Month: June 2018

Trump Scraps Obama Policy on Protecting Oceans, Great Lakes

Posted on by SeeUS

President Donald Trump has thrown out a policy devised by his predecessor for protecting U.S. oceans and the Great Lakes, replacing it with a new approach that emphasizes use of the waters to promote economic growth.

Trump revoked an executive order issued by President Barack Obama in 2010 following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Obama said the spill — which killed 11 workers and spewed millions of gallons of crude — underscored the vulnerability of marine environments. He established a council to promote conservation and sustainable use of the waters.

In his order this week, Trump said he was “rolling back excessive bureaucracy created by the previous administration,” saying the Obama council included 27 departments and agencies and over 20 committees, subcommittees and working groups.

Environmental protection downplayed

The president said he was creating a smaller Ocean Policy Committee while eliminating “duplicative” regional planning bodies created under Obama.

Trump’s order downplays environmental protection, saying it would ensure that regulations and management decisions don’t get in the way of responsible use by industries that “employ millions of Americans, advance ocean science and technology, feed the American people, transport American goods, expand recreational opportunities and enhance America’s energy security.”

The order drew praise from a group representing offshore energy producers and criticism from environmentalists.

“In another attempt to reverse progress made under President Obama, the Trump administration is recklessly tossing aside responsible ocean management and stewardship,” said Arian Rubio of the League of Conservation Voters.

Grijalva demands hearing

Jack Belcher of the pro-industry National Ocean Policy Coalition said the new approach would remove “a significant cloud of uncertainty” for marine industries.

U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, a Republican and chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said Trump’s approach would “help the health of our oceans and ensure local communities impacted by ocean policy have a seat at the table.”

But Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat and ranking member of the committee, demanded a hearing and accused Trump of “unilaterally throwing out” years of conservation work.
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Kenya Takes Steps to Recognize Intersex People

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Kenya is beginning to recognize people who identify as intersex, meaning they are born with genitalia, chromosomes or reproductive organs that don’t fit the typical definitions of male or female. A major step came recently when a government body, the Registrar of Societies of Kenya, acknowledged intersex people as a society.

Despite the step, intersex Kenyans say they battle prejudice and stigma related to their sexual orientation. 

Ryan Muiruri says he is intersex and has faced challenges since the day he was born 28 years ago.

Muiruri was born Ruth Wangui in a small village in central Kenya. He says the midwife could not tell whether he was a boy or girl, so his mother decided he would be a girl named Ruth. Out of shame, Ryan’s father abandoned the family.

When Muiruri reached puberty at age 13, he began to exhibit traits of the opposite sex, including more masculine features. Muiruri says he dropped out of school several times after facing constant bullying and attempted suicide three times.

‘A lot of challenges’

“Intersex people face a lot of challenges,” he said. “The challenges they face first of all come from the family, because when family does not accept those children as normal children, they don’t give them the rights as children, so they are subjected to stigma and ridicule. If the family or the parent or siblings cannot hold your hand, that means no single person will understand you, because the first support we get, we get from our families or our loved ones.”

In some cases, the babies are killed at birth.

For poor families who cannot afford what are called karyotype tests to determine a child’s dominant sex chromosomes, intersex children are labeled as male or female.

Muiruri says he sought treatment for his condition, but doctors prescribed hormone replacement therapy to bring out his more feminine features. Nonetheless, in 2010, he changed his name to Ryan.

He says as adults, intersex people face difficulties obtaining legal documentation and integrating into society. Muiruri says he had a similar experience in May when he went to apply for a passport, as immigration officials accused him of impersonation.

‘We want to create awareness’

Muiruri said these experiences led him to form the Intersex Society of Kenya, which was registered this month.

He said the recognition of intersex by the Registrar of Societies was a milestone, especially in a country like Kenya, where homosexuality is illegal.

“Our expectation to this is: We want to create awareness,” Muiruri said. “We expect the whole world to treat intersex people as human beings and give them equal rights and their dignity to live and to exercise their needs as every child in the world.”

The Intersex Society of Kenya has registered about 200 members. Of that number, 138 are children under 13. The others range in age from 14 to 43. Registration makes the society legal.

In recent months, Kenyan legislator Isaac Mwaura has asked parliament to pass a law to recognize a third gender to end discrimination against those who identify as intersex. VOA could not reach him for comment on the move by the Registrar of Societies to recognize intersex Kenyans.

For Muiruri and the Intersex Society of Kenya, it’s all about creating awareness “that a third gender does exist,” he said. 
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For Once, Mogadishu Can Watch World Cup With Little Fear

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For years, residents of Mogadishu wanting to watch the World Cup on TV have done so at risk to life and limb. Islamist militant group al-Shabab — an opponent of both sports and entertainment in general — threatened violence against anyone watching the games.

The danger was especially high in 2010, when al-Shabab fighters controlled most of the Somali capital and gangs of Islamists patrolled the city, searching for anyone trying view the games in secret.

 

“The lucky few, who could watch in the government-controlled areas at the time, did so having one eye on the TV and the other on the door, with the sound turned down,” said Ahmed Aden, a 20-year-old Mogadishu resident.

The 2018 World Cup has been different. The tournament is still young, but there have been no reported attacks on Somalis watching the games on TV, either in public or private. Residents of Somalia’s capital have been gathering to watch the World Cup on big screens inside hotels, restaurants, and government centers.

 

While watching a match between Australia and Denmark with dozens of young men in a Mogadishu restaurant, Somalia’s Security Ministry spokesman Abdiaziz Hildhiban said the change is due to improved security and a greater willingness of people to ignore what he termed the “terrorists’ psychological war.”

“For Mogadishu residents, this year is different from the previous years because for the first time in many years, they can freely watch the World Cup in groups with no direct threat from al-Shabab,” said Hildhiban.”No more physical and psychological war can threaten our youth from enjoying sports.”

