Somalia was among Muslim countries Saturday that performed Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Islamic observance of Ramadan.Many Muslims across East and West Africa are celebrating the holiday, though the majority of Muslim nations observe it Sunday.Muslims decide when Eid will be observed by the sighting of the moon. In countries where the moon is not sighted on the 29th day of Ramadan, people must complete the 30th day before celebrating. Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, will observe Eid Sunday.The Muslim holiday is always marked with celebrations, the reunion of family and friends, and a lot of feasting. This year, however, it is different due to coronavirus restrictions.While most Somalis celebrated the holiday in their homes with their families, the frontline heroes helping COVID-19 patients have willingly sacrificed their celebrations and chose to stay at hospitals.VOA’s Somali Service spoke with two of them.Ahmed Hassan Kulmiye, a 31-year-old nurse and father of three, works at Martini Hospital’s COVID-19 isolation center in Mogadishu. He worked his regular shift as his wife and his three children celebrated Eid at home.”I marked Eid today with a mixture of happiness and sadness. I am happy that I have sacrificed for my patients and that I am saving lives. On the other hand, I was very sad that it was the first Eid I did not celebrate with my children and wife or friends,” Kulmiye said.Instead, of wearing new clothes and shoes, as Muslims usually do on Eid, Kulmiye was in his protective gear to help patients recovering from COVID-19 at the isolation center.“To at least revive the spirit of the Eid, we had breakfast and lunch together, of course in our protective gear, at our isolation center, and we invited COVID-19 patients who have recovered. Also, we sang Eid songs for the lonely patients at the center who, like us, could not be with their families and friends,” Kulmiye added.Fardowso Mohamed Hassan, a 27-year-old nurse, was on duty at the isolation center and marked Eid away from her husband.“I am happy to be doing a life-saving job, which is more important than a celebration of any kind,” said Fardowso. “Although I did not celebrate with my husband, friends and relatives, it made my day to take time with my patients and my colleagues at work.”Fardowso said she used her break time at work by calling her husband and relatives via video to share the happiness of the day.Kulmiye and Fardowso said they have spent the entire holy month of Ramadan fasting while working at Martini Hospital.“Being [here] is very risky, but we have willingly chosen to help our fellow humans, Fardowso said.“My conscience did not allow me to take a day off to celebrate and leave patients on ventilators behind. They needed us more than any other person,” Kulmiye said.
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Month: May 2020
Zimbabwe Detains 2 Journalists for Breaking COVID Lockdown Rules
A court in Zimbabwe has jailed two journalists who are charged with breaking the country’s COVID-19 lockdown regulations. Rights lawyers say the arrests confirm their fears that freedom of the press in Zimbabwe remains in dire jeopardy.
Paidamoyo Saurombe of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, who is representing journalists Frank Chikowore and Samuel Takawira, said Saturday the magistrate court would hold the men until it makes a bail ruling Tuesday. Paidamoyo Saurombe, of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, told reporters in Harare, May 23, 2020, that it was disturbing that journalists were being arrested for doing their job. (Columbus Mavhunga/VOA)“It is disturbing. These are journalists who were in the course of what they should do when they were arrested. So, it is quite surprising. Why would you arrest someone who is going to work? You never know. It becomes scary that if you are arrested while going to work, what else will happen?” Saurombe asked.
According to court papers, the two journalists broke COVID-19 regulations when they entered a hospital to interview three members of the political opposition who were being treated for injuries sustained after being abducted and tortured by suspected security agents.
Dewa Mavhinga, the southern Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said Harare must drop the charges against the journalists.
“Failure to do so severely undermines any image of Zimbabwe as under a new dispensation and reaffirms the sense that Zimbabwe is now a pariah or rogue state that is not respectful of the rights of journalists, of the constitutional rights to the freedom of the media. There is need to ensure that journalists, in the course of [the performance of] their duties are free to do their work without fear that the police will arrest them without cause,” Mavhinga said.
Zimbabwe’s minister of information, Monica Mutsvangwa, told VOA that she would only comment on the matter after the courts have completed the case.
Tabani Moyo, who the Media Institute in Southern Africa in Zimbabwe, called it an assault on the country’s press.
“Journalism is in the line of fire. There is a daily threat when you are a journalist in Zimbabwe. For us to defeat this pandemic – we have said it again and again – all hands should be on the deck, focusing on the pandemic rather than pointing in a misplaced manner at what is presumed to be the weaker targets; that is the media,” Moyo said.
Rights groups say they have recorded 14 cases of harassment of journalists and nearly 300 cases of citizen assaults by Zimbabwe authorities since late March when the government imposed a lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
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‘Superspreader’ Events May Be Responsible for 80% of COVID Infections
Some scientists now say “superspreader” events may be responsible for at least 80 percent of coronavirus infections.A report on the website of The Telegraph, a British newspaper, details some findings that “closely packed markets, vigorous dance classes, loud bars and choirs” may be the primary culprits in the spreading of the virus.The public is already aware that established superspreaders of the virus can include “hospitals, nursing homes, large dormitories, food processing plants and food markets.”One of the largest spreaders, however, according to the article, came from a bar in the Tyrolean Alps. The Telegraph said hundreds of infections in Britain, Germany, Iceland, Norway and Denmark have been traced back to the Kitzloch bar, “known for its après-ski parties.”A South Korean study found that “Intense physical exercise in densely populated sports facilities could increase risk for infection” of the coronavirus. It found that 112 people were infected with the virus within 24 days after participating in “dance classes set to Latin rhythms” at 12 indoor locations.In other studies, choir members were found to be susceptible to contracting the virus, but scientists believe singing was not the only pathway of the spread during the early days of the contagion before social distancing was observed. The coronavirus was likely spread when choir members greeted each other, shared drinks and “talked closely with each other.”The newspaper account said the virus swept through an Amsterdam choir, infecting 102 of its 130 members.
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Drive-In Movie Theaters Make Comeback in US in Coronavirus Era
The drive-in movie, dismissed by many as a relic of an earlier time in America, is making a comeback as entertainment seemingly designed for the coronavirus era.
Beth Wilson, who owns the Warwick Drive-in about an hour’s drive from Manhattan, says it has been sold out since May 15, the first day drive-ins were allowed to operate under New York’s reopening plan.
The drive-in has struck a chord with Americans who have been largely confined to their homes since March watching the death toll from COVID-19 accumulate on their TV screens.
Customers come “just to be out and for some form of entertainment that is not streaming on their TV,” said Wilson, adding she hopes the Warwick Drive-In can help people reconnect.
“I just want to see their happiness, their well-being.”
The drive-in experience is virtually tailor-made for the pandemic. Patrons control their close social interactions and any contact with other people happens outdoors, which is seen as lower risk for infection than indoors.
