Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a stalwart liberal on the U.S. Supreme Court since 1993, died on Friday at age 87, giving President Donald Trump a chance to expand its conservative majority with a third appointment at a time of deep divisions in America and a presidential election looming.Following are reactions to Ginsburg’s death:U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP”She led an amazing life. What else can you say? She was an amazing woman,” the Republican president told reporters after learning of Ginsburg’s death after a campaign rally in Minnesota. “I’m sad to hear that.””Today, our Nation mourns the loss of a titan of the law,” Trump said later in a statement. “Justice Ginsburg demonstrated that one can with disagree without being disagreeable toward one’s colleagues or different points of view.”U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JOE BIDEN”She was fierce and unflinching in her pursuit of … civil rights for everyone. Her opinions and her dissents are going to continue to shape the basis for law for a generation … There is no doubt — let me be clear — that the voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider.”U.S. CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS”Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her – a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”U.S. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL”Justice Ginsburg was thoroughly dedicated to the legal profession and to her 27 years of service on the Supreme Court,” the top Senate Republican said in a statement.”Americans reelected our majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda, particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary. Once again, we will keep our promise. President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.”U.S. SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN, TOP DEMOCRAT ON JUDICIARY COMMITTEE”Under no circumstances should the Senate consider a replacement for Justice Ginsburg until after the presidential inauguration.”U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER”The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president,” Schumer said on Twitter. “She would want us all to fight as hard as we can to preserve her legacy.”WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS”Joining the whole nation tonight in mourning the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—a trailblazer, a dedicated public servant, and an inspiration to so many. My prayers are with her family and friends,” he said on Twitter.JERROLD NADLER, DEMOCRATIC CHAIR OF HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE”Ruth Bader Ginsburg has left an indelible mark on this country, and her loss will be deeply felt. She will be remembered for her brilliant mind, her razor-sharp wit, and her tenacious and lifelong fight to protect the rights of women in this country. In a year of incalculable loss, may we pause for a moment to honor this remarkable woman who never backed down from a fight and was never afraid to stand up for what she believed.”SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN LINDSEY GRAHAM”It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Justice Ginsburg,” the Republican senator said on Twitter. “Justice Ginsburg was a trailblazer who possessed tremendous passion for her causes.”REPUBLICAN SENATOR MITT ROMNEY”The beautiful friendship she shared with the late Justice Scalia serves as a reminder for all Americans to treat each other with kindness and respect, despite our differences.”FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HILLARY CLINTON”Justice Ginsburg paved the way for so many women, including me,” the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee tweeted. “There will never be another like her. Thank you RBG.”ERIC TRUMP, PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S SON”Justice Ginsburg was a remarkable woman with an astonishing work ethic. She was a warrior with true conviction and she has my absolute respect! #RIP,” he wrote on Twitter.FORMER PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA”Over a long career on both sides of the bench – as a relentless litigator and an incisive jurist – Justice Ginsburg helped us see that discrimination on the basis of sex isn’t about an abstract ideal of equality; that it doesn’t only harm women; that it has real consequences for all of us. It’s about who we are – and who we can be.”FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH”She dedicated many of her 87 remarkable years to the pursuit of justice and equality, and she inspired more than one generation of women and girls.”FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER”A powerful legal mind and a staunch advocate for gender equality, she has been a beacon of justice during her long and remarkable career. I was proud to have appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1980.”SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS”The passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a tremendous loss to our country,” the former 2020 Democratic presidential contender tweeted. “She was an extraordinary champion of justice and equal rights, and will be remembered as one of the great justices in modern American history.DANIEL EPPS, PROFESSOR, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW”I would be surprised if the president and Senate Republicans don’t try to fill the seat. They probably have the votes.”DEMOCRATIC SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND“She fought to ensure equal protection in our laws, fearlessly dissented and defended, and was a powerful role model for us all. I’m devastated to hear of her passing. Thank you, Justice Ginsburg. Rest in power.”NARAL PRO-CHOICE AMERICA FOUNDATION”Rest in peace, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” the abortion rights group tweeted. “Her many years of service on the Supreme Court were an inspiration for so many, and we’ll forever be grateful for her fierce defense of reproductive freedom. May her memory be both a blessing and call to action.”TOM FITTON, PRESIDENT OF JUDICIAL WATCH”President Trump now has a historic opportunity to nominate yet another constitutional conservative who will honor the Constitution and the rule of law across the full spectrum of constitutional issues,” said the head of the conservative legal advocacy group.”SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY, REPUBLICAN EX-CHAIRMAN OF JUDICIARY COMMITTEE”For more than a quarter century on the highest court in the land, Justice Ginsburg fought tirelessly for greater justice, equality and opportunity for all people. She was a trailblazer in so many ways and for so many people.”SHANA KNIZHNIK, LAWYER”Gutted,” tweeted Knizhnik, who as a law student coined the nickname “Notorious R.B.G.” in reference to the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G.CHRISTOPHER SCALIA, SON OF LATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA”I’m very sad to hear about the passing of my parents’ good friend, and my father’s wonderful colleague, Justice Ginsburg,” he tweeted. “May her memory be a blessing.”
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Month: September 2020
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: An Appreciation
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, entered the legal profession at a time when there were few women lawyers. She spent her career working to expand women’s equality and came to have near-rock-star status in progressive circles. She was born on March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, and died at the age of 87 in Washington. VOA’s Julie Taboh has this appreciation.
