巴基斯坦发生连环炸弹袭击15死70伤

 

巴基斯坦西北地区接连发生的两次炸弹袭击造成至少15人丧生，70多人受伤。

 

炸弹袭击地点是靠近阿富汗边界的半自治部落区的主要城镇帕拉奇纳尔的一个挤满人的市场。

 

代表当地的议员图里对媒体说，下午交通高峰期先爆炸了一枚较小的炸弹，紧接着又爆炸了一枚大威力炸弹。他还说，死伤人数很可能更高。

 

炸弹袭击的地区的大多数居民是什叶派穆斯林。

 

巴基斯坦军方说，向帕拉奇纳尔派出了两架直升机，帮助把伤员送到白沙瓦的医院。

 

还没有任何人出面承认是攻击的策划和发动者。

 

数小时前，在巴基斯坦西南部的城市奎达发生了一起汽车炸弹袭击，至少13人丧生，20人受伤。

 

看来警察高官是袭击目标。死者中有至少7名高级警官。

 

阿富汗塔利班分支“自由人党”宣称为这次袭击负责。

 

Several Blasts Kill More Than Two Dozen, Injure Scores in NW Pakistan

 

Two back-to-back bombs went off Friday in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 15 people and wounding more than 70 others.

 

The blasts occurred in a crowded market of Parachinar, the main town of the semi-autonomous Kurram tribal district near the Afghan border.

 

Sajid Turi, a member of parliament from the area, told local the media that a low-intensity blast occurred during afternoon rush hours, before a second powerful bomb exploded. The lawmaker said he anticipated the death toll will increase.

 

The population in the area where the deadly blasts occurred is predominantly Shi’ite Muslims.

 

A military statement said it has dispatched two helicopters to Parachinar to evacuate injured to hospitals in Peshawar.

 

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the deadly blasts.

 

The attacks happened hours after a car bombing in southwestern city of Quetta killed at least 13 people and wounded 20 others.

 

Senior police officers apparently were the target. At least seven personnel were among the dead.

 

A splinter Pakistani Taliban faction, Jamaatul Ahrar, claimed responsibility for that attack.

 

 

美国非移民签证审批时间可能延长

 

白宫和国务院官员星期四说，美国总统川普签署了一项新的行政命令，取消了奥巴马时代对美国驻外领馆签证申请受理时间的有关规定，以便尽职审查，保证国家安全。

 

目前还不清楚，对于每年数以百万计申请旅游，学生和商务签证赴美的人，审批时间会增加多久。

 

川普总统一天前签署的简短政令删除了2012年奥巴马命令中有关加快受理学生和游客等非移民签证申请的规定。

 

奥巴马总统当初发布的命令要求国务院“确保80%的非移民签证申请者在申请收到后三周内被安排面谈”。

 

川普政府上台几个月来，一直努力对某些移民政策动用行政权力，实施官员们所说的 “极度审查”。

 

一位白宫官员星期四告诉美国之音，川普的命令“取消了一项武断的要求”。

 

他说：“总统期待认真、准确地审查签证申请人，不能为了遵守一个武断的截止日期而匆忙处理。”

 

川普行政当局最近扩宽了美国签证申请流程，申请人过去五年使用的社交媒体以及过去15年来的其他个人信息也成为审查对象。这意味着领事官员可以要求签证申请者提供脸书个人资料以及十多年的旅行记录。

 

New Trump Exec. Order May Increase US Visa Wait Times

 

White House and State Department officials said Thursday that a new executive order revoking an Obama-era guideline on processing times at consulates was made in the interest of "vetting" and national security.

 

It was not immediately clear how much much longer the process will take for the millions of tourist, student, and business visa seekers who apply to travel to the country every year.

 

The brief order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump a day earlier deletes part of a 2012 order that sought to expedite the processing time for non-immigrant visas, including those needed by students and tourists.

 

The original order issued by then-President Barack Obama called on the State Department to "ensure that 80 percent of nonimmigrant visa applicants are interviewed within 3 weeks of receipt of application."

 

The new order comes amid months of efforts by the Trump administration to wield executive powers over certain immigration policies and implement what officials refer to as "extreme vetting."

 

A White House spokesman told VOA the amendment "removes an arbitrary requirement."

 

"The president expects careful, accurate vetting of visa applicants, not a rushed process to accommodate an arbitrary deadline," assistant press secretary Michael Short said Thursday.

 

The administration recently expanded the visa application process to include social media handles used during the last five years, and additional biographical information for the last 15 years - meaning the consular officials can ask for a would-be visitor's Facebook profile, and a list of everywhere they've traveled for more than a decade.