Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has chosen California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated for a major party’s ticket.“I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate,” Biden tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “Together, with you, we’re going to beat Trump.”Harris was one of nearly two dozen presidential candidates who challenged Biden for the 2020 Democratic nomination.After winning enough primaries to secure the nomination, Biden promised to pick a female vice presidential candidate. There was much speculation he would choose a Black woman to run with him.Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris shake hands before the start of the second night of the second 2020 presidential Democratic candidates debate in Detroit, July 31, 2019.Harris, 55, was born in California to a Jamaican-born father and an Indian American mother. She gained prominence after she was elected California’s attorney general in 2010, winning the praise of civil rights activists for refusing to defend the state’s Proposition 8 ballot that banned same-sex marriage.Her presidential campaign faded quickly when many progressives and liberals questioned her staunch support for law enforcement while attorney general. She was accused of being out of touch over issues of police violence — questions that are bound to be raised again as Americans protest police brutality against Black people and other people of color.According to some polls, many Black voters hoped Biden would choose the more progressive Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as his running mate.Harris is the third woman to run for vice president on a major party ticket.Democrat Geraldine Ferraro was Walter Mondale’s running mate in 1984 when they lost by a landslide to the Republican ticket of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin ran with Republican John McCain in 2008 but lost to Democrats Barack Obama and Biden.
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Month: August 2020
Five US States Holding Tuesday Elections
Five U.S. states are holding an array of elections on Tuesday, with Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a staunch critic of President Donald Trump, facing a stiff challenge in a Democratic primary in her Minneapolis district.Omar, a Somali American, is one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress. She is seeking nomination for a second two-year term against Antone Melton-Meaux, a Black lawyer who, like Omar, has raised more than $4 million in campaign funds but has outdistanced her in recent weeks.Omar is one of four Democratic congresswomen of color who call themselves The Squad. They have often derided Trump during his three-and-a-half years in the White House, while also at times clashing with Democratic leaders over policies they do not consider progressive enough.Fifth Congressional District candidate, Democrat Antone Melton-Meaux, answers questions during an interview in his Minneapolis office, July 22, 2020.Melton-Meaux has cast Omar as too controversial for her congressional district, but Omar has won the support of other House Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.Both Omar and Melton-Meaux describe themselves as progressives but differ in their stance on Israel. Omar supports the effort to divest from the Jewish state over its treatment of the Palestinians, while Melton-Meaux has won the support of several pro-Israel groups.Voters are also casting ballots in local, state and congressional races in Connecticut, Wisconsin, Vermont and Georgia.In the southern state of Georgia, Republicans are awaiting the outcome of a congressional primary contest that includes Marjorie Taylor Greene, a gun rights activist and staunch supporter of QAnon, a far-right group that believes a “deep state” of people are working to undermine Trump’s presidency. She is opposed by John Cowan, a conservative physician who does not believe the QAnon conspiracy theories.The winner of the Greene-Cowan contest is almost assured of winning election to Congress from the heavily Republican district.
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Arrest of Hong Kong Tabloid Owner Makes Front Page News
Crackdowns against pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong took a very public turn this week. Authorities arrested a tabloid owner, marching him in front of cameras through the newspaper’s printing operation in what has been widely decried as a blow to free speech. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.Produced by: Arash Arabasadi
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70 Killed in South Sudan’s Warrap State Inter-communal Fighting
JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN / NEW YORK – More than 70 people were killed and dozens injured in clashes involving soldiers and civilians in South Sudan’s Warrap state over the weekend, according to local and U.N. officials. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) received the casualty reports from authorities in Tonj East County. “The violence was sparked by a disagreement over a disarmament exercise being conducted in the area,” he said. “During the fighting, the local market in [the town of] Romic was reportedly looted and some shops were burned to the ground. Many women and children fled in fear of their lives.” Dujarric said U.N. peacekeeping was on its way to the area to assess the security situation.The executive director for Tonj East County, Makuei Mabior, told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus that an argument erupted between a small group of youths and soldiers in the Romic market, after a soldier ordered a young man to remove a red piece of cloth from his head, a cloth commonly worn by cattle camp youth. “A small fight started. Bystanders rushed in and convinced them to stop and take the youth to the police but soon after that the soldiers cocked their guns and started shooting, killing the youth and other civilians in the market,” Mabior told VOA. South Sudan Army spokesman Major General Lul Ruai Koang disputed that claim, saying the fighting was triggered by armed youths who attacked a police post in an attempt to free their detained relatives. “On the night of August 8th, these armed civilians commonly known as Gelweng mobilized themselves in large numbers and in the morning attacked our defensive position at Romic, so that was the start of the fighting,” Koang told the program. Casualties were heavy on both sides, Mabior said. “On the side of Gelweng youths, apart from those missing, we are getting 46 deaths, 93 wounded. The soldiers are 34,” Mabior told VOA. Major General Koang said soldiers have withdrawn from the area to end the fighting. “To minimize further escalation our forces had to disengage, and they have pulled back to a place called Ngab-Agok,” Koang told VOA. Some local community leaders including Francis Aguek are calling on President Salva Kiir to punish “two generals who are carrying out the operation.” Last week, the South Sudan National Network on Small Arms criticized the government’s handling of the disarmament campaign, saying it includes no plan to prevent clashes between armed youths and soldiers. VOA’s Margaret Besheer contributed to this report.
