Новости за 16.11.2017

Iraq's Kurdish lawmakers are returning to Baghdad this week in an apparent end to their boycott of the national parliament, a senior Kurdish official said Thursday. The move is a concession to Baghdad after a military and political standoff that followed the controversial Kurdish independence vote in September. Kurdish lawmakers had announced they would return to parliament, but an Iraqi lawmaker, Josef Slewa, told The Associated Press that Kurdish legislators from Masoud Barzani's Kurdish Democratic Party did not attend Thursday's session.

U.S. and Japanese naval forces have begun their annual bilateral training exercise, seen as a show of force amid North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile tests. More than 14,000 U.S. personnel are participating in 10 days of drills, which will include the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the guided-missile destroyers USS Stethem, USS Chafee and USS Mustin, and a maritime patrol and reconnaissance squadron. The exercise in the waters surrounding Okinawa is designed to increase the defensive... Читать дальше...

Russia said Thursday it has warned nine United States government-funded news operations they will probably be designated “foreign agents” under new legislation in retaliation to a U.S. demand that Kremlin-supported television station RT register as such in the United States. The Russian Justice Ministry said Thursday it had notified the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and seven separate regional outlets active in Russia they could be affected. The ministry published a list of the outlets on its website... Читать дальше...

Russia said Thursday it has warned nine United States government-funded news operations they will probably be designated “foreign agents” under new legislation in retaliation to a U.S. demand that Kremlin-supported television station RT register as such in the United States. The Russian Justice Ministry said Thursday it had notified the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and seven separate regional outlets active in Russia they could be affected. The ministry published a list of the outlets on its website... Читать дальше...

2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the deadliest flu pandemic in recorded history. More people died in the 1918 flu pandemic than in World War I. Despite medical breakthroughs in controlling many diseases, influenza is one that remains elusive. VOA medical correspondent Carol Pearson reports.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to attend a summit with Iranian and Russian leaders to discuss Syria. It will be Erdogan's second meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a month. Bilateral relations have warmed significantly in recent months between the regional rivals, since the Turkish president criticized Tehran in June, accusing it of Persian expansion in the region, a threat he said needed to be challenged. "This is part of Ankara's vacillations; it seems to be moving... Читать дальше...

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

The federal bribery trial of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez ended in a mistrial Thursday when the jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked on all charges against the New Jersey politician and a wealthy donor.   Prosecutors can seek to retry the lawmaker.   U.S. District Judge William Walls declared the mistrial after more than six full days of deliberations that had to be re-started midway through when a juror was replaced.   There was no immediate word on which way the jury was leaning - toward conviction or toward acquittal. Читать дальше...

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir said on Thursday the kingdom's actions in the Middle East were a response to what he called the "aggression" of Iran. Long-standing arch-rivals, Riyadh and Tehran are waging a contest for power on several fronts across the region, notably in Yemen and Lebanon. "Any way you look at it, they [the Iranians] are the ones who are acting in an aggressive manner. We are reacting to that aggression and saying, 'Enough is enough. We’re not going to let you do... Читать дальше...

After widespread allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, the first evidence is emerging of possible attempts by Moscow to influence Britain's referendum on leaving the European Union. Researchers have identified thousands of social media accounts that promoted anti-EU messages or sought to whip up political and racial tensions. The investigation by the University of California, Berkeley and Britain's Swansea University shows in the two days leading up to the "Leave" victory in June 2016... Читать дальше...

Thousands of traumatized children in foster care in Britain go missing, with some returning to traffickers who feed them “a web of lies”, charities said on Thursday, urging better protection. UK children’s charity Barnado’s said on Thursday that 16 percent of children referred to its fostering network had been sexually exploited or abused, and 17 percent were trafficked. “It is well known that there is a greater risk of trafficked children going missing from care but too often processes are not... Читать дальше...

On Reporters' Roundtable join host and journalist Douglas Mpuga, along with a lively panel of journalists, who analyze the week’s major developments in Africa.

The Dalai Lama says he has appointed emissaries to attend international engagements or speak on his behalf indefinitely. Citing increasing physical fatigue, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader made the comments while meeting with a group of international youth leaders brought to Dharmsala, India, by the Washington-based Institute of Peace. “I'm 82 years old, and since last year [my] feeling of tiredness has been much increased,” he told the group during video-recorded meetings last week. Because... Читать дальше...

