Threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to destroy Iranian cultural sites are generating widespread international condemnation and accusations it would be a war crime.It is also seen as a reversal of an American code of conduct dating back to the Civil War administration of Abraham Lincoln.”The history of the American military of protecting cultural sites when possible, goes back over 150 years. The military and the United States, more broadly, is rightly proud of that,” according to Depaul University Law Professor Patty Gerstenblith, director of the school’s Center for Art, Museum and Cultural Heritage Law.”Both at the U.S. national level and internationally, the thought of using an attack on cultural heritage as a form of retaliation and reprisal — which is what this would be — is really abhorrent,” Gerstenblith, a former chair of the President’s Cultural Property Advisory Committee in the Obama administration, told VOA. Some of the criticism of Trump’s threats is coming from among America’s closest allies.”We’ve been very clear that cultural sites are protected under international law and we would expect that to be respected,” said British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab.Mourners attend a funeral ceremony for Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and his comrades, who were killed in Iraq in a U.S. drone strike on Friday, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 6, 2020.Speaking to reporters Sunday evening on Air Force One, Trump doubled down on an earlier tweeted threat to attack sites of cultural importance if Tehran retaliates for last week’s lethal strike by a U.S. military drone on Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was blamed for numerous terrorist attacks internationally. “They’re allowed to kill our people,” said the president during the flight to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland from Florida. “They’re allowed to torture and maim our people. They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people and we’re not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn’t work that way.”Opposition to threatA former director of national intelligence, James Clapper, said he believes such attacks by the United States would violate international law.”We would incur the wrath of the international community if we did so and potentially put such targets in the United States at risk from attack by sleeper cells,” Clapper told VOA. “I’m sure his list of targets is news to the Pentagon, whom I’m sure has done no serious planning for such targets.”FILE – Then-Director of National Security James Clapper testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 2, 2012.Before becoming DNI under former President Barack Obama, Clapper served as under-secretary of defense for intelligence in two different administrations.Clapper said attacking cultural targets “would only serve to heighten the emotions of the Iranians, and, ironically, galvanize them to support the regime — the exact antithesis of what we’ve allegedly been pursuing with our ‘maximum pressure’ campaign, which has shown itself to be an abject failure.”A former senior director of the White House situation room agreed.”This can only increase the threat to Americans. When the U.S. President makes it open season on cultural sites, he offers false justification to adversaries to do the same,” Larry Pfeiffer, also a former chief of staff to the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, told VOA.”These threats sound like something that would be issued by an autocratic regime like North Korea,” added Pfeiffer, director of the Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy and International Security at George Mason University. “This is not how America should behave and likely would violate international conventions and norms. This is what the Taliban did to universal condemnation. And this targeting makes it difficult for our western allies to support U.S. goals.”The Taliban, while in power in Afghanistan in 2001, dynamited giant Buddha statues that dated back to the 6th century.”Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo said yesterday that we will be within the law, and I think that Iran has many military, strategic military sites, that you may cite are also cultural sites,” Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, told White House reporters on Monday.Asked if she was accusing the Iranians of camouflaging military equipment within cultural sites, Conway replied: “No, I wouldn’t say that,” before adding, “I mean, maybe. Who knows?”‘War crime’The Hague Convention recognizes situations where an attack on cultural property may be lawful, such as when the site has been turned into a military objective and an attack would be required by “imperative military necessity,” according to international law experts.The law, however, prohibits the destruction of cultural property as a means of intimidating people under occupation or as a reprisal, as is implied by Trump’s statements, according to scholars.Iran foreign minister, Javad Zarif, tweeted on Sunday “targeting cultural sites is a WAR CRIME.”-Having committed grave breaches of int’l law in Friday’s cowardly assassinations, @realdonaldtrump threatens to commit again new breaches of JUS COGENS;-Targeting cultural sites is a WAR CRIME;-Whether kicking or screaming, end of US malign presence in West Asia has begun.— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 5, 2020During a Monday meeting between the director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Audrey Azoulay, and Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Jalali, the U.N. agency head noted both the United States and Iran had ratified two legal instruments protecting world cultural sites in armed conflict.Azoulay also pointed out that U.N. members in 2017 unanimously approved a resolution condemning acts of destruction of cultural heritage.Trump’s administration withdrew the United States from UNESCO in 2018.An al-Qaida-linked extremist was convicted of war crimes in 2016 by the International Criminal Court for destroying historic and religious artifacts in Mali.The United States, however, does not recognize the jurisdiction of the court based in The Hague.WWII targetsIn the closing days of the Second World War, the U.S. military placed Japan’s former capital of Kyoto at the top of its list to be the target for the first atomic bombing.Secretary of War Henry Stimson persuaded President Harry Truman to spare the city dotted with thousands of sites of religious and cultural importance.Stimson, in his diary, recalled telling Truman in July of 1945 he “did not want to have the United States get the reputation of outdoing [Nazi party leader Adolf] Hitler in atrocities.”The Allies, months earlier, conducted a heavy bombardment of Dresden, a German cultural landmark. Military officers defended the raids, noting the city’s major rail hub, communications centers and 100-plus factories in support of the Axis war effort.A special U.S. Army unit during the war in Europe sought to redirect Allied bombing raids away from German cathedrals and recovered thousands of valuable items of art looted by the Nazis.Their mission was dramatized in a 2014 movie “The Monuments Men,” starring George Clooney.Gerstenblith, author of “Art, Cultural Heritage, and the Law,” said she hopes Trump will take inspiration from the tradition of “The Monuments Men” and that his threats to destroy artifacts of history will turn out to be “just bluster.”Asked on Monday by a reporter at the Pentagon whether the United States would strike cultural sites in Iran, Defense Secretary Mark Esper replied, “We will follow the laws of armed conflict.”Jeff Seldin, Patsy Widakuswara and Carla Babb contributed to this report.
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Month: January 2020
Iraqi Forces Trying to Keep Pressure on Islamic State
Iraqi forces are pushing ahead with their crackdown on Islamic State’s ongoing insurgency, despite the pause in assistance from the United States and coalition partners.The Iraqi military’s Security Media Cell published photos Monday of a raid in Salahuddin province claiming to have destroyed three IS hideouts while recovering explosives, bomb-making materials and key documents.بهدف إلاستمرار في ملاحقة العناصر الإرهابية والمطلوبين فضلا عن البحث والتفتيش عن اوكار الإرهاب، نفذت قيادة عمليات سامراء واجب تفتيش في منطقة شرق سامراء (الكوش)… “Bottom line is Iraq loses the anti-ISIS fight without U.S. support,” according to Jennifer Cafarella, research director at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW). “The question is merely how badly and how fast.”US officials: IS threat overstatedStill, some officials have pushed back, arguing that to some extent, the threat from a resurgent IS has been overstated.In particular, they point to the terror group’s unwillingness or inability to take advantage of the recent U.S. tensions with Iran.”It’s surprising that they haven’t found a way,” a senior U.S. defense official told VOA. “It says something about what the SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces] and the Iraqis have done.”
