Новости за 21.04.2017

Challenges are growing to the validity of Sunday's referendum in Turkey to extend the country's presidential powers. "Referendum won by cheating," declared Osman Baydemir, spokesman of the pro-Kurdish HDP, Turkey's second-largest opposition party. An HDP report on the vote said 2,462 "No" campaigners were detained and 453 jailed during the 85-day campaign. HDP's honorary president and deputy, Ertugrul Kurkcu, said the past two months were a "total violation of democratic principles." Kurkcu... Читать дальше...

Eight people were electrocuted to death during a looting incident in Caracas, a firefighter said on Friday, amid violent protests against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by opponents accusing him of seeking to create a dictatorship. The accident occurred when a group of looters broke into a bakery in the working class neighborhood of El Valle, according the firefighter, who asked not be identified. It was not immediately possible to confirm details of the incident with hospital or other officials. Читать дальше...

The United States is reaffirming its engagement with Southeast Asian nations at a time when analysts say there are concerns that North Korea's threats are overshadowing territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Since becoming president, Donald Trump has softened his once-stern tone on China, reaching out to Beijing to help pressure North Korea to end its provocative nuclear and missile programs. On Friday, he tweeted: In comparison, his last tweet about the South China Sea was in December... Читать дальше...

A group of Qatari falcon hunters who were kidnapped in southern Iraq in 2015 are reportedly free after a complex regional deal that included a swap between rebels and regime forces in four Syrian towns, Iraqi and Syrian sources told VOA. "The release operation of all hostages is complete now," Shakhawan Abdullah, a member of the Iraqi parliament's security committee, told VOA. The 26 Qataris — some of whom are members of the ruling family — were taken to Doha by a Qatari plane that left Baghdad International Airport on Friday evening. Читать дальше...

Russia's Federal Security Service said on Friday that a gunman had burst into one of its regional offices in the far east of the country and opened fire, killing one of its employees and a visitor. The region where the incident happened is close to China. The FSB, the successor organization to the Soviet KGB, said the attacker had been killed and that another person had been injured in the incident. "An unknown person entered the reception of the FSB's Khabarovsk regional branch and started shooting... Читать дальше...

Mexico has surpassed 2,000 murders in a month for the first time since the summer of 2011, and had more murders in the first quarter of 2017 than in the start of any year in at least two decades.   Unlike 2011, when a bloody cartel clash in Ciudad Juarez was driving the national toll to new heights, the murders driving the 2017 total are spread across a number of states.   The federal government released the state-by-state murders totals for March on Friday. There were 2,020 murders in March, up about 11 percent from February. Читать дальше...

The U.N. refugee agency reports that more than 11,000 Congolese have fled to neighboring Angola, seeking refuge from an upsurge in violence between rebels and government forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Kasai Province. According to the The U.N. refugee agency, more than one million people have been displaced within the DRC since mid-August when conflict erupted in Kasai Province. UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said more than 9,000 people fled to Angola this month, in fear of their lives, as fighting intensified. Читать дальше...

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri asked the United Nations on Friday to help Lebanon and Israel move towards a permanent ceasefire and end what he called Israel's "continuous  violations" of Lebanese territory. Israel and Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah group fought a month-long war in 2006 that concluded with a cessation of hostilities but without a formal peace deal. "I urge the U.N. secretary general to support efforts to secure, as soon as possible, a state of permanent ceasefire. This is... Читать дальше...

The U.S. government says it will not waive trade sanctions for U.S. companies seeking to drill for oil in Russia, including for U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the announcement Friday, indicating that the United States would maintain a tough stance on sanctions against Russia. "In consultation with President Donald J. Trump, the Treasury Department will not be issuing waivers to U.S. companies, including Exxon, authorizing drilling prohibited by current Russian sanctions," he said in a brief statement. Читать дальше...

South Sudan's three-year-plus conflict has taken a heavy toll on children. An orphanage in Kajokeji in the former Central Equatoria State was forced to relocate recently to Uganda because of rampant insecurity. The orphanage manager said fleeing the town amid fighting between the South Sudan Army and forces loyal to rebel leader Riek Machar was a nightmare. Mama Susan Tabia founded the Amazing Grace Children's Home in the early 1990s at a camp in northern Uganda, for refugees from what was then called Southern Sudan. Читать дальше...

A pilot from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, which is sailing toward the Korean Peninsula, ejected safely from a fighter jet, the U.S. Pacific Command said Friday. Navy officials said the pilot of the single-seat jet was conducting "routine flight operations" over the Celebes Sea before he ejected. The plane then crashed. The cause was not given. The Navy's Seventh Fleet said the incident was under investigation. The pilot was reported to have no apparent injuries. The Vinson is expected... Читать дальше...

Kenya's Ministry of Defense said its troops, operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia, have destroyed an al-Shabab camp, killing 52 militants and seizing weapons. In a statement, the ministry said troops raided the camp, located near the town of Badhadhe in the Lower Jubba region, at around 1:00 a.m. Friday. "The intelligence-led operation was executed after surveillance assets sighted al-Shabab terrorist concentration in the location," the ministry said. "Ground troops supported... Читать дальше...

