Thousands of Thai protesters chanting “down with dictatorship” and “the country belongs to the people” joined an anti-government demonstration in Bangkok on Sunday that was one of the biggest since a 2014 coup.Students have organized protests almost daily for the past month, but the latest drew wider support for the demands for the departure of former junta leader Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s government, a new constitution and an end to harrasing opposition activists.Some students have also called for reform of the monarchy — once a taboo subject.”We want a new election and a new parliament from the people,” student activist Patsalawalee Tanakitwiboonpon, 24, told the cheering crowd at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. “Lastly, our dream is to have a monarchy which is truly under the constitution.”Prayuth won elections last year that the opposition says were held under rules to ensure that he kept power. The most vocal opposition party was subsequently banned.Anger has further been fuelled by accusations of corruption, the arrest of some student leaders over earlier protests and the economic fallout from the coronavirus epidemic.Students have presented 10 reforms they seek to the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn — including curbing his powers over the constitution, the royal fortune and the armed forces.Thailand’s lese majeste law sets a penalty of up to 15 years for criticising the monarchy, but Prayuth has said the king requested that it not be used for now.Near the anti-government protest, several dozen royalists also held a demonstration, waving national flags and holding up gold-framed portraits of the king and other royals.”I don’t care if they protest against the government but they cannot touch the monarchy,” said Sumet Trakulwoonnoo, a leader of the royalist group, Coordination Center of Vocational Students for the Protection of National Institutions (CVPI).Before the 2014 coup, Bangkok was roiled by more than a decade of often violent clashes between yellow shirt royalist protesters and rival red shirts loyal to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but the new wave of protests has not been violent so far.”I am old now and can never achieve my goal,” said former red shirt Ueng Poontawee, 62. “Now there are new faces. I am very happy they came out.”Three student leaders have been charged over accusations of breaching restrictions in organising earlier protests. They have been released on bail, but police say arrest warrants have been issued for a further 12 protest leaders.In Taipei, a few dozen people demonstrated in support of the Thai campaigners.
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Month: August 2020
Секретна дискета, розгони мітингів, трупи та інші вологі мрії дегенерата екс-генпрокурора піскуна
Секретна дискета, розгони мітингів, трупи та інші вологі мрії дегенерата екс-генпрокурора піскуна.
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Подивився я інтерв’ю з радником генпрокурора хвойдою венедіктовою дегенератом піскуном, і це був повний треш!!!
Тому зробив для вас короткий розбір. Гадаю, це варто бачити українцям, бо те, що каже придурок піскун, він радить і хвойді венедіктовій. А від таких порад може залежати і наше життя.
Блог про українську політику та актуальні події в нашій країні
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Для байстрюка и кровавого маньяка луки готовят убежище в путляндии!
Для байстрюка и кровавого маньяка луки готовят убежище в путляндии!
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Последние новости путляндии и мира, экономика, бизнес, культура, технологии, спорт
Для распространения вашего видео или сообщения в Сети Правды пишите сюда, или на email: pravdaua@email.cz
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Вилка путляндии: у маньяка луки остаётся только два плохих варианта
Вилка путляндии: у маньяка луки остаётся только два плохих варианта.
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Для Украины, во время войны с путляндией, сейчас становится актуальным вопрос, каким образом возможное отстранение от власти маньяка луки способно повлиять на безопасность Украинского государства
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Санкції для кривавого луки, свіжі рейтинги, свіжі гривні, місце Притули. Огляд подій в Україні
Санкції для кривавого луки, свіжі рейтинги, свіжі гривні, місце Притули. Огляд подій в Україні
Для поширення вашого відео чи повідомлення в Мережі Правди пишіть сюди, або на email: pravdaua@email.cz
Найкращі пропозиції товарів і послуг в Мережі Купуй!
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Крушение фантазий: Эрдоган жестко обломал обиженного карлика пукина в Сирии
Крушение фантазий: Эрдоган жестко обломал обиженного карлика пукина в Сирии.
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Разведка отследила перемещение отпускников, а также их союзников в лице правительственной армии, и передала свои прогнозы нужным людям. В итоге спецам НАТО достаточно было осуществить точечные операции вблизи линии фронта, чтобы пресечь влажные мечты пукинской шайки
Для распространения вашего видео или сообщения в Сети Правды пишите сюда, или на email: pravdaua@email.cz
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Belarus Ambassador to Slovakia Declares Support for Protesters
Belarusian Ambassador to Slovakia Igor Leshchenya has expressed his support for protesters in an undated video published Saturday by Belarusian Nasha Niva media. “I stand in solidarity with those who came out on the streets of Belarusian cities with peaceful marches so that their voice could be heard,” Leshchenya said in the video. “The Belarusians have achieved this right through suffering.” People take part in an opposition demonstration to protest police violence and to reject the presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 14, 2020. The placard reads: “No to violence”.Belarusians have been protesting in the capital, Minsk, and other cities since election officials declared longtime authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko winner of the August 9 election, with over 80% of the votes against the main opposition candidate, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, with about 9.9%. Tsikhanouskaya has called for a “March of Freedom” through the center of Minsk, starting at 2 p.m., local time, Sunday. Thousands took to the streets of Minsk again Saturday, heeding Tsikhanouskaya’s call to supporters to rally over the weekend and press on with a movement that presents the biggest challenge to Lukashenko’s grip on power in 26 years, since 1994. Protesters also marched to the Belarusian state television center, complaining broadcasts are biased in favor Lukashenko and give a skewed image of the protests. About 100 staff members came out and joined the protest, saying they planned a strike Monday. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks at a meeting in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 14, 2020.Facing the biggest challenge to his rule under pressure to resign, Lukashenko called for help from Moscow in a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing the situation as “a threat not only to Belarus.”