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US Sanctions Chinese Company Developing Resort in Cambodia
The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed economic sanctions on a Chinese company that operates in Cambodia, citing its land seizure and displacement of families to make way for a $3.8 billion luxury gambling and lifestyle project.The Dara Sakor Seashore Resort, developed by the Chinese company Union Development Group (UDG) in unspoiled Koh Kong province, includes an international airport and a port for cruise ships that “credible reports” suggested could be used by the Chinese military.The company describes the undertaking as part of FILE – The airport construction site is seen in the area developed by China company Union Development Group at Botum Sakor in Koh Kong province, Cambodia, in 2018.The U.S. has alleged that UDG operated as a Cambodian entity under the aegis of Gen. Kun Kim, a close ally of Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen. He allegedly used the military’s right to seize land for its needs to move local people off the area UDG wanted for its resort project.In its statement to Fresh News, the company defended Kun Kim, saying “During the relocation, UDG respected and followed Cambodian law and lease terms by working with inter-ministerial commission without committing any wrongdoings through General Kun Kim.”The U.S. sanctioned the senior general, his wife and two children on December 9, 2019, for “his involvement in corruption,” according to the Treasury. Kim was allegedly using his influence and network to benefit Chinese companies in Cambodia.“After falsely registering as a Cambodian-owned entity in order to receive land for the Dara Sakor development project, UDG reverted to its true ownership and continued to operate without repercussions,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday.“We will not tolerate these actions against innocent people and will always stand with the Cambodian people,” Pompeo tweeted soon after the sanction announcement.On Wednesday, the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh posted FILE – Baby clouded leopards, born early in March 2015, at the Olmense Zoo in Olmen, Belgium, April 16, 2015. Clouded leopards are among the animals that reside in Botum Sakor National Park in Cambodia.“This is a partial justice,” said Mu Sochua, vice president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party. “The real justice is to give our farmers and fishermen their land, but at least they’ve received partial justice now. At the same time, this demonstrated that the U.S. joins us in demanding an end to impunity, which means taking those perpetrators to face justice, if not in our court system, but under the U.S. system.”The U.S. alleges that Cambodia uses development project such as UDG to expand its sphere of influence in the world, especially through its Belt and Road Initiative. The U.S. raised the alarm last year after media reports quoted the Cambodian government spokesperson, Phay Siphan, as saying that Dara Sakor could be converted to host military assets.“A permanent PRC military presence in Cambodia could threaten regional stability and undermine the prospects for the peaceful settlement of disputes, the promotion of maritime safety and security, and the freedom of navigation and overflight,” the statement from the Treasury Department said.Phay Siphan said he never acknowledged that the UDG project could be retooled as a Chinese military base.“I reject the report that implicated my name in it,” Phay Siphan told VOA Khmer. “It’s shameful because I’ve never said that.” In July 2019, he told Bloomberg, “Dara Sakor is civilian — there is no base at all. It could be converted, yes, but you could convert anything.”Expanding influenceCPP spokesperson Sok Eysan also asserted that the government wanted to create an economic zone in the Dara Sakor area, and had no intention of the facilities becoming a military base for any superpower.“Cambodia does not seek to be a military power,” Sok Eysan said. “We only want to ensure a sustainable economy to feed 16 million people. … Therefore, we’re trying our best to develop the country. We do not want war to come to Cambodia.”Cambodia has allied with China as Beijing is expanding its sphere of influence in the region without many challenges from competing powers other than the U.S.Under President Xi Jinping, China has sought to expand its political, military, cultural, and economic dominance through bilateral aid and mega development projects like the Belt and Road Initiative that includes the Dara Sakor Seashore Resort.Ro Vannak, a geopolitical expert and the co-founder of the Cambodia Institute of Democracy, believes that a U.S. sanction on a Chinese company in Cambodia is part of Washington’s strategy to curb China’s emergence as a regional power.“The sanction on a Chinese company in Cambodia is a sign that makes Cambodia uneasy,” said Ro Vannak. “This means that once superpowers start to compete, push, and splash water at each other, smaller countries that rely on them economically, especially on China, would find their reputation and economic growth is affected.”This report originated with VOA’s Khmer Service. Men Kimseng reported from Washington, D.C., Hul Reaksmey and Aun Chhengpor reported from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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US Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks’ Home on Display in Italy
The Detroit home where American civil rights activist Rosa Parks took refuge after the historic bus boycott has been rebuilt as an art project in Naples, Italy. Parks’ niece saved the two-story home from demolition in Michigan following the 2008 financial crisis. She donated it to an American artist who rebuilt it for public display in Germany, and now in Italy, after failing to find a permanent place for it in the United States. VOA correspondent Mariama Diallo reports.
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Poll: Majority of Americans Support Peace Talks to End Afghan War
A recent survey by the nonprofit Eurasia Group Foundation found strong public support among Republican and Democratic voters for Trump administration-backed peace talks to end the 19-year-old U.S. war in Afghanistan. The survey found that younger voters are especially fatigued with American involvement in foreign conflicts and want Congress to slash military spending. VOA’s Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.
Produced by: Rob Raffaele
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Taiwan Bids Farewell to ‘Mr. Democracy’
Taiwan bid farewell on Saturday to late president Lee Teng-hui, dubbed “Mr. Democracy” for ending autocratic rule in favor of free elections and championing Taiwan’s separate identity from China.Lee’s memorial service took place in the shadow of Chinese war games, as did his election as Taiwan’s first democratic leader in 1996. China claims the island as its own territory.Lee was president from 1988 to 2000.Lee’s greatest act of defiance was becoming Taiwan’s first democratically elected president in March 1996, achieved with a landslide following eight months of intimidating war games and missile tests by China in waters around the island.Those events brought China and Taiwan to the verge of conflict, prompting the United States to send a carrier task force to the area in a warning to the Beijing government.On Friday, China carried out drills in the Taiwan Strait, including sending 18 fighter jets to buzz the island, as Beijing expressed anger at the visit of a senior U.S. official to Taipei, there for Lee’s memorial.Speaking at the memorial service in a chapel at a Taipei university, President Tsai Ing-wen said he had shaped the Taiwan of today.”Confronted with daunting international challenges, he skillfully led the people of Taiwan by promoting pragmatic diplomacy. Taiwan became synonymous with democracy and was catapulted onto the world stage. Because of this, President Lee came to be lauded as Mr. Democracy,” Tsai said.”Thanks to his efforts, Taiwan now shines as a beacon of democracy.”Lee, a committed Christian, died in July aged 97.U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach and former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori also attended his memorial.Lee’s remains will be interred at a military cemetery next month.
