Новости за 21.02.2016

BEIJING Beijing is to raise the thresholds for issuing its highest air pollution warnings, the state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday, two months after acrid smog triggered the city's first ever "red alerts". In future, the highest alert will only be issued when the daily average air quality index (AQI) is forecast to exceed 500 for a day, 300 for two days in a row or 200 for four days, Xinhua reported, citing Beijing's environmental protection bureau. At present, a red alert is issued when the AQI is forecast to exceed 200... Читать дальше...

BARCELONA/SEOUL Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd unveiled the latest versions of its flagship Galaxy S series on Sunday, but the incremental upgrades they offer may not be enough to rejuvenate sales for the world's No.1 smartphone maker. Samsung once again launched two versions of its new premium phone: the 5.1-inch flat screen Galaxy S7 and the 5.5-inch curved screen Galaxy S7 edge in Barcelona, where the industry is gathered for the Mobile World Congress.

LONDON London Mayor Boris Johnson said on Sunday he backed leaving the European Union, dealing a blow to Prime Minister David Cameron by giving the "out" campaign a de facto leader who is one of the most charismatic politicians in British politics. Forty-three years after Britain joined the EU's predecessor, Cameron announced a June 23 referendum on Saturday after clinching a deal from 27 other leaders to give Britain what he said was a special status. But Boris, one of Britain's most high-profile politicians... Читать дальше...

LONDON Charismatic London Mayor Boris Johnson was set on Sunday to lend his pulling power to the campaign for a British exit from the European Union, dealing a heavy blow to Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of June's referendum.

AMMAN U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov had reached a provisional agreement on terms of a cessation of hostilities in Syria and the sides were closer to a ceasefire than ever before

VATICAN CITY Pope Francis on Sunday called for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty, saying the commandment "You shall not kill" was absolute and equally valid for the guilty as for the innocent. Using some of his strongest words ever against capital punishment, he also called on Catholic politicians worldwide to make "a courageous and exemplary gesture" by seeking a moratorium on executions during the Church's current Holy Year, which ends in November. "I appeal to the consciences of... Читать дальше...

BAGHDAD (Reuters)- - As fighting in Iraq raged last summer, Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani came across unexpected opposition to his plans to defeat Islamic State. Soleimani is the commander of Iran's al-Quds brigade and has been a key figure in the fight against the Sunni Islamist group in Iraq.

LONDON Prime Minister David Cameron urged rival Boris Johnson on Sunday not to join the campaign for a British exit from the European Union as the London mayor kept Britain guessing over a decision that could influence millions of voters in a June referendum. Cameron called the June 23 poll after clinching a deal from other EU leaders that he said will give Britain special status in the world's biggest trading bloc, though six of his cabinet rebelled and are campaigning to leave the EU. Johnson... Читать дальше...

JERUSALEM Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's military chief on Sunday after the general was criticised for saying he would not want soldiers confronting a wave of Palestinian stabbings to "empty a magazine" into a girl wielding scissors. One member of Netanyahu's right-wing cabinet said Lieutenant-General Gadi Eisenkot's remarks last week could be misinterpreted by Israel's international critics as confirming allegations, which it denies, that disproportionate force has been used against assailants, many of them youths. Читать дальше...

BAGHDAD Radioactive material that went missing in Iraq has been found dumped near a petrol station in the southern town of Zubair, officials said on Sunday, ending speculation it could be acquired by Islamic State and used as a weapon.

Exasperated by the never-ending speculation around his retirement, India's limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday said being questioned about it at every platform will not change his plan to continue playing for a "considerable period" of time.

FRANKFURT Volkswagen AG may have to set aside up to 400 million euros ($445 million) in provisions to cover a recall of vehicles in the United States equipped with Takata air bags, German weekly Welt am Sonntag reported, citing an insider. Germany's three largest automakers said earlier this month they would recall 2.5 million vehicles in the United States equipped with the air bags, the latest in a long-running safety crisis involving the Japanese automotive supplier.

Their understanding of each other's game improving with every match, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan on Sunday said he and Rohit Sharma would look to not just emulate but surpass the success of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar- Sourav Ganguly pair.

A preliminary probe has found "no evidence" to suggest that cow meat was served at Aligarh Muslim University's college canteen as was claimed by some right-wing groups, police said.

It was in 2012 that China declared its intent to become a major maritime power public. A Booz Allen report in 2003 had indicated that China may churn the waves but even that assessment never thought a decade later it might be becoming a reality.

Back in the national cricket team after being ignored for almost five years, veteran India pacer Ashish Nehra on Sunday said it is tougher to make a comeback than making a debut.

Alternative politics promises radical change, but the statecraft invariably attains a new nadir of deceit, eroding the trust of the people.

A Hindu priest in Muslim-majority Bangladesh has been hacked to death and two devotees injured in an attack on a temple in the country's north.

When PM Narendra Modi lands at Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport on 21 February, he would have just stepped into his fifth state of the day.

Amid continuing uproar on the issue of freedom of expression in the country, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday called for respect to the armed forces, saying that the nation is in a position to debate because of the men in uniform.

Speaking via Skype from Russia, Edward Snowden tells an audience of supporters in New Hampshire that he is willing to be extradited to the United States if the federal government could guarantee he would get a fair trial.

Century-makers Joe Burns and Steve Smith shredded the New Zealand attack to have Australia in charge of the second Test, before both fell in the dying stages of day two in Christchurch.

Viv Richards said he was happy to see Brendon McCullum break his record for the fastest Test century, describing the New Zealander as one of the game's finest ambassadors.

India's Mayookha Johny won her second medal -- a silver in women's triple jump -- to add to her gold in long jump on the second day of Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha.

Mumbai's bid to clinch their 41st Ranji Trophy crown, and the first after two seasons, got a significant boost with the availability of fit-again pacer Dhawal Kulkarni for the final against Saurashtra in Pune.