Новости за 22.10.2017

Dozens of insurgents have been killed in clashes between two rival Taliban groups in western Afghanistan, local officials tell VOA.   At least 40 Taliban militants from the warring sides have been killed in clashes between the two sides in the Khifaan region of Shindand district in western Herat province, bordering with Iran, according to Jailani Farhad, the spokesperson for Herat’s governor. The clashes also left at least a dozen militants wounded on both sides, provincial authorities told VOA. Читать дальше...

Debate is intensifying in Washington on the merits and potential pitfalls, the risks and possible rewards, of the United States possibly pulling out of the international nuclear accord with Iran.   The U.S. Congress has decisions to make now that President Donald Trump has withheld certifying Iran’s compliance with the pact co-negotiated by the Obama administration. As a candidate and as president, Trump has consistently bashed the nuclear accord with Tehran as “one of the worst and most one-sided... Читать дальше...

Prominent Yemeni journalist Afrah Nasser has been denied entry to the United States to accept an award, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. In September, the CPJ announced that it would present its 2017 International Press Freedom award to Nasser, who has been living in exile in Sweden. Though she holds Swedish citizenship and has a legitimate reason to travel to the United States, she has been denied a visa - potentially due to U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban which includes restrictions on travelers from Yemen. Читать дальше...

Key U.S. senators called Sunday for the White House to be more forthcoming about the country's military involvement in Niger after four U.S. soldiers were killed in an ambush there earlier this month. In separate interviews on NBC's "Meet the Press" news show, Republican Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senate leader Charles Schumer said they support an effort last week by Republican Senator John McCain to find out the details of the attack as well as the scope of the U.S. campaign against Islamic State in the west African country. Читать дальше...

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

President Donald Trump is defending his frequent bickering on Twitter with officials across the U.S. political spectrum, saying it sometimes pushes officials "to do what they're supposed to be doing." Trump told Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo in a wide-ranging interview that aired Sunday, "Sometimes it helps, to be honest with you." Republican lawmakers have often suggested Trump end his frequent tweets, but he said, "I doubt I would be here if it were not for social media, to be honest with... Читать дальше...

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday promoted improving ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a way to counter Iran's growing military assertiveness in the region. Tillerson, participating in the initial meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee in Riyadh, told Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that their improving links showed "great potential." He cited the August reopening of a major border crossing between the two countries and the resumption of direct flights between Baghdad and Riyadh. Читать дальше...

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday promoted improving ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a way to counter Iran's growing military assertiveness in the region. Tillerson, participating in the initial meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee in Riyadh, told Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that their improving links showed "great potential." He cited the August reopening of a major border crossing between the two countries and the resumption of direct flights between Baghdad and Riyadh. Читать дальше...

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday promoted improving ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a way to counter Iran's growing military assertiveness in the region. Tillerson, participating in the initial meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee in Riyadh, told Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that their improving links showed "great potential." He cited the August reopening of a major border crossing between the two countries and the resumption of direct flights between Baghdad and Riyadh. Читать дальше...

Six Somali civilians were killed in a landmine explosion on Sunday, just days after the country’s deadliest attack killed hundreds. Officials in Lower Shabelle region confirmed to VOA Somali that two women and four men died after an improvised explosive device hit a minibus at Daniga village about 35 kilometers north of Mogadishu. Deputy Governor of Lower Shabelle Ali Nur Mohamed says the victims were traders bringing farm produce and were travelling from Afgoye to Bal’ad. “They were bringing... Читать дальше...

A bakery in a low-income area of Johannesburg slashed prices of its popular bread, with unexpected results. What started as a way to help feed the community became a recipe for success as the bakery has a lot more business than ever. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports. ((NARRATOR))

The World Health Organization rescinded Sunday its appointment of Zimbabwe's longtime President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador. "I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns, and heard the different issues that they have raised. I have also consulted with the Government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organization," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. Tedros, who became head of the WHO in July... Читать дальше...

Boko Haram’s renewed campaign of suicide bombings in Far North Cameroon has bred suspicion that remains even as attacks have died down. Local communities are currently blocking 400 former Boko Haram hostages from returning home. Hundreds of former Boko Haram hostages and fighters are lining up to be served food at Mozogo, on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria. They look tired and hungry. Among them is 45-year old Asta Hamina brought into the camp a week ago by the Cameroon military. She said she was found around Sambisa forest... Читать дальше...

