Parkview Gardens Apartments is a private housing community in Riverdale, Maryland, about a 30 minute drive from Washington. For many people who live there, this place is more than just a residence. The apartments are their first secure homes in years and a stepping stone to make their lives anew. VOA’s June Soh visited Parkview Gardens and met some residents from the troubled world all over.
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Month: June 2017
Trump Defends His Twitter Musings, But Aides Worry
U.S. President Donald Trump is defending his frequent 140-character messages on Twitter, saying it’s his way of reaching the public without his words being filtered through traditional news outlets.
Trump claimed Tuesday on Twitter, his favorite social media link to the world, that the mainstream media was trying to keep him from using the medium. He said Twitter is his way to get an “unfiltered message out” to the public.
In another tweet, he said if he’d relied on mainstream media, which he referred to as “fake news,” he would not have won the election.
Reporters writing about Trump’s White House are actually not the ones attacking his use of social media, but some of his aides and fellow Republicans in Congress have often suggested that Trump ought to curtail his thought-of-the-moment postings he makes at virtually any hour of the day.
Some Trump aides have often been hard-pressed to explain what Trump meant in some of his tweets.
In his latest barrage of Twitter comments this week, he quoted London’s Muslim mayor out of context and then assailed him for his response to the deadly attacks in the British capital.
He also complained that his own Justice Department was at fault in its defense of his ban on travel from six Muslim-majority countries and attacked U.S. courts as “slow and political” in keeping the country safe from terrorism.
Trump’s defense of his Twitter habit came a day after one of his aides, Kellyanne Conway, criticized the U.S. media for having “this obsession with covering everything he says on Twitter and very little of what he does as president.”
‘It’s not policy’
Sebastian Gorka, a senior White House national security official, sought to downplay the importance of Trump’s Twitter comments.
“They are not policy,” he told CNN. “It’s not policy. It’s social media.”
Asked repeated questions by reporters about Trump’s tweets, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday, “They matter in the sense that it gives him a communications tool, again that isn’t filtered through media bias. But at the same time I do think that the media obsesses over every period, dot.”
Trump’s Twitter comments on his travel ban could play a role as his administration appeals adverse court rulings to the Supreme Court. Lower court decisions blocking the travel bans have partly cited Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric from his campaign for the White House as one reason to show that the travel ban constitutes illegal religious discrimination against Muslims.
Later Monday, Conway’s husband, George Conway, who had just withdrawn his name from consideration for appointment to a top-level Justice Department position, criticized Trump’s tweets on the travel ban, one of which said a tougher version should still be in place, not the one being appealed to the Supreme Court.
George Conway said the president’s Twitter comments won’t help him get a five-member majority on the nine-member Supreme Court, “which is what actually matters. Sad.”
But Trump seems undeterred about critics of his Twitter remarks.
Last year, before he was elected as the country’s 45th president, Trump asked a campaign rally, “You know who says don’t use Twitter? Your enemies.”
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Tilted Apartment Building in Alexandria, Egypt
A 13-floor apartment building tilted, causing damage to a neighboring building, and Egyptian police evacuated the neighborhood. Egyptian armed forces are overseeing the demolition of the building. Residents gathered to watch and take selfies.
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UN Expert Urges Greater Protection of LGBT Rights Worldwide
A human rights expert is urgently appealing for an end to violence and discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. The expert has presented the first ever report to the U.N. Human Rights Council spelling out the magnitude of abuse and suffering experienced by LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people worldwide.
Controversy has followed Vitit Muntarbhorn since his appointment as the first ever independent expert on the rights of LGBT people. The Thai international law professor has come in for personal abuse and received threats from those who are opposed to the protection of gays and transgender people.
His first report to the U.N. Human Rights Council will not endear him to governments and others who shun people with a different sexual orientation. Muntarbhorn reports some 70 countries criminalize same sex relations, particularly between men. And, he says, about 40 countries criminalize same sex relations between women who have sex with women.
Globally, Muntarbhorn says people perceived as having a different sexual orientation and/or gender identity from what is considered the “norm” are subject to horrific forms of violence, abuse and discrimination.
“Violations are pervasive in numerous settings. Killings, rape, mutilation, torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, lashings, abductions, arbitrary detention, harassment, physical and mental assaults, bullying from a young age, pressures leading to suicide,” said he.
Muntarbhorn says discriminatory measures against LGBT are widespread and aggravated by incitement to hatred in many settings. He is calling for mutual respect, tolerance and understanding of people with a different sexual orientation, buttressed by national laws.
The independent expert says biases and prejudices tend to emerge from a young age. He says the lack of education and awareness, which may feed the phobias and bigotry against LGBT, should be addressed early on so young people can learn respect for diversity.
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Qatari Riyal Under Pressure as Saudi, UAE Banks Delay Qatar Deals
Qatar’s currency came under pressure on Tuesday as Gulf Arab commercial banks started holding off on business with Qatari banks because of a diplomatic rift in the region.
Banking sources said some banks from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain delayed letters of credit and other deals with Qatari banks after their governments cut diplomatic ties and transport links with Doha on Monday, accusing Qatar of backing terrorism.
Saudi Arabia’s central bank advised banks in the kingdom not to trade with Qatari banks in Qatari riyals, the sources told Reuters. The central bank did not respond to a request for comment.
Qatar has dismissed the terrorism charge and welcomed a Kuwaiti mediation effort. Doha, the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas exporter, says it has enough reserves to support its banks and its riyal currency, which is pegged to the dollar.
Qatari banks have been borrowing abroad to fund their activities. Their foreign liabilities ballooned to 451 billion riyals ($124 billion) in March from 310 billion riyals at the end of 2015, central bank data shows.
So any extended disruption to their ties with foreign banks could potentially threaten a funding crunch for some Qatari banks. Banks from the UAE, Europe and elsewhere have been lending to Qatari institutions.
