Новости за 18.08.2017

Kenya's opposition coalition went to the Supreme Court late on Friday to challenge the results of a presidential election that it said was  rigged Election authorities have said President Uhuru Kenyatta won the August 8 election by 1.4 million votes, but opposition leader Raila Odinga said the results were false. He has not yet presented evidence of fraud. Kenyans who remember the violence that followed the disputed 2007 election, when about 1,200 people were killed, were relieved when Odinga... Читать дальше...

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

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration as a whole has been rocked by a series of high-profile exits since he took office in January. Here are the most notable people who've either been fired or resigned from the Trump administration.

The family of a retired South African colonel arrested for unclear reasons in South Sudan one year ago is calling for his release. Authorities took retired Colonel William Endley into custody in Juba, the capital, on August 18, 2016. According to his daughter, Gwyneth Endley, he is now jailed at a national security facility in Juba but has yet to be charged with any crime. "We just want him home," said Gweneth Endley in an interview Friday with VOA's South Sudan in Focus. She said her family... Читать дальше...

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will travel to Jordan, Turkey and Ukraine next week for talks with the leaders of all three nations. Pentagon officials said Friday that Mattis aims to reaffirm Washington's commitments to each of the countries. Mattis will begin his trip by meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah as well as top defense officials. Jordan has been a key partner in the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State terror group. From Jordan, Mattis will head to Turkey for meetings with top officials... Читать дальше...

Venezuela's pro-government constitutional assembly took over the powers of the opposition-led congress Friday, dramatically escalating a standoff between President Nicolas Maduro and his political foes. The move is likely to trigger further international condemnation from the dozens of countries that have already criticized the creation of the all-powerful assembly as an undemocratic power grab by Maduro. Assembly delegates approved a decree giving them the authority to pass legislation to guarantee the peace... Читать дальше...

The top U.S. general and his Japanese counterpart have agreed to work together to strengthen missile defenses for Japan, as Tokyo announced that they will introduce the land-based Aegis Ashore system for additional protection against the North Korean missile threat. General Joe Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a small group of reporters in Tokyo that his meetings with Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reaffirmed the "extraordinarily healthy... Читать дальше...

U U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday told senior officials he has decided to dismiss his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, who from the beginning of the six-month-old tumultuous administration has been his most controversial adviser. Bannon, who is credited with helping Trump get elected, had clashed for months with other powerful West Wing figures. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Steve Bannon had mutually agreed that Friday would be Bannon's last day. White House spokesperson... Читать дальше...

Former U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney criticized President Donald Trump on Friday for his handling of last Saturday's violent white supremacist rally in the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, that left three people dead and 19 others injured. Romney's comments were in response to Trump's comments Tuesday that "both sides" were to blame for the violence at the rally. In a posting on Facebook, Romney warned Trump to change his approach or face the possibility of further national unrest. Читать дальше...

Zimbabwe's government has announced that President Robert Mugabe's birthday will now be a public holiday. The announcement is the latest in a series of efforts to secure the longtime leader’s legacy. Most cities and towns in Zimbabwe have a road named after President Robert Mugabe. In Harare, the public square that most political parties use for rallies also bears his name. Earlier this month, Zimbabwe’s cash-strapped government announced that it is setting aside $1 billion to establish the Robert Gabriel Mugabe University. Читать дальше...

Nairobi roads have returned to their usual pre-election bustle and Kenyans have gone back to work. But the elections are not quite over, as opposition leader Raila Odinga insists the presidential poll was "stolen" and has announced plans to challenge the outcome at the Supreme Court. Official results show President Uhuru Kenyatta defeated Odinga, 54 percent to 45 percent. University of Warwick professor of comparative politics, Gabrielle Lynch, says most people expected a tighter presidential race... Читать дальше...

A Somali-American from Minnesota will speak on behalf of youth at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York and other events. Munira Khalif, who will be a junior this fall at Harvard University, was chosen from 350 applicants as the 2017-2018 U.S. Youth Observer to the U.N. "When you are the youngest person in the room, you think, maybe my voice is not important,'" Khalif told VOA. "I think sometimes we limit ourselves, and there's a challenge within that. But I think [it's about]... Читать дальше...