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China Sends Warplanes Over Taiwan as US Envoy Visits
China sent almost 20 warplanes into Taiwan’s airspace in an unusually large show of force as a response to a senior U.S. official’s visit to the self-governing island. Eighteen Chinese military aircraft, including two H-6 strategic bombers and fighter jets, crossed the so-called median line on Friday morning, according to a statement from Taiwan’s defense ministry: “The military scrambled fighters and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the activities.” Keith Krach, U.S. undersecretary for economic affairs, arrived in Taiwan on Thursday to attend a memorial service for former President Lee Teng-hui. He is the highest-level official from the U.S. State Department to visit Taipei in decades. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, left, takes a selfie with Keith Krach, U.S. undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, in Taipei, in this photo provided by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sept. 18, 2020.Beijing condemned the visit, vowing “China will make necessary responses in accordance with the development of the situation,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Thursday. China also sent military aircraft across the median line when U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar visited Taipei last month. However, previous crossings into Taiwanese airspace had not involved so many warplanes approaching from multiple directions at once. A report by Taiwan’s defense ministry showed a map of the flight paths of Chinese warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait midline, and a picture of missiles being loaded onto an H-6 bomber. “PLA Friday drills not warning, but rehearsal for Taiwan takeover,” a headline by China-backed newspaper Global Times said Friday. “In fact, the Friday exercise is a landmark in the struggle across the Taiwan Straits.” Michael Hunzeker, a professor at George Mason University’s School of Policy and Government, said it is likely that Beijing is also trying to convince Washington that these kinds of high-profile visits aren’t risk free. By conducting such provocative military exercises, “there’s always the chance for an accident or a collision that could spark a crisis that both sides would find hard to control,” Hunzeker told VOA in an email. US-China relations Krach’s visit comes as U.S.-China relations are at their lowest point in decades. Washington this week further angered China by announcing more arms sales to Taiwan. The planned trade deal would involve as many as seven major weapons systems, including drones, sea mines and missiles able to strike targets deep inside Chinese territory. In recent months, prominent American foreign policy experts have been calling for an end to strategic ambiguity, a policy shift that most would have considered outlandish or extreme not so long ago. On Thursday, a congressman from Wisconsin, Tom Tiffany, introduced legislation calling for the U.S. to resume formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and end the “one China policy,” a cornerstone of U.S.-China relations for more than 40 years. “The nature of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship is clearly shifting,” said Hunzeker, a Marine Corps veteran. While it is unlikely these recent developments will lead Xi Jinping to authorize an attack on Taiwan in the immediate future, “we cannot dismiss the risk of miscalculation or accidental escalation entirely,” Hunzeker said.
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Somalia Names New PM, Revises Election Plan
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Thursday appointed a political newcomer to become prime minister, nearly two months after the country’s parliament voted out former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire. Mohamed Hussein Roble’s appointment came hours after the president and five regional leaders reached agreement on a revised election model after days of talks in Mogadishu and international pressure. The president, who in February signed historic legislation giving ordinary citizens the right to vote in parliamentary elections, conceded to having the indirect elections preferred by regional leaders. Somali President Signs Historic Election Bill Into LawNew law allows Somalis to cast direct votes in presidential, parliamentary elections for first timeA statement from the president’s office said Roble was directed to form a new transitional government ahead of general elections in the Horn of Africa country. The new agreement calls for election preparations to begin November 1. Planners would determine dates in 2021 for choosing a parliament, whose members then would select the president, as in 2016. Mohamed, widely known as Farmajo, is expected to seek a second four-year term; his current term ends February 7. Roble is expected to appear within several days for a confirmation hearing before parliament, whose members’ four-year terms expire December 27. If approved, Roble would have 30 days to pick cabinet members. Roble, 57, brings a fresh face to the country’s political scene. He is a graduate of Somali National University, where he studied civil engineering. Roble’s representatives told VOA that after Somalia’s civil war broke out in 1991, he fled to Sweden. He has worked for the International Labor Organization, a United Nations agency, in multiple locations including Somalia. In a short statement posted on social media, Roble said he would work with all Somalis during the transition. Revised election model The elections agreement revises a plan reached August 20 by Mohamed and three of five regional leaders. It was rejected by leaders of Puntland and Jubaland. Regional leaders reportedly worried that registering individual voters would be risky, given insecurity in Somalia, and could prolong incumbents’ terms in office. According to the new agreement, traditional elders, civil society leaders and regional authorities will select a federal map of 101 delegates from each state, who then will elect representatives to parliament. The plan likely will allow clans to retain more of the power that political parties had hoped to share. The new 15-point agreement allows the federal government and regional administrations to appoint federal and regional electoral commissions to manage voting and related processes. According to the revised agreement, election planning will begin November 1 in two locations in all five states. Representatives in Somaliland, which considers itself a breakaway republic, will be elected in Mogadishu, the capital. The deal also preserves a quota guaranteeing women 30% of the seats in the parliament’s 275-member lower chamber and 54-member upper chamber. Challenges President Mohamed said he chose Roble to consolidate security ahead of elections, rebuild the armed forces, develop infrastructure and fight corruption, a goal analysts describe as unrealistic given that Roble’s transitional term likely will not extend beyond 143 days, at most. “The man was appointed in a critical short time when the country is preparing for elections. His major challenges include security,” said Abdirahman Mohamed Tuuryare, former director of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency. “Al-Shabab, the terrorist group, will intensify attacks in the time of elections to threaten and disrupt the process, as they did in the past.” Liban Isse, a Mogadishu University professor of international studies, said Roble’s appointment holds promise. “Seen as nonaligned in the Somalia political landscape, he could help pave the way for compromises and consensus” on the election process, Isse said. This story originated in VOA’s Somali service.