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WHO in Talks With Russia About New Vaccine
The World Health Organization said Tuesday said it was holding talks with Russia regarding its recently approved COVID-19 vaccine. Russia on Tuesday became the first country to approve a vaccine for use in tens of thousands of its citizens. In an appearance on Russian television, President Vladimir Putin claimed the vaccine has proven efficient and has passed “all the necessary tests.” Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, Aug. 11, 2020. (Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin)He said his own daughter has taken the vaccine and after two shots had a normal temperature and a “high number of antibodies.” The announcement came amidst global skepticism because the vaccine received approval after less than two months of human trials in Russia with a limited number of test subjects. “We are in close contact with Russian health authorities and discussions are ongoing with respect to possible WHO prequalification of the vaccine, but again prequalification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all required safety and efficacy data,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told a U.N. briefing in Geneva.Jasarevic says he is encouraged by the speed in which possible vaccines are being developed around the world. He said the WHO’s main concern is equitably distributing whatever viable vaccines are developed around the world.
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Sea Life Suffers as Mauritius Oil Spill Spreads
Sea life around the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius is dying as a result of a spill reportedly of 1,000 tons of oil, said cleanup volunteers on Tuesday.The Japanese tanker MV Wakashio hit a coral reef on the southeast coast of Mauritius on July 25. Last week, the tanker began leaking.Activists working to clear beaches fear a huge environmental crisis, telling the Reuters news agency that they saw dead eels floating in the water and dead starfish covered in black crude oil. They also saw dying crabs and seabirds.“We don’t know what may happen further with the boat, it may crack more,” said volunteer Yvan Luckhun.Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth echoed the sentiments, saying late Monday that the country should brace for the worst, as the ship still contains 2,000 tons of oil.People scoop leaked oil from the vessel MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, that ran aground and caused oil leakage near Blue bay Marine Park in southeast Mauritius, Aug. 9, 2020.The government declared a state of emergency and is now working with France, its former colonial ruler, to reduce the effects of the spill as much as possible.Vikash Tayatah, conservation director at the non-governmental group Mauritius Wildlife Foundation, said that the oil spill set Mauritius’ ecological restoration plan back by two decades.More damage is expected, as the fragmentation of the oil in the sea could damage coral growth, added Tayatah.He added that, “There is some anger and some criticism from the civil society that the government may have taken too much time to respond,” because the ship was stuck for almost two weeks before it started to leak oil.The company that owns the oil tanker, Mitsui OSK Lines, said that it will do the “utmost towards resolving the situation quickly,” but did not give further explanation.
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Britain, France Work Together to Stop English Channel Immigration
British immigration minister Chris Philp said Tuesday he is working with his counterpart in France to finalize a new plan for blocking an illegal migrant route across the English Channel between the two countries.Warmer weather in recent weeks as seen a surge in illegal crossings of the channel, with Britain reporting more than 600 migrants arriving there in the last two weeks. The migrants, some families that include children, have been caught crossing to southern England from makeshift camps in northern France – many navigating one of the world’s busiest shipping routes in overloaded rubber dinghies. Speaking to reporters in Paris, following talks with French government officials, Philp said President Emmanuel Macron’s government agreed the high numbers making the illegal crossing are unacceptable. He said they have a “shared commitment to making sure this route of crossing the channel is made unviable. It is facilitated by ruthless criminal gangs, it puts lives at risk, and it is totally unnecessary.” Appearing with Philp was newly appointed British Clandestine Channel Threat Commander Dan O’Mahoney, who said the European Union’s so-called Dublin Regulation, which establishes regulations for returning illegal immigrants, has made it more difficult to send immigrants home. Britain has been seeking flexibility on those regulations from the EU since the migration surge began. Many of the migrants seeking to reach Britain come from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria and countries in Africa, fleeing poverty, persecution or war. Some stand a chance of being granted asylum, while others, considered illegal economic migrants, are unlikely to be allowed to remain in Britain.
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Democrats Set Stage to Nominate Biden at Virtual Convention
Top U.S. Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, are among a host of party leaders planning to speak at next week’s Democratic National Convention to boost the candidacy of former Vice President Joe Biden in November’s presidential election.The convention will be a first in American political history, conducted entirely in virtual electronic reality from around the country. Four nights of speeches start Monday and culminate with Biden’s presidential nomination acceptance speech on August 20 delivered from his home state of Delaware.The Wisconsin Center is seen Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020, in Milwaukee.The virtual convention will include a speech from Biden’s running mate, whom aides say could be named as soon as Wednesday. He promised months ago it would be a woman, who would become the fourth woman to appear on a major party ticket. The previous three all lost, two as vice presidential nominees and Clinton in her presidential contest against Trump.Biden’s vice-presidential pick is seen as particularly consequential. If he defeats Trump, Biden would be 78 at his inauguration in January, the oldest U.S. president ever. Trump is 74.Numerous U.S. political analysts are assuming Biden would serve only one four-year term if he wins the Nov. 3 election, instantly making his 2020 running mate a key 2024 Democratic presidential contender.Among the vice-presidential possibilities, all a decade or two younger than he is, are California Senator Kamala Harris, who opposed Biden for the party’s presidential nomination; former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Congresswoman Karen Bass of California.Democrats are planning an array of speakers with each of the four nights of the convention organized around a different theme: “We the People,” “Leadership Matters,” “A More Perfect Union” and “America’s Promise.”Monday’s speakers include former first lady Michelle Obama, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont — the leader of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and Biden’s last challenger for the party’s presidential nomination — and former Republican Governor John Kasich of Ohio, who has become an outspoken Trump critic.Former President Bill Clinton, Biden’s wife Jill, a long-time educator; 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer are among those speaking Tuesday night. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, former President Obama and Biden’s vice-presidential nominee are speaking Wednesday.The convention winds up on Thursday with speeches from more top Democratic figures and Biden family members, culminating with Biden’s keynote speech accepting the nomination.Republicans are holding their national convention starting August 24, also much of it virtually, with some events in Charlotte, North Carolina. Trump said Monday he plans to deliver his August 27 presidential acceptance speech from the White House or at a storied 1863 Civil War battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
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Trump Says ‘Great’ Bond With China’s Xi Changed After COVID-19
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping has frayed in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic and that he has not spoken to his Chinese counterpart in a long time.