Coalition officials also contend that Iraqi forces have not gotten the credit they deserve.”Daesh has lost the capability to launch large-scale attacks in Iraq,” British Maj. Gen. Gerald Strickland, the coalition’s deputy commander, said in a statement Sunday, using an Arabic acronym for the terror group. “This speaks volumes to the dedication of the Iraq Security Forces and their desire to bring stability back to their country.”Meanwhile, U.S. officials said the pause in assistance to Iraqi forces does not mean U.S. forces will hesitate to respond to IS threats.”When and where ISIS presents a threat to our troops, we will conduct operations with our partners to eliminate the threat,” Caggins said.
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Turkey Starts Military Deployment in Libya as International Pressure Rises
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Monday that Turkish forces would do their duty in Libya after being deployed to support the country’s besieged Government of National Accord.On Sunday, Erdogan confirmed the start of a military deployment to Libya.”There will be an operation center [in Libya]. There will be a Turkish lieutenant general leading, and they will be managing the situation over there. [Turkish soldiers] are gradually moving there right now,” said Erdogan. “The goal of the Turkish Armed Forces is not to fight, but to ensure a cease-fire in Libya.”The GNA is currently under siege by forces led by Libyan General Khalif Haftar, who controls eastern Libya. Last month, the Turkish Parliament sanctioned the deployment of military forces to Libya, following Erdogan’s November signing of a military cooperation agreement with the GNA.Ankara also agreed to a maritime agreement with Tripoli that extends Turkish control over a critical part of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.Turkey is currently embroiled in an increasingly bitter competition with regional countries in the search for hydrocarbons across the Mediterranean Sea. The rivalry is now extending to control over the distribution of natural gas.”It’s a very strategic move by Turkey to stop the emerging blocks by countries like Israel, Greece, Egypt against Turkey,” said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University. “The deployment of Turkish troops to Libya is legitimate. Strategically speaking, it’s about survival — will Turkey be in the eastern Mediterranean or not?”There are growing questions over the sustainability of Ankara’s Libya move.”All these developments have been outright rejected by the international community and countries in the region without exception,” said political scientist Cengiz Aktar of Athens University. “So, Turkey is pretty alone in this venture.”Mounting diplomatic pressureAnkara is facing growing diplomatic pressure over its Libya plans. German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed Libya with Erdogan by phone on Monday. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump advised caution to the Turkish president.Cairo, which is backing Haftar, condemned Ankara, and warned of consequences in any Turkish military cooperation. Erdogan is likely to face further pressure Wednesday when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul. Russian mercenaries of the Russian paramilitary organization the Wagner Group, which has close ties to the Kremlin, are backing Haftar.Analysts warn that Ankara’s decision to militarily back the beleaguered Tripoli regime could predicate its demise.Libyan fighters loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) fire their guns during clashes with forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar south of the capital Tripoli’s suburb of Ain Zara, April 20, 2019.”For sure, we can see efforts accelerate to overthrow this Tripoli government,” Aktar said. “I am afraid we are heading in this direction because the Tripoli government has hardly any ally, except a few on paper. But Haftar forces are controlling most of the country, and for the time being, it looks like they will take over, and appear to have the whole world behind them. And the only country supporting the Tripoli government is Ankara.”Last month, Haftar declared his forces were ready to overrun Tripoli. On Saturday, a strike on a military academy in the Libyan capital killed at least 30 people and wounded 33 others.”At the moment, the situation seems to be working on the side of Haftar. He has better weapons. He has jet fighters. He has superiority on the air and in the field,” said Bagci. “I am not sure what kind of soldiers Turkey will send there.”Bagci added, “Erdogan has played the card. He will not allow the Tripoli government to fall. He will defend to the last man, because Erdogan has played a big card, a big gamble. But the arrival of Turkish troops may yet change the psychology, the balance of forces in Libya.”Negotiations?Former Turkish ambassador Mithat Rende, who is now an energy expert, suggests Ankara may be banking that its Libya move forces regional rivals to the negotiating table. “What we have on the ground in the Mediterranean is unilaterally declared exclusive economic zones,” he said. “We have unilaterally declared continental shelves, and they all are overlapping, all conflicting views. So here, international law suggests that you need to negotiate to reach an agreement with a fair agreement, and equitable principle should apply here. And Turkey is prepared to negotiate.”Aktar disagrees.”We’ve haven’t seen any diplomatic action in months, if not years, on seeking negotiation,” he said. “The only action we’ve seen (is) aggressive deals and moves by Ankara. So, the final aims can be diplomacy and negotiation, but we’ve seen no concrete moves in this direction.”Some analysts question how far Erdogan is prepared to provide military support to Tripoli if Turkish forces fail to deter Haftar forces, and regional rivals harden their stances.”Turkey has no capability for these out-of-area operations,” Aktar said. “It will be extremely dangerous, costly, and deadly to go ahead with this military cooperation if more military forces are needed to sustain this deal with Tripoli.”
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US Embassy in Israel Issues Alert Warning of Heightened Mideast Tensions
The U.S. Embassy in Israel on Monday issued a security alert warning U.S. citizens of “heightened tensions” in the Middle East, and highlighting the risk of rocket attacks.The alert, published on the Embassy’s website and that of the State Department, made no mention of the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani by a U.S. drone strike last week, or of any specific country or group.Headlined “Heightened Middle East Tensions,” it warned of possible “security risks to U.S. citizens abroad,” adding: “Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy strongly encourages U.S. citizens to remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness, as security incidents, including rocket fire, often take place without warning.”
