Increased security measures are not stopping cyber operatives from looking for ways to break into critical U.S. voting systems, according to officials charged with safeguarding the nation’s Nov. 3 presidential election. But exactly who is behind the ongoing efforts remains unclear. “Election systems, like IT systems generally, are being scanned, are being targeted, are being researched for vulnerabilities,” Matt Masterson, the Department of Homeland Security’s senior election security adviser, said Tuesday during a virtual event on election security hosted by Auburn University’s McCrary Institute. “What keeps me up at night is, is there something we’re not seeing? Is there something we’re not tracking?” he said. FILE – Senior Cybersecurity Adviser at the Department of Homeland Security Matthew Masterson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 22, 2019.U.S. officials have been preparing for new attacks on voting systems since 2016, when Russian-linked actors targeted all 50 states, managing to access voter registration databases in a handful of them. As part of that effort, officials have been working to install cyber intrusion detection sensors across the country, now allowing all states and more than 2,500 local jurisdictions to get real-time threat information. So far, the effort seems to be paying off. “We haven’t seen cyberattacks to date this year on voter registration databases or on any systems involved in primary voting,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said last week at a virtual conference hosted by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “To our knowledge, no foreign government has attempted to tamper with U.S. vote counts.” Indirect threatsBut Masterson warned U.S. adversaries may still be looking for a way into critical systems to meddle with the upcoming presidential election. “While we have no evidence of direct targeting of election infrastructure by nation states, we know and continue to see reports of scanning,” he said. There are also concerns that cyber actors looking to interfere with Election Day voting will launch an indirect attack, perhaps using ransomware to take down systems that could create difficulties, even though they are not directly involved in the election process. “We see cascading impacts where internet is lost, connectivity to websites is lost,” Masterson said. State and local officials are also being targeted, with cyber actors using spear-phishing and social engineering as ways to get passwords or other information that could give them access to critical systems. Disinformation campaigns Even so, some state election officials say thanks to the ongoing efforts of federal and state authorities, they are much better prepared than they were in 2016. “There is no doubt that we are in a tremendously better situation now, today, than we were during those elections,” said David Stafford, supervisor of elections for Escambia County, Florida. “We know who to call if something happens.” “Unfortunately, the threat has grown along with us,” he added. Some state officials remain uneasy about the possibility that where efforts to hack the U.S. election may fail, ongoing disinformation campaigns could succeed. “I do worry about in those last couple of days and on Election Day,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, who like Masterson and Stafford, spoke at the Auburn University event. “I keep telling people don’t click retweet,” she said. “It’s so easy to perpetuate. And of course, that’s what our foreign adversaries, that’s what our domestic adversaries, that’s what they want us to do to undermine confidence in the election.”
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Month: September 2020
Major Powers Spotlight COVID-19 Response at UNGA
As the U.N. General Assembly annual debate got under way Tuesday, combating and eliminating the coronavirus pandemic was the foremost preoccupation of the world’s major powers. Global leaders are meeting virtually this year due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide have surpassed 31 million, with more than 960,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, which tracks the data. A reporter with the Xinhua Press Agency watches as President Xi Jinping is seen on a video screen remotely addressing the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 22, 2020, at U.N. headquarters.From China, the country where the virus is believed to have originated, President Xi Jinping promised it would be defeated. He announced that Beijing would provide an additional $50 million to the U.N.’s COVID-19 global humanitarian response plan and said his country is making progress on a vaccine. “At the moment, several COVID-19 vaccines developed by China are in active Phase 3 clinical trials,” Xi said in his video message to the virtual gathering. “When their development is completed and they are ready for use, these vaccines will be made a global public good and will be provided to other developing countries on a priority basis.” He also denounced efforts to politicize or stigmatize the virus. Touting progress on vaccine In his UNGA address, U.S. President Donald Trump slammed China, referring to COVID-19 as the “China virus,” and saying Beijing must be held accountable for having “unleashed” it on the world. He said the United States is also making strides on a potential vaccine. U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a video screen remotely addressing the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters, Sept. 22, 2020.”We will distribute a vaccine. We will defeat the virus. We will end the pandemic, and we will enter a new era of unprecedented prosperity, cooperation and peace,” Trump pledged Tuesday in a brief video message. Russia’s president also touted his nation’s progress on a vaccine. “We are ready to share our experience and continue cooperating with all states and international entities, including supplying the Russian vaccine — which has proved reliable, safe and effective — to other countries,” Vladimir Putin said in his video address. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is seen during his video address to the United Nation’s General Assembly in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 22, 2020.In August, Russia became the first country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, called Sputnik V. But international scientists have been skeptical of its safety and effectiveness, as it had not started Phase 3 trials when it was approved. Putin also said Moscow is ready to provide its vaccine free to the United Nations so it could inoculate its staff. Humanitarian pause Since March, the U.N. secretary-general has been calling for a global humanitarian truce to help facilitate an effective coronavirus response. The initiative has received an outpouring of verbal support from nations and even some armed groups, but there has been little real implementation on the ground. Speaking from the General Assembly podium to a limited audience of mostly U.N. ambassadors, Antonio Guterres urged conflict actors and those with influence to implement the pause by the end of this year. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during the 75th annual U.N. General Assembly, which is being held mostly virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, Sept. 22, 2020.”The world needs a global cease-fire to stop all ‘hot’ conflicts,” Guterres said Tuesday. Acknowledging escalating tensions between the U.S. and China, he added, “At the same time, we must do everything to avoid a new Cold War.” French President Emmanuel Macron expressed frustration that getting the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution supporting the COVID-19 cease-fire was so difficult. “Imagine that, to have so much trouble in agreeing on so little,” Macron said in his UNGA address. “But our permanent members were not able to — even with the exceptional circumstances — come together as we would have liked to have seen them do, because several have chosen to showcase their rivalry over the importance of collective effectiveness.” This U.N. handout photo shows French President Emmanuel Macron as he virtually addresses the general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Sept. 22, 2020.The council finally adopted a resolution on July 1 — 100 days after the U.N. chief’s appeal — primarily because of the deterioration of relations between Washington and Beijing over the origin and spread of the virus.”This crisis no doubt, more than any other, demands that we cooperate. Demands that we invent new international solutions first,” Macron added. Iran sanctions Another issue that has sparked strong reactions in recent weeks from the world’s major powers has been Washington’s move to reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran for its lack of compliance under the 2015 nuclear deal. In May 2018, Trump announced his administration’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the deal is formally known. The other members of the agreement — Britain, France, China and Russia, plus Germany and Iran — say the U.S. gave up its right to initiate what is known as a “snapback” of international sanctions when it pulled out of the deal. Washington disagreed, saying the U.N. Security Council resolution enshrining the 2015 nuclear agreement in international law still names the U.S. as a participant. After notifying the U.N. in August that it planned to snap back sanctions, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared Sept. 19 that snapback had occurred. The U.N Security Council has said it will take no action on reinstating the sanctions regime. President of Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani speaks virtually during the 75th annual U.N. General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, Sept. 22, 2020. (United Nations/Handout)U.S. presidential elections are just over one month away, and Rouhani linked Washington’s effort to snap back sanctions to its domestic politics. “We are not a bargaining chip in U.S. elections and domestic policy,” he said. “Any U.S. administration after the upcoming elections will have no choice but to surrender to the resilience of the Iranian nation.” In his Tuesday address, Trump noted that his administration withdrew from “the terrible Iran” deal and “imposed crippling sanctions on the world’s leading state sponsor of terror.”
