California’s governor announced Wednesday that he is posthumously pardoning a gay civil rights leader while creating a new pardon process for others convicted under outdated laws punishing homosexual activity.Bayard Rustin was a confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a key organizer of the March on Washington in 1963. He also helped plan other nonviolent protests and boycotts to end racial discrimination.
Gov. Gavin Newsom pardoned Rustin for his arrest in 1953 when he was found having sex with two men in a parked car in Pasadena. He was in town as part of a lecture tour on anti-colonial struggles in West Africa.
He served 50 days in Los Angeles County jail and had to register as a sex offender before returning to his home state of New York. He died in 1987.
Newsom noted that police and prosecutors nationwide at the time used charges like vagrancy, loitering and sodomy to punish lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people.
He issued an executive order creating what he called a new clemency initiative to identify those who might be eligible for pardons and swiftly consider those applications. He encouraged Californians to apply for clemency for people they believe meet that criteria, with details and updates available at www.gov.ca.gov(backslash)clemency.
Newsom’s office could not say if other states have taken similar steps.
“In California and across the country, many laws have been used as legal tools of oppression, and to stigmatize and punish LGBTQ people and communities and warn others what harm could await them for living authentically,” Newsom said in a statement. He thanked those who pushed for Rustin’s pardon and encouraged others in similar circumstances “to seek a pardon to right this egregious wrong.”
Newsom first gained national prominence in 2004 when, as San Francisco’s mayor, he ordered officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The practice was overturned then but eventually became the law nationwide.
The California Legislature’s LGBTQ and black caucuses last month asked the Democratic governor to pardon Rustin.
Rustin’s close friends knew he was gay, but his religious and political associates distanced themselves after his arrest, Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Assemblywoman Shirley Weber told Newsom on behalf of the caucuses.
“Generations of LGBT people — including countless gay men — were branded criminals and sex offenders simply because they had consensual sex,“ Wiener said in a statement praising Newsom’s actions. “This was often life-ruining, and many languished on the sex offender registry for decades.”
Weber said the pardon helps leave Rustin’s legacy in the civil rights movement “uncompromised.”
“Rustin was a great American who was both gay and black at a time when the sheer fact of being either or both could land you in jail,” she said in a statement praising Newsom. “This pardon assures his place in history.”
Rustin was stripped of his leadership post at the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a pacifist organization involved in the civil rights movement, after U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina read Rustin’s arrest file into the Congressional Record.
California repealed the law against consensual sex between same-sex adults in 1975, and in 1997 created a way for those individuals to be removed from the California Sex Offender Registry. But neither step changed the original convictions.
President Barack Obama honored Rustin posthumously with a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
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Month: February 2020
Rhode Island Governor Backs Michael Bloomberg for President
Billionaire presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg snagged his first endorsement from a governor on Wednesday, as Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo called him the right leader to take on President Donald Trump.
Raimondo, a longtime political ally of Bloomberg’s, was due to appear with him at a morning event in Providence to officially endorse him, the Bloomberg campaign told The Associated Press. Raimondo will also act as a national campaign co-chair.
“Mike is a problem-solver with a long track record of delivering results, and I’m proud to stand with him today,” Raimondo said in a written statement provided by the campaign. “From fighting gun violence, to addressing climate change, to combating the opioid crisis and more, Mike understands the issues that impact our lives every day. We cannot risk another four years of President Trump’s destructive policies, and I know that Mike is the right leader to take him on.”
Raimondo was among the prominent Democrats to whom Bloomberg’s team reached out before the news broke in November that he was considering a 2020 White House run. At the time, she was head of the Democratic Governors Association and held back from endorsing him, but she praised his record and called him a friend.
The two have known each other since 2010, when Bloomberg was the independent mayor of New York City and Raimondo first ran for public office to be general treasurer. Raimondo, a former venture capitalist, called Bloomberg her political idol during that campaign. Later, Bloomberg backed Raimondo’s gubernatorial aspirations when she ran and won in 2014, becoming the state’s first female governor.
She told The Providence Journal in December that Bloomberg’s candidacy was “a long shot” and that “it is a hard time in this age of income inequality for a Democrat to be a billionaire.” But she also praised Bloomberg’s record and called him ‘the American dream,” having grown up the son of a bookkeeper in a suburb of Boston.
Bloomberg launched his campaign in late November, saying he wanted to “defeat Donald Trump and rebuild America.’
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Denmark Jails 3 Men Suspected of Spying for Saudi Arabia
Three men who are members of an Iranian separatist group, the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, have been jailed in pre-trial custody in Denmark until Feb. 27, suspected of spying for an unnamed Saudi intelligence service.The three members of the London-based group were arrested Monday in Ringsted, 60 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Copenhagen, for the suspected spying on people and companies over a period of six years from 2012.They appeared before the nearby Roskilde City Court where judge John Larsen on Tuesday ordered the hearing held behind closed doors, meaning no details were made public.Heavily armed police officers with machine guns guarded the courthouse in Roskilde, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Copenhagen. The men who can’t be named under a court ban, pleaded not guilty. The men are facing preliminary charges of espionage under a milder paragraph that could give them up to six years in jail.On Monday, the Saudi ambassador to Denmark, Fahad bin Maayouf Al Ruwaily, was summoned to the Danish foreign ministry.In the same case, another man was arrested Monday in the Netherlands – the historic Dutch city of Delft – for allegedly plotting one or more terror attacks in Iran and for membership of a terrorist organization.
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5 killed in Avalanche in Eastern Turkey; 2 Missing
An avalanche hit a road in eastern Turkey, burying a snow-clearing vehicle and a minibus, and killing at least five people, an official said Wednesday. Two other people are reported missing.The avalanche occurred late Tuesday near the mountain-surrounded town of Bahcesehir, in Van province, which borders Iran.Gov. Mehmet Emin Bilmez told reporters that the snow-clearing vehicle’s operator and six people inside the minibus survived. Rescuers were searching for the other two passengers, but their efforts were hampered by the weather conditions.The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the operator, Bahattin Karagulle, was trapped beneath the snow for some 25 minutes before he managed to break a window and escape. The agency quoted him as saying that he walked toward a village before he was picked up by a vehicle and managed to seek help.
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An Isolation Ward Prepares Itself To Receive Afghan Students From Wuhan
Wuhan, China, home to the quickly spreading coronavirus is also a major university town that hosts thousands of foreign students including many Afghan students. Getting them home is tricky but Afghanistan’s health minister says, an isolated 100-bed hospital has been setup for returning students.
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Nigeria ‘Blindsided’ by Trump’s Travel Ban
President Donald Trump added six countries to his latest travel ban, four of them African countries. The administration said the move is vital to national security, but critics question the rationale as well as its impact on U.S. relations with the African continent. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the story.