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Ex-National Security Adviser Bolton Willing to Testify at Trump Impeachment Trial
Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said Monday he would testify at President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial if the Senate subpoenas him, potentially giving Democrats key behind-the-scenes testimony about Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine to launch investigations to benefit himself politically.Bolton, a tough advocate for U.S. power across the globe, served for 17 months as Trump’s third top security aide until the president ousted him last September amid increasing rancorous disagreements over how the U.S. should handle its contentious relations with Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan.In the run-up to the House of Representatives vote last month to impeach Trump, investigators decided to not subpoena Bolton, fearful of a long legal battle in U.S. courts over whether he would have to testify or could adhere to Trump’s directive banning testimony by key aides, some of whom honored the president’s edict while others did not.A tandem case with the same issues involving the potential testimony of a Bolton aide, Charles Kupperman, was left unresolved as Democratic lawmakers advanced their case against Trump, approving two articles of impeachment.But as Trump’s impeachment trial looms in the Senate, even though no date has been set in a congressional stalemate over the trial’s parameters, Bolton said in a statement he had to “resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study.”He said, “I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify.”FILE – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks in Kyiv, Dec. 4, 2019.Bolton was at the center of significant White House foreign policy debates, including Trump’s efforts to press Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to open investigations of one of Trump’s top 2020 Democratic challengers, former Vice President Joe Biden, his son Hunter’s work for a Ukrainian natural gas company and a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine attempted to undermine Trump’s 2016 election campaign.At one point during the House impeachment investigation, Bolton’s lawyer said that his client had “personal knowledge” of relevant Ukraine-related meetings and conversations “that have not yet been discussed in testimonies thus far.”Bolton is one of four Trump White House aides that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says should be called to testify at the impeachment trial. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is coordinating trial strategy with Trump’s White House lawyers, has balked at calling any witnesses in hope that after the Senate hears the House arguments against Trump and the president’s defense, it would then vote quickly to acquit him. U.S. lawmakers have returned to Washington after their holiday recess, but they are no closer to deciding when and how Trump’s impeachment trial would be staged.Key lawmakers remain stalemated over impeachment, now complicated by congressional debate over the merits of Trump’s approval of the drone attack that killed a key Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, last week outside the Baghdad airport.FILE – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., smiles as she holds the gavel as the House votes on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump by the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 18, 2019.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, leader of the Democrat-controlled House, is refusing to send two articles of impeachment to the Senate until she believes it would conduct a fair trial. One article accuses Trump of abusing the power of his presidency to pressure Ukraine to launch an investigation into the Bidens, while the other alleges he obstructed congressional efforts to investigate his Ukraine-related actions.As Trump and aides pressed Ukraine for the Biden investigations, Trump was temporarily withholding $391 million in military aid Ukraine wanted to help fight pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Trump eventually released the military assistance to Ukraine last September without Zelenskiy opening the Biden investigations. Republicans say that is proof Trump did not engage in a reciprocal quid pro quo deal with Ukraine.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 3, 2020.McConnell says the Senate cannot hold an impeachment trial without receiving the impeachment allegations from the House, although some Republican senators looking to acquit Trump as quickly as possible now say the Senate should start the trial anyway.Schumer has sparred with McConnell to try to win assurances that key Trump White House aides will be allowed to testify at the impeachment trial, which would be only the third such impeachment proceeding in U.S. history.But McConnell, advocating Trump’s quick acquittal, has refused so far to guarantee that acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Bolton and others would testify.Schumer said Sunday he remains “hopeful” that four Republican senators will vote against McConnell and join with the minority bloc of 47 Democrats to vote to hear testimony from the Trump aides.Meanwhile, Trump again ridiculed the impeachment effort on Monday, which was approved with near unanimous Democratic support in the House.”To be spending time on this political Hoax at this moment in our history, when I am so busy, is sad!” he said on Twitter. “The reason they are not sending the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate is that they are so weak and so pathetic.” @LindseyGrahamSC@MariaBartiromo The great Scam continues. To be spending time on this political Hoax at this moment in our history, when I am so busy, is sad!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2020He added, “The Impeachment Hoax, just a continuation of the Witch Hunt which started even before I won the Election, must end quickly. Read the Transcripts, see the Ukrainian President’s strong statement, NO PRESSURE – get this done. It is a con game by the Dems to help with the Election!”The Impeachment Hoax, just a continuation of the Witch Hunt which started even before I won the Election, must end quickly. Read the Transcripts, see the Ukrainian President’s strong statement, NO PRESSURE – get this done. It is a con game by the Dems to help with the Election!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2020″Congress & the President should not be wasting their time and energy on a continuation of the totally partisan Impeachment Hoax when we have so many important matters pending. 196 to ZERO was the Republican House vote, & we got 3 Dems. This was not what the Founders had in mind!” Congress & the President should not be wasting their time and energy on a continuation of the totally partisan Impeachment Hoax when we have so many important matters pending. 196 to ZERO was the Republican House vote, & we got 3 Dems. This was not what the Founders had in mind!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2020When a trial finally occurs, the Senate will almost certainly acquit Trump.A two-thirds majority in the 100-member Senate would be required to convict Trump to remove him from office, meaning at least 20 Republicans would have to turn against the president if all 47 Democrats also vote to convict him.Some Republican lawmakers have voiced objections to Trump’s request to Zelenskiy for the investigation of former Vice President Biden, who leads national polls to oppose Trump in the November presidential election. But no Republican lawmakers have called for Trump’s conviction and removal from office.
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Zimbabwe VP’s Wife Freed on Bail After Attempted Murder Charge
The wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga was granted bail by Zimbabwe’s High Court on Monday after spending three weeks in detention for allegedly trying to kill her husband.Prosecutors say Marry Mubaiwa, who denies all charges, tried to unplug Chiwenga’s life support tubes in a South African hospital in June. She was initially arrested on Dec. 14 on separate charges including fraud and money laundering.A High Court judgment seen by Reuters showed Judge Pisirai Kwenda has granted Mubaiwa bail for 50,000 Zimbabwe dollars ($3,000), and ordered her to surrender her diplomatic passport and report to a local police station once every two weeks.Mubaiwa is also required to hand over the title deeds of her parents’ house with the court, the document showed.Her lawyer, Taona Nyamakura, said Mubaiwa could be released from prison on Monday or Tuesday.Her arrest has sparked accusations against Chiwenga and the anti-corruption agency that initially arrested her.Opposition politicians say the vice president is using his position to influence a divorce settlement with Mubaiwa, while the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), which says she illegally transferred $900 million to South Africa, is conflicted.The ZACC denies this. Chiwenga, who returned to China last week for a medical review, could not be reached for comment.
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Britain’s Prince Charles to Visit Israel and Palestinian Territories
Britain’s Prince Charles will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz becoming the most senior British royal to visit Israel and the Palestinian Territories later this month.Charles will attend the World Holocaust Forum on Jan 23 in Jerusalem, his office said on Monday, to honor the victims of the Holocaust. Auschwitz-Birkenau in southern Poland was the largest Nazi death camp in World War II.
Charles will then travel to the Palestinian Territories.FILE – Britain’s Prince William pays respects during a ceremony at the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, Israel, June 26, 2018.
Prince William and his wife Kate became the first British royals to visit the area in an official capacity in 2018.
En route to the Middle East, Charles will stop off at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to deliver a keynote address to launch the Sustainable Markets Council, designed to
find ways to decarbonize the global economy.
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France Enters Crucial Week of Talks With Unions on Pensions
French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants to reach a “quick compromise” in talks this week with worker unions as nationwide protests and strikes rage on against the government’s plans to overhaul the pension system.
During a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Macron insisted that the new system must be financially sustainable, according to government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye.
Talks between the prime minister and worker unions are to resume Tuesday, including on the financing of the retirement system. Macron also said that people doing physically demanding or dangerous work should be allowed to retire early.
“We want to end this crisis rapidly,” Ndiaye said.
The government plans to formally present the bill by the end of the month ahead of a debate in parliament, so that the law can be voted on this summer.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told France Inter radio that “a compromise has never been so close.”
Yet several unions called for nationwide protests on Thursday and Saturday. The hard-left union CGT union also called for workers to disrupt the country’s oil depots and refineries later this week.
The national rail company, SNCF, said train traffic was improving Monday across the country, with 8 out of 10 high-speed trains running.