Lukashenko told military chiefs later in the day that Putin had offered “comprehensive help” to “ensure the security of Belarus.” The Kremlin said in a statement that both presidents agreed the “problems” in Belarus would be “resolved soon” and the countries’ ties would strengthen.
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Saturday Protest in Portland Declared a Riot
Hours after a mostly peaceful protest began Saturday in Portland, in the Northwestern U.S. state of Oregon, police declared the demonstration a riot. Police in tactical gear used tear gas and flash bangs to break up the crowd. Oregonlive.com said, “Most of the officers appeared to be Portland police, although some wore grey jumpsuits. It was unclear what agency they represent.” The officers could be seen, in videos posted on Twitter, clashing with the demonstrators, ordering them out of the streets and onto the sidewalks around midnight.KGW-TV posted on its website that “journalists at the scene also caught” police “puncturing the tires of vehicles supporting” the protesters.The rally began in Laurelhurst Park in southeast Portland. The protesters headed toward the Penumbra Kelly building, a building that houses local law enforcement offices. Reports say the demonstration was declared a riot after some protesters moved onto Penumbra Kelly building property after warnings from police not to do so.Portland has seen 80 straight days of demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality, following the death of Geroge Floyd in Minneapolis, earlier this year.Floyd, who was Black, died after a white police officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd cried out that he could not breathe.Earlier Saturday in Portland, a right-wing group held a rally in support of the police. Counter demonstrators showed up and there were brief skirmishes between the two groups.There were reports that gunshots were fired from a car leaving a garage but there were no reports of injuries.
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Japan-Owned Oil Tanker Breaks Apart off Mauritius Coast
A Japanese bulk carrier that struck a coral reef last month off the Mauritius coast broke apart Saturday afternoon, the country’s National Crisis Committee said in a statement.Images taken by the Maxar satellite company showed the damage on the Japanese-owned MK Wakashio and the oil spill around the vessel.The ship hit the reef on July 25 and began spilling about 1,000 tons of oil, endangering corals, fish, and other marine life.Emergency teams were immediately sent to pump the remaining 3,000 tons of oil off the ship.As of Saturday, an estimated 90 tons of fuel oil was still on board, according to Mauritius authorities.Mauritius declared an environmental emergency last week.Some scientists called the accident the island’s worst ecological disaster but said the full impact of the oil spill is still to be determined.Mauritius government said in a statement Friday that it would seek compensation from “the owner and the insurer” of MK Wakashio owned by Nagashiki firm, for “all losses and damages” caused by the spill for the cost of the cleanup.The Japanese firm has pledged to “sincerely” respond to Mauritius’ request for compensations.
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US Scientists Say COVID Particles Can Spread as Much as 4.8 Meters from the Infected
U.S. scientists say they have isolated infectious particles of the coronavirus as much as 4.8 meters away from hospitalized patients.The scientists said the widely accepted 2-meter distance advised to observe social distancing provides a “false sense of security” and could result in large groups of people being exposed to the disease. The study, conducted at the university of Florida Health Shands Hospital, has not been peer reviewed.A saliva test to detect COVID-19 that was developed by Yale and paid for by the NBA won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval Saturday for emergency use.SalivaDirect, the fifth saliva test approved by the FDA for the disease, uses spit from people who think they have the coronavirus, People make their way along The Strip, the University of Alabama’s bar scene, Aug. 15, 2020, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. More than 20,000 students returned to campus for the first time since spring break.The decline, which occurred after months of increases in testing, may be linked to fewer people seeking tests as confirmed cases have leveled off following spikes this summer and people opting out of testing because of long wait times and delays in getting results.As of Sunday morning, there were more than 21 million COVID-19 cases worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 5.3 million cases were in the U.S., followed by Brazil, with 3.3 million.India said early Sunday it had 63,490 new reports of COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period, with 944 deaths.India’s has recorded more than 2.5 million infections and almost 50,000 deaths from the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University.Texas, one of the Sunbelt states hit hard by the coronavirus, has seen its average daily test number fall nearly 9% since the end of July, according to The COVID Tracking Project.While Texas has made some progress against the outbreak, deaths remain high, an average or more than 210 a day in the past 14 days, and the rolling average of people who test positive for the coronavirus is 16%. That positivity rate could be a sign that not enough tests are being done. A rate of less than 10% is one indicator of robust testing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.A visitor wearing a face mask walks near a banner showing precautions against the coronavirus at the Gyeongbok Palace, one of South Korea’s well-known landmarks, in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 16, 2020.In South Korea, more stringent social distancing restrictions were announced Saturday in Seoul and surrounding areas, where coronavirus cases have surged following successful efforts contain its spread. Beginning Sunday, nightclubs, movie theaters and other high-risk places will be closed if they do not enforce preventive measures.In Spain, dozens of people in Barcelona’s Torre Baro community were tested for COVID-19 Saturday after a spike in cases in the working-class neighborhood. Health officials hope to identify asymptomatic cases in hard-hit areas to break any chains of transmission.Also, in Italy, the cruise ship MSC Grandiosa will begin a voyage to the Mediterranean on Sunday, after it and four other cruise ships were idled by the coronavirus pandemic in Civitavecchia, one of the world’s busiest ports.The five ships can hold a total of 26,000 people. The four other ships will also resume operations soon, positioning Italy as the epicenter of an effort to resume cruises worldwide.
