An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck southeast of the city of Ternate, in the Moluccas in the eastern area of Indonesia, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.The earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) at an area 168 km south-southeast of Ternate, the USGS said.There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties in the quake.Earlier Sunday, an earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck west of Australia’s beach resort of Broome, the United States Geological Survey said, with residents saying the impact shook some buildings and pushed groceries off shelves.There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in the quake, which the agency initially said was of magnitude 6.9, hitting at a depth of 33 km (21 miles), about 203 km (126 miles) offshore from the town in the state of Western Australia.Videos posted on social media showed cars and buildings shaking and groceries being knocked from shelves, with some residents reporting minor damage to businesses.“We just had an earthquake in Broome,” one resident of the town said on Twitter. “The whole house was shaking and it went for ages. Never experienced anything like it before – quite amazing.”The earthquake was widely felt in Perth, the capital of Western Australia, a distance of more than 2,000 km (1,242 miles) away, data from Geoscience Australia showed. An aftershock of 4.1 was also recorded.
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Month: July 2019
High-Level Defector Suggests North Korea Employs State-Sponsored Schemes to Elude Sanctions
Christy Lee contributed to this report, which originated on VOA’s Korean Service.A high-level North Korean defector who delivered millions of dollars to Pyongyang’s elite as a trusted, overseas trader, suggests the Kim regime is employing state-sponsored strategies to elude international sanctions on oil needed to maintain its military and economy.FILE – Former North Korean official, Ri Jong Ho, right, who oversaw North Korea’s overall production and trade while serving at the Office 39 for decades, heads to Pyongyang with Chinese investment tycoon Sam Pa, December 2006.Before defecting, Ri worked in Office 39, a North Korean bureau responsible for securing foreign income and hard currency for the country’s leaders and senior officials in North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party. The U.S. government has accused Office 39 of engaging in ‘Deceptive’ practiceAlmost all ships are linked to an automatic, FILE – The North Korean cargo ship, Wise Honest, middle, was towed into the Port of Pago Pago, May 11, 2019, in Pago Pago, American Samoa.The U.S. seized North Korean cargo vessel Wise Honest in May for violating the U.S. and U.N. sanctions after Indonesia detained it for over a year for suspect activities. It was the first time the U.S. seized a North Korean vessel.Fred and Cindy Warmbier, parents of Otto Warmbier who died shortly after release from a North Korean prison in 2017, have filed a claim for the ship as part of a $500 million judgment they received in a U.S. court against Pyongyang for their son’s death.
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Hong Kong Protesters’ Fury at Extradition Bill Refuses to Dissipate
Thousands rallied in Hong Kong for a second day Sunday, in an area popular with mainland Chinese shoppers, as deep-seated anger and frustration at the government’s handling of an extradition bill refuses to dissipate.Demonstrators marched in heat of about 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees F) in Sha Tin, a town between Hong Kong island and the border with China that has previously been a battleground for those upset by the flood of Chinese day-trippers.“I never missed a march so far since June,” said a 69-year-old man who gave only his surname, Chen, referring to a wave of protests that has drawn millions to the streets of the Asian financial hub, plunging it into turmoil.“I support the youngsters, they have done something we haven’t done. There is nothing we can do to help them, but come out and march to show our appreciation and support,” he said.A few protesters waved British and American flags, with banners calling for independence for Hong Kong flying from makeshift flagpoles. Some marchers beat drums and others carried banners that read, “Free Hong Kong.”Chants of “Carrie Lam go to hell,” rang through the crowd, referring to the city’s embattled leader.Journalists hold up their press cards as they stage a silent march to police headquarters to denounce media treatment during protest against a proposed extradition bill, in Hong Kong, July 14, 2019.Biggest crisis since 1997The protests have fueled the former British colony’s biggest political crisis since China regained control of Hong Kong in 1997 and pose a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing.The focus of the rallies has veered occasionally from the extradition bill, which would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial, to broader issues fueling tension between Hong Kong people and mainland Chinese.On Saturday, a largely peaceful demonstration in a town close to the Chinese border turned violent, as protesters hurled umbrellas and hardhats at police, who retaliated by swinging batons and firing pepper spray.Critics see the now-suspended bill as a threat to the rule of law in Hong Kong. Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said it is “dead,” but opponents say they will settle for nothing short of the bill’s formal withdrawal.They are also demanding that Lam step down and seeking an independent investigation into complaints of police brutality.Erosion of freedom a worryHong Kong returned to Chinese rule 22 years ago under a “one country, two systems” formula that allows its people freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, including the liberty to protest and an independent judiciary.Beijing denies interfering in Hong Kong affairs, but many residents worry about what they see as an erosion of those freedoms and a relentless march toward mainland control.More than 23.6 million mainland Chinese visited Hong Kong in the first five months of this year, government data show, up 17.5% from a year earlier, and equivalent to at least three times Hong Kong’s population of 7.4 million.The government condemned violent acts during Saturday’s protests against so-called “parallel traders” from the mainland who buy goods in bulk in Hong Kong to carry into China for profit.It said that during the last 18 months it had arrested 126 mainland visitors suspected of contravening the terms of their stay by engaging in parallel trading, and barred about 5,000 mainland Chinese also suspected of involvement.Earlier Sunday, hundreds of journalists joined a silent march to demand better treatment from police at protests.
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Hurricane Center: Barry Brings ‘Life-Threatening Flooding Rains’
The Associated Press contributed to this report.The National Hurricane Center said Sunday that Tropical Storm Barry is moving over western Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour.Barry’s primary threat is “life-threatening flooding rains,” according to the National Hurricane Center. Barry is expected to douse south central Louisiana with 15 to 30 centimeters of rain with some areas receiving as much as 50 centimeters.The Lower Mississippi Valley is predicted to receive 10 to 20 centimeters of rain with isolated maximum amounts of up to 30 centimeters.The storm made landfall Saturday in Louisiana near Intracoastal City, according to the National Hurricane Center, which warned that Barry is likely to bring dangerous storm surges, plus strong wind and heavy rain in parts of the Gulf Coast and the Lower Mississippi Valley. Robyn Iacona-Hilbert walks through her flooded business after Hurricane Barry in Mandeville, La., July 13, 2019.On Saturday night, Gov. John Bel Edwards urged residents across south Louisiana to stay “vigilant,” warning that Barry could still cause disastrous flooding across a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast overnight.“This storm still has a long way to go before it leaves this state,” Edwards said. “Don’t let your guard down.”The storm, the first Atlantic hurricane of the season, was briefly a Category 1 hurricane. By late Saturday night, its maximum sustained winds had fallen to 50 mph (80 kph).National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said Barry has collected “a big slug of moisture” and is expected to rain on the region throughout the weekend.Tourists walk on Bourbon Street during Hurricane Barry in New Orleans, La., July 13, 2019.Residents in New Orleans fortified their homes and stocked up on supplies as Barry began to roll in from the Gulf of Mexico. However, by late Saturday night, the city had been spared the worst of the storm, receiving only light showers and gusting winds.By early Sunday, forecasters had downgraded rainfall estimates for New Orleans through the day to between 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters). Forecasters earlier said New Orleans could get up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain.City officials have advised residents to shelter in their homes, with the exception of two coastal parishes south of the city, where mandatory evacuations were ordered.Tropical Storm A man walks through rain in the French Quarter caused by Hurricane Barry in New Orleans, July 13, 2019.Tourists had largely left New Orleans Friday. Some airlines canceled outbound flights Saturday.The storm is widely seen as a test of the city’s weather defenses put in place following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which left about 1,800 people dead.U.S. President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in Louisiana Thursday night, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate federal funds and resources to help the state cope with the storm and its aftermath.Audrey Ulfers stands on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain during Hurricane Barry in Mandeville, La., July 13, 2019.In Mandeville, a city on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain across from New Orleans, storm surge and choppy waters sent waves over the seawall and into nearby communities. Dozens of people waded through knee-high water to take a look at the pounding surf.
