Month: July 2018

Leading Brexiter Gove Backs May’s Free Trade Zone Plan

Posted on by SeeEU

One of Britain’s most vocal anti-EU cabinet ministers publicly endorsed Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan to keep Britain in a free trade zone for goods with the EU, a sign she has so far averted a revolt against a new proposal for a soft Brexit.

May unveiled the plan at a closed door government meeting on Friday, siding with those in her divided Cabinet who favor closer ties with Europe while ordering those who support a cleaner break to back her policy or quit.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove, one of the highest-profile Brexit campaigners in the Cabinet, took to TV to endorse the plan, as critics inside and outside the ruling Conservative Party started to attack the proposal.

“I am a realist,” Gove told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show. “One of the things about politics is that you mustn’t, you shouldn’t, make the perfect the enemy of the good. And one of the things about this compromise is that it unites the Cabinet.”

May managed to unite her cabinet to agree to the compromise on Friday after eight hours of talks at her country residence, which news reports say included robust criticism from Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

The BBC quoted Johnson as telling his colleagues that the plan was a “big turd” that would need to be “polished” in order to be sold to the public, although he fell into line by the end of the day.

For May, it was a hard-won victory. The Sunday Times said seven of the 27 ministers present spoke out against the plan.

Her strategy pushes to keep Britain inside a free-trade area for goods with the EU, while also committing to ending the free movement of people and the supremacy of the European court. It could disappoint Brexit campaigners by effectively limiting

Britain’s ability to regulate some of its own industries, since rules for goods could not differ sharply with EU rules.

Ireland’s foreign minister said on Sunday the proposal was a significant move towards a much less disorderly Brexit, though tough negotiations still lie ahead.

“I think for the first time we’re seeing very direct language which points to a much softer Brexit than I think some people have been commenting on, and that has to be welcomed,” Simon Coveney told national broadcaster RTE.

“I don’t think they [the EU] will accept it in full but I hope it can be the basis for a serious negotiation now.”

“The EU has always said that once Britain softens its red lines… that they would also show some generosity and flexibility but I think there will be limitations to that flexibility.”

Delivering sovereignty

Gove said the proposal would still give Britain autonomy from EU institutions and structures, while also having a free-trade agreement that would work in the interest of business.

“[In] all of the important areas where an independent country chooses to exercise sovereignty, Britain will be able to do so,” Gove said, adding the plan respected the referendum result to leave the EU.

But there were signs of a backlash among some lawmakers from May’s Conservative Party on Sunday, including the party’s most visible anti-EU campaigner outside the Cabinet, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

He said the proposal could be worse than Britain leaving the bloc with no deal.

“That is not something that this country voted for, it is not what the prime minister promised,” he told BBC radio.

Opposition Labour Party Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said May’s proposal had “fudge written all over it.”

He said customs arrangements at the heart of the proposal were “unworkable” and a “bureaucratic nightmare that was not going to work”.

Starmer said May’s proposal had not met Labour’s demands for a comprehensive customs union and a single-market deal with shared institutions and regulations.

Labour’s opposition, combined with complaints from some of the Conservatives’ strongly anti-EU faction, means May could face a tough task in getting lawmakers to back a final deal.

The compromise also is not certain to go down well in Brussels. The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, welcomed the agreement on Friday but added on Twitter: “We will assess proposals to see if they are workable and realistic.”

German manufacturers said on Sunday the plan did not go far enough to guarantee the free movement of goods. May still wants to be able to agree separate trade agreements with non-EU countries, while Britain would collect customs duties on behalf of the EU.

“It is not practicable in customs terms to guarantee free goods transit between the EU and Britain as well as own free trade agreements with third countries, as Britain wants,” said Thilo Brodtmann, head of Germany’s Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA).

“Britain’s idea of collecting customs on imports from third countries would be very bureaucratic and throw the gates wide open to customs fraud.”
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The Mind Behind the Muppets Showcased in Traveling Exhibit

Posted on by SeeUS

For decades, Jim Henson’s Muppets have captured the imagination of children and adults worldwide. A traveling exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles not only showcases some of the most beloved Muppets but also the work that took place behind the scenes to entertain as well as educate. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has more.
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EU Demands Reforms Ahead of Summit; Ukrainians Question Benefits

Posted on by SeeEU

Corruption and the conflict with Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine’s east will top the agenda when a summit between that country and the European Union takes place Monday in Brussels.

In May, the EU agreed to a $1.2 billion financial assistance package for Ukraine. The International Monetary Fund and EU are demanding deeper reforms to governance and the judiciary in return for the money; however, reforms to the court system have stalled, says Andrew Wilson, professor of Ukrainian studies at University College London.

“You have what’s called the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. It’s totally separate from the corrupt police. It can do its job well. It’s independent. But it can’t actually put bad guys in jail without reform to the courts. They do their work, the courts just let the bad guys go.”

“Ukraine is being asked to set up a separate anti-corruption court. It’s kind of set up a fake version that nobody believes would be independent. So that’s the key stumbling block,” Wilson told VOA in an interview.

 

WATCH: EU Demands Deep Reforms Ahead of Summit, Some Ukrainians Question Benefits

​Focus on elections

That stumbling block to a closer relationship between Ukraine and the EU may be difficult to overcome in coming months, says Anastasia Voronkova of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

“With the main preoccupation of the Ukrainian government right now being the forthcoming 2019 elections, it’s very unclear how all the challenges will be met,” she said.

Nearly a year ago, the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement was signed after repeated delays. For many Ukrainians, it offered the hope of economic opportunity and the rule of law, after decades of slow growth and corruption.

“The early signs are that exports to the EU are beginning to expand, but not enough really to float the economy off the rocks. So, there are some signs of disillusion because Ukraine hasn’t got more,” Wilson said.

​Crimea on agenda

The EU will use the summit to reaffirm its backing for Ukraine’s territorial integrity after the grouping extended sanctions against Russia last week.

“External pressure can help, in particular perhaps to prevent a strong escalation of the conflict. But it won’t on its own be sufficient to really do anything meaningful to resolve the conflict,” Voronkova said.

