Новости за 18.03.2017

The Egyptian government is struggling to counter an increasingly violent insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula targeting Egyptian police, security forces and Christians. Several militant groups, including Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, are controlling large swaths of Sinai, which borders the Gaza Strip and Israel, and have established rule separate from the government in Cairo. "The insurgency reflects a breakdown in fundamental relationships between... Читать дальше...

The U.S. Secret Service on Saturday apprehended a person who had jumped over a bicycle rack outside the security perimeter of the White House. President Donald Trump was not in the executive mansion at the time. He was at his Florida estate, where he had arrived Friday night to spend the weekend. On Twitter, White House spokesman Sean Spicer applauded the Secret Service for its quick response. This latest apparent attempt to breach White House security came eight days after a California man... Читать дальше...

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the meeting of finance ministers of the G20 countries was a success Saturday despite the ministers not reaching agreement on trade protectionism. "I will leave here confident that my colleagues and I are able to work in partnership to ...foster and promote global growth and financial stability," he said. Citing President Donald Trump's commitment to American companies and workers, Mnuchin pushed back on and effectively omitted a ban on protectionism... Читать дальше...

Malaysia is sending troops to Somalia as part of the humanitarian mission to avert famine and save the lives of thousands of people, Somali government officials and diplomats said on Saturday. “I can confirm the report and the details will be given when the delegation led by Somali Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Omar Arte, which has been visiting Malaysia, returns to the country,” Somalia’s information minister, Mohamed Abdi Hayir Mareye, told VOA Somali. Addressing the media in Kuala Lumpur... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak by phone Saturday afternoon with the president of Brazil, a nation in which many favored Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton over Trump - due in large part to his opposition to free global trade. Nevertheless, Brazilian President Michel Temer sent a message to Trump shortly after his November election victory expressing confidence they could collaborate to strengthen relations between the countries. Temer has said increasing trade with... Читать дальше...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that he expects parliament to move to allow capital punishment - a change that could officially end Turkey's bid to join the European Union. Speaking at a ceremony marking the anniversary of a World War I campaign, Erdogan focused on the current political climate rather than historical successes. "The families of the martyrs, the heroes [those killed as a result of a failed July 15 coup attempt] don't need to worry," he said as quoted from the rally by the French Press Agency. Читать дальше...

The lower house of the Russian parliament has ordered a probe into whether RFE/RL’s Russian Service, Voice of America, and CNN are in compliance with Russian laws. The move by the State Duma on March 17 comes just days after Democratic U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen introduced a bill that would empower the U.S. Justice Department to investigate possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act by RT, the state-backed Russian TV channel. The Russian initiative was introduced by Konstantin Zatulin... Читать дальше...

A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip Saturday exploded near the Israeli city of Ashkelon, drawing a response from Israel. No one was injured by the rocket, which landed in an open area, the Israeli army said. Israel responded to the rocket attack by targeting two Hamas outposts with tank and aircraft fire. One was a military training facility north of Gaza City and the other an observation post close to the Israeli border. No casualties were reported. A similar rocket launch last month drew... Читать дальше...

Germany's foreign minister says Turkey's chances of joining the European Union are dwindling, but the country might one day hope for a privileged partnership with the bloc.   Sigmar Gabriel told German weekly Der Spiegel in an interview published Saturday that “Turkey is further away than ever before from EU membership.”   Gabriel, whose center-left Social Democrats have tended to back Turkish membership in the EU, says he was always skeptical of the idea.   He says upcoming negotiations about... Читать дальше...

For some medical students, getting a yes or no Friday was more important than finding the right life partner. Friday was "Match Day," the annual day when medical students find out which U.S. medical institution has accepted them for a residency program. It is a competition, of sorts: 32,000 training slots are available for 42,000 applicants, according to this year's data. A residency, three to five years of practical experience and training in a student's chosen medical specialty, is the next step after medical school... Читать дальше...

Mention New Orleans and most people will immediately associate it with jazz, a genre of music that originated among African Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And that distinctly American music can be heard everywhere throughout the famed city – and in most other areas of the state of Louisiana. The 'Big Easy' National parks traveler Mikah Meyer recently visited New Orleans to soak up some of those sounds and learn about the city’s other cultural highlights. “There’s the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park... Читать дальше...

Buses began transporting Syrian rebels and their families Saturday from al-Waer, the last opposition-held neighborhood in the central city of Homs. Their departure is part of a Russia-backed deal signed earlier this month. The fighters and their families are being taken to the northern rebel-held town of Jarablus on the border with Turkey. Officials say the exodus will take several weeks. Thousands of civilians are also expected to leave Homs rather than risk conscription or arrest by Syrian security forces. Читать дальше...