U.S. officials say the State Department has suffered a worldwide email outage affecting its entire unclassified system. The officials said the outage began early Friday morning and that technicians were working to restore email as soon as possible. The officials said the outage was not caused by "any external action or interference." The department was forced to shut down its unclassified email systems in 2014 in what officials said at the time was routine maintenance. But it later emerged that... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump has approved a long-delayed Pentagon plan to create an independent and more aggressive cyber command in order to beef up cyberwar operations against the Islamic State group and other foes. The White House announcement Friday means U.S. Cyber Command may eventually be split off from the intelligence-focused National Security Agency. For now, Trump has agreed to raise the stature of Cyber Command within the military and give it more autonomy. He did not say who would serve as commander of the organization. Читать дальше...

As national parks traveler Mikah Meyer wrapped up the last leg of his journey across the western state of Utah, he appears to have saved the best for last -- with visits to Bryce and Zion national parks -- the last two of the five national parks that make up the ‘Mighty 5.’ Hoodoo! Who knew? Mikah was one of millions of visitors who are drawn to Bryce Canyon National Park each year. The park is home to the world’s largest collection of hoodoos -- giant pillars of rock that were sculpted by erosion millions of years ago. Читать дальше...

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is condemning hate speech and bigotry as un-American and antithetical to the values the U.S. was founded on and promotes abroad. In his most extensive comments on race and diversity since last weekend's violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, Tillerson on Friday called racism "evil." He said freedom of speech is sacrosanct but that those who promote hate poison the public discourse and damage the country they claim to love. Speaking to interns and young minority staffers at the State Department... Читать дальше...

CHARLOTTESVILLE AND THE PRESIDENT A controversial march in Virginia that turned deadly leads to another big problem for the US president. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone and VOA White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman talk about the violence involving far-right marchers in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the outcry against President Trump’s comments about the integrity and motives of protesters on both sides.

NASA launched the last of its longtime tracking and communication satellites Friday, a vital link to astronauts in orbit as well as the Hubble Space Telescope. The end of the era came with a morning liftoff of TDRS-M, the 13th satellite in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite network. It rode to orbit aboard an unmanned Atlas V rocket. There were handshakes all around two hours later, when the satellite successfully separated from the rocket's upper stage. "We're going to really celebrate this one," said launch director Tim Dunn. Читать дальше...

US READY TO TALK WITH NORTH KOREA  US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson suggests Washington is open to talks between Washington and Pyongyang.  VOA State Department Correspondent Nike Ching and VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin discuss the military threat against Guam by North Korea, the status of the standoff and diplomatic efforts to end the crisis.

A RARE SIGHT IN THE SKY People who live along a narrow band of the continental United States will experience a celestial spectacle few people will ever see - a total eclipse of the sun. VOA reporters George Putic and Carolyn Presutti talk about the August 21 solar eclipse, viewable at least in part across most of the US, how people are preparing to see it, and what researchers may learn from the event.

Charlottesville and the President 0:54, US Ready to Talk with North Korea 1:49, A rare Sight in the Sky 20:52

Police in Finland are searching for more possible suspects in a mass stabbing that killed one person and injured eight other people Friday in the southwestern coastal city of Turku. Police shot one man in the leg and arrested him, prompting a police warning to avoid central Turku. Security has been heightened at Helsinki airport and train stations as a result of the stabbings. Prime Minister Juha Sippila said "The government is following the situation in Turku closely and a police operation... Читать дальше...

With the first ever full census of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon underway, and a groundbreaking plan to strengthen their rights, Palestinians are hoping to see an improvement in their conditions. But a top priority for the Lebanese government continues to be security in the Palestinian camps, leading some to question whether anything will really change for the refugees.

A state senator in the Midwest is refusing to resign after hoping for the assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump, despite being roundly criticized by top members of her own party. On Thursday morning, Missouri State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal wrote on Facebook, "I hope Trump is assassinated!" She deleted the comment, but a screenshot of the post quickly went viral on social media, and by the afternoon, leading Missouri Democrats were calling for her to resign. Missouri Democratic Party... Читать дальше...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said German Chancellor Angela Merkel was an enemy of Turkey and called on Turks in Germany to vote against her and other major parties in next month's elections. The comments are some of Erdogan's harshest yet against Merkel and her Christian Democrats, illustrating the widening divide between the NATO allies and major trade partners. Ties between Ankara and Berlin have been strained in the aftermath of last year's failed coup as Turkish authorities... Читать дальше...