The White House this week said there is no change in U.S. policy on Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. The United States has provided Kyiv with $350 million in lethal and non-lethal military aid this year, including so-called “Javelin” anti-tank missiles.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Helsinki July 16, with Ukraine likely a key subject of the talks.
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EU Demands Deep Reforms Ahead of Summit, Some Ukrainians Question Benefits

Posted on by SeeEU

Corruption and the conflict with Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine’s east will top the agenda at a European Union summit with Ukraine on Monday in Brussels. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the EU is pressuring Kyiv to make deeper reforms, but it is also facing disillusionment among some Ukrainians over the perceived benefits of closer ties with Europe.
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Grad Dissects Data to Find World’s Connective Tissue

Posted on by SeeUS

Of the many things Lin Zhu, 22, has learned and loved about the United States — wide open spaces, the beach, diversity and dogs, definitely dogs — one thing has fascinated her more than the others.

Data.

“I’m a really big fan of ‘Freakonomics,’” said Zhu, about the popular podcast and book that explores statistics, data and everyday common routines. “I like using data and statistics to try to explain issues that don’t really look relatable on the surface, but there’s actually a link underneath.”

Zhu wants to use data to link cultures in an increasingly globalized world. She credits her Mandarin-only speaking parents with supporting her to learn English and move from Tianjin, China, to the U.S. to attend college.

“Actually, my family doesn’t really speak English, so it is a really big change for me to go and study in the United States and go outside of China,” Zhu said. “My mom is working in Indonesia, so she is a very smart and independent woman who is not afraid to pursue her dreams even though it might be far away. So that also inspired me to study here and pursue my life here.”

California schools

She first attended Pepperdine University before transferring to the University of California-Berkeley, where she will start a job with Berkeley as an international program coordinator. 

“It’s definitely something that I have been passionate about since I was a child. I love learning different languages and love learning about different cultures,” she explained. “I’ve been on a couple of international programs myself. I visited the U.S. and I also was able to visit Germany and learned German on a scholarship from the Goethe Institute.”

The Goethe Institute is a cultural and exchange organization that promotes the German language worldwide. She is eager to organize similar cultural programs and “help students have a really good experience here at UC Berkeley.”

Hello, Malibu

When Zhu started her international student journey in the U.S., she landed first on the beach in Malibu, where Pepperdine is located. 

“In Malibu, mostly no one walks in the street. It’s mostly driving and beaches,” she said of the wealthy southern California town. Moving nearly 630 kilometers (400 miles) north to transfer to Berkeley, which lies on the east side of San Francisco Bay where it is often damp and foggy, was not only a change in the weather. 

“The whole academic atmosphere is definitely more competitive here and people are definitely more focused or they have much more emphasis on grades,” she described. “And there’s definitely more stressed-out students, I would say. But it’s also just a great experience for me to try to learn how to cope with the change and how to cope with the stress and things in life.”

Self-motivated

Professors at Peppedine, a small university of about 3,500 students, were more likely to remind classes about the test next week or an upcoming assignment. Instructors at Berkeley leave that up to the individual.

“At Berkeley, we sit in a classroom full of people, like, maybe 200 or even up to 500 students,” Zhu explained. Professors “will not really remind you of anything. … So it is up to ourselves to check the syllabus, to do things ahead and just have a lot of self motivation.”

It came as a surprise when she happened to look at the back of the astronomy syllabus to discover a reading list that was supposed to be completed before class. 

“At Pepperdine, the professors will actually remind you in class or through email versus here,” she said. “It’s all up to yourself to discover that there even is an assignment.”

Setting up a life

When she looked online before moving to the U.S. for advice from other international students, she found setting up one’s room to be a common dilemma. Zhu says a quick run to the local big-box store solves that.

What surprised her was the difficulty of “trying to set up a life here. For example, getting (a) Social Security (number) and getting a driver’s license, setting up banking accounts and then credit cards and phone lines.”

But curiousity, calm and patience — virtues she uses to describe herself — help her persevere.

“When I go to a restaurant, I like to order different stuff every time, just so I can try everything,” she said. 

“And I’m not very, like, quick tempered. I’m pretty, like, patient and calm and I don’t yell. I don’t really get too intense about things or too urgent about stuff. So I think when I’m around, people might be more relaxed and laid back,” Zhu said.

Karaoke app

But let her near a karaoke app called Quanmin K Ge (pronounced choo-an min kay guh) and Zhu is very animated.

“There’s a lot of Chinese songs you can get, English songs or even Korean songs … yeah, it’s pretty fun,” she said. She listens to books in the car on Audible, too. 

If she were to strike it rich, she said, she would focus on a very American love. 

“I really love dogs even though I didn’t have a pet growing up. I really love dogs and I was looking at the news that a lot of dogs are up for adoption and if they’re not going to be adopted, they will be, like, I don’t know the word …” she said. 

“So I thought that would be really great if I could give money to shelters and then just like help people know, like foster. There’s a great benefit to fostering animals,” she said.
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Eritrean, Ethiopian Leaders Meet for First Time in 18 Years

Posted on by SeeAF

The leaders of Eritrea and Ethiopia embraced at Asmara International Airport Sunday, a historic moment in what has long been one of Africa’s most entrenched conflicts.

The meeting between Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed continues a thawing of relations between the two countries.

The summit, in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, is the first time the countries’ heads of government have met since 2000, when Afwerki and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi signed the Algiers Agreement, formally ending two years of deadly conflict between the countries.

Cold war

Ethiopia refused to implement the terms of a deal to demarcate the countries’ shared border two years after the Algiers agreement was signed and continued to occupy land awarded to Eritrea by an international court.

That led to a cold war between the East African countries that has lasted nearly 20 years, with particularly damaging effects on Eritrea, a country a fraction the size of Ethiopia.

Afwerki has used the border conflict as a reason for strict rule, compulsory national service and perpetually deferred elections.