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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies at 87
Longtime Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday from complications with cancer. Ginsburg, a stalwart liberal and the second woman to serve on the court, died at her home in Washington surrounded by her family, according to a statement from the court. She was 87. “Our nation has lost a justice of historic stature,” Chief Justice John Roberts said in the statement. Ginsburg was a champion of women’s rights, and a Supreme Court Justice since 1993. She died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the court said in its statement. Ginsburg’s death gives President Donald Trump the possibility to expand the conservative majority on the Supreme Court with a third appointment as a presidential election nears. National Public Radio reports that just days before her death, Ginsburg dictated a statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
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UK Ambassador to China Stirs Uproar With Photo Seen as Promoting Xi Jinping
Britain’s newest ambassador to China has gotten off to a rocky start after posting a photo on social media that some viewers interpreted as an endorsement of the hard-line policies of Chinese President Xi Jinping.Caroline Wilson, appointed in June to lead Britain’s diplomatic mission in Beijing as of this month, posted the photo on Twitter after a meeting with Liu Xiaoming, China’s envoy to Britain.In the photo, Liu beams with apparent delight as the two hold what appears to be a gifted book, the latest in a series of tomes laying out Xi’s thoughts on governance.Wilson described the occasion on Twitter as a “valuable meeting with @AmbLiuXiaoMing before heading to Beijing.” Her new subordinates at the British Embassy in Beijing subsequently retweeted the posting.As of Friday morning, Wilson’s tweet had generated more than 1,000 comments, and while a handful praised her as “the perfect person for this absolutely pivotal role,” the vast majority considered the posting highly problematic.“Even Liu XiaoMing didn’t choose to upload this photo,” one commentator wrote, though the Chinese envoy did post several other photos from the meeting. Many others shared the views of a writer who commented, “How could she uphold UK values while holding ‘Xi Jinping Thought’?”Among the most scathing comments was one from a writer who uploaded a 1938 photo of then-British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain shaking hands with Adolf Hitler. Another writer said Wilson’s gesture was “no different than holding Mao’s little red book.”A tweet that had generated almost 500 likes by Friday lodged a more serious charge, that Wilson is too eager to please Xi.Foreign ministry responseA spokesperson from the British foreign ministry defended Wilson’s tweet, telling VOA their country has “a policy of engagement with China and our approach will remain consistent even if difficulties emerge.”“We must have a calibrated approach and use engagement to raise matters on which the U.K. cannot agree or compromise with China, including on human rights and Hong Kong,” the spokesperson said.That argument is not persuasive to Roger Garside, a former British diplomat whose latest book, Coming Alive: China After Mao, focuses on contemporary China.“As a former British diplomat myself, who served twice in Beijing, I am appalled by this behavior by our Ambassador-designate to the PRC,” Garside wrote from London in response to VOA’s request for comment. “It goes beyond anything I have witnessed from a British diplomat.”Garside summed up the reaction to Wilson’s tweet as a “stream of well-deserved outrage.”’Hard looks’Clive Hamilton, a professor of public ethics in Australia, also responded to a request for comment from his home in Canberra:“I think the foreign policy establishment is lagging [behind] the political shift that has taken place in Britain this year. It has yet to wake up to the [Communist Party of China]’s ambitions and ruthless modus operandi.”Hamilton added: “The danger is that instead of advocating Britain’s policies in Beijing, she will end up advocating China’s policies in London.”Wilson has already attracted “hard looks” from critics of China’s ruling Communist Party within her own party, said Hamilton, the author of Hidden Hand, which warns that the Chinese Communist Party is determined to mold the world in its own image.He said there has been no public criticism “as far as I know, but I’ve heard indirectly that some have expressed dismay in private.”
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Graft Alleged as Kenya’s Fight Against COVID-19 Struggles
Organizations have contributed aid worth more than $2 billion to help Kenya’s in its fight against COVID-19. But much of the aid has gone missing, prompting President Uhuru Kenyatta to order an investigation into who might have taken it.Money and medical supplies were donated by such groups as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Jack Ma Foundation.The Network Action Against Corruption (NAAC), an organization sanctioned by the Kenyan government to promote fiscal accountability, accuses KEMSA, a government agency that supplies medicine and medical equipment to the Ministry of Health, of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars meant for the COVID-19 battle.Several schemes allegedThe network said officials in KEMSA ran multiple schemes. In one, NAAC said, the organization paid for personal protective equipment (PPE) that actually had been donated by the Jack Ma Foundation. The money then went to phony companies controlled by the KEMSA officials.In another, NAAC said, KEMSA officials contracted with fictitious shell companies to supply protective equipment. No equipment was supplied, but the companies got paid anyway.Dr. Gordwins Agutu, chief executive officer of NAAC, said those who ran the alleged schemes also planned to resell PPE on the black market.“The PPE kits consist of a number of items, but … the PPE kits, which they stole from Jack Ma’s donation, they would break it down,” he said. “So, they have the overalls separately, they have the boots supplied separately. So you can imagine how much were they intending to make out of that.”FILE – Patients rest on their beds at the Kenyatta stadium where screening booths and an isolation field hospital are installed to aid with COVID-19 treatment in Machakos, Kenya, July 28, 2020.Kenyatta has ordered a forensic audit into the use of both state and donor funds meant to be used to combat COVID-19.“All persons found to be prima facie culpable as a result of those ongoing investigations should be brought to book,” he said.Caroline Gaita, executive director at Mzalendo Trust, a parliamentary monitoring organization, said mismanagement of the money and protective gear has affected Kenya’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.“We’ve seen even as we speak now, the level of preparedness for COVID is not there yet,” she said. “The isolation units that were meant to be put up are not ready. We’ve seen doctors complaining about lack of PPE, so it would seem we got these resources but we have not utilized them for the right reason and yet we will continue paying for them.”Far-reaching effectsDr. Samuel Oroko, national chairman of the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union, said the shortage of protective supplies coupled with the low quality of those made available is having far-reaching effects.“The doctors and workers working in the outpatient department should be given N95 [masks] each and every day they see patients,” he said, adding that the limited supply and low quality of the PPE “has led to more than 1,000 health workers being infected with the coronavirus.”Kenya’s Senate and investigative agencies have been tasked with unraveling the allegations of financial misappropriation.Meanwhile, the country’s Health Ministry has recorded more than 36,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
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Death of Tibetan Commando Offers Insight Into Little-Known Elite Indian Force