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7 Ways COVID-19 has Changed Politics
No roaring crowd will welcome former Vice President Joe Biden’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, and he may have to keep proper social distance from his vice presidential running mate, Kamala Harris.President Donald Trump, likewise, will not get the arena full of supporters he wanted at the Republican Party convention the following week — complete with colorful balloons cascading from the rafters. He may deliver his acceptance speech from the White House.Packing thousands of cheering, shouting party faithful indoors during a global respiratory pandemic would not be a good idea, both parties concluded. The speeches, parties and fundraisers are going virtual.Beginning Monday, the Democrats will hold four nights of televised speeches and party events from remote spots after abandoning Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as its convention city. The following Monday, August 24, several hundred Republican officials and delegates will gather briefly in Charlotte, North Carolina, to formally nominate Trump for a second term before departing.The disruptions of the biggest spectacles in American politics are just the latest symptoms of a political season upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Big rallies are canceled, as are the smaller fairs, festivals and farmers markets where politicians and party workers normally would be out canvassing.Traditional door-knocking, fundraising cocktail parties, handshaking and kissing of babies have largely gone by the wayside for now, and some of those practices may ultimately vanish. The 2020 pandemic-era election (hopefully) will be a unique experience. But some lessons are likely to carry over.For one, the conventions as grand events “may be a thing of the past,” American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Karlyn Bowman said.”People have argued that conventions are overrated, that they’re not that meaningful. People have argued that in-person rallies are not that meaningful,” senior fellow John Hudak at the Brookings Institution said. “We’re going to see whether that’s true or not this year.”After every election, experts try to parse out what worked and what didn’t. This year’s massive “natural experiment” is unique, Hudak said. “2020 is going to let us ask and answer a lot of really important questions about what is meaningful in a campaign.”Here are seven ways COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has changed the 2020 election so far.1. The top issueFor many voters, COVID-19 has changed what the election is about.Trump’s reelection campaign began the year with a tailwind. Unemployment was low and the economy was strong.”He could point to positive economic numbers and peace and prosperity,” said Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.”COVID-19 changed all that.”Unemployment has risen to Great Depression levels, and the economy has contracted sharply. With more than 5.2 million cases and 166,000 deaths from the ailment, most voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the pandemic. Without the economy to run on, critics have said the president has struggled to articulate an argument for reelection.2. Shrunken conventionsThe usual theatrics of the party conventions will be scaled down dramatically, but experts say it may not make much of a difference.The conventions typically boost each candidate’s poll numbers a bit, but the “convention bump” usually is temporary, Bowman said.”I don’t think it has much of an impact on the final outcome,” she added.The impact could be even smaller this year because many voters have already made up their minds, Kondik noted. “All the partisans on both sides are pretty well lined up behind their respective party nominees.”The impacts may be greater for the parties themselves. The conventions are big fundraising events. Also, party activists will miss out on the bonding and “organic conversations” about goals and strategies that would happen at an in-person event, Hudak added.3. Canceled campaigningLike the conventions, big, in-person rallies may do more to fire up partisans than sway undecided voters.”Campaigns are going to need to figure out some other means of generating that enthusiasm,” Hudak said.Losing campaign rallies may hurt Trump more than Biden, he added. Trump enjoys and draws energy from them.”Not having those rallies, I think, not only hurts his ability to generate enthusiasm within his base,” he said, “I think it actually affects him personally.”The Biden campaign may suffer less from canceled rallies but more from the loss of in-person, hands-on campaigning. Biden is “sometimes accused of being a little too touchy-feely in his interactions with people,” Kondik said. “But he’s known as being kind of a warm person and someone who gets close to people, and he just can’t do that.”4. Virtual fundraisingNot only has the coronavirus canceled in-person campaigning, it has moved fund-raising online, too. No more pricey dinners with a chance to get close to the candidate. Donors have to settle for online video chats instead.It doesn’t seem to have hurt.”I see very little impact whatsoever on fundraising,” Bowman said.Neither party is hurting for cash. The candidates and their backers have raised more than $1.6 billion so far, according to a tally by National Public Radio.5. Get-out-the-vote drivesNormally, armies of campaign workers would be fanning out across the country to knock on doors and encourage voters to go to the polls. Those activities have been scaled way back. For example, many labor unions, which usually would provide legions of workers to back Democratic campaigns, have canceled in-person get-out-the-vote activities.While both parties are leaning heavily on television, mail and digital advertising, the Trump campaign is still out knocking on doors. Republicans generally have shown less concern about the pandemic.Door-knocking has a small but significant effect on voter turnout, Kondik said, and “sometimes the margins are what decide presidential elections.”6. Voter registrationVoter registration drives have been largely grounded, too. After starting the year stronger than 2016, registrations dropped sharply in March and April, according to a study of 12 states and the District of Columbia.The study notes that most people register to vote at their local Department of Motor Vehicles, and the pandemic closed many DMV offices.Person-to-person registration drives at festivals, supermarkets, busy street corners and other public locations have also been sharply curtailed.Those efforts “have significant effects not only on how many people vote, but who votes,” Hudak said, adding, “And doing away with that can have some pretty significant effects.”Both parties feel the effects, he added, so it’s hard to know what the net impact will be.7. Vote by mailMany states are embracing mail-in ballots as a safer alternative to in-person voting. Trump has claimed, repeatedly and without evidence, that it will lead to widespread fraud.As a result, Republican voters are much less supportive of casting ballots by mail.With unprecedented numbers of absentee ballots expected to be cast this election, “that can have some really challenging effects for not just the president, but down-ballot Republicans, as well,” Hudak said, referring to others on the ballot.It also could make for a confusing Election Day.”If a lot of Republicans are voting on Election Day and those votes are tallied first, it may look like Donald Trump is leading in the state, when in fact, he might ultimately end up losing the state,” Kondik said.Sorting it out could take days or weeks, during which time, Kondik worries, conspiracy theories could proliferate.”I think it’s important that we all communicate to voters that we may not know (the outcome) on election night the way that we’re used to in the past. And there’s nothing inherently nefarious about that,” he said.