Yet the Paris metro was still severely disrupted, with most of lines open only for a limited amount of time and several stations closed.
In his televised New Year’s address, Macron vowed to carry out the overhaul of the pension system.
Macron wants to unify France’s 42 different pension schemes, some of which grant early retirement, into a single one. Plans include raising the eligibility age for full pensions from 62 to 64, the most criticized measure.
Macron says the new system will be fairer and financially sustainable.
Unions fear it will make people work longer for lower pensions. Recent polls show a majority of French people still support the protest movement.
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Kenyan Civilians Flee Manda Bay Area After al-Shabab Attack
In Lamu county, the coastal region of Kenya, some civilians are moving out of their homes into small towns for safety. The development comes a day after the al-Shabab militant group stormed a military base that hosts U.S. and Kenyan counter-terrorism forces, killing three U.S. personnel.Witnesses say people are moving out of villages near the Manda Bay airfield, for fear of further attacks or getting caught in clashes between security forces and al-Shabab fighters hiding in the nearby Boni forest.Anab Haji is a member of the county assembly of Lamu. Her constituency falls under the area that came under attack.“People are in fear, and people have been moving out of the village to the nearby town, that’s Hindi and Mokowe. We have villages like Mkondoni. We have Sinambio, Kausara. So people are in fear, that’s why they are going to town. But the security is very tight. Our military are doing a good job,” she said.On Sunday, al-Shabab militants stormed the base, damaging several aircraft and vehicles before they were driven out by the American and Kenyan forces.The U.S. Africa Command in a statement said the three men killed were an American serviceman and two contractors. Two more contractors were wounded, and they were in a stable condition.One man who lived close to the camp moved to Hindi town which is about five kilometers from the base for safety.“If people can attack such a military camp that for a powerful country, what about ordinary people like us who just walk with nothing,” he said. “There are security officers present, but these people know officers are there, and they are still coming, so you can’t know. You don’t want to take risk, want to be caught cannot between the officers and militiamen.”FILE – A Kenyan police officer observes motor vehicle traffic near the scene where armed assailants killed three people and injured two others in Nyongoro area of Lamu County, Kenya, Jan. 2, 2020.Since the attack Sunday morning, Kenya has beefed up security in and around Lamu county, which borders Somalia.Security analyst Abdullahi Halakhe told VOA that al-Shabab is trying to exploit political developments in the Horn of Africa, including the upcoming Somali election.”There is no good relationship between Mogadishu and Nairobi, and now al-Shabab is taking advantage of all of that,” he said. “The election is this year, Kenya and Somalia are not in a good relationship, AMISOM winding down if everything goes as plan this year. All these things are brought together, al-Shabab is taking advantage of that, and we might be able to see some of these attacks probably increasing.”Al-Shabab has carried out frequent terror attacks in Kenya since 2011, when Kenya sent soldiers to Somalia to fight al-Shabab.
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Uganda Police Detain Bobi Wine, Foil Meeting With Supporters
Ugandan police on Monday detained the singer and political activist known as Bobi Wine, who was prevented from holding his first public meeting with supporters as a presidential aspirant.Police fired tear gas as they dispersed a crowd of supporters outside the capital, Kampala. Gunfire was heard but it was not clear if live rounds or rubber bullets were fired.The foiled meeting had been authorized by electoral authorities. It was the first of several planned by Wine, an opposition lawmaker whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.A police spokesman did not immediately respond to questions. In a Twitter update, Wine said he and some colleagues in custody had been transferred from a police post in his constituency to one further outside Kampala.Police have repeatedly prevented him from addressing rallies or even organizing musical concerts in recent months, saying the events pose a danger to the public.Presidential elections are scheduled for 2021. There are growing concerns that campaigns could turn violent as security forces tighten the space available for opposition activists to interact with supporters.The singer and activist has called for the retirement of longtime President Yoweri Museveni, saying young people must prepare to take over leadership of the East African nation. Museveni, who has indicated he will run again, accuses Wine of trying to lure his supporters into rioting.Wine came to political prominence nationally in 2017 when, as an independent candidate, he won election as a lawmaker representing a constituency near Kampala. He has since successfully campaigned for other opposition candidates, raising his profile and attracting encouragement to run for president.But he faces challenges including treason charges related to his alleged role in a 2018 incident in which the president’s convoy was attacked with stones at a campaign event. Prosecutors have added charges of annoying the president over that incident. He also is charged with disobeying statutory authority after he led a demonstration against a tax targeting social media. He denies all the charges.A criminal conviction would prevent him from seeking the presidency.The 75-year-old Museveni is eligible to run again after lawmakers passed legislation removing a clause in the constitution that prevented anyone over 75 from holding the presidency. Wine was among those who opposed the move.Uganda has never had a peaceful transfer of power since the country gained independence from Britain in 1962.
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Croatia’s Ruling Conservatives to Analyze Loss of Presidency
Croatia’s ruling conservatives said Monday they will analyze why their candidate lost a presidential election to a leftist challenger in order to prevent this from happening again at the upcoming parliamentary vote later this year.”The aim of the analysis and its conclusions is for us to come out stronger and not repeat at the parliamentary election whatever turned out to be a flaw or a mistake during this campaign,” said Davor Bozinovic, the interior minister and a senior member of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ, party. “We are not looking for culprits, but reasons why.”
The conservative party’s candidate, outgoing President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, was beaten Sunday by liberal opposition challenger and former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic.Zoran Milanovic, the liberal opposition candidate, addresses supporters after his headquarters claimed victory in a presidential elections in Zagreb, Croatia, Jan. 5, 2020.Milanovic won 53% of votes while Grabar Kitarovic had 47%. Croatia’s state election authorities on Monday formally confirmed Milanovic’s victory.
The loss of the presidency is seen as a major blow for the ruling party, which has been a dominant political force in Croatia since the country’s 1991 independence from Yugoslavia. It also marks a rare triumph of a leftist politician vying for a top post in populist-dominated Central Europe.
Sunday’s vote was held just days after Croatia’s conservative government took over the European Union’s rotating presidency for the first time since joining the bloc in 2013. Croatia will preside over Britain’s divorce from the EU and the start of post-Brexit talks.
Croatia is deeply divided among the conservatives and the left.
The voting on Sunday also resulted in around 4.3% invalid ballots, suggesting discontent with mainstream politics, particularly on the right, analysts say.
Most of the invalid ballots are believed to belong to the right-wing supporters of singer Miroslav Skoro, who won nearly a quarter of ballots in the first round on Dec. 22. He refused to support any of the front-runners in Sunday’s runoff.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, a moderate who has sought to position the HDZ at the center-right of the political specter, said it was an “enormous number” for Croatian elections.
Plenkovic said he will cooperate with the new president “in accordance with the constitution and the law.”
“We will do all we can so that HDZ win again at the parliamentary election,” said Plenkovic.