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Top Puerto Rican Officials Resign Over Profanity-Laced Chat
Puerto Rico’s Gov. Ricardo Rossello announced Saturday that his chief financial officer and secretary of state will step down following their participation in a private chat that used profanities to describe an ex-New York City official and a federal control board overseeing the island’s finances.The U.S. territory’s CFO Christian Sobrino, who is also the governor’s representative to the control board, announced he was stepping down via Twitter on Saturday. Its Secretary of State Luis G. Rivera Marin also offered his resignation.Rossello later released a statement saying he would let go members of his administration who participated in the chat on a messaging system used by government officials. The release of the chat’s contents in local media had led to calls for the governor’s resignation.Governor apologizes, doesn’t resignRossello apologized for the comments late Thursday, saying he’d been working 18-hour days and releasing tensions when he called former New York City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito the Spanish word for “whore” and in English told the oversight board to “go f— yourself” followed by a string of emojis with the middle finger raised.Citizens carrying a banner that reads in Spanish “Ricarod Rosello, renounce” protest near the executive mansion denouncing a wave of arrests for corruption that has shaken the country and demanding he resign, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 11, 2019.…“Aware that the current environment cannot be maintained, I have communicated to all the other public officials involved in the chat that I will have to dispense with their services and/or their advice,” he said in the statement.He said he would ask Ricardo Llerandi to remain as Puerto Rico’s secretary of the interior and Anthony Maceira to stay as secretary of Public Affairs.“This is a very painful situation for me, as governor, as a human being and as a Puerto Rican,” Rossello said. “But I recognize there is no other way out and there is no worthwhile forgiveness on my part that does not include corrections and clear signs of intent to change.”Justice Secretary Wanda Vazquez announced that she was appointing a special task force to determine whether any laws were broken regarding the chat and comments made.Puerto Ricans ashamedThe comments had drawn the ire of many Puerto Ricans who said they were ashamed of his language and of how this might affect the reputation of the U.S. territory, which had already come under scrutiny earlier this week with the arrests of former government officials including the island’s education secretary.Rossello said late Thursday that he had not yet spoken to Mark-Viverito, who posted a lengthy statement on Twitter that read in part, “A person who uses that language against a woman, whether a public figure or not, should not govern Puerto Rico …this type of behavior is completely unacceptable.”In the chat, Rossello wrote that he was upset Mark-Viverito had criticized Tom Perez, chair of the Democratic National Committee, for supporting statehood for Puerto Rico.Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin, who was mentioned in the chat with a homophobic comment, urged Rossello to step down.Martin tweeted that the governor “lacks the abilities of a true leader, who inspires, stimulates and guides by example so that our people attain a higher level of life.”Rossello, who faces other troubles, has said he will not resign.Six arrestsDays earlier, FBI agents arrested Julia Keleher, Puerto Rico’s former education secretary, and five others on charges of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors.Officials said the alleged fraud involves $15.5 million worth of federal funding issued between 2017 and 2019. They said $13 million was spent by Puerto Rico’s Department of Education while Keleher was secretary and another $2.5 million spent by Angela Avila Marrero when she was director of Puerto Rico’s Health Insurance Administration. Avila Marrero was charged along with businessmen Fernando Scherrer-Caillet and Alberto Velazquez-Pinol, and education contractors Glenda E. Ponce-Mendoza and Mayra Ponce-Mendoza, who are sisters.Officials said there was no evidence that Keleher or Avila Marrero had personally benefited from the scheme.On Thursday, a group of protesters had gathered at Puerto Rico’s main international airport to received Rossello as he cut a European vacation short to address the arrests and the leaked chat. The protesters then traveled to the governor’s seaside mansion where Rossello spoke late Thursday and demanded his resignation.
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Another Canadian Detained in China Amid Diplomatic Chill
OTTAWA, ONTARIO — A Canadian citizen has been detained in Yantai, China, Canada’s government said Saturday, a step that comes amid tense relations between the countries.
Global Affairs Canada did not provide details about the identity of the detainee, nor the reason for the detention.
Earlier this week, 16 foreign teachers and students and three Chinese were arrested on drug allegations in Xuzhou, about 370 miles (600 kilometers) southwest of the coastal city of Yantai. Global Affairs would not say whether the Canadian’s detention was related to those arrests.
Relations between China and Canada chilled in December when Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei, was arrested in Vancouver on a U.S. warrant, stemming from an alleged breach of U.S. sanctions against Iran. Meng, who is also the daughter of Huawei’s founder, is under house arrest in her Vancouver mansion. Two Canadians detained
After Meng’s arrest, China detained two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, for alleged spying. Their detentions are believed to have been retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Meng.
China also sentenced another Canadian to death for drug smuggling and suspended imports of Canadian meat products.
On Friday, the British Embassy said it was providing consular assistance to four British citizens who were among the teachers and students arrested in Xuzhou.
Police did not say where the teachers worked, but the Education First language school expressed regret for a drug-related incident. The school said it could not confirm the nationalities of those facing alleged drug offenses.
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Toll in Migrant Boat Accident off Tunisia Rises to 82
The number of bodies recovered by Tunisia after a ship packed with migrants sank off its coast last week has risen to 82, in one of the worst disasters in recent years, the Tunisian Red Crescent said Saturday.The boat capsized after setting off for Europe from neighboring Libya. Survivors told the Tunisian coast guard last week that it had been carrying 86 people.Tunisian fishermen rescued four people but one later died in hospital, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said last week.“After a week of searches, all the 82 bodies who were in the boat that sank last week were recovered,” Mongi Slim, an official of the Tunisian Red Crescent, told Reuters.Libya’s west coast is a main departure point for African migrants hoping to reach Europe, though numbers have dropped because of an Italian-led effort to disrupt smuggling networks and support Libya’s coast guard.Sixty-five migrants heading for Europe from Libya drowned in May when their boat capsized off Tunisia.