The Four Brothers Drive-In in Amenia, New York, which like Warwick has halved its capacity to put more distance between cars, is selling into next week after running out of tickets for the Memorial Day weekend.
“It’s a lot of first-time people that are inquiring and coming,” John Stefanopoulos, whose family owns the drive-in and an adjacent restaurant. “People want to get out of their house.”
Stefanopoulos sees a chance for the industry, which has shrunk by some 90% from a peak decades ago, to grow out of the crisis. He has received inquiries about developing drive-in theaters from England, Ireland and across the United States.
Some outsiders are looking to capitalize on the trend.
The Bel Aire Diner in the New York City borough of Queens propped up a screen in its parking lot and has been holding movie nights, serving food to customers in their cars while they watch classics like “The Princess Bride” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
In perhaps the most ambitious plan, one businessman said he was organizing a “drive-in on steroids” event to be held almost nightly in a parking lot of Yankee Stadium after July 4th. Marco Shalma, co-owner of the MASC Hospitality Group, said the evenings would include food, performances and a feature film, and he sees them as a way to reinvigorate New York.
“We make something out of nothing in New York,” Shalma said.
“It’s going to be epic.”
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Greece Accuses Turkey of Occupying Small Piece of Greek Land
Greece has lodged a protest over Turkish troops’ occupation of a small patch of swampland along the land border between the two NATO member nations. Nevertheless, dozens of Turkish soldiers and police remain planted there, defying demands that they retreat. The confrontation is the latest in escalating tension between the two age-old rivals.
For more than 100 miles, the Evros river rips down through Greece’s northeast frontiers, separating the country from Turkey.
About halfway down its course, the waterway swerves in and out of Turkey, creating a plain of small marsh. While officials call the area Melissokomeio, locals like Athanasios Pemousis commonly refer to it as “the horseshoe,” because of its shape.
He says the area is usually flooded in winter but it is used by smugglers during the summer to sneak refugees into Greece.
In recent days though, he says, he and others have seen some 35 Turkish soldiers occupying the land, setting up a tent and flying a tiny Turkish flag from a tree.
It may be swampland, he says. But it is Greek territory.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry in Athens has lodged a stiff protest with Ankara demanding the Turkish soldiers pull back from the region. Turkey is refusing to comply, though, and that has Greece’s defense minister, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, extremely concerned.
Rising tensions especially in small areas, he says, heighten the risk of an accident occurring, a spark that could inflame already uneasy ties between Greece and Turkey.
Struggling to revive its devastating tourism industry, Greece has opted to keep the matter quiet, refusing to disclose whether it plans to evict the Turkish soldiers.
While both NATO allies, Greece and Turkey have been at odds with each other for decades, contesting each other’s claims to air, land and sea rights.
Twenty-five years ago, the two sides came to the brink of war over competing claims to a barren outcrop inhabited only by goats, rabbits and sheep.
U.S. diplomacy helped pull back both allies from the brink.
Defense experts tell VOA Turkey’s decision to send troops to the region was probably sparked by Greek plans and ongoing technical surveys to extend its border fence with Turkey.
Turkey refuses to acknowledge that some of the land on the eastern side of the Evros river still belongs to Greece.
In recent weeks alone, Greek soldiers have been shot at four times from over the border and Turkish fighter jets are routinely chased out of Greek airspace.
The latest border incident comes weeks after tens of thousands of migrants tried to push their way into Greece from Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in February that he would no longer prevent them from doing so.
He has since then rescinded his decision in order to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic but he has vowed to allow refugees to enter Europe anew once the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
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COVID-19 Drives Health Care Tech Innovation in Ghana
In Ghana, the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred health technology innovations – from apps to track symptoms in workplaces, to online diagnosis and drone delivery of test samples. As confirmed infections continue to rise in Ghana, reaching over 6,000 cases and over 30 deaths, health tech experts want to ensure people have access to needed medicines and doctors. Stacey Knott reports from Accra.
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‘Superspreader’ Events May Be Responsible For 80% of COVID-19 Infections
Some scientists now say “superspreader” events may be responsible for at least 80 percent of coronavirus infections.A report on the website of The Telegraph, a British newspaper, details some findings that “closely packed markets, vigorous dance classes, loud bars and choirs” may be the primary culprits in the spreading of the virus.The public is already aware that established superspreaders of the virus can include “hospitals, nursing homes, large dormitories, food processing plants and food markets.”One of the largest spreaders, however, according to the article, came from a bar in the Tyrolean Alps. The Telegraph said hundreds of infections in Britain, Germany, Iceland, Norway and Denmark have been traced back to the Kitzloch bar, “known for its après-ski parties.”A South Korean study found that “Intense physical exercise in densely populated sports facilities could increase risk for infection” of the coronavirus. It found that 112 people were infected with the virus within 24 days after participating in “dance classes set to Latin rhythms” at 12 indoor locations.In other studies, choir members were found to be susceptible to contracting the virus, but scientists believe singing was not the only pathway of the spread during the early days of the contagion before social distancing was observed. The coronavirus was likely spread when choir members greeted each other, shared drinks and “talked closely with each other.”The newspaper account said the virus swept through an Amsterdam choir, infecting 102 of its 130 members.
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Religious Communities Cautious as Trump Calls for Houses of Worship to Reopen
Religious communities around the United States are reacting cautiously to President Donald Trump’s call to reopen houses of worship. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the story.
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Australia Easing More COVID-19 Control Measures
In its biggest relaxation of COVID-19 controls, New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, is to allow bars, cafes and restaurants to serve up to 50 people at a time starting June 1, although strict hygiene rules will still apply.Each person must have at least 4 square meters of space. Patrons will not be permitted to stand, mingle or dance. Currently, venues are allowed to host up to 10 diners. Authorities in New South Wales say a further relaxation of the regulations on June 1 is a “big step” in the state’s economic recovery from the new coronavirus.“This will be with very strict guidelines in place,” State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. “It has to be in adherence to the 4-square-meter rule, so some venues are small in space. They will only be able to have as many customers as is allowed in that space according to the 4-square-meter rule, and nobody will be able to take bookings of more than 10 people. Nobody will be able to be standing up in these venues. You have to be seated at a table even if it is a pub.”Other states and territories in Australia’s federated system have different approaches to winding back lockdown restrictions. In South Australia, pubs can serve food to up to 20 diners; 10 inside and 10 more outside. In the state of Victoria, authorities are taking a phased approach to reopening the hospitality industry. By mid-July up to 100 people will be permitted to eat at a cafe or restaurant. In Western Australia, public swimming pools, libraries and places of worship can reopen under strict distancing and hygiene regulations.Easing disease controls will boost the Australian economy, which is facing its biggest contraction ever because of the COVID-19 crisis.An administrative bungle has forced the federal government to revise a historic economic rescue package announced in March. Officials had said mammoth wage subsidies would keep 6.5 million Australians in work during lockdowns. They now say mistakes in applications from businesses mean the plan will now cover 3.5 million workers, cutting the cost from $85 billion to $45 billion.Opposition Labor leader Anthony Albanese said it’s an embarrassing error.“This is a mistake you could have seen from space, and this is a government that could not run a bath,” he said. “How about someone in this government accept responsibility just once?”Just over 7,000 confirmed coronavirus cases have been recorded in Australia since the disease was first reported here in late January. As of Saturday, 102 people had died.