“I used to have a very good relationship with him,” Trump told Fox Sports Radio in an interview, citing their Phase One trade deal hammered out last year and signed in early 2020. “I had a great relationship with President Xi. I like him, but I don’t feel the same way now.”
Trump said his feelings changed amid COVID-19.
“I certainly feel differently. I had a very, very good relationship, and I haven’t spoken to him in a long time.”
Trump, who is seeking re-election in the Nov. 3 U.S. election, made challenging China a key part of his 2016 presidential campaign and touted his friendly ties with Xi during much of his first term in office as he sought to make good on his trade deal promises.
But he said on Tuesday that the fallout from the outbreak was worse than the conflict over trade. “This is a thousand times the trade deal what happened with all of the death and … the world had to shutdown. It’s a disgrace,” he told Fox.
First reports of the virus emerged from China in late 2019 and it has now infected more than 20 million people and killed at least 735,369 worldwide, including at least 5.1 million cases and at least 163,160 deaths in the United States.
U.S.-China ties have also frayed over Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong and the disputed South China Sea, among other issues.
Asked about the arrest of pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong under China’s new security law, as well as issues over Taiwan, Trump pointed to his administration’s steps to end Hong Kong’s special trading status. He did not address the arrest of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily owner Jimmy Lai, one of the city’s most prominent activists.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien on Monday said the United States was troubled by Lai’s arrest.
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Ethiopia Holding Kenyan Journalist Despite Court Ordered Release
Lawyers representing a Kenyan journalist detained in Ethiopia say authorities are still holding him, despite an Ethiopian court last week ordering his release on bail. Press freedom groups are calling on Ethiopian authorities to release Yassin Juma, who was arrested in July along with two Ethiopian journalists. They are charged with inciting ethnic violence and plotting to kill senior Ethiopian officials, which they strongly deny.Kenyan journalist Yassin Juma has been held in Ethiopia since his arrest in early July, despite a court ordering his release on bail last Thursday.Juma’s lawyer Tuli Bayisa went back to court Monday to push for Juma’s release after having paid the bail. He said the judge told him police are refusing to let Juma go.“They are telling her (the judge) first it’s the federal police that has been investigating them, and now the Addis Ababa police commission wants to investigate the matter once again, they said,” said Bayisa.Juma was arrested along with two Ethiopian journalists while covering protests that erupted after the killing of Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa.FILE: Ethiopian musician Hachalu Hundessa poses while dressed in a traditional costume during the 123rd anniversary celebration of the battle of Adwa, where Ethiopian forces defeated invading Italian forces, in Addis Ababa, March 2, 2019.Hundessa, known for his political and activist songs, was gunned down in Addis Ababa in July, sparking widespread ethnic tensions.Ethiopian police arrested the journalists along with opposition members and leader Jawar Mohammed at his home.Police accused them of working together and charged them with inciting ethnic violence and plotting to kill Ethiopian officials.The court ordered their release on bail after police officers failed to produce evidence of any crimes, said Bayisa.“They have to release the suspects. If they are dissatisfied with the decision of the court that is granting bail they have to appeal against the decision. Unless that decision has been suspended by the high court, the police are duty-bound to release them. Now Yassin and the rest of eleven suspects are illegally detained by the police officers, as far as we know,” said the lawyer.This is not the first time Ethiopian police have ignored court orders to release detained journalists.The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says an Ethiopian court in March ordered police to release three arrested journalists. But police continued to detain them for weeks before finally letting them go.Muthoki Mumo is the CPJ’s representative for sub-Saharan Africa.“I would like to emphasize that the concern about the respect of court orders in the cases of journalists who are detained for us at CPJ goes beyond this very moment and goes even historically, if you look at what has been happening in Ethiopia since January. We have previously researched and documented cases where journalists have been ordered released, and they were not released,” said Mumo.Kenyan media reports the country’s Ambassador in Addis Ababa Catherine Mwangi sent a protest note on Juma’s detention to Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry.The Nation Media quoted Mwangi writing that “The embassy notes with concern that he has still not been released and that this is causing him and his family a lot of distress.”Despite the arrests of journalists, France-based media rights group Reporters Without Borders says Ethiopia has risen 11 places in its 2020 World Press Freedom Index.The improvement is credited to the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was elected in 2018 on a reformist platform.His government released jailed journalists and bloggers and restored more than 200 websites and blogs that had for years been blocked.But Ahmed’s government continues to restrict some press freedoms, including arresting journalists and limiting internet access during periods of unrest, such as the recent protests.
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As Britain Deploys Navy, Brexit Complicates Boat Migrant Crisis
British and French ministers are meeting Tuesday in Paris for urgent talks on the growing migrant crisis in the English Channel. So far this year over four-thousand migrants seeking asylum – mostly from Africa and the Middle East – have attempted the crossing from France to Britain in overcrowded dinghies or makeshift boats, including several hundred in the past few days. As Henry Ridgwell reports, Britain wants to return the migrants to Europe – but its exit from the European Union could make it much harder to shut down the route.PRODUCER: Jon Spier
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Thai PM: Protesters ‘Went Too Far’ Seeking ‘Monarchical Reform’
Thailand’s prime minister, Prayuth Chanocha, said Tuesday that protesters “went too far” after they called for a 10-point plan for monarchical reform. The Thai monarchy is often viewed as a sacred entity in the country.About 3,000 to 4,000 protesters, mostly students, stood Monday night in Thammasat University outside Bangkok, chanting, “Long live democracy.”Some gave speeches, many advocating for Prayuth’s resignation. He became prime minister through a 2014 military coup, and many see him as a symbol of the military domination of politics in Thailand.Protesters from the Thammasat University Pro-Democracy group are calling for a 10-point plan to reform the monarchy.The plan includes the removal of a 2019 order transferring two army units to the king’s personal command, as well as a 2017 law giving him full control of the monarchy’s property.Thailand has “lese-majeste” laws, however, that make insulting or defaming the king illegal. Breaking these laws can be punishable by up to 15 years in prison.In a statement to reporters, Prayuth said he is very concerned about the protests. “There are a lot of people in trouble waiting for their problems to get fixed, just not the young people. So, is doing all of this appropriate?” he asked.“It really went too far,” he added.Protesters were warned by Prayuth about insulting the monarchy in June. King Maha Vajiralongkorn told Prayuth not to arrest anyone, though, for breaking the “lese-majeste” laws.Thammasat University published a public statement apologizing for Monday’s protests. The statement said legal action would be taken, because “some references to the monarchy” can “impact people’s feelings.”