Gulf banking sources, who declined to be named because of political sensitivities, said Saudi Arabian, UAE and Bahraini banks were postponing deals until they received guidance from their central banks on how to handle Qatar.
“We will not take action without central bank guidance, but it is wise to evaluate what you give to Qatari clients and hold off until there is further clarity,” said a UAE banker, adding that trade finance had stalled for the time being.
The sources said the UAE and Bahraini central banks had asked banks under their supervision to report their exposure to Qatari banks. The UAE and Bahraini central banks did not reply to requests for comment.
Reserves
With an estimated $335 billion of assets in its sovereign wealth fund and its gas exports earning billions of dollars every month, Qatar has enough financial power to protect its banks.
“We are watching the financial sector very closely. If the market needs liquidity, the central bank will definitely provide liquidity,” a Qatari central bank official told Reuters.
Nevertheless, losing some of their foreign business links could be uncomfortable for Qatari banks because they have been expanding their loans faster than other banks in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. To fund this, they have been seeking loans and deposits from the rest of the GCC.
Among large banks, Doha Bank and Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) are the most exposed to GCC deposits, with QIB obtaining a quarter of its deposits from the GCC, said Olivier Panis, analyst at Moody’s Investors Service.
“We need to look into the maturity of those deposits but if they’re short-term deposits, this could expose the banks rapidly to reduced confidence from GCC institutions,” he said.
Doha Bank and QIB did not respond to requests for comment.
Because of such worries, the Qatari riyal fell in the spot market on Tuesday to 3.6470 against the U.S. dollar, its lowest level since June 2016, although it later rebounded to 3.6405, almost equal to its official peg of 3.64.
It also fell slightly in the one-year forwards market, where traders bet on rates 12 months from now.
The riyal’s drop “is based on speculation,” the Qatari central bank official said, adding Doha had a “huge cushion” of foreign currency to support the riyal if necessary.
A commercial banker in fellow GCC state Kuwait, which did not sever diplomatic ties with Qatar, said on Tuesday that business with Qatari institutions was continuing as normal.
But there were signs that Qatar’s financial ties might be damaged well beyond the Gulf. Some Sri Lankan banks stopped buying Qatari riyals, saying counterpart banks in Singapore had advised them not to accept the currency.
In Egypt, which also cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar, some banks resumed dealing in Qatari riyals after halting trade on Monday, but others appeared to be continuing to limit transactions with Doha.
Banks reducing their business with Qatar could lose out financially, but the damage looks likely to be relatively minor.
Panis at Moody’s estimated under 2 percent of Saudi banking sector assets were related to Qatar and the figure was around 5 percent for Bahrain, while the UAE’s exposure was also small.
your ad hereUS-backed Commander: IS Struggling to Hold Raqqa
Islamic State jihadists struggled Tuesday to remain in control of land in and around Raqqa after holding the territory for more than two years, a leader of U.S.-backed forces in Syria told VOA.
Mahmud Ismail, a senior commander in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said coalition forces had liberated “tens of villages and cities, including strategic Tabqa city and two major dams,” since the U.S.-backed forces launched an offensive earlier in the day.
“Until today we have advanced slowly because the safety of the civilians is very important for us, and we have taken every measure to ensure the life of civilians,” he said. But he added that the SDF had “momentum” and that IS could not resist as it once did.
The SDF has been working since November to encircle Raqqa, the de facto capital of Islamic State, which the militants have held since 2014.
Boats destroyed
According to the Reuters news agency, coalition fighters destroyed nearly 20 boats that IS was using to ferry jihadists across the Euphrates to join the fight.
Spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon told Reuters the coalition used both air and artillery strikes to aid in the initial assault on Raqqa, taking out at least 12 fighting positions and dozens of vehicles.
“This is not the first time we have struck barges and watercraft that have moved across the river to support the operations that ISIS is doing in and around Raqqa,” he told Reuters, using another Islamic State acronym.
Lieutenant General Steve Townsend, who commands the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, said the battle for Raqqa would be long and difficult, but will “deliver a decisive blow” to IS’s claim of holding a physical caliphate, according to a coalition statement.
“It’s hard to convince new recruits that ISIS is a winning cause when they just lost their twin ‘capitals’ in both Iraq and Syria,” Townsend said.
Iraqi forces, with coalition support, are also working to oust the remaining Islamic State fighters from their main Iraqi stronghold of Mosul.
The coalition said in its statement that it would continue providing equipment, training, intelligence and logistical support to the SDF during the Raqqa offensive, and that the SDF had encouraged civilians to leave the city.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war in Syria, said Tuesday that SDF fighters had attacked both the eastern edge of Raqqa and a military base on the northern side of the city.
Raqqa has been the subject of intense speculation and tension among the various entities fighting in Syria, with the government and SDF expressing a desire to lead the fighting, and Turkey opposing the role of the SDF and its large contingent of Kurdish fighters whom Turkish officials consider terrorists.
The U.S.-led coalition said the SDF had indicated that when Raqqa was retaken, it would be turned over to local civilians, not held by the group.
Syria analyst David Lesch, a history professor at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, said the issue of who was in charge would be a key issue going forward.
“Many, many questions still remain to be answered, and still will probably be the subject of a diplomatic battle in terms of who controls Raqqa once it is liberated,” he told VOA. “Will it be the Syrian Democratic Forces? Will turkey have a role? Will the Syrian regime have a role? What will Russia do in this case?”
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Trump Delves Into Arab States Rift with Qatar
President Donald Trump has jumped head first into the diplomatic spat between Qatar and major Arab nations over Doha’s alleged support of Iran and Islamist militant groups sponsoring terrorism in the region.
In a series of three Twitter posts Tuesday, the president seemed to take credit for the Saudi-led move to isolate Qatar both diplomatically and economically.