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Report: UK Plans Cut in Huawei’s 5G Network Involvement
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to reduce Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s involvement in Britain’s 5G network in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.Johnson has asked officials to make plans to reduce China’s involvement in British infrastructure to zero by 2023, the newspaper reported late on Friday.Johnson is expected to use less reliance on China as a means to boost trade talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in the aftermath of Britain’s departure from the European Union, according to the newspaper.Downing Street declined to comment. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Earlier on Friday, The Times reported that Johnson has instructed civil servants to make plans to end Britain’s reliance on China for vital medical supplies and other strategic imports.Beijing is being criticized for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, which began in China. Beijing denies U.S. allegations it has not been transparent about the outbreak.”He (Johnson) still wants a relationship with China but the Huawei deal is going to be significantly scaled back. Officials have been instructed to come up with a plan to reduce Huawei’s involvement as quickly as possible,” a source was quoted by the Telegraph as saying.The development would be a change of direction for Britain, which in late April confirmed it would allow Huawei to have a role in building its 5G phone network.Britain decided in January to allow Huawei into what the government said were non-sensitive parts of the network, capping its involvement at 35 percent.The United States has raised security concerns about Huawei equipment, and warned that allies that use it in their networks risked being cut off from valuable intelligence sharing feeds.
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US to Exempt Foreign Athletes from Coronavirus-Related Entry Bans
The United States will exempt some foreign athletes who compete in professional sporting events in the United States from entry bans imposed because of the novel coronavirus epidemic, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said on Friday.”In today’s environment, Americans need their sports. It’s time to reopen the economy and it’s time we get our professional athletes back to work,” Wolf said in a statement issued by the department announcing he had signed an order for the exemption.President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing to reopen the U.S. economy after drastic measures to combat the pandemic this year put tens of millions of people out of work.Major U.S. professional sports were shut down as part of the effort to tackle COVID-19, the respiratory disease cause by the coronavirus which has killed more than 96,000 people in the United States and infected more than 1.6 million.In its response to the epidemic, the Trump administration has also imposed bans on entry of travelers from China, where the epidemic started, as well as Iran and much of Europe.Besides the athletes, the exemption applies to the sporting leagues’ essential staff, spouses and dependents, the statement said.The sports covered by the exemption include Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the Professional Golfers’ Association Tour, the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour, the National Hockey League, the Association of Tennis Professionals, and the Women’s Tennis Association.
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Hertz files for US bankruptcy protection as car rentals evaporate in pandemic
The more than a century-old car rental firm Hertz Global Holdings Inc filed for bankruptcy protection Friday after its business all but vanished during the coronavirus pandemic and talks with creditors failed to result in needed relief.Hertz said in a U.S. court filing Friday that it voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 reorganization. Its international operating regions including Europe, Australia and New Zealand were not included in the U.S. proceedings.The firm, whose largest shareholder is billionaire investor Carl Icahn, is reeling from government orders restricting travel and requiring citizens to remain home. A large portion of Hertz’s revenue comes from car rentals at airports, which have all but evaporated as potential customers eschew plane travel.With nearly $19 billion of debt and roughly 38,000 employees worldwide as of the end of 2019, Hertz is among the largest companies to be undone by the pandemic. The public health crisis has also caused a cascade of bankruptcies or Chapter 11 preparations among companies dependent on consumer demand, including retailers, restaurants and oil and gas firms.U.S. airlines have so far avoided similar fates after receiving billions of dollars in government aid, an avenue Hertz has explored without success.The Estero, Florida-based company, which operates Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty car-rentals, had been in talks with creditors after skipping significant car-lease payments due in April. Forbearance and waiver agreements on the missed payments were set to expire on May 22. Hertz has about $1 billion of cash.The size of Hertz’s lease obligations has increased as the value of vehicles declined because of the pandemic. In an attempt to appease creditors holding asset-backed securities that finance its fleet of more than 500,000 vehicles, Hertz has proposed selling more than 30,000 cars a month through the end of the year in an effort to raise around $5 billion, a person familiar with the matter said.On May 16, the board appointed executive Paul Stone to replace Kathryn Marinello as CEO. Hertz earlier laid off about 10,000 employees and said there was substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.Hertz’s woes are compounded by the complexity of its balance sheet, which includes more than $14 billion of securitized debt. The proceeds from those securities finance purchases of vehicles that are then leased to Hertz in exchange for monthly payments that have risen as the value of cars fall.Hertz also has traditional credit lines, loans and bonds with conditions that can trigger defaults based on missing those lease payments or failing to meet other conditions, such as delivering a timely operating budget and reimbursing funds it has borrowed.Hertz earlier signaled it could avoid bankruptcy if it received relief from creditors or financial aid the company and its competitors have sought from the U.S. government. The U.S. Treasury has started assisting companies as part of an unprecedented $2.3 trillion relief package passed by Congress and signed into law.A trade group representing Hertz, the American Car Rental Association, has asked Congress to do more for the industry by expanding coronavirus relief efforts and advancing new legislation targeting tourism-related businesses.Even before the pandemic, Hertz and its peers were under financial pressure as travelers shifted to ride-hailing services such as Uber.To combat Uber, Hertz had adopted a turnaround plan, aiming to modernize its smartphone apps and improve management of its fleet of rental cars.Hertz traces its roots to 1918, when Walter Jacobs, then a pioneer of renting cars, founded a company allowing customers to temporarily drive one of a dozen Ford Motor Co Model Ts, according to the company’s website.