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South Korea, US Delay Military Drills Over COVID-19 Concerns
South Korea and the United States will start their annual joint military drills on Tuesday in what local media said was a two-day delay after a South Korean officer tested positive for the new coronavirus.The drills will start on Tuesday, “considering the COVID-19 situation,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Sunday.The training, which had been scheduled to begin on Sunday, was pushed back after the positive test on Friday of the army officer, who was to have taken part, Yonhap News Agency said.The combined drills are closely monitored by North Korea, which calls them a “rehearsal for war.” They have been reduced in recent years to facilitate U.S. negotiations aimed at dismantling Pyongyang’s nuclear programs.This year’s exercises will be scaled down, not mobilizing U.S.-based troops amid COVID-19 restrictions on the travel of U.S. personnel to South Korea.This year’s program, running to August 28, will focus on a “combined defense posture,” while exercises for the transition of wartime operational control on the Korean peninsula will be “partly conducted,” the joint chiefs said in a statement.This could delay President Moon Jae-in’s plan to take over wartime operational control from the United States before his term ends in 2022, experts say.South Korea and the United States had canceled their springtime drills due to the pandemic.
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USAGM Honors VOA Polish Broadcaster Zofia Korbonska
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of Zofia Korbonska, a member of the anti-Nazi resistance movement who later immigrated to the United States as a political refugee from Soviet Communism and long served the Voice of America (VOA) Polish service.Born in Warsaw in 1912, Korbonska (née Ristau) was a member of the Polish Underground Army, which fought against the Nazis. Daily, she risked her life writing and coding secret shortwave radio transmissions sent from Poland to the Polish government-in-exile in London. A number of her dispatches that reached the free world were broadcast back into occupied Europe by the BBC. They broke news about Gestapo murders of the Polish intelligentsia, Nazi extermination of Polish Jews, and medical experiments on women prisoners at concentration camp.In addition to her clandestine radio work, Korbonska was also a partner in the work of her husband, Stefan Korbonski, the leader of Poland’s anti-Nazi civil resistance and the last head of the Polish Underground State. (He was later honored in 1980 by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations for taking great risks to save Jews.) Shortly after the end of World War Two, Korbonska and Korbonski were arrested in Poland by the NKVD Soviet secret police but were released after several lengthy interrogations. Fearing another arrest, they escaped to Sweden in 1947, hiding in a ship transporting coal.After they found refuge in the United States, Korbonska was hired by VOA in 1948 on the recommendation of former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Arthur Bliss Lane. She worked first in New York and later in Washington, D.C., using the pen name “Zofia Orłowska” to protect her family and friends in Poland. She continued to serve VOA for over three decades, writing and recording occasional programs in the 1980s even after her retirement.In 2006, Korbonska was awarded the title of honorary citizen of the capital city of Warsaw. She also received from the president of Poland one of the country’s most prestigious civilian awards. She died in Washington, D.C., on August 16, 2010. Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter, delivered a eulogy at her funeral, in which he stated, “Zofia Korbonska — heroically brave in battle, prudent in political exile — was an example of what a dedicated and successful service in a great cause entails.”The U.S. Agency for Global Media and VOA will always honor Zofia Korbonska and all of their journalists, past and present, whose reporting has advanced freedom and democracy.