Referring to his speech in Riyadh last month, in which he called on Muslim leaders to take a stand against radical Islamist groups, he tweeted: “… Leaders pointed to Qatar – look!”
He followed that with two tweets that formed one message that said his trip to Saudi Arabia was already paying off, as the leaders said they would take a hard line against funding extremism and that this might put an “end to the horror of terrorism.”
Long brewing tensions in the region escalated this week when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar and closed all land, sea and air borders. Several other countries followed suit. They cited Qatar’s relations with Iran and its alleged support for groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and al-Qaida.
The sanctions hit hard in Qatar, a peninsular country of 2.4 million people that imports almost 100 percent of its food.
The Doha government charged that the crisis is being fueled by “absolute fabrications” and is a “violation of its sovereignty.”
your ad here75th Anniversary of Battle of Midway Marked in San Diego
Seven veterans of the Battle of Midway on Monday joined about 1,000 people aboard a retired U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to mark the 75th anniversary of the turning point in World War II’s Pacific Ocean theater.
Two F/A-18 Hornet fighter planes, blocked by clouds, thundered above the USS Midway, a Navy carrier that was commissioned in 1945 to commemorate the battle. The carrier was decommissioned in 1992 and has been in a military museum in downtown San Diego since 2004.
Well-wishers lined up to shake hands with 102-year-old Andy Mills and other wheelchair-bound Midway veterans after a 90-minute ceremony that recounted how the landmark battle unfolded. One Midway veteran came from hospice care.
The 1942 battle occurred six months after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor after Navy code breakers broke complex Japanese code to reveal a plan to ambush U.S. forces. The Japanese planned to occupy Midway, a strategic U.S.-held atoll 1,300 miles northwest of Pearl Harbor, and destroy what was left of the Pacific fleet.
When Japanese planes began bombing Midway, American torpedo planes and bombers counter-attacked in waves, bombing and sinking four Japanese carriers on June 4. The fighting continued for another three days before the United States proved to be victorious.
Adm. John Richardson, chief of U.S. naval operations, told the audience that a string of “effective but decisive” actions led to a victory with razor-thin room for error.
“In hindsight, when you review the Battle of Midway, you can see like a series of strokes of amazing luck. And when you put those strokes together, it’s like a miracle occurred at Midway. It trends towards the miraculous,” he said.
Anthony J. Principi, who served as secretary of veterans affairs from 2001 to 2005, wrote in the Military Times that that Navy commanders made “coordinated, split-second, life-and-death decisions.”
“We won because luck was on our side, because the Japanese made mistakes and because our officers and men acted with great courage amidst the chaos of battle,” he wrote.
The Midway, which has more than 1 million visitors a year, has hosted college basketball games, parties during the Comic-Con pop culture extravaganza, and TV tapings for shows like ABC’s “The Bachelor.”
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UNFPA Head Babatunde Osotimehin, Champion of Girls and Women, Dies
The head of the United Nations Population Fund, Babatunde Osotimehin, a champion for girls’ and women’s health, has died suddenly at his home, the UNFPA said on Monday.
“This is a devastating loss for UNFPA and for the people, especially women, girls and youth, he dedicated his life to serving, starting from when he became a doctor in Nigeria,” the U.N. agency said in a statement. The cause of death was unclear.
“Dr. Osotimehin was bold and never afraid of a challenge and his strong leadership helped keep the health and rights of the world’s women and girls high on the global agenda.”
Osotimehin, a former Nigerian health minister, was particularly committed to ending preventable maternal deaths, tackling unmet demand for family planning and eliminating harmful practices against women and girls, UNFPA said.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted: “I mourn the death of UNFPA chief Dr Babatunde Osotimehin. Our world lost a great champion of well-being for all, especially women & girls.”
Others paying tribute on twitter included the head of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibe, and former New Zealand prime minister, Helen Clark.
The UNFPA said it was “dedicated to continuing Dr. Osotimehin’s grand vision for women and young people.”
Osotimehin, who was 68, had headed the UNFPA since 2011.
He was Nigerian minister of health from 2008 to 2010 and before that served as director-general of his country’s National Agency for the Control of AIDS.
Osotimehin qualified as a doctor from the University of Ibadan, in 1972, and subsequently received a doctorate in medicine from the University of Birmingham, England.
He was married with five children and several grandchildren.
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US Congratulates Montenegro’s on NATO Membership
The smallest Balkan country, Montenegro, formally became the 29th member of NATO Monday at a ceremony at the State Department, despite fierce objections from Russia.
Montenegro was formerly part of communist Yugoslavia, a stronghold of Moscow. It became an independent republic in 2006 when Montenegrins voted in a referendum to split from Serbia.
U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon congratulated Montenegro for taking NATO’s guidance to heart.
“Over decades, the promise of NATO membership and broader Euro-Atlantic integration has advanced our security, our democratic values, and our respect for the rule of law. It has served as an incentive for nations to pursue difficult reforms. This policy has yielded clear results, and that is why NATO allies unanimously agreed to welcome Montenegro into the alliance.”
Big day for a small country
At the ceremony in Washington, Montenegro’s Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said this is a very big day for a small country that has endured a lot of sacrifices.
“Nearly a hundred years after it was deleted from the political map of Europe at the end of the World War I, and 11 years since restoration of its independence, Montenegro is again a part of global politics. We are celebrating today the fact that it will never happen again that someone else decides instead of us and our state, behind our back, as it was the case in the past.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also was on hand to give a warm welcome to Montenegro as an “equal partner.”
“Montenegro’s accession sends a signal to other states that seek membership that if a country truly reforms, if it promotes democracy, strengthens the rule of law, modernizes its armed forces, and contributes to our collective defense, it, too, can join the alliance.”