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Judge Demands ICE Better Explain why it Won’t Release Kids
A federal judge on Friday criticized the Trump administration’s handling of detained immigrant children and families, ordering the government to give the court detailed information about its efforts to quickly release them in the wake of the coronavirus.U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee on Friday ordered the U.S. government to better explain why it hasn’t released some of the approximate 350 parents and children in three family detention centers.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has come under fire for allegedly asking parents in custody if they would allow their children to be released without them.Parents at all three facilities — one in Pennsylvania and two in Texas — were called into short meetings and asked if there were sponsors available to care for their children, lawyers who represent the families reported that late last week. They were then asked to sign a form.ICE has declined to release the form.Gee wrote that she didn’t find that ICE officially sought to get those formal waivers, but that officers’ conversations with detained parents “caused confusion and unnecessary emotional upheaval and did not appear to serve the agency’s legitimate purpose of making continuous individualized inquiries regarding efforts to release minors.”While some parents reported slightly different details, the lawyers said they broadly believed they were being asked to choose between staying in custody with their children or letting their children leave.”They were asking mothers to separate from their 1-year-old infants to go to a sponsor that perhaps had never even met or known the child,” said Bridget Cambria, executive director of the group ALDEA, which represents families at the ICE detention center in Leesport, Pennsylvania.The Trump administration again faced allegations that it is trying to separate immigrant families as part of an overall border crackdown. The separation of immigrant families drew bipartisan condemnation in 2018 when the Trump administration implemented a “zero tolerance” policy on southern border crossings.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused advocates of making “misrepresentations” and says it remains in compliance with President Donald Trump’s June 2018 executive order intended to stop family separation. In a statement Thursday, the agency said the form was used as part of a “routine parole review consistent with the law” and Gee’s previous orders.”The court recognized that parents, not the government, should decide whether the juvenile should be released to a sponsor,” the agency said. “To comply with this order, ICE was required to check with each of the juveniles — and their parents — in custody … to make individual parole determinations with respect to those juveniles.”Kids labeled flight risksIn court papers filed May 15, the government noted more than 170 times that it had refused to release children currently in detention because the “parent does not wish to separate.” It labeled many children as flight risks without providing more specifics.Gee wrote that she didn’t find that ICE officially sought to get those formal waivers, but that officers’ conversations with detained parents “caused confusion and unnecessary emotional upheaval and did not appear to serve the agency’s legitimate purpose of making continuous individualized inquiries regarding efforts to release minors.”On Friday, Gee called on the government and advocates to devise a new process to determine whether families could be released.Gee oversees a court settlement known as the Flores agreement, which controls how the U.S. is supposed to treat migrant children in its custody.During the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. government has imposed an effective ban on the entry of families and children seeking asylum. It has expelled hundreds of children within a few days of their crossing the border with Mexico instead of turning them over to government facilities designed to care for them, as normally required by federal law.The agency says it releases most families from its detention centers within 20 days, the general limit under the Flores settlement for holding children in a secure facility.But many families currently in custody have been detained for months, some since last year.Advocates contend that ICE should release all families from detention especially as the coronavirus has spread rapidly through immigration detention, with more than 1,100 people contracting COVID-19 and a positive test rate of about 50%. At ICE’s largest family detention center in Dilley, Texas, the detainees include a child with epilepsy, a 1-year-old with breathing problems, and several children with heart murmurs, according to Shalyn Fluharty, director of the legal group Proyecto Dilley.ICE says it has released hundreds of people deemed to have heightened exposure to the virus, though it has contested lawsuits across the country demanding the releases of others.The Trump administration is also currently appealing Gee’s order last year stopping it from terminating the Flores agreement.
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Report: Chinese Construction Projects Create Opportunity to Spy on African Leaders
A new report is warning that China may be spying on African government officials from within their own buildings.The report by the FILE – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian takes a question at the daily media briefing in Beijing, April 8, 2020.Chinese government responseDuring a May 22 news conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian strongly denounced the report, saying it was filled with “lies, illusions and ideological bias.”“We urge [a] certain think tank in the U.S. to spend more time and energy on assisting Africa with real actions instead of spreading lies,” Lijian said, according to the FILE – Construction work by Chinese state-owned firms is seen at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, Sept. 2, 2015.“For decades, a central element of China’s international diplomatic efforts has been cultivating strong relationships with senior African officials and giving them glitzy, brand-new government buildings,” Meservey said. “It is clearly a way of building favor with these governments. … These are designed as pieces of political influence.”His report found that Chinese companies had built at least 24 African presidential or prime ministerial palaces, residences or offices and at least 26 parliaments or parliamentary offices.Meservey said China might be looking to pick up information from third-party countries such as the U.S. when its diplomats visit African countries. He said it might be interested in gathering financial data on African countries for future investments and gaining the upper hand in loan negotiations. China also may be looking to gather useful, personal information about African leaders.“It’s possible to gather information on specific leaders, learn about their habits, their predilections, their financial situation,” he said. “Things that you could use to manipulate them or even to recruit them as an asset if either through blackmail or just knowing how to tailor your pitch to them.”
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US: China’s Security Law Would be ‘Death Knell’ for Hong Kong’s Autonomy
The United States is condemning China’s push to impose a new security law on Hong Kong, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying if the law passes it would be a death knell for the territory’s autonomy. VOA’s Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has the story.Videographer: VOA Mandarin Service, Nike Ching Skype Video interview
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AAA Skips Memorial Day Travel Forecast for First Time in 20 Years
Memorial Day weekend is rapidly approaching, and for the first time in 20 years, the American Automobile Association did not release Memorial Day travel projections.
Last year, the AAA estimated that 43 million Americans traveled for the annual holiday weekend — the second highest travel volume on record according to the organization. The approximation included 3.25 million people traveling by air.
The AAA tweeted recently, “The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to significantly suppress travel over the Memorial Day weekend.” The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to significantly suppress travel over the Memorial Day weekend – the unofficial start of the summer travel season – but there are indications that people have begun planning for future trips. #AAA#Travelhttps://t.co/ZVqgNK2KV2pic.twitter.com/Pr0CCstEjj— AAA Travel (@AAA_Travel) May 14, 2020
For Americans still considering flying, the failure of major airlines to enforce safe social distancing guidelines could be reason for pause.
The American Airlines passenger planes are parked on a runway due to flight reductions to slow the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Tulsa International Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma, March 23, 2020. American Airlines announced it would make more standard seats available and restrict access to some seats “when possible” to allow more space. United Airlines has similarly stated it would “avoid where possible seating customers next to each other,” and it provides an option for customers to reschedule flights expected to reach full capacity. On the other hand, Delta and Southwest Airlines both have specified they would block middle seats, with Delta reducing its total number of passengers per flight to between 50% and 60% capacity, depending on the aircraft type. Despite not meeting the 6 feet of physical distance guidelines, the four major airlines have assured customers the planes are equipped with high-efficiency filters (HEPA) to circulate the air and the usage of electrostatic spraying to sanitize aircrafts. With some airlines, like United, reducing their flight schedules by 90% because of coronavirus fears, airline industry heads say they see the business struggling for the next few years.