Shooting soccer fans

Al-Shabab contends that sports are un-Islamic and a waste of time, and that  they turn young men away from the group’s raison d’etre, jihad.

Al-Shabab fighters shot to death two people watching a World Cup match in a cinema in 2006, and killed more than 70 when it bombed two World Cup parties in Uganda’s capital in 2010.

Somalis wishing to watch the Cup were exposed to such violence because few individuals could afford satellite TV in Mogadishu, meaning public screenings were often the only way matches could be seen.

However, an increased presence of Somali government soldiers and African Union peacekeepers, along with private guards at many viewing sites, has made Somalis feel safer about enjoying the World Cup in public.

“In 2014, such crowds of soccer watchers could be an easy target for terrorist attacks, but now it comes after the first Ramadan without a single terrorist major attack in the city for years due to the security we beefed up,” Hildhiban said.

The threat of attack has not entirely receded.In April, at least five people were killed and 10 others injured after a bomb was detonated during a soccer game in Somalia’s port city of Barawe, a former al-Shabab stronghold.In Mogadishu, al-Shabab has bombed and/or shot up more than 20 hotels and restaurants in the last five years, killing hundreds.

But it is becoming harder for football-haters to keep Somalis away from the country’s favorite sport.High-speed internet and satellite TV have taken off in the past few years, allowing more people to watch games from the privacy of their homes.

Somalia’s minister for youth and sport, Khadija Mohamed Diriye, believes athletics and the city’s reviving entertainment scene will “distract Somali youth from pursuing extremist ideologies and the deadly migration to Europe.”
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Trump’s Mideast Team Arrives in Egypt

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President Donald Trump’s Mideast team arrived in Egypt on Thursday, the White House said, the latest stop in a regional tour to discuss a blueprint for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

 

Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt met with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in the capital Cairo. The visit is part of efforts to overcome the towering obstacles to the deal the team is in charge of drafting.

 

Egypt airport officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, confirmed their arrival in Cairo earlier Thursday and said the visit would last a few hours.

 

The meeting touched upon “the need to facilitate humanitarian relief to Gaza,” the White House said in a statement. The blockaded and densely populated Gaza strip, ruled by the Palestinian Hamas militant group, has sunk into a deep humanitarian crisis, especially after the flare-up of violence with Israelis amid protests at the border in recent weeks.  

 

Kushner has been leading efforts to broker a peace deal between the two sides. U.S. officials have said the long-awaited peace plan is near completion and should be released this summer following several postponements.

 

The Trump team met Tuesday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Wednesday with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who acknowledged the talks only after the fact. They were expected to visit Qatar and Israel, but have not released an official itinerary.

 

Thursday’s meeting with the U.S. delegation also dealt with increasing Egyptian-American cooperation, the White House said without elaborating.

 

Egypt’s presidency released a statement after the meeting saying it mainly discussed the Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts and cooperation. It said the meeting was attended by Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and the acting head of general intelligence Abbas Kamel.

 

Washington gives Egypt some $1.3 billion in annual military assistance and hundreds of millions more in civilian aid that is linked to Egypt’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel, and underpins a U.S.-Egyptian security relationship that is now mostly aimed at fighting terrorism.

 
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Cameroon Launches Emergency Fund for Victims of Separatist Conflict

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Cameroon has launched a multi-million dollar emergency humanitarian assistance plan for hundreds of thousands of its citizens who the government says live in precarious and life-threatening conditions in Cameroon and Nigeria due to the ongoing conflict with armed separatists of Cameroon’s Anglophone regions seeking to break away from the predominantly French-speaking country. All Cameroonians have been called upon to contribute to the fund.

Cameroon Prime Minister Philemon Yang says the $23 million fund was ordered by President Paul Biya after more than a hundred Cameroonians, 84 soldiers and police have been killed, and hundreds of thousands of the country’s citizens now live in precarious and life-threatening conditions.

Yang says the fighting has internally displaced 74,000 people who are facing famine along with disastrous health conditions, and that 21,000 others have fled to Nigeria and should be brought back home.

“Our emergency humanitarian assistance plan aims at providing emergency humanitarian assistance to affected people; ensuring the socio-economic reintegration of the affected populations; reconstructing destroyed infrastructure, housing, food and basic needs, health care, education. This action will include assistance and visits to show compassion to Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria,” Yang said.

The prime minister said people living outside of Cameroon instigate armed youths under the influence of drugs to kill, kidnap and rape, adding that many teenagers have been recruited as child soldiers. He said famine was looming in English-speaking areas since most farms and cattle ranches had been abandoned, and most businesses closed.

Yang said he was counting on government resources and contributions from Cameroonians and the international community to fund the emergency humanitarian assistance plan.

Reactions have been varied. Many people say it is a good initiative to bring back thousands who have fled and reconstruct their destroyed towns and villages.

But Father Appolinarius Nkeng of the Catholic Church, who has been providing food aid to displaced populations and is calling for an end to the violence, says the government should first of all call for a cease-fire and initiate dialogue with the armed separatists.

“The option and the way out is proper and organized dialogue. But I think it cannot be done in the manner politicians are talking about. You cannot have unity and peace without justice.”

Schools have been closed in the English-speaking northwest and southwest areas of Cameroon since November 2016 when lawyers and teachers called for a strike to stop what they see as an overuse of the French language.

Separatists took over, calling for the independence of the English-speaking from the French speaking regions. Cameroon’s government reacted with a crackdown and several dozen leaders of the strike were arrested.

Last week, human rights group Amnesty International criticized Cameroon’s government for using what it said was unnecessary and excessive force that frequently placed civilians in the web of violence and desperate conditions.

 
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For Tanzanian Farmers, Grain Harvest Is in the Bag

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Maize farmers are preparing as the harvest season approaches in Tanzania’s Kondoa District.  The weather has been good and most farmers here expect bumper yields.