But Sheila Keetharuth, the United Nation’s special rapporteur on Eritrea, said these conditions have also led to “arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention, indefinite military/national service amounting to forced labor, with a range of violations committed in this context, as well as severe restrictions of fundamental freedoms.” 

​New leader

Eritreans and Ethiopians share language, culture and familial ties. But Eritrea’s 30-year war for independence from Ethiopia, along with the border war, have created deep fissures.

Until recently, the conflict between the countries seemed unsolvable.

That changed in early June, when Ahmed made the surprise announcement that Ethiopia would accept the terms of the Algiers Agreement.

Previous prime ministers have made similar promises, but Ahmed’s overture carried special weight. The 41-year-old assumed office in April at the height of a political crisis after years of unrest in two of Ethiopia’s largest regions. He has since enacted many reforms and promised a new era of unity and accountability.

He is also Ethiopia’s first prime minister from Oromia, a region far removed from the contentious border region and the TPLF political party that controlled Ethiopia since Eritrea, a former province, gained independence in 1993.

In late June, Eritrea sent a high-level delegation to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, for several days of talks with Ahmed, setting the stage for Sunday’s summit.

​Presidential greeting

Afwerki, dressed in an olive-colored suit, embraced Ahmed after he came down the steps from his Ethiopian Airlines jetliner with his entourage and walked across the tarmac.

Red carpet had been laid, and a crowd of onlookers and a brass band flanked the leaders, who later greeted some of those in attendance. Some wore T-shirts adorned with images of the two leaders and told Eri TV, the sole state-owned broadcaster, about the significance of peace between the countries.

Afwerki and Ahmed then rode through Asmara, where cheering crowds warmly greeted them, on their way to begin formal talks.

If the nations do find a path toward peace, the impact could be deep and far reaching.

Ethiopia is landlocked, and access to Eritrea’s ports could transform its economy and strengthen its ability to deliver humanitarian aid. Eritrea’s economy could also benefit, and long-standing human rights concerns could be addressed, observers say.

Keetharuth, who has reached the end of her six-year mandate, told the U.N. that resolving the border conflict would set the stage for peace, but true peace for Eritrea would entail much more.

“The mentality needs to change because up to now it has been a mentality, for both sides, [of] preserving where we are in terms of borders, preserving our gains in terms of territory and preserving other issues.”

Human rights, justice and respect must be achieved for lasting peace, Keetharuth said.
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Feds Freeze ‘Obamacare’ Payments; Premiums Likely to Rise

Posted on by SeeUS

The Trump administration said Saturday it’s freezing payments under an “Obamacare” program that protects insurers with sicker patients from financial losses, a move expected to add to premium increases next year.

At stake are billions in payments to insurers with sicker customers.

In a weekend announcement, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the administration is acting because of conflicting court ruling in lawsuits filed by some smaller insurers who question whether they are being fairly treated under the program.

Risk adjustment

The so-called risk adjustment program takes payments from insurers with healthier customers and redistributes that money to companies with sicker enrollees. Payments for 2017 are $10.4 billion. No taxpayer subsidies are involved.

The idea behind the program is to remove the financial incentive for insurers to cherry pick healthier customers. The government uses a similar approach with Medicare private insurance plans and the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Major insurer groups said Saturday the administration’s action interferes with a program that’s working well.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, whose members are a mainstay of Affordable Care Act coverage said it was “extremely disappointed” with the administration’s action.

The Trump administration’s move “will significantly increase 2019 premiums for millions of individuals and small business owners and could result in far fewer health plan choices,” association president Scott Serota said in a statement. “It will undermine Americans’ access to affordable coverage, particularly those who need medical care the most.”

Serota noted that the payments are required by law, and said he believes the administration has the legal authority to continue making them despite the court cases. He warned of turmoil as insurers finalize their rates for 2019.

America’s Health Insurance Plans, the main health insurance industry trade group, said in a statement that it is “very discouraged” by the Trump administration’s decision to freeze payments.

“Costs for taxpayers will rise as the federal government spends more on premium subsidies,” the group said.

Conflicting rulings

Rumors that the Trump administration would freeze payments were circulating late last week. But the Saturday announcement via email was unusual for such a major step.

The administration argued in its announcement that its hands were tied by conflicting court rulings in New Mexico and Massachusetts.

Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Seema Verma said the Trump administration was disappointed by a New Mexico court ruling that questioned the workings of the risk program for insurers.

The administration “has asked the court to reconsider its ruling, and hopes for a prompt resolution that allows (the government) to prevent more adverse impacts on Americans who receive their insurance in the individual and small group markets,” she said.

More than 10 million people currently buy individual health insurance plans through HealthCare.gov and state insurance marketplaces. The vast majority of those customers receive taxpayer subsidies under the Obama-era health law and would be shielded from premium increases next year.

The brunt of higher prices would fall on solid middle-class consumers who are not eligible for the income-based subsidies. Many of those are self-employed people and small business owners, generally seen as a Republican constituency.

The latest “Obamacare” flare-up does not affect most people with employer coverage.
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Turkey Fires 18,000 Public Workers in Emergency Decree

Posted on by SeeEU

Turkey’s government Sunday issued an emergency decree dismissing thousands of public servants for alleged links to terror groups.

The decree, published in the Official Gazette, sacked 18,632 civil servants, including nearly 9,000 police officers, some 6,000 members of the military and hundreds of teachers and academics. Their passports will be canceled.

Turkey has been under a state of emergency for nearly two years, declared after a failed coup attempt in July 2016. The government blames a U.S.-based cleric for orchestrating the coup and has sacked or arrested people suspected of links to him. The cleric, Fethullah Gulen, denies the allegations. But the purge has broadened to include other “terror groups,” with more than 130,000 people dismissed.

The decree is expected to be the last of a series of emergency laws as Turkey’s ruling system will fully transform into an executive presidency Monday, following last month’s elections. The Cabinet and administrative structure will be completely revamped, coming under the authority of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sunday’s decree also reinstated 148 people previously sacked through emergency decrees, while annulling the ranks of some 1,500 retired military and police officers, depriving them of their pensions and passports.