The violent death of a Tibetan commando soldier who belonged to an Indian special forces unit near the China-India border has provided the public with rare insight into the operations of a little-known elite force. Tibetan soldier Nyima Tenzin, 53, a company leader in the Special Frontier Force (SFF) under the Indian army, died in a land mine blast in late August, near the site of border tensions with Chinese troops. Another junior soldier was critically injured in the same explosion. Few details are publicly known about the covert force that was set up soon after a war between India and China in 1962. The Indian government hasn’t published any official count of the size of the force, although some experts estimate its strength at around 5,000 to 10,000 men. FILE – Indian soldiers walk at the foothills of a mountain range near Leh, the joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, June 25, 2020.Considered an elite force in the India army, the SFF takes its orders directly from the Indian prime minister. It is based in Chakrata, nearly 700 kilometers from Ladakh, a key friction point in the current India-China border conflict. US trainingTenzin Tsundue, a Tibetan writer and activist in Dharamshala, told VOA that the force was trained by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the 1960s. “At that time, the main purpose of the group was to fight the PLA across the border,” he said. The Tibetan troops obtained weapons and equipment as well as training from the CIA, he said. The U.S. government pulled the CIA out of the training program following then-Republican President Richard M. Nixon’s visit to China in 1972. Yet the SFF kept receiving training from the Indian army to prepare for any potential conflict in the region. Over the years, the Indian government has deployed the SFF in various military operations. SFF soldiers have successfully waged wars for India starting with the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh against Pakistan. During the Kargil War in 1999, SFF soldiers captured Tiger Hill from the rival Pakistani soldiers, leading to India’s victory. The Reuters news agency quoted Amitabh Mathur, a former Indian government adviser on Tibetan affairs, as saying he wasn’t surprised the Indian government decided to deploy the SFF troops this time, as they were “crack troops, especially in the context of mountain climbing and high-altitude warfare.” ‘Ultimate dream of Tibetan soldiers’Within the Tibetan community, grieving has begun over Nyima’s death. His coffin has been draped with Indian and Tibetan flags in a refugee colony in Choglamsar, a village in India’s Ladakh region. According to Tsundue, many of the soldiers mourning the loss of Nyima simply want to return to their remote Himalayan homeland. FILE – Indian soldiers pay their respects during the funeral of their comrade, Tibetan-origin India’s special forces soldier Nyima Tenzin, in Leh on Sept. 7, 2020.“With the current border conflict, they might have a chance to fight against China and drive Chinese troops out of Tibet,” he explained. “This is the ultimate dream of Tibetan soldiers. They hope to fight the Chinese and play an important role in the fight for Tibet’s independence.” VOA reached out to the Tibetan Government in Exile for comments. Karma Choeying, spokesperson for the Central Tibetan Administration, said the administration “does not comment on this matter.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Wednesday said she did not know whether Tibetans were fighting for India, but urged caution. “We are firmly opposed to any country, including India, supporting the secession activities of Tibetan pro-independence forces or providing them with any assistance or physical space,” she said. This story originated in VOA’s Mandarin service.
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Cameroon Deploys Peacekeeping Troops to CAR for Election Stability
Cameroon is sending hundreds of troops and police to the Central African Republic to protect civilians and build peace ahead of December elections.The troops, under the U.N.’s Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSCA), finished training this week in the border village of Motcheboum. Cameroon’s defense minister, Joseph Beti Assomo, says the troops would foster peace by protecting civilians, election staff, their materials, international observers and refugees returning to the C.A.R. Years of political instability and fighting between armed groups have displaced nearly a quarter of the Central African Republic’s people. FILE – Soldiers of the U.N. force known by its French acronym MINUSCA are seen sitting on a vehicle in Bangui, Central African Republic, in this undated photo.The U.N. has asked Cameroon’s troops to help the C.A.R. address its security and sociopolitical turmoil by enabling citizens to rebuild destroyed institutions. Assomo says Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, has made available logistical support for the blue beret battalions and two trained police units, which will serve for one year within MINUSCA.Since 2014, there have been more than 11,000 U.N. peacekeepers in the C.A.R. — over 1,000 of them from Cameroon. While U.N.-led troops have helped establish a degree of stability, armed groups control much of the country and continue to acquire weapons, despite an arms embargo. Upcoming electionsAlbert Nseke, a conflict resolution specialist at the University of Bangui, said the rebel groups intend to disrupt the December elections in order to maintain their control of positions within the Central African Republic. The C.A.R.’s former president, Francois Bozize, who last year returned from exile in Uganda, challenged President Faustin-Archange Touadera in July for the top office. Bozize took power in a 2003 coup, only to be overthrown in 2013 by Seleka rebels. French troops helped to defeat the rebels and ushered in the Central African Republic’s last elections in 2016. But the U.N. says at least a dozen armed groups continue to fight over territory and resources throughout the country.
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European Countries Announce New Coronavirus Restrictions
European countries announced new coronavirus restrictions Friday, one day after the World Health Organization warned infections have started to spread again across the continent at “alarming rates.”
In Spain, which has more cases than any other European country with more than 620,000, the regional government of Madrid ordered a lockdown effective Monday in some of the more impoverished areas after a spike in infections there. While movement in the area will be restricted, people will still be allowed to go to work.
Authorities in Nice, France, have banned gatherings of more than 10 people in public spaces and cut bar operating hours, after new restrictions were imposed earlier this week in Bordeaux and Marseilles.
Britain said it is considering a new national lockdown after cases nearly doubled to 6,000 a day in the latest reporting week. British Health Minister Matt Hancock said another lockdown should be a last resort but that the government would do whatever is necessary to contain the virus.
New lockdown in Israel
Israel begins a second lockdown Friday because of a sharp jump in the number of coronavirus cases.
The three-week-long restrictions come just as the country is set to begin the Jewish holidays.
Israelis are allowed to travel no more than 500 meters from their houses. Exceptions include those purchasing medicine, seeking medical services, “helping someone in distress,” transferring a minor between parents, and obtaining “essential treatment for animals.”Israeli police officers wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus secure a check point on the first day of three-week lockdown in Bnei Brak, Israel, Sept 18, 2020.And in Iran, a senior Iranian official said the country should be on “red alert” after it reported 3,049 new cases Friday, the highest daily gain since early June.
“The color classification doesn’t make any sense anymore,” Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi said in an interview with Reuters. “We no longer have orange and yellow. The entire country is red.”
India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said Friday that 96,424 new infections and more than 1,000 COVID-related deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.
In North America, Canada has decided to extend the closure of the border its shares with the United States to non-essential travel until October 21, after seeing an increase in infections in recent weeks. Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said Friday such decisions would continue to be based on public health advice to protect its citizens. The closing was first announced on March 18 and have been extended each month since.
US minorities affected
And in the U.S., the U.S. data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week revealed that members of minorities younger than 21 years old are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 compared with white Americans in the same age group.
Between February 21 and July 31, 121 people younger than 21 died of the disease, according to data compiled from 27 states. More than 75% of those young people were Hispanic, Black, American Indian and Alaska Native, even though they represent 41% of the U.S. population.FILE – A “promotora” (health promoter) from CASA, a Hispanic advocacy group, tries to enroll Latinos as volunteers to test a potential COVID-19 vaccine, at a farmers market in Takoma Park, Maryland, Sept. 9, 2020.The CDC report also found that 75% of those who died had at least one underlying health condition such as asthma, obesity, neurologic and developmental conditions or cardiovascular conditions.