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Trump’s Third Annual Address Emphasizes Domestic Achievements
US President Donald Trump gave the third State of the Union address of his presidency Tuesday, just hours ahead of the close of his impeachment trial when the Republican-majority US Senate is expected to acquit him of charges he abused the power of his office and obstructed Congress’ efforts to investigate him. In the annual speech informing the US Congress on upcoming policy priorities, Trump primarily focused on domestic achievements aimed at appealing to voters in the presidential election. VOA’s Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more from Capitol Hill.
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Vietnam Goes Big on Solar Power
Solar power is making a strong showing in Vietnam after years of shuttling from one extreme to the other, with the nation looking sometimes like it would revert to coal, and other times like it would invest in renewable energy.By the end of last year Vietnam had surpassed Malaysia and Thailand to reach the largest installed capacity of solar power in Southeast Asia, with 44% of the total capacity, according to figures from Wood Mackenzie, a firm that sells consulting services in the energy industry.The figures show that Vietnam is serious about solar power, an issue that had been up for debate for years. Solar supporters were encouraged to see the government offer a high feed in tariff (FIT), a fee pioneered in Germany to let solar panel owners sell power to the grid. This helped push Vietnam to reach 5.5 gigawatts of solar capacity last year.Vietnam is also planning to construct more power plants fed with coal, casting doubt on the goal of more clean energy. Public resistance to coal appears to have shelved some of the construction, at least for now.“FITs have proven to be an effective policy tool to induce rapid growth in renewables, and Vietnam’s build is another example of that,” Rishab Shrestha, a solar analyst at Wood Mackenzie, said. He added that “project economics will continue to remain attractive in large parts of Vietnam.”Like other nations, Vietnam has yet to deal with some of the potential drawbacks of solar power, such as how to dispose of photo voltaic panels responsibly. The panels contain toxic chemicals like lead and cannot be recycled easily.However solar and other renewable power, such as from wind, remains one of the cleanest options for Vietnam at the moment. It joins a growing global trend, from California, which enacted a law this year to require all new homes come with solar panels, to India, where railways are switching to solar power.Next, Vietnam will have to decide how much it will pay for solar power. The tariff used to be more than nine U.S. cents per kilowatt hour but that price expired in June. Investors are waiting on a decision, which is being jointly prepared by three ministries, the Office of the Government, and the state power utility, according to Duane Morris Vietnam LLC, a law firm that advises clients on solar power. As part of the process, Vietnam Electricity, the state utility, sent a letter to the trade ministry with recommendations on how to set the tariff and who would be eligible.“The submission letter is not very clear,” said Oliver Massmann, general director of Duane Morris Vietnam LLC, in a blog post.However he predicts that the government will settle on a tariff of just over seven U.S. cents per kilowatt hour for ground-mounted solar power projects, and a slightly higher tariff for floating solar power projects. Vietnam is pushing investors to provide power more affordably as consumption needs rise in the fast-growing economy.
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California May Pause Student Fitness Tests Due to Bullying
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to pause physical education tests for students for three years due to concerns over bullying and the test discriminating against disabled and non-binary students. The move also comes after annual test results show a growing percentage of students scoring not healthy.H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the Department of Finance, said the state has received complaints that the current examination’s measurement of body mass index is discriminatory to non-binary students. A measurement calculated from weight and height, BMI screenings require students to select “male” or “female,” he said.Annual state reports of the fitness test since the 2014-2015 school year show a steady decline in the share of students scoring healthy, according to a review by The Associated Press. Students’ scores have particularly dropped in the category of the fitness test that measures “aerobic capacity” — which can be tested in a one-mile run or by other methods. Other categories also test for flexibility and exercises like push-ups.In the last five years, the percentage of fifth graders scoring healthy in the aerobic category has dropped by 3.3 percentage points. In seventh and ninth grades, the drops are 4.4 percentage points and 3.8 percentage points, respectively. Meanwhile, the percentage of students identified as “needing improvement” and having a “health risk” went up: by 3.3 percentage points among fifth graders, 4.4 for seventh graders and 3.8 among ninth graders.The Department of Education did not immediately comment on those results.During the proposed physical fitness test program’s suspension, the state would study whether the current test should be modified or redrawn anew, Palmer said. Initiated in 1998, the school tests can include a one-mile run, push-ups and other measurements.Physical education classes would remain a requirement for graduation, however.The proposal, first reported by Politico, was tucked inside Newsom’s education budget bill for next year.School districts nationwide use such tests, and the exercise can inform growing children about potential health problems, experts say. But the results from tests and BMI measurements should not be used to diagnose health risks, according to the Society of Health and Physical Educators.”The issue of BMI screening plays a role in the issues of both body shaming and bullying,” Palmer also wrote in an email.Bodybuilder and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had several school fitness initiatives during his time in office. He said through a spokesman that physical education classes should be the top priority.”Whether the state uses fitness tests or not, Governor Schwarzenegger believes that the most important thing is that our students have access to daily physical education classes to promote a healthy and fit lifestyle,” said Daniel Ketchell, a spokesman for Schwarzenegger.Ketchell agreed that BMI screenings are flawed. He said, for instance, that the 6-foot-2-inch and 240-pound Schwarzenegger would have been officially classified obese when he won the top bodybuilding title of Mr. Olympia in 1974.
