Новости за 25.04.2017

An experimental blood test can quickly and accurately diagnose malaria from other infections, so treatment of the mosquito-borne illness can be started promptly.  The symptoms of malaria, which strikes an estimated 200 million people around the globe every year, are non-specific.  That means the fever, aches, pains and chills in the early stages could be mistaken for any number of infections.  Identifying and treating malaria promptly not only increases a patient's chances of survival, but also... Читать дальше...

A Cameroonian military tribunal on Monday sentenced a journalist to 10 years in prison on terrorism charges, including for failing to report acts of terrorism to authorities, in a trial that has drawn sharp criticism from rights groups. The court had been told that evidence was found in Ahmed Abba's computer showing he had been in contact with Boko Haram Islamist militants and that they had communicated information to him about future attacks. Abba, a Cameroonian journalist for Radio France International... Читать дальше...

About 5,000 American and Philippine troops will hold humanitarian exercises next month instead of annual war games, scaling back military drills in response to President Rodrigo Duterte's disdain for their longstanding defense alliance. Troops taking part in “Balikatan” will simulate a response to a devastating super typhoon in the central Philippines, modeled on typhoon Haiyan in 2013, which killed at least 6,300 people and left more than 200,000 families homeless. “Balikatan is designed to... Читать дальше...

President Donald Trump complained on Monday that the United States is shouldering an unfair burden of the cost of the United Nations, but said if the world body reforms how it operates, the investment would be worth it. Trump, who has frequently criticized the cost to the United States of supporting the NATO alliance, took his concerns directly to the ambassadors of the U.N. Security Council, who joined him at the White House for a lunch. "If we do a great job, I care much less about the budget... Читать дальше...

A Haitian politician and former coup leader has pleaded guilty in a U.S. court to conspiring to launder drug money.  Guy Philippe took a plea deal Monday, admitting to a Miami court that he accepted more than $1.5 million from drug smugglers while he was a high ranking police official in Haiti. The deal will likely allow Philippe to avoid a potential sentence of life in prison for cocaine smuggling.  Prosecutors are recommending that Philippe receive a nine-year prison term at his sentencing in July. Читать дальше...

The International Criminal Court on Monday unsealed an arrest warrant for Libya's former security chief, accusing him of carrying out war crimes and crimes against humanity in an effort to quash opposition to the late dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The warrant, first issued in 2013, charges Al-Tuhamy Mohamed Khaled with three charges of war crimes and four crimes against humanity.   The warrant against Al-Tuhamy says that between February and August 2011, the military, intelligence and security agencies... Читать дальше...

Nine years after his death at age 28, audiences are seeing a different side of Australian actor Heath Ledger through the lens of his own camera. Documentary "I Am Heath Ledger" uses thousands of hours of self video shot by Ledger, as well as his art work and music videos, to paint a portrait of the young actor who took Hollywood by storm in roles like "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Dark Knight." The film also seeks to counteract the lingering perception that Ledger was severely depressed when he accidentally overdosed on painkillers... Читать дальше...

Anti-government activists in Venezuela blocked thoroughfares in the capital and several other cities Monday, continuing a fourth week of street demonstrations to press leftist President Nicolás Maduro for new national elections. “We reiterate again: Only through the vote will we get all Venezuelans to decide what future they want for the country,” Julio Borges, president of the opposition-led National Assembly, told demonstrators gathered at Plaza Brion de Chacaito in eastern Caracas.   A toppled... Читать дальше...

Elton John spent two nights in intensive care with a potentially deadly bacterial infection and has canceled all his concerts for the rest of April and May, his publicist said on Monday. The British musician, 70, became "violently ill" on a flight home from his recent South American tour, spokeswoman Fran Curtis said in a statement. The "Rocket Man" singer spent two nights in intensive care in the U.K. and is resting at home after being released on Saturday, the statement said. The infection was not identified... Читать дальше...

Islamic State fighters, seeking cover from airstrikes and Iraqi ground forces in western Mosul, have seized civilian homes -forcing residents to leave. VOA’s Kawa Omar reports.

For the first 20 years of Markus Rindt's life, he knew just how far he could travel — no further west than the wall that split Germany in two. “I grew up with walls around me —it was a weird situation, to see that the world seems to end at this wall,” remembers Rindt. “You feel that it cannot be that the world ends here.” He's spent the nearly 30 years since then-President Ronald Reagan called on then-Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “Tear down this wall” between West and East Germany making music... Читать дальше...

The United Nations said on Monday it was horrified by a video screened by the government of Democratic Republic of Congo that appeared to show the brutal killing of two U.N. investigators. Congo's government showed the film to reporters in Kinshasa on Monday, saying it showed members of an anti-government militia carrying out the act. Government spokesman Lambert Mende did not explain how authorities obtained the video, but said they were showing it to rebuff suggestions that Congo authorities were complicit in the killings. Читать дальше...

U.S. President Donald Trump is to sign at least four executive orders this week, giving him the distinction of having signed more directives (28) in his first 100 days in office than any president since Franklin Roosevelt. A check by Politifact shows FDR signed 76 such orders in the same 100-day period in 1933. “Overall he [Trump] has signed a record number of executive orders,” said White House spokesman Sean Spicer Monday.   The 28 directives Trump has signed since taking office January 20th... Читать дальше...

The U.S. and the African Union agree that the time for Somalis to take over security responsibility in their country is swiftly approaching. During a conference call organized by U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany, General Thomas Waldhauser, Commander of AFRICOM, said the recent announcement that the U.S. will send 40 troops to Somalia does not signal a change in strategy. The U.S. will play a support role training the Somali National Army to create efficient logistics networks to supply their troops. Читать дальше...

General Motors' Venezuelan subsidiary has sent a message to almost 2,700 staff informing them that they are no longer employed by the company and had received severance pay in their bank accounts, according to two employees. A Venezuelan court last week ordered the seizure of the company's Valencia plant, ruling in favor of two dealers that had filed a case in 2000 against the subsidiary on grounds they had not complied with an agreed sale of 10,000 vehicles. Workers say that before the seizure was announced... Читать дальше...

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk took many risks with the technology in his company's cars on the way to surpassing Ford Motor Co.'s market value. Now Musk is pushing boundaries in the factory that makes them. Most automakers test a new model's production line by building vehicles with relatively cheap, prototype tools designed to be scrapped once they deliver doors that fit, body panels with the right shape and dashboards that don't have gaps or seams. Tesla, however, is skipping that preliminary step and ordering permanent... Читать дальше...

The governments of Spain and Brazil on Monday reinforced their commitment to completing a trade pact between the European Union and South American trade bloc Mercosur despite protectionist sentiments. On a two-day visit to Brazil, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he agreed with Brazilian President Michel Temer about the need to wrap up a trade deal that has taken more than 15 years to negotiate. Rajoy also called for elections as the only way to reach a negotiated solution to the political crisis in Venezuela... Читать дальше...