Twelve nongovernmental organizations, three newspapers and one television station were also shuttered through the 461-page ruling.

More than 75,000 people have been arrested for alleged links to Gulen.

The current state of emergency ends on July 18, unless extended for another term by the president and approved by parliament. Erdogan has hinted it may be lifted.
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Mother Homeschools 14 Children, Builds Multimillion-Dollar Business

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What started as a simple desire to be able to provide for her children has turned into a multimillion-dollar business for Tammie Umbel of Dulles, Virginia. She not only runs a cosmetics company but home-schools her 14 children — and says she still finds time for herself. Leysa Bakalets has her story.
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British Police Continue Hunt for Poison Used Against Ex-Spy

Posted on by SeeEU

Authorities conducted extensive forensic tests Saturday, looking for the source of a nerve agent that sickened two people thought to have handled a contaminated item from the March attack on a Russian ex-spy and his daughter.

A police officer also underwent a precautionary test at a hospital to check for possible contamination related to the case, but Wiltshire police said late Saturday that he had been cleared.

The man and woman poisoned a week ago are in critical condition at Salisbury District Hospital, which is also where Sergei and Yulia Skripal spent months being treated after they were poisoned.

Authorities have said all four were sickened by Novichok, a nerve agent weapon developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Police think Dawn Sturgess, 44, and her partner, Charley Rowley, 45, had secondary exposure to the chemical weapon used in the attack on the Skripals.

Police have said they are looking for a vial that may contain Novichok. It is a slow and painstaking process, because there is no easy way to use modern technology to pinpoint the location of the rare nerve agent.

Officials have said the search could take weeks or months. It has brought more than 100 officers to Salisbury and the nearby town of Amesbury as suspect sites are condoned off to protect the public from possible contamination.

The police officer given the all clear underwent “appropriate specialist tests,” the Salisbury hospital said.

The hospital did not say whether the unidentified officer might have been exposed to Novichok. But a statement said the officer initially sought medical advice at another hospital “in connection with the ongoing incident in Amesbury,” which is where the latest victims developed symptoms of Novichok poisoning.

The Salisbury hospital added that it “has seen a number of members of the public who have come to the hospital with health concerns since this incident started and none have required any treatment.”

“We would like to reiterate the advice from Public Health England that the risk to the wider public remains low,” the hospital said.
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Lithuanian Couple Win World Wife-Carrying Title in Finland

Posted on by SeeEU

Fifty-three men slung their wives or partners over their shoulders and hurtled off on an hourlong race in the small Finnish town of Sonkajarvi on Saturday, as thousands of fans cheered from the stands.

The World Wife-Carrying Championship, now in its 23rd year, draws thousands of visitors to the town of 4,200 and has gained followers around the world.

There are official qualifying competitions in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden and Estonia. On Saturday, 53 couples from 13 countries joined the competition, organizers said.

The idea of wife-carrying as a sport was inspired by the 19th-century legend of Ronkainen the Robber, who tested aspiring members of his gang by forcing them to carry sacks of grain or live pigs over a similar course.

The championship is also said to stem from an even earlier practice of wife-stealing — leading many present-day contestants to compete with someone else’s wife.

On Saturday, Lithuanian parents of two, Vytautas Kirkliauskas and Neringa Kirkliauskiene, won the race, which involved running, wading through a slippery pool and getting through an obstacle course. The two defeated six-time world champion Taisto Miettinen, a Finn.

“It’s my wife,” Kirkliauskas shouted happily after the race. “She’s the best.”

The couple first competed in Sonkajarvi in 2005.

Finland, which straddles the Arctic Circle and goes through long, dark winters, is no stranger to strange sports. It has also given the world the world boot throwing, air guitar and mobile phone throwing competitions, to name a few.

“I think because we have only three months of light, we need to come up with nice stuff to do during the summertime, and we want to show everyone we have a great sense of humor,” said Sanna-Mari Nuutinen, a volunteer at Saturday’s event.
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Croatia Bests Russia, Advances to World Cup Semifinals

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Although Russia made it further at this year’s World Cup than almost anyone expected, it was Croatia that advanced to the semifinals with a 4-3 shootout victory Saturday following a 2-2 draw.

The overachieving hosts, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament at No. 70, were trying to make it to the World Cup semifinals for the first time since the Soviet Union finished fourth at the 1966 tournament in England.

“I left everything on the field and unfortunately we were unlucky,” Russia midfielder Roman Zobnin said. “We gave everything we could.”

The Croats hadn’t advanced this far at the World Cup since 1998, when the country made its first appearance.

Croatia will next play England in the semifinals on Wednesday in Moscow. The English team defeated Sweden 2-0.

With the crowd silenced following an extra-time goal from Croatia defender Domagoj Vida in the 101st minute, Russia defender Mario Fernandes scored to send the match to yet another penalty shootout.

Native Brazilian

Fernandes, who was born in Brazil but rejected a chance to play for that country’s national team, sent his penalty kick wide of the net in the shootout, giving Croatia the advantage.

Both goalkeepers made early saves in the shootout, with an injured Danijel Subasic stopping the opening shot from Fedor Smolov. Igor Akinfeev later blocked an attempt from Mateo Kovacic.

At 1-1, Fernandes missed his shot — only the second player to miss in any of the four shootouts at this year’s World Cup.

The teams then traded two scores each before Ivan Rakitic calmly scored the winning penalty.

Denis Cheryshev gave Russia the lead with a shot into the upper corner in the 31st minute. Croatia equalized with Andrej Kramaric’s header near halftime.

It was the second straight time both teams played in a shootout. Russia beat Spain 4-3 and Croatia defeated Denmark 3-2 in the round of 16.

Argentina in 1990 had been the last team to win consecutive World Cup shootouts. It defeated Yugoslavia in the quarterfinals and Italy in the semifinals that year, which also made Italy the last host nation to lose on penalties before Saturday.
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Shipping Giant Exits Iran, Fears US Sanctions

Posted on by SeeEU

One of the world’s biggest cargo shippers announced Saturday that it was

pulling out of Iran for fear of becoming entangled in U.S. sanctions, and President Hassan Rouhani demanded that European countries to do more to offset the U.S. measures.