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China Virus Toll Nears 500; Cases Found on Cruise Ship
The death toll from a coronavirus outbreak in China passed 490 on Wednesday, as two U.S. airlines suspended flights to Hong Kong following the first fatality there and 10 cases were confirmed on a quarantined Japanese cruise ship. China’s National Health Commission said another 65 deaths had been recorded on Tuesday, bringing the toll on the mainland to 490, mostly in and around the locked-down central city of Wuhan where the virus emerged late last year. There have been two deaths outside mainland China. A 39-year-old man in Hong Kong with an underlying illness who had visited Wuhan city, died on Tuesday. A man died in the Philippines last week after visiting Wuhan, the first virus-related overseas fatality. Across mainland China, there were 3,887 new confirmed infections, bringing the total accumulated number to 24,324. Ten people on a cruise liner under quarantine at the Japanese port of Yokohama tested positive for coronavirus, Japan’s health minister said, a figure that could rise as medical screening of thousands of patients and crew continued. Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was aboard cruise ship Diamond Princess and tested positive for coronavirus, after the person is transferred to a maritime police base in Yokohama, Japan, Feb. 4, 2020.The 10 confirmed cases were among 31 results from 273 people tested so far. There are around 3,700 passengers and crew aboard the Carnival Corp. ship. Another 176 cases have been reported in 24 other countries and regions, according to the World Health Organization. Economic impact spreads As the economic impact of the virus spreads, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the epidemic would delay a surge in U.S. exports to China expected from the Phase 1 trade deal set to take effect later this month, the first time a Trump administration official has said the outbreak would hamper the deal. “It is true the trade deal, the Phase 1 trade deal, the export boom from that trade deal will take longer because of the Chinese virus,” Kudlow said, adding he did not believe the virus would have a catastrophic effect on business supply chains. Global markets stabilized on Tuesday after days of selling triggered by fears about China’s economic growth, with many factories closed, cities cut off and travel in and out of China severely restricted. The financial and health impacts of the epidemic were increasingly being felt in Hong Kong, with American Airlines Group and United Airlines suspending flights to and from the Asian financial hub after this week. Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., which relies heavily on passengers who change flights in the financial center, said it plans to cut around 30% of its global capacity over the next two months, including around 90% of its flights to mainland China, as it grapples with the coronavirus. People wear masks as they walk at a marketplace downtown following the outbreak of a new coronavirus, in Hong Kong, China, Feb. 4, 2020.Thousands of medical workers in Hong Kong, a semiautonomous region of China, held a second day of strikes on Tuesday to press for complete closure of borders with the mainland after three checkpoints were left open. “We’re not threatening the government, we just want to prevent the outbreak,” said Cheng, 26, a nurse on strike. Hong Kong has confirmed about 17 cases. It was badly hit by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a coronavirus that emerged from China in 2002, killed almost 800 people worldwide and cost the global economy an estimated $33 billion. Neighboring Macau, also a special administrative region of China lying across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong, ordered its casinos to suspend operations on Tuesday, effectively closing off the lifeblood of its economy in a drastic measure to contain the epidemic. Asian stocks steadied on Wednesday on hopes of additional Chinese stimulus to lessen the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.3%. Australian shares were up 0.58%, while Japan’s Nikkei stock index rose 1.19%. Evacuations continue Beijing has criticized U.S. travel restrictions, barring foreign nationals who have visisted China, as an overreaction and has called on Washington to do more to help China. FILE – U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar speaks to reporters about Trump administration efforts in regard to the corona virus outbreak in China, during a news briefing at the White House in Washington, Jan. 31, 2020.U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said he hoped China would accept an offer from the United States and the WHO to send epidemiological experts to China. “We have been requesting this since January 6. The World Health Organization sent names over today. We’re hoping the Chinese will act quickly on that,” Azar told Fox Business Network in an interview. “This is a novel strain. That’s why we’ve got to get on the ground with the world’s best experts and run the studies to get to the bottom of what is the incubation period. We’ve got to confirm what is the risk of asymptomatic transmission,” he said. The WHO has declared the flu-like virus a global emergency and experts say much is still unknown, including its mortality rate and transmission routes. Chinese data suggest the new virus, while much more contagious, is significantly less lethal, although such numbers can evolve rapidly. Several countries including Australia and New Zealand continued to evacuate citizens from Wuhan city. The United States said it may stage additional evacuation flights for private U.S. citizens in China’s virus-hit Wuhan on Thursday. Wuhan authorities are converting an additional eight buildings, including gymnasiums, exhibition centers and sports centers, into hospitals, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. The latest announcement adds to plans revealed earlier this week to convert three other venues in the city into hospitals. Once all 11 buildings are converted, a process that is expected to be completed later on Wednesday, they will be able to accommodate 10,000 patients. A specially constructed hospital in Wuhan, designed with 1,000 beds, opened to patients on Monday, while the building of a second hospital, with 1,600 beds, is also scheduled to be completed on Wednesday.
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Russia Establishes Siberian Quarantine Center for Coronavirus
Russia’s government took additional measures to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus across the border from China, with a Kremlin task force announcing a quarantine location for at-risk patients just days after two cases were reported. Both of the infected are Chinese nationals living inside Russia. “We’re all interested in the results of our fight with the new virus being as effective as possible,” President Vladimir Putin said while addressing the global outbreak during a working visit to the city of Cherepovets. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Echo of Moscow news radio that Putin was receiving regular updates from a government working group set up to prevent spread of the disease. “All necessary measures are being taken,“ Peskov said when asked if Putin was satisfied with the task force’s efforts to date. People evacuated The comments came as a Russian Defense Ministry plane evacuated 80 people from the epicenter of the virus in Wuhan, China. A second Russian military plane was reportedly en route late Tuesday to collect the roughly 70 people remaining, a group that, while mostly Russian, included citizens from neighboring Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine and Armenia. In Moscow, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova announced that those returning would undergo a mandatory two-week precautionary quarantine in Siberia’s Tyumen region. None of the evacuees, Golikova noted, were at this point showing symptoms. Yet an official from a government consumer protection group was also quoted as saying that the Siberian medical facilities would be secured by fencing and patrolled by Russian National Guard, presumably to prevent escapes. “People will live in their own rooms, without leaving them. All measures are necessary for biological safety,” said Svetlana Popova, a doctor with the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare. “Everything will be done according to the rules.” Russians in Wuhan The Tass news agency quoted Russian Embassy officials as saying 341 Russians were living in Wuhan, suggesting some Russians may not be immediately evacuated. Meanwhile, new Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin — now in his third week on the job after Putin announced a government shake-up last month — announced that foreigners discovered to have the disease would be deported. On Tuesday, Mishustin also postponed a high-profile global economic summit in Sochi until further notice because of the coronavirus. Russia has also announced it would close travel routes in and out of China — with Russian flights now limited solely to the national Aeroflot carrier routes between Moscow and Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Flights are limited to a sole terminal in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, providing a lone choke point for health officials to monitor people for coronavirus symptoms. Some Russian charter companies had been offering additional air service routes — at least to Russian passengers. That caused outrage after the private Ural Airlines refused to honor tickets to 70 passengers from Central Asia attempting to board a flight out of Xian, about 800 kilometers from Wuhan, to Yekaterinburg. The company has since ceased offering the service. The RBK daily newspaper also reported the government was considering a ban on export sales of medical masks. Stocks reportedly were low after a run on orders by consumers, since news of the coronavirus broke. Price hikes were also reported amid the deficit. In St. Petersburg, a February 11 performance by a Chinese national opera and dance troupe at the city’s famed Marinsky Theater was postponed until a “more favorable time.”All these measures came atop previous efforts to essentially seal Russia’s 4,300-kilometer-border with China — with a ban on auto and foot traffic, as well as issuance of tourist visas to Chinese tourists introduced by the Kremlin last week. Measures Despite the measures, Russia’s Deputy Health Minister Sergei Krayevoy admitted his ministry had no choice but to hope for the best but prepare for “possible wide spread of the infection.” Health Ministry officials also noted that the coronavirus threat coincided with flu season — a consistently serious risk to global health in any year. Accordingly, two regions — Ulyanovsk and Samara — said they were closing schools and public events until week’s end amid a spike in flu. Officials from both said coronavirus had not factored into the move.