Shannon sought to reassure NATO allies after President Donald Trump shook the alliance by refusing to state his commitment to the Article 5 collective defense guarantee at last month’s summit in Brussels.
“Montenegro’s accession sends a strong message of strength to the region and makes clear to our allies that the United States remains as committed as ever to the principle of collective defense as enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.”
‘Harmless situation’
Trump also made negative headlines in Montenegro and elsewhere for appearing to push Prime Minister Markovic aside at that same summit, to be front and center for a photograph. Markovic himself played down the shove, dismissing it as a “harmless situation.”
The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly, 97-2, on March 28 to ratify Montenegro’s accession protocol.
Two Republican Senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky, were the only ones to vote against it. Paul’s efforts to stall the vote infuriated Republican Senator John McCain, who accused Paul of working for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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DC Roundup: Trump Tweets, Travel Ban, Comey Testimony, Rift Over Qatar
Developments in Washington, D.C., on Monday include President Donald Trump sending out a series of tweets regarding his Muslim travel ban and his desire for a quick ruling on it by the U.S. Supreme Court, the White House saying Trump won’t prevent fired FBI Director James Comey from testifying before Congress on Thursday, his proposal for privatizing the air traffic control system, U.S.-Asia discussions, and Tuesday’s Afghan peace conference.
Trump Tweets Again Overshadow Intended Agenda — The White House is intending this to be “Infrastructure Week,” focusing on its trillion-dollar plan to improve America’s outdated transportation system. But that itinerary seemed to be quickly derailed, just hours into the new week, as President Donald Trump himself detoured from the plan with a series of fresh provocative tweets. In a three-hour period on Monday morning, the president took aim at the Democrats for not approving his nominees; criticized U.S. courts for suspending his travel ban, and denounced the mayor of London, mischaracterizing Sadiq Khan’s “no reason to be alarmed” quote in the wake of the London attacks.
Trump Renews Calls for Travel Ban — U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he wants a quick Supreme Court ruling to reinstate his ban on travel to the United States from six majority-Muslim countries where terrorist attacks have occurred. In a string of comments on his Twitter account, Trump attacked his own Justice Department for submitting a “watered down, politically correct” version of the ban to the Supreme Court review that would affect travel from Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia. He said the agency should have stayed with an appeal of an earlier ban that also included Iraq.
Trump Won’t Block Former FBI Chief’s Testimony, White House Says — U.S. President Donald Trump has no intention of blocking former FBI Director James Comey from testifying to Congress later this week about key conversations they had earlier this year before Trump fired him, the White House said Monday. Trump had been considering whether to invoke executive privilege on his White House conversations with Comey and keep him from testifying Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee. But White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that “in order to facilitate a swift and thorough examination of facts,” Trump would not try to halt the Comey testimony.
Trump Announces US Air Traffic Control Upgrade — Trump on Monday proposed privatizing the nation’s air traffic control system, saying reforms are needed to cut air travel times and fuel costs and curb annoying delays for travelers.
Trump Administration Considers Use of Air Blasting in Atlantic in Search for Oil, Gas — The Trump administration is considering letting companies use seismic air guns to look for oil and gas deposits below the Atlantic Ocean, outraging environmentalists and coastal towns and resorts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says it has gotten five separate requests to carry out the operations. The air guns use incredibly powerful blasts of air to look for oil and gas deep under the ocean floor.
6 Countries, Including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE Cut Diplomatic Ties With Qatar — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Maldives cut diplomatic ties Monday with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Qatar’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said the measures are “unjustified and are based on baseless and unfounded allegations.” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he does not expect Monday’s actions to have an impact on the fight against terrorism in the region or globally. He urged all of the parties to address their disagreements.
Japan Pushed World Leaders to Warn China Over Maritime Expansion — On paper, all of the world’s seven richest nations warned last month against militarization of the contested South China Sea, where Beijing is building up small islets for combat aircraft and radar systems. But analysts believe it was Japan that pushed the Group of Seven nations for the warning as it vies with China for political influence around Asia.
WATCH: Asian leaders urge cooperation on terrorism
Southeast Asia Faces Climate Change Cooperation Challenges — Southeast Asia faces far reaching challenges in ensuring regional cooperation in dealing with climate change after the decision by the United States to withdraw from the 2015 Paris Agreement. The move, announced last week by Trump, is seen as a further step away from a higher profile U.S. role in the region after Washington backed away from the 12 nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) regional trade pact earlier this year.
WATCH: World’s oceans in decline
Afghan Peace Conference Comes Amid Rising Terror, Political Tensions — Afghanistan’s beleaguered president, Ashraf Ghani, will host an international conference Tuesday in a fresh bid to develop “wider consensus” on how to end an increasingly deadly conflict in the country and collectively fight cross-border terrorism. The government has named its new regional peace initiative “the Kabul Process” conference but the first meeting is taking place amid worsening national security and deepening political tensions.
WATCH: London Mayor Khan on attacks
AP FACT CHECK: London Attack Draws Visceral Trump Tweets, Not Facts — Trump can’t be counted on to give accurate information to Americans when violent acts are unfolding abroad. A look at some of his weekend tweets about the London attack and rhetoric that came from the president and his aides about climate change and more last week.
State Elections See Infusion of First-time Female Candidates — New Jersey is one of two states holding general legislative elections this year; the other is Virginia. Political analysts will be watching closely to see if there’s a shift in the red-blue balance, but the newfound enthusiasm for politics among women is also drawing attention. A number of them say they were inspired by former President Barack Obama’s suggestion, in his farewell speech, to “grab a clipboard” and collect signatures to run for office themselves, if they were disappointed with their elected officials.