A U.S. House Intelligence Committee Monday will further investigate the extent of Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election and President Donald Trump’s claim that President Barack Obama had his phones tapped during the campaign. During a public hearing, committee members will question FBI Director James Comey and Admiral Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, for the first time. The Department of Justice delivered documents to the House and Senate intelligence... Читать дальше...

On Monday, the House Intelligence Committee will give FBI Director James Comey his first opportunity to publicly address President Donald Trump's claims that former President Barack Obama secretly wiretapped his phones in New York's Trump Tower. Comey will address his agency's investigation into the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia. VOA's congressional reporter Katherine Gypson has more.

A man was shot to death Saturday after trying to seize the weapon of a soldier guarding Paris' Orly Airport, prompting an evacuation of the terminal, police said. Authorities warned visitors to avoid the area while an ongoing police operation was underway. Emergency vehicles surrounded the airport as confused passengers gathered in parking lots, and the elite RAID special police force worked to secure the airport. All flights are being redirected. A national police official said it is unclear whether the attacker acted alone. Читать дальше...

South Korean prosecutors will question the chairman of the SK Group Saturday in connection with an influence-peddling scandal that brought down President Park Geun-hye, the company and the Yonhap news agency said. Park, South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be removed from office, faces allegations that she colluded with a friend, Choi Soon-sil, to pressure big businesses to donate to foundations set up to back her policy initiatives. Officials at the prosecutors’ office could... Читать дальше...

Bangladesh police Saturday shot and killed a suspected militant who tried to enter a security checkpoint on a motorcycle armed with explosives, the latest in a string of security incidents since a deadly attack on a cafe in July. The latest incident came a day after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a security forces base near the international airport in the South Asian nation's capital, Dhaka. Bangladesh's counter-terrorism Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said some of its officers opened fire... Читать дальше...

New research warns that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef can be saved only if urgent steps are taken to tackle climate change. The study, published in the journal Nature, says parts of the world’s largest coral system will never fully recover from repeated bleaching, caused by spikes in the water temperature. The Great Barrier Reef faces localized threats, such as the run-off of pesticides from farms and overfishing, but scientists believe its future depends on immediate efforts to reduce global warming. Читать дальше...

Former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says she is ready to participate in the public discussion about the change in the country’s political climate since the November presidential election. “I’m like a lot of my friends right now, I have a hard time watching the news,” she said Friday at the Society of Irish Women’s 19th Annual Saint Patrick’s Day dinner in Scranton, Pennsylvania. However, Clinton added, “I do not believe that we can let political divides harden into personal divides. Читать дальше...

The Florida prosecutor who thrust herself into the forefront of the anti-death penalty movement is a political novice who was elected just seven months ago.   Aramis Ayala, a Democrat and former public defender and assistant state attorney, surprised many of her supporters when she announced this week that her office would no longer seek capital punishment in a state that has one of the largest death rows. In response, the state’s Republican governor promptly transferred a potential death penalty case to another Florida prosecutor. Читать дальше...

The top U.S. diplomat is in China on the third and final leg of his first Asia tour, focusing on North Korea and its controversial nuclear and missile programs. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Saturday after meeting in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, tensions on the Korean Peninsula were at a “rather dangerous level.” “I think we share a common view and a sense that tensions in the peninsula are quite high right now,” Tillerson said. He continued: “We will work together... Читать дальше...

New Zealand authorities say they’re unable to investigate an incident involving a U.S. Embassy staffer based in Wellington after the U.S. government elected to shield him by invoking diplomatic immunity.   Police said Saturday they responded to an incident in Lower Hutt near Wellington early March 12. They said the American had left the scene before police arrived, and nobody was taken into custody. In their statement, police declined to release further details of the incident but said they’re keeping the investigation open. Читать дальше...

The Islamic State terror group released a video earlier this month explicitly threatening China with attacks on its soil. Analysts say that as China seeks to expand influence across central Asia, the Middle East and Africa, its nationals are being exposed to a greater terror threat — and Beijing is having to adapt its response. The Islamic State video purports to show Chinese ethnic Uighurs fighting for IS militants in Iraq. They threaten to return home and shed “rivers of blood.” Analyst Raffaello... Читать дальше...

The Islamic State terror group released a video earlier this month threatening China with attacks on its soil. Analysts say that as China seeks to expand influence across central Asia, the Middle East and Africa, its nationals are being exposed to a greater terror threat and Beijing is having to adapt its response. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.

Washington's National Zoo hired its first animal nutritionist 30 years ago. Since then the zoo has been preparing specific, well-balanced meals for each animal, provided by volunteers and food preparation teams. For Yahya Barzinji, Elizabeth Cherneff reports.