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Robot Bartender May Serve Up a Solution in Japan
Japan’s first robot bartender has begun serving drinks in a Tokyo pub in a test that could usher in a wave of automation in restaurants and shops struggling to hire staff in an aging society. The repurposed industrial robot serves drinks in its own corner of a Japanese pub operated by restaurant chain Yoronotaki. An attached tablet computer face smiles as it chats about the weather while preparing orders. The robot, made by the company QBIT Robotics, can pour a beer in 40 seconds and mix a cocktail in a minute. It uses four cameras to monitor customers to analyze their expressions with artificial intelligence (AI) software. “I like it because dealing with people can be a hassle. With this you can just come and get drunk,” Satoshi Harada, a restaurant worker said after ordering a drink. “If they could make it a little quicker it would be even better.” Finding workers, especially in Japan’s service sector, is set to get even more difficult. The government has eased visa restrictions to attract more foreign workers but companies still face a labor shortage as the population shrinks and the number of people over 65 increases to more than a third of the total. Service companies that can’t relocate overseas or take advantage of automation are more vulnerable than industrial firms. In health care alone, Japan expects a shortfall of 380,000 workers by 2025. Service during OlympicsJapan wants to use the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games beginning on July 27 to showcase service robot technology, with organizers planning to use robots built by Toyota and Panasonic to help visitors, workers and athletes. The robot bartender trial at the pub, which employs about 30 people, will last two months after which Yoronotaki will assess the results. “We hope it’s a solution,” Yoshio Momiya, a Yoronotaki manager, said as the robot bartender served drinks behind him. “There are still a number of issues to work through, such as finding enough space for it, but we hope it will be something we can use.” At about 9 million yen ($82,000), the robot costs as much as employing a human bartender for three years.
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Back on Stand, Weinstein Accuser Declares: ‘He Is My Rapist’
A day after breaking down in tears, a key accuser at Harvey Weinstein’s trial returned to the witness stand Tuesday and endured a final day of withering cross-examination focused on the complex nature of their relationship, defiantly telling jurors: I want the jury to know that he is my rapist.'' The woman was back in a New York City courtroom for a third day as Weinstein's lawyers finished an exhaustive review of friendly, sometimes flirtatious emails she sent the film producer after she says he raped her twice in 2013. They also played a recording she made of herself telling a psychic in April 2014 that Weinsteinhad tried to cross boundaries in my life but I don’t allow him to.” Weinstein’s lawyers contend that evidence points to a consensual relationship and shows that the 34-year-old former actress was a manipulator who grin-and-bared her way through sexual encounters with Weinstein because she enjoyed the perks of knowing him. I know the history of my relationship with him,'' she pushed back.I know it was complicated and difficult. But that doesn’t change the fact that he raped me.” Asked by Weinstein lawyer Donna Rotunno how many times they had consensual sex, the woman responded: I only remember intercourse the times that he raped me.'' Cross-examination took up most of the woman's time on the witness stand. She finished direct testimony on Friday and prosecutors decided not to ask her any additional questions once Rotunno was finished Tuesday afternoon. Key allegationsOne reason the defense has focused so much attention on the woman is because her allegations that Weinstein raped her at a Manhattan hotel in March 2013 are the basis for some of the most serious charges at issue in his trial. The woman has alleged Weinstein raped her again several months later at a Beverly Hills hotel, though she said she is not sure if she will pursue charges there. The woman's return to the witness stand followed an emotional episode Monday, when she sobbed while reading an email passage about being abused earlier in her life. It was part of an email she sent a boyfriend in May 2014 explaining her relationship with Weinstein. The judge halted proceedings when she was unable to continue. The Associated Press typically does not publish the names of people alleging sexual assault unless they give their consent. The AP is withholding the name of the woman because it isn't clear if she wishes to be identified publicly. Donna Rotunno, Harvey Weinstein's attorney, arrives at court for his rape trial, in New York, Feb. 4, 2020.Resuming questioning on Tuesday, Rotunno asked the woman about several times she saw Weinstein after the alleged rapes, including her acceptance of his invitation to a Oscars party in 2015 and her decision to meet him in 2016 in his room at the same Beverly Hills hotel where she alleges he previously raped her. After the 2016 hotel encounter, the woman emailed Weinstein saying,I feel so fabulous and beautiful. Thank you for everything.” She told jurors that Weinstein was being really nice to me'' at that time, but said she couldn't remember if they had sex on that occasion. Weinstein, now 67, was married at the time to fashion designer Georgina Chapman. At one point, Rotunno asked the woman why she would accept favors fromyour rapist.” That’s when the woman turned to jurors and said: I want the jury to know that he is my rapist.'' Two episodes, two womenWhile dozens of women have accused Weinstein of sexual assault or harassment, he is on trial in New York for allegations involving just two episodes with two women: the woman testifying Tuesday and a former film and TV production assistant, Mimi Haleyi, who alleges he forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. Weinstein's downfall energized the #MeToo movement. As big a factor as Tuesday's witness is in the case, the defense's painstaking cross-examination, coupled with her emotional reaction on Monday, could run the risk of alienating jurors and making her appear more sympathetic. Defense lawyer Brian McMonagle found himself navigating the same murky waters on the way to winning a mistrial because of a hung jury in Bill Cosby's first molestation trial in 2017. Cosby was later convicted. Of course a lawyer has to go in there and attack credibility and attack inconsistencies,” said McMonagle, who’s not involved in the Weinstein case. It's just how you do it. There's a way to do it without being despicable.'' On Tuesday, the jury was shown a series of nude photos of Weinstein taken by the district attorney's office a few weeks after his arrest, presumably to try to corroborate claims by the woman he's charged with raping that she noticedextreme scarring” on his body. She testified last week that along with the scars, she thought he had characteristics of both male and female genitalia. Supporting witnessJurors also heard from another supporting witness: an actress who testified that she felt pressured into having an awkward three-way sexual encounter with Weinstein and the woman. Emanuela Postacchini testified that in February 2013, Weinstein had her meet him and the rape accuser at a Los Angeles-area hotel, where he tried to persuade the women to have sex with him. Postacchini said during the encounter, Weinstein’s accuser went into the bathroom and was crying in the fetal position on the ground. Postacchini said that while she personally didn’t feel forced to do anything, the situation was forced.