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West Africa Mediator Urges End to Mali Protests
The chief international mediator in Mali’s deepening political crisis, Nigeria’s ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, has urged the political opposition to stop staging protests and to enter dialogue instead.
The envoy from the West Africa bloc ECOWAS made a surprise visit to the poor Sahel state on Monday on the eve of opposition-led demonstrations against embattled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital Bamako that evening, Jonathan said “demonstrations do not solve problems per se” and talks would resolve the crisis.
“Encouraging more demonstrations is just exposing young people to big risk,” he said. “People could die in the process”.
His appeal came after the opposition June 5 Movement rejected ECOWAS proposals to end months of political crisis and vowed to stage fresh protests on Tuesday.
The group has been channeling deep frustrations in Mali over a dire economy, perceived government corruption and a brutal jihadist conflict.
Last month, 11 people died over three days of unrest following an anti-Keita protest, in the worst political strife the country has seen in years.
Heads of government from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) stepped in, suggesting on July 27 the formation of a new unity government, among other measures, while sticking by Keita.
The June 5 Movement has continued to insist on the 75-year-old president’s departure, however.
The impasse is alarming Mali’s neighbours and allies, who are keen to avoid the former French colony of some 19 million people sliding into chaos.
Swathes of the country’s territory lie outside of the control of the government, which has struggled to contain a jihadist insurgency that first emerged in 2012 and which has claimed thousands of lives.
The conflict has since spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
On Monday, Jonathan said that he had pleaded with influential imam and opposition figurehead Mahmoud Dicko to “be a bit mindful about encouraging demonstrations”.
“You can start a demonstration but you will never know how it will end,” he said.
One of Jonathan’s staffers told AFP that the ex-president is due to meet Keita and members of his political party on Tuesday.
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Italy Resumes Migrant Deportations
Twice-weekly charter flights of up to 80 people who Italian authorities describe as illegal economic migrants resumed this week from Italy to Tunisia. The flights, part of an Italian-Tunisian agreement, were put on hold during Italy’s COVID-19 lockdown. Italy saw a sharp increase in migration last month that has put a strain on migrant reception centers, particularly in the south of the country.The growing number of illegal immigrants arriving from North Africa concern the Italian authorities, who have had a number of recent meetings with their Tunisian counterparts to address the issue.At the end of July, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said that unless Tunisia took significant measures to rein in the departures, Italy would suspend 6.6 million euro in cooperation funds for Tunisia’s development.After a spike in Tunisian arrivals, Italy’s Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese flew to Tunis at the end of last month.She said that in July, the number of illegal Tunisian migrants reaching Italy increased significantly due to the country’s serious economic crisis. These, she added, are economic migrants who have no right to remain in Italy.Migrants from Tunisia and Lybia arrive onboard an Italian Guardia Costiera (Coast Guard) boat on the Italian Pelagie Island of Lampedusa, Aug. 1, 2020.Italy’s requests included the stepping up of controls along the Tunisian coastline and a resumption of the twice-weekly repatriation flights that were taking place ahead of the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. More than 4,000 Tunisians have arrived in Italy since the start of this year.Following the pressure applied by the Italian Foreign Ministry, Tunisia agreed to resume the flights and said it would increase patrol teams and surveillance along its coastline in order to stem illegal migration towards Italy.Reception centers in Italy, having to deal with the COVID-19 emergency, have been struggling to cope with the number of migrants, who amount to 14,000 since the start of the year.The reception center in the southern island of Lampedusa again reached its bursting point at the start of this month. The center at Pozzallo in southern Sicily reached a similar point, and migrants began leaving the center.Italian authorities are now testing all migrants who arrive on its shores for coronavirus and have deployed ships off the coast of Sicily and Calabria, where migrants can isolate. After their 14-day quarantine, the migrants will move to a variety of reception centers across Italy.
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Seattle Police Chief to Resign Following Department Cuts
Seattle’s police chief says she is stepping down, a move made public the same day the City Council approved reducing the department by as many as 100 officers through layoffs and attrition.
Carmen Best, the city’s first Black police chief, said in a letter to the department that her retirement will be effective Sept. 2 and the mayor has appointed Deputy Chief Adrian Diaz as the interim chief, KING-TV reported Monday. Councilmembers had approved the cuts Monday.
“I am confident the department will make it through these difficult times,” Best said in the letter. “You truly are the best police department in the country, and please trust me when I say, the vast majority of people in Seattle support you and appreciate you. … I look forward to seeing how this department moves forward through the process of re-envisioning public safety. I relish the work that will be done by all of you.”
In an email to police Mayor Jenny Durkan said she accepted Best’s decision “with a very heavy heart.”
“I regret deeply that she concluded that the best way to serve the city and help the department was a change in leadership, in the hope that would change the dynamics to move forward with the City Council,” Durkan wrote.
