Новости за 15.04.2017

The death toll in flash floods triggered by heavy rains in Iran's northwestern province of eastern Azarbaijan jumped to 30 as rescue teams continue to discover bodies, state TV reported Saturday. The report said that there are at least seven people still missing in the cities of Ajabshir and Azarshahr. An earlier report Saturday morning said 17 people had been killed.   The East Azarbaijan Governor's Office of Crisis Management said that "16 bodies were found in Ajabshir city and 14 in the city... Читать дальше...

After a turbulent U.S. presidential election and a rollercoaster start to President Donald Trump's administration, this year's Tribeca film festival will come with a statement. Environmental, political and social issues all feature strongly in the 200-strong selection of feature films, documentaries, television shows and immersive installations on offer during the April 19-30 festival. Co-founder Jane Rosenthal said choices for the 16th festival included themes of the environment "and the fact... Читать дальше...

A federal judge Saturday blocked Arkansas' plan to execute six inmates over the course of ten days. The State had initially planned to execute eight inmates over eleven days just two weeks before its supply of midazolam, a lethal injection drug, is set to expire. But another judge granted stays to two of the inmates. Nine death row prisoners brought the case to the state, arguing that midazolam could expose them to "severe pain."   Federal District Judge Kristine G. Baker in Little Rock also... Читать дальше...

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has embarked on a trip to the Asia-Pacific region that will include a visit to South Korea Sunday amid a tense standoff along the Korean peninsula. Pence left Washington Saturday on what will be on a 10-day, four-nation trip that will also include stops in Japan, Indonesia, Australia and Hawaii. It is the vice president's first official trip to the Asia-Pacific rim, where he will meet with leaders to discuss trade, economic and security issues, including North Korea's  provocative military actions. Читать дальше...

Dozens of Syrians have been reported killed and some others wounded in an explosion Saturday on a bus convoy carrying thousands of evacuees. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the blast hit the convoy of mostly Shi'ite residents. The group was traveling to Aleppo from two villages, Fuaa and Kafraya, after they had reached an evacuation deal to leave their homes. Syrian state TV initially reported that 22 people had been killed in the blast in the town of Rashidin. British-based Syrian... Читать дальше...

On Sunday, Turks will vote in a referendum on turning Turkey into an 'executive presidency' from the current parliamentary system. If approved, the 18 article constitutional reform package will greatly enhance presidential powers, creating one of the most powerful elected presidencies in the world. Supporters argue it is essential to meet what they call unprecedented threats facing the country. Detractors warn the measures will turn Turkey into an autocracy. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been at the forefront of the yes campaign... Читать дальше...

Regardless of whether Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan succeeds in bolstering his increasingly authoritarian clout in Sunday’s constitutional referendum, one thing is clear: despite a crackdown on his critics and the media, the country is deeply divided, with signs that the gap is growing. That is bad, not only for Turkey, but for just about everyone with interests in the region, given the country’s economic power and historically strategic location as a bridge between East and West – particularly... Читать дальше...

At least 16 people were killed and more than 600 others fled their homes after a massive mound of garbage collapsed on part of a poor neighborhood near Sri Lanka's capital during festivities to mark the local new year, officials said Saturday. Four people were rescued from underneath the mound, but it was unclear whether any others were buried, said military spokesman Roshan Seneviratne. Soldiers were searching the site. Seneviratne said 625 people whose homes were either destroyed or under threat were being housed in nearby schools. Читать дальше...

Pope Francis, presiding at a Good Friday service, asked God for forgiveness for scandals in the Catholic Church and for the “shame” of humanity becoming inured to daily scenes of bombed cities and drowning migrants. Francis presided at a traditional candlelight Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) service at Rome’s Colosseum attended by some 20,000 people and protected by heavy security following recent attacks in European cities. Francis sat while a large wooden cross was carried in procession, stopping... Читать дальше...

Backed by Russian air power and allied militiamen on the ground, Syrian troops have recaptured entire cities from rebels and Islamic State extremists in the past year, including the key cities of Aleppo, Homs and Palmyra. Yet for the past three years, President Bashar Assad’s forces have been unable to free opposition-held neighborhoods of the capital Damascus, where rebel fighters have built a labyrinth of secret tunnels, beyond the reach of airstrikes and connected to opposition-held suburbs farther out. Читать дальше...

France’s presidential race looked tighter than it has all year Friday, nine days before voting begins, as two polls put the four frontrunners within reach of a two-person run-off vote. The latest voter surveys may raise investor concerns about the outside possibility of a second round that pits the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen against hard-left challenger Jean-Luc Melenchon. The election is one of the most unpredictable in modern French history, as a groundswell of anti-establishment feeling... Читать дальше...

Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories are claiming success with the first in a new series of test flights that are part of an effort to upgrade one of the nuclear weapons that has been in the U.S. arsenal for decades.   An F-16 airplane from Nellis Air Force Base dropped an inert B61-12 bomb over the Nevada desert last month to test the weapon's non-nuclear functions as well as the plane's ability to carry the weapon.   With a puff of dust, the mock bomb landed in a dry lake bed at the Tonopah Test Range. Читать дальше...

North Korea rolled out its military hardware Saturday at its annual Day of the Sun celebration commemorating the 105th birth anniversary of the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current leader, Kim Jong Un. Goose-stepping soldiers and marching bands filled the square Saturday where North Korea’s young leader reviewed tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems and other weapons that rolled by. New missiles Weapons analysts said they believe some of the missiles on display were new types of intercontinental ballistic missiles... Читать дальше...

Arkansas’ plan to execute eight men by the end of the month appeared to unravel Friday, with a judge blocking the use of a lethal injection drug and the state’s highest court granting a stay to one of the first inmates who had been scheduled to die.   Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen issued a temporary restraining order blocking the state from using its supply of vecuronium bromide after a company said it had sold the drug to the state for medical purposes, not capital punishment. Griffen scheduled a hearing Tuesday... Читать дальше...

An Afghan official says the number of militants killed in an attack by the largest non-nuclear weapon ever used in combat by the U.S. military has risen to 94.    Ataullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor in Nangarhar, said Saturday the number of Islamic State group dead was up from the 36 reported a day earlier.    A Ministry of Defense official had said Friday that the number of dead could rise as officials assessed the bomb site in Achin district.   The U.S. attack on a tunnel... Читать дальше...

A plaque commemorating a 1932 coup in Thailand that saw absolute monarchy abolished and democracy established is missing, police in Bangkok said Saturday, prompting outcry from pro-democracy activists. The 1932 coup, also known as the Siamese Revolution, was a crucial turning point in Thai history and ended nearly seven centuries of absolute monarchy, paving the way for political and social reforms. Since then, Thailand has gone through a shaky experiment with democracy and has witnessed a succession of political protests and coups. Читать дальше...

The impact of automation on U.S. jobs is open to debate. Robots have displaced millions of manufacturing workers, and automation is getting cheaper and more common, raising concerns it will eventually supplant far more workers in the services sector of the economy, which includes everything from truck driving to banking.  University of Virginia Darden School of Business Professor Ed Hess says we are just starting to see automation's impact. "It is going to be broad and it is going to be deep," he said... Читать дальше...

North Korea did not go through with a possible nuclear test Saturday, after the United States demonstrated a credible threat of military force in the region and China increased economic restrictions against its economically dependent ally. Instead North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a military parade to celebrate the April 15 birthday of his country's founding leader the late Kim Il Sung, the country’s most important holiday known as the Day of the Sun. “Kim Jong Un had planned a fight with the U.S.... Читать дальше...

Researchers in Britain have shown that genetic manipulation can prevent or slow the symptoms of Parkinson's, in the inherited form of the disease. That's a minority of Parkinson's patients, but the researchers are learning more about what causes nerve cells in the brain to die. Faith Lapidus reports.

Wi-Fi is very simply a way to send information via short-range radio. That can be a problem, though, when a lot of people are using the same open network at the same time. But a relatively new technology using light bulbs could help relieve that overwhelmed Wi-Fi network. VOA's Kevin Enochs reports.

Robots have displaced millions of manufacturing workers, and automation is getting cheaper, more capable, and far more common in the much-larger services sector. This area includes everything from truck driving to banking and has far more jobs than factories had. VOA'S Jim Randle reports that one expert says "tens of millions" of jobs could be at risk, but others say the picture is more complex, and less grim.

Democratic voters hope a special election to fill the seat vacated by President Donald Trump's Health and Human Services secretary, Tom Price, will send a message of disapproval to Trump. VOA’s Katherine Gypson traveled to Georgia to see if Trump's narrow election win in the traditionally Republican 6th Congressional District will be enough to favor Democrats April 18th.

A religious procession on Good Friday made its way through the Chicago neighborhood of Englewood, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city. Led by Roman Catholic Cardinal Blase Cupich from the Archdiocese of Chicago, the procession recreated the footsteps of Jesus as he walked the path that led to his crucifixion. The crowd marched for peace on the 20-block walk as they prayed, sang hymns and read from a list of 158 names of those killed, mostly in shootings, in the city since the beginning of the year. Читать дальше...

Led by Roman Catholic Cardinal Blase Cupich from the Archdiocese of Chicago, a crowd marched for peace on the streets of Chicago.

A rubbish dump landslide in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, killed at least six and injured 11, hospital sources said Friday, as emergency workers dug into the mountain of trash to save survivors buried in dozens of houses. Firefighters fought to extinguish a fire at the top of the estimated 300-foot (91-meter) rubbish dump, which had collapsed after the flames engulfed it. Witnesses told Reuters that at least 40 houses may have been buried in the landslide. A 13-year-old boy and and two girls aged 14 and 15 were among the six who died... Читать дальше...