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Weakened Barry Rolls into Louisiana, Drenches Gulf Coast
Barry rolled into the Louisiana coast Saturday, flooding highways, forcing people to scramble to rooftops and dumping heavy rain that officials had feared could test the levees and pumps that were bolstered after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005.After briefly becoming a Category 1 hurricane, the system weakened to a tropical storm as it made landfall near Intracoastal City, about 160 miles (257km) west of New Orleans, with its winds falling to 70 mph (112km), the National Hurricane Center said.By early evening, New Orleans had been spared the worst effects, receiving only light showers and gusty winds. But officials warned that Barry could still cause disastrous flooding across a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast and drop up to 20 inches (50 cm) of rain through Sunday across a part of Louisiana that includes New Orleans and Baton Rouge.“This is just the beginning,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “It’s going to be a long several days for our state.”Logan Courvlle walks in front of a flooded business after Hurricane Barry in Mandeville, La., July 13, 2019.Levees overtopped south of New OrleansThe Coast Guard rescued a dozen people from flooded areas of Terrebonne Parish, south of New Orleans, some of them from rooftops, a spokeswoman said. The people included a 77-year-old man who called for help because he had about 4 feet of water in his home.None of the main levees on the Mississippi River failed or were breached, Edwards said. But a levee in Terrebonne Parish was overtopped by water, officials said. And video showed water getting over a second levee in Plaquemines Parish, where fingers of land extend deep into the Gulf of Mexico. Terrebonne Parish ordered an evacuation affecting an estimated 400 people.Nearly all businesses in Morgan City, about 85 miles west of New Orleans, were shuttered with the exception of Meche’s Donuts Shop. Owner Todd Hoffpauir did a brisk business despite the pounding winds and pulsating rain.While making doughnuts, Hoffpauir said he heard an explosion and a ripping sound and later saw that the wind had peeled off layers of the roof at an adjacent apartment complex.The sky is cloudy over Lake Pontchartrain on Lakeshore Drive as little flooding is reported in New Orleans, ahead of Tropical Storm Barry making landfall, July 13, 2019.Still filling sandbagsIn some places, residents continued to build defenses against rising water. At the edge of the town of Jean Lafitte just outside New Orleans, volunteers helped several town employees sandbag a 600-foot stretch of the two-lane state highway. The street was already lined with one-ton sandbags, and 30-pound bags were being used to strengthen them.“I’m here for my family, trying to save their stuff,” volunteer Vinnie Tortorich said. “My cousin’s house is already under.”In Lafayette, Willie Allen and his 11-year-old grandson, Gavin Coleman, shoveled sand into 20 green bags, joining a group of more than 20 other people doing the same thing during a break in the rain. Wearing a mud-streaked T-shirt and shorts, Allen loaded the bags onto the back of his pickup.“Everybody is preparing,” he said. “Our biggest concern is the flood.”Many businesses were also shut down or closed early in Baton Rouge, and winds were strong enough to rock large pickups. Whitecaps were visible on the Mississippi River.Oil and gas operators evacuated hundreds of platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Nearly 70% of Gulf oil production and 56% of gas production were turned off Saturday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which compiles the numbers from industry reports.Vehicles sit in high water after heavy rain in New Orleans, July 10, 2019, in this image obtained from social media.Barry preceded by deluge Barry developed from a disturbance in the Gulf that surprised New Orleans during the Wednesday morning rush with a sudden deluge that flooded streets, homes and businesses. For several days, officials braced for more flooding. But as sunset approached, the city saw only intermittent rain and wind, with occasional glimpses of sunshine.Elsewhere, more than 120,000 customers in Louisiana and another nearly 6,000 customers in Mississippi and Alabama were without power Saturday, according to poweroutage.us.During a storm update through Facebook Live, National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham pointed to a computer screen showing a huge, swirling mess of airborne water.“That is just an amazing amount of moisture,” he said. “That is off the chart.”A man walks through rain in the French Quarter caused by Hurricane Barry in New Orleans, July 13, 2019.Weekend of heavy rainBarry was moving so slowly that heavy rain was expected to continue all weekend. Forecasts showed the storm on a path toward Chicago that would swell the Mississippi River basin with water that must eventually flow south again.For a few hours, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), just above the 74 mph (120 kph) threshold to be a hurricane. Barry was expected to continue weakening and become a tropical depression Sunday.Downpours also lashed coastal Alabama and Mississippi. Parts of Dauphin Island, a barrier island in Alabama, were flooded both by rain and surging water from the Gulf, said Mayor Jeff Collier, who drove around in a Humvee to survey damage. He said wind damage was minimal.Flooding closed some roads in low-lying areas of Mobile County in Alabama, and heavy rains contributed to accidents, said John Kilcullen, director of plans and operations for Mobile County Emergency Management Agency.A flood gate is closed as Tropical Storm Barry approaches land in New Orleans, July 13, 2019.Governors declared emergencies in Louisiana and Mississippi, and authorities closed floodgates and raised water barriers around New Orleans. It was the first time since Katrina that all floodgates in the New Orleans area had been sealed.Still, Edwards said he did not expect the Mississippi to spill over the levees despite water levels already running high from spring rains and melting snow upstream. The barriers range in height from about 20 feet to 25 feet (6 meters to 7.5 meters).Authorities told at least 10,000 people in exposed, low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast to leave, but no evacuations were ordered in New Orleans, where officials urged residents to “shelter in place.”Despite the apparent calm in her city, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell cautioned that the storm continued to pose a threat.“The slow pace pushed the timing of expected impacts further into today, tonight and Sunday,” Cantrell said. “This means that New Orleans residents are not out of the woods with this system.”
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Report: UK Police Identify Suspect Behind Leaked Envoy Memos
LONDON — The suspect behind the leak of confidential memos from Britain’s Washington ambassador, which sparked a major diplomatic rift with the United States, has been identified, the Sunday Times newspaper reported. Last week, Britain’s Mail on Sunday newspaper published memos from Kim Darroch in which he described Donald Trump’s administration as “inept” and “dysfunctional,” prompting an angry response from the U.S. president and causing the envoy to announce his resignation. British officials launched an inquiry to find the person responsible for the leak, and counterterrorism police said Friday that they had launched a criminal investigation. According to the Sunday Times, which cited an unnamed government sources, a suspect has been identified and suggestions that it could have been the result of a computer hack by a foreign state has been ruled out. ‘Quite crude'”They think they know who did the leaking,” an unnamed government source told the paper. “It’s now a case of building a case that will stand up in court. It was someone with access to historical files. They went in and grabbed a range of material. It was quite crude.” Both the Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday reported that intelligence officials from the GCHQ eavesdropping spy agency were about to join the investigation to find the suspect by scouring email and phone records. The Mail also published further memos from Darroch, defying a police warning that media that did so could be committing a crime. The paper said Darroch had written to the British government in May 2018 that Trump decided to unilaterally withdraw from Iran’s nuclear deal with major powers for “personality reasons” because it had been agreed to by his predecessor, Barack Obama.Darroch had said in the cable that the Trump administration was “set upon an act of diplomatic vandalism,” the paper said. Warning criticizedBritain’s most senior counterterrorism police officer had warned the media not to print any more leaked documents, saying it could breach the Official Secrets Act. However, he was widely criticized by editors and politicians, including Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt and ex-London Mayor Boris Johnson, the two men battling to replace Theresa May as prime minister when she steps down in just over a week’s time. “It cannot be conceivably right that newspapers or any other media organization publishing such material should face prosecution,” said Johnson, the front-runner.
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Police: Man Dies After Attacking Immigration Prison in Washington State
A man armed with a rifle threw incendiary devices at an immigration jail in Washington state early Saturday morning, then was found dead after four police officers arrived and opened fire, authorities said.
The Tacoma Police Department said the officers responded about 4 a.m. to the privately run Tacoma Northwest Detention Center, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security detention facility that holds migrants pending deportation proceedings. The detention center has also held would-be immigrant parents separated from their children under President Donald Trump’s zero tolerance'' policy, an effort meant to deter illegal immigration. have led to misplaced aggression and a dangerous environment for our employees, whose safety is our top priority. Violence of any kind against our employees and property will not be tolerated. We are thankful for the quick and brave action by the Tacoma Police Department, which prevented innocent lives from being endangered.”
The shooting took place about six hours after a peaceful rally in front of the detention center, police spokesman Loretta Cool said. She said another rally was planned for later Saturday, but it would have to be held in a different area because of the investigation into the police shooting. Tried to set fires
Police said the man caused a vehicle to catch fire and that he attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set buildings on fire. Police said that besides the rifle, he had a satchel and flares.
Police said officers called out to the man, and shots were fired.
Cool said all four officers fired their weapons, but she didn't have specific details of what took place. She said the officers weren't wearing body cameras, but the area is covered by surveillance cameras from the detention center. She said she didn't know if the man fired at the officers.