The 53-year-old Milanovic was Croatia’s prime minister until early 2016. During his term, Croatia approved EU membership in a referendum and brought some liberal reforms — including boosting rights of same-sex couples — in the staunchly Catholic nation.
A veteran politician, Milanovic was known for a sometimes populist style and fiery temperament. He reinvented himself for the presidential vote as a calm, mature leader who has learned from his own mistakes and is ready to respond with wisdom to any challenges.
Support for Grabar Kitarovic has ebbed following a series of gaffes in the election campaign. The 51-year-old had a career in diplomacy and in NATO before becoming Croatia’s first female president in 2015. Going into the runoff, Grabar Kitarovic tried to evoke Croatia’s unity during the 1991-95 war in a bid to attract far-right votes.
Though an EU member, Croatia still has corruption problems and economic woes — issues that haven’t been resolved since its devastating 1991-95 war to break free of the Serb-led Yugoslav federation.
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Asian Countries Brace to Evacuate Workers in Iraq, Iran
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the military to prepare to deploy its aircraft and ships “at any moment’s notice” to evacuate thousands of Filipino workers in Iraq and Iran should violence break out, reflecting Asia’s growing fears for its citizens in the increasingly volatile Middle East.Other Asian nations with large populations of expatriate labor may face similar decisions amid the rapidly escalating tensions between the United States and Iran following last week’s U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.South Korean government ministries have discussed strengthening protections for the nearly 1,900 South Koreans in Iraq and Iran. Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said India wasn’t planning to evacuate any citizens from the volatile region “yet.”Duterte held an emergency meeting with his defense secretary and top military and police officials Sunday to discuss the evacuation plans.“President Duterte ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines to be prepared to deploy military assets to repatriate overseas Filipinos in the Middle East, particularly from Iran and Iraq, at any moment’s notice,” said Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go, a close ally of the Duterte, who was at the meeting.Duterte expressed fears Monday that the Philippines may have to carry out massive evacuations if violence hits Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia that host large numbers of Filipino workers.“I’m nervous. Iran seems to be hell-bent on a retaliation, which I think will come. It’s a matter of time … the cry for blood is there,” Duterte said in a speech. He urged Congress to hold a special session on the impact of a possible crisis in the Middle East and set aside contingency funds.Iran has vowed to retaliate and President Donald Trump warned that U.S. forces would hit back at 52 Iranian targets if Americans come under attack. Iraq’s Parliament has also called for the expulsion of all American troops from Iraqi soil, which could revive the Islamic State group in Iraq, making the Middle East a far more dangerous and unstable place.Compounding contingency plans is the uncertainty where hostilities could possibly break out.Military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. said Philippine forces have identified possible evacuation routes not only in Iraq and Iran but other hotspots, like Israel.“There are probabilities like that and we are improving our plans just to cover everything just in case something happens,” Santos told reporters in Manila.Other countries face similar dilemmas. Asians make up 40 percent of the world’s migrants, and Middle Eastern countries are a common destination. African migrants are also employed around the Middle East, though the possibility of their home countries arranging evacuations is uncertain.Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Twitter on Sunday that he spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “on the evolving situation in the Gulf region” and highlighted “India’s stakes and concerns.”He also tweeted that he spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif. “Noted that developments have taken a very serious turn. India remains deeply concerned about the levels of tension,” he said of his conversation with Zarif.Gulf Arab states are home to more than 7 million Indian expatriates who help drive the region’s economy and keep its cities teeming with doctors, engineers, teachers, drivers, construction workers and other laborers. In United Arab Emirates, Indians outnumber Emiratis three to one.South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that government agencies had discussed preparations for an escalating crisis in the Middle East but had no immediate plans for evacuations. The ministry said about 1,600 South Koreans are in Iraq, mostly working in construction, while another 280 who live in Iran are businesspeople, students or spouses of Iranians.On past occasions, China has evacuated its citizens from other countries during times of conflict, political tension or natural disaster. In 2015, the navy transported nearly 500 Chinese out of war-torn Yemen. It evacuated 3,000 from Vietnam in 2014, after the deployment of a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters elicited a wave of anti-China riots.There are more than 7,000 Filipino workers and their dependents in Iraq and Iran, including many who work in U.S. and other foreign facilities and commercial establishments in Baghdad, the Department of National Defense said.The workers in Iran and Iraq are a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who are employed in countries lining the Persian Gulf.The Philippines is a leading source of labor worldwide, with about a tenth of its more than 100 million people working mostly as household help, construction workers, seamen and professionals.
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Seeking the Cross: Icy Dips Mark the Feast of Epiphany
Thousands of Orthodox Christian worshippers plunged into the icy waters of rivers and lakes across Bulgaria on Monday to retrieve crucifixes tossed by priests in Epiphany ceremonies commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ.
By tradition, the person who retrieves the wooden cross will be freed from evil spirits and will be healthy throughout the year. After the cross is fished out, the priest sprinkles believers with water using a bunch of basil.
The religious holiday of Epiphany is also celebrated in some Western Christian churches as Three Kings Day, which marks the visit of the Magi, or three wise men, to the baby Jesus, and closes out the Christmas season.Pope Francis leaves at the end of an Epiphany Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Jan. 6, 2020.At the Vatican, Pope Francis urged the faithful to reject “the god of money” as well as consumerism, pleasure, success and self. In his Epiphany homily Monday in St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis encouraged people to focus on serving others, not themselves.
He urged the faithful to concentrate on the essentials by getting rid of what he calls “useless things and addictions” that numb hearts and confuse minds. Francis said believers should aid those suffering on life’s margins, saying Jesus is present in those people.
In Milan, city officials served a hotel lunch to 200 homeless people to mark the day.
In the sleepy mountain city of Kalofer in central Bulgaria, dozens of men dressed in traditional white embroidered shirts waded into the icy Tundzha River on Monday waving national flags and singing folk songs.
Led by the town’s mayor, inspired by bass drums and bagpipes and fortified by homemade plum brandy, they performed a slow “mazhko horo,” or men’s dance, stomping on the rocky riverbed.
Braving sub-zero temperatures, the men danced for nearly half an hour, up to their waists in the freezing water, pushing away chunks of ice floating on the river.
The town of Kalofer has applied to the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO for this traditional ritual to be inscribed as part of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.”
Greek Orthodox faithful Nikolaos Solis, a pilgrim from Agrinio, Greece, retrieves a wooden crucifix as he swims in the Golden Horn during the Epiphany ceremony in Istanbul, Jan. 6, 2020.In Istanbul, more than a dozen Orthodox men jumped into the frigid waters of the Golden Horn amid heavy rains in a ceremony led by Patriarch Bartholomew I.
Nikolaos Solis from Agrinio in Greece retrieved the wooden cross, the fourth time he has done so. Another Greek man lost consciousness and had to be pulled out of the frigid water and taken to an ambulance.
The Patriarchate in Istanbul is considered the heart of the Orthodox world and dates back to the Byzantine Empire, which collapsed when the Muslim Ottomans conquered the city in 1453.
Epiphany marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas, but not all Orthodox Christian churches celebrate it on the same day.