Haiti Fears Deportations Will Mean Surge of Child Servants — The Trump administration is weighing an end to a humanitarian program that has protected nearly 60,000 Haitians from deportation since that earthquake – a “temporary protected status” based on the assumption their homeland could not absorb them following the disaster. If the program known as TPS is not extended, people could be sent back to Haiti starting in January. Such mass deportation would cut off remittances that keep many Haitian families fed in a country where deep poverty is the primary force behind the restavek practice — a term used to describe children whose poor parents hand them over to others in hopes they’ll have opportunities to escape a dead-end life or at least get more food. It’s a practice deeply ingrained in Haiti, where families frequently have numerous kids despite crushing poverty.
US Productivity Flat in First Quarter, While Labor Costs Up — The productivity of American workers was flat in the first three months of this year, while labor costs rose at the fastest pace since the second quarter of last year. Productivity growth was zero in the January-March quarter after rising at a 1.8 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter, the Labor Department reported Monday. It was the weakest performance since productivity had fallen at a 0.1 percent rate in the second quarter of last year but an improvement from an initial reading of a 0.6 percent decline.
US Ambassador Has Message for ‘Corrupt’ UN Rights Body — Weeks after becoming Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley described the U.N.’s Human Rights Council as “so corrupt.” Expect some sparks to fly, then, when she addresses that body for the first time. En route to the Middle East, Haley drops in Tuesday at the meeting in Geneva to deliver a speech and take part in a “side event” focusing on rights in Venezuela.
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Bloomberg Delivers US Pledge to Continue Paris Climate Goals to UN
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg submitted a statement to the United Nations on Monday that over 1,000 U.S. governors, mayors, businesses, universities and others will continue to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement abandoned by President Donald Trump last week.
Bloomberg, who is the U.N. Secretary-General’s special envoy for Cities and Climate Change, submitted the “We Are Still In” declaration to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa.
He also launched a process to work with local governments and non-state entities to formally quantify the combined – and overlapping – emissions reduction pledges, which will be known as “America’s Pledge,” and submit the report to the United Nations.
“Today, on behalf of an unprecedented collection of U.S. cities, states, businesses and other organizations, I am communicating to the United Nations and the global community that American society remains committed to achieving the emission reductions we pledged to make in Paris in 2015,” Bloomberg said in a statement.
Signatories to the new initiative include 13 Democratic and Republican governors, 19 state attorneys general, over 200 mayors, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and small businesses.
Trump on Thursday pulled the United States from the landmark 2015 agreement designed to fight climate change, fulfilling a major campaign pledge despite entreaties from U.S. allies and corporate leaders.
Although the formal process to withdraw from the Paris agreement takes four years, Trump said the United States will not honor the pledge the Obama administration submitted, known as the nationally determined contribution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2025.
To fill the void, “America’s Pledge” will be submitted to the UNFCCC as a “Societal NDC.”
“The UNFCCC welcomes the determination and commitment from such a wealth and array of cities, states, businesses and other groups in the United States to fast forward climate action and emissions reductions in support of the Paris Climate Change Agreement,” said Espinosa.
The coalition will align a number of different efforts to how U.S. support for the Paris agreement, including a commitment of over 260 corporations including Kellogg, Pepsi Co. and Walmart to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in line with the latest science.
Thirteen governors have also pledged to continue to honor the Paris pledges.
“It will be up to the American people to step forward-and in Virginia we are doing just that,” said Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.
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West African Regional Bloc Extends Military Mission in Gambia
West African troops have extended their military mission in Gambia by one year after entering the country in January to force out longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh, regional bloc ECOWAS said on Monday.
About 500 ECOWAS troops remain in Gambia of the original 7,000 that crossed over from neighboring Senegal to compel Jammeh to go into exile and leave the presidency to Adama Barrow, who defeated him in a December election.
Soldiers from the mission, known as ECOMIG, came under attack last Friday by locals in Jammeh’s native village of Kanilai, Interior Minister Mai Ahmed Fatty said in a televised statement, underscoring unresolved tensions from Jammeh’s 22-year rule.
One of the demonstrators demanding the departure of ECOMIG and state troops was killed in the clashes, and security forces made 22 arrests, Fatty said.
The tiny country of 2 million people is trying to rebuild its economy and obtain justice for victims of Jammeh’s government, which is accused of torturing and killing perceived opponents.
Separately, ECOWAS’s 15 member states gave preliminary approval to Morocco’s bid to join the bloc “because of [its] strong and multi-dimensional links of cooperation with West Africa”, ECOWAS said in a statement.
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US to China: Free Men Who Probed Shoemaker for Ivanka Trump
The State Department called Monday for the immediate release of three labor activists who investigated a Chinese company that produced Ivanka Trump shoes in China. The Associated Press reported that the men were arrested or went missing last week.
The activists were working with China Labor Watch, a New York-based nonprofit, and investigating Huajian Group factories in the southern Chinese cities of Ganzhou and Dongguan.
The company has denied allegations of excessive overtime and low wages. It says it stopped producing Ivanka Trump shoes months ago.
Up to now, the U.S. government hadn’t said anything about the fate of the men.
“We urge China to release them immediately and otherwise afford them the judicial and fair trial protections to which they are entitled,” said Alicia Edwards, a State Department spokeswoman.
She voiced concern about reports that Chinese authorities detained Hua Haifeng, and that activists Su Heng and Li Zhao are missing and presumed detained.
Edwards would not confirm if the U.S. raised the issue directly with China, saying she couldn’t comment on diplomatic conversations. White House spokesman Josh Raffel declined comment.
Ivanka Trump’s brand has declined to comment on the allegations or the arrest and disappearances. Marc Fisher, which produces shoes for Ivanka Trump and other brands, has said it is looking into the allegations. Ivanka Trump’s lifestyle brand imports most of its merchandise from China, trade data show. She and her father both have extensive trademark portfolios in China, though neither has managed to build up a large retail or real estate presence there.