Tensions are high in Kenya's chaotic primary season as the ruling Jubilee party and the opposition run into logistical issues and allegations of irregularities. The Jubilee planned to hold party primaries in all of Kenya's 47 counties Friday and Monday. But of the 21 scheduled for Friday, three were postponed. Confusion and accusations then derailed voting in nine more counties, such as Uasin Gishu, home to Deputy President William Ruto. The governor, Jackson Mandago, said party elections will not take place in Uasin Gishu. Читать дальше...

Serbian officials warned on Friday of another war in the Balkans if Albanians try to form a joint state with Kosovo in the war-weary European region and the West does not reject such a plan. The angry reactions from the Serbs came after Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama said an interview with Politico journal that a union between Albania and ethnic Albanian-dominated Kosovo cannot be ruled out if European Union membership prospects for the Western Balkans fade. Serbian government minister Aleksandar... Читать дальше...

The global flow of remittances declined in 2016 for the second year in a row, potentially reducing access to health care, education and food for millions of families in developing nations. Friday's report from World Bank experts says migrants sent $429 billion from wealthy nations back to their home countries during the year. That is a drop of 2.4 percent from the previous year.  Falling oil prices in commodity exporting nations and weak economic growth in Europe took a toll on the flow of money. Читать дальше...

Russian has become the "second language" taught in Syrian schools, and President Bashar al-Assad's children are studying Russian, Syria's ambassador to Russia was quoted as saying Friday. "The decision by Assad that the Russian language become the country's second language is a sign of gratitude to the Russian people for their support of the Syrians," Russia's TASS state news agency quoted Syria's Ambassador Riyad Haddad as saying. "Also as a mark of that gratitude, many families are even naming their sons Putin," Haddad added. Читать дальше...

The government of Cameroon has restored the internet to the country's two English-speaking regions after a three-month blackout, but it is unclear whether the move will be enough to restart dialogue to end the unrest that began in November. Abeng Sylvan moved his roadside cyber cafe to Yaounde from Bamenda when the internet was cut in the northwest. The connection was restored late Thursday. "I was almost losing hope," Sylvan said. "Paying my rents and all the light bills was really difficult. Читать дальше...

South China Sea Chinese forces tried to drive away two Philippine planes carrying Manila's defense and military chiefs Friday near a Chinese man-made island, officials said, adding they admired seeing up close the stunning city-like features, including buildings, roads and a runway in the South China Sea's hotly contested region. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the aircraft continued uninterrupted after Filipino pilots messaged back to the Chinese that they were flying over Philippine territory. Читать дальше...

An Egyptian-American aid worker who was freed Thursday night after spending almost three years in an Egyptian prison met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday morning. Aya Hijazi and her husband, Mohamed Hassanein, an Egyptian, were acquitted earlier this week of child abuse charges stemming from an aid organization they established to help street children in Egypt. WATCH: Trump on Hijazi's release The charges were widely decried by international human rights groups... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday directing the Treasury Department to review significant tax regulations that were implemented last year, with an eye toward fulfilling a campaign promise to reduce the tax burden on Americans, according to the White House. The president also signed two memoranda ordering reviews of a 2010 Wall Street reform law that banks and insurance companies have said impede their ability to conduct business. The signing was held at the Treasury Department. Читать дальше...

In 2014, a stranded motorist left a glowing review for Larry’s Auto and Truck Repair, located on the outskirts of Charlottesville, Virginia. “I am in the midst of hauling my horse cross country from Northern Virginia to Denver Colorado, and as I was heading onto I64W my truck broke down…” wrote Ariel L. from Castle Rock, Colorado, on the Yelp business review website after ending up at Larry’s Auto and Truck Repair. “The man was literally waiting for me like a surgeon expecting a seriously ill patient being transported to the hospital. Читать дальше...

In a suburban Moscow home on Wednesday, a few sleepy Chechen men in their twenties nervously mill about and one by one introduce themselves to visiting journalists. There are six gay Chechen men hiding in the house because they fear that their lives, and their relatives, could be in danger. They fled Russia's Republic of Chechnya as independent media reported a crackdown on gay men involving hundreds of abductions, torture, and at least three murders. "At first, I thought that all was as usual... Читать дальше...

Russian authorities say there is no evidence that gay men in Russia's conservative republic of Chechnya are facing a wave of persecution. A number of gay Chechen men have fled the region amid allegations of abduction, torture and murder. VOA’s Daniel Schearf visited a safe house on the outskirts of Moscow where gay Chechen men are in hiding, and has this report.

Bosso, Niger was the first village attacked by Boko Haram in February 2015.  In June 2016, jihadist soldiers succeeded in taking control of the village from the Niger army. A year later, VOA French to Africa reporter Nicolas Pinault traveled to Niger where he found life getting back to normal in the village, located a few kilometers from the border.

Are North Korea's latest threats merely propaganda? US Vice President Mike Pence issues a stark warning to North Korea as Pyongyang threatens to preemptively strike the US and South Korea. VOA White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman and VOA Asia in a Minute host Steve Miller talk about the rising military tensions between North Korea, the US, and South Korea and China’s role in the situation.