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Trump to Withdraw Pendley’s Nomination as Public Lands Chief
President Donald Trump intends to withdraw the nomination of William Perry Pendley to head the Bureau of Land Management, a senior administration official said Saturday — much to the relief of environmentalists who insisted the longtime advocate of selling federal lands should not be overseeing them.Pendley, a former oil industry and property rights attorney from Wyoming, has been acting as the director of the agency for more than a year under a series of temporary orders from Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. Democrats alleged the temporary orders were an attempt to skirt the nomination process, and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and conservation groups have filed lawsuits to have Pendley removed from office.Trump announced Pendley’s nomination to become the bureau’s director in June. A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, confirmed Saturday that the president intended to withdraw that nomination.“Good!” Bullock, a Democrat, tweeted Saturday. “William Perry Pendley wants to sell off our public lands – and has no business being in charge of them.”The bureau oversees nearly a quarter-billion public acres in the U.S. West and much of the nation’s onshore oil and gas development.The White House did not offer an explanation for the decision, which is not expected to become official until the Senate returns to session. The Interior Department said in a statement that the president makes staffing decisions and that Pendley continues leading the agency as deputy director for programs and policy.Pendley, who in a 2017 essay argued that the “Founding Fathers intended all lands owned by the federal government to be sold,” spent three decades as president of the nonprofit Mountain States Legal Foundation, which has worked on behalf of ranchers, oil and gas drillers, miners and others seeking to use public lands for commercial gain.Among the cases Pendley worked on was one challenging grizzly bear protections on national forest land. In another, he sought to validate an energy developer’s claim to drill for oil on land considered sacred by the Blackfeet Indian Tribe near Glacier National Park in Montana. A federal appeals court rejected the effort two months ago.The author of books that include “War on the West: Government Tyranny on America’s Great Frontier,” he has criticized environmentalists as extremists and expressed support for Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, whose family has engaged in armed standoffs with federal agents.In his announcement of the nomination, Trump said Pendley had “worked to increase recreational opportunities on and access to our Nation’s public lands, heighten concern for the impact of wild horses and burros on public lands, and increase awareness of the Bureau’s multiple-use mission.”The Interior Department has disputed the notion that Pendley wants to sell off federal lands, saying the Bureau of Land Management has acquired 25,000 acres under his leadership.While acting as director, Pendley has overseen the relocation of most of the bureau’s jobs from Washington to various locations in the West, including its new headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado — a move conservationists consider an effort to weaken the agency.The agency has also sought to ease rules for oil and gas drilling that were adopted under the Obama administration. One recent proposal, which would streamline requirements for measuring and reporting oil and gas produced from federal land, is projected to save energy companies more than $130 million over the next decade.“William Perry Pendley has been unfit to lead the Bureau of Land Management every day since he was appointed acting director in 2019,” Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said in an emailed statement. “The fact that he was nominated this June and not withdrawn until millions of Americans and elected officials spoke out illustrates the wrongheaded priorities of this administration.”Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, called for the Trump administration to remove Pendley from his job as acting director of the agency.“Withdrawing William Perry Pendley’s nomination confirms he couldn’t even survive a confirmation process run by the president’s allies in the Senate. Keeping him on the job anyway shows the depth of disdain Secretary Bernhardt and President Trump have for the Constitution,” Rakola said. “The Bureau of Land Management director is a Senate-confirmed position for a reason. Whoever is in charge of one-tenth of all lands in America must be approved by the Senate, and these bald-faced attempts to evade the Senate’s advice-and-consent duties cannot stand.”
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Masks Hold Images of Pandemic, Hong Kong Protests
In one of Edmond Kok’s creations, a 3D visualization of a spiky coronavirus bursts out of a face mask. Another mask uses a plastic takeout container to remind people of the environmental cost of food deliveries.A design inspired by a Thai temple symbolizes people missing their favorite holiday destinations because of travel restrictions.Edmond Kok, a Hong Kong theater costume designer and actor, wears a rubber duck face mask in Hong Kong, Aug. 6, 2020.A Hong Kong actor and costume designer, Kok has had little theater work during the pandemic but found creative opportunity in the now-ubiquitous face mask.He has crafted more than 170 masks inspired both by the pandemic and Hong Kong’s political problems.They’re not worn as illness prevention but as pieces of art.Kok’s creations also address fears in Hong Kong that China is taking away the greater freedoms that residents of the territory have compared to the mainland. Under a new national security law, people have been arrested for displaying or chanting slogans deemed as advocating independence from China.Edmond Kok, a Hong Kong theater costume designer and actor, wears a face mask modeled on a clown face and bow tie in Hong Kong, Aug. 6, 2020.A mock gloved hand covers one mask, illustrating the struggle to express one’s voice freely. A security camera represents a fear of surveillance, and eyeballs, a fear of being watched or censored.“I really want to document different things that happened in our lives,” he said.After the pandemic ends, Kok hopes he and others will revisit their experiences through his masks. He has posted photos of them on Instagram and other social media platforms. Edmond Kok, a Hong Kong theater costume designer and actor, wears a face mask designed to look like fruits in Hong Kong Aug. 6, 2020.
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Botswana Lifts Lockdown in Capital Despite Worrying Rise in COVID-19 Cases
The two-week coronavirus lockdown in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, ended Friday, following an announcement from the nation’s health minister, Dr. Lemogang Kwape,The decision was made despite a rise in local transmissions since August 1.“Since then, the number of cases has been increasing despite the lockdown,” Kwape said. “Of special importance is for all of us to note that we are registering a lot of high numbers, [more] than our country can cope with. Moreover, there is a clear indication of local transmission.”Kwape said there were 203 new coronavirus cases registered in the last two weeks. One death was recorded, bringing the number of COVID-19-related deaths to three since the outbreak.Kwape acknowledged there were economic considerations in lifting the lockdown.“To come out of this lockdown while cases continue to escalate is a precarious situation,” Kwape said. “This development has the potential to be dangerous if we do not have the appropriate controls and measures in place. At the same time the government recognizes our lives must continue and we have to live with the disease. But that said we must continue to put our health ahead of other considerations.”Economic analyst Lawrence Ookeditse argues there is a need to balance the health of the nation against economic considerations.“There were health considerations, yes,” he said. “That is paramount. But we know that people need to make a living and they cannot be kept at homes forever. We need to find ways to survive in the midst of this pandemic. It is a Catch-22 situation, but the economy has to be taken into consideration as well.”Street hawker Bakang Marumo welcomed the lifting of the lockdown. He said without government food parcels, they were starving.“We appreciate that the lockdown has been lifted,” he said. “At the same time, while there is fear that we might contract the virus, there is little option but to co-exist with the virus. Our livelihoods are at risk. We have to find a way of making a living during this time.”In lifting the lockdown, authorities maintained some restrictions. Gatherings of more than two people remain illegal, while Gaborone schools will open in a phased manner starting Tuesday.Schools remain open elsewhere in Botswana.Meanwhile, travel between zones within the country requires a permit. Authorities might require a COVID-19 test for those who travel through what are considered red zones.