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Dirty Money, Criminal Cash: Bank Leaks Reveal Vast Scale of Global Fraud
Leaked documents allege that some of the world’s biggest banks have allowed $2 trillion worth of suspicious or fraudulent activity to take place – including money laundering for criminal gangs and terrorists. The so-called “FinCEN files” consist of more than two thousand Suspicious Activity Reports or SARs sent by banks to the U.S. Treasury, alerting the authorities to possible criminal activity, from 1999 and 2017. The files were leaked to Buzzfeed and shared with a network of journalists. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.
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South Sudan Catholics Return to Church
Hundreds of Catholic faithful in the South Sudan capital Juba returned to Mass on Sunday, nearly five months after the government suspended religious, social and political gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The ban on religious services was lifted two weeks ago. Sabinda Doki Plachido, 56, was one of hundreds of worshippers who attended Mass at Juba’s St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. “It is like Christmas today. Or it is like the resurrection of Christ because … from childhood, we used to come to this church. The church became part and parcel of our bodies spiritually. If you don’t come here, you find something is missing,” Plachido told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus. Rita Juan Dimitri said she has been “waiting and longing for this day” since last week, when her parish priest announced the church was reopening. “I was so grateful, because I was following the prayers online through Bakhita radio and when I pray, when it comes to the time people receive the Holy Communion, I feel like I need to receive the real Jesus, I need to receive the Holy Communion, but I couldn’t,” Dimitri said. COVID rulesNew guidelines for congregants were announced by Metropolitan Archbishop of Juba Diocese Stephen Ameyu Martin. “All the people will have face masks and all of them will have to wash their hands at the entrance and all other social distancing protocols are all observed,” Martin told South Sudan in Focus. South Sudan’s Catholic churches are offering more services to ensure that fewer people attend each one, according to the archbishop. Juba’s Kator Parish, which used to have Mass three times each weekend, will now have it six times. The leadership also issued new guidelines for taking Holy Communion. A priest will give a wafer to a congregant, the congregant will move about one meter away, swallow it, then walk away. That marks a significant change from the past, said Plachido. “Before, we were used to that you line up and then the priest gives the Holy Communion to you, he gives it with his own hands to your mouth, but this time it is not to your mouth because of the fear of the infection,” Plachido told VOA. Martin said congregants also will be screened before entering church to determine if they have abnormal temperatures. Monitoring numbersSome congregants are reluctant to follow the new guidelines, according to Rita Juan, a member of the COVID-19 task force of South Sudan’s Catholic Church. “Some people remove the masks because it actually causes, like it suffocates or it sometimes causes [a] headache. That is why they remove their masks but we also inform them in the church today, it is only 40 minutes and we will be out of the church and it is for their safety and the safety of others,” Juan told South Sudan in Focus. The archbishop said the church leadership realizes the pandemic is still a threat to human life. “We will always monitor the infection of the people; if the people are infected more and more, we could still close down our churches,” Martin told VOA.
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Italy’s Coalition Government Fends off Salvini
Italy’s fragile coalition government breathed a collective sigh of relief Tuesday after voters denied the country’s populist leader Matteo Salvini the major electoral breakthrough he was seeking in hotly contested regional elections. The center-left Democratic Party, PD, managed a comfortable victory in Tuscany, a region the left has ruled without interruption since regional governments were first elected in 1970, frustrating Salvini in taking the biggest prize in the elections for the governments of seven regions and a thousand towns and cities the length and breadth of Italy.Tuscany is the buckle of the left’s so-called “red belt” and was targeted by Salvini’s populist Lega party. Salvini himself campaigned tirelessly in Tuscany in the run-up to the polls, predicting his party could win the wealthy region behind his handpicked candidate for the