Researchers pointed out that certain social conditions, including crowded living environments, food and housing insecurity, and wealth and education gaps, could be contributing factors in the high fatality rates among minority children.
Vaccine trust tumbles
Nearly half of Americans, or 49%, said they definitely or probably would not get an inoculation if a coronavirus vaccine were available today, while 51% said they would, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted earlier this month.
The 49% who lean toward rejecting the inoculation cited concerns about side effects from the vaccine.
On Friday, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center reported there are more than 30 million COVID-19 infections worldwide and almost 950,000 deaths.
The United States has more cases than anywhere else in the world with 6.6 million, followed by India with 5.1 million cases and Brazil with 4.4 million.
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Cooler Temperatures, Rain Begin to Ease Wildfires in Western US
Wildfires in the Western states of California, Oregon and Washington continued to burn Friday, with millions of acres already scorched. But some relief appeared to be on the way.In Oregon, a top fire protection official said several of the fires had been “taken off the map,” meaning they could be downgraded.According to The Power and Light Building is silhouetted against the hazy rising sun, Sept. 18, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. Sunrises and sunsets across much of the country have been more vibrant than usual as smoke from Western wildfires drifts across the nation.However, weather forecasters said cooler temperatures were on the way, according to the Los Angeles Times.As of Friday, there were more than two dozen fires burning in California, with more than 17,000 firefighters trying to contain them.At least 24 people have died in the fires.In Seattle, a blanket of smoke was expected to dissipate as rain moves in.“The worst is behind us,” Dustin Guy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle, told the Seattle Times, referring to the smoke. “It’s just a matter of continuing to improve and bringing in cleaner air off the Pacific.”The wildfires have forced thousands to evacuate along the West Coast, and resulting smoke has sent even those far from the fires to area hospitals.
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Denmark Imposes New COVID-19 Restrictions as Virus Cases Surge
Denmark’s prime minister announced Friday new COVID-19-related restrictions after a resurgence of coronavirus infections in recent weeks.
At a news conference in Copenhagen, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Denmark will lower the limit on public gatherings to 50 people, down from 100, and bars and restaurants will close at 10 p.m. She said both measures will take effect Saturday and stay in effect until October 4.
In recent weeks, Frederiksen said, Denmark has seen daily infections rise after a relaxing of lockdown measures imposed between March and May. She said 454 new coronavirus infections had been registered in Denmark over the prior 24 hours, close to an April record of 473.
The prime minister said the COVID-19 reproduction rate, which indicates how many people one infected person on average transmits the virus to, is at 1.5 in the country.
Denmark is part of a growing list of European countries re-imposing or tightening COVID-19 restrictions in the face of surging infections rates that follow relaxed lockdown measures.
Britain, France and Spain have all locked down regions or at least tightened restrictions in targeted areas after seeing cases surge this week. British Health Minister Matt Hancock said a second nationwide lockdown could happen if cases continue to surge.
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Sally Moves Offshore as Florida, Alabama Take Stock of Storm’s Damage
As the remnants of Hurricane Sally moved off the east coast of the United States over the Atlantic Ocean, those impacted by the storm are taking stock of the damage.Escambia County, Florida, one of the hardest hit areas, saw more than half a meter of rain, which caused at least $29 million in damage. More than 320,000 businesses and homes were still without power early Friday.Rescuers reported using high-water vehicles to help those trapped by widespread flooding. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the state is providing gasoline, generators, ambulance crews, food and drinking water to those in need. “We have all hands on deck,” he said. “We want to make sure to continue to keep people safe.”In the state of Alabama, 75,000 people were still without power, considerably lower than the 680,000 who were initially without electricity during the storm.“While it could be much worse, it’s been mighty bad,” said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.Sally made landfall Wednesday as a Category 2 storm near Gulf Shores, Alabama.
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Burundi Rebel Group Claims Attacks in New Offensive
A Burundian rebel group claimed responsibility Friday for a spate of recent attacks on security forces and the ruling party’s youth league that it said had killed dozens. The RED-Tabara group said it had between Sunday and Thursday engaged soldiers and police as well as members of the Imbonerakure youth league, which is often referred to as a militia. Its spokesman Patrick Nahimana told AFP they had killed “28 soldiers and police and 15 militia members, and injured 40” in the western province of rural Bujumbura, southwestern Rumonge and southern Bururi. The exact toll could not be independently confirmed. Nahimana said three members of his group, Resistance for the Rule of Law-Tabara (which means “to help” in the local Kirundi language) were killed, and one captured. The attacks, which follow others in previous weeks in the same areas, are part of what the group described as an “offensive” launched in mid-August against the “dictatorial” ruling CNDD-FDD. RED-Tabara first appeared in 2011, and has been based in the South-Kivu province of neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, and has carried out sporadic attacks on Burundian soil in recent years. Fighters with the group arrived in Burundi via Lake Tanganyika on August 22, according to witnesses, whose accounts were confirmed by the governor of Rumonge province. Burundi’s only independent media outlet, Iwacu, earlier this month declared “the specter of rebellion” hung heavy after a slew of shadowy assaults by unknown gunmen. Fighting ‘criminal system’Nahimana said the group was “fighting against a criminal system which kills, pillages the country,” referring to the ruling party. Former president Pierre Nkurunziza died in June after 15 years in power, and he has been succeeded by Evariste Ndayishimiye. However, hopes of change under a new president, after years of political crisis, have been dashed. U.N. investigators said Thursday that rights abuses have continued and those sanctioned for their involvement in such violations had been appointed to senior positions. Thierry Vircoulon, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, said RED-Tabara’s new offensive was meant to “show the new president that they exist, that he will have to deal with them.” “At this stage their numbers are too small to represent a real threat to the Burundian government,” he said, adding that they did appear to have “more capacity than before.”