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Turkish-Russian Tension Over Syria Opens Door to Washington
Questions about the future of Turkey’s rapprochement with Russia are growing as fallout continues from Monday’s killing of at least five Turkish soldiers by Russia-backed Syrian government forces. The rising Russia-Turkey tension over Syria is now seen as offering an opportunity to the United States to improve strained ties with Turkey.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used a two-day visit to Ukraine to turn up the pressure on Moscow. During the visit, Erdogan condemned Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and signed a military deal with Kyiv.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, right, and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend a joint news conference following their talks in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 3, 2020.”The situation with Russia, the crisis is accelerating, also with this visit to Ukraine, we’ve reached a point where the Russian limits will be less and less, with Turkey,” said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.”So the Russians are not happy. The Americans seem to be the winner of the day,” added Bagci.Ankara’s deepening relationship with Moscow has caused alarm among Turkey’s NATO allies, especially the U.S. U.S. sanctions are looming against Turkey for Ankara’s purchase of a Russian S-400 missile system, an acquisition that violates U.S. law. But the incident involving the Turkish military personnel in Syria could open the door to a reset with Washington.U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he holds a news conference at the 50th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2020.”We witnessed before how Erdogan can change his course in foreign policy, it is too early to tell, but we may not have to wait long.” said former senior Turkish ambassador Aydin Selcen, who served in Washington.Despite what happened, Erdogan appeared to step back Tuesday from any rupture with Moscow.”We do not need to engage in a conflict or a serious contradiction with Russia at this stage,” the Turkish president told reporters while returning from Ukraine.”We cannot overlook these [strategic partnerships with Russia]. That is why we will sit down and discuss everything [with Russia]. Not in anger since it would only bring harm,” Erdogan added.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Istanbul, Jan. 8, 2020. Putin and Erdogan are meeting in Istanbul to inaugurate the dual natural gas line, TurkStream, connecting their countries.The Turkish president underlined the importance of Turkey’s energy relationship with Russia. In January, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Istanbul to attend an opening ceremony with Erdogan of a new Russian gas pipeline to supply Istanbul.Turkey depends on Russia for about half of its gas supplies, while a Russian company is building the country’s first nuclear power station. Erdogan also reiterated Tuesday the importance of the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system, dashing any U.S. hopes that Turkey would not activate the system, which is scheduled for later this year.Erdogan’s relationship with Putin is the driving force behind the country’s rapprochement. “This leader’s diplomacy is the engine in Turkish-Russian relations,” said Selcen.Ankara’s ongoing suspicion of Washington’s intentions in the region also remains a powerful impetus to sustaining Turkish-Russian relations. “There is a break of trust; Turkey is not trusting with the Americans,” said Bagci. “In many ways, this lack of trust was the architect of Turkey orienting toward Russia.”Washington’s support of the Syrian Democratic Forces in the war against the so-called Islamic State group continues to sour U.S.-Turkish relations, given Ankara designation of the SDF as a terrorist organization linked to a Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey.”This [support] is perceived as an existential threat to Turkey by Ankara,” said Selcen.President Donald Trump’s decision last year, to withdraw American forces supporting the SDF, opened the door to Turkish forces attacking the militia. Ankara was banking on the U.S. withdrawal marking the end to Washington’s support of the SDF.James Jeffrey, special representative for Syria Engagement, speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Nov. 14, 2019.Ambassador James Jeffrey is the U.S. special representative for Syria engagement and special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. This week, he reaffirmed Washington’s ongoing support for the SDF.”We had a setback temporarily in Syria back in October with the Turkish incursion, but we’re back doing full operations with our local partner, the Syrian Democratic Forces,” Jeffrey said Thursday during a State Department telephone briefing.Washington’s ongoing support of the SDF continues to fuel Ankara fears that ultimately an independent Kurdish state could be created. “What’s important regarding Syria for Turkey and the Russian Federation is that they keep maintaining the territorial integrity of Syria — while we are not on the same page with the United States,” said former Turkish ambassador Mithat Rende. “We are quite disappointed [with Washington],” he added, “Not only the government but the Turkish people. Because they disregard the vital interests of Turkey, we are against establishing mini-states.”Monday’s death of the Turkish soldiers is seen as a warning of how little leverage Ankara has in its relationship with Moscow.”Right now, Putin knows, we [Turkey] have no intention to go back to the United States. So he has no incentive, no intention to give us even some breadcrumbs, concessions,” said analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners. “Because he knows he will get whatever he wants from Turkey. Now we say no to whatever the U.S. says and yes to Russia.” Until the trust deficit between Ankara and Washington is bridged, efforts to improve ties are predicted to remain tense. Analysts point out Washington still has failed to dispel suspicions of its involvement in a failed military 2016 coup to overthrow Erdogan. Putin was among the first to offer support to Turkey on that violent night.Analysts say Erdogan also is aware of what a dangerous adversary Putin can be.”Erdogan will be careful at the end of the day not to anger Putin because we know when Putin gets angry, we have troubles,” said Bagci.
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Nigerians Decry New US Travel Restrictions
The new U.S. travel restrictions imposed on Nigeria are being criticized by Nigerians who for decades have viewed the U.S. as a close ally.Before the announcement of new travel restrictions last week, the U.S. had already applied stricter measures on visa applications, including suspension of visa interview waivers and a hike in application fees.The new ban disallows the issuance of immigrant visas that offer Nigerians a chance at permanent residency in the U.S. It is seen part of a broader effort by the administration of President Donald Trump to cut down on immigration.Nigerians like Taiwo Charles, who runs a travel agency in Abuja, say the U.S. clampdown is negatively affecting businesses.”If people are being banned at the embassy, they come back to us with nothing. We cannot get international flight ticket, we cannot do their visa documentations, we cannot do a lot. So this affects our industry, the traffic of people traveling to that axis will be greatly reduced,” said Charles.The ban does not affect tourism, business and student travel but could limit chances for Nigerians to live with relatives who are already in the U.S.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says affected countries like Nigeria did not meet U.S. security standards and have failed to share adequate security intelligence. Economic analyst Eze Onyekpere says this ban will have an economic impact.”Diaspora remittances to Nigeria is about $25 billion, which is quite huge, and more or less the same amount equivalent of our annual budget. You will know that a good part of these remittances comes from the United States. So if the opportunity to increase the number of immigrants, who could as well do those remittances, is closed, definitely it will tell not just on the government but also on the living conditions the average Nigerians who have their brothers and sisters out there,“ Onyekpere said.However, Abuja resident Anthony Ekpenkhio, who visited the U.S. for the delivery of his baby three years ago, says the ban was predictable.“I actually saw it coming when he (Trump) started to complain about foreigners coming into the U.S. to give birth. He’s been talking about that ever since he came into power. So anyone who knows Trump should’ve envisaged that this was already coming. And of course Nigeria, being one of the most populous nations in Africa, and has one of the largest influx of people into the U.S., especially with the intent to have children, so for that reason, he would naturally want to target a country like Nigeria,” Ekpenkhio said.Critics say the expanded U.S. travel restrictions by are aimed at boosting Trump’s chances in the November presidential election, where immigration will be a major subject.