Durkan and Best planned a Tuesday morning news conference.
The mayor picked Best in July of 2018 to lead the department. She had been serving as interim chief.
A military veteran, Best joined the department in 1992 and had worked in a wide variety of roles, including patrol, media relations, narcotics and operations and deputy chief.
Cuts to the department have been supported by demonstrators who have marched in the city following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis custody, but strongly opposed by Durkan and Best.
Measures that would cut less than $4 million of the department’s $400 million annual budget this year passed out of committee unanimously last week. On Monday, only council member Kshama Sawant voted against the budget package, saying it does not do enough to defund the police.
Seattle currently has about 1,400 police officers and the reductions fell far short of the 50% cut to the department that many Black Lives Matter protesters are seeking. Several council members on Monday said the changes were a starting point in a long process to reimagine policing and public safety.
The City Council also cut Best’s roughly $285,000 annual salary and the pay of other top police leaders, although the final cuts to Best’s salary were significantly more modest than those approved last week. The council plan also takes officers off a team that removes homeless camps.
“While we can’t do everything in this summer rebalancing package, we have set the path forward for tremendous work in front of us as a council and as a city,” Council member Teresa Mosqueda said.
Durkan and Best had urged the council to slow down its discussions about police budgets, saying the issue could be taken up in earnest when the 2021 city budget is considered. They also said any layoffs would disproportionately target newer officers, often hired from Black and brown communities, and would inevitably lead to lawsuits.
Durkan has proposed cutting about $20 million from the police budget this year largely because of reduced revenues amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, the mayor sketched out a plan to reduce the police budget by about $75 million next year by transferring parking enforcement officers, the 911 call center and other areas out of the department.
“It is unfortunate Council has refused to engage in a collaborative process to work with the mayor, Chief Best, and community members to develop a budget and policies that respond to community needs while accounting for — not just acknowledging — the significant labor and legal implications involved in transforming the Seattle Police Department,” Durkan said in a statement after the vote.
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New Zealand Reports First New Locally Transmitted COVID-19 Cases in 102 Days
New Zealand’s prime minister Tuesday issued a lockdown in the country’s largest city, Auckland, after the first new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 in 102 days were discovered there.At a news conference in Wellington, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, along with New Zealand’s director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, announced Auckland will be moved to level three restrictions until midnight on Friday after the four cases were discovered in one household. She said the cases came from an unknown source and involve different workplaces. The level three restrictions mean people will be asked to stay at home, while bars and many other businesses will be closed.Ardern added the rest of the country will be raised to Level 2 through Friday, meaning that mass gatherings will be limited to 100 attendees and people would need to socially distance.Bloomfield said the infections were confirmed after a person in their 50s went to their doctor Monday with COVID-19 symptoms and was swabbed twice, testing positive both times. Six other people in the person’s household were then tested, with three more positive results.Until Tuesday, the only known cases of the virus in New Zealand were 22 travelers who had recently returned from abroad and were being held in quarantine.The country has been praised globally for its virus response.
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No Parties, No Trips, No Outside Guests Allowed
As they struggle to salvage some semblance of a campus experience this fall, U.S. colleges are requiring promises from students to help contain the coronavirus — no keg parties, no long road trips and no outside guests on campus.
No kidding. Administrators warn that failure to wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid mass gatherings could bring serious consequences, including getting booted from school.
Critics question whether it’s realistic to demand that college students not act like typical college students. But the push illustrates the high stakes for universities planning to welcome at least some students back. Wide-scale COVID-19 testing, quarantines and plexiglass barriers in classrooms won’t work if too many students misbehave.
“I think that the majority of students are going to be really respectful and wear their masks, social distance, keep gatherings small,” said incoming Tulane University senior Sanjali De Silva. “But I fear that there will be a distinct group of students that will decide not to do that. And it’ll be a big bummer.”
Tulane students have already received a stark warning from the school in New Orleans, an early pandemic hot spot. After a summer weekend of large gatherings, Dean of Students Erica Woodley wrote to students, stressing her key point in bold, capital letters.”Do not host parties or gatherings with more than 15 people, including the host. If you do, you will face suspension or expulsion from the university, “Woodley wrote, signing off with, “Do you really want to be the reason that Tulane and New Orleans have to shut down again?”
The emphasis on student behavior is part of a broader effort to create safe bubbles on campus even if the virus surges elsewhere. The University of Texas at Austin is not allowing parties either on or off campus. In Massachusetts, Amherst College is prohibiting students from traveling off campus except in certain cases, such as medical appointments and family emergencies.
Many universities have spelled out expectations for student behavior in pledges and compacts that cover everything from mask wearing to off-campus travel. The pledges often cover faculty and staff, too.
It’s unclear how well these rules will work. Critics say the very nature of the college experience — with cramped housing and intense social activity — works against success. Some colleges are already backing off plans for in-person classes this fall.
“The majority of kids who go to college are civic-minded, responsible people. They’re also young,” said Scott Galloway, professor of marketing at New York University. “If some of them don’t comply, it’s a problem. And I think some to many will have a difficult time ignoring every instinct pulsing through their body at that age that they’re supposed to socialize and find mates.”
Galloway plans to teach online this fall and return to campus when there’s a vaccine.
Outbreaks involving fraternities have already been reported at some schools, including the University of Southern California, the University of Washington and the University of Mississippi. The University of California at Berkeley recently decided to begin the fall semester with fully remote instruction after a local flare-up of cases linked to fraternity parties.
“After weeks of developing a very elaborate plan for a hybrid model in the fall,” officials decided “it was just too risky to teach face-to-face,” Chancellor Carol Christ said during a virtual event hosted by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The pledges apply the advice public health officials have been giving since March for college settings. Yale’s compact includes a commitment to remain in Connecticut during the fall semester through Nov. 21 and a promise not to “invite or host non-Yale-affiliated individuals” on campus without permission. Ohio State University’s “Together As Buckeyes Pledge ” includes a promise to conduct daily health checks.
