights and respect.   Hollywood actress Jessica Chastain took part in a protest walk across the street in downtown Warsaw. She was in the city for a gala screening of her latest movie "The Zookeeper's Wife.''   Hundreds of women also gathered in front of the offices of the head of the ruling conservative party... Читать дальше...

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

International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on the progress and immense challenges still facing women across the globe. To recognize this day, Voice of America hosted a discussion in which women from two of the countries impacted by extremism, Nigeria and Somalia, shared their stories. Nigeria is fighting the brutal insurgency of Boko Haram and next month marks the third anniversary of the kidnapping of the 276 Chibok school girls, most of whom are still held by their abductors. One of those girls is Sarah Samuel. Читать дальше...

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The U.S. State Department held its first, much-anticipated briefing Tuesday since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. Acting spokesman Mark Toner, a career officer, fielded questions about reports the president plans to slash the department’s budget and U.S. foreign aid by about 37 percent. VOA State Department Correspondent Cindy Saine has the story.

Iraqi soldiers on Wednesday recaptured a prison outside Mosul that had been controlled by Islamic State jihadists and reportedly used for hundreds of executions, the Iraqi military said.   The securing of the jail came as part of a mission to retake west Mosul that began last month. The eastern side of the city was liberated prior to the start of the mission on the west side.   Human Rights Watch says the Badush prison was used by IS militants to execute as many as 600 people and house abducted Yazidi women. Читать дальше...

Major technology firms say they are moving to fix any vulnerabilities in their operating systems, a day after WikiLeaks released documents pertaining to an alleged CIA hacking arsenal capable of spying on people through microphones in mobile phones and other electronic devices, such as smart televisions. In a statement issued Wednesday, Apple said it already had addressed many of the issues identified in the WikiLeaks documents, but said it would “continue work to rapidly address any identified... Читать дальше...

WikiLeaks has published thousands of documents that the anti-secrecy organization said were classified files revealing scores of secrets about CIA hacking tools used to break into targeted computers, cellphones and even smart TVs. The CIA and the Trump administration have declined to comment on the authenticity of the files. Prior WikiLeaks releases, which divulged government secrets maintained by the State Department, Pentagon and other agencies, have since been acknowledged as genuine. In another nod to their authenticity... Читать дальше...

NATO and the United States warned Wednesday they could scale back cooperation with Kosovo's security services if the government goes ahead with plans to transform its lightly-armed security force into an army without the required constitutional changes. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he told Kosovo's leaders by telephone "that unilateral steps such as these are unhelpful." He warned that if Kosovo goes ahead as planned "NATO will have to review its level of commitment, particularly... Читать дальше...

FBI Director James Comey said on Wednesday he has no plans to step down any time soon, days after he reportedly pushed back against President Donald Trump's allegations that the Obama administration had tapped his phones during the 2016 election. At a Boston College cyber security conference, Comey prefaced his speech by saying he would like to come back. "You're stuck with me for another 6-1/2 years," he said, indicating he expects to serve the remainder of his 10-year term. Comey refused... Читать дальше...

Hundreds of female farmers in Brazil occupied rural government offices on Wednesday in protest against austerity plans which they say disproportionately impact poor women. Protesters who marched across several cities on International Women's Day said pension reforms and other changes to social security will make it harder for family farmers to stay on the land. Brazilian officials say the changes, including raising the minimum retirement age for rural workers to 65 years and higher pension contributions... Читать дальше...

U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing funding cuts for the country's Coast Guard, its natural disaster emergency agency, and airport security arm so he will have money to start building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and crack down on illegal immigration. Trump vowed during his run to the White House to build the 3,200-kilometer wall to thwart illegal immigrants from Mexico and Central American. But now, Trump is faced with finding money to fund the massive project.  He has estimated the wall would cost $12 billion... Читать дальше...

Germany's chief federal prosecutor will carefully examine a trove of new documents released by anti-secrecy group Wikileaks related to the CIA, and will launch an investigation if it sees concrete indications of wrongdoing, a spokesman said. "We will initiate an investigation if we see evidence of concrete criminal acts or specific perpetrators," a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office told Reuters. "We're looking at it very carefully." A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry on... Читать дальше...

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Top legal scholars say the fight for South Africa to stay in the International Criminal Court is just beginning, a day after the government officially revoked its notice of intent to withdraw from the war crimes court. That decision came after a South African court ruled last month that that notice, given by South Africa's Cabinet, was unconstitutional, and the matter needs to go through parliament. At the time, legal activists praised the ruling because they said it showed South Africa's commitment to following proper procedures. Читать дальше...