Новости за 20.05.2016

NEW YORK — The number of pregnant women in the United States infected with Zika virus is suddenly tripling, due to a change in how the government is reporting cases. [...] in the last year, infections in pregnant women have been strongly linked to fetal deaths and to potentially devastating birth defects, mostly in Brazil. Experts think mosquitoes on the U.S. mainland will probably start spreading the virus in the months ahead, when hot weather hits and mosquito populations boom. [...] Dr. Neil Silverman... Читать дальше...

DAKAR, Senegal — The Zika virus that is believed to have infected more than 7,500 people in an island nation off the western coast of Africa is the same strain spreading through the Americas, the World Health Organization said Friday. Most infected people suffer no symptoms, but authorities in Brazil have seen a dramatic increase in severe brain-related birth defects in babies born to women infected with Zika during pregnancy. After studying evidence, health officials this year concluded Zika causes such birth defects. Читать дальше...

Police Sgt. Ken Seuberlich said detectives are still searching for clues at Bothell High School, about 12 miles northeast of Seattle, hoping to watch some useful surveillance video. In a letter to parents and staff, Francois called this an "alarming — highly unusual — situation" and said school officials would do whatever they can to make students and staff feel safe at the high school on Monday. Police have a school resource officer posted at the high school and Seuberlich said they were going... Читать дальше...

A police detective from a Tennessee resort town has been indicted on aggravated perjury charges stemming from his testimony about the alleged sexual assault of high school basketball players by their teammates in a hazing case that outraged authorities in the boys' hometown. The Hamilton County District Attorney's office announced Friday that a grand jury had indicted Gatlinburg police detective Rodney Burns on two felony counts regarding his testimony at a Feb. 15 preliminary hearing for three... Читать дальше...

A small fire shut down a generating tower at the world’s largest solar-thermal power plant, leaving the sprawling facility on the California-Nevada line operating at only a third of its capacity, authorities said. Firefighters had to climb some 300 feet up a boiler tower at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System after the fire was reported Thursday on an upper level, officials said. The plant uses mirrors to focus sunlight on boilers at the top of three 459-foot towers, creating steam that drive turbines to produce electricity. Читать дальше...

McArthur and other Sanders supporters are approaching the gathering with the enthusiasm that has powered the effort from the start — holding garage sales, delivering pizza and raising money online to pay for their travel to Philadelphia. [...] their nerves are raw over the Democratic Party’s perceived slights against the insurgent candidate, and they are clinging to a bygone hope that Sanders can wrest the nomination from Hillary Clinton despite her overpowering lead in delegates. Some of the Sanders... Читать дальше...

The opening of the 6.6-mile final leg of the Expo Line connected seaside Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles and Metro lines stretching as far inland as suburban Azusa, some 40 miles from the coast. The milestone fulfills a decades-long dream of public officials and transit fans, and its symbolic value is undeniable. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority says the ride from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica will take 48 minutes. Frequent Metro rail passenger Anwar Marcus said his last job was in Santa Monica... Читать дальше...

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Roxanne Lang sinks into the backseat, munching on a breakfast of toast swaddled in a paper towel. Asked why, they answer in unison. "Because we're all crazy," they say, laughing, as the van trundles down the highway. Every year, big-city school districts watch in horror as hundreds of teachers retire or quit the profession, leaving hundreds of classrooms without a qualified teacher. "Quite frankly, the pay scale was ridiculous," said Lang, who lives within walking distance of a middle school in Henderson. Читать дальше...

Students and parents from Florida's Jupiter High School persuaded the town to sponsor the all-girl game after the principal cancelled, fearing girls would be injured. While boys dress like female cheerleaders in tight shorts, crop tops and wigs, girls relish the chance to experience the thrill of competing before a roaring crowd instead of playing softball or soccer in front of a few dozen parents and friends.

Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony have spent the last couple of seasons in a thrilling immersion in the symphonies of Schumann, turning out one exciting performance after another and recording them all for future release. [...] Thursday’s breathtaking rendition of the composer’s Fourth Symphony, the final installment in the series, may have been the greatest of the lot. In what world does the chance to hear Graham singing Berlioz — not just the composer’s strange and gripping youthful oratorio... Читать дальше...

ST. LOUIS — Jury selection started Friday in the murder-for-hire trial of Drew Peterson, the former suburban Chicago police officer accused of plotting to kill the prosecutor who put him behind bars in his third wife’s death. The Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Randolph County state’s attorney are prosecuting the case against Peterson, who faces a sentence of up to 60 years if convicted of both solicitation of murder for hire along with solicitation of murder. A public defender representing... Читать дальше...

PARIS — The last known survivor of the team that carried out November’s Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, refused to talk during questioning Friday by antiterror judges amid frustration at 24-hour video surveillance of his cell, his lawyer said. The much-awaited questioning session ended abruptly, dashing French authorities’ hopes that Abdeslam would provide clues about the Islamic State group’s strategies and what exactly happened Nov. 13. Abdeslam, a French citizen of Moroccan origin, was handed... Читать дальше...

