Новости за 17.05.2017

When Hurricane Sandy swept over Long Island, New York, in October 2012, power was knocked out and traffic lights were inoperable. While driving in her car, Stony Brook University student Vishwaja Muppa, 21, was struck by a police car and later died. The death of Muppa, from India, was one of 53 that were blamed on the storm. On Stony Brook's campus, damage was limited and students who sheltered remained safe. But university officials took the hurricane's visit as a wake-up call and planned a state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is attempting to put a positive spin on his Washington encounter with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, calling it a "new awakening" in bilateral relations. But behind joint commitments "to work together in the war against terrorism," reaction has been cool in Turkey, with a recognition that the much-heralded "pivotal" encounter failed to deliver any breakthrough in ongoing points of bilateral tension. "Trump, Erdogan seek to strengthen ties: White House,"... Читать дальше...

Iran's supreme leader called on Wednesday for a high turnout in this week's presidential election, urging voters to head to the polls and send a message to the United States — but stopped short of saying which candidate he prefers of the four remaining in the race. In a televised speech, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the United States and its allies, including the “pathetic prime minister of the Zionist regime,” or Israel, are closely watching the vote on Friday. He called the election... Читать дальше...

A man who was sentenced to life in prison for murder and espionage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been freed and has returned to Norway, Norwegian newspaper Verden Gang reported Wednesday. Joshua French, who has dual British and Norwegian citizenship, was serving a life sentence after he and a fellow Norwegian, Tjostolv Moland, were convicted of murdering their driver in Congo in 2009 and spying for Norway — charges they both denied. They originally were sentenced to death, but their sentences were commuted. Читать дальше...

Venezuela's president is comparing treatment of his government's officials abroad to that of Jews in Nazi Germany. President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday night criticized Venezuelan expatriates who have been harassing or yelling at Venezuelan officials abroad, or who use social media to post photos of the socialist officials living it up overseas while the country's people are struggling with economic crisis. The Venezuelan leader declared, "We are the Jews of the 21st century." Maduro also suggested... Читать дальше...

U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces who recently removed Islamic State fighters from Syria's largest dam near Tabqa say they are working to resume hydroelectric production. VOA's Mahmoud Bali reports.

On May 17, 1954, 63 years ago today, the social construct of the United States forever changed when the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its ruling in the case of Brown versus the Board of Education. “…we unanimously hold that separate but equal has no place in the U.S. Constitution.”   Then chief Justice Earl Warren said that was a violation of the 14th Amendment. And with that, lawful segregation of the public education system in America was over — and the civil rights era began in earnest. Linda Brown Before that day... Читать дальше...

A court in Ethiopia has sentenced 23 people to up to 15 years in prison for establishing links to the al-Qaida and al-Shabab extremist groups. The Ethiopian Federal High Court says they had been accused of planning to carry out terror attacks inside the East African country.   The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate quotes the court ruling as saying three of those sentenced had been planning to establish an Islamic state.   Court officials say the defendants were active between 2010 and 2014 in six cities including the capital... Читать дальше...

The Philippine government has told the European Union it will no longer accept development aid from the bloc, putting at risk programs to assist poor and conflict-hit regions in the country's south, Europe's ambassador said on Wednesday. Ambassador Franz Jessen said the decision to cut aid from the EU, a strong critic of President Rodrigo Duterte's drugs war, would mean the loss of about 250 million Euros ($278.73 million) worth of grants mostly allocated to Muslim communities. Manila's move... Читать дальше...

Shaka Ssali discusses the future of Liberia with Ambassador MacDella Cooper, Liberia Presidential Candidate and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MacDella Cooper Foundation and with James Butty, VOA Managing Editor and Host, “Day Break Africa.”

A look at the best news photos from around the world, including Greece general strike, new view of Crab Nebula and Spain bullfight.

U.S. and European Union officials will meet next week in Washington, D.C., to further discuss risks to air travel and solutions for protecting passengers, the European Commission said on Wednesday after the two sides met in Brussels. "At the meeting, both sides exchanged information on the serious evolving threats to aviation security and approaches to confronting such threats," the EU executive and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a joint statement.

For weeks, most Republican lawmakers limited their comments about the crisis-plagued Trump administration to vague expressions of concern — if they commented at all. That common stance began to shift late Tuesday after media reports surfaced that former FBI director James Comey had written memos alleging President Donald Trump pressured him to halt an investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn's ties to Russia. Hours later, one of the Republican Party's elder statesmen, Senator John McCain... Читать дальше...