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China’s Virus Outbreak Weighs on Global Business
Global business is catching a chill from China’s virus outbreak.Mink breeders in Denmark called off a fur auction because Chinese buyers can’t attend due to travel curbs imposed to contain the disease.Airlines have canceled 25,000 flights to and within China after ticket sales collapsed, according to travel data provider OAG. General Motors Co. and other automakers are telling employees to limit travel to China, their biggest market.On Tuesday, the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau announced it was closing casinos for two weeks as a precaution. The territory is a big moneymaker for U.S. casino operators Wynn Resorts Ltd. and Las Vegas Sands Corp.Hyundai Motors, meanwhile, said it is suspending production in South Korea due to disruptions in the supply of parts as a result of the outbreak. It said it is seeking alternative suppliers in other regions.Global companies increasingly rely on China, the world’s No. 2 economy, as a major buyer of food, cars, movie tickets and other goods. But that has left them more exposed than ever to the pain of its latest abrupt slump.The Singapore Air Show, due to open next week, announced Tuesday it is canceling a business conference due to the absence of Chinese participants.Tourism revenue in Thailand and other Asian destinations that rely on China for up to 30% of their foreign visitors plunged after Beijing canceled group tours. Business people were told to put off foreign trips.“Many national as well as international events are now already canceled,” the chief executive of Kopenhagen Fur, Jesper Lauge Christensen, said in a statement.The cooperative of 1,500 Danish breeders who account for 40% of global mink production called off this month’s auction of 2 million skins. Most of the group’s exports usually go to China and Hong Kong.Italy could lose up to 4.5 billion euros ($5 billion) in tourism revenue this year as virus fears keep visitors away, polling agency Demoskopika said in a study released Tuesday.In Milan’s luxury MonteNapoleone shopping district, dozens of luxury brands decked out their windows for Chinese New Year. But wealthy Chinese shoppers have failed to arrive in their usual numbers.The Italian National Fashion Chamber estimated that industry sales will decline 1.8% in the first six months, because of the virus. It had been expected to grow 3%.Chinese visitors are responsible for about one-third of all luxury purchases globally. In Italy, they spend more than Russians, Arabs and Americans combined.Chinese authorities have suspended most access to Wuhan, a manufacturing center at the center of the outbreak, and surrounding cities in Hubei province with a total of 50 million people.The eastern city of Hangzhou, the home of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and a center for telecom technology companies, imposed restrictions on movement in the city and said checkpoints will be set up to examine passersby for the infection’s fever.The government extended the end of the Lunar New Year holiday to keep the public at home and reduce chances infection might spread.China already was dealing with the impact of a tariff war with Washington and a separate outbreak of African swine fever that does not infect people but has disrupted pork supplies, causing food prices to soar.Streets and subways in many cities are still largely empty even after most of China officially returned to work this week. Thousands of restaurants and cinemas have been closed to prevent crowds from gathering. Hollywood studios lost Lunar New Year ticket sales, usually a revenue high point for the industry.Officials express confidence China can weather the latest trouble but forecasters say it could knock up to 1 percentage point off this year’s growth, which might fall to as low as 5.2%. The economy already was expected to slow after hitting a multi-decade low of 6.1% last year.Forecasters including Barclays and Morgan Stanley say the outbreak could depress this year’s global economic growth by 0.2 to 0.4 percentage points.China suffered similar woes during the 2003 outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. Growth rebounded quickly afterward, and the global impact was limited.This time, even if China recovers quickly, the worldwide impact could be bigger than SARS, forecasters say. That is because China now accounts for 16.3% of global economic activity, more than triple 2003’s share of 4.3%, according to the International Monetary Fund.The anti-virus measures will drag down Chinese activity this quarter, which “will pose pressure on the global economy and spark fears in financial markets,” Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics for Oxford Economics, said in a report.The lockdown of Wuhan, a manufacturing center of 11 million, has disrupted production of liquid crystal and light-emitting diode panels, according to IHS Markit technology research, now a part of Informa Tech. That has depressed supplies and pushed up prices for manufacturers that use them in computer displays, TV sets and other products.As the curbs wear on, the impact could spread, depressing auto production and sales and prices of oil, iron ore and other materials from Australia, Brazil and African suppliers to China’s huge industries, forecasters say. China is the world’s biggest importer of many commodities, including oil. The price of Brent crude, the benchmark for international oil trading, has fallen to about $55 per barrel from $70 in early January, partly due to weak Chinese demand.Lower oil prices mean cheaper gas for Western consumers but they hurt exporters such as Indonesia that use the revenues to help pay for schools, health care and social services.Demand and prices “will depend on how quickly transportation and industrial activities will return to normal levels,” Fitch Ratings said in a report.Even smaller companies are directly affected by the outbreak because of increasingly tight links with China’s nimble, efficient manufacturers.Many manufacturers have yet to feel the impact, because factories closed for up to three weeks ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. But forecasters say delays in reopening will quickly depress demand for imported components and materials such as copper and steel.As the deadly 2019-nCov strain of coronavirus has spread worldwide Asian communities around the world are finding themselves subject to suspicion and fear.
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Military Talks to End Libya Fighting Underway
U.N.-sponsored military and security talks aimed at achieving a lasting cease-fire in Libya are underway in Geneva. The negotiations are held as Libya’s warring parties continue to violate a temporary truce agreed to in mid-January.Five high-ranking officers appointed by the Government of National Accord in Libya and five other high-ranking military officers appointed by rebel commander Khalifa Haftar are in attendance. This is the first time ever that high-ranking officers from both sides are getting together to talk peace.U.N. Libya envoy Ghassan Salame says both sides agree on the necessity to turn the truce into a permanent cease-fire. But how they will achieve that, he says, is very much an open question.“That is why these talks in Geneva are meant to listen carefully to the position of the two sides on what are the conditions for them to accept this translation of the truce into a permanent and lasting cease-fire,” Salame said.Haftar, who began a military assault on Tripoli nearly a year ago in April, expected an easy win. Instead, it has turned into a bloody stalemate, claiming more than 2,000 lives and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.Salame says an arms embargo imposed in 2011 by the U.N. Security Council has been incessantly violated since then. The ready availability of weapons, he says, is a source of great concern as it continues to fuel the war.
“We have evidence of new equipment, but also new fighters, non-Libyan fighters, joining the two camps. Therefore, we believe that the arms embargo is being violated by both parties, and therefore, by the countries who are violating [the embargo] as the source of this equipment or the source of these new fighters,” he said.
Salame says the Security Council has been asked to revitalize a sanctions committee to give more teeth to the arms embargo. He says that could give a much-needed boost to peace talks.