“We want to be clear: Our return to on-campus operations in the autumn is fully dependent on each member of the university community following all requirements and guidance,” read a July 24 letter from Ohio State officials.
Cornell University students must agree not to organize, host or attend events that may cause “safety risks” to people, under a school compact released this week. University of Pennsylvania students are warned in the school’s compact that alcohol and drugs are not an excuse for risky COVID-19-related behavior. Syracuse University’s pledge includes commitments to get a flu shot and to avoid going to social gatherings with more than 25 people.
“I think that people will really keep each other in check. I know I will,” said Suhail Kumar, an incoming Syracuse sophomore. “If I see my roommates unmasked or not following protocol, I’m definitely going to let them know because I don’t want to jeopardize anything for myself.”
Failure to comply with the pledges will be treated as a disciplinary violation.
Syracuse students can face “serious consequences” for violating COVID-19 guidance, and students who host large parties could face sanctions up to suspension and expulsion, according to the school’s web site.
At Penn, incoming senior Ben Zhao is optimistic the new rules will be followed.
Zhao, who is from the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Illinois, is looking forward to being back on campus after an interrupted spring semester, even with the prospect of online classes. He misses his friends, the school newspaper, where he is executive editor, and studying with classmates.
“They’re all big things that I don’t want to necessarily miss out on for my senior year,” he said.
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80% вранья: маньяк лукашенко создал хунту и незаконно захватывает власть
80% вранья: маньяк лукашенко создал хунту и незаконно захватывает власть.
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ЦИК Беларуси нарисовал победу дегенерату лукашенко с результатом 80 процентов! Позор колхозного дракона перелился через край
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Кровавый лука с треском проиграл и бежал в ростов к януковичу!
Кровавый лука с треском проиграл и бежал в ростов к януковичу!
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Дегенерат лукашенко проиграл выборы, но выдал фальшивый экзитпол, где ему нарисовали 80 процентов. Все решится очень скоро
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Турция захватила танк Т-90 и продала секреты пукинского С-400 американцам
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Предупреждение США для обиженного карлика пукина и железный купол Израиля контролирует базу путляндии
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Coronavirus Stops-Starts Stretching Europeans’ Patience
The 17-second YouTube video mimicking Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s ever shifting guidance on the coronavirus pandemic has attracted tens of thousands of views.”So we are saying don’t go to work, go to work, don’t take public transport, go to work, don’t go to work, stay indoors if you can, go to work, don’t go to work, go outside, don’t go outside,” deadpans Matt Lucas, one of the country’s best known comics and famous for the BBC comedy series Little Britain.pic.twitter.com/k6Sr4Iac15
— MATT LUCAS (@RealMattLucas) Tourists wearing face masks walk by a COVID-19 information sign in downtown Nice as France reinforces mask-wearing as a part of efforts to curb the resurgence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) across the country, in Nice, France August 11, 2020.DisagreementsPart of the problem lies with differences of opinion between scientists and politicians. They share a common foe — namely, the virus — but government leaders have other pressing factors to take into consideration, like keeping economies going and reducing as much as they can the damage to jobs, businesses and livelihoods. “The populace has been, as ministers constantly acknowledge, extraordinarily forbearing through this on-again, off-again suspension of life as we know it. But — you can feel it in the air — the good will is running out,” according to Janet Daley, a columnist for the Daily Telegraph, a newspaper that is often a booster of the Johnson government.”There should be consistency and an appearance of agreement between all members of the government [and its official policy advisers] at all times,” she says. That has been lacking, especially when ministers have over-promised in a bid to lift flagging spirits. Several times the government has been upbeat with medical claims about transformative tests or treatments only to have had to back down subsequently, say analysts.Britain’s health minister, Matt Hancock, has prompted the dismay of even his own cabinet colleagues with boosterish claims. In April, he announced a contact-tracing app would be ready in England by mid-May, but it is still not functioning properly. He also announced that antibody tests would be a game-changer, but that has not been the case.Johnson, too, has repeatedly thrown hostages to fortune, say his critics. Among other things he promised to set up a “world-class” testing and contact tracing system, but it has not shaped up to be as efficient as Germany’s, and several frustrated local authorities in England have started their own contact-tracing frameworks, despairing that the central government’s will ever work smoothly. Customers eat at restaurant in central London, Aug. 3, 2020, next to signs indicating a discount off food. Restaurant discount meals “Eat out to help out” is a government run program.Politics and scienceLast month, the British leader announced an easing of restrictions, including to the delight of the country’s tabloid press the reopening of pubs. He promised “We’ll be back to normal by Christmas.” That earned a collective reproof from current and former scientific advisers to the government. They have struck far more pessimistic notes with the current chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, telling a parliamentary committee that another strict lockdown might be necessary when the winter months start drawing in. This month the British government has had to reimpose lockdowns on cities, including Manchester, and towns in north-west England, impacting more than four million people. Martin McKee, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, has warned there has been too much “wishful thinking” by politicians and civil servants. But Johnson is not alone among European leaders in trying to strike a balance between being too gloomy, which risks public despondency, or being too optimistic, which leads to greater frustration when raised expectations are later dashed. Too much optimism and populations start sliding away from observing the rules. Too gloomy, and it is hard to persuade people to go back to work or shop. Actors and actresses of State Theatre of North Greece wearing masks perform Aristophanes’ Comedy ‘The Birds’ at the ancient theater of Epidaurus, Aug. 7, 2020.Greece’s government has announced additional restrictions because of a flare-up of coronavirus cases and a jump in the number of critically ill people in the country. Government ministers say much of the problem can be traced to foreign tourists. On Sunday, Greece announced 203 new confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing its total to 5,623, with an overall death toll of 212. All events with standing customers or spectators have been ordered canceled across the country. Bars, restaurants and cafes will have to shut from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. in several locations, including popular tourist destinations, including Mykonos and Santorini. Tourists are not the only source of new cases. Impatient young Greeks eager to socialize and to party are another cause of anxiety for Greek ministers. This week health minister Vassilis Kikilias appealed to the young to wear masks and maintain social distance. “Once more I appeal to young people and to citizens who are not adhering to personal protective measures to consider their responsibility toward vulnerable groups, our other citizens and toward the country,” he said.Youthful impetuosity is a problem across Europe, most of the rise in cases is being seen in the younger age groups, especially among people in their twenties and thirties. Many of the newly infected are suspected of contracting the virus at beach gatherings and illegal raves.