governorship, the telegenic 33-year-old Susanna Ceccardi, a former mayor.With the regional counts still to be finalized Tuesday, the Democrats looked sure to hold three regions it ruled before. Along with Tuscany, incumbent PD governors were on course to win re-election in the southern regions of Campania and Apulia. The leaders of the key government parties of Prime Minister’s Giuseppe Conte’s coalition government, which is made up of the Democratic Party and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, M5S, along with some other smaller groups, were quick to celebrate Tuesday.Democratic Party leader Nicola Zingaretti talks to the media during a press conference, in Rome, Sept. 21, 2020.PD leader Nicola Zingaretti said, “We are very satisfied.” He said the result would facilitate further reforms and cooperation within the government.And Luigi Di Maio, Italy’s foreign minister and a prominent member of M5S, said at a press conference: “Those that tried to transform this referendum into a vote against the government received a boomerang.” Eugenio Giani, the PD’s gubernatorial candidates in Tuscany, hailed his win an “extraordinary victory.”But for all of the center-left’s jubilation, the PD lost a fourth region, Marche, where the far-right Brothers of Italy, part of a Lega-led center-right alliance, won the vote. And the contest in Apulia in the heel of Italy was close. The Lega-led center-right alliance held easily the three regions it was defending, including Veneto in the northeast, where incumbent Luca Zaia secured election as governor for the third time with an emphatically large majority. The size of his victory — he won 75% of the vote, largely due commentators say to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic — has prompted speculation that he might seek to challenge Salvini in the future for the leadership of the Lega. Zaia denies he has any plans to do so.Jacopo Morrone, a Lega lawmaker, claimed the results overall are a victory for the populists, saying it was always going to be difficult to win Tuscany or Apulia “but to put them [the PD] in difficulty is a good result.”The fact, though, that the Lega-led center-right opposition failed to land a knockout blow in the regional elections by winning the prize of Tuscany is being widely seen by analysts as strengthening Prime Minister Conte’s shaky coalition government — at least in the short term.Longer term, this week’s regional elections have confirmed that the Lega has managed to maintain a shift in the regional power balance further to the right nationally. Fourteen of the country’s 20 regions now are ruled by the Lega or its allies. A 15th could be added to the Lega tally. The votes of elections this week in the French-speaking Val d’Aosta, a tiny region in the north-east, remain to be counted, but exit polls suggest Lega-allies are likely to win there.Pollster Lorenzo Pregliasco told reporters that this week’s regional elections should be considered a tie. “The PD had done a lot of expectation management, so that [the results] seem almost a victory, even if it is more of a draw,” he said. Other analysts say Salvini made a PR mistake with his pre-election forecasts that Lega would manage a victory in Tuscany.
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EU Summit Postponed After Council President Quarantined
A spokesman for European Council President Charles Michel says a summit of European Union leaders scheduled for Thursday and Friday has been postponed, after Michel was forced to go into COVID-19 quarantine following contact with an infected security guard. EU council spokesman Barend Leyts tweeted that Michel learned on Tuesday that a security officer, with whom he was in close contact early last week, tested positive for COVID-19. The @eucopresident has decided to postpone the special European Council meeting that was planned for 24 and 25 September to 1 and 2 October #EUCO— Barend Leyts (@BarendLeyts) September 22, 2020Leyts said the EU council president is tested regularly, and as recently as Monday tested negative for COVID-19. But Michel plans to follow Belgium’s COVID-19 regulations and is going into isolation. The EU is headquartered in Brussels. The summit, now scheduled for Oct. 1-2, will focus on a variety of issues ranging from Brexit negotiations, to climate change, to the tensions between Greece and Turkey over energy rights on the eastern Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus. Final approval for sanctions against Belarus regarding the crackdown following the country’s contested election last month is also set to be a focus. Michel, a former Belgian prime minister, spent much of the past week in shuttle diplomacy over the Turkey issue, including trips to Cyprus, the Greek island of Lesbos and Athens.