After the gunfire, officers took cover, contained the area and set up medical aid a short distance away, police said.
Officers then located the man and determined he had been shot and was dead at the scene. His name wasn’t released.
Authorities said investigators were processing the scene and police were continuing to investigate. No law enforcement officers were injured. The four Tacoma police officers who fired their weapons were placed on paid administrative leave, as is standard in officer-involved shootings.
A motive for the man's actions hasn't been determined, Cool said.
Center owner defends reputationGEO Group, which runs the 1,575-bed detention center, in an email to The Associated Press said baseless accusations about how detainees are treated at its facilities
GEO Group said the detention center in Tacoma has modern amenities with air conditioning, recreational activities, a bed for every individual and medical care available at all hours.
Last year, a federal judge ruled that Washington state could pursue its lawsuit seeking to force GEO Group to pay minimum wage for work done by detainees at the detention center.
In November, a Russian asylum seeker who conducted a hunger strike to protest the conditions at the detention center died by suicide, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled.
Mergensana Amar, 40, was taken off life support after attempting to kill himself while in voluntary protective custody at the detention center on Nov. 15, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.
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Trump Says He Will Not Impose Uranium Quotas
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he will not impose quotas on importing uranium, backing away from a possible trade confrontation and breaking with a Commerce Department assessment that America’s use of foreign uranium raises national security concerns.
The decision is unusual for Trump, who has pointed to national security concerns in calling for restrictions on foreign metal and autos in trade negotiations. It’s also drawing rare criticism from Republicans in energy-rich states.
Uranium is a vital component for the U.S. nuclear arsenal, submarines and power plants, which prompted a monthslong Commerce Department investigation into whether such materials fall under the national security umbrella. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has said that just 5 percent of the uranium the U.S. needs for military and electricity generation comes from domestic production. Russia, China and other countries supply the rest.
In a statement issued late Friday, Trump said Ross’s findings about national security raise significant concerns.'' Yet the president opted against quotas as advocated by the domestic uranium industry, which would limit imports to guarantee that U.S. miners supply 25 percent of uranium for domestic use. Working groupserious threat to our national defense and energy security.”
Trump instead announced he was going to order a working group to take 90 days to formulate recommendations to increase domestic uranium production.
Two Colorado-based uranium mining companies — Energy Fuels Inc. and Ur-Energy Inc. — petitioned the Commerce Department in January 2018 to impose the 25 percent requirement under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. The companies said relying on imports poses a
Much of the uranium mined in the U.S. comes from Wyoming. The decision by the Trump administration is a missed opportunity to protect America's uranium producers,'' said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who denounced using foreign materials.America should not rely on Vladimir Putin and his satellites to supply our uranium. It’s dangerous and unacceptable.”
Environmentalists saw the mining companies’ petition as part of an effort to expand mining across the U.S. They also were worried about the area outside the boundary of Grand Canyon National Park, where an Obama-era decision placed roughly 1 million acres off limits to new mining claims for 20 years.
We're obviously relieved there's not a quota, but we're not out of the woods yet,'' said Amber Reimondo, energy program director for the Grand Canyon Trust, an environmental group in Flagstaff, Ariz.There’s clearly some concern with this working group that the president has ordered. And, depending on what comes out of that, it seems likely that there could be additional shortcuts to environmental safeguards.” Critical minerals
Last month, the Trump administration designated nearly three dozen minerals, including uranium, as critical. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said at the time the department would work expeditiously'' to streamline the permitting process for mining to locate domestic supplies of minerals. commend” Trump for recognizing that the nuclear industry was “under siege” and for establishing the working group.
Energy Fuels has been waiting for uranium prices to rise to restart operations at its Canyon Mine near the Grand Canyon's South Rim entrance. In a statement, the energy companies said they
The decision was a rare moment in which the Trump administration did not use the powers of the government to give American companies a trade advantage over international competition. The administration had previously levied tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum, leading to retaliatory tariffs from Canada, Mexico, China and Europe.
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Sudan Activists Call for ‘Justice’ for Killed Protesters
KHARTOUM, SUDAN — Tens of thousands of Sudanese flooded the streets of Khartoum and other cities Saturday to mark the 40th day since the deadly dispersal of a protest sit-in, and a protest leader said a planned meeting with the country’s ruling generals to sign a power-sharing deal was postponed until Sunday.
The Justice First'' marches were called by the Sudanese Professionals' Association, which has been spearheading the protests since December. Those demonstrations led to the military ouster of autocratic president Omar al-Bashir in April. transparent and fair” investigation into the deaths.
The marches marked 40 days since the dispersal of the pro-democracy protesters' sit-in outside military headquarters in Khartoum on June 3. Protest organizers said security forces killed at least 128 people during the dispersal and subsequent crackdown. Authorities, however, put the death toll at 61, including three from security forces. Accountability sought
Protesters have called for aThe military council should be held accountable [for] the massacre,'' said protester Samer Hussein. Freedom, Peace and Justice” and
Footage and photos posted by the SPA showed thousands of people demonstrating in the capital and its sister city of Omdurman. There were protests in other places, including the Red Sea city of Port Sudan and the eastern province of Kassala.
Protesters were seen waving Sudanese flags and posters that readCivilian [authority] is the people's choice.'' for more consultations” within the FDFC on the deal.
The marches came just over a week after massive demonstrations on June 30, when tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets in the biggest show of numbers in the uprising. At least 11 people were killed in clashes with security forces, according to protest organizers. Sudanese protesters hold candles near a portrait of a civilian killed in a march, during a demonstration to commemorate 40 days since a sit-in massacre in Khartoum North, Sudan, July 13, 2019.Saturday's marches also put pressure on the ruling military council as it and the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, which represents the protesters, planned to meet to sign a power-sharing agreement. African Union envoy Mohammed el-Hassan Labat originally said a meeting would take place Saturday night. But Ahmed Rabei, a spokesman for the SPA, said later the protest movement called for the talks to be postponed until Sunday
The state-run SUNA news agency, however, reported that both sides would meet late Saturday. SUNA quoted a statement by the military council as saying that they would discuss the constitutional document'' with the FDFC in their meeting in a luxury Khartoum hotel. are not angels and we will try all offenders.”
The signing ceremony was expected to take place earlier this week, but several delays have been announced, raising suspicions the two parties might still be divided over the agreement's details. Communists reject deal
Late on Saturday, the Sudanese Communist Party, which is part of the protest movement, said it rejected the power-sharing agreement because it does not include an international investigation into the crackdown and it keeps paramilitary forces in existence.
The party said it would not take part in the joint Sovereign Council, the FDFC-appointed cabinet or the legislative body that would rule Sudan during the transition.
The deal provides for the Sovereign Council to rule for a little over three years while elections are organized, along with a constitutional declaration, according to a copy of the deal obtained by The Associated Press. A military leader is to head the 11-member council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for the next 18.
The deal was meant to end a weekslong political deadlock between the military and protesters since the Khartoum sit-in site was cleared.
They also agreed on an independent Sudanese investigation into the deadly crackdown by security forces on the protests last month, though it's unclear if anyone will be held accountable.
Gen. Mohammed Hamadan Dagalo, deputy head of the military council, told a gathering of military supporters in Nile River province, about 100 kilometers [62 miles] north of Khartoum, that his forces, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces,
The RSF grew out of the notorious Janjaweed militias used by al-Bashir in the Darfur conflict in the early 2000s. Protesters accuse it of leading the nationwide crackdown, and the SPA has called for the force to be disbanded.
Dagalo accused “intelligence agencies” of defaming the RSF. He did not elaborate.