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Trump Says Will Try ‘Snapback’ to Force Return of UN Iran Sanctions
U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he will try a controversial “snapback” to force a return of U.N. sanctions against Iran, after the Security Council rejected Washington’s bid to extend the arms embargo against the Islamic republic.
“We’ll be doing a snapback,” the president said, referring to the contested argument that the U.S. remains a participant in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — despite Trump’s withdrawal from it — and therefore can force a return to sanctions if it sees Iran as being in violation of its terms.
The president said the U.S. will make its move next week.
Trump also said at the press conference at his private golf course at Bedminster, New Jersey, he would “probably not” participate in the 5 + 1 summit with Iran proposed by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Putin called Friday for an online summit of the leaders of the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany and Iran over a possible extension of the international embargo on arms sales in Tehran.
It was in this so-called 5 + 1 configuration that the Iran nuclear agreement was negotiated and concluded with Iran, which Trump then denounced.
“Probably not, I think we will wait until after the election,” Trump said when asked about his possible participation in this summit.
The Trump administration’s defeat Friday at the Security Council highlighted its isolation on Iran since Trump withdrew from the accord in 2018.
Only two of the Council’s 15 members voted in favor of the U.S. resolution.
Washington’s European allies all abstained, Russia and China voted against it, and Iran mocked the Trump administration for winning the support of just one other country, the Dominican Republic.
Trump argued Saturday that Iran was a “different ballgame” now and that the country no longer has the funds to sponsor terror.
“Iran wants me to lose so badly” in November’s presidential election, he added.
If Trump follows through, the snapback could plunge the Council into one of its worst diplomatic crises, experts warn.
European allies have been skeptical on whether Washington can force sanctions and say the attempt may delegitimize the Security Council.
The embargo on conventional arms is to expire on Oct. 18.
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Belarus Leader Says Russia Willing to Help Counter Protests
Thousands of demonstrators in Belarus took to the streets again Saturday to demand that the country’s authoritarian leader resign after a presidential vote they called fraudulent. In response, the president declared that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed to provide security assistance to restore order if Belarus requested it.President Alexander Lukashenko spoke Saturday evening several hours after a phone call with Putin as he struggled to counter the biggest challenge yet to his 26 years in power.Saturday was the seventh consecutive day of large protests against the results of the country’s Aug. 9 presidential election in which election officials claimed the 65-year-old Lukashenko won a sixth term in a landslide. Opposition supporters believe the election figures were manipulated and say protesters have been beaten mercilessly by police since the vote.Harsh police crackdowns against the protesters, including the detention of about 7,000 people, have not quashed the most sustained anti-government movement since Lukashenko took power in 1994. The demonstrators rallied Saturday at the spot in the capital of Minsk where a protester died this week in clashes with police. Some male protesters pulled off their shirts to show bruises they said came from police beatings. Others carried pictures of loved ones beaten so badly they could not attend the rally.People hold old Belarusian national flags while gathered at the place where Alexander Taraikovsky died during clashes protesting election results, in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 15, 2020.Lukashenko did not specify what sort of assistance Russia would be willing to provide. But he said, “when it comes to the military component, we have an agreement with the Russian Federation,” referring to a mutual support deal the two former Soviet republics signed back in the 1990s.”These are the moments that fit this agreement,” he added.Both the European Union and the U.S. government say the presidential election in Belarus was flawed. Lukashenko’s main opponent in the vote, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, fled to Lithuania the day after the election, knowing that several previous presidential challengers have been jailed for years on charges that supporters say were trumped up. Other potential challengers, blocked by election officials from running, fled the country before the vote.A funeral was held Saturday for Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester who died Monday in the capital of Minsk under disputed circumstances. Belarusian police said he died when an explosive device he intended to throw at police blew up in his hand.But his partner, Elena German, told The Associated Press that when she saw his body in a morgue Friday, his hands showed no damage and he had a perforation in his chest that she believes is a bullet wound.Hundreds of people came to pay their last respects to Taraikovsky, who lay in an open casket. As the coffin was carried out, many dropped to one knee, weeping and exclaiming “Long live Belarus!”Video shot by an Associated Press journalist on Monday shows Taraikovsky with a bloodied shirt before collapsing on the ground. Several police are seen nearby and some walk over to where Taraikovsky is lying on the street and stand around him. The video does not show why he fell to the ground or how his shirt became bloodied, but it also does not show that he had an explosive device that blew up in his hand as the government has said.About 5,000 demonstrators gathered Saturday in the area where Taraikovsky died. They laid a mass of flowers in tribute, piling into a mound about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall, as passing cars blared their horns.”It’s awful to live in a country where you can be killed at a peaceful protest. I will leave, if power isn’t changed,” said 30-year-old demonstrator Artem Kushner.Men carry a coffin with the body of Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old demonstrator who died Aug. 10, 2020, amid clashes while protesting election results, during his funeral ceremony in central Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 15, 2020.Earlier Saturday, Lukashenko rejected suggestions that foreign mediators become involved in trying to resolve the country’s political crisis. “Listen — we have a normal country, founded on a constitution. We don’t need any foreign government, any sort of mediators, ” Lukashenko said at a meeting with Defense Ministry officials. He appeared to be referring to an offer from the leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to help resolve the political crisis in Belarus, a nation of 9.5 million people.But he did discuss the situation in a call Saturday with Putin, the first publicly known direct contact between the two leaders since the election. A Kremlin statement said Putin and Lukashenko both expressed hope for a quick resolution to the tensions.”It is important that these problems are not used by destructive forces aimed at causing injury to the cooperation of the two countries in the framework of the union state,” the Kremlin said.Russia and Belarus reached an agreement in 1997 about closer ties between the neighboring ex-Soviet countries in a union that stopped short of a full merger, although that has collided with recent disputes between the countries and Lukashenko’s suspicions that Putin’s government wants to absorb Belarus. Protests about the political crisis in Belarus were also held Saturday in the Czech Republic and in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Moscow.The brutal suppression of protests in Belarus has drawn harsh criticism in the West. European Union foreign ministers said Friday that they rejected the election results in Belarus and began drawing up a list of officials in Belarus who could face sanctions over their role in the crackdown on protesters.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that he was glad to see that some protesters in Belarus had been freed but that it was not enough. He also said the presidential election in Belarus fell short of democratic standards. “We’ve said the elections themselves (in Belarus) weren’t free. I’ve spent the last days consulting with our European partners,” he said Saturday at a news conference in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart.”Our common objective is to support the Belarusian people. These people are demanding the same things that every human being wants,” Pompeo said. “We urged the leadership to broaden the circle to engage with civil society.”
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Malawi President Pardons Prisoners to Reduce COVID-19 Spread
Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera pardoned 499 inmates Friday as part of an effort to deal with COVID-19 inside the country’s overcrowded prisons. But rights activists say the number of pardoned prisoners is too low. The action comes a few days after prisoner rights groups wrote President Lazarus Chakwera asking him to consider releasing some prisoners to decongest prisons.
Malawi’s prisons recently reported an increase in COVID-19 cases that forced authorities to suspend family visits with inmates.
Malawi President Introduces Award for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19 Chakwera says 5 health workers nominated by various medical associations will be receiving the award every three months, but health workers say awarding only 5 people is not good enough Chimwemwe Shaba is the national spokesperson for Malawi Prison Services. He told VOA Saturday the situation continues to deteriorate.
“Currently the national tally is at 155 positive [cases] of COVID-19. However, we have registered two deaths” Shaba said. “And out of the 155 figure, 21 are [prison] officers and the rest are inmates.”
Shaba says prisoners will be released after special consideration, regardless of their COVID-19 status.
“These are prisoners who have committed trivial offenses, and they served half of their sentences, and in the course of serving half of their sentences, they have displayed reformative behavior” Shaba said.
Malawi prisons hold 14,000 inmates, which is almost triple the recommended capacity of 5,000 prisoners.
Victor Mhango is executive director for the Center for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance in Malawi, and he is among seven rights campaigners calling for further decongestion of the prisons.
He says he welcomes the pardons but with reservations.
“In terms of figures, we are not happy. We feel that figure is just a small figure that cannot change anything. According to the World Health Organization, at least people should be one meter apart,” Mhango said. “That is the spacing we will also require in prison because the world health organization did not say that this one is only for applying to people outside the prison.” Malawi’s Home Affairs minister, Richard Chikwanda Banda, told VOA that creating recommended space in prisons cannot happen overnight.
He says that instead, the president also has reduced sentences for every prisoner by six months — a move he says will gradually help reduce the prison population.
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Trump Defends Postmaster, Says He’s Making Post Office ‘Great Again’
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is trying to make the U.S. Postal Service great again, President Donald Trump said Saturday, defending the man accused of gutting the Postal Service to help the president win reelection in November.
Trump made the remarks during a press conference at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.On one hand, the president endorsed DeJoy, a wealthy Republican donor, calling him a “very talented man” who is trying to “stop the tremendous losses that have taken place for many, many years.”On the other hand, when asked about the DeJoy’s cost-cutting measures that have prompted concerns about delivery delays, Trump said “I don’t know what he’s doing.”
“I didn’t speak to him about it,” he said at another point.Asked about resources for the Postal Service, the president said congressional Democrats are blocking a cash infusion.In fact, Democrats have been pushing to hand extra money to the Postal Service to help handle high-than-usual influx of ballots expected ahead of November’s election.FILE – U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, left, is escorted to a meeting in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Aug. 5, 2020.On Friday, the Postal Service said it couldn’t guarantee that every ballot cast by mail will arrive in time to be counted for the November election. Meanwhile, voters and lawmakers in several states are complaining about the removal of curbside mailboxes.