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Australian Officials Scramble to Save Stranded Whales
Australian wildlife rescue teams said Tuesday they were able to free at least 25 of about 270 pilot whales stranded in a remote area off the west coast of the Australian island of Tasmania and hoped to rescue more.The rescue operation, led by Australia’s Parks and Wildlife Department, got underway early Tuesday after the whales were discovered stranded Monday on two sandbars in Macquarie Harbor, near the west coast town of Strahan, about 200 kilometers northwest of the Tasmanian state capital, Hobart.Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service Manager Nic Deka told reporters a third of the whales were likely to have died.The rescue effort involved more than 65 state park workers, fishermen and volunteers navigating icy waters and attaching the animals to slings and moving them out of the harbor and into deeper water using boats.A pod of whales, believed to be pilot whales, is seen stranded on a sandbar at Macquarie Harbour, near Strahan, Tasmania, Australia. (AAP Image/The Advocate Pool, Brodie Weeding)Wildlife biologist Kris Carlyon said the stranding is believed to be a natural event and said any whales they can save should be considered a “win.” He said with these whales there is always a danger of a re-stranding.Pilot whales are a large species of dolphin and grow to about seven meters and can weigh up to three tons. They are social animals, traveling in pods of 10 to 20 animals but those groups can swell in size to hundreds.The species is prone to mass strandings, which some scientist attribute to their strong social connections and persistence to remain together in a crisis.
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Beta Weakens to Tropical Depression, Moves Inland
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm system known as Beta has been downgraded to a tropical depression but still threatens to dump heavy rain as it moves inland over Texas. In its latest report Tuesday, the hurricane center says Beta was centered about 177 kilometers south, southwest of the city of Houston and its winds had diminished to about 55 kilometers per hour. It was moving to the northeast at about four kilometers per hour. While tropical storm and surge warnings have been discontinued, forecasters say the system is still likely to drop 10 to 25 centimeters of rain over parts of Texas with isolated areas seeing as much as 50 centimeters. The cities of Houston and Galveston have reported flooding in streets and along coastal areas. The hurricane center says the remnants of the storm are likely to pick up speed as it moves inland over southeastern Texas through Wednesday and then over Louisiana and Mississippi from Wednesday night through Friday. Beta made landfall late Monday just north of Port O’Connor, Texas, becoming the ninth named storm that made landfall in the continental United States this year. That tied a record set in 1916. Beta was named for the second letter in the Greek alphabet because the hurricane center had run out of conventional names for storms — the first time that has happened in 15 years, and only the second time since the 1950s.
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Trump to Name Supreme Court Nominee Saturday
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he plans to announce his nominee Saturday for the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, while a key lawmaker said Senate Republicans have enough votes to confirm Trump’s choice before the November 3 presidential election.
Trump said on Twitter he would make the announcement at the White House. He earlier said the choice will be one of five conservative women he is considering, one of whom he met with Monday, appellate court judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Three Conservative Female Judges at Top of Trump’s Supreme Court ListUS leader appointed all three to federal appellate court judgeships and now could elevate one of them to a lifetime appointment to the top US courtFormer Vice President Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic challenger in the election six weeks away, has called for the next president — whoever wins the election — to pick the Supreme Court nominee after his inauguration in January to a new White House term.
But Republicans are looking to take advantage of their current 53-47 Senate majority to tilt the court’s ideological balance further to the right — from its current 5-4 conservative edge to 6-3 – by approving Trump’s third conservative nominee to the country’s top court. The president earlier won Senate confirmation of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
Supreme Court Pick Upends Unpredictable US ElectionDeath of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg puts political battle over her replacement at center of election, less than two months away Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee would oversee confirmation hearings for Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, told Fox News late Monday night that Republicans have enough votes to approve his yet-to-be-named choice.
“The nominee is going to be supported by every Republican in the Judiciary Committee,” Graham said. “We’ve got the votes to confirm the justice on the floor of the Senate before the election and that’s what’s coming.”
Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have announced they will vote against considering Trump’s nomination before the election, a less than 40-day time frame compared to the 70 days or more it typically has taken the Senate to consider past presidents’ Supreme Court nominees.
But no other Republican senator has joined them in looking to delay consideration of a nominee until after the election.
Romney OK with pre-election confirmation
Senator Mitt Romney, a frequent Trump critic, was the latest to voice approval for moving ahead.