Amina Hussein, a mother of four in Mnenia village, is testing a new way to store her harvest.

 

“In the past, we used to store our produce in normal bags, we would buy them three times a year because we faced the risk of losing harvests to pest infestation,” Hussein said.  “But since the introduction of this new technology, using the hermetic storage bags, we are not incurring huge costs anymore to buy chemicals to preserve the maize.”

 

The bags keep grain dry and fresh, and keep bugs and mold out.

 

Amina, who is the chairperson of a local farmers’ association, says she used to spend precious cash on pesticides to preserve her maize.  The new bags cut that cost.

 

Grain Losses

 

About 85 percent of Tanzania’s population lives in rural areas and relies on agriculture for a living.  Small-hold farmers constitute the majority of the population.

 

Here, post-harvest losses are a major concern, especially for grains, which form the base for nutrition and income for Tanzania’s rural communities.

 

Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture estimates that small farmers lose between 15 percent and 40 percent of their harvests each year to mold, mildew, bugs, rats and other causes, says Eliabu Philemon Ndossi, a senior program officer at the ministry.

 

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 1.3 billion tons of food go to waste globally every year.  That’s about a third of the food produced for human consumption around the world.

 

And post-harvest loss reduces the income of small-hold farmers by 15 percent.

 

Food Security

 

Researchers from the University of Zurich and their partners are looking to cut those losses.  Their project in Tanzania is looking at ways to help farmers keep more of their grain.

 

It’s a collaborative effort bringing together government agencies, businesses and international development organizations.

 

More than 1,000 small-scale farmers in two regions in central Tanzania are involved in the project, which in part uses air-tight and water-tight storage bags instead of normal plastic or cloth bags.

 

The study is conducted within a larger project that Swiss development agency Helvetas runs to help increase farm income.

 

But reducing losses is more than an issue of farmers’ income, says Rakesh Munankami, a project manager at Helvetas.

 

“If we can reduce post-harvest loss, there wouldn’t be any problem with the food security.  This study is important because we would like to see what’s the impact at the broader level, how does it affect the price volatility of the crop as well as how does it affect the food security of the smallholder farmers,” he said.

 

And the study has proven a success.  Initial findings show that improved on-farm storage sharply cut the number of food insecure households, said Michael Brander, one of the lead researchers from the University of Zurich.

 

“We are now one year into the study and the most astonishing finding so far is that we see that the number of people that go hungry has reduced by one third,” he said.  “That’s especially astonishing because the intervention has worked very fast.”

 

Munanakami says he thinks the results can be replicated elsewhere.  And the project’s partners hope that will encourage policy makers and aid organizations focus on preventing harvest losses.

 
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UN Rights Experts Urge Egypt to Free Couple Unlawfully Detained

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The daughter of the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and her husband have been unlawfully detained in Egypt for the past year without formal charge, U.N. human rights experts said on Thursday, calling for the couple’s release and compensation.

The Cairo government, in its reply published in the U.N. opinion, said that Ola al-Qaradawi and Hosam Khalaf were accused of belonging to the banned Muslim Brotherhood, which it says is a terrorist group, and providing financial support to it with the help of Qatar and Turkey.

Qatar and Turkey denying supporting hardline Islamists, though both enjoyed good ties with former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The family denies the accusation and brought the case last September to the U.N. working group on arbitrary detention. . In a statement, the family welcomed the opinion issued by the panel’s five independent experts, posted on the U.N. website.

Al-Qaradawi and Khalaf, U.S. residents in their late 50s, were taken into custody by state security forces without an arrest warrant at their vacation home in June 2017 and have been held largely incommunicado since, the U.N. panel said.

Ola al-Qaradawi, a Qatari citizen, is the daughter of influential Qatar-based Muslim Brotherhood cleric Yousef al-Qaradawi, whose assets have been frozen in Egypt.

“The alleged legal basis for Ms. al-Qaradawi and Mr. Khalaf’s arrest and detention further suffers from other serious defects,” it said, noting they were not brought promptly before a judge and were denied access to family and lawyers.

The couple has not received a fair trial within a reasonable time and there was “no sign that their criminal trial will take place soon”, the U.N. experts said. Their “ordeals in prison amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”.

The government said that the case was based on an investigation by the security services relating to an alleged plot by senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood to create an armed wing aimed at overthrowing the government.

The U.N. experts called on the government to “remedy the situation” including by releasing and compensating the couple.

Jared Genser, the family’s U.S.-based lawyer, said in a statement: “…(the) decision vindicates what we have maintained all along, that Ola and Hosam are innocent victims wrongly targeted and arbitrarily detained by the Government of Egypt.

“They must be released immediately and unconditionally.”

Egypt’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Egyptian authorities have detained thousands of political opponents to President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi since he led the 2013 overthrow of Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president since the military toppled the monarchy in 1952. Sissi supporters say arrests have been necessary to help stabilize the country, whose stability and economy were rocked by a 2011 popular uprising.

    Critics say it is the worst political crackdown in Egypt’s modern history.
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Trump to Meet Jordan’s King Abdullah at White House June 25

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 U.S. President Donald Trump will welcome King Abdullah of Jordan to the White House on June 25, the White House said in a statement on Thursday.

“Trump looks forward to reaffirming the strong bonds of friendship between the United States and Jordan. The leaders will discuss issues of mutual concern, including terrorism, the threat from Iran and the crisis in Syria, and working towards a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” it said.
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US Team Tours Mideast, Gains Sense of Obstacles to Peace

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On their current Mideast tour, senior Trump administration officials are getting a close-up view of some of the towering obstacles to their yet-to-be-released blueprint for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

 

Blockaded Gaza, a likely focal point of any future U.S.-endorsed Palestinian entity, has been sinking deeper into a humanitarian crisis in recent months, while cross-border violence between Gaza’s Hamas rulers and Israel flared again this week.