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Tanzania Says Virus Defeated Through Prayer, but Fears Grow
On just one day this month, 50 Tanzanian truck drivers tested positive for the coronavirus after crossing into neighboring Kenya. Back home, their president insists that Tanzania has defeated the disease through prayer. All the while, President John Magufuli has led a crackdown on anyone who dares raise concerns about the virus’s spread in his East African country or the government’s response to it. Critics have been arrested, and opposition politicians and rights activists say their phones are being tapped. The country’s number of confirmed virus cases hasn’t changed for three weeks, and the international community is openly worrying that Tanzania’s government is hiding the true scale of the pandemic. Just more than 500 cases have been reported in a country of nearly 60 million people. While many African countries have been praised for their response to the coronavirus, Tanzania is the most dramatic exception, run by a president who questions — or fires — his own health experts and has refused to limit people’s movements, saying the economy is the priority. Fatma Karume, a human rights activist and former president of the Tanganyika Law Society, said authorities are discouraging people from going to hospitals to avoid overwhelming them, but they are not giving adequate guidance about the virus. “When you are disempowering a whole nation by withholding information and creating doubt on how they should respond to the crisis, the outcome can be disastrous,” Karume said. FILE – A man washes his hands with chlorinated water at the Mabibo market in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, April 16, 2020.The president has refused to shut churches, mosques and other gathering places, such as pubs and restaurants. He has questioned the accuracy of tests done by the national laboratory, saying the swabs used may themselves be tainted with the virus. He has suspended the head of the laboratory and fired the deputy health minister. On Thursday, Magufuli ordered the Health Ministry and other agencies not to receive personal protective equipment from donors until tests are done to ensure it works and is safe. While Magufuli halted international passenger flights in April, he is now allowing them to resume — and says any visitor who doesn’t have a fever will be allowed in. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and lead to death. The president has argued that if restrictive measures are adopted, Tanzanians may have nothing to eat. In fact, rather than urge Tanzanians to keep their distance, one Magufuli ally encouraged them to flood the streets this weekend to celebrate. “Make all kinds of noise as a sign of thanksgiving to show our God has won against disease and worries of death that were making us suffer,” Paul Makonda, the regional commissioner of commercial hub Dar es Salaam, said at a news briefing. In March, Magufuli ordered three days of national prayers against COVID-19 and has since said they have been answered. While health experts say recorded coronavirus cases and deaths the world over are undercounts, opposition leaders accuse Magufuli’s government of hiding the outbreak’s true toll. Government spokesman Hassan Abbas told The Associated Press that it would be impossible to cover up an outbreak. He also dismissed reports that hospitals were overwhelmed, noting that one, which has room for over 160 patients, only had 11. “It is unfortunate that COVID-19 has come up with lots of misinformation, propaganda and false news,” he added. He said Tanzania has taken measures to curb the disease, and infection rates are falling, though he gave no data. He said the country’s health officials have been working hand in hand with international experts, including at the World Health Organization. Calls to share dataOfficials outside Tanzania remain worried. “We strongly call on Tanzania, encourage Tanzania, to share data in a timely fashion,” the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, said this month, adding that fighting the virus is more difficult without accurate data from all member states. “No country is an island,” he warned. On Thursday, Nkengasong said Tanzania still had not provided the body with any more information — but officials were still hoping the government would eventually cooperate. FILE – People look at newspapers without adhering to the rules of social distancing despite the confirmed COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, April 16, 2020.Kenya closed its border with Tanzania this month except for cargo traffic and imposed stringent testing measures on Tanzanian truck drivers after more than 50 of them tested positive for the virus in a single day. The U.S. Embassy in Tanzania has issued an unusual statement, warning its citizens that “all evidence points to exponential growth of the epidemic” and that hospitals in Dar es Salaam have been overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases. “On Tanzania, yes, it’s very disappointing,” the top U.S. diplomat for Africa, Tibor Nagy, told reporters this week. “Obviously, they are very concerned with the economic impact that the loss of the tourism industry is going to have on them, but I can’t imagine any tourists flocking back there in such an uncertain environment.” In a more subtle note of concern, the British High Commission announced a charter flight for British nationals who want to leave. Critics: Climate of fear Meanwhile, the climate of fear has grown inside Tanzania, rights groups and critics say, as Magufuli seeks a second term in an October election that shows no sign of being delayed despite the pandemic. Magufuli has stifled independent journalism since taking office and severely restricted the work of non-governmental organizations, according to rights groups. “People in Tanzania cannot express themselves,” said Roland Ebole, an Amnesty International researcher based in neighboring Kenya. Lawyer Albert Msando was arrested in late April after a video circulated showing him distributing masks to journalists and talking about the importance of the news media’s role in informing the public, according to the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition. Tanzanian authorities have also targeted media that have attempted to report on the pandemic, according to Amnesty International. Three media organizations were fined for “transmission of false and misleading information” about the government’s response, and a newspaper had its online publishing license suspended for publishing a photo that it said showed the president flouting “global social distancing guidelines.” Authorities contend the photo was not recent.
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Group: Texas Naval Base Shooter Voiced Support for Clerics
The suspect killed during what the FBI is calling a “terrorism-related” attack at a Texas naval air base voiced support for hardline clerics, according to a group that monitors online activity of jihadists.The attack Thursday at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi wounded a sailor and left the gunman dead. The gunman was identified on Friday by the FBI as Adam Salim Alsahli, 20, of Corpus Christi. He had been a business major at a local community college.The gunman tried to speed through a security gate at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, opening fire and wounding the sailor, a member of base security, U.S. officials told the AP. But the sailor was able to roll over and hit a switch that raised a barrier, preventing the man from getting onto the base, the officials said.Other security personnel shot and killed the attacker.There was an initial concern that the gunman may have had an explosive device, but Navy experts swept the area and the car and found nothing. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details about an ongoing investigation. Officials worked late Thursday to process the crime scene and had recovered some type of electronic media.Social media postsThe FBI was examining social media posts investigators believe were made by the shooter expressing support for extremist groups, including al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, two officials familiar with the investigation told AP on condition of anonymityU.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday on NBC’s “Today” show that the wounded sailor was “doing well.” He also said the FBI knew the basics of what happened during the attack but was working through details, including those related to the suspect.“We hope to know more in the coming days as to what happened, what this person was motivated by,” Esper said. “But we need to let the facts come out, let the investigators do their job, and we’ll see where this ends up.”Social media accounts matching Alsahli’s profile on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp featured support for hardline clerics, mostly from Saudi Arabia, and jihadi figures such as Ibrahim al-Rabaysh, who had been a spokesman for the Yemen branch of al-Qaida and who was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2015, according to Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group.Alsahli had been a student at Del Mar College, a community college in Corpus Christi, according to a statement on Friday from school spokeswoman Melinda Eddleman. He had been a business administration major and had attended classes in the fall 2018, spring 2019 and fall 2019 semesters.A search of court records in Corpus Christi showed Alsahli had received a traffic ticket in August for failing to yield. The ticket was dismissed in January after Alsahli took a driver safety course.FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Leah Greeves said at a news conference Thursday that investigators were working to determine whether a second person of interest was at large, but she did not elaborate. She also would not discuss a potential motive.Items taken from houseLater, federal agents were seen carrying items from inside a house that a Corpus Christi police tactical unit had surrounded and a public records search by local television station KRIS indicated was Alsahli’s last known address. A police spokesman would not confirm that the activity was related to the shooting at the naval station.The injured sailor was discharged from a hospital where she was treated for minor injuries, according to a statement from the command.The station, which was locked down for about five hours Thursday, had a similar lockdown in December. In another incident at the base last year, a man pleaded guilty of destruction of U.S. government property and possession of a stolen firearm for ramming his truck into a barricade.The shooting also came months after a Saudi air force officer who was training at a Navy base in Pensacola, Florida, killed three U.S. sailors and wounded eight other people in a shooting that American officials described as an act of terrorism. The country’s top federal law enforcement officials said this week that the gunman in December’s attack, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, had been in touch with al-Qaida operatives about planning and tactics in the months before the shooting. Alshamrani was killed by a sheriff’s deputy.According to U.S. officials, unlike Pensacola, there are no international or foreign national students at the Texas base. The military put several new safety procedures in place after the Pensacola shooting to restrict and better screen international students.
