Новости за 23.04.2017

On Friday early in the afternoon, two Afghan Army Ford Ranger vehicles with 10 soldiers on board stopped before the first security check point of the main entrance to 209 Shaheen Corps, in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province. The soldiers on board were Taliban militants, disguised in Afghan National Army (ANA) uniforms with fake identification cards.   Inside the first vehicle, there was a wounded soldier who was pleading for urgent care.   “The soldier was covered in blood... Читать дальше...

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

U.S. President Donald Trump made a new push Sunday for construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to thwart illegal immigration, with funding for the controversial barrier at the forefront of White House discussions with lawmakers to avert a partial government shutdown at the end of the week. Trump wants initial funding for the wall, a key campaign promise in his run to the White House, included in the budget to finance government spending to the end of September, but opposition Democrats remain adamantly against its construction.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday makes his first major appearance since leaving office, having chosen Chicago, the city where his political career started, to emerge from a three-month hiatus from the public eye. Obama will meet youth leaders and promote community organizing near the same South Side neighborhoods where his own activism blossomed and propelled him to two terms in the White House that ended with Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel,... Читать дальше...

Heavy two-way traffic of carts carrying children, clothes, and the elderly crowded the main Baghdad-Mosul road on Sunday as hundreds of Iraqis fled heavy fighting or made their way back to areas seized back from Islamic State. Families paid no heed to the sound of heavy mortar, artillery and machine gun fire raging in the background as U.S.-trained Iraqi forces battled Islamic State some two kilometers (about a mile) away. Some had walked miles to a government checkpoint where the men were placed... Читать дальше...

This year marks the half-way point in an international campaign to provide children and adults the world over with access to life-saving vaccines. VOA's Carol Pearson reports on the progress - and what's at stake in this campaign.

The Syrian army and allied forces advanced against rebels in western Syria near Hama city on Sunday, building on recent strategic gains in the area, a military source and a monitoring group said. Government forces captured the town of Halfaya and nearby villages, they said, taking back territory that rebels seized last year from forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. "We gained control of Halfaya and several hills in the area," the Syrian military source said. "The army will of course continue... Читать дальше...

Silicon Valley isn’t the only place to find the next Mark Zuckerberg. Nearly 9,000 tech startups call New York City home, and their offerings reflect the unique needs of the most populous U.S. city.   At the recent NY TechDay event in New York, more than 500 startups were on hand to display their wares. The event was billed as the largest in the United States and a mix of founders, funders and tech-curious individuals were among the estimated crowd of 35,000.   “The city moves at its own speed, right? Читать дальше...

A member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, died and others were injured Sunday when their car was blown up by a mine in eastern Ukraine. Austria's Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident near the small village of Pryshyb.  Austria currently holds the OSCE’s rotating presidency. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz demanded a thorough investigation, adding that those responsible would be held accountable OSCE officials said because they were still in the process of notifying victims’ relatives... Читать дальше...

Nine Somali sliders were killed and five others were injured after a massive roadside explosion targeted their vehicle in Galgala, officials said. The explosion occurred mid-morning Sunday during a routine operation by the Puntland security forces in the Galgala Mountains. Spokesman for Puntland police in Galgala, Major Abdirahman Farah Gurhan, told VOA Somali that the vehicle was transporting 17 soldiers when it was hit by the improvised explosive device. The site of the blast is about 57 kilometers southwest of Bosaso port town. Читать дальше...

Violent attacks on Jews dropped for a second straight year in 2016, but other forms of anti-Semitism are on the rise worldwide, particularly on U.S. university campuses, according to a report released Sunday. Researchers at Tel Aviv University said assaults specifically targeting Jews, vandalism and other violent incidents fell 12 percent last year. They recorded 361 cases compared to 410 in 2015, which had already been the lowest number in a decade. The figure reported Sunday is the lowest since 2003, when 360 incidents were recorded. Читать дальше...

Afghanistan observed a national day of mourning Sunday after a Taliban suicide assault killed scores of soldiers in the deadliest insurgent raid on an military base in 16 years. Friday’s coordinated attack on the regional headquarters of the Afghan National Army in Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of the northern Balkh province, has reportedly left at least 140 soldiers dead and many more wounded. But the Afghan government has not yet officially released the number of casualties as it investigates the incident. Читать дальше...

Three policemen were killed on Sunday in a suicide attack south of Mosul, the northern Iraqi city where Islamic State is fighting off a U.S.-backed offensive, security sources said. A group of about 10 assailants, including four suicide bombers, had tried to infiltrate a Federal Police helicopter base in Al-Areej, a police captain told Reuters. Three policemen and three of the assailants were killed in the attack, he said. Police gave chase but the assailants managed to escape, he said. Al-Areej... Читать дальше...