The announcement by France’s CMA CGM that it was quitting Iran dealt a blow to Tehran’s efforts to persuade European countries to keep their companies operating in Iran despite the threat of new American sanctions.

Iran says it needs more help from Europe to keep alive an agreement with world powers to curb its nuclear program. U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the agreement in May and has announced new sanctions on Tehran. Washington has ordered all countries to stop buying Iranian oil by November and foreign firms to stop doing business there or face U.S. blacklists.

European powers that still support the nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, say they will do more to encourage their businesses to remain engaged with Iran. But the prospect of being banned in the United States appears to be enough to persuade European companies to keep out.

Foreign ministers from the five remaining signatory countries to the nuclear deal — Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia — offered a package of economic measures to Iran on Friday, but Tehran said they did not go far enough.

“European countries have the political will to maintain economic ties with Iran based on the JCPOA, but they need to take practical measures within the time limit,” Rouhani said Saturday on his official website.

‘We apply the rules’

CMA CGM, which according to the United Nations operates the world’s third-largest container shipping fleet with more than 11 percent of global capacity, said it would halt service for Iran because it did not want to fall afoul of the rules, given its large presence in the United States.

“Due to the Trump administration, we have decided to end our service for Iran,” CMA CGM chief Rodolphe Saade said during an economic conference in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence. “Our Chinese competitors are hesitating a little, so maybe they have a different relationship with Trump, but we apply the rules.”

The shipping market leader, A.P. Moller-Maersk of Denmark, already announced in May it was pulling out of Iran.

In June, French carmaker PSA Group suspended its joint ventures in Iran, and French oil major Total said it held little hope of receiving a U.S. waiver to

continue with a multibillion-dollar gas project in the country.

Total’s CEO Patrick Pouyanne said Saturday that the company had been left with little choice. “If we continued to work in Iran, Total would not be able to

access the U.S. financial world,” he told RTL radio. “Our duty

is to protect the company. So we have to leave Iran.”

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh called the tension between Tehran and Washington a “trade war.” He said it had not led to changes in Iranian oil production and exports.

He also echoed Rouhani’s remarks that the European package did not meet all economic demands of Iran.

“I have not seen the package personally, but our colleagues in the Foreign Ministry who have seen it were not happy with its details,” Zanganeh was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.

Some Iranian officials have threatened to block oil exports from the Gulf in retaliation for U.S. efforts to reduce Iranian oil sales to zero. Rouhani himself made a veiled threat along those lines in recent days, saying there could be no oil exports from the region if Iran’s were shut.
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Beryl Weakens to Tropical Storm en Route to Caribbean

Posted on by SeeUS

Beryl weakened to a tropical storm Saturday but is still expected to dump heavy rain over the Lesser Antilles at the end of the weekend on its way to the eastern Caribbean, bringing a new threat to islands still rebuilding from last year’s storms.

A tropical storm warning was issued for Dominica, which was battered by Hurricane Maria in September as a Category 5 storm. The island’s meteorological service said weather conditions would start deteriorating Saturday night and warned of six to 12 inches of rain, with the storm expected to cross over or near Dominica late Sunday or early Monday.

 Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said in a public address that the storm’s track and intensity could still change and urged people to remain alert.

 “They should not let their guard down,” he said.

 He also asked people to store water because he said the government would be shutting down the water system as a preventive measure.

A tropical storm watch was issued for the French Caribbean territories of Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Martin and St. Barts as well as the islands of Barbados, St. Lucia, Saba and St. Eustatius. Deeper into the Caribbean, a state of emergency was declared in Puerto Rico, where Maria caused more than an estimated $100 billion in damage.

Beryl was named the first hurricane of the Atlantic season Friday. At 11 a.m. Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Beryl’s strength had diminished and it had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph). It was centered 720 miles (1160 kilometers) east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles and was moving west at 14 mph (22 kph).

People in the Caribbean were taking no chances. Long lines were reported outside grocery stores on the islands of Dominica, Puerto Rico and elsewhere as people bought food and water. Among those stocking up was Sandra Whitcher, an owner of Coffeeriver Cottages in Dominica.

“Here’s hoping it misses us,” she said, adding that crews fortified the roofs on all seven cottages that survived Hurricane Maria. “I can’t say I’m not scared, but I know we have prepared as much as we can possibly do.”

Forecasters said Beryl is expected to weaken further after entering the Caribbean. It was expected to pass about 70 miles (113 kilometers) south of Puerto Rico on Monday, but forecasters warned the storm-wracked U.S. territory could see up to 30 mph winds and heavy rains that could cause flooding and mudslides.

Meteorologist Odalys Martinez said in a phone interview that conditions in Puerto Rico would deteriorate late Sunday, with up to 3 inches (8 centimeters) of rain possible.

“There is a lot of uncertainty,” she said.

 Forecasters said Beryl probably would dissipate once it moved south of Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello declared a state of emergency for the island and suspended work on Monday.

Rossello told reporters the island would probably experience power outages, given that its electricity grid has become more vulnerable since Hurricane Maria. He said, however, that the recovery should be quicker since there are more power restoration crews and equipment on the island now.

The governor urged people without sturdy roofs to move to one of the 424 shelters that the government planned to open across the island. He recently noted that some 60,000 people still have only tarps for roofs.

“There are a lot of Puerto Ricans who are in a vulnerable position,” Rossello said. “We are keeping an eye on this minute by minute. It is not the moment to panic, but it’s the moment to prepare.”

Puerto Rico Health Secretary Rafael Rodriguez urged all those with serious health conditions, including diabetics, to seek shelter at health facilities, which have generators.

Meanwhile, a tropical depression formed in the Atlantic well off the North Carolina coast, but forecasters said there were no coastal watches or warnings in effect. The hurricane center said it would likely become a tropical storm Saturday night or Sunday and continue strengthening over the next few days.