 

Meanwhile, Hamas rival Mahmoud Abbas, the West Bank-based Palestinian leader, has hardened his rejection of any U.S. proposals, including large-scale Gaza aid projects meant to stabilize the territory.

 

What’s the purpose of the trip?

 

President Donald Trump’s Mideast team, led by son-in-law Jared Kushner, has been tightlipped about the tour, which includes Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel.

 

Kushner and envoy Jason Greenblatt issued vague statements, saying they are talking about the “humanitarian situation in Gaza” and U.S. efforts to “facilitate peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” but didn’t release an itinerary. 

 

They met Tuesday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Wednesday with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, acknowledging the talks only after the fact. They are then expected in Qatar, followed by Israel toward the end of the week.

 

The long-awaited U.S. peace plan isn’t expected to be unveiled before August, following several postponements. In the meantime, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the envoys are trying to raise up to $1 billion from Gulf countries for economic projects in Gaza and will bring up the idea in meetings this week.

 

What’s in the U.S. peace plan?

 

The Kushner team won’t say. Abbas aides, relying on Saudi information, say they suspect the aim is to get Palestinians to settle for a “mini-state” in Gaza and parts of the West Bank, with a foothold in Jerusalem. This would fall far short of long-standing Palestinian demands for a state in the entire West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in 1967, with minor border adjustments.

 

Abbas has shunned the Trump administration since December, after U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, seen by the Palestinians as a blatant show of pro-Israel bias. 

 

Abbas says he will reject any peace proposal made by the White House unless it rescinds its Jerusalem decision. It’s unlikely the administration can find more amenable Palestinian leaders to work with, even after the 83-year-old Abbas, who has no plans to retire, exits the political stage.

 

What aid has been proposed for Gaza?

 

A blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt, imposed after the 2007 takeover of the territory by the Islamic militant group Hamas, has taken its toll. The economy is largely gutted, with unemployment soaring and electricity dwindling to a few hours a day. Nearly all groundwater has become undrinkable and untreated sewage is pouring into the Mediterranean.

 

Long-standing proposals for large-scale infrastructure projects have gained new momentum amid rising fears of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In March, the European Union said it collected pledges covering 80 percent of more than $650 million needed for a desalination plant and other water projects. U.N. agencies in Gaza would help implement projects on the ground because the international community largely shuns Hamas over its violent anti-Israel ideology.

 

However, Gaza aid plans have been overshadowed by the failure of Egyptian-brokered attempts to reach a deal to return control of the territory to Abbas. Hamas balked at handing over weapons, prompting a decision by Abbas to stay out of Gaza altogether.

 

It’s not clear if any Gulf funds raised by Kushner and Greenblatt would be used for existing or additional projects. Haaretz said the U.S. team envisions setting up some of the infrastructure in Egypt, near the border with Gaza.

 

Why does Abbas oppose aid plans?

 

Abbas is suspicious of any U.S. attempts to promote large-scale infrastructure projects in Gaza. He fears that without an acceptable peace framework, such efforts are aimed at pacifying Gaza so it can anchor a Palestinian mini-state.

 

The Palestinian leadership “will not recognize the legitimacy” of alleged U.S. plans to “separate Gaza from the West Bank under the title of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” an aide, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, said this week.

 

Abbas also fears that investments pouring into Gaza will inadvertently help Hamas stay in power. He has stepped up financial pressure against Hamas in recent months, sharply reducing salary and welfare payments that had helped sustain Gaza’s battered economy. In recent days, his security forces fired tear gas and beat West Bank protesters criticizing Abbas’ policy as callous.

 

How does Gaza figure into any peace deal?

 

For years, Hamas’ tight grip on Gaza vexed Mideast mediators. Abbas couldn’t really claim to represent all Palestinians while militants controlled a large area sought for a Palestinian state. Meanwhile, Israel-Hamas tensions remained a constant source of friction, erupting into three cross-border wars between 2008 and 2014, with smaller flare-ups in between. 

 

Since late March, Hamas has organized weekly anti-blockade marches near Gaza’s perimeter fence with Israel, with some of the protesters burning tires, throwing stones or more recently sending off incendiary kites and balloons that have set Israeli fields on fire.

 

More than 120 Palestinians have been killed and more than 3,800 have been wounded by Israeli army fire, most of them unarmed, according to Gaza health officials. Meanwhile, Israel has begun responding to “arson kites” with airstrikes against Hamas targets. Hamas, in turn, fired dozens of rockets and mortar shells toward Israel this week.

 

Can the US release its plan under such conditions?

 

The Trump administration, which has good ties with Saudi Arabia and Egypt, appears to be banking on them to pressure the Palestinians to accept the plan.

 

Dan Shapiro, a U.S. ambassador to Israel in the Obama administration, believes the administration must soon spell out its peace plan if it hopes to get Arab states to underwrite large-scale Gaza projects. At the same time, he said, such a plan “would almost certainly be dead on arrival if it was presented,” because there’s no direct U.S. contact with the Palestinian leadership.

 

Shapiro said it makes more sense to try to “keep a two-state solution alive by describing the ultimate outcome, without asking the parties to endorse it or come back to the table to negotiate it.”

 

So far, the Trump administration has not explicitly endorsed such a solution, which had served as the basis for peace efforts by its predecessors.
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Planning Underway for Trump-Putin Summit, Sources Say

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Planning is underway for a summit between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to news reports, citing two people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity.

The meeting is expected to take place during Trump’s visit to Europe next month. The two leaders could meet before the July 11-12 NATO summit in Brussels, or following President Trump’s visit to Britain two days later.

The White House declined to comment Wednesday evening and the U.S. National Security Council did not immediately respond to a VOA request for comment.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also declined to comment on a conference call Thursday with reporters, but he did say that U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton is expected to visit Russia next week to discuss preparations.