While the Orthodox Christian churches in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania celebrate the feast on Jan. 6, Orthodox Churches in Russia, Ukraine and Serbia follow the Julian calendar, according to which Epiphany is celebrated on Jan. 19, as their Christmas falls on Jan. 7.
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Australian PM Promises Extra 2 Billion to Rebuild After Wildfires
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison vowed to pay “whatever it takes” to help victims of devastating bushfires in the country which have burned millions of hectares across three states.Speaking to reporters Monday, Morrison committed an extra $1.4 billion to a new fund that will help rebuild damaged towns and infrastructure. But his government said that additional funds would be made available as needed.”If more is needed and the cost is higher, then more will be provided,” Morrison said.His announcement came as another death in the state of New South Wales was confirmed, raising the total death toll to 25. An estimated 2,000 homes have been destroyed as over a hundred fires continue to burn in the state.Property damaged by the East Gippsland fires in Sarsfield, Victoria, Australia, Jan. 1, 2020.Cooler temperatures and rain Monday brought little relief from the fires that firefighters have battled for weeks, but New South Wales Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fizsimmons said the rain presented challenges to strategic burns being carried out as the area prepares for higher temperatures this week.Wildfires are common in the Southern Hemisphere during the summer, but fires this year in Australia began particularly early. Scientists have said there is no doubt that man-made climate change has contributed to the particularly devastating fires this year.”We’re in uncharted territory,” New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. “We can’t pretend that this is something that we have experienced before. It’s not.”Morrison has been criticized for his handling of the fires, especially after traveling to Hawaii for a family vacation during the emergency. On Sunday, he said the blame game is unproductive and “now is the time to focus on the response that is being made.”Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, front left, and Darren Chester, MP, tour the damaged Wildflower farm owned by Paul and Melissa Churchman in Sarsfield, Victoria, Jan. 3, 2020.Morrison has also been criticized for not adequately consulting local authorities before deploying 3,000 Australian Defense Force reservists to New South Wales in an effort to help combat the devastating fires. Morrison also committed $14 million to lease fire-fighting aircraft from other countries.A Bushfire Recovery Agency has been established to help Australians recover from the disaster.Pop star Pink and Australian actress Nicole Kidman have both pledged to donate $500,000 to support the fire-affected communities.
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5.7 Earthquake Strikes Puerto Rico
A 5.7-magnitude quake jolted Puerto Ricans out of their beds Monday morning, the strongest quake yet to hit the U.S. territory that has been shaking for the past week.There were no immediate reports of casualties.The home on the left is from Guayanilla and the one on the right from Guánica, #puertorico. Cars parked underneath were crushed. #TemblorPR M5.7 pic.twitter.com/A1jBhPd50b— John Morales (@JohnMoralesNBC6) January 6, 2020The quake struck just south of the island at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (over 6 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Service. There was no tsunami threat, officials said.
Power outages were reported in some parts of Puerto Rico following the quake, Angel Vazquez, the emergency management director for the southern coastal city of Ponce, told The Associated Press.
“This is one of the strongest quakes to date since it started shaking on Dec. 28,” he said. “It lasted a long time.”#FuerteSismo | Les presentamos primeras imágenes de los daños que se reportan en Guayanilla tras el fuerte #sismo M5.8 de esta mañana en #PuertoRico ?? Información en desarrollo. ?: the_island_drone#Internacional#Temblorpic.twitter.com/GRlZWMqj9P— Sn (@Sn_MediaGroup) January 6, 2020No injuries or structural damage were immediately reported, although some residents reported small landslides that prompted crews to temporarily close roads along parts of Puerto Rico’s south coast.
Dr. Sindia Alvarado, who lives in the southern coastal town of Penuelas, said she was petrified.
“My entire family woke up screaming,” she said. “I thought the house was going to crack in half.”
The flurry of quakes in Puerto Rico’s southern region began the night of Dec. 28, with quakes ranging in magnitude from 4.7 to 5.1. Previous quakes of lesser magnitudes in recent days have cracked homes and led to goods falling off supermarket shelves.
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Germany’s Merkel to Meet Putin in Moscow on Saturday
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Moscow on Saturday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin amid growing tensions in the Middle East and elsewhere.Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Monday that the chancellor will discuss “current international questions” with Putin. Those will include Syria, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Ukraine and bilateral issues.Seibert said that “Russia is an important player on the world stage and as a permanent member of the (U.N.) Security Council it’s indispensable when it comes to solving conflicts in the world.” Germany is currently a non-permanent member of the Security Council.Germany and Russia are among the world powers that have been trying to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran after the U.S. withdrew from the agreement unilaterally in 2018.Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will accompany Merkel to Moscow, Seibert said.
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US Startup Produces Imitation Coffee and It’s Beanless
A U.S. start-up has reverse-engineered the coffee bean, producing imitation coffee with the same flavor — but without the time, expense and environmental impact of using beans. In March of last year, Atomo Coffee raised $25,000 through the online crowdfunding Kickstarter. Less than six months later, a Hong Kong venture capital firm invested $2.6 million of seed funding in the company, which hopes to have its cold press product commercially available early this year. VOA correspondent Mariama Diallo reports.
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Floods Force Tens of Thousands of Indonesians to Remain in Shelters
Thousands of Indonesians were unable to return to their flooded or water-logged homes on Sunday as the government struggled to distribute food to those affected and sanitize the flooded parts of the capital, Jakarta. At least 60 people have lost their lives so far in the floods caused by torrential rain in Indonesia that began on Christmas Eve. Many others have been evacuated from areas affected by floods and landslides. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports.
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Ukrainian Cuisine Delights in the Heart of North Dakota
Eastern European delicacies like borscht and pierogi have earned their place on American menus, especially in large and culturally-diverse cities. But it’s taken some time for these kinds of dishes to find their way to rural places like North Dakota. But that’s changing thanks to the great grandson of some Ukrainian immigrants. Iryna Matviichuk traveled to North Dakota for this story narrated by Anna Rice.