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Britain to Release Iranian Tanker if Tehran Gives Guarantee
LONDON — British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt told his Iranian counterpart on Saturday that Britain would facilitate the release of the detained Grace 1 oil tanker if Tehran gave guarantees it would not go to Syria.
British Royal Marines seized the tanker last week off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory of Gibraltar on suspicion of violating sanctions against Syria.
Iran on Saturday reiterated its call for the ship’s release. It denies the tanker was taking oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.
The affair has stoked tension in the Persian Gulf region, with Britain saying Thursday that it had fended off Iranian ships that tried to block a British tanker in the area.
Hunt said the call with Iran’s foreign minister had been constructive. He said Mohammad Javad Zarif had told him that Iran wanted to resolve the issue and was not seeking to escalate tensions.
“I reassured him our concern was destination not origin of the oil on Grace One & that UK would facilitate release if we received guarantees that it would not be going to Syria, following due process in [Gibraltar] courts,” Hunt wrote on Twitter.
A statement on the Iranian Foreign Ministry website said Zarif told Hunt during the call that Britain should quickly release the tanker.
Iran will continue its oil exports under any conditions, Zarif also told Hunt, according to the statement. U.S. blamed
Tehran blames the United States for arranging the seizure of the tanker. Washington has imposed sanctions against Iran with the aim of halting Iranian oil exports.
European countries do not have sanctions against Iran, but have had them in place against Iran’s ally Syria since 2011. Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told the territory’s parliament on Friday that the decision to detain the tanker, which he said was carrying 2.1 million barrels of oil, had not been taken at the request of any other country.
“Also spoke to @FabianPicardo who is doing an excellent job co-ordinating issue and shares UK perspective on the way forward,” Hunt said.
Gibraltar police said four crew members who had been arrested, including the vessel’s captain and chief officer, were released on bail without charge, but that their investigation was ongoing.
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Central Africans Express Mixed Reactions to Continental Free Trade Area
KIOSSI, CAMEROON — Analysts and businesspeople in the six-member Central African Economic and Monetary Community say that although the African Continental Free Trade Area launched in Niger last Sunday at an African Union summit brings hope for pan African trade, they are not sure CEMAC will be fully implemented anytime soon. CEMAC’s similar free-trade area has been plagued by corruption, national egos and a limitation of movement that have stunted the initiative. For instance, the Cameroonian town of Kiossi shares borders with Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and quite often, authorities in those two countries seal their borders without any comment.
Last December, Equatorial Guinea sealed its borders for a month. That same month, Gabon was expelling foreign citizens, especially Cameroonians, from its territory for what it called security reasons. Puzzled by move
Gabonese-born Gabriel Ndongma, who buys building material from Cameroon and supplies for his country and Equatorial Guinea, said recently that he did not understand why the borders have to be sealed and people have to be chased away when central African states have a common monetary and economic community created to facilitate movement and trade. He said CEMAC leaders should make strong political decisions that will make it possible for their people to travel freely among Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Central African Republic, Cameroon and Congo, the members of the economic bloc. FILE – Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, center, reads a document at an AU meeting in Niamey, Niger, July 5, 2019, where the African Continental Free Trade Area was launched. CEMAC, a similar trade group, has had trouble progressing.CEMAC was created in 1994. All member states ratified the treaty creating it in 1999, and free movement of goods, services, capital and people was officially implemented in 2000. It has a population of about 45 million and covers 3 million square kilometers. In 2017, CEMAC said it had reached a milestone after heads of state meeting in Chad lifted visa requirements for their citizens traveling within the bloc. Chadian-born transporter Bismau Halidou said that besides the regular closure of borders by some states in the region, nontariff barriers have made it difficult for free interstate trade to take off. Corruption problems
He said there were high levels of corruption among police, tax and customs officials in all central African states. He also noted that, surprisingly, Cameroon — which should pilot the integration process because it has a population of more than 25 million, more than half the region’s total — was viewed as a country not to be trusted because of notorious corruption. Daniel Ona Ondo, president of the CEMAC commission, said security challenges were making it difficult to ensure free movement that can deepen economic integration for its citizens. He said carnage has continued in CAR, Boko Haram terrorism has continued along Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria, and the separatist crisis has killed thousands in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon.
He said the region remains a place where pockets of tension and violence scare entrepreneurs away from investing or trading. He said it is still very difficult for people and goods to move freely because commuters are harassed by rebels and terrorists, and at times by security forces who are supposed to protect them.
Chadian-born Fatima Haram Acyl, CEMAC commissioner for trade and industry, said Central Africa is one of the poorest regions in the world, with 70 percent of the population living on less than $1 a day and 30 percent of the people going hungry. He said the people there see the African Continental Free Trade Area as providing a way to fight poverty. He also said the challenges faced by the region require that uncompetitive industries be developed or knocked out of the market by stiffer competition.
“We are going to have a big continental market in Africa, so it is very, very important for us to protect ourselves,” he said. “You know, when we have a big continental free trade area, there is going to be a lot of foreign products coming, so we have to protect our industries, we have to protect our people, we have to protect our market, because it is attractive for the whole world.” Much yet to do
Acyl said that despite the launch of the ACFTA, much work needs to be done before the agreement — signed by all 55 members of the African Union except Eritrea — becomes effective.
Trade between African countries has been held back by several bottlenecks, such as poor infrastructure, cumbersome border procedures, trade regulations, tariffs and the high cost of transactions.
The U.N. Economic Commission for Africa, however, estimates an increase in intra-African trade of 52.3 percent by 2020, asserting it will increase employment, facilitate better use of local resources for manufacturing and agriculture, and provide access to less expensive products.
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Russia Launches Major New Telescope Into Space
Russia’s space agency says a Russian Proton-M rocket has successfully delivered a cutting-edge space telescope into orbit after days of launch delays.Roscosmos said the telescope, named Spektr-RG, was delivered into a parking orbit before a final burn Saturday that kicked the spacecraft out of Earth’s orbit and on to its final destination: the L2 Lagrange point.
Lagrange points are unique positions in the solar system where objects can maintain their position relative to the sun and the planets that orbit it.
Located 1.5 million kilometers (0.93 million miles) from Earth, L2 is particularly ideal for telescopes such as Spektr-RG. If all goes well, it will arrive at its designated position in three months.
If Spektr-RG reaches L2 successfully, it will be the first Russian spacecraft to operate beyond Earth’s orbit since the Soviet era.