A location has not been disclosed, but several foreign media organizations reported earlier that the leaders could meet in one of the European capitals following the NATO summit. Some media reports have reported that Vienna is a possible venue.

Trump has expressed interest in restoring Putin’s standing on the global stage. Trump proposed earlier this month at the G-7 summit in Quebec that Russia be readmitted to the Group of Eight countries. Russia’s membership was suspended after its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

 
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Bolton to Visit Moscow, Plan Possible Trump-Putin Meeting

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U.S. national security adviser John Bolton plans to visit Moscow next week to prepare for a possible meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing sources.

The Kremlin said Tuesday there are no plans for a meeting between Trump and Putin before the NATO summit, Interfax reported. Trump is expected to attend the NATO summit in Brussels on July 11-12.

 
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World Giraffe Day Brings Attention to Their Declining Numbers

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June 21st is World Giraffe Day, celebrating the iconic long-necked African animal. But giraffe populations have been decreasing at a rapid pace, and researchers warn they could become extinct in the near future. In northern Kenya, a conservation program is working to protect the native reticulated giraffe, known for its distinctive striped patterns. VOA’s Deborah Block has more.
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Ohio Restaurant Owner Gives Ex-Cons a Second Chance

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Former U.S. prison convicts often face big challenges after they are released from jail. Aside from having to relearn how to function in normal society, many find that having a criminal background makes it difficult, if not impossible, to land a suitable job. But one restaurant in Cleveland wants to give ex-cons a second chance. VOA’s Yahya Barzinji visited Edwins Restaurant to learn more. Bezhan Hamdard narrates.
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Lawmakers Grill Commerce Secretary Over Escalating Trade Battles

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U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross faced tough questions during a Senate hearing Wednesday on the Trump administration’s tariff proposals and actions. Senators on both sides of the aisle criticized the administration’s rollout of proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. VOA’s Elizabeth Cherneff has more on the fallout from Washington.
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US Under Fire for Abandoning UN Human Rights Council

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Rights advocates have expressed regret over the U.S. announcement Tuesday that it is withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council. They say other countries will have to step in to ensure the continuation of the global effort on behalf of human rights. And as VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports, many see the move as temporary and linked specifically to the current U.S. administration.
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Trump Reverses Migrant Separation Policy

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U.S. President Donald Trump moved to end the separation of children from their undocumented immigrant parents Wednesday, signing an executive order that would change the controversial practice resulting from his administration’s enforcement of a “zero tolerance” immigration policy. The move comes at a tough moment on Capitol Hill as congressional Republicans try to gather enough votes to pass immigration legislation. VOA’s Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more.
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May Wins Passage of Brexit Withdrawal Bill

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The British government saw its flagship Brexit legislation pass through Parliament on Wednesday, but remains locked in a tussle with lawmakers over the direction of the country’s departure from the European Union.

The EU Withdrawal Bill was approved after Prime Minister Theresa May’s government narrowly won a key vote. The House of Commons rejected by 319-303 a proposal to require Parliament’s approval before the government agrees to a final divorce deal with the EU, or before walking away from the bloc without an agreement.

Later in the day, the withdrawal bill, intended to replace thousands of EU rules and regulations with U.K. statute on the day Britain leaves the bloc, also passed in the unelected House of Lords, its last parliamentary hurdle. It will become law once it receives royal assent, a formality.

Lawmakers favor close ties to EU

A majority of lawmakers favor retaining close ties with the bloc, so if the amendment requiring parliamentary approval had been adopted, it would have reduced the chances of a “no deal” Brexit. That’s a scenario feared by U.K. businesses but favored by some euroskeptic members of May’s Conservative minority government, who want a clean break from the EU.

May faced rebellion last week from pro-EU Conservative legislators, but avoided defeat by promising that Parliament would get a “meaningful vote” on the U.K.-EU divorce agreement before Brexit occurs in March.

Pro-EU lawmakers later accused the government of going back on its word by offering only a symbolic “take it or leave it” vote on the final deal and not the ability to take control of the negotiations.

Labour Party Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer accused May of telling Parliament: “Tough luck. If you don’t like my proposed deal, you can have something much worse.”

The rebels sought to amend the flagship bill so they could send the government back to the negotiating table if they don’t like the deal, or if talks with the EU break down.

The government claimed that would undermine its negotiating hand with the EU.

“You cannot enter a negotiation without the right to walk away,” Brexit Secretary David Davis told lawmakers. “If you do, it rapidly ceases to be a negotiation.”

But Davis also told lawmakers it would be for the Commons speaker to decide whether lawmakers could amend any motion on a Brexit deal that was put to the House of Commons.

Concession enough

The concession was enough to get Conservative lawmaker Dominic Grieve, a leader of the pro-EU rebel faction, to back down and say he would support the government.

Grieve said the government had acknowledged “the sovereignty of this place (Parliament) over the executive.”

While the withdrawal bill cleared a major hurdle, the government faces more tumult in Parliament in the months to come over other pieces of Brexit legislation.

It has been two years since Britain voted by 52-48 percent to exit the 28-nation EU after four decades of membership, and there are eight months until the U.K. is due to leave the bloc on March 29, 2019.

But Britain, and its government, remains divided over Brexit, and EU leaders are frustrated with what they see as a lack of firm proposals from the U.K about future relations.

May’s government is divided between Brexit-backing ministers such as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who support a clean break with the EU, and those such as Treasury chief Philip Hammond who want to keep closely aligned to the bloc, Britain’s biggest trading partner.

EU: No deal is worst scenario

The European Parliament’s leader on Brexit, Guy Verhofstadt, said Wednesday that he remains hopeful a U.K.-EU withdrawal agreement could be finalized by the fall so national parliaments have time to approve it before March.