While the letters the Postal Service sent to the states raise the possibility that the mailed-in votes of many Americans will not be counted, that is not the intent, DeJoy said in his own letter to Democratic congressional leaders.
The post office is merely “asking elected officials and voters to realistically consider how the mail works, and be mindful of our delivery standards, in order to provide voters ample time to cast ballots through the mail,” wrote DeJoy.
The inspector general of the Postal Service has begun looking into some of the measures that DeJoy has implemented to cut costs, including ending overtime pay and holding mail over, a congressional aide said Friday.
The watchdog also will investigate possible conflicts of interest.FILE – A worker processes mail-in ballots at the Bucks County Board of Elections office prior to a primary election in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, May 27, 2020.DeJoy has donated $2.7 million to Trump and his fellow Republicans, according to Saloni Sharma, a spokeswoman for Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who sought the investigation.
According to a financial disclosure form filed by his wife, DeJoy owns millions of dollars in stock in Postal Service rivals.
Early Saturday, a small crowd noisily protested outside DeJoy’s Washington condo saying they are concerned that he is gutting the Postal Service to help Trump win reelection in November.
The protesters blew vuvuzelas, banged pots and pans, and waved signs saying, “Postmaster Saboteur,” “LET AMERICA VOTE” and “Deliver DeMail, Depose DeJoy.” One of DeJoy’s neighbors joined in, waving from her window at the protesters below.#Election2020@USPShttps://t.co/IpDu6kHQIR— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) August 15, 2020Though President Trump votes by mail, he has often criticized efforts to allow others to do so. He has argued without evidence that voting by mail will lead to increased voter fraud that could cost him the election.
In Nevada, the state’s vote-by-mail law allows anyone to collect and return ballots on a voter’s behalf. Trump’s reelection campaign, the Republican National Committee and Nevada GOP filed a lawsuit last week to strike down the law over that provision.
More than half of the states allow a third party to collect ballots, called “ballot harvesting,” something Republicans argue makes fraud and illegal voting easier. Political groups and campaigns from both parties use such programs to boost turnout and help voters who are older, homebound or disabled return their ballot.
Voter fraud is rare in all forms of voting, including by mail, election security experts say.Trump Opposes New Postal Funding Because It Would Boost Mail-in VotingUS leader claims Democrats’ push for expanded voting would be thwarted if more Postal Service money is deniedA 2018 congressional election in North Carolina is one of the few examples. A state investigation found that a Republican political operative illegally gathered ballots and workers testified that they were directed to collect blank or incomplete ballots, forge signatures and fill in votes. Officials overturned the election.
Meanwhile, the Postal Service removed several curbside mailboxes in Oregon and Montana, triggering concern and anger.
In Montana, officials said the boxes were removed to eliminate underused drop boxes. But after the outcry, which included upset members of Congress, the officials said they were suspending the program in Montana.
In Oregon, Postal Service spokesperson Ernie Swanson said the boxes were removed there because of declining mail volume.
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Huge Protests Continue in Russia’s Khabarovsk Over Arrest of Ex-Governor
Huge crowds took to the streets of the Russian city of Khabarovsk Saturday in continued protests following the arrest of former governor Sergey Furgal.Since his arrest on July 9, residents have demonstrated daily in the city, with attendance significantly increasing on weekends.”I do not agree with this government’s course, this is a criminal government, they rob our cities, our regions,” said Elvira, a protester. “I’m against Moscow. All evil comes from the Kremlin.”The governor was arrested by federal law enforcement officers on charges related to murders in 2004 and 2005. He was flown to Moscow, where he was ordered jailed for two months.Furgal, a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, has denied the charges.The protesters in the Far East city near the border with China, 6,100 kilometers east of Moscow, believe the charges leveled against him are politically motivated.Khabarovsk protesters also expressed support for the opposition in Belarus, where election officials declared longtime authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko the winner of the August 9 election.”We are very worried about them (Belarusian people),” said Oleg, a businessman who wouldn’t give his last name. “The things president Lukashenko gets away with there – well, president for now still – are just totally unacceptable, you can’t do that to your own people. (Reporter: Do you think they will succeed?) I think so. But it will take time, not so fast.”The Belarusian Central Election Commission said on Monday that after all ballots were counted, Lukashenko took 80.23% of the votes and the main opposition candidate, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had 9.9% of the vote.”I’ve never actually been to Belarus, it’s just that I understand we have a common historical past, which connects us,” said Yelizaveta Lipatova, an engineer. “Our political systems grew up side by side as well in the 90s and before that. And so I believe we have to follow each other closely, support each other, not lose sight of each other. I think that Belarusians are doing great, and we can learn a lot from them.” Some rally participants did not give their last names for fear of being arrested later.Aleksei Vorsin, Khabarovsk’s regional campaign chief for opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was detained Saturday after calling for a strike.
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Кровавый лука выступил с тупым заявлением, в котором пригрозил белорусам нищетой. А избранный президент Беларуси Светлана Тихановская призвала мэров городов организовать мирные собрания в ближайшие выходные с требованием провести открытый пересчет голосов
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Неожиданный поворот: новые детали бейрутского бабаха
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Между прочим, на фото и видео, полученных из эпицентра взрыва, специалисты уже приходят к выводу о том, что вся эпопея действительно началась в подземной инфраструктуре, расположенной под складами
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Плохое начало Су-57: первый “мелкосерийный” истребитель разбился, а второй так и недостроили…
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