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US Top Diplomat Heads to Central Europe as US Looks to Confront Russian, Chinese Influence
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is launching a weeklong trip to central Europe with a stop Tuesday in the Czech Republic where he is scheduled to give a speech and have a dinner meeting with Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek. Pompeo is also set to visit a museum commemorating the U.S. role in liberating the region during World War 2. The top U.S. diplomat’s trip comes as the Trump administration looks to confront Russian and Chinese economic and geopolitical competition in Europe. Pompeo is traveling to Prague and Pilsen in the Czech Republic; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Vienna, Austria; and Warsaw, Poland, from Aug. 11 to Aug. 15. He will become the first secretary of state since 2011 to visit Slovenia, where he will sign a Joint Declaration on 5G technology as Washington is countering risks posed by communist China’s “infiltration into high-tech networks” in the region. The trip comes as the Pentagon prepares to move forward with a plan to pull almost 12,000 troops from Germany and redeploy part of the U.S. forces to Poland and other NATO nations, raising concerns at home and in Europe even as senior officials defend it as a strategic necessity.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 9 MB480p | 13 MB540p | 16 MB720p | 34 MB1080p | 67 MBOriginal | 81 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioThumbnailThu, 07/30/2020 – 00:32Mary MooneyMedia Duration00:02:50SummaryThe United States is pulling almost 12,000 troops from Germany, following through on President Donald Trump’s call to reduce the U.S. military footprint overseas. While defense department officials say the move will boost American security, critics see the move as punishment for a country Trump has criticized as “delinquent” in NATO defense spending. VOA’s diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.
Produced by: Bronwyn BenitoRights RestrictedOffUS Pulling Almost 12,000 Troops From Germany US military leaders describe the move as ‘strategic,’ but President Trump says he wants the troops out of Germany because ‘we don’t want to be the suckers anymore’ Ambassador Philip Reeker, the State Department’s acting assistant secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, said Pompeo will discuss with his counterparts the just-completed U.S.-Poland Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that “provides a framework” to further strengthen “the broad transatlantic security.” The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, top left, arrives with his wife Susan Pompeo, top right, at the airport in Prague, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020.”We have been very dedicated to helping those countries find alternate sources so that they can diversify from Russia,” said Reeker. Russia has previously defended the project as economically feasible. The U.S. has been warning about the security risks of Russian energy export pipelines, in particular Nord Stream 2. U.S. officials said if completed, these projects would undermine European security and strengthen Russia’s ability to use its energy resources to coerce the U.S.’s European partners and allies.Czech Republic In Prague, Pompeo will meet with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis to discuss nuclear energy cooperation and the Three Seas Initiative, a political platform to promote connectivity among nations in central and eastern Europe by supporting infrastructure, energy and digital interconnectivity projects. The initiative gets its name from the three seas that border the region: the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas. On Wednesday, Pompeo is set to deliver a speech at the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic on bilateral ties and foreign policy.Americký ministr zahraničních věcí @SecPompeo ve středu 12. 8. v českém Senátu přednese veřejný projev a bude s předsedou @Vystrcil_Milos jednat o společných zájmech v zahraničně-politických otázkách. pic.twitter.com/ySOKmD9ftd— Senát Parlamentu ČR (@SenatCZ) August 7, 2020SloveniaIn Ljubljana, Pompeo will sign a Joint Declaration on 5G technology with Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar. Over the past year, European countries, including Poland, Estonia and the Czech Republic, have signed agreements with the U.S., pledging that 5G suppliers would not be subject to control by a foreign government without independent judicial review, which effectively excludes Chinese firms. Slovenia will join those countries in the so-called “5G Clean Networks” to use only trusted vendors to secure critical telecommunications, cloud, data analytics, and mobile apps. Reeker told VOA it is “a reflection of the shared dedication to protecting privacy” and cybersecurity. AustriaIn Vienna, the U.S.-Austria Strategic Partnership and growing trade relationship will be high on the agenda in Pompeo’s meetings with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg. Austria hosts the International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations in charge of monitoring Iran’s adherence to the 2015 nuclear deal from which the U.S. has withdrawn. Pompeo will also hold talks with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, as Washington is calling on other members of the U.N. Security Council to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Iran that is set to expire on Oct. 18. Poland In Warsaw, the chief U.S. diplomat will have talks with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz on deepening defense ties, recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, securing 5G networks, and improving regional energy and infrastructure through the Three Seas Initiative. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus. Pompeo will also meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who visited the White House in late June. Poland sees Nord Stream 2, which would double Russia’s gas export capacity via the Baltic Sea, as a threat to Europe’s energy security. “In our view, it is paying with European money for Mr. (Vladimir) Putin’s weapons, and we don’t like it,” Morawiecki said during a recent webinar hosted by the Atlantic Council. Morawiecki said Poland, as “the most pro-European and most pro-American country” in Europe, is strengthening the transatlantic alliance. Last month, the State Department said people making investments or engaging in activities related to Nord Stream 2, including pipe-laying vessels and engineering service in the deployment of the pipelines, could face U.S. sanctions. “It’s a clear warning to companies: aiding and abetting Russia’s malign influence projects will not be tolerated,” said Pompeo during a July 15 press conference. “Let me be clear. These aren’t commercial projects. They are the Kremlin’s key tools to exploit and expand European dependence on Russian energy supplies,” Pompeo said.