Exit polls indicate Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition is on track for a comfortable victory in Sunday's general election. An TBS television poll has Abe's Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition retaining the two-thirds "super majority" it held in parliament’s lower house before Abe dissolved the chamber in September. A victory in the snap election will likely ensure Abe receives another three-year term as head of the LDP coalition next year, making him Japan's longest serving leader. Читать дальше...

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he hopes to use "decisive and strong diplomacy" to resolve issues related to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. "We will deepen our coordination with the international community so as to let North Korea change their course," Abe said. He spoke to reporters a day after a general election that gave his coalition a two-thirds super majority in the lower house of parliament. Abe said the North Korea issue would be part of the discussion when... Читать дальше...

Aboriginal rangers have discovered new evidence of one of Australia’s rarest and most mysterious birds. The Night Parrot was feared extinct until it was spotted in 2013. There have been precious few sightings since, but indigenous wildlife rangers say they have photographed one of the nocturnal, ground-dwelling birds in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is just an indistinct flash of pale green and yellow captured on a motion sensor camera but experts believe Aboriginal rangers have... Читать дальше...

Indonesia is seeking clarification on why its military chief was denied entry to the United States, Jakarta said Sunday. Washington's deputy ambassador to Jakarta was summoned to explain the situation, Indonesian officials said. Indonesian Armed Forces Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo was preparing to board his flight to the U.S. with his wife on Saturday when the airline informed him that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had denied him entry. Nurmantyo had been invited to a conference in... Читать дальше...

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced Saturday he would dismiss Catalonia's separatist government and call for new elections in an attempt to prevent the semi-autonomous region from declaring its independence. Rajoy made the announcement after an emergency Cabinet meeting to deal with the political crisis caused by secession efforts undertaken by the regional leadership of Catalonia. Rajoy's office invoked Article 155 of Spain's constitution, which gives the government the power to take away some or all of Catalonia's autonomy. Читать дальше...

For almost 15 years, environmental activist Patterson Clark has been one of the U.S. National Park Service volunteers who go through forests and remove invasive plants. Because he knew how destructive these plants can be, killing their native host trees, increasing soil erosion, and causing major damage to streams and other wetland areas, Clark had already developed an antagonistic relationship with them. “One day, when I was pulling a plant, I thought, how can I change my relationship with this plant so it’s not just eradication... Читать дальше...

All five living former U.S. presidents attended a fundraising concert Saturday to benefit the victims of hurricanes that ravaged parts of the mainland United States and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands in recent months. Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter attended the show known as "Deep from the Heart: the One America Appeal" at Reed Arena at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. In a rare display of unity... Читать дальше...

Slovenians are voting in a presidential election Sunday that is expected to be an easy re-election for President Borut Pahor, a veteran politician and former model known for his use of social media.   Some 1.7 million voters were choosing among nine presidential candidates, including five women, for the largely ceremonial but influential post. This nation in Central Europe is a member of the European Union and the homeland of U.S. first lady Melania Trump.   Slovenia's presidency holds no executive powers... Читать дальше...

U.S-allied forces say they have captured Syria’s largest oil field from the Islamic State group.   The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who are in a race with Russian-backed Syrian government forces to seize parts of the oil-rich Deir el-Zour province, said Sunday it is in full control of the Al-Omar field.   The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says pro-government forces have retreated from the area around the field after coming under heavy fire from IS militants. The SDF says government... Читать дальше...

Philippine troops were locked in an intense urban firefight Sunday with the last remnants of a pro-Islamic state alliance, as the army sought to declare an end to the country’s biggest internal security crisis in years. An estimated 30 people, including militants and some of their family members, were battling to hold a fortified, two-story building next to Marawi City’s vast Lake Lanao, and appeared ready to fight to the death, according to the deputy commander of the operation. “There’s just... Читать дальше...

Friends and relatives of a couple whose bodies were found in Joshua Tree National Park say they believe the two got lost while hiking in the sprawling desert park and struggled in the searing heat with little food or water before they died in a “sympathetic murder-suicide.” Rachel Nguyen, 20, and Joseph Orbeso, 22, had been missing for nearly three months after going for a hike in late July and failing to return to their bed-and-breakfast. Their disappearance launched an exhaustive search. Crews... Читать дальше...

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said he would be willing to travel to North Korea on behalf of the Trump administration to help diffuse rising tensions, The New York Times reported on its website Sunday. “I would go, yes,” Carter, 93, told the Times when he was asked in an interview at his ranch house in Plains, Georgia, whether it was time for another diplomatic mission and whether he would do so for President Trump. Carter, a Democrat who was president from 1977 to 1981, said he had spoken to Trump’s National Security Adviser Lt. Читать дальше...