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3 Americans Killed as Extremists Overran a Military Base in Kenya
Three United States Department of Defense personnel were killed as al-Shabab extremist group overran a key military base used by U.S. counter-terrorism forces in Kenya before dawn Sunday.According to the military, the attack on the Manda Bay Airfield which also destroyed several U.S. aircraft and vehicles before it was repelled, was the al-Qaida-linked group’s first attack against U.S. forces in the East African country.The military called the security situation “fluid” several hours after the assault.A Kenyan military spokesman said in a statement that five attackers were killed Somali militant group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack on the base used by U.S. and Kenyan military teams.A cloud of black smoke could be seen rising from the military base in the coastal town of Lamu, along Kenya-Somalia border.U.S. military command in Africa, known as AFRICOM, confirmed some of the smoke could have originated from the destruction of equipment at the base.Al-Shabab said in a statement that it had taken control of part of the base, and it had inflicted casualties in the attack.One witness who didn’t want to be named for fear of reprisals spoke to VOA about how he was woken up by explosions, followed by hours of gunfire sounds.”We heard heavy explosions at around 4,” he said. “In the beginning, we thought this was a usual explosion we hear around the area Then we saw a fire and thick black smoke. Then for a while, it was quiet at around 6, then we heard gun attacks up to 8. It was at that time we saw a plane dropping something that looked like bombs.”Witnesses told VOA there was still a heavy security presence of in and around the area. Security officers could be seen asking some civilians to produce their identification documents.Richard Tuta, a security expert, based in Nairobi, says al-Shabab are seeking recognition as U.S.-Iranian tension grows after the U.S. airstrike that killed the Iranian Quds Force commander, General Qassem Soleimani.”They are aware currently the focus is on a retaliatory attack as a result of what happened in Baghdad. So to them, this an opportunity for them also to rebrand themselves internationally. That’s why despite the fact that they knew very well that they were going to lose, but they had to do it in order to rebrand themselves internationally,” he said.The attack comes days after al-Shabab fighters killed three people on a passenger bus in Lamu County.The area that borders Somalia has been the target of security operations for the last five years.Al-Shabab has carried out wave attacks against Kenyan security forces and civilians in the coast and northeastern region.
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Philippines Would Hurt Tourism, Ease Political Disputes by Requiring Americans to Get Visas
A requirement that U.S. citizens get visas for travel in the Philippines would hobble the Southeast Asian country’s tourism industry to ease a pair of high-level political spats, analysts say.U.S. citizens can enter the beach-studded archipelago now on a visa-free landing stamp, saving time and any application fees before travel.”If we look at the situation of the Philippines in relation with the U.S., of course the Philippines will lose more with that kind of option (a visa rule) than Americans,” said Maria Ela Atienza, political science professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman “Americans will have other options.”Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said last month via his office’s website that Americans would be required to apply for tourist visas if the United States bars entry by officials from Manila who are linked to the imprisonment of Leila de Lima, a Philippine senator who’s at odds with Duterte.The visa requirement would dim resentment among Filipinos who believe today’s rules are unfair. Filipinos need $160 visas for the United States but do not always qualify.Philippine security personnel patrol near U.S Visa applicants after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was found near the US Embassy in Manila, Philippines November 28, 2016.Tourism impactThe tit-for-tat would bite into a tourism industry that generated $4.78 billion in the first half of 2019, analysts say, because the United States is the third largest source of arrivals after South Korea and China.Americans asked to spend time and money on a visa could go instead to half a dozen other Southeast Asian countries either visa free or with with a visa payable upon landing.International tourist arrivals to the Philippines rose by 7.7% to 7.1 million visitors in 2018 over 2017, Philippine Department of Trade and Industry figures show. Of those visitors, 1,587,959 came from South Korea, 1,255,258 from China and 1,034,396 from the United States.Americans often travel to the Philippines for beach holidays and tours of old Spanish architecture.Filipino-Americans who still hold Philippine passports could still get back into their old homeland without visas. “It will probably be the tourists (who are affected), American tourists who are not from here,” said Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Metro Manila-based advocacy group Institute for Political and Electoral Reform.Senator vs. DuterteA visa requirement would answer the Philippine government’s opposition to a U.S. budget proposal to ban entry to the United States by certain officials linked to the De Lima case.De Lima, a harsh critic of Duterte, was charged in 2017 with orchestrating a drug-trafficking ring while justice secretary before 2015. Some believe her arrest was politically motivated.The 2020 U.S. budget contains a provision authorizing the Secretary of State to ban Philippine officials from entry if the U.S. side finds “credible information” that they “have been involved in the wrongful imprisonment” of De Lima.”An armed police escort of opposition Senator Leila de Lima disembarks from their vehicle as she arrives to vote in the country’s midterm elections Monday, May 13, 2019 in suburban Paranaque, southeast of Manila, Philippines.”We have explained repeatedly that the subject provision is ineffective given that the Filipino Senator is not wrongfully detained,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said via his office’s website. If the U.S. goes ahead, he said, “This government will require all Americans intending to come to the Philippines to apply and secure a visa before they can enter Philippine territory.”The U.S. Embassy in Manila did not answer a request last week for comment.Reciprocity issueA visa rule for Americans might also set a stage for negotiations on visa rules from both sides, Casiple said. Filipinos must apply for visas to enter the United States and not everyone gets approval.”I think it will be within the context of renegotiation, not a policy immediately,” he said. “Particularly, it will raise the question of reciprocity.”Filipinos have historically seen the wealthier United States as a place to find high-paid work and remit money to family back home. Tourist visa applicants pay a $160 fee and must pass a consular interview to be approved. U.S. Department of Homeland Security data show that 5,276 Filipinos overstayed non-immigrant “pleasure” visas in 2018.Duterte might not act on his threat, some caution.”I don’t take Duterte’s visa threats too seriously, as he has a history of just spouting off,” said Sean King, vice president of the Park Strategies political consultancy in New York. “Our countries’ relationship will long outlast Duterte’s reign. We can’t overreact to every little thing he does.”If the United States hits back, King said, it should avoid hurting an overall U.S.-friendly Filipino public and instead “personally needle Duterte.”
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5 Dead, 60 Hospitalized in Pennsylvania Turnpike Crash
Five people were killed and about 60 were injured on the Pennsylvania Turnpike early Sunday morning, when a loaded bus went out of control on a hill and rolled over, setting off a chain reaction that involved three tractor-trailers and a passenger car.The injured victims, ranging from 7 to 67 years old, are all expected to survive, though two patients remain in critical condition, authorities and hospital officials said Sunday afternoon. The crash, which happened at 3:40 a.m. on a mountainous and rural stretch of the interstate about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh, shut down the highway in both directions for several hours before it reopened Sunday evening.The bus, operated by a New Jersey-based company called Z & D Tours, was traveling from Rockaway, New Jersey, to Cincinnati, Ohio, Pennsylvania State Police spokesman Stephen Limani told reporters.He said the bus was traveling downhill on a curve, careened up an embankment and rolled over. Two tractor-trailers then struck the bus. A third tractor-trailer then crashed into those trucks. A passenger car was also involved in the pileup.Photos from the scene show a mangled collision of multiple vehicles including a smashed FedEx truck that left packages sprawled along the highway.“It was kind of a chain-reaction crash,” Limani said.FedEx did not provide any other details besides that they are cooperating with authorities. A message seeking comment was left Sunday with the bus company.Limani would not identify those killed or say which vehicles they were traveling in.“I haven’t personally witnessed a crash of this magnitude in 20 years,” Pennsylvania Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo told WTAE, calling it the worst accident in his decades-long tenure with the turnpike. “It’s horrible.”Excela Health Frick Hospital in Mount Pleasant said it treated 31 victims, transferring a child and three adults to other facilities.Hospitals brought in teams of social workers and psychologists to deal with the mental trauma, said Mark Rubino, president of Forbes Hospital, which treated 11 victims.“The people coming in were not only physically injured but they were traumatized from a mental standpoint as well,” he said. Most were covered in diesel fuel when they arrived. The hospital treated fractured bones, brain bleeds, contusions, abrasions and spinal injuries.The victims included students and people returning from visiting family in New York City. Many traveling on the bus were from outside the United States, Limani said, some of whom do not speak English and who lost their luggage and passports in the wreckage.The Tribune-Review reported Leticia Moreta arrived at a hospital about 11:30 a.m. to pick up her children — Jorge Moreta, 24, and Melanie Moreta, 16 — who were on the bus.She said her children, returning from visiting their father in New York, were in stable condition.“I was devastated,” she said.Exactly what caused the crash remains unknown, and Limani said it could take weeks or months to determine. The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a team to investigate.Officials said it was too early to determine if weather was a factor in the crash.Angela Maynard, a tractor-trailer driver from Kentucky, said the roads were wet from snow but not especially icy. Maynard was traveling eastbound on the turnpike when she came upon the crash site and called 911.“It was horrible,” she told The Tribune-Review. She saw lots of smoke but no fire. She and her co-driver found one person trapped in their truck and another lying on the ground.“I tried to keep him occupied, keep talking, until medical help arrived,” Maynard said. “He was in bad shape. He was floating in and out of consciousness.”The crash left families terrified and scrambling.“I was crying,” said Omeil Ellis, whose two brothers were on the bus. “I was like crazy crying. I’m still hurt.”Ellis, from Irvington, New Jersey, told The Tribune-Review that his brothers were traveling to Ohio for work. He was planning to meet them a few days later. But both of his brothers, one of them 39 years old and one 17, were sent to hospitals.“I’m just weak right now,” he said.