The Israeli army's chief of staff told an Arabic anguage online newspaper that Israel was ready to share "intelligence information" with Saudi Arabia, saying their countries had a common interest in standing up to Iran. Lieutenant General Gadi Eizenkot told the privately Saudi-owned Elaph in what it said was his first interview with an Arabic newspaper that Israel had no plans to attack Lebanon's Hezbollah group. Saudi Arabia has ratcheted up pressure on arch-foe Iran, accusing Tehran of trying to expand its influence in Arab countries... Читать дальше...

Democratic U.S. Senator Al Franken of Minnesota apologized to a Los Angeles newscaster Thursday after she said that he had groped her while they were on a 2006 goodwill trip to entertain American troops stationed in the Middle East. Leeann Tweeden, formerly a TV host, sports broadcaster and Playboy model, said that Franken, after he was a comic on the Saturday Night Live show before running for elected office, "kissed and groped me without my consent, and there's nothing funny about it." Tweeden... Читать дальше...

Top cocoa producer Ivory Coast will launch an operation to expel thousands of illegal farmers from the Goin-Debe forest reserve, the West African nation's largest, a government spokesman said on Thursday. The decision is part of a strategy aimed at protecting forests in Ivory Coast, which has seen the bulk of its rainforest destroyed for agriculture.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir has again insisted Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is "not being detained against his will" in Saudi Arabia, while accusing Iran and its Hezbollah proxy militia of trying to dominate Lebanon and meddling in Yemen and Bahrain. Visiting French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian told reporters that he would meet the Lebanese prime minister and that Hariri was invited to travel to Paris. Paris invitation The odd saga of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's... Читать дальше...

Three United Nations agencies have renewed pleas to a Saudi-led coalition to lift a blockade that has halted the flow of essential supplies into Yemen, warning that the lives of "untold thousands" of people are at stake. "The cost of this blockade is being measured in the number of lives that are lost," the leaders of the World Food Program, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said in a statement. The agencies said 7 million people are at risk of famine in Yemen and that number could increase by more than 3 million. Читать дальше...

Worshippers in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, are set to go green with a new initiative that aims to establish 1,000 eco-mosques by 2020. Launched this week by Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, the initiative will help the mosques to source renewable energy, manage their water and food needs sustainably, reduce and recycle waste and provide environmental education. The project will see the top Muslim clerical body work with the private sector, the government's health and planning ministries... Читать дальше...

U.S. authorities told Turkey that Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab, arrested in the United States, was moved to a different location and is in good medical condition, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday. Cavusoglu said U.S. authorities had not replied to a first diplomatic note from Turkey, but responded to a second note sent on Wednesday inquiring about Zarrab's condition after the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons website showed that Zarrab had been released last... Читать дальше...

Robert Mugabe, the longtime president of Zimbabwe, made his first public appearance Friday since the military placed him under arrest earlier this week. The frail leader, dressed in a blue and yellow academic gown and a mortar board, attended a graduation ceremony in Harare, the capital, where the crowd cheered him. Zimbabweans are hoping for a speedy and smooth resolution to their nation's sudden political crisis, as opposition figures, civil society and religious groups urge Mugabe to step down in the wake of a military takeover. Читать дальше...

A coalition of rights groups launched an online petition on Thursday urging IBM Corp to declare that it will not develop technology to help the Trump administration carry out a proposal to identify people for visa denial and deportation from the United States. IBM and several other technology companies and contractors attended a July informational session hosted by immigration enforcement officials that discussed developing technology for vetting immigrants, said Steven Renderos, organizing director... Читать дальше...

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Kenya's Supreme Court will rule on Monday on cases that seek to nullify the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta last month and the judges could order a fresh vote or clear the way for the incumbent to be sworn in for a second term. The two cases appear to represent a final chance for legal scrutiny of the Oct. 26 election and the ruling could end a protracted political crisis in which more than 60 people have been killed. Kenya is a hub for trade, diplomacy and security in East Africa. "We... Читать дальше...

France's military said on Thursday the coalition battling Islamic State in Syria had opposed a deal allowing fighters of the militant group to withdraw from their former bastion of Raqqa. The coalition had also been unable to launch air strikes against the fighters because they had mingled with civilians, French army spokesman Patrik Steiger said. A report by BBC television on Sunday said some 4,000 Islamic State militants, including hundreds of foreign nationals, had been evacuated from Raqqa... Читать дальше...