Pope Francis urged governments on Saturday to get migrants and refugees out of holding centers, saying many had become "concentration camps." During a visit to a Rome basilica, where he met migrants, Francis told of his trip to a camp on the Greek island of Lesbos last year. He met a Muslim refugee from the Middle East there who told him how "terrorists came to our country." Islamists had slit the throat of the man's Christian wife because she refused to throw her crucifix on the ground. "I... Читать дальше...

Saudi Arabia's King Salman issued a decree late Saturday naming one of his sons, an air force pilot who has taken part in coalition strikes against the Islamic State group, as the kingdom's new ambassador to the U.S.   The appointment of Prince Khaled bin Salman to Washington signals the kingdom's eagerness to strengthen bilateral ties under President Donald Trump. As the king's son, the prince has a direct line to the Saudi monarch. Saudi Arabia is the world's third largest defense spender. Читать дальше...

An Israeli attack against a military base for the Syrian pro-government National Defense Forces in southern Syria killed three NDF members on Sunday, the NDF militia and a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, said it remained unclear if the source of the bombardment in Quneitra province was an airstrike or shelling. Israel has carried out airstrikes or fired mortar rounds during the six-year war in Syria, often in response to the occasional spillover... Читать дальше...

Morocco has summoned Algeria's ambassador to express concern after 54 Syrians attempted to "illegally enter" the country from Algeria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Sunday. It said 54 Syrians attempted to enter Morocco through the border town of Figuig, an area surrounded by mountains, between April 17 and 19. It accused Algeria of forcing them to cross into Morocco. "Algeria must assume political responsibility and morality concerning this situation," the ministry statement on MAP state news agency said. Читать дальше...

Two Harvard researchers say they have found a rare parchment copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence — in England. The only other known parchment copy is housed in the National Archives in Washington. Researchers Emily Sneff and Danielle Allen found the document in the archives of the small town of Chichester in Sussex, in southern England. The Boston Globe reports the Duke of Richmond is believed to have been the original owner of the parchment which the researchers dated to the 1780s. Читать дальше...

A supply ship bearing John Glenn's name arrived at the International Space Station on Saturday.   Astronauts used the station's big robot arm to grab the capsule, as the craft flew 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Germany.   NASA's commercial shipper, Orbital ATK, named the spacecraft the S.S. John Glenn in honor of the first American to orbit Earth. It rocketed from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Tuesday with nearly 7,700 pounds of food, experiments and other goods.   Glenn died in December at... Читать дальше...

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is in Djibouti, the tiny east African nation that’s home to the United States’ only military base on the continent. Mattis arrived Sunday at Camp Lemonnier before visiting the Djiboutian president and minister of defense. Officials say Camp Lemonnier is one of the most strategically important areas for the United States military due to its geographic location. The base is critical for U.S. exercises and operations on the continent, and U.S. special forces... Читать дальше...

A Kenyan police official says novelist and conservationist Kuki Gallmann has been shot and injured at her ranch after herders invaded in search of pasture to save their animals from drought.   Ezekiel Chepkowny said Sunday that Gallmann was patrolling the ranch when she was attacked and shot in the stomach. Chepkowny says her driver also survived the attack and drove her to the airport in Laikipia, where she was airlifted to the capital, Nairobi, for further treatment. The Italian-born conservationist and author... Читать дальше...

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issued a royal decree Saturday restoring financial allowances for civil servants and military personnel that had been cut under austerity measures. “The royal order returns all allowances, financial benefits, and bonuses to civil servants and military staff,” said the decree, broadcast on state-run Ekhbariya TV. In September Saudi Arabia cut ministers’ salaries by 20 percent and scaled back financial perks for public sector employees in one of the energy-rich kingdom’s... Читать дальше...

Polls are open across France in an election that is one of the closest watched in decades, with 11 candidates, ranging from the extreme right to the extreme left, vying for the French presidency. Tight security is in place after a terrorist attack in Paris on Thursday, just days before the voting. About 50,000 police officers backed by 7,000 soldiers, including special forces, were deployed to the streets for security amid tensions following the attack claimed by the Islamist State terrorist group. Читать дальше...

The Blackfeet Indian Reservation rolls across the plains just east of Glacier National Park. There’s a hotel and casino. There are gas stations, a few eateries and a museum about the culture and history of the people that have occupied the territory long before the arrival of the U.S. Cavalry and the hordes of modern-day visitors who roll into the nearby mountains. But despite its proximity to the national park, little of the money spent by tourists ends up in the business tills of reservation’s communities. Читать дальше...

North Korea has detained another U.S. citizen. The Korean-American man was arrested Friday at Pyongyang International Airport as he was preparing to leave the country, the South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports. The Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang said it was aware of a Korean-American citizen being detained recently, but could not comment further. The embassy looks after consular affairs for the United States in North Korea because the two countries do not have diplomatic relations. The man... Читать дальше...