At 11 a.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 150 miles (241 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph (48 kph). It was moving north-northwest at 2 mph (3 kph).

 
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French Investigators Say Fire Caused 2016 EgyptAir Crash

Posted on by SeeEU

French air accident investigators say that a rapidly spreading fire probably caused the crash of an EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo in 2016, casting doubt on Egyptian authorities’ claims that traces of explosives were found.

French investigation agency BEA said in a statement late Friday that “the most likely hypothesis is that a fire broke out in the cockpit and “spread rapidly, resulting in loss of control.”

Authorities at Cairo airport declined to comment, saying only that state prosecutors were investigating the case. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief journalists on the matter.

Egyptian authorities are carrying out a criminal investigation amid suspicions that explosives were involved.

The BEA has also investigated the crash alongside Egyptian and American experts. In its statement, the French agency cited its “difference of opinion” with the Egyptian conclusions based on evidence collected so far, including the BEA’s advanced repair work on flight recorders found in the Mediterranean depths.

The BEA urged Egyptian prosecutors to investigate the possibility it was an accidental fire, to prevent such accidents in the future. BEA officials met this May with the Egyptian attorney general to urge further work on the debris and recorded data, but were told that since Egyptian authorities believe a “malicious act” brought down the plane, the investigation is “within the sole jurisdiction of the judicial authorities.”

All 66 people aboard were killed when EgyptAir Flight 804, an Airbus A320 en route from Paris to Cairo, plunged into the Mediterranean. The pilots made no distress call and no militant group claimed to have brought the aircraft down.

The tragedy came about seven months after a Russian airliner crashed in the Sinai Peninsula shortly after taking off from an Egyptian Red Sea resort, killing all 224 people on board. The incidents have dealt Egypt’s tourism industry, a major pillar for foreign currency which had already been weakened by years of political unrest since a 2011 uprising, a severe blow.
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UNHCR Set to Open New Refugee Transit Center in Tripoli

Posted on by SeeAF

The U.N. refugee agency says it has had a permanent presence in Libya this year, providing humanitarian assistance and medical aid to refugees and migrants in detention centers. The UNHCR works with Libyan authorities to obtain the release of vulnerable refugees and their evacuation from Libya.

The U.N. is expected to open a new transit center in Tripoli this month, which will have a capacity for 1,000 people. From this gathering and departure facility, candidates for asylum will be evacuated to a U.N. center in Niamey in Niger to complete their applications, which will allow them to be transferred to resettlement nations.

Speaking Friday in Rome, the UNHCR representative in Libya, Roberto Mignone, said more than 1,500 migrants and refugees already have made the trip to Niger this year, and 200 have been accepted for asylum in countries like France, Switzerland, Sweden and Germany.

 

Mignone said European countries have offered to take 4,000 refugees, but the process of re-settling must be accelerated. It is a mechanism that works, he added, but European nations need to accept refugees at a quicker pace. 

Mignone said the UNHCR has the capability at present to evacuate more than 1,000 people a month from Libya to Niger, but then these other refugees must leave the center in Niger or a bottleneck is created.

Mignone added that if more offers from European countries are forthcoming, other centers could be opened in the region. He said talks are underway with Chad, Burkina Faso and Sudan.

Italy’s new populist government recently intensified a crackdown on humanitarian rescue boats operating off Libya, refusing to give them docking permission in Italian ports and forcing them to sail hundreds of miles to Spain.

U.N. officials say the impact of the crackdown and the Libyan coast guard’s ineffectiveness at carrying out the rescue of migrants has caused the number of deaths at sea to soar, along with an increase in the number of people being held in Libyan detention centers.

More than 10,000 migrants have been intercepted by the Libyan coast guard this year and taken to 17 active detention centers in the country. Mignone said “overcrowding in Libyan centers is a serious problem and abuses on migrants cannot be ruled out.”

Despite fewer crossings, more than 1,000 people have drowned this year alone. Carlotta Sami, the UNHCR’s spokesperson in Rome, called June’s mortality rate in the central Mediterranean “dramatic and exceptional.”

Sami said that in 2017, on average, only one in every 38 migrants attempting the crossing died. Today that number is one in every seven.

The United Nations has urged Italy to end its campaign against humanitarian rescue boats in the Mediterranean, but Italy’s Interior minister, Matteo Salvini, shows no sign of wanting to back down, and he has said his aim is that”not one more person arrives by boat” on Italian shores.

 
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IOM: Libya’s Detention of Migrants Rescued at Sea Cruel and Must End

Posted on by SeeAF

The Head of the UN Migration Agency, William Lacy Swing, is appealing to Libyan authorities to stop detaining migrants intercepted or rescued at sea by the Coast Guard after trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

The International Organization for Migration praises Libya’s dramatically stepped up anti-smuggler operations.  With European Union support, it notes the number of migrants rescued in Libya’s territorial waters and brought back to shore has greatly increased.

IOM Spokesman, Leonard Doyle, says in the past month alone, the Libyan coast guard has intercepted nearly 4,000 migrants.

“Despite occasional, from what we understand, rogue issues, there generally seems to be a desire by the coast guard personnel to save lives, to get their country back on a regular footing and to avoid having indiscriminate, irregular migration where the only people profiting are the smugglers,” said Doyle.

IOM Chief Swing recently returned from a two-day visit to Libya where he appealed to the authorities to end the cruel policy of locking up migrants who already have suffered so much trying to reach European shores.  Doyle says there are some signs the authorities are willing to consider this.

“They will probably do that by trying to speed up repatriation.  So we support them in voluntary repatriation, voluntary return, humanitarian return from Libya,” said Doyle. “It sometimes takes a while because they do not have papers, they do not have documents.  The only embassies in the country really full-time are African embassies and even they are at very low capacity.”   