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EU Unveils Plan to Combat Racism, Increase Diversity
The European Commission presented a series of measures Friday aimed at tackling structural racism and discrimination, acknowledging a blatant lack of diversity among the European Union’s institutions. The bloc’s executive arm set out its action plan for the next five years, which includes strengthening the current legal framework, recruiting an anti-racism coordinator and increasing the diversity of EU staff. The European Commission’s vice president for values and transparency, Věra Jourová, said that recent anti-racism protests in the U.S. and Europe highlighted the need for action. “We have reached a moment of reckoning. The protests sent a clear message, change must happen now,” Jourová said. “It won’t be easy, but it must be done. “We won’t shy away from strengthening the legislation, if needed,” she said. “The commission itself will adapt its recruiting policy to better reflect European society.” The current College of Commissioners, which oversees EU policies, is made up of 27 members, one from each EU country. All the members of the team set up last year by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are white. Under the plan, data on the diversity of commission staff will for the first time be collected on the basis of a voluntary survey that will help define new recruitment policies. Meanwhile, the new coordinator for anti-racism will be in charge of collecting the grievances and feelings of minorities to make sure they are reflected in EU policies. The EU said that more than half of Europeans believe that discrimination is widespread in their country. According to surveys carried out by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, or FRA, 45% of people of North African descent, 41% of Roma and 39% of people of sub-Saharan African descent have faced such discrimination. The EU’s racial equality directive will also be assessed, with possible new legislation introduced in 2022. In the wake of the Black Live Matters protests triggered by George Floyd’s death in the U.S., the European Commission said it would look carefully into discrimination by law enforcement authorities such as unlawful racial profiling. Meanwhile, the EU agency for fundamental rights will continue to collect data on police attitudes towards minorities. The European Commission also wants to combat stereotypes and disinformation by setting up a series of seminars and promoting commemorative days linked to the issue of racism. It also encouraged member states to address stereotypes via cultural and education programs, or the media. A summit against racism is planned next year. “Nobody is born racist. It is not a characteristic which we are born with,” said Helena Dalli, the EU commissioner for equality. “It’s a question of nurture, and not nature. We have to unlearn what we have learned.” Earlier this year, the European Parliament approved a resolution condemning the Floyd’s death and asking the EU to take a strong stance against racism.
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Lawyer: Ugandan Writer Arrested for Second Time This Year
A Ugandan writer and critic of the government has been arrested for the second time this year, according to his lawyer. The lawyer says the move was prompted by an unpublished manuscript that details the writer’s arrest, detention and alleged torture in April by military personnel. Security personnel thought to be from Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military intelligence stormed Kakwenza Rukirabashaija’s home Friday morning and took him into custody. “He has been arrested this morning at 6:30, for continuing to write,” Rukirabashaija’s lawyer, Eron Kiiza, told VOA in a phone interview. “Because he has been promising to publish the new book, ‘Banana Republic,’ that recounts his previous torture in April. And they arrested him in the presence of his wife and also in the presence of the chairman of the area.” Rukirabashaija was taken into custody in April over a fiction book titled “The Greedy Barbarian.” The book describes a young man who leaves the countryside, rises to power and is overtaken by greed and ego, leading to his demise. Many saw it as a commentary on President Yoweri Museveni. Rukirabashaija spent seven days in military custody. Upon his release, he started drafting another book, “The Banana Republic,” in which he details his arrest, detention and alleged torture. In the draft, partly shared with VOA, he recounts what he describes as horrendous and indescribable torture while in custody. He writes that one day, an officer kicked him off a toilet and then pushed his face inside the bowl. He says the officer “then reached for the keys in his pocket and chained me on the bars that were out of the toilet wall, and I spent the night there, praying to God. Writing is not a crime. It is not a crime to be creative.” Danson Kahyana, president of the Uganda chapter of Pen International, a writers’ association, said Rukirabashaija’s arrest is a clear message from government to writers that they will not tolerate dissenting and critical voices. “By the time they even reach that level of arresting you for a book that has not yet come out, I think it shows that we have really lost it,” Kahyana said. “We are supposed to be governed. And governing does not mean oppression. It’s really unfortunate to see that we are going back to the dark days that Museveni supposedly liberated us from.” VOA reached out to branches of the army and police for comment. The officials contacted said they have no information on the writer’s alleged arrest.
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Tropical Storm Noul Makes Landfall in Central Vietnam
Tropical storm Noul made landfall Friday in central Vietnam, killing at least one person and triggering heavy rain in the central parts of the country.State-run media report the storm hit the tourist city of Danang and veered north to Thua Thien Hue province before entering Laos around midday Friday, by then having weakened to a tropical depression. Vietnam’s Tuoi Tre newspaper reported a man was killed by a falling tree and television footage showed flooded streets in some areas.Surveillance footage from Thua Thien Hue Province showed the moment a utility pole fell on a passing motorcyclist in Hue city as the storm hit there. The motorcyclist was later seen emerging from the pile of branches and rushing toward safety.State television VTV show footage of collapsed houses and damaged roofs, heavy rain and rough seas at various locations in the coastal provinces of Vietnam. VTV also reported that about 10 centimeters of rain fell in the Central Highlands. The government had previously made plans to evacuate up to half a million people when the storm was forecast to have wind speeds of up to 135 kilometers an hour. They canceled those plans after the storm was downgraded. Forecasters warned the system could still dump up to 25 centimeters of rain in parts of central Vietnam, potentially causing floods and landslides.
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Britain Contemplates Second National Lockdown as COVID-19 Surges
British Health Minister Matt Hancock said Friday the government is contemplating a second nationwide lockdown as new COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Britain. Hancock commented in two interviews as a new lockdown went into effect in northeastern Britain. Hancock said there has been an acceleration in the number of cases over the last couple of weeks, and the number of people hospitalized with the disease caused by the coronavirus has been doubling about every eight days. FILE – Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock holds the daily coronavirus disease news conference at 10 Downing Street in London, May 21, 2020. (Credit: Pippa Fowles /10 Downing Street/Handout)The health minister said a nationwide lockdown is “the last line of defense,” and the government would prefer isolated, regional lockdowns. But he said the government will do what it must “to protect lives and livelihoods.” Hancock urged British citizens to follow the “rule of six,” with no public gatherings of more than six people; obey local restrictions in their area; and self-isolate if they have tested positive. The Johns Hopkins University says Britain has the fifth-largest number of deaths from COVID-19 after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico. COVID-19 cases started to rise again in Britain this month, with between 3,000 and 4,000 positive tests recorded daily in the last week, but that is behind France and its more than 10,000 cases a day, officials say. On September 17, Britain recorded 21 deaths from the disease, and the total stands at 41,794, according to Johns Hopkins.