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New Election Systems Use Vulnerable Software
Pennsylvania’s message was clear: The state was taking a big step to keep its elections from being hacked in 2020. Last April, its top election official told counties they had to update their systems. So far, nearly 60% have taken action, with $14.15 million of mostly federal funds helping counties buy brand-new electoral systems.But there’s a problem: Many of these new systems still run on old software that will soon be outdated and more vulnerable to hackers.An Associated Press analysis has found that like many counties in Pennsylvania, the vast majority of 10,000 election jurisdictions nationwide use Windows 7 or an older operating system to create ballots, program voting machines, tally votes and report counts.That’s significant because Windows 7 reaches its “end of life” on Jan. 14, meaning Microsoft stops providing technical support and producing “patches” to fix software vulnerabilities, which hackers can exploit. In a statement to the AP, Microsoft said Friday it would offer continued Windows 7 security updates for a fee through 2023.Critics say the situation is an example of what happens when private companies ultimately determine the security level of election systems with a lack of federal requirements or oversight. Vendors say they have been making consistent improvements in election systems. And many state officials say they are wary of federal involvement in state and local elections.It’s unclear whether the often hefty expense of security updates would be paid by vendors operating on razor-thin profit margins or cash-strapped jurisdictions. It’s also uncertain if a version running on Windows 10, which has more security features, can be certified and rolled out in time for primaries.“That’s a very serious concern,” said J. Alex Halderman, a University of Michigan professor and renowned election security expert. He said the country risks repeating “mistakes that we made over the last decade or decade-and-a-half when states bought voting machines but didn’t keep the software up-to-date and didn’t have any serious provisions” for doing so.The AP surveyed all 50 states, the District of Columbia and territories, and found multiple battleground states affected by the end of Windows 7 support, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Arizona and North Carolina. Also affected are Michigan, which recently acquired a new system, and Georgia, which will announce its new system soon.“Is this a bad joke?” said Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance, an election integrity advocacy organization, upon learning about the Windows 7 issue. Her group sued Georgia to get it to ditch its paperless voting machines and adopt a more secure system. Georgia recently piloted a system running on Windows 7 that was praised by state officials.If Georgia selects a system that runs on Windows 7, Marks said, her group will go to court to block the purchase. State elections spokeswoman Tess Hammock declined to comment because Georgia hasn’t officially selected a vendor.The election technology industry is dominated by three titans: Omaha, Nebraska-based Election Systems and Software LLC; Denver, Colorado-based Dominion Voting Systems Inc.; and Austin, Texas-based Hart InterCivic Inc. They make up about 92% of election systems used nationwide, according to a 2017 study . All three have worked to win over states newly infused with federal funds and eager for an update.U.S. officials determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and have warned that Russia, China and other nations are trying to influence the 2020 elections.Of the three companies, only Dominion’s newer systems aren’t touched by upcoming Windows software issues — though it has election systems acquired from no-longer-existing companies that may run on even older operating systems.Hart’s system runs on a Windows version that reaches its end of life on Oct. 13, 2020, weeks before the election.ES&S said it expects by the fall to be able to offer customers an election system running on Microsoft’s current operating system, Windows 10. It’s now being tested by a federally accredited lab.For jurisdictions that have already purchased systems running on Windows 7, ES&S said it will be working with Microsoft to provide support until jurisdictions can update. Windows 10 came out in 2015.Hart and Dominion didn’t respond to requests for comment.Microsoft usually releases patches for operating systems monthly, so hackers have learned to target older, unsupported systems. Its systems have been ground zero for crippling cyberattacks, including the WannaCry ransomware attack, which froze systems in 200,000 computers across 150 countries in 2017.For many people, the end of Microsoft 7 support means simply updating. However, for election systems the process is more onerous. ES&S and Hart don’t have federally certified systems on Windows 10, and the road to certification is long and costly, often taking at least a year and costing six figures.ES&S, the nation’s largest vendor, completed its latest certification four months ago, using Windows 7. Hart’s last certification was May 29 on a Windows version that also won’t be supported by November 2020.Though ES&S is testing a new system it’s unclear how long it will take to complete the process — federal and possible state recertification, plus rolling out updates — and if it will be done before primaries begin in February.Election administrators notoriously suffer from insufficient resources. Recently, many jurisdictions splurged on new election systems, some using their portion of $380 million in federal funds provided to states.Counties in South Dakota, South Carolina and Delaware all recently bought election systems, while many others are evaluating purchases.The use of election systems that still run on Windows 7 “is of concern, and it should be of concern,” said U.S. Election Assistance Commission Chair Christy McCormick. EAC develops election system guidelines.McCormick noted that while election systems aren’t supposed to be connected to the internet, various stages of the election process require transfers of information, which could be points of vulnerability for attackers. She said some election administrators are working to address the problem.Officials in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona say they have discussed the software issue with their vendors. Other states mentioned in this story didn’t respond to AP requests for comment.Pennsylvania elections spokeswoman Wanda Murren said contract language allows such a software upgrade for free. Arizona elections spokeswoman C. Murphy Hebert said ES&S has also assured the state that it will provide support to counties for an upgrade.Susan Greenhalgh, policy director for the advocacy group National Election Defense Coalition, said even the best scenario has election administrators preparing for primaries while trying to upgrade their systems, which is “crazy.” Her group shared its concerns about Windows 7 with AP.Certification, which is voluntary at the federal level but sometimes required by state laws, ensures vendor software runs properly on operating systems they’re tested on. But there is no cybersecurity check and the process often fails to keep up with rapidly changing technology.Kevin Skoglund, chief technologist for Citizens for Better Elections, said county election officials point to EAC and state certifications as “rock-solid proof” their systems are secure, but don’t realize vendors are certifying systems under 2005 standards.Local officials rely on vendors to build secure systems and EAC and the states to enforce high standards, Skoglund said.After the AP began making inquiries, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wrote McCormick asking what EAC, which has no regulatory power, is doing to address a “looming election cybersecurity crisis” that essentially lays the “red carpet” out to hackers.“Congress must pass legislation giving the federal government the authority to mandate basic cybersecurity for election infrastructure,” Wyden told the AP in a statement.
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Analysis: Trump Pattern is Create a Crisis, Retreat, Move on
President Donald Trump was defiant and declarative, with all the hammer-on-anvil subtlety that has charted a now-familiar pattern of his presidency: create a crisis, retreat, declare victory, move on.“Not only didn’t I back down, I backed up,” Trump insisted Friday. However he may phrase it, though, Trump walked away from his earlier vow to include a contentious question about citizenship on the 2020 census.The president shifted his bulldozer of an administration into reverse, announcing that he would drop his push to seek the citizenship status of all American residents on the census, instead ordering other agencies to share data with the Department of Commerce, which oversees the decennial survey.The face-saving measure, announced to fanfare in the Rose Garden on Thursday, underscored the president’s obsession with projecting a “win” even in the face of defeat. He’s demonstrated a reluctance to acknowledge even the minor missteps that have plagued his administration from its start.After fighting in court and in the press for nearly two years to include the citizenship question, Trump this week insisted it was unnecessary because federal data-sharing would lead to more accurate results.“We’re already finding out who the citizens are and who they’re not,” Trump said without evidence, barely 12 hours after signing the executive order. “And I think more accurately.”Critics, including the ACLU, which successfully sued the administration to block the citizenship question, disagreed.“Trump may claim victory today, but this is nothing short of a total, humiliating defeat for him and his administration,” said Dale Ho, director of the organization’s Voting Rights Project.And there were indications that Trump supporters, who were clamoring for the president to keep up the fight, also were unsatisfied with the outcome.Trump’s announcement was met with silence from most of his allies, rather than the usual cacophony of supportive statements for presidential actions.The scene was reminiscent of one six months earlier in the same spot. In that case, Trump declared he was “very proud” to announce an agreement to end a debilitating government shutdown that had been sparked by his own insistence that Congress fund his long-sought border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Despite Trump’s bravado, no such funding materialized from lawmakers, as the president backed down in the face of mounting criticism and claimed victory anyway.Weeks later, after lawmakers again rebuffed Trump’s request for wall funding, he boasted that a wall “is being built as we speak.”“You are going to have to be in extremely good shape to get over this one,” he added. “They would be able to climb Mount Everest a lot easier, I think.”In fact, Trump has added strikingly little length to barriers along the Mexico border despite his pre-eminent 2016 campaign promise to get a wall done.Trump followed a similar pattern the day after his party lost the House in the midterm elections, bringing about divided government and a flood of Democratic oversight investigations. The president was unbowed, telling reporters, “I thought it was a very close to complete victory.”It’s no surprise that Trump has difficulty conceding defeat, even when it’s plain as day.He rose to celebrity, and then the White House, with relentless self-promotion and touting the “Art of the Deal.” In Trump’s view, admitting defeat would pose an existential political risk to the candidate who famously rallied his supporters with promises that “We’re going to win so much, you’re going to be so sick and tired of winning.”Overseas, too, Trump rushes to claim victory when the facts paint a very different picture.After his inaugural meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Trump flatly declared on Twitter that “There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea” — despite no change to its established stockpile. And last month, he embraced Kim at the demilitarized zone and insisted their second summit in Vietnam earlier this year had been a success, despite his own highly publicized walkout.Trump also postponed steep tariffs he had announced on Mexico last month in an effort to push that country to curtail a surge in illegal border crossings. Even as he backed off, though, the president found reason to declare a win on a central campaign promise that has been largely unfulfilled as he prepared to formally launch his 2020 campaign.After Trump claimed the deal would “greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States,” he drew mockery from Democrats, including Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who sarcastically declared in response that it was “an historic night!”