Doyle says once the documentation and bureaucratic process is completed, it will be relatively simple to repatriate the migrants.  He says IOM has a charter flight leaving for an African destination practically every day, taking people who voluntarily want to return home.
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Immigrant PhD Candidate Rocked by Sudden US Army Discharge

Posted on by SeeUS

Growing up in eastern China, Panshu Zhao fell in love with America. He read the Bible his parents gave him, watched Hollywood movies and studied the ideals of democracy. He jumped at the chance to attend graduate school at Texas A&M University.

In 2016, Zhao enlisted in the U.S. Army as part of a special recruitment program offering immigrants in the country legally a path to citizenship.

The future, he said, was bright.

Now, he is one of the dozens of immigrant recruits and reservists struggling with abrupt, often unexplained military discharges and canceled contracts. They traded being willing to risk their lives for the prospect of U.S. citizenship, a timeworn exchange that’s drawn linguists, medical specialists and thousands of other immigrants to the military since the Revolutionary War.

“It’s just like you’re dropped from heaven to hell,” Zhao told The Associated Press on Friday.

It is unclear how many men and women who enlisted through the special recruitment program have been ousted from the Army, but immigration attorneys told the AP that they know of more than 40 recruits who recently have been discharged or whose status has become questionable.

Some recruits say they were given no reason for their discharge. Others said the Army informed them they’d been labeled as security risks because they have relatives abroad or because the Defense Department had not completed background checks on them.

The Pentagon said Friday that there has been no policy change since last year, when Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said no one could enter basic training without completion of a background investigation.

And Army spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith said that any enlistee entering the military undergoes security screenings.

“Each recruit undergoes an individualized suitability review and the length of time for the review is dependent upon each individual’s unique background,” Smith said.

Zhao, 31, said his “ship out” date to basic training was delayed for two years as he underwent background checks, counterintelligence interviews and rigorous reviews added as requirements for immigrant enlistees.

He continued to pursue his PhD in geography at Texas A&M but also hit the gym, prepping for boot camp. And he trained — in uniform — with his unit. He had military identification and health care, he said.

In April, Zhao visited Washington, D.C., for the first time, touring the White House and visiting the Republican National Committee.

That same month, he got word from his unit commander: He was being discharged. He was told simply that his discharge was “uncharacterized,” he said.

“I’m not a national threat,” Zhao said. “On the contrast, I’m a national merit because people like me with higher education and critical skills, we want to serve this great U.S. Army. I’m a good scientist no matter what.”

The Pentagon announced last October that in order to apply for citizenship, immigrant recruits were required to have gone through basic training and served honorably for either 180 days or a year, depending on their Army classification. But that requirement has been challenged in court.

Some discharged service members whose basic training was delayed cannot start the naturalization process. Others who started the process have had their applications put on hold.

Immigration attorneys told the AP that many immigrants let go in recent weeks received an “uncharacterized discharge,” which is neither dishonorable nor honorable.

A Brazilian reservist, Lucas Calixto, filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., last week contending that he was booted without the Defense Department giving him a chance to defend himself or appeal.

President George W. Bush ordered “expedited naturalization” for immigrant soldiers in 2002 in an effort to swell military ranks. Seven years later, the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program, known as MAVNI, became an official recruiting program.

The program came under fire from conservatives when President Barack Obama added DACA recipients — young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally — to the list of eligible enlistees. In response, the military layered on additional security clearances for recruits to pass before heading to boot camp.

Donald Trump’s administration added even more hurdles, creating a backlog within the Defense Department. Last fall, hundreds of recruits still in the enlistment process had their contracts canceled. A few months later, the military suspended MAVNI.

Republican Congressman Andy Harris of Maryland, who has supported legislation to limit the program, told the AP that MAVNI was established by executive order.

“Our military must prioritize enlisting American citizens, and restore the MAVNI program to its specialized, limited scope,” he said.

According to Air Force Maj. Carla Gleason, a Pentagon spokeswoman, the “overwhelming majority” of MAVNI candidates are from Asia and Africa because those are the critical language skills needed in the military.

As of April, 1,100 immigrant recruits were awaiting basic training while undergoing security reviews, the Pentagon said.

Eligible recruits are required to have legal status in the U.S., such as a student visa, before enlisting. More than 5,000 immigrants were recruited into the program in 2016, and an estimated 10,000 are currently serving. Most go the Army, but some also go to the other military branches.

Zhao is now rethinking his future, but said he wishes he had a chance to appeal.

“I need justice,” he said. “This is America. This is not China. This is not the Middle East. This is not a dictatorship. And that’s why I love America.”
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Trump Unveils Court Pick on Monday

Posted on by SeeUS

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday will announce his nominee for the Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. The announcement is likely to set off a major confirmation battle in the Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow majority and opposition Democrats say they are ready for a fight over Trump’s court pick.

In his weekly presidential address, Trump said his “greatest responsibility is to select a justice who will faithfully interpret the Constitution as written.” The president vowed to select someone with “impeccable credentials, great intellect, unbiased judgment and deep reverence for the laws and Constitution.”

During a campaign rally in Montana Thursday, Trump sought to build expectations among supporters for his nominee.

“As you know there is now a vacancy on the Supreme Court. And if you tune in Monday at 9 o’clock I think you are going to be extremely happy with the selection. Right? And they are all great. They are all great,” Trump said to cheers at a rally in Great Falls, Montana.

 

WATCH: Trump to Unveil Court Pick Monday

Democrats mobilize

Anthony Kennedy was a critical swing vote in a number of high-profile cases, including same-sex marriage and upholding a woman’s right to an abortion.

Democrats have vowed to resist a nominee who could swing the high court further to the right.

“So it makes it all the more important that we get someone who is going to be a person of integrity and someone who is going to make a decision based on precedent, based on the rule of law, and not someone who is ideological,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

The Kennedy void

Legal analysts noted that Kennedy’s departure leaves a critical void on the high court.

“He leaves the court in a calcified state of a hardened left and right with nobody in that middle position,” said George Washington University constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley. 

Trump said he has narrowed his choice to three or four contenders. Among those believed to be on the short list are federal appeals court judges Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Raymond Kethledge and Amul Thapar.