“The worst scenario for both parties is no deal,” he told a committee of British lawmakers. “The disruption that would create to the economy, not only on the continent but certainly in Britain, would be huge and that we have to avoid.”
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Iran Confirms 1 Victim in Alleged Gang Rapes in Southeast

Posted on by SeeEA

An Iranian official said authorities investigating accusations of recent mass abductions and rapes of women in southeastern Iran have confirmed that at least one complainant was raped.

In an interview with Iran’s state-run news agency ISNA published Wednesday, Sistan Baluchistan province judiciary chief Ebrahim Hamidi said one of three women who have filed complaints about being raped in the city of Iranshahr has been confirmed as a rape victim by medical examiners.

It is the first confirmation of a rape victim in Iranshahr since its Friday prayer leader, or imam, stunned the country June 15, when he used a sermon to declare that 41 local women recently had been abducted and gang-raped.

Sistan Baluchistan is inhabited mostly by ethnic Baluchis, a predominantly Sunni group in Shiite-majority Iran.

Friday sermon

In his Friday sermon, imam Mohammad Tayyeb Mollazehi, a Sunni, called on authorities to investigate the alleged abductions and rapes and punish those responsible. He later told Iranian state news agency ILNA that the incidents had happened over the last few months.

A video of Mollazehi’s sermon went viral on social media within hours of his remarks. In the following days, Iranian Twitter users, outraged by the allegations, posted tens of thousands of comments about them with Farsi hashtags such as #girls_of_Iranshahr.

Iranian state media reported the launch of an investigation and the arrest of a suspected perpetrator of the gang rapes Saturday, the day after Mollazehi’s sermon. They said several other suspects were on the loose.

In the ISNA report, Hamidi said that in addition to the three women who approached authorities with rape complaints after Mollazehi’s sermon, two other women have filed related complaints, one saying she was abducted and the other saying she was beaten.

Provincial officials have told state media that another suspect has been detained in connection with the investigation in the Sistan Baluchistan city of Zahedan, north of Iranshahr. They said that individual is thought to have provided a weapon to the suspect whose arrest was announced Saturday.

Women protest

A group of women protested outside the office of Iranshahr’s governor on Tuesday, according to images posted on social media and verified by VOA Persian. The women held signs and chanted slogans demanding the prosecution of the alleged rapists, calling on authorities not to downplay the incidents, and urging victims to come forward with complaints.

In some Iranian communities, some families of rape victims view such women as stains upon their family honor, a belief that Iranian officials say has discouraged rape victims from filing complaints in the past.

Mollazehi’s revelations appeared to have angered Iran’s prosecutor-general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri. 

“The person who made up such a story and then announced it at a public gathering, during a particular ceremony, must prove his claim, and if he fails to do so, then he can be prosecuted based on the law under the charge of disturbing public opinion,” Montazeri was quoted as saying in a Monday report by a state news agency. He did not mention the imam by name.

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA’s Persian service.
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Syria Moves Troops Ahead of New Offensive

Posted on by SeeEA

The Syrian government is deploying its military forces in southern Syria, in preparation for a looming offensive against the southern governorates of Daraa and Quneitra, as confrontation in the north and northeast are winding down.

Abdulllah Nassar, a member of the White Helmets in Daraa, told VOA that people are bracing themselves for the offensive.

“The Free Syrian Army is on alert, and everyone is planning for a battle,” Nassar said.

The Syrian regime continues to drop leaflets in the area urging armed opposition and civilians to follow the footsteps of the rebels who evacuated eastern Ghouta. Local activists shared images of the leaflets on social media.

In an attempt to control strategic Lajat hill in eastern Daraa, the Syrian army is trying to divide the armed opposition-controlled area in the south into two.

Syrian officials have visited the government-controlled areas in the south. This comes two days after Syrian Minister of Defense Ali Abdullah Ayyoub visited the southern area to check the preparations for the offense, according to Syrian State Media (SANA).

One of the most popular among the regime’s supporters is Tiger Forces, or Qawat Al-Nimr, led by Suheil al-Hassan. Established in 2013, the Tiger Forces became an important force for Syria and Russia.

Fragile cease-fire

Jordan brokered a cease-fire agreement in southern Syria between the U.S. and Russia in July 2017. 

But the Syrian government has not agreed to the de-escalation agreement, despite the fact that its ally, Russia, was a party to the deal. The Syrian government continues to drop leaflets in the area giving armed opposition two choices — surrender or die.

After the gains achieved by the Syrian government, with support from Russia and Iran in recapturing swaths of land from rebel groups in 2017, the three allies shifted attention to the remaining territories in the south.

Sergei Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, said last May that the Syrian government should be in control of its borders, adding that all foreign forces must withdraw from the southern borders.

The U.S. Department of State has issued a statement expressing its concerns toward the impending escalation by the Syrian government in the southwest de-escalation zone, warning of “firm and appropriate measures” against the Syrian government’s violation of the cease-fire, and holding Russia responsible to compel the Syrian government to the agreement.

“The cease-fire must continue to be enforced and respected,” the June 14 statement said.

Neighbors’ concerns

Israel and Jordan are trying to avoid a new conflict on their borders with Syria. While Israel is concerned about Iran’s military presence close to its borders with Syria, Jordan is concerned about another influx of refugees.

Negotiations between the U.S., Russia, Jordan and Israel are taking place in a search for an exit to the military action on the southern borders.

Joe Macron, a researcher at the Arab Center in Washington, told VOA that the main actors in the region are still waiting for the results of the negotiations before launching any major military action.

What is important for Jordan is two things: “Not allowing more refugees to get in, and not opening the strategic Nasib border crossing,” Macron said.

Jordan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ayman Safadi, told U.N. envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura in a phone call that Jordan is working on preventing a fight on its northern borders and preserving the stability, Jordan news agency Petra reported.

Safadi emphasized the importance of committing to the cease-fire between the U.S. and Russia, adding that this agreement was one of the most successful ones.