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UK Police Warn Publishers Not to Use Leaked Documents
A British investigation into the leaking of confidential diplomatic memos is raising press freedom issues with a police warning that U.K. media might face a criminal inquiry if leaked documents are published.The Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command is investigating the leak of private memos written by Britain’s ambassador to the United States as a possible breach of the Official Secrets Act.Announcing the police inquiry, Counterterrorism police unit leader Neil Basu warned against any further publication of leaked documents.“The publication of leaked communications, knowing the damage they have caused or are likely to cause, may also be a criminal matter,” he said.“I would advise all owners, editors and publishers of social and mainstream media not to publish leaked government documents that may already be in their possession, or which may be offered to them, and to turn them over to the police or give them back to their rightful owner, Her Majesty’s Government.”His warning may be aimed specifically at preventing publication of any more memos that have already been leaked from Britain’s sprawling diplomatic and security services.Basu also urged the leakers of the already published documents to “turn yourself in at the earliest opportunity, explain yourself and face the consequences.”The leak led to the resignation of British Ambassador Kim Darroch after President Donald Trump said his administration would no longer work with Darroch, who had criticized Trump in the leaked cables.Darroch’s defenders said his critical memos showed he was doing his job by providing candid assessments, as diplomats are expected to do, but he said the controversy had made it impossible to fulfill his duties.British officials say they believe the leak was not a result of computer hacking and seems to have been carried out by an insider.The Official Secrets Act prohibits public servants from making “damaging” disclosures of classified material. It is aimed at civil servants and others in the government with access to sensitive information and is not designed to target journalists.Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is jousting with Boris Johnson to become the next prime minister, tweeted Saturday that the person responsible for the leak must be found and held responsible, but he differed with police over whether the publication of leaks is a possible crime.“I defend to the hilt the right of the press to publish those leaks if they receive them & judge them to be in the public interest: that is their job,” he said.Johnson, a former foreign secretary, also said it would be wrong to seek criminal charges against the press for publishing leaked material.“A prosecution on this basis would amount to an infringement on press freedom and have a chilling effect on public debate,” he said at a campaign event.The Mail on Sunday, which first obtained the trove of leaked memos, has not faced any legal repercussions for its decision to publish.The Foreign Office criticized the leak but did not challenge the authenticity of the memos, which characterized the Trump administration as chaotic and inept.Darroch’s defenders said his critical memos showed he was doing his job by providing candid assessments as diplomats are expected to do, but he said the controversy had made it impossible to function.
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New Zealand Collects Guns after Mosque Massacre
New Zealand has held its first public fire-arms collection event in Christchurch Saturday as part of the government’s response to the city’s mosque shootings in March. Ownership of the types of high-powered weapons used in the attacks that killed 51 people has been restricted.There were long lines at a racecourse in Christchurch as gun-owners waited to hand in weapons that are now illegal. It is the first of more than 250 buy-back events that will be held across New Zealand. The police expect that tens of thousands of guns will be surrendered, although the exact number is unknown.Semi-automatic weapons were outlawed following attacks on two mosques in Christchurch that left 51 people dead. The government said the law would remove the most dangerous guns from the community.Chris Cahill, from the New Zealand Police Association, which represents officers, believes the buy-back scheme will go smoothly. “We know the vast majority of firearms owners are law-abiding citizens,” said Cahill. “While disappointed they have to lose these sorts of firearms they understand why and they want to abide by the law.”More than $130 million has been set aside to compensate owners of semi-automatic weapons. The amount each individual will receive will depend on the value and condition of their guns.But some owners are complaining that the compensation is inadequate. There are concerns, too, that farming communities, which rely on firearms for hunting and pest control, will suffer because of the ban on military-style semi-automatic weapons.Nicole McKee is a spokesperson for New Zealand’s Council of Licensed Firearms Owners.“We are a rural and farming community here at the bottom of the world and we use firearms as a tool and there is quite a few of us that hunt as well to put food on the table,” said McKee.New Zealand authorities hope the scheme will be as successful as one in Australia that was implemented after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996 on the island of Tasmania, where a lone gunman murdered 35 people. It prompted more than 700,000 weapons to be surrendered.The Australian man accused of the Christchurch shootings has denied 51 charges of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and a terrorism charge. He is expected to go on trial next year.The gun collection event in Christchurch will continue Sunday.
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Hong Kong Protests Erupt Near China’s Border
Thousands of protesters in Hong Kong turned out Saturday to demonstrate against traders from mainland China.The demonstration was mounted in Sheung Shui, a town near the Chinese city of Shenzhen, along the border with Hong Kong.The protesters want traders from China to stop buying goods in Hong Kong that the traders then sell on the mainland.Many of the stores in the area of the demonstration in Sheung Shui were shuttered.The protests started peacefully, but ended with clashes between the demonstrators and the police, who used pepper spray on the crowd.Hong Kong has been the site of weekend demonstrations for weeks.The protests began because of a controversial extradition bill that would have allowed the extradition of Hong Kong criminal suspects to mainland China.After several weeks of controversy and large, angry street protests, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam recently said the extradition bill is “dead.”Lam called the attempts at passing the bill “a total failure,” but did not say whether the bill is being withdrawn, as protesters have demanded.The bill sparked massive demonstrations from the moment it was introduced in April, with opponents alarmed about extraditing criminal suspects to China, which has a substantially different legal system than Hong Kong. The sentiment was shared along a wide cross section of Hong Kong society, from international business groups to legal societies and pro-democracy parties.The former British colony was granted special autonomy for 50 years after it returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. But many in Hong Kong are concerned that China is slowly encroaching on those rights and tightening its grip on the territory.
The extradition debate has seen the government unwittingly reignite Hong Kong’s protest movement, and calls for the direct election of its leader, five years after 2014’s so-called Umbrella Movement democracy protests came to an end.
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Barry’s Rains Move Onshore
Meteorologists say rainbands from Tropical Storm Barry began to move onshore Saturday.The National Hurricane Center warns that Barry is likely to bring dangerous storm surges, plus heavy wind and rain conditions. Maximum sustained winds are 100 kilometers per hour and the storm is moving toward the coastline at seven kilometers per hour.Residents in New Orleans are fortifying their homes and stocking up on supplies as Barry begins to roll in from the Gulf of Mexico.
City officials have advised residents to shelter in their homes, with the exception of two coastal parishes south of the city, where mandatory evacuations have been ordered.
Tourists had largely left the city Friday. Some airlines canceled outbound flights on Saturday.
The National Hurricane Center expects Barry to strengthen before landfall and hit the coast as a Category 1 storm. It would be the first Atlantic hurricane of the season.