Kennedy was often a member of five-to-four majority decisions on the high court, and now conservatives see a chance to solidify their majority on the Supreme Court for years to come.

“I think many on the right feel in particular that Anthony Kennedy, while broadly on the conservative side, was not as consistent as he might have been, and that the nominee of Donald Trump will have the court be much more consistently five votes in the conservative direction,” said John Fortier with the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington.

Rightward shift

Analysts also predict that a firmly conservative nominee will spark a high stakes political battle in the Senate.

“I think that we probably have never seen an appointment process that will be as contentious as this one given the importance of Kennedy’s position on the court and the increasingly polarized state of the nation,” said George Washington University legal analyst Paul Schiff Berman via Skype.

A recent Quinnipiac Poll found that 31 percent of voters believe Trump’s nominee should make the high court more conservative. Twenty-nine percent want the pick to make the court more liberal and 35 percent said the appointment should keep the current balance on the court.

The survey also found that by a margin of 50 percent to 42 percent, Americans believe the Supreme Court is more motivated by politics than the law.

Trump’s nominee must be confirmed by the Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow 51- to 49-seat majority. A handful of Senate Democrats running for re-election in states that Trump won handily in 2016 could face a difficult vote on the court nominee. They could provide Republicans with an additional buffer if they decide to support the president.
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Museum Highlights Joy of Making Music

Posted on by SeeUS

The Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California, celebrates music making throughout the year.

During a recent international festival, the museum encouraged young and old to pick up an instrument and strike a tune, joining music lovers in more than 100 countries on Make Music day, June 21.

Visitors were greeted with the symphonic sounds of the Earth Harp, strung across the parking lot, as they arrived. Inside, some amateur music makers held group performances, while others wandered the exhibits, banging on a gong or strumming a mandolin.

“We want every child that comes through this museum to pluck a string, hit a key, hit a drum,” said museum director Carolyn Grant, “because it doesn’t take much to ignite that spark” and a lifelong passion.

Said Laura Jordon-Smith, mom to a 2-year-old budding musician: “She loves to learn the words, especially songs that have little hand motions and things. She loves what we do in her music classes.”

Whether playing or listening, music is an exciting means of self-expression, said museum director Grant.
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Trump to Unveil Court Pick Monday

Posted on by SeeUS

President Donald Trump will announce his nominee to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court on Monday. The announcement is likely to set off a major confirmation battle in the Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow majority and where opposition Democrats are planning to wage a fight over Trump’s court pick. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.
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Al-Shabab Launches Deadly Assaults in Somali Capital

Posted on by SeeAF

More than 15 people have been killed and more than two dozen others were wounded in two assaults Saturday on the compound of Somalia’s interior and security ministries in capital city Mogadishu, according to witnesses.

The first attack began when gunmen set off huge explosions outside the main gate of the interior ministry building before three militants stormed it. Smoke was seen rising above the scene.

WATCH: Al-Shabab Launches Deadly Assaults in Somali Capital

Witnesses said the security forces launched a counterterror operation and engaged in an hour-long battle with the militants before ending the siege and killing all the three armed attackers.

Witnesses said government workers were among those killed in the first attack. “I have seen with my eyes at least 10 dead bodies lying inside the compound” a female witness told VOA.

Speaking to reporters, the Somali Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Geelle said the militants carried out today’s attacks to kill and maim civilians.

“They killed and wounded a number of people who were inside the compound, but the security forces engaged with the militants and killed all the terrorist,” Geelle said.

The minister declined to say how many people were killed in the attacks. An official who asked not to be named, though, said the death toll could rise as authorities sort through the building, the exterior compound and at a police building across from the interior and security ministries.

Dozens of people trapped in the building during the battle were rescued during the operation, while others escaped by leaping from the windows.

Abdinasir Said Muse, the deputy minister of security, was among those rescued from the compound.

The compound, which is located in one of the busiest areas in Mogadishu, is close to the parliament headquarters and the presidential palace.

The second blast occurred at a police building opposite the interior ministry compound.

Abdulkadir Abdirahman Aden, head of the Amin ambulance service, said his team carried five dead bodies and more than 17 wounded people from near the scene.

Somalia’s al-Shabab terror group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Meanwhile, in a separate attack, a former commissioner of the Qoryooley district in the Lower Shabelle region was killed Saturday in a roadside bomb attack.

Osman Sheikh Ali was killed near Baraawe town, while three others also were wounded in the attack. Al-Shabab also has claimed responsibility for this attack.
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Egyptians Vent After World Cup Loss

Posted on by SeeAF

Egypt’s poor performance at this year’s World Cup in Russia is prompting an outcry, with many Egyptian football fans calling for an inquiry into the Egyptian federation’s handling of preparations for the tournament. The Egyptian national team lost all three matches it played in Russia, smashing all hopes that had surged when the country made it to the World Cup for the first time since 1990.  Fans are venting their disappointment in different ways. 
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Iran Executes 8 in 2017 Islamic State Attack on Tehran

Posted on by SeeEA

Iran said Saturday it executed eight people convicted in the 2017 Islamic State group attack on parliament and the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran. 

 

The June 7, 2017, attack has so far been the only assault by the Sunni extremists inside Shiite Iran, which has been deeply involved in the wars in Iraq and Syria, where the militants once held vast territory.

The judiciary’s official Mizan news agency and semi-official news agencies in Iran acknowledged the executions Saturday, but did not say when they took place. Executions in Iran are carried out by hangings. 

While Iran is one of the world’s top enforcers of the death penalty, such mass executions are rare. The last mass execution reported in August 2007 saw Iran hang seven men convicted of rape in Mashhad at the same time. 

The news agencies Saturday named those executed as Soleiman Mozafari, Esmail Sufi, Rahman Behrouz, Majed Mortezai, Sirous Azizi, Ayoub Esmaili, Khosro Ramezani and Osman Behrouz. 

 

The Islamic State attack killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 50. 

 

More than a dozen others remain on trial over the attack. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard responded to the attack by launching six missiles into eastern Syria targeting IS militants.
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