Syrian refugees in Jordan's remote desert were connected to solar power on Wednesday, making their community the world's first refugee camp to be powered by renewable energy. The $4.5 million (4 million euros) plant was funded by a foundation established by Ikea, the global home furnishings retailer. In the first phase, will serve 20,000 of 35,000 people in Azraq camp. The plant's capacity is to be more than doubled to provide power to all residents, for an eventual cost of $9.7 million (8.75 million euros)... Читать дальше...

The German Air Force this month sent the U.S. military a written request for classified data on the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet as it gears up to replace its current fleet of fighter jets from 2025 to 2035. The letter, sent by the Air Force's planning command and seen by Reuters, makes clear that the German government has not yet authorized a procurement program and is not committed to any particular aircraft to replace its current warplanes. It said the Defense Ministry would carry... Читать дальше...

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday there was a "high possibility" of conflict with North Korea, which is pressing ahead with nuclear and missile programs it says are needed to counter U.S. aggression. Moon made his comments hours after South Korea, which hosts 28,500 U.S. troops, said it wanted to reopen a channel of dialogue with North Korea as Moon seeks a two-track policy, involving sanctions and talks, to try to rein in its neighbor. North Korea has made no secret of its... Читать дальше...

Police recovered 25 bodies, believed to be those of illegal miners, from a disused Harmony Gold mine shaft, near an area where 76 illegal miners died in 2009 in what was one of South Africa's worst mining disasters. The bodies were recovered from the Eland shaft near the town of Welkom, following a gas explosion late last week, in an area where disused mines without commercially viable amounts of gold still hold enough deposits to attract illegal mining syndicates. Illegal gold mining has plagued South Africa's mining companies for decades... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump used his speech Wednesday at the United States Coast Guard Academy graduation ceremony to slam his critics, especially the news media, and tout his accomplishments so far as commander-in-chief. At the ceremony in New London, Connecticut, Trump took a defiant tone at times, telling graduates, "No politician in history... has been treated worse or more unfairly," than he has, and despite negative media coverage, he still has been able to accomplish "a tremendous amount in a... Читать дальше...

Apple will reportedly announce an update to its lineup of laptops at its annual developer conference, known as WWDC, in June. The report from Bloomberg suggests Apple is responding to increased competition from rival Microsoft. According to the report, Apple will announce three new laptops: The MacBook Pro will get a quicker processor, as will the 12-inch MacBook and the 13-inch MacBook Air. The processors, according to Bloomberg, will be Intel’s newest, seventh generation chips. Apple’s laptops... Читать дальше...

Malawi is planning to take its dispute with Tanzania over Lake Malawi, with its potentially massive reserves of oil and gas, to the International Court of Justice in the Hague, the foreign affairs minister said on Wednesday. Malawi, at the west of Africa's third-largest lake, claims the entire northern half of the lake while Tanzania, to the east, says it owns half of the northern area. The southern half is shared between Malawi and Mozambique. Gas finds in the region have made the 50-year-old... Читать дальше...

United States Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley is calling on the body to address what she called a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. The Security Council will meet Wednesday at Haley's request to discuss an international effort aimed at combating deterioration in Venezuela's economic and political situation. "In Venezuela, we are on the verge of humanitarian crisis," Haley said in a statement ahead of the meeting. "Peaceful protesters have been injured, arrested and even killed by their own government. Читать дальше...

Islamic State militants are planting bombs near front doors in Mosul to prevent civilians leaving, a federal police commander and witnesses said on Wednesday, as Iraqi forces make their final push against the jihadists after seven months of fighting. Trapped in a shrinking area of the city, the militants are increasingly using the several hundred thousand civilians under their control as human shields to avoid being targeted or perhaps tarnish what Iraqi leaders describe as imminent victory. Backed by a U.S.-led coalition... Читать дальше...

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations says civilians are paying a high price in the conflict in the central Kasai region. A U.N. report out this week accuses state security forces of killing dozens of women and children.   Since August of last year, the Kasai region in central Congo has been the scene of bloody fighting between the government and an armed group known as Kamwina Nsapu.   Both sides of the conflict have been condemned by the United Nations: the militants for allegedly... Читать дальше...

U.S. stocks, the dollar, and government bonds were down in Wednesday's early trading as many analysts said investors have been shaken by a series of controversial actions and comments from President Donald Trump. The major U.S. stock indexes fell 1 percent or more. The faltering markets follow Trump's firing of the FBI chief, sharing secrets with top Russian officials, and allegations that the president may have tried to block an investigation into actions by a top aide who was fired. Stocks... Читать дальше...

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering whether to send up to 5,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, a decision expected to come before a NATO summit on May 25. But the question being asked is what can the U.S. achieve with such a small number of extra troops in a country where 350,000 Afghan security forces are already engaged in battle. Back in March, Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote an opinion piece in The Washington Post... Читать дальше...