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Democratic Primary Pivots to Unpredictable New Hampshire
New Hampshire rarely takes its cues from Iowa. And this time, there aren’t clear cues anyway.The Democratic presidential hopefuls descended on the small New England state on Tuesday, fresh off overnight flights, full of caffeine and without official results from Iowa. That didn’t stop many of them from offering some form of a victorious message — and raising the stakes on the importance of New Hampshire.“Everything we know is extremely encouraging,” Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday after being endorsed by Jim Donchess, the mayor of Nashua. Bernie Sanders, whose campaign released its own caucus results with a claim of winning, wasn’t expected to greet voters in the state until the evening. Andrew Yang held a middle-of-the-night rally at the airport upon landing in the state, while Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Joe Biden planned mid-day events.New Hampshire had largely taken a backseat to Iowa through January, but the state is poised to take on a more important role following Iowa’s delayed, chaotic results.“New Hampshire becomes, I think, more important because we don’t know what Iowa’s going to come out with,” said Bill Shaheen, a Democratic National Committeeman from the state who is backing Biden.The state’s Feb. 11 contest is a primary, which is far simpler than a caucus; the election is also run by state and local governments, not the political parties, like Iowa. A primary works like a general election, with people going into the voting booth and selecting one candidate. New Hampshire uses paper ballots, with some places counting them electronically.“Even if those systems failed, New Hampshire would still have an election and would report results at the end of the night,” Deputy Secretary of State Dave Scanlan said Tuesday morning.The state’s political class has long liked the characterize New Hampshire as more influential than Iowa, even as Iowa has had a better track record of picking the eventual nominee in recent Democratic contests. Not since 2004 have its independent-minded voters followed Iowa’s lead in an open Democratic presidential primary.While voters have been courted by candidates for the past year, at house parties, town halls and rallies, about half said they still hadn’t decided who to support, according to a January CNN poll, making the final week before the primary a critical opportunity for candidates to close the deal.“You all are extremely famous in this state for folks waiting until the last five days to finally make up their minds,” former Vice President Joe Biden told supporters in January at a campaign office in Manchester, the state’s largest city, at 110,000 people.None of the top-tier candidates had characterized winning the state as a must, though the results of Iowa may change that. While there is a perception that because Sanders hails from neighboring Vermont, and Warren from Massachusetts, they need to do well in New Hampshire, key surrogates have softened the idea that victory is necessary.“New Hampshire’s never been a state that determines who the nominee’s going to be. The question is doing well in New Hampshire,” Kathy Sullivan, a Democratic National Committee member from New Hampshire who has endorsed Warren, said last week.Indeed, New Hampshire is known more for humbling the front-runner than for picking the winner, at least in recent Democratic elections. In 2008, the state backed Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama, setting up a lengthy nomination battle. Eight years later, New Hampshire voters bucked Clinton for Sanders.“We want to make up our own minds, we’re somewhat contrary,” said John Lynch, a former Democratic governor with a centrist bent who is a Biden supporter.Still, polling shows Sanders in the lead, with competitors like Biden and Warren trailing behind.“It is Bernie’s to lose,” said Lou D’Allesandro, a longtime state senator who is backing Biden.That’s despite Sanders having a late start in the state. Warren showered the state with more attention through the summer, though Sanders has dialed up his efforts since. The Sanders campaign says it has over 150 staffers in New Hampshire, which gives the senator the largest publicly announced staff in the state. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has about 80 staffers, while the Biden campaign has more than 50, and the Warren campaign has more than 55, according to aides.“We are confident, but we’re not taking anything for granted and we’re not slowing down,” Shannon Jackson, a longtime aide to Sanders who now works as his New Hampshire state director, said last week.Most of the major candidates, except for Biden, ran television ads in January. New Hampshire has just one statewide television network, and many people in the southern part of the state rely on Boston stations for news. That, combined with Massachusetts voters moving into the state to take advantage of the low taxes and cheaper housing, means Warren is known to many voters in New Hampshire.Rep. Annie Kuster, who is backing Buttigieg, cited voters independent nature — more people are registered without a party than Republicans or Democrats — and history of divided government at the state level as reasons why Buttigieg’s message and personal background can resonate.“It’s a very fluid electorate,” she said. “They are very tuned in to the person.”New Hampshire is richer, whiter and older than the rest of the country. But while unemployment is less than 3%, wages have stagnated over the past decade, rising far slower than nationally, according to a report from the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy. The state is dealing with an aging population, particularly in the rural North Country, that will call for a ramp up in health care and personal care jobs in the coming years. Meanwhile, New Hampshire residents have some of the highest student debt in the country. All that combines to show why a candidate like Sanders could appeal to voters in the state in 2016.But this time around, both Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Yang are appealing to those same voters, and they spent far more time in New Hampshire than Sanders in January.Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, meanwhile, skipped Iowa entirely to focus on New Hampshire. He was holding his 47th town hall meeting on Monday night as Iowans went to the polls, and he said he’s hoping for a third place finish. That’s still a long shot, based on polls. Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has similarly emphasized New Hampshire, but doesn’t seem to be benefiting from leading a neighboring state.Klobuchar won the endorsements of three New Hampshire newspapers, offering her a second look and added credibility in the race’s closing days.Voters have frequently pressed on the candidates over the feasibility of Medicare for All and how the contenders intend to get their ambitious plans passed if their tenure begins with a Republican-controlled Senate. But they are quick to say that their main priority is defeating Trump.“I have somebody I’d like to vote for, but I don’t think they can beat Trump,” 78-year-old Rita Kirk said after attending a Bennet event in January.Joleen Little, an administrative assistant at Franklin Pierce University, said she’s an independent who is deciding between Biden, Buttigieg and Yang. As someone in “retirement age,” she cares about health care, as well as America’s place in the world. But her interest in Buttigieg and Yang reflected New Hampshire voters’ desire to see candidates up close and learn what makes them tick.“The ambition they have,” she cited as reason for her interest. “And the comfort that’s in their voices.”
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Memorial Set for 3 victims in Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash
A public memorial has been announced for three of those killed along with Kobe Bryant when their helicopter crashed in foggy weather last month outside Los Angeles.
The service for Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and daughter Alyssa will be held Feb. 10 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
“Needless to say … there will be plenty of room so if you’d like to be a part of this, we’d love to have you!” Altobelli’s brother, Tony, wrote in a Facebook post Monday.Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna watch the first half of an NCAA college basketball game between Connecticut and Houston, March 2, 2019, in Storrs, Conn.Bryant, daughter Gianna and seven others died Jan. 26 when the helicopter crashed into a hillside outside Los Angeles in foggy weather.
A public memorial for the former Lakers superstar and his daughter is expected but plans have not been announced.
The remains of all victims of the crash have been released by the Los Angeles County coroner, online records show.
Also killed in the crash were Bryant friends Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton, and the helicopter pilot, Ara Zobayan,
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WHO’s SOS Alert Aims to Shut Down Coronavirus Rumor Mill
The World Health Organization is warning that false information circulating on social media about the new coronavirus is hampering efforts to tackle the epidemic. This fast moving disease so far has infected more than 20,000 people and killed at least 427. The overwhelming number of cases and all but two deaths have occurred in China.Health officials say a disease epidemic is likely to quickly generate an epidemic of information. This is not unusual, they explain, because at the start of an outbreak, a lot is unknown about the nature of the disease and the risks it entails.Unfortunately, they say the search for answers often triggers a lot of misinformation and harmful rumors. Sylvie Briand is the director of WHO’s Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness unit. She says trying to deal with the mass of false information and rumors circulating on social media is challenging.“A few centuries ago, this phenomenon existed as well. But at that time there was no social media and so the information was spreading as well, but much slower than now,” said Briand. “Now, the information is spreading very fast and is amplified immediately in every corner of the world, basically. This speed is very difficult to address in a timely manner.”Travelers arrive at LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal wearing medical masks for protection against the novel coronavirus outbreak on February 2, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.WHO is teaming up with Google, which has launched a new project called SOS Alert. The system allows people to easily access key and correct information about the coronavirus. It says other social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Tiktok also are taking steps to limit the spread of misinformation.Briand tells VOA that getting the right message out to the public is not always easy.“But I think it is a challenge of the 21st century because we are all beneficiaries of those extremely intense and fast communications, but also we could be the victims of it,” said Briand. “This is why it is very important to characterize the phenomenon and to develop methods to tackle it appropriately.” Briand says confronting false information head on is not censorship. Rather, she says, it is a way of responding to people’s concerns in the best way possible given the evidence that exists at the moment. As evidence and understanding about the new coronavirus grow, she says more and better information will become available.