Imad K. Harb, a Washington-based analyst at the Arab Center, told VOA that Jordan never really had an antagonistic relationship with the Syrian regime, adding that Israel’s security must not be neglected when looking for solutions.

“The issue here is what is beyond the borders in Syria,” Harb said.
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South Sudan Rivals Meet Face-to-Face in Ethiopia 

Posted on by SeeAF

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar met Wednesday for their first face-to-face meeting in two years.

The meeting in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, comes amid efforts to end the world’s youngest country’s nearly five-year civil war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and forced about 4 million to flee their homes.

The outcome of the much-anticipated meeting is unknown, but many observers are paying close attention.

Casie Copeland, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said if the meeting does not go well, and Machar and Kiir walk away, it will call into question whether the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional trade bloc of eight African countries, can move forward with some kind of peace process.

“No one has a great idea of who could take over a process other than IGAD. And if IGAD didn’t succeed, why would anyone else be able to?” Copeland said on the VOA radio program South Sudan in Focus.

Earlier this month, the U.N. Security Council delayed a decision until June 30 to impose travel bans and freeze assets on six South Sudanese leaders accused of impeding the peace deal. Those options are still on the table pending a review of the government and opposition parties’ commitment to adhere to a cease-fire agreement. 

Copeland said the June 30 deadline makes the Kiir-Machar meeting critically important. 

Brian Adeba, deputy director of policy for the Enough Project, agrees, but said the region should expand its focus beyond the two men.

“The danger of calling Riek Machar to Addis Ababa … rests in the fact that there might be an elite deal, an elite pact, between Riek Machar and Salva Kiir. That would be counterproductive to the peace process entirely, because the conflict has evolved significantly. And it involves several other actors,” Adeba told South Sudan in Focus.

Most of the other groups have joined the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSO), an umbrella group of the opposition forces. They spoke out collectively in a press statement Monday. 

SSO spokesman Kwaje Lasu said IGAD’s latest proposal gives more positions to the Kiir administration than the opposition parties. He said the alliance will refuse to sign a deal that does “not address the root cause” of the conflict.

“It represents a turning point in many ways. It is a recognition that Riek Machar is still crucial, and it debunks the assertion by the region and the government of South Sudan that Riek Machar is no longer relevant in these talks,” Adeba said.

IGAD has yet to release a communique with information detailing what occurred on Wednesday. Kiir and Machar are expected to meet on Thursday in Addis.

Meanwhile, Juba residents and internally displaced people sheltering in a U.N.-run camp said they hope the meeting will end the fighting. 

“I would like Riek Machar and Salva Kiir to reconcile and change the situation for the better because people are suffering very badly. If they can hear our voice, that is to make peace, then later we can vote,” Juba resident Abuor Mabien Nhial told South Sudan in Focus.

Nhial was referring to national elections that were supposed to take place in South Sudan this year, according to a previous peace agreement signed by the warring parties. But since the cessation of hostilities, the agreement has not been upheld by either side, and the elections are still in doubt.

Dut Dau, another Juba resident, urged the two men to be open while negotiating.“I am glad to hear our president has left for Addis to meet Machar. And the only thing I could say is for our leaders to understand themselves. They should understand themselves before they [make] their demand,” Dau told VOA.

Internally displaced person Jeremiah Gai, who resides at the UNMISS Protection of Civilians Site in Juba, told South Sudan in Focus, “They have to bring peace to the citizens of South Sudan. This is the hope of all IDPs.”

 
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Humanitarian Crisis Feared as Saudi-Led Alliance Seizes Yemen’s Hodeida Airport

Posted on by SeeEA

Saudi-led coalition forces have seized Yemen’s Hodeida airport from Iran-aligned Houthis, a big step toward recapturing the port city following a week of fighting that spilled into residential neighborhoods.

The airport’s seizure Wednesday was announced by coalition commander Abdul Salamm al-Shehi in a video posted by the United Arab Emirates’ official WAM news agency.

The effort by the Saudi alliance to take the city has fueled fears of a humanitarian crisis, as it is the Houthis primary entry point for imports and the lifeline for millions of Yemeni citizens.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni Civil War in 2015 to help the Yemeni government suppress Houthi control of the country’s large population centers and to reinstall its internationally recognized government.

The coalition has accused regional opponent Iran of using the city as a conduit for arms that are smuggled to rebel forces. Iran has denied the allegation.

The United Nations has warned that any attack on the port in Hodeida could disrupt shipments of humanitarian aid to the nearly 8.5 million Yemenis facing imminent starvation.

City residents are bracing for what they fear will be more widespread street fighting as tanks and busloads of troops navigate empty streets of the once-bustling city.
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Britain Ends Royal ‘Boycott’ of Israel

Posted on by SeeEU

In 1986, Margaret Thatcher arrived in Israel for the first official visit to the Jewish state by a serving British prime minister. Asked at a news conference why Britain’s queen had never visited, she snapped back, “I am here.”

The Iron Lady’s response got a chuckle, but it did not satisfy the Israelis.

For 70 years successive Israeli governments have tried to persuade Britain to send a Royal on an official visit — something both Buckingham Palace and Downing Street have been reluctant to do. They have feared an official visit would drag Buckingham Palace into a diplomatic quagmire and end up infuriating Britain’s Gulf Arab allies.

But next week Prince William, the heir to the British throne, will bring to an end the royal shunning of Israel, arriving Sunday in the Middle East for a visit to Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories. While members of the royal family have visited Israel before on private trips or to attend funerals of Israeli leaders, they have never made what are termed formally as official visits.

‘Occupied city’ controversy

The trip has prompted controversy because of Buckingham Palace referring to Jerusalem in the published program for the Prince’s trip as an “occupied city,” outraging Israeli politicians. Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967 and annexed it in a move that is not internationally recognized.