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Pakistan Stress Neutrality, Big Rally Protests Killing of Soleimani
Thousands of people rallied Sunday in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi and clashed with police while trying to force their way toward the tightly guarded American consulate to denounce the killing of Iranian commander Qasim Soleimani.An American airstrike on Friday eliminated Soleimani in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, dangerously escalating Tehran’s tensions with Washington. Iran has vowed to avenge the death of its general.Pakistani televisions aired footages of Sunday’s rally of mostly Shi’ite Muslims, including women and children, chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. They carried images of Soleimani and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader.Authorities in Karachi deployed additional police forces and blocked the road leading to the U.S. consulate, effectively preventing protesters from moving beyond the barricades. The rally dispersed later in the evening and there were no reports of casualties.Rally leaders in their speeches urged the government not to allow the U.S. to use Pakistani soil against Iran. Scores of protesters also gathered in the national capital of Islamabad to condemn the U.S. strike before dispersing peacefully.Pakistan Not To Take SidesPakistan clarified Sunday it would not take sides in the U.S.-Iran tensions over Soleimani’s killing.The statement came two days after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Pakistani military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and shared details of the deadly strike.The conversation, however, sparked media speculation Islamabad would side with Washington against Tehran if the tensions escalated into a wider conflict.Pakistani army spokesman Major-General Asif Ghafoor rejected the reports as “propaganda”, saying his country would play the role of a peacemaker and would not join any campaign that would threaten regional stability.Separately, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said he spoke Sunday to counterparts in several regional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran to share Islamabad’s “deep concern” over the tensions in the Middle East.”The foreign minister also reaffirmed that Pakistan would neither let its soil be used against any other state nor become part of any regional conflict,” an official statement quoted Qureshi as saying. He stressed the need for avoiding conflict and de-escalating the tensions.Sunni-dominated Pakistan shares a more than 900 kilometer border with Shi’ite Iran. Both the neighbours maintain close political, economic and cultural ties as pro-Iran Shi’ites form an estimated 20% of Pakistan’s more than 200 million population.
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Iran Backs Out of 2015 Nuclear Deal
Iran says it is no longer limiting the number of centrifuges used to enrich uranium– a virtual abandonment of the 2015 nuclear deal.”Iran’s nuclear program will have no limitations in production including enrichment capacity and percentage and number of enriched uranium and research and expansion,” a government statement said Sunday.The move comes two days after a U.S. missile strike in Baghdad killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, leading to threats of Iranian revenge.But the Sunday statement did not make any explicit threats that Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon — something Iran has always denied it wants to do. Its statement said Iran will still cooperate with the International Atomic Agency.Iran has been gradually backing down from a promise made in the 2015 deal since U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. The European signatories — Britain, France, and Germany — have been urging Iran not to pull out.
Iraq’s Parliament to US Military: ‘Get Out’ video player.
On CNN, Pompeo said U.S. officials would continue to disclose information about the drone attack, but only “consistent with protecting our sources and methods and importantly our capacity to continue to understand what’s going on in presenting threats. You don’t want to risk that intelligence.”Trump said Friday “We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war…the Iranian regime’s aggression in the region, including the use of proxy fighters to destabilize its neighbors must end and it must end now.”Trump claimed Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans, Iraqis and Iranians, saying the longtime Iranian general “made the death of innocent people his sick passion” while helping to run a terror network that reached across the Middle East to Europe and the Americas.Many Republican lawmakers back Trump’s order to kill Soleimani.Democrats say there is no doubt Soleimani was rotten and a killer. But they say Trump’s action increases the threat of a U.S.-Iran war.Sen. Chris Van Hollen told Fox, “We’re now headed very close to the precipice of war,” adding “you just can’t go around and kill” world figures the U.S. opposes. “The president is not entitled to take us to war” without congressional authorization.Trump doesn’t seem to agree.He posted a tweet Sunday, saying his “media posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly and fully strike back and perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required but is given nevertheless!”Yale University law professor Oona Hathaway tells VOA the president cannot notify Congress of his intent to go to war by tweet and said he would be breaking several laws.”Any time the president involves the armed forces into hostilities, he must — at a minimum — notify Congress within 48 hours,” she said.Hathaway added that a president is obligated to consult with Congress before putting the armed forces into any hostilities. She said a “disproportionate” response would break international law, which says any action taken in self-defense must be proportionate to the threat.”That any of this has to be said suggests just how insane this situation has become,” Hathaway said, wondering where are the lawyers from the White House, Pentagon, and State Department.Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed “severe revenge” against the killing of Soleimani. His top military adviser, Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan, told CNN, “The response for sure will be military and against military sites.”Also Sunday, Iraq filed an official complaint with the United Nations secretary-general and the Security Council over the missile strike on Soleimani which was carried out on Iraqi soil.The foreign ministry called the attack “a dangerous breach of Iraqi sovereignty and of the terms of the U.S. presence in Iraq.” It is asking the Security Council to condemn the action.Also Sunday, at least two Katyusha rockets struck near the U.S. embassy inside Baghdad’s green zone, home to many foreign embassies. There are no reports of any casualties or damage. An Iranian-backed mob of protesters breached the security perimeters surrounding the embassy last week, breaking into a visitor’s reception area and burning a security post.Kenneth Schwartz, Ken Bredemeier contributed to this report.
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