China Labor Watch executive director Li Qiang says he lost touch with the activists late last month.
The group plans to publish a report alleging low pay, excessive overtime and possible misuse of student labor. The investigators also witnessed verbal abuse, with one manager insulting staff about poorly made shoes and making a crude reference in Chinese to female genitalia, according to Li.
The arrest and disappearances come as China cracks down on perceived threats to the stability of its ruling Communist Party, particularly from sources with foreign ties such as China Labor Watch.
Faced with rising labor unrest and a slowing economy, Beijing has taken a stern approach to activism in southern China’s manufacturing belt and to human rights advocates generally, sparking a wave of critical reports about disappearances, public confessions, forced repatriation and torture in custody.
Edwards said the U.S. remains concerned by “the pattern of arrests and detentions.” She said labor activists are instrumental in helping American companies understand conditions in their supply chains and holding Chinese manufacturers accountable under Chinese labor laws.
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US Military: Qatar Regional Spat Has ‘No Impact’ on Operations
The U.S. military says diplomatic tensions between Qatar and five other Middle East countries has had “no impact” on coalition operations in the region.
“U.S. military aircraft continue to conduct missions in support of ongoing operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan,” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Adrian Rankine-Galloway told VOA on Monday.
“We have no plans to change our posture in Qatar,” he added.
He told VOA the United States and the U.S.-led coalition are “grateful” to the Qataris for their “longstanding support” of America’s presence and their “enduring commitment to regional security.”
In an interview with VOA’s sister station, Al-Hurra, Rankine-Galloway said the U.S. military has seen “no impact so far” on operations out of Qatar.
And speaking in Sydney, Australia, Defense Secretary James Mattis insisted the regional tensions will not undermine the fight against Islamic State in the future.
“I am confident there will be no implications,” Mattis said.
U.S. officials have encouraged all partners in the region to reduce tensions, and Rankine-Galloway said the U.S. would be “happy to play a role” in getting all sides to the negotiating table.
Defense officials say there are around 80,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines across the Middle East.
Largest U.S. military presence in Middle East
U.S. service members are located at two bases in Qatar, the sprawling Al-Udeid Air Base and the tiny As-Sayliyah Army Base, which U.S. Central Command uses to preposition materiel used in regional operations.
Al-Udeid is home to the largest U.S. military presence in the region. The base hosts 10,000 U.S. service members and is considered both the forward headquarters of United States Central Command and the headquarters of United States Air Forces Central Command.
Two of the five countries involved in the political spat with Qatar also have a large U.S. military presence.
Navy officials told VOA that 5,000 U.S. military personnel serve at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain.
Al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates hosts about 4,000 U.S. military personnel, according to UAE officials.
Officials say American military aircraft have not been affected by travel restrictions imposed during the political tension.
“The movement of U.S. aircraft has not been impeded in any way,” Rankine-Galloway told VOA.
There are a handful of U.S. service members training Saudi forces in multiple bases in Saudi Arabia. In Egypt, American service members are part of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), which supervise the implementation of the Egyptian-Israeli Treaty of Peace.
Rather than basing any U.S. troops in Yemen, American operations carried out there usually originate at Camp Lemonnier, a base located across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the tiny African nation of Djibouti.
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IDPs Flee Cameroon Camps After Militant Attacks
Hundreds of internally displaced persons in northern Cameroon are deserting camps near the Nigerian border, saying they no longer feel safe after a series of suicide bombings.
The Kolofata central mosque on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria is now a sanctuary for 70 people who began escaping a nearby IDP camp last Friday, after two suicide bombers disguised as refugees begged for food and blew themselves up.
Nearly a dozen people, including the bombers, were killed and 30 people were wounded.
Forty-year-old Samari Bakassia lost his wife in the attack. Bakassia says he fled the IDP camp with their two-month-old baby because their safety could not be guaranteed.
He says they are scared and are now relying only on God to save them from terrorists.
According to Cameroon’s government, about 150 people deserted the camp that had housed about 500 Cameroonians who were fleeing increasing attacks by Boko Haram militants.
In another incident, two female suicide bombers blew themselves up when a self-defense group identified them as attackers headed to the camp. The bombers killed a member of the self-defense group and wounded at least a dozen people.
Doctor Vohod Deguime says 17 women and three children, one younger than 2 months old, are among the wounded who have come from Kolofata and Mora in the past 24 hours. He says those patients refuse to return to the IDP camp once their treatment ends.
It is the first time such attacks on IDPs have been reported. Most such incidents have targeted refugee camps for foreign nationals escaping Boko Haram. Last year, the Cameroonian government reported that suicide bombers were posing as refugees to attack the Minawao refugee camp, which hosts at least 65,000 Nigerians. Soldiers were then deployed to the area and access to the camp strictly controlled.
The governor of the far north region of Cameroon, Midjiyawa Bakari, says IDP camps need similar security measures, especially since five of 23 suicide bomb attacks recorded this year have occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that began several days ago.
Bakari is calling for vigilance, saying suicide bombers in disguise are trying to deceive Muslims engaged in acts of charity required by the Quran. Boko Haram is still very active, he says, and no one should be deceived that the terror group has been defeated.
Authorities are condemning the acts of barbarism that have increased during this period of fasting and intensive prayer, Bakari says, adding that self-defense groups should be created in all mosques and public places to assist the military in tracking suspects.
The United Nations says that about 200,000 Cameroonians — 70 percent women and children — have been displaced by the ongoing Boko Haram conflict.
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Apartment Building Tilts in Egypt
A 13-floor apartment building has tilted in Egypt, causing damage to a building on the opposite side of the street. Egyptian police evacuated the neighborhood while sightseers keep showing up to take pictures of the leaning tower of Alexandria.