The main threat from the storm is expected to be its flood potential rather than its high winds. The storm is widely seen as a test of the city’s weather defenses put in place following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which left about 1,800 people dead.
U.S. President Donald Trump declared a State of Emergency in Louisiana Thursday night, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate federal funds and resources to help the state cope with the storm and its aftermath.Barry’s maximum sustained winds Friday night were clocked at 100 kilometers per hour and the storm is expected to drop as much as 60 centimeters of rain in some places, leading to severe flooding.New Orleans, which is already dealing with floods from Wednesday’s fierce rainstorms, is likely to see more flash flooding. The city of Baton Rouge is also facing threats of flash flooding.As of Friday evening, Barry was on a path toward Morgan City, which is surrounded by water and nearly 140 kilometers southwest of New Orleans.Forecasters predict the city can expect as much as 51 centimeters of additional rain from Barry, pushing the Mississippi River’s crest close to the top of the 6-meter-high levees protecting New Orleans.Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has already declared a state of emergency and deployed the National Guard.Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for about 10,000 people living near the stretch of the Mississippi closest to the Gulf. A storm surge warning is in effect for southern and southeastern Louisiana.Along with heavy rain and strong winds, Barry could bring tornadoes before it moves inland and weakens.
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Alleged Trafficking Kingpin Faces Deportation, Even as Case Against Him Unravels
An Italian court has ruled that an Eritrean man, Medhane Tesfamariam Berhe, who was thought to be a human trafficking kingpin is a victim of mistaken identity, but he now faces deportation.Medhane had been imprisoned in Italy since 2016, when he was extradited from Sudan. For more than three years, Italian prosecutors claimed he masterminded an elaborate human trafficking ring, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of migrants crossing the Mediterannean Sea. They sought a 14-year prison sentence.But soon after his arrest, family members, and Medhane’s attorney, claimed he had been mistaken for another man who shares his first name, Medhane Yehdego Mered, a widely known trafficker nicknamed “The General.”In the years since his arrest, DNA evidence, vocal analysis and eyewitness testimonies have all supported Medhane’s innocence. But Italian prosecutors, who believed they had nabbed a high-profile trafficker, pressed on.Mistaken identityFriday, a panel of judges agreed with Medhane and his family, conceding that Italian authorities, with the help of Britain’s National Crime Agency, had apprehended the wrong person.But Medhane’s ordeal is far from over. The judges ruled that he had abetted traffickers and Hiwet Tesfamarian, sister of Medhane Tesfamariam Berhe, reacts after hearing the verdict in the case of an alleged people-smuggling kingpin identified by the court as Medhanie Yehdego Mered, who claims his identity has been mistaken, Palermo, Italy.“We are going to ask to clear his name until the last hour,” Hiwet said.Since just after his arrest, evidence has accumulated to support Medhane’s innocence, including a DNA sample submitted by his mother and accounts of trafficking victims who said they did not recognize Medhane.Failing strategyLorenzo Tondo, a Guardian correspondent who covers Italy and the migration crisis, said Medhane’s case sheds a harsh light on the Italian legal system and the strategies used to prosecute traffickers.“This is just an example of how European Union strategy, all the European Union countries’ strategy, is failing,” Tondo told VOA. “We’re just getting everything wrong in the way we are trying to deal with the migration crisis,” he added. “This case proves that we cannot apply on human trafficking the same strategy that we applied to fight criminal organizations.”Tondo said investigators made many mistakes due to language barriers, a lack of presence in Africa and fundamental misunderstandings of how migration works. He said they tried to use the same strategies used to infiltrate the mafia, relying on informants and wiretaps. The result, Tondo said, was only added confusion.“This is not just a case of mistaken identity,” Tondo said.“This is a case that proves that we are getting everything all wrong in chasing human traffickers.”
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Taiwan Defends US Arms Deal in Face of China Sanctions Threat
Taiwan on Saturday defended a proposal to purchase $2.2 billion in arms from the U.S., following a Chinese announcement that it would sanction any American companies involved in the deal.U.S. weapons help strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense in the face of a growing military threat from China, the defense ministry said.“The national army will continue to strengthen its key defense forces, ensure national security, protect its homeland and ensure that the fruits of freedom and democracy won’t be attacked,” the ministry said in a statement.China threatens sanctionsChina announced late Friday that it would impose sanctions on any U.S. enterprises involved in the deal, saying it “undermines China’s sovereignty and national security.”Taiwan split from China during a civil war in 1949, but the mainland still considers the self-governing island as part of its territory.The U.S., which recognized Beijing as the government of China in 1979, does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but U.S. law requires that it provide Taiwan with sufficient defense equipment and services for self-defense.The Trump administration announced the proposed $2.2 billion sale, which would include 108 Abrams tanks and 250 Stinger surface-to-air missiles, earlier in the week.Taiwanese president in USTaiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, speaking in New York Friday, said her government has strengthened Taiwan’s national defense to protect its democracy, according to a transcript posted on the presidential office website.China has objected to her U.S. visit, which Taiwan calls a “two-evening transit stop” on the way to Haiti and three other Caribbean nations that recognize Taiwan.“We urge the U.S. to abide by the ‘One China’ principle and … not allow Tsai Ing-wen’s stopover, cease official exchanges with Taiwan and refrain from providing any platform for separatist Taiwan independence forces,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday in Beijng.Tsai dismissed Chinese criticism of both her visit and the arms deal. “We don’t need our neighbor to make irresponsible remarks,” she told reporters in New York, according to Taiwan’s official Central News Agency.She has rejected Chinese pressure to reunite Taiwan and China under the “one-country, two-systems” framework that governs Hong Kong. She said Friday that the people of Taiwan stand with the young people of Hong Kong who are fighting for democratic freedoms in ongoing protests.“Hong Kong’s experience under ‘one country, two systems’ has shown the world once and for all that authoritarianism and democracy cannot coexist,” she said.
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Militant Attack Ends in Somali Coastal City; at Least 13 Dead
Somalia’s security forces Saturday ended an overnight attack by the al Shabab Islamist militant group on a hotel in the southern port city of Kismayu that killed at least 13, a police officer said.“The operation is over,” police officer Major Mohamed Abdi told Reuters by telephone from Kismayu. “So far we know 13 people died. Many people have been rescued. The four attackers were shot dead.”Members of the al-Qaida-linked group stormed the hotel after targeting it with a car bomb Friday while local elders and lawmakers were meeting to discuss approaching regional elections.A second witness put the death toll at 14.“The operation was concluded at 7 a.m. We know at least 14 people died including journalists and (local election) candidates. These are the prominent people. The death toll is sure to rise,” local elder Ahmed Abdulle told Reuters.A journalists’ group had confirmed Friday that two journalists were among the dead; Somali-Canadian journalist Hodan Naleyah, the founder of Integration TV, and Mohamed Sahal Omar, reporter of SBC TV in Kismayu.Separately, Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, general secretary of the Federation of Somali Journalists, said in a statement: “We are saddened and outraged by this loss of life, and condemn in the strongest possible terms this appalling massacre.”Al Shabab was ejected from Mogadishu in 2011 and has since been driven from most of its other strongholds.It was driven out of Kismayu in 2012. The city’s port had been a major source of revenue for the group from taxes, charcoal exports and levies on arms and other illegal imports.Kismayu is the commercial capital of Jubbaland, a region of southern Somalia still partly controlled by al Shabaab.Al Shabaab remains a major security threat, with fighters frequently carrying out bombings in Somalia and neighboring Kenya, whose troops form part of the African Union-mandated peacekeeping force that helps defend the Somali government.
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