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US-China Tensions Rise as Beijing Signals Tightening Controls on Hong Kong
China’s decision to propose new legislation tightening control over Hong Kong has sparked a wave of condemnation from American lawmakers and officials, in yet another sign of worsening relations between the economic superpowers.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement Friday saying he “condemns” China’s parliament for proposing legislation that he claimed “would be a death knell for the high degree of autonomy Beijing promised for Hong Kong.”FILE – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press briefing at the State Department in Washington, May 20, 2020.He also vowed that “any decision impinging on Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms … would inevitably impact our assessment of One Country, Two Systems and the status of the territory.”Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, also denounced Beijing’s moves, saying China has used the global crisis around the pandemic as cover for increasing authoritarianism.”A further crackdown from Beijing will only intensify the Senate’s interest in reexamining the U.S.-China relationship,” McConnell said.White House reportEven before Beijing’s Hong Kong announcement this week, the Trump administration was reviewing its China policy, publishing a FILE – Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at the Taipei Guest House as part of her inauguration for her second term in office, in Taipei, May 20, 2020, in this handout picture taken by the Taiwan Presidential office.Addressing Tsai formally as “president,” Pompeo became the highest-level U.S. official to offer congratulations to a Taiwan president. In the past, top U.S. officials refrained from speaking out in order to not offend Beijing, which does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country.Russell Hsaio, executive director with Global Taiwan Institute, told VOA that the U.S. needs to send a strong signal of political support to Taiwan at this moment.”This was probably as much a signal to Beijing as it was to Taipei,” he said, “To the former, while the United States still adheres to its One-China Policy, Washington will not allow Beijing to dictate how it conducts relations with a democratic ally and important security partner of the United States.”A day after Tsai’s inauguration, the U.S. approved a possible sale of heavy weight torpedoes to Taiwan in a deal estimated to cost $180 million, a gesture certain to anger Beijing. Hsaio said the enhancement of U.S.-Taiwan ties is a function of growing trust between Washington and Taipei.Katherine Gypson contributed to this report.
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China’s Push to Impose National Security Law in Hong Kong Draws Fire from Critics, Locals
China’s plan to impose a national security law on Hong Kong to prevent and punish acts of “secession, subversion or terrorism activities” that threaten national security has drawn fire from critics and ordinary Hong Kongers alike, with many lamenting this is the end of the free and open city that the world has known. The plan also would allow Chinese national security organs to set up agencies in Hong Kong “when needed.” China has long indicated its intention to bring Hong Kong under tighter control — it warned in a 2014 policy white paper that it has “comprehensive jurisdiction” or “comprehensive power to rule” over Hong Kong. The millions-strong, often violent protests last year sparked by a controversial extradition law shocked the Chinese leadership and in recent months, Chinese officials have unequivocally ordered the city to enact legislation to bar subversion, separatism, and foreign interference to plug the national security “loopholes” that threaten the country’s stability. In the communique of a key Communist party meeting in November, the Fourth Plenum, Beijing told the city to “perfect” its legal system to safeguard national security.Critics say Beijing’s efforts to incorporate Hong Kong into its national security system through bypassing the city’s parliament amount to a breach of its promise of the “one country two systems” policy enshrined in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration that is meant to guarantee Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy.At the opening of China’s annual parliamentary session Friday, Wang Chen, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, said a draft version of the proposal had been submitted to the legislature for deliberation. In the proposal, the parliament would authorize the standing committee to formulate laws on “establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for [Hong Kong] to safeguard national security” to prevent and punish acts in Hong Kong seen as subversion, terrorism, separatism and foreign interference, or “other acts that seriously endanger national security, as well as activities of foreign and external forces that interfere in the affairs of Hong Kong.” He also told the parliament that “when needed,” China’s national security organs will set up agencies in Hong Kong to “fulfill relevant duties to safeguard national security.” He said relevant national security laws will be implemented through Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law’s Annex III, which allows national laws to be applied to the city. However, Martin Lee, a drafter of the Basic Law and founder of Democracy Party, pointed out that the Basic Law mandates that national laws to be applied to Hong Kong in Annex III should be “confined to those relating to defence and foreign affairs” and “other matters outside the limits of the autonomy” of Hong Kong. Under the article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong is meant to enact laws “on its own” to prohibit “treason, secession, sedition [and] subversion” against the Chinese government, and other acts including the theft of state secrets and foreign political organizations engaging in political activities in the city. Given the widespread opposition over the years, though, Hong Kong’s inability to legislate such a law of its own accord made it necessary for China to take action, Wang told the parliament. “More than 20 years after Hong Kong’s return, relevant laws are yet to materialize due to the sabotage and obstruction by those trying to sow trouble in Hong Kong and China at large, as well as external hostile forces,” Wang said.“Efforts must be made at the state level to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for [Hong Kong] to safeguard national security, to change the long-term ‘defenseless’ status in the field of national security,” Wang said. He justified China’s move by saying “the increasingly notable national security risks in Hong Kong have become a prominent problem” and protests activities have “seriously challenged the bottom line of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, harmed the rule of law, and threatened national sovereignty and security.”The drastic move caused jitters across Hong Kong, among ordinary Hong Kongers and the business community. “The national security law is clearly pushing Hong Kong towards an end. Apart from the impact on freedom of speech … it also tells us how useless the Legislative Council is because the National People’s Congress standing committee can totally bypass it,” said a 17-year-old student who did not want to give his name. “If it can happen once, there is a high likelihood that the same thing will happen again for other laws.”Many said the move was a wake-up call that provided fresh impetus for the year-old anti-government movement that has largely stalled amid the COVID-19 pandemic and authorities’ intensifying clampdown.“We cannot deceive ourselves anymore,” said a post on LIHKG.com, a site popular with protesters in the anti-government movement.“Many people have felt discouraged and helpless, while feeling there was nothing they could do except to watch Hong Kong die, then this national security law came along and our fighting spirit has returned!” said another post. “I know this is the end of Hong Kong, but it’s also the beginning of the Hong Kong people.” Michael Davis, a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center and former law professor at the University of Hong Kong, said Beijing’s imposition of the national security law “clearly flies in the face of the Basic Law.”Beijing’s hardening policies also show that it has not understood what caused discontent in Hong Kong in the first place, he said. “It has long been clear that most protests in Hong Kong are driven by Beijing’s interference that weakens Hong Kong’s autonomy and the rule of law. Instead of taking on board that message, they have continually doubled down on their interference.”China’s move is also expected to lead to the flight of capital and talent from the Asian financial hub, and some wealthy individuals have already begun to scout for investment options elsewhere, bankers and headhunters told Reuters. Hong Kong’s main stock market index tumbled the most in almost five years after Beijing’s plan was revealed. The benchmark Hang Seng Index dived 5.6%, or 1,349.89 points, to 22,930.14 on Friday, its biggest decline since July 2015.The jitters have also caused some to want to emigrate.“We have kids, we really have to think about leaving,” said a parent on an online chat group.