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Cease-fire in Effect in South Sudan’s War-torn Yei River State
A cease-fire has taken effect in South Sudan’s war-torn Yei River state. The deal was signed Sunday in Uganda between a breakaway faction from the SPLA in opposition and the government. But top opposition SPLM-IO leaders say they do not recognize the deal.
A peace agreement for Yei River state came after a four day joint military committee meeting in Kampala to discuss a cessation of hostilities, permanent cease-fire, national dialogue, and the opening of all roads leading to and from Yei town in South Sudan.
The key agreement was the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in opposition agreed to declare a permanent cease-fire and for both sides to ensure Yei River State is not a battleground.
Brigadier General Hillary Edson Yakani represented the SPLA in opposition and explained some of their demands.
“We have seen there are a lot of challenges, especially from the behavior of some military persons who were misusing their positions in mishandling our citizens, so this is one of our greatest demands, asking the government to bring in a well-balanced national army who will really handle people with all the respect and what is required of a national army,” said Yakani.
Lead government negotiator Major General Marshal Stephen Babanen says the agreement signed Sunday is going to be fully operational in 18 weeks, including the integration of the former rebels into the national army.
“As we have signed the agreement and the permanent cease fire, they are going to move to pre-assembly areas which will take them one to two weeks and then in the said week they will go to the assembly areas where all the activities of screening, training and integration will take place,” he said.
But when VOA contacted the main opposition SPLM-IO deputy spokesman Colonel Lam Paul Gabriel he said they do not recognize the group led by Brigadier General Yakani. Gabriel said those who signed the “fake” peace deal are individuals who deserted opposition leader Riek Machar.
But Yakani says he represents more than 16,000 armed troops in Yei River State.
“When we went to the bush we did not sign a document with Riek Machar, but we all went to the bush because there was problem, so now that we are coming back, we command the forces in Yei River State, it is not Riek Machar who commands the forces,” he said.
The agreement was a result of a request from South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir to Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni.
The grassroots peace initiative process follows a January visit to Yei by Kiir.
Yei was a headquarters of the SPLA during the struggle with Sudan and has been at the heart of the fighting in South Sudan. The U.N. human rights office released a report in May alleging pro-government forces killed at least 114 civilians in and around Yei town from July 2016 to January 2017. The army has denied those allegations.
Yei town was considered mostly peaceful until the flare-up of violence in July 2016, following Machar’s departure from Juba. Since that time, many residents have fled, often to refugee settlements in neighboring Uganda.
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What Is Happening in Qatar?
What happened Monday?
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Maldives cut diplomatic ties Monday with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.
Qatar’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said the measures are “unjustified and are based on baseless and unfounded allegations.”
What triggered action?
Last month, reports quoted Qatari leader Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani as questioning U.S. hostility toward Iran and claiming “tensions” between Qatar and the United States. Those reports were published on the Qatar News Agency website.
Qatar said it had been the victim of a “shameful cybercrime.” Despite Doha’s official denial, media outlets in several Gulf countries reported the emir’s comments as fact.
Back story:
Although Qatar claims the posted comments were false, the country has long been seen by its neighbors as supporting Islamists in the region – particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist political group outlawed by both Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Doha before in 2014 over its backing of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, a Brotherhood member. Eight months later, the envoys returned when Qatar forced a number of Brotherhood members to leave the country.
How nations reacted:
United States: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he does not expect Monday’s actions to have an impact on the fight against terrorism in the region or globally. He urged all of the parties to address their disagreements.
Tillerson said that if there’s any role the U.S. can play “in terms of helping them address those” issues, “we think it is important” that the Gulf Cooperation Council “remain unified.”
Saudi Arabia: “(Qatar) embraces multiple terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at disturbing stability in the region, including the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS (Islamic State) and al-Qaida,” Saudi state news agency SPA said. Saudi Arabia also shut down Qatar-based Al Jazeera news’ local office Monday, according to state media.
Egypt: Through its state news agency said that Qatar’s policy “threatens Arab national security and sows the seeds of strife and division within Arab societies according to a deliberate plan aimed at the unity and interests of the Arab nation.”
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US Ambassador Has Message for ‘Corrupt’ UN Rights Body
Weeks after becoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley described the U.N.’s Human Rights Council as “so corrupt.” Expect some sparks to fly, then, when she addresses that body for the first time.
En route to the Middle East, Haley drops in Tuesday at the meeting in Geneva to deliver a speech and take part in a “side event” focusing on rights in Venezuela.
Her one-day appearance is shaping up as perhaps the standout event of the council’s three-week session because the U.S. has a reputation as a key human-rights defender and is the single largest donor to the United Nations.
Her boss, however, has shaken up that image and raised doubts about America’s global commitments.
Trump is seeking deep cuts in U.S. funding for international organizations like the U.N. and the council. On Thursday, he announced the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris climate accord, denting Washington’s moral capital. Last month in Riyadh, he announced hundreds of billions of dollars in arms sales over 10 years to Saudi Arabia, which is leading a military campaign in neighboring Yemen that has killed hundreds of civilians.
Despite criticism of the kingdom on issues like women’s rights and quelling of political dissent, Trump insisted: “We are not here to lecture.”
Haley, on the other hand, will most certainly be in Geneva to lecture.
Laying out her tack in an opinion piece Friday in The Washington Post, Haley said the council must “end its practice of wrongly singling out Israel for criticism.” She said “the presence of multiple human rights-violating countries … has damaged both the reputation of the council and the cause of human rights.” She called for “competitive voting to keep the worst human rights abusers from obtaining seats.”
“I will outline changes that must be made,” Haley wrote. “When the world’s pre-eminent human rights body is turned into a haven for dictators, the idea of international cooperation in support of human dignity is discredited.”
The council now counts among its 47 members Burundi, China, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, all of which have spotty rights records but won seats through its arcane system of regional blocs.