Israel’s Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Zeev Elkin, has lambasted the description, posting on his Facebook page, “It’s regrettable that Britain chose to politicize the Royal visit. Unified Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for over 3,000 years and no twisted wording of the official press release will change the reality. I’m expecting the prince’s staff to fix this distortion.”

There has been no response by Buckingham Palace to the complaint. Under international law East Jerusalem is considered “occupied” by the Israelis. But the spat over the wording of the prince’s itinerary illustrates the risks attached to the visit, say analysts.

Visit to Palestinian territories

Prince William will begin his trip to the Middle East in Jordan on June 24 and travel to Tel Aviv the following day, according to his office. He will spend three days in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ramallah in the West Bank. His visit will also mark the first time a senior member of Britain’s royal family will visit the Palestinian territories.

Visiting Israel and the Palestinian Territories is testimony to the determination of the British government to show even-handedness. Prince William will also have courtesy meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his residence and later with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

Royal spokesman Jason Knauf emphasized Buckingham Palace’s neutrality in remarks earlier this month, saying, “the non-political nature of his royal highness’s role — in common with all royal visits overseas — allows a spotlight to be brought to bear on the people of the region.” He noted, “The complex challenges in the region are of course well known.”

Landmark trip

But Knauf added, “Now is the appropriate time and the Duke of Cambridge is the right person to make this visit.” But he did not explain why the British government, which requested the prince take the trip, thinks this is the right time for the landmark trip.

Scores of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in recent protests at the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip as the 70th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel is being marked. Tensions are also high with clashes taking place between Israel and Iran, with Israeli forces striking at what they see as threatening Iranian military positions in neighboring war-torn Syria.

The political temperature has remained high since U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision, announced last December, to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, breaking with the United Nations and Western allies by recognizing the city as Israel’s legitimate capital.

Some analysts in Israel and London have linked Trump’s decision to the prince’s trip, saying Britain is dispatching the heir apparent as a way to curry favor with the U.S. president and to gain goodwill in the White House. Anshel Pfeffer, a commentator for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz argues British officials are “hopeful that Netanyahu can help them in the upcoming negotiations in Washington on Britain’s crucial trade deal.”

He adds that Britain has “diminished clout on the world stage” because of Brexit and, “it must utilize whatever assets it has. And the one unique thing Britain has is a young generation of royals who are instantly recognizable across the globe.”

Other analysts see the trip as part of a broader effort by London to raise Britain’s profile as it tries to scout out new trade opportunities to replace the likely loss of trade with European countries once exits the European Union. Two-way trade between Israel and Britain last year reached $7 billion, a 25 percent increase from 2016.

 
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UN Official Hopes Zimbabwe Election ‘Truly Reflects’ Will of People

Posted on by SeeAF

A U.N. official visiting this capital city says he hopes Zimbabwe’s general election next month will be one that “truly reflects the will of the people.”

U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tayé-Brook Zerihoun says he is aware of issues raised by the opposition regarding the upcoming July 30 election that they want the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to address.

“We met with the head of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission,” he said of Priscilla Chigumba. “We were given a comprehensive briefing, an encouraging briefing. Certainly there are issues to be handled and discussed. There is a positive pre-disposition — in my personal reading — in the way things are going. But at the end of the day, the UN agenda is to help countries in their efforts to have as inclusive, transparent, free and fair elections as possible so that the outcome truly reflects the will of the people and therefore [is] accepted by all.”

The U.N. official’s visit came as opposition parties are complaining the Electoral Commission has not given them the voter registration list. They want to check it for possible ghost voters, something that has been an issue in the past. Some parties said they failed to register for the July 30 polls because of the commission’s refusal to hand over the list.

On Wednesday, Jameson Timba, chief election agent of the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, issued a statement saying the commission had “failed to meet its legal and constitutional obligation” to provide election materials, including the voters roll, in a timely fashion. He urged the body to apologize to the people of Zimbabwe.

Earlier this week, Chigumba said that despite the opposition’s complaints, “nothing short of an earthquake” would stop the election pitting President Emmerson Mnangagwa against 22 other contestants.

Opposition parties have long accused the ruling ZANU-PF party of manipulating the Electoral Commission to ensure victory at the polls.

The U.N. official’s visit provided some assurance that the international community is watching.

 
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UN Official Hopes Zimbabwe Election ‘Truly Reflects" Will of People

Posted on by SeeAF

U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tayé-Brook Zerihoun says he hopes Zimbabwe’s general election next month will be one that “truly reflects the will of the people.”

Visiting Harare, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tayé-Brook Zerihoun says he is aware of the issues the opposition had raised regarding the upcoming July 30 election that they want the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to address.

“We met with the head of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission [Priscilla Chigumba]. We were given a comprehensive briefing. An encouraging briefing,”  he said. “Certainly there are issues to be handled and discussed. There is a positive pre-disposition — in my personal reading — in the way things are going. But at the end of the day the UN agenda is to help countries in their efforts to have as inclusive, transparent, free and fair elections as possible so that the outcome truly reflects the will of the people and therefore accept by all.”

The U.N. official’s visit to Zimbabwe came as opposition parties are complaining the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has not given them them the voters roll. They want to check that list for possible ghost voters, something that has been an issue in the past. Some parties said they failed to register for July 30 polls because of the commission’s refusal to hand over the voter registration list.

On Wednesday, Jameson Timba, the chief election agent of the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, issued a statement saying the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had “failed to meet its legal and constitutional obligation to provide election materials timely,” including the voters roll, and he urged the body to apologize to the people of Zimbabwe.

Earlier this week, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Priscilla Chigumba said despite complaints from the opposition, “nothing short of an earthquake” would stop the election pitting President Emmerson Mnangagwa and 22 other presidential contestants.

Opposition parties have long accused the ruling ZANU-PF party of manipulating the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to ensure victory at the polls.

The U.N. official’s visit provided some assurance that the international community is watching.

 
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