Новости за 13.04.2017

Deep in the jagged red mountains of Oman, geologists are searching for an efficient and cheap way to remove carbon dioxide from the air and oceans — and perhaps begin to reverse climate change. They are coring samples from one of the world's only exposed sections of the Earth's mantle to uncover how a spontaneous natural process millions of years ago transformed carbon dioxide into limestone and marble. As the world mobilizes to confront climate change, the main focus has been on reducing emissions... Читать дальше...

More than 50 U.S. cities will be hosting Make Music Day, a free one-day outdoor festival celebrating music and music-making. The annual event is June 21, the summer solstice. Highlights of Make Music Day in the U.S. will include Sousapaloozas in Chicago; Cleveland; Madison, Wisconsin; Minneapolis-St. Paul; New York; and San Jose, California. Part of Make Music Day is an event called Mass Appeal in which musicians play together in single-instruments groups. Featured instruments will include guitars... Читать дальше...

Germany's foreign minister urged Kosovo's political parties Thursday to approve the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro to end their status as the only Western Balkan country without free travel rights in Schengen zone countries. Minister Sigmar Gabriel was in Pristina on Thursday as part of his regional tour. Opposition parties say Kosovo loses territory in the border agreement signed two years ago, and have blocked the governing coalition from ratifying the deal by continuously disrupting parliament. Читать дальше...

University of Michigan mechanical engineering students have made one of the most popular puzzle games much larger. And tougher to solve. Seven former and current students unveiled a 1,500-pound Rubik's Cube during a ceremony Thursday inside the G.G. Brown engineering building on the Ann Arbor campus. The massive, mostly aluminum structure is meant to be played by students and others on campus. Four students came up with the idea three years ago and handed down the project to other students. ... Читать дальше...

The U.S. space agency NASA has identified a moon orbiting Saturn as a new candidate for potential life. NASA's Cassini spacecraft said the icy, ocean-covered body possesses ample amounts of hydrogen gas. The gas could be a chemical energy source of life, scientists involved with the mission said. Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, called Saturn's moon Enceladus "the closest we've come" to identifying a planet with the necessary ingredients for a habitable planet. Читать дальше...

Twenty years ago on April 13, 1997, American athlete Tiger Woods made history, winning one of golf’s most prestigious tournaments, the Masters, in Augusta, Georgia. He became the youngest golfer to win - and he did it by 12 strokes, a record that still stands. ​That day, Woods not only shot a 72-hole score of 18-under-par 270, but he also shattered the Masters record of 271 that Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd had shared.  By June 1997, Woods was ranked No. 1 in the world. Two years later... Читать дальше...

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced on Wednesday evening that she was sending to Congress a bill that would dramatically increase the size of public pensions in the face of growing opposition to the nation's current system. The bill would include an increase in the amount of savings held collectively, a new 5 percent payroll tax, and a corresponding boost in retirement savings. Current pensioners would see savings rise by around 20 percent, while workers currently paying into the system would see increases of up to 50 percent. Читать дальше...

Egypt's interior ministry on Thursday identified the suicide bomber in the church bombing in the city of Tanta as Mamdouh Amin Mohamed Baghdadi, a resident of Qena, south of Cairo. At least 45 people, as well as the bombers, were killed in attacks on a cathedral in Alexandria and the church in Tanta in the Nile Delta on Palm Sunday, April 9. So-called Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attacks. A ministry statement said Baghdadi was born in 1977 and was one of 19 suspected... Читать дальше...

The International Olympic Committee said Thursday that it still planned to hold its annual meeting in Lima despite the devastating recent floods in Peru. The 2024 Olympic hosting vote between Los Angeles and Paris is set for September 13, the opening day of the IOC session. Peru's suitability for the weeklong Olympic meetings was questioned in ongoing fallout from heavy rains and mudslides last month. The IOC said the Peruvian government confirmed Thursday that its preparations were "going... Читать дальше...

At least 10 times in the last two months, crackling gunfire just outside the Uere special needs school has sent students and teachers diving to the floor as heavily armed gangsters warred among themselves and sometimes with police in the Rio slum of Mare. With rival drug dealers on practically every corner and a militarized campaign by authorities to take them out, shootouts have become so common that the school holds drills for students to practice taking cover quickly. "After [a shootout] it's... Читать дальше...

Russia's lack of progress in cleaning up its doping culture and introducing a satisfactory testing regime continues to impede the country's reinstatement to athletics, the IAAF said Thursday. Providing its latest update on Russia's state-sponsored doping system, the  International Association of Athletics Federations also criticized the country's decision to make Yelena Isinbayeva the head of the country's scandalized anti-doping agency. "It is difficult to see how this helps to achieve the desired... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump is sending North Korea a fresh warning, calling it a "problem" country that "will be taken care of." Trump commented on North Korea after he was asked about the U.S. military's decision to drop the largest non-nuclear weapon it has ever used in combat on an area of eastern Afghanistan. Asked whether dropping the bomb sends a message to North Korea as it continues to pursue nuclear and other weapons, Trump said it makes no difference. Said Trump: "North Korea is a problem... Читать дальше...

Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it had received at least a thousand surveillance requests from the U.S. government that sought user content for foreign intelligence purposes during the first half of 2016. The amount, shared in Microsoft's biannual transparency report, was more than double what the company said it received under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) during the preceding six-month interval, and was the highest the company has listed since 2011, when it began tracking such government surveillance orders. Читать дальше...

The world's most experienced spacewoman says she's thrilled to get an extra three months off the planet. The commander of the International Space Station, Peggy Whitson, told the Associated Press on Thursday that five months into her mission, she's still not bored. She misses cooking, though, and a diverse menu. Plus, she's afraid there isn't much chocolate left to celebrate Easter this Sunday. Earlier this month, NASA announced Whitson will stay up until September, stretching her mission to nearly 10 months. Читать дальше...

A lawyer representing the man who was dragged off a United Airlines flight earlier this week said he is likely to sue the airline after he suffered serious injuries from the incident. The lawyer, Thomas Demetrio, said the airline has "bullied" passengers for a long time and he will "probably" file a lawsuit on behalf of Dr. David Dao, who will now have to undergo surgery to correct the injuries he sustained. Demetrio said Dao will need reconstructive surgery to fix a broken nose and two lost teeth. Читать дальше...

An angry mob killed a fellow student at a Pakistani university campus Thursday on accusations that he'd posted blasphemous content online. It was the latest in a series of vigilante attacks over the increasingly contentious issue in the predominantly Muslim country. Witnesses and local media reported angry students associated with the ruling right-wing political parties in Pakhtunkhwa province used sticks and broken glasses during the attack on Mashal Khan, a journalism student at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan. Читать дальше...

Turkey accused the United Nations on Thursday of meddling in its internal politics shortly before a referendum that could give President Tayyip Erdogan sweeping presidential powers. In a statement earlier in the day, U.N. rights experts said Turkey's security crackdown after a failed coup attempt in July had undermined the chance for informed debate on the referendum. They said a state of emergency imposed after the abortive putsch had been used to justify repressive measures that might well intensify if Erdogan's powers are enhanced. Читать дальше...

Ahead of a June deadline to renew Darfur's joint African Union and United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said her administration wants "proof" Sudan's government is making progress toward peace and protecting civilians in the region. The Darfur mission, known as UNAMID, costs $1 billion per year. The Trump administration has expressed interest in cutting back on the overall U.N. peacekeeping budget. But analysts say while the mission merits some streamlining, it still serves a purpose. Читать дальше...

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government introduced legislation Thursday to let adults possess 30 grams of marijuana in public - a measure that would make Canada the largest developed country to end a nationwide prohibition on recreational marijuana. Trudeau has long promised to legalize recreational pot use and sales. U.S voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada voted last year to approve the use of recreational marijuana, joining Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Читать дальше...

Fatima Bakhshi stays close to her mother and two sons, afraid she might lose them as they trudge through the cold Balkan darkness. The smuggler they've paid to escort them safely into Western Europe orders them to squeeze into a car with more than a dozen other migrants. Bakhshi, the boys in her lap, is crammed so tightly in the back that she can barely breathe. The driver swerves and she yells at him to stop. Other migrants snap at her to keep quiet and she dozes off. All she wants is a new life with relatives in Ireland... Читать дальше...

"Star Wars" is beefing up its girl power through a new series of animated short movies featuring the sci-fi saga's heroines including Princess Leia, Rey and Jyn Erso. Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm announced on Thursday that "Star Wars Forces of Destiny" will focus on the "untold stories of everyday heroism that shape the destinies" of the main female characters in the franchise. The move is the latest by Disney to broaden the male-dominated audience for the "Star Wars" series, which is celebrating... Читать дальше...

The number of newly diagnosed childhood cancer cases worldwide rose by 13 percent during the past two decades, according to an agency of the World Health Organization. In a study published in the journal The Lancet Oncology, researchers with the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, reported the incidence of childhood cancer was 140 per million per year from 2001-2010 among children up to age 14.   The incidence was 124 per million cancers annually throughout the 1980’s, according to data from a previous IARC study. Читать дальше...

At least 97 Libyan migrants are feared dead after their boat sank Thursday in the Mediterranean Sea, en route to Europe, Libyan authorities said. A spokesman for the Libyan Coast Guard said authorities rescued 23 migrants a few kilometers off the Libyan coast after receiving a distress call from their sinking boat. By the time the Coast Guard arrived, spokesman Ayoub Gassim said the boat, which was packed with African migrants, "completely collapsed." He said the survivors were all men who were found hanging onto a flotation device. Читать дальше...

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

A U.S. warplane dropped the largest bomb in America's arsenal — a 10,000-kilogram device known as "the mother of all bombs" — on an Islamic State bunker complex in northeastern Afghanistan on Thursday. No details of damage or possible casualties from the massive blast in Nangarhar Province are available. The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb, developed more than a decade ago, had never been used in combat. A spokesman for Nangarhar's governor, Attaullah Khoghyani, told VOA that local officials... Читать дальше...