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Officials: Trump to Block US Downloads of TikTok, WeChat on Sunday
The U.S. Commerce Department said it will issue an order Friday that will bar people in the United States from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok starting on September 20.Commerce officials said the ban on new U.S. downloads of TikTok could be still rescinded by President Donald Trump before it takes effect late Sunday as TikTok owner ByteDance races to clinch an agreement over the fate of its U.S. operations.ByteDance has been talks with Oracle Corp and others to create a new company, TikTok Global, that aims to address U.S. concerns about the security of its users’ data. ByteDance still needs Trump’s approval to stave off a U.S. ban.Commerce officials said they will not bar additional technical transactions for TikTok until Nov. 12, which gives the company additional time to see if ByteDance can reach a deal for its U.S. operations. “The basic TikTok will stay intact until Nov. 12,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network.The department said the actions will “protect users in the U.S. by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality.”Oracle shares fell 1.6% after the news in pre-market tradingThe Commerce Department order will “deplatform” the two apps in the United States and bar Apple Inc’s app store, Alphabet Inc’s Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform “that can be reached from within the United States,” a senior Commerce official told Reuters.The order will not ban U.S. companies from doing businesses on WeChat outside the United States, which will be welcome news to U.S. firms like Walmart and Starbucks that use WeChat’s embedded ‘mini-app’ programs to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China, officials said.The order will not bar transactions with WeChat-owner Tencent Holdings’ other businesses, including its online gaming operations, and will not prohibit Apple, Google or others from offering TikTok or WeChat apps anywhere outside the United States.The bans are in response to a pair of executive orders issued by Trump on August 6 that gave the Commerce Department 45 days to determine what transactions to block from the apps he deemed pose a national security threat. That deadline expires on Sunday.Commerce Department officials said they were taking the extraordinary step because of the risks the apps’ data collection poses. China and the companies have denied U.S. user data is collected for spying.Ross said in a written statement “we have taken significant action to combat China’s malicious collection of American citizens’ personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations.”The order is set to be published at 8:45 a.m. EDT (1245 GMT) on Friday, Commerce said.Popular appsThe Trump administration has ramped up efforts to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps from U.S. digital networks and has called TikTok and WeChat “significant threats.”TikTok has 100 million users in the United States and is especially popular among younger Americans.WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, analytics firms Apptopia said in early August. It is popular among Chinese students, ex-pats and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China.WeChat is an all-in-one mobile app that combines services similar to Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Venmo. The app is an essential part of daily life for many in China and boasts more than 1 billion users.The Commerce Department will not seek to compel people in the United States to remove the apps or stop using them but will not allow updates or new downloads. “We are aiming at a top corporate level. We’re not going to go out after the individual users,” one Commerce official said.Over time, officials said, the lack of updates will degrade the apps usability.”The expectation is that people will find alternative ways to do these actions,” a senior official said. “We expect the market to act and there will be more secure apps that will fill in these gaps that Americans can trust and that the United States government won’t have to take similar actions against.”Commerce is also barring additional technical transactions with WeChat starting Sunday that will significantly reduce the usability and functionality of the app in the United States.The order bars data hosting within the United States for WeChat, content delivery services and networks that can increase functionality and internet transit or peering services.”What immediately is going to happen is users are going to experience a lag or lack of functionality,” a senior Commerce official said of WeChat users. “It may still be usable but it is not going to be as functional as it was.” There may be sporadic outages as well, the official said.Commerce will bar the same set of technical transactions for TikTok, but that will not take effect until Nov. 12 to give the company additional time to see if ByteDance can reach a deal for its U.S. operations. The official said TikTok U.S. users would not see “a major difference” in the app’s performance until Nov. 12.Commerce will not penalize people who use TikTok or WeChat in the United States.The order does not bar data storage within the United States for WeChat or TikTok.Some Americans may find workarounds. There is nothing that would bar an American from traveling to a foreign country and downloading either app, or potentially using a virtual private network and a desktop client, officials conceded.
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China Holds Military Exercises Near Taiwan as US Diplomat Visits
China said Friday it was conducting military exercises near the Taiwan Strait, as a top U.S. diplomat visits the self-ruled island in a move that has angered Beijing.Relations between the United States and China are at their lowest point in decades, with the two sides clashing over a range of trade, military and security issues, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.Keith Krach, U.S. undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, landed in Taipei Thursday for a three-day visit, the highest-ranking State Department official to visit in 40 years.At a press conference on Friday, a Chinese defense ministry spokesman said Beijing was “holding actual combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait” when asked how it would respond to the visit.”This is a legitimate and necessary action taken to safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait,” Ren Guoqiang told reporters.Ren also warned that the Chinese military had “sufficient ability” to counter any external threat or challenge from Taiwan separatists.Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, to be absorbed into the Chinese mainland — by force if necessary.China’s Communist leadership baulks at any recognition of Taiwan — which has been ruled separately from China since the end of a civil war in 1949 — and has pursued a decades-long policy of marginalizing the democratic island.Ren accused the United States of “frequently causing trouble” over Taiwan, which he said “is purely China’s internal affairs, and we won’t tolerate any external interference”.According to Taipei’s defense ministry, 18 Chinese aircraft — including bombers and fighters — entered Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday and also crossed the so-called median line that divides the Taiwan Strait.The ministry said Taiwan’s military “scrambled fighters, and deployed air defense missile system to monitor the activities”.”We hope the other side can exercise restraint and not… heighten conflicts between the two sides. These military intimidations have caused resentment among the Taiwanese people,” it said in a statement.In recent weeks, Taiwan has reported a sharp rise in incursions by Chinese warplanes into its ADIZ.Chinese jets also made a brief incursion across the midline of the strait separating the two sides in August, as US health chief Alex Azar made his country’s highest-level visit to Taiwan since 1979 — the year Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing.Washington’s increased outreach to Taiwan under President Donald Trump has become yet another U.S.-China flashpoint.The U.S. said Krach was visiting Taiwan to attend Saturday’s memorial service for late president Lee Teng-hui, who died in July aged 97. On Friday, Krach met with foreign minister Joseph Wu to discuss various bilateral issues and exchange view on future collaborations, according to Taipei authorities. He is also scheduled to join President Tsai Ing-wen for dinner at her official residence.China has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since Tsai came to power in 2016, as she refuses to acknowledge its idea that the democratic island is part of “one China”.
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