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Nigerian Youth Hold Vigil for Student Killed by ISIS Affiliate
Nigerian youth have held a vigil for a student killed last month by the Islamic State’s West Africa Province, a breakaway Boko Haram group. The militants released a video showing the gruesome execution of 22-year-old Ropvil Daciya, who the group kidnapped on January 9 while he was travell=ing from his hometown of Jos to Maiduguri. Ifiok Ettang reports for VOA from Jos, Nigeria.
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Irish Regulator Probes Google, Tinder Over Data Processing
Irish regulators have launched separate inquiries into Google and dating app Tinder over how they process user data, in a new round of regulatory scrutiny aimed at tech companies.Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said Tuesday that it decided to look into how Google handles location data after a number of consumer groups across the European Union filed complaints.The commission opened an investigation into Google’s Irish subsidiary to determine whether the U.S. search giant “has a legal basis for processing the location data of its users” and whether it meets transparency obligations under the EU’s strict General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR.Google “will cooperate fully with the office of the Data Protection Commission in its inquiry, and continue to work closely with regulators and consumer associations across Europe,” the company said in a statement. “In the last year, we have made a number of product changes to improve the level of user transparency and control over location data.”The regulator is also investigating Tinder after people in Ireland and elsewhere in the EU raised concerns about issues surrounding U.S. parent company Match Group’s “ongoing processing of users’ personal data” related to Tinder, transparency and compliance with GDPR.“Transparency and protecting our users’ personal data is of utmost importance to us,” Match Group said. “We are fully cooperating with the Data Protection Commission, and will continue to abide by GDPR and all applicable laws.”Ireland’s Data Privacy Commission is the lead EU regulator for both companies because their European headquarters are based in Dublin. Under GDPR, regulators can fine companies up to 20 million euros, or 4% of global turnover, whichever is higher, for any breaches as well as require changes to follow the law.The commission now has a total of 23 inquiries into big U.S. tech companies, which also include Facebook and Twitter. It launched a separate investigation of Google last year over personalized online advertising.
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Putin Remains Coy on Future Political Plans
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that a nationwide vote on constitutional changes he proposed wouldn’t be used to extend his current term in office, but remained tight-lipped about his future political plans.
Kremlin critics have seen Putin’s amendments as part of his efforts to stay at the helm after his current presidential term expires in 2024. The proposed changes, however, don’t make it clear exactly how he could do that.
Asked during a meeting with students and teachers if the vote could be used to directly extend his term in office, Putin said it’s not what he wants.
“I didn’t propose that to extend my authority,” Putin said. “The election of the head of state must be held on a competitive basis.”
Observers have speculated that once his term expires Putin could use the amendments to continue calling the shots as head of the State Council or prime minister. The former position, however, is yet to be defined and the latter is clearly subordinate to the presidency, making it unlikely that Putin would want it for himself.
It has remained unclear why the Russian leader is rushing through constitutional changes four years before the end of his term.
Putin, a 67-year-old former KGB officer, who has led Russia for more than 20 years — the longest since Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Putin prefers to keep his plans secret until the final moment.FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks as he chairs a meeting on drafting constitutional changes at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Jan. 16, 2020.Putin has argued that the changes in the constitution he proposed in a state-of-the-nation speech on Jan. 15 are intended to boost the powers of parliament and strengthen democracy. But the proposals also maintain and even strengthen presidential powers — something Putin described as a must for Russia.
The Kremlin-controlled lower house quickly approved Putin’s constitutional bill in the first of three required readings last month, and a second reading is set to be held later this month. Lawmakers and a working group created by Putin have already come up with a variety of proposals in addition to what the original draft outlines.
Once lawmakers complete work on the constitutional amendments, they will be put to popular vote. It’s still unclear how it will be organized.
Putin said Tuesday that he wants a nationwide vote as “the highest form of democracy,” adding that it will “make people feel engaged, feel themselves as co-authors of the document.” He noted that he hopes that the work on the constitutional changes could be completed in just over three months.
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Kenyans Remember Mixed Legacy of Moi
Daniel arap Moi, who served as Kenya’s president between 1978 and 2002, has died in Nairobi at age 95. Kenyans have mixed memories of the longtime leader, with some recalling him as a force for stability and others remembering him as a tyrant.Kenya’s second and longest-serving president, Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, died Tuesday morning, the country’s presidency and his family confirmed. No cause of death was given, but reports say Moi had experienced breathing problems in recent months.Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, son of former president Daniel arap Moi, is seen outside the Lee Funeral home in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 4, 2020.Gideon Moi, the former president’s son, spoke at a news conference at the Nairobi hospital where Moi passed away while undergoing treatment.“I would like to take this opportunity to tell my fellow Kenyans that Mzee [our father] passed on this morning at 5.20 a.m. He passes away peacefully, I was by his side and as a family we have accepted. Mine is just to give my heartfelt gratitude to all Kenyans and non-Kenyans for the prayers that have been given to Mzee and my family,” he said.Moi took over Kenya’s presidency following the death of the country’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta, in 1978. Moi would then rule the country until 2002, when he retired.Moi was considered as a kind man by his supporters.Thirty-seven-year-old Ken Mwema, for instance, remains nostalgic about the free milk program the president rolled out in the 90s across all public schools.A man reacts outside the Lee Funeral Home following the death of Kenya’s retired president Daniel Arap Moi in Nairobi, Feb. 4, 2020.“Every student was looking forward to going to school to get the milk; other than the milk there was the good education, those are the good memories I have of him. The country was more stable, there was more unity, Kenyans were more patriotic to Kenya; there was tribalism but it was not as it is today. It’s out there, everywhere right now,” he said.For critics, Moi was a dictator who ruled with an iron fist.Moi faced local and international criticism over human rights abuses, nepotism and corruption. Opponents sometimes were arrested and taken to torture chambers.Survivors would later describe the chambers as being dark, filled with cold water and with nowhere to sit.Human rights activist Ruth Mumbi blames Moi for what she calls “the problems we have today.”“For me, I remember Moi as a dictator, a tyrant, who didn’t want to be criticized. He was one person who always fueled tribal animosity, which up to date has been a challenge to reconcile different communities, which was one of his undoings,” said Mumbi.Sorry, but your player cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline. Embed” />CopyPolitical analyst Herman Manyora said it was Moi’s leadership that kept Kenya stable at a time when other African countries were falling apart.“He was present at a time when in Africa there was turmoil. Sometimes when you are leading people in times as those, you could be seen to be a man of excesses, all around us except Tanzania, all these countries around us were in a mess. They were all run down by military coups and instability. He was able to keep the country together in those difficult days, for 24 years,” said Manyora.In a proclamation Tuesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta described Moi as a great African statesman, an African icon, an ardent pan-African and a devoted Christian. Kenyatta declared a period of national mourning that will last until Moi’s funeral.
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