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Spain to Begin Easing COVID-19 Restrictions in Madrid, Barcelona
The Spanish government Friday announced it will allow the cities of Madrid and Barcelona to ease their COVID-19-related lockdown measures beginning Monday.Most of Spain has begun to slowly reopen since May 11, but those two cities together account for close to half country’s roughly 233,000 officially recorded coronavirus cases.The loosening of limits is staggered over four stages, with a requirement that certain targets, including the number of cases and hospital capacity, are met before moving onto the next stage.Health Minister Salvador Illa told reporters the Madrid region and city of Barcelona are moving into Phase 1, permitting outdoor-only seating at restaurants and bars of 50 percent capacity, gatherings of families and friends of up to 10 people, and the reopening of small shops, museums, movie theaters and places of worship, all with restrictions on capacity.The health ministry said the lockdown is due to be eased one notch further in other regions. The sparsely populated Canary Islands of La Graciosa, El Hierro and La,” Gomera, as well as Formentera in the Balearics, were freed from most restrictions on Monday.Illa cautioned the process of reopening the country “is incredibly complex and difficultand the situation will be closely monitored. He called for residents to be prudent “on an individual basis” and continue following social distance guidelines. Spain’s COVID-19 death toll of almost 28,000 is the world’s fifth highest.
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Huawei Says ‘Survival’ at Stake After New US Sanctions
Once poised to become a global leader in the coming advent of 5G wireless networks, Chinese tech giant Huawei warns its survival is at stake following the latest U.S. decision to cut it off from semiconductor suppliers.”Survival is the key for us now,” said Guo Ping, rotating chairman at Huawei’s annual analyst conference on Monday. “We will now work hard to figure out how to survive.”Washington’s latest ban, announced by the U.S. Commerce Department on Friday, requires foreign manufacturers using U.S. chipmaking gear to get a license before being allowed to sell semiconductors to Huawei.The United States has long been concerned about the security implications of Huawei’s 5G network, contending that the technology could be used to spy on Americans, allegations the Chinese tech firm has repeatedly denied.In its first official reaction to the new planned U.S. restrictions, Huawei says it is undertaking a comprehensive examination of this new rule.”We expect that our business will inevitably be affected,” Huawei said in a statement.Cutting off global suppliersIn May 2019, the Commerce Department added Huawei and 114 of its overseas-related affiliates to the Export Administration Regulations Entity List, requiring U.S. companies wishing to export their items to Huawei and its affiliates to obtain a license. However, the department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) said last Friday that Huawei has continued to use U.S. software and technology to design semiconductors, undermining the national security and foreign policy purposes of the Entity List.In an email to VOA, Kevin Wolf, former head of the Commerce Department’s export control section, said the rule thus expands the scope of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) Entity List-related prohibitions “over otherwise uncontrolled foreign-made commodities, software, and technology outside the United States related to computers, telecommunications, and electronics, particularly semiconductors, in Huawei’s contract manufacturing supply chain.”Huawei has in recent years successfully developed five series of chips that are used in different products.Huawei has used Taiwan’s chipmaker TSMC to fabricate some of its key components, and under the new restriction, Huawei’s access to TSMC could be limited.
Because Huawei and its designated affiliates are on the EAR’s Entity List, “applications for licenses to ship such foreign-made items to the listed Huawei entities will be presumptively denied,” said Wolf, now a Washington lawyer.Huawei has been looking to diversify its chip production to the Shanghai-based firm SMIC. However, analysts said that SMIC does not have the ability to produce all the chips Huawei needs.John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, said this new U.S. Commerce Department restriction will hurt Huawei a great deal in the short term, “since it relies on TSMC for 90% of Huawei’s smartphone chips.”By some analysis, Huawei has about 50 core foreign suppliers, and TSMC is only one of them. “Other major suppliers would also be subject to the same restriction, since they also use U.S.-made equipment.” Feffer told VOA in an email.Huawei remains defiantOne day after the latest U.S. ban, Huawei posted a headline on its official Weibo account that reads, “Apart from victory, we have nowhere to go.” Under the slogan is a photo featuring an Ilyushin Il-2 aircraft that keeps flying, despite being hit by antiaircraft shells and machine-gun fire during World War II. While Huawei’s chairman said Monday the company is now fighting for survival, Guo also said there is no doubt that the tech giant will pull through.”Huawei is confident that this aircraft will continue to fly forward, and Huawei will never give up.” said Guo.Gan Bin, Huawei’s vice president in charge of the company’s 5G development, claims China has a complete supply chain.”Regardless of base stations and terminals, China has a complete 5G industry chain, including equipment manufacturing,” Gan said in a keynote speech at a 5G forum held in Beijing on Sunday.Shen Dingli, a professor of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai, said he believes the new U.S. restriction will bring certain challenges to Huawei, but the Chinese firm can survive.”This might hinder Huawei’s competitiveness, but will not suppress its domestic market and certain international market,” said Shen.Hours after the U.S. ban was published on the Commerce Department’s website, a huge package of investment in chipset development, $1.5 billion from China’s National Integrated Circuit Fund II, and $750 million from the Shanghai Integrated Circuit Fund II, were announced by the Chinese government.”In the medium term, it’s possible that with an enormous amount of investment provided by the Chinese government combined with corporate R&D spending, the domestic industry can address the current technology gap between the capabilities of the TSMC and U.S. technology supply chain, ” said Ross Darrell Feingold, a lawyer and political risk analyst.US-China relations affectedThe latest ban on Huawei has also dealt a fresh blow to the already souring ties between the U.S. and China amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.China on Sunday warned it would retaliate to protect Huawei.”China will take all necessary measures to resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese firms,” an unidentified spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement.On Saturday, China’s Foreign Ministry called on the United States to stop its “unreasonable suppression” of Huawei and other Chinese companies. The Foreign Ministry told Reuters that it would “firmly defend its companies’ legal rights,” in response to a question about possible retaliation in response to the U.S.While the Chinese government ministries did not directly threaten to push back in their response, Global Times, a Beijing-controlled publication, Friday quoted an anonymous source as saying China was planning countermeasures, such as “imposing restrictions” against U.S. companies like Apple, Cisco and Qualcomm. The source also suggested China may stop buying Boeing airplanes.Jin Canrong, associate dean of Renmin University of China’s School of International Studies in Beijing, said Monday on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media platform, theU.S. decision could seriously affect U.S.-China relations.“It may affect Huawei’s bottom line and even survival, but it will definitely actually affect the future direction of the entire Sino-U.S. relationship,” said Jin. “The U.S. decision will surely open a Pandora’s box.”