And like all things U.N., it is eminently political: North Korea, for example, has used it to bash racial discrimination and gun violence in the United States, and CIA secret prisons abroad, calling the U.S. “the worst-ever tundra of human rights in the world” in its typically colorful prose during the March council session.
John Fisher, Geneva director for Human Rights Watch, said many will be listening out for Haley’s tone.
“If the tone seeks to set the U.S. above the rest of the world in terms of its commitment to human rights and multilateralism, I think that’s a message that will fall a bit flat” he said.
“That said, if the message is one of ‘Let’s work together’ to strengthen multilateral institutions to the benefit of everyone involved, then I think that’s a message that we can all work with,” he added.
Rights advocates say key stakes in this session include a possible resolution about Congo, where concerns have risen about government repression, and the release of a U.N. human rights office review about how the council’s recommendations on Israel and the Palestinian territories have been applied since 2009 — a subject likely to be watched closely by the U.S. after Haley departs.
U.N. officials say the council is a reflection of the world and insist that human rights would be worse off if it didn’t exist, while acknowledging its shortcomings. They say it’s an important venue to name and shame rights abusers and to hold countries to their own principles, because no country is perfect or fully above reproach.
In her piece, Haley took aim at Cuba, a longtime U.S. nemesis despite a thaw under President Barack Obama, and Venezuela, where protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro have left at least 60 people dead. She noted the council has been effective at times, such as by helping monitor violations in Syria and North Korea.
But she made no mention of abuses in Egypt or Saudi Arabia, nor the Philippines, whose President Rodrigo Duterte has drawn international scorn for calling for vigilante justice against drug dealers and users. Despite that outrage, Trump has praised Duterte and invited him to the White House.
U.S. criticism of the council is nothing new: President George W. Bush’s administration kept the United States out when it was created in 2006 in part because of repeated criticism of Israel. Obama brought back the U.S. in 2009, hoping to make it more effective and even appointing an ambassador exclusively devoted to the council.
Trump has not nominated anyone to fill that post, and it’s far from certain whether he will.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in March said the United States will not continue participating in the council unless it undergoes “considerable reform,” without elaborating. That same month, Haley told the Council on Foreign Relations: “I mean, the Human Rights Council is so corrupt … I think that we need to look at it.”
“We need to tell them what we want to see to make it effective,” she said.
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Families Say IS in Mosul is Shrinking in Size but Increasingly Vicious
Families say Islamic State militants are dwindling in numbers in the few neighborhoods they still control in the Iraqi city of Mosul, but those remaining have re-doubled their efforts to kill as many civilians and Iraqi soldiers before what is expected to be their final defeat. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from western Mosul.
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New Raids, Detentions in London Attack Investigation
London police carried out more raids Monday in connection with their investigation into Saturday’s attack that killed seven people and wounded more than 50 others.
Authorities said the Counter Terrorism Command detained “a number” of people during searches at locations in the Newham and Barking areas.
The new detentions add to the 12 people police said had been arrested as of late Sunday.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq news agency.
The violence began with a van striking pedestrians on London Bridge. Police say three men armed with knives then got out of the van and went to a nearby market area where they stabbed numerous people.
Authorities said armed officers shot the three attackers dead within eight minutes of the first call to emergency services. They said canisters the attackers wore, making them look like suicide bombers, were fake.
British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said Sunday that police believe the three who were shot dead by police were the only attackers.
Prime Minister Theresa May said Sunday that three terrorist attacks in Britain in the last three months are “bound together by the evil ideology of Islamist extremism.”
There is “far too much tolerance for extremism in our country,” May said. “We need to be more robust in identifying and stamping out extremism in public service and across society… it’s time to say enough is enough.”
May said Saturday’s attack does not appear to be connected to the a suicide bombing last month that killed 22 people after an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester or another attack on pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in March.
But she said “terrorism breeds terrorism” and that the perpetrators are “copying one another.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the attack saying, “There is no justification whatsoever for such barbaric acts.”
Farhad Ahmad, a London Imam, told Sky News “people need to be told that there is no support for this in Islam at all.”
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates each issued statements condemning the attack and expressing support for Britain.
At a Mass marking Pentecost, the end of the Easter season, Pope Francis asked for prayers for the victims and their families. He also prayed for “peace to the whole world” and for the wounds of war and terrorism to be healed.
Before their Champions Trophy match in Birmingham, rival cricket teams from India and Pakistan observed a moment of silence for the victims.
A moment of silence also was held in Manchester, where American pop singer Ariana Grande returned to headline an all-star concert to raise money for the victims of the May 22 suicide bombing.
Fifty-thousand people, including some who were wounded in the concert attack, attended the show, which raised more than $2.5 million.
President Donald Trump offered America’s “full support” in investigating the “brutal terror attacks” in London during a telephone call with Prime Minister May.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it was in close contact with British authorities.
“At this time,” an official statement said, “we have no information to indicate a specific, credible terror threat in the United States” as a result of the London attack.
President Trump also tweeted that the attacks emphasized the correctness of his strict policies on immigration. Other users of social media, both in the U.S. and in Britain, criticized Trump.
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After Three Terror Attacks in Three Months, Britain Rethinks Its Future
In the wake of Saturday’s attack at London Bridge, calls are rising for an overhaul of the legal system after three attacks in as many months, causing anxiety among London’s large Muslim communities about the potential of decreased civil liberties and intolerance. VOA Europe Correspondent Luis Ramirez reports from London.
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World Condemns London Terror Attack, But Life to Go On As Usual
British police have arrested 12 people in connection with Saturday night’s terrorist attack in London, which left seven people dead and close to 50 others injured. World leaders have condemned the attack and urged citizens everywhere to be vigilant. Many people expressed defiance in the face of terrorism, saying they will continue with their lives as usual. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports.
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