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‘Apple Daily Must Fight On,’ HK Tabloid Front Page Reads After Owner Arrest
Hong Kong’s Apple Daily tabloid responded with defiance Tuesday to the arrest of owner Jimmy Lai under a new national security law imposed by Beijing, promising to “fight on” in a front-page headline above an image of Lai in handcuffs. Readers queued from the early hours to get a copy of the pro-democracy tabloid a day after police raided its offices and took Lai into detention, the highest-profile arrest so far under the national security law. The front-page headline read: “Apple Daily must fight on.” More than 500,000 copies were printed, up from the usual 100,000, the paper said on its website. Dozens of people lineup for the paper in the working-class neighborhood of Mong Kok as early as 2 a.m. (1800 GMT). Some vendors said they sold out during the morning rush-hour. “What the police did yesterday interfered with press freedom brutally,” said 45-year-old Kim Yau as she bought a copy. “All Hong Kongers with a conscience have to support Hong Kong today, support Apple Daily.” Lai was detained over suspected collusion with foreign forces as about 200 police searched the newspaper’s offices, collecting 25 boxes of evidence. Shares in Lai’s media company, Next Digital, which publishes Apple Daily, soared on Monday as online pro-democracy forums called on investors to buy shares to show support. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday he was “deeply troubled” by reports of Lai’s arrest. He called Lai a “patriot” and said his arrest showed that Beijing had “eviscerated” Hong Kong’s freedoms and eroded the rights of its people. Beijing has in the past labeled Lai a “traitor.” Separately, White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said the arrest of Lai and others was an effort to intimidate pro-democracy and opposition figures and suppress independent media. Mainland-born Lai, who was smuggled into Hong Kong on a fishing boat when he was a penniless 12-year-old, has been one of the most prominent democracy activists in the Chinese-ruled city and an ardent critic of Communist Party rule in Beijing. His arrest comes amid a crackdown against pro-democracy opposition in Hong Kong, which has drawn international condemnation and raised fears for the freedoms promised by Beijing when the former British colony returned to China in 1997. The sweeping new security law imposed on June 30 punishes anything Beijing considers secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.
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Hit by Historic Monsoon, N. Korea Warns of More Floods
North Korea continues to see historic levels of rainfall, further threatening an economy already battered by a coronavirus-related lockdown. Torrential rains have flooded hundreds of North Korean homes and wiped out vast swaths of rice fields in the country’s agricultural heartland, according to state media, intensifying worries about a poor harvest and food supply shortage. The Korean Peninsula has seen a much longer than usual monsoon seasons this year. The rains are expected to continue for much of the week. South Korea has seen 49 consecutive days of rain — the longest streak on record. The downpours have caused landslides and floods in the South that have killed at least 42 people. In the North, the extent of the damage is not precisely known. State media said Friday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a flood-hit village in North Hwanghae province, where 600 hectares of rice fields and more than 900 homes were inundated or destroyed. Hwanghae is the North’s most important rice-producing province. North Korean officials appearing on state TV have warned that rivers in both Hwanghae and the nearby province of Gangwon could overflow, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. The rains are already more intense than in 2007, when North Korea saw some of its worst floods, according to a briefing by South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean relations.A part of a park near the Han River are flooded due to heavy rain in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 9, 2020. The safety ministry said the Seoul area and the southern region are expected to receive more heavy rain on Sunday.“Their agricultural system is fragile, but they have had floods many times before,” says Peter Ward, a specialist in North Korea’s economy and PhD candidate at the University of Vienna. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it had a significant impact on the harvest.” North Korea is particularly vulnerable to flooding. It lacks adequate infrastructure and suffers from widespread deforestation, which resulted in part from people cutting down trees for fuel or firewood or to clear land for farming. The floods come as North Korea steps up its anti-coronavirus efforts. Last month, North Korea locked down the southwestern city of Kaesong, after warning that a defector from the South may have brought the virus across the border. North Korea has reported no confirmed coronavirus cases, even as it carries out strict measures to keep the disease from spreading. North Korea’s Red Cross has mobilized 43,000 volunteers who “have been working alongside health teams and authorities to prevent Covid-19 as well as helping communities to be prepared to evacuate and reduce disaster risks in their areas, including protecting homes from flooding and landslides,” according to a statement from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. “DPRK Red Cross volunteers are providing relief, including tarpaulins, kitchen sets, quilts, hygiene kits and water containers to support 2,800 of the most at risk families in North Hwanghae and (Gangwon) provinces, as well as Kaesong City, also while keeping people safe and preventing COVID-19,” the statement added. North Korea formally closed its borders due to coronavirus concerns in late January, shortly after the outbreak was first reported in neighboring China. The lockdown has resulted in plummeting economic activity with China, North Korea’s biggest trading partner. That has put even more strain on an economy already held back by international sanctions. In a statement last week, research firm Fitch Solutions said it expected North Korea’s economy to contract by at least 8.5% in 2020, “not only due to a suspected domestic outbreak, but also due to the negative impact the disease will have on the external sector.”North Korea’s secretive government does not consistently release its own economic data. Instead, outside organizations try to estimate North Korea’s economic figures, in part based on numbers from South Korea’s central bank or Chinese customs data.
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