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Malawi Electoral Commission Chairperson Resigns
The chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), Jane Ansah, has resigned just a month before the country conducts fresh elections. Her decision comes after months of protests organized by rights campaigners who accused her of mismanaging last year’s elections.Announcing her resignation on state television Thursday night, Ansah said her decision is not because of the pressure from protesters but in respect of the rule of law. Political analysts say her decision was long overdue.
Ansah’s resignation comes a few weeks after Malawi’s Supreme Court of Appeal upheld a Constitutional Court ruling that nullified last year’s elections in which President Peter Mutharika won a second term.Protesters rally against Jane Ansah in a street march in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe. (Lameck Masina/VOA)In its May 8 ruling, the Supreme Court found Ansah and her commissioners incompetent, citing massive irregularities including the use of correctional fluid.
However, Ansah said her resignation is not an admission of wrongdoing.
“In fact, I don’t regret. I did the best. I have worked very well, truthfully with clean hands and that’s it. I live full of confidence,” Ansah said.
Since June of last year, Ansah has been the target of protests calling for her resignation over her handling of last year’s disputed election.
However, Ansah, a judge at the High Court, said she did not bow to protesters’ demand, to avoid setting a bad precedent.
“In [the] future, if a judge is writing a judgment and you sit and there is uproar because of that judgment, and they demand that judge should resign. Should the judge resign? And not be heard? I believe democracy must be preserved in this country at any cost and that is why I did not resign,” Ansah said.
Political analyst Vincent Kondowe welcomed Ansah’s decision, but said she could have resigned soon after the Constitutional court’s judgment and not waited for the Supreme Court’s decision.In October of 2019, supporters of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party rallied against calls for the resignation of Jane Ansah. (Lameck Masina/VOA)“In the first place, the whole decision of the Electoral Commission, appealing, was in itself very ill conceived. They are a referee between political parties, so she was appealing on behalf of who?” Kondowe said.
Malawi is expected to conduct fresh elections on June 23 following the court order in February for a new poll within 150 days.
However, the election will now come nearly three weeks after the mandates of the rest of the election commissioners expire, June 5.
This means that Malawi’s President Mutharika should appoint another electoral commission to handle preparations for the fresh polls.
Government spokesperson Mark Botoman told VOA that Mutharika is yet to decide on the way forward.
“Let us wait and see on what the president is going to do. Obviously, we cannot preempt the decision whatever the president is going to make. But what is obvious is that we need commissioners to take care of the events around preparations for next elections, so let us wait and see,” Botoman said.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition which has been organizing demonstrations against Ansah says they are happy with her resignation and that they will continue pushing for the resignation of remaining commissioners.
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Zimbabwe Welcomes Removal of Its Banks from US Sanctions List
Zimbabwe welcomed the U.S. decision Thursday to remove two of its banks from the sanctions list, saying the move will allow them to easily obtain credit to address the country’s moribund economy.However, the ruling ZANU-PF party is calling for more from the U.S. and other Western countries that imposed the sanctions in 2002.The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control gave Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe and Agricultural Development Bank of Zimbabwe a clean bill of health. Mthuli Ncube, the country’s finance and economic development minister, could not hide his joy over the news to reporters in Harare. “Of course, any removal of any institution, especially a financial one, is very positive indeed,” he said. “This will help the bank access credit lines and remove any restrictions that pertain to KYC — know-your-customer — challenges, which is really what happens when a bank is on the spotlight, the way they were. Now that they [sanctions] have been lifted, the banks will find it easier to do business going forward. So this is a very welcome development indeed.” Tafadzwa Mugwadi, the director of information in the ruling ZANU-PF party, said the party is not satisfied, though President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s efforts to reengage the West are bearing fruit. “We are not happy as long as part of these sanctions, the major parts of these sanctions are still in place,” Mugwadi said. “Our position as ZANU-PF is that the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe from the United States of America have no place in this civilized world, so that the people of Zimbabwe can fully realize their full potential without any hinderances, so that the government can be measured on the basis of its capacity without these hinderances, without sanctions in place.” The U.S. and several Western countries and institutions, like the European Union, imposed sanctions on some state institutions and some senior party officials in 2002 following reports of election rigging and human rights abuses. Harare blames the sanctions for the country’s moribund economy, while critics blame bad government policies for causing the economy to catch a cold. People queue for cash at an ATM which dispensed the new Zimbabwean ten-dollar notes, in Harare, May 20, 2020. The higher denomination bank note was introduced to help ease perennial shortages of cash in the country.Rejoice Ngwenya, an independent political commentator, said the U.S. may have lifted sanctions on the two banks to help the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic but ruled out giving in to ZANU-PF demands. “The present government has not shown any appetite for reforms. Given their response to the abductions of the [opposition] MDC Alliance youth leaders, it would be really unlikely that the local American embassy recommend removal of any political leaders, unless those political leaders are targets of possible liberal reform,” Ngwenya said. The U.S. Embassy in Harare was not immediately available for a comment.Earlier this month, three members of Zimbabwe’s main opposition party were allegedly abducted and tortured after taking part in a protest demanding that the government pay those affected by the ongoing coronavirus lockdown. The government has said it is investigating the matter.
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