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas' state-run homes for disabled residents have begun letting people with concealed handgun permits carry weapons into the facilities. "To our knowledge, there were never any requests by people who wanted to carry firearms on any of the campuses, nor any complaints regarding the signs," Cavuto said. The state law still lists some exceptions, such as schools and jails, but the state-supported living centers don't fit any of those definitions.

JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister announced his resignation Friday, saying the governing party had been taken over by “extremist and dangerous elements” and that he no longer trusts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The departure of Moshe Yaalon — one of the last moderate voices in the Likud Party — deepens the rift in the Cabinet between the security establishment and the hard-line politicians. If Yaalon is replaced as expected by Lieberman, command of the Defense Ministry will transition... Читать дальше...

The opening of the 6.6-mile final leg of the Expo Line connected seaside Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles and Metro lines stretching as far inland as suburban Azusa, some 40 miles from the coast. The milestone fulfills a decades-long dream of public officials and transit fans, and its symbolic value is undeniable. Frequent Metro rail passenger Anwar Marcus said his last job was in Santa Monica, and to get there from the east side of Los Angeles he would take the Expo Line to its previous terminus... Читать дальше...

BAGHDAD — Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and gunshots in the air as hundreds of antigovernment protesters stormed Baghdad’s heavily secured Green Zone on Friday. Several demonstrators, mostly supporters of powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, were wounded as the crowd rushed the prime minister’s office and the parliament building. The initial breach followed repeated delays to proposed government reform legislation. [...] Iraq’s government has been gridlocked and the parliament unable to convene. Читать дальше...

After peaking at $17.1 billion in 2011, state cigarette tax receipts fell to $16.3 billion in 2014, according to a report from the Orzechowski & Walker market research firm posted by the Federation of Tax Administrators. “It does provide revenue when the state needs that increase,” said Chris Stadelman, a spokesman for Democratic West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, who proposed the measure to fill a $270 million budget gap. At least 23 states have considered such measures, according to the Tax Foundation... Читать дальше...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The federal government and Colorado have made little progress in remedying damage from the release of millions of gallons of wastewater from a southern Colorado mine last year, New Mexico's top prosecutor charged in a pair of scathing letters sent to officials this week. The wastewater, which contained arsenic, copper, lead, mercury and other dangerous pollutants, rushed down a Colorado mountainside and eventually fouled rivers in three Western states, setting off a major... Читать дальше...

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are courting voters on opposite sides of the gun debate in events that underscore the nation’s deep divide on the topic. The dual appearances highlight the opposing positions the candidates have staked out on gun rights and safety, the prominent role the issue may play in the general election and the national policy implications for the next president. The fatal shooting of the unarmed black teenager in 2012 continues to be a flash point in the debate. Trump, who... Читать дальше...

On an island that prides itself on egalitarianism, sovereignty and its long record of outsize accomplishments in the arts, many are openly critiquing opaque deals with multinational corporations seeking picturesque backdrops for car chases and summer frocks. On street corners and in living rooms, working men and women questioned how they would benefit from a production that was causing seemingly endless traffic jams — a new phenomenon in a city where relatively few people own cars. Around the world... Читать дальше...

CHICAGO (AP) — The head of the Transportation Security Administration warned travelers Friday to expect long airport security lines to continue during the peak summer travel season despite Congress' shifting of $34 million to the agency. Peter Neffenger briefed officials in Chicago on Friday about efforts to address crushing delays in getting passengers through security checkpoints at major airports around the country. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin acknowledged some of the things Congress has done to cap... Читать дальше...

(AP) — A bill to strip funding from the diversity office at Tennessee's flagship public university became law without Gov. Bill Haslam's signature on Friday. [...] school officials have said they are powerless to stop student fees and donations from being spent on the event, or from banning it outright because of First Amendment protections. A House version of the bill would have required the university to produce and distribute "In God We Trust" decals to law enforcement agencies around the state, but the Senate had rejected that provision.

The Ploughshares Fund's mission is to "build a safe, secure world by developing and investing in initiatives to reduce and ultimately eliminate the world's nuclear stockpiles," one that dovetails with President Barack Obama's arms control efforts. In The New York Times Magazine article, Rhodes explained how the administration worked with nongovernmental organizations, proliferation experts and even friendly reporters to build support for the seven-nation accord that curtailed Iran's nuclear activity... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has signed a bill into law that will again allow the ashes of female World War II pilots known as WASPs to be placed at Arlington National Cemetery. [...] in March 2015, then-Secretary of the Army John McHugh revoked the WASPs' eligibility to have their ashes placed at the cemetery.

Right fielder Josh Reddick has been placed on the 15-day disabled list and Jake Smolinski has been recalled from Triple-A Nashville, the A’s announced Friday afternoon. Reddick fractured his left thumb while sliding into second base during the seventh inning of Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the Yankees. A former Golden Glove winner, the 29-year-old was a strong candidate to appear in his first All-Star Game on July 12. With so many players on the DL, Oakland is running short on proven bats in its minor-league system.