Новости за 23.03.2017

Even before confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch concluded Thursday, Senate Democrats voiced intensified opposition to President Donald Trump's pick while Republicans rallied behind him. "I have concluded that I cannot support Judge Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. "Judge Gorsuch was unable to sufficiently convince me that he'd be an independent check on a president who has shown almost no restraint... Читать дальше...

Somalia's new president appealed to the international community Thursday to help his nation avert an approaching famine. "Almost half of my people are facing acute food shortages and about 15 percent are facing famine," President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmajo, told the U.N. Security Council. "I am truly saddened by this situation, as the Somali people are proud, generous, hardworking and truly resilient," he said via a video link from Nairobi. "They would have been the last to ask... Читать дальше...

As Iraqi forces come closer to expelling so-called Islamic State from Mosul, a Shi'ite militia aligned with Iran is threatening to turn against the U.S.-led coalition after the city is retaken. U.S. officials say there won't be a hasty withdrawal of more than 9,000 U.S. and coalition forces after Mosul's capture. And one of the aims is to stabilize a region outside Mosul where more than 25,000 troops, including paramilitary forces made up of Sunni tribal fighters and Shi'ite militiamen, have been clearing IS from villages. Читать дальше...

A message of resilience posted online in the wake of the London terrorist attack Wednesday was read in Parliament, it was mentioned on the BBC, and it went viral online. Unfortunately, the hand written message, which appeared in a photo of a whiteboard commonly seen in the London Underground, was a hoax. The message read: “All terrorists are politely reminded that THIS IS LONDON and whatever you do to us, we will drink tea and jolly well carry on. Thank you.” One member of Parliament read the message to Prime Minister Theresa May... Читать дальше...

Russia may be supplying the Taliban as they fight U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, a top U.S. military commander said Thursday. " have seen the influence of Russia of late — an increased influence — in terms of association and perhaps even supply to the Taliban," General Curtis Scaparrotti, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander and U.S. Army General, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Scaparrotti did not elaborate on what kinds of supplies might be provided or how direct Russia's involvement could be. Читать дальше...

Iraqi forces are battling for Mosul's Old City, closing in on the al-Nuri Mosque, where the self-proclaimed Islamic State's leader declared a "caliphate" in 2014. VOA's Heather Murdock goes inside IS "government" buildings, revealing some of the inner workings of their rule.

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

On Tuesday, the rusty patched bumblebee became the first wild bee in the continental United States to be placed on the U.S. endangered species list. Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports, scientists hope the designation will help safeguard one of the small insects that play a big role in American agriculture and the environment.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May solemnly listed the diverse nationalities of those injured in Wednesday’s lone wolf attack in London, underlining the global nature of the British capital and its diversity. She emphasized the attacker was British-born. But some British nationalists and nativists have been quick to blame whole communities for the attack, accusing migrants and liberals for having created the conditions for Islamist terrorism. Two narratives... Читать дальше...

The Kenyan government says it will open the border with Somalia to boost trade and allow the flow of people between the two countries. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta also pledged to help Somalia in the fight against al-Shabab militants and support and train government workers. His remarks followed a meeting he had in Nairobi with his Somali counterpart, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. After a closed door meeting that lasted more than three hours, the two heads of state addressed the media in a display of friendship. Читать дальше...

In advance of World TB day (March 24), the World Health Organization is warning the battle to wipe out the global tuberculosis epidemic will not be won unless stigma, discrimination and marginalization of TB patients is brought to an end. VOA was in Geneva at the launch of new WHO ethics guidance for the treatment of people with tuberculosis. Progress is being made toward achieving the U.N. Sustainable Development Goal of ending the global TB epidemic by 2030.  The World Health Organization reports 49 million lives have been saved since 2000.

The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee met behind closed doors Thursday, a day after its investigation into wiretapping allegations involving President  Donald Trump and his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, was thrown into disarray. Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, chairman of the panel, defended his disclosure Wednesday that legal, wiretapped conversations of foreign agents talking with Trump officials after the November election, but before he took office in late January... Читать дальше...

Pope Francis is making five more child saints: two Portuguese shepherd children who said the Virgin Mary appeared to them in Fatima 100 years ago and three Mexican adolescents who were killed for their faith in the 16th century. Francis signed the canonization decrees Thursday. In the case of the Mexicans, Francis declared the three Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala worthy of sainthood without having a miracle attributed to their intercession, once again sidestepping the typical saint-making process. Читать дальше...

New data show U.S. home sales advanced in February while job layoffs rose slightly last week. Thursday's Commerce Department report showed home sales rose 6.1 percent to hit a seven-month high in February. If newly-constructed homes sold at last month's pace for a full year, 592,000 would change hands. That is nearly 13 percent better than the same time last year. Analysts at Wells Fargo Securities said unusually mild weather in February sped up the buying process, so the next few months may see slower sales. Читать дальше...

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May struck a defiant tone Thursday, in remarks to Parliament after a British man identified as Khalid Masood, 52, rammed his car into pedestrians near the British Parliament. Flowers with messages have been left at the scene in memory of the victims.

The head of the U.S. central bank says new research strengthens the case for investing in early childhood education. In a Washington speech Thursday, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said evidence shows "growing up poor makes it harder to succeed as an adult." A survey by Fed experts shows childhood poverty makes it less likely that people will be employed as adults, and hurts their chances of having stable jobs and adequate incomes. Yellen says research also underscores the value of investing... Читать дальше...

London police have identified the person who carried out Wednesday's attack near the British Parliament as Khalid Masood. British-born Masood, 52, was known to the police for a number of previous convictions for assaults, including possession of offensive weapons. He was last convicted in 2003 for possession of a knife. Masood had not, however, been convicted for any terrorism offenses. A religious convert, Masood had been an English teacher and was a fanatical bodybuilder. He is older than recent Islamist attackers in European cities. Читать дальше...

Curious toddlers find the drugs in a mother's purse or accidentally dropped on the floor. Sometimes a parent fails to secure the child-resistant cap on a bottle of painkillers.   No matter how it happens, if a 35-pound toddler grabs just one opioid pill, chews it and releases the full concentration of a time-released adult drug into their small bodies, death can come swiftly.   These are some of the youngest victims of the nation's opioid epidemic — children under age 5 who die after swallowing opioids. Читать дальше...

A photo published on social media reveals Elon Musk’s SpaceX Corporation is close to fielding a rocket robot. According to Florida Today newspaper, Stephen Marr got a good view of the bot sitting on top of a SpaceX drone ship at Port Canaveral, Florida. "I knew there was something different there," Marr, 34, told the paper. Marr posted the photo on Reddit where it was widely agreed to be a robot, and users on the site nicknamed it “Optimus Prime,” after a character from the movie Transformers. Читать дальше...

Afghanistan’s Taliban have captured a strategic district center in southern Helmand province after heavy overnight fighting. The fall of the town of Sangin means the insurgents have extended their control to almost the entire district, also called Sangin, a month after staging a coordinated assault to capture it. Provincial military officials maintained Afghan National Army personnel staged a “tactical retreat” from the town, and relocated to their main army base about 20 kilometers from Sangin. Читать дальше...

A man has been arrested in Belgium, reportedly for trying to drive through a crowd, police said Thursday. The man was apprehended after he ran a red light at high speed in a shopping area in the port city of Antwerp. "A vehicle with French plates has tried to drive at high speed into the Meir [street]. A man in camouflage was taken away," Antwerp police chief Serge Muyters told a news conference. "The pedestrians had to jump aside." No injuries have yet been reported. Belgium's prime minister... Читать дальше...

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has technology capable of infecting “factory fresh” iPhones and has been bugging the devices since at least 2008, WikiLeaks claimed Thursday. In a statement released on its website, the whistleblowing organization said the technology developed by the CIA’s Embedded Development Branch (EDB) was designed to be physically installed onto new iPhones. “It is likely that many CIA physical access attacks have infected the targeted organization's supply chain including... Читать дальше...

Film legend Greta Garbo's former longtime apartment in New York City is up for sale for nearly $6 million.   The New York Times reports  that the Swedish-born star's seven-room Manhattan co-op overlooking the East River is on the market for $5.95 million, with monthly maintenance of nearly $9,100.   The co-op is located on the fifth floor of the 14-story Campanile building, located on East 52nd Street. Garbo lived there from 1954 until her death in 1990 at age 84.   The apartment is being sold by the family of Gray Reisfield... Читать дальше...

Police in Israel say they have arrested a 19 year-old Jewish Israeli man suspected of calling in a string of bomb threats to Jewish Community Centers across the United States. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the suspect is “the guy who was behind the JCC threats,” referring to the dozens of bomb threats called in to Jewish centers in recent weeks. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the arrest followed a "large-scale investigation spanning multiple continents" and cooperation between international law enforcement agencies. Читать дальше...

Zimbabwe's 93-year-old leader might be slowing down, but his busy foreign travels have led the opposition to call him the “non-resident president.” President Robert Mugabe has visited Singapore, Ghana, Swaziland and Mauritius in the past three weeks alone. At times he stops over in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, for just a night before leaving again. Some critics say Mugabe's trips are a drain on this southern African country's depleted finances. Others are amazed at how a visibly elderly man remains... Читать дальше...