“I intend to follow the Constitution and precedent in considering the president’s nominee,” Romney said in a statement Tuesday. “If the nominee reaches the Senate floor, I intend to vote based upon their qualifications.”
The Republican Senate majority, nine months ahead of the 2016 election, blocked consideration of Democratic President Barack Obama’s last Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland.
Along with other Republicans, Romney said the fact that the party controls both the White House and Senate makes the current fight over a court nominee different than four years ago.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, leaves the Senate Chamber following a vote, at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 21, 2020.“Historical precedent of election year nominations is that the Senate generally does not confirm an opposing party’s nominee but does confirm a nominee of its own,” Romney said.
Romney’s position does not mean Trump’s nominee will definitely have the votes to be confirmed, but it does mean that Graham, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans can push forward on Trump’s choice without delay.
Two other Republican senators thought to possibly oppose a pre-election vote on a court nominee — Cory Gardner of Colorado and Chuck Grassley of Iowa — said Monday they also do not oppose moving forward on filling the court vacancy.
Democrats unable to stop process
Democrats, in the Senate minority, are largely powerless to stop consideration of Trump’s eventual nominee and, at least so far, have tried to shame Republicans, heaping scorn on them for blocking Obama’s nominee in another presidential election year while looking to move swiftly on the prospective Trump selection.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 21, 2020.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Monday the coming confirmation clash could spell “the end of this supposedly great deliberative body.”
“If a Senate majority over the course of six years steals two Supreme Court seats using completely contradictory rationales, how could we expect to trust the other side again?” he asked. “How can we trust each other if, when push comes to shove, when the stakes are the highest, the other side will double-cross their own standards when it’s politically advantageous?”
Aside from considering the 48-year-old Barrett, a former University of Notre Dame law professor and favorite of conservative activists for the nomination, Trump is looking at three other appellate court judges, including another reported leading choice, Barbara Lagoa, the 52-year-old daughter of Cuban refugees who fled the island after Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution. Also under consideration are appeals court judges Allison Jones Rushing and Joan Larsen, along with deputy White House counsel Kate Todd.
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Sudan Businesses Feel Pinch as Currency Devalues, Inflation Soars
Sudan’s government recently declared an economic emergency after the Sudanese pound lost 40 percent of its value in one month and the annual inflation rate jumped to 167 percent. Sudan’s transitional authorities have struggled to stabilize the currency, the weakness of which helped fuel the protests against former president Omar al-Bashir. The economic strain has hit traders in the Sajana Market, one of Sudan’s largest, as Naba Mohiedeen reports from Khartoum.PRODUCER: Henry Hernandez
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Zimbabwe Teachers Union Rejects UNICEF Push to Keep African Schools Open During Pandemic
Schools across Africa are slowly reopening after months of remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic. But Zimbabwe’s teachers union is resisting going back to the classroom and has rejected a call by the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for governments to reopen schools.On Tuesday, Mohamed Malick Fall, regional director for UNICEF in Eastern and Southern Africa, urged governments in the region to open schools closed earlier this year following an outbreak of coronavirus.Fall said the pandemic has caused “an unprecedented education crisis” over the last seven months as radio and online learning methods are not reaching all the students. Some also lost the daily meals they were receiving at school.And that’s not all, said Fall.“Lost learning hurts children and community, teenage pregnancy and violence against children increase. Now we acknowledge the safe reopening of schools will not be easy. While evidence show that children are not the main driver of the pandemic, there will be cases of COVID-19 in school(s). It will not be a practice in perfection. But it can be done with community commitment, government leadership and investment,” he said.South Africa, despite its large COVID-19 caseloads, reopened schools for all grades at the end of August.Students go through the regular morning checks on their arrival at the Melpark Primary School in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sept. 3, 2020.UNICEF says most countries in eastern and southern Africa have seen a phased return to schools, starting with exam classes.In Zimbabwe exam classes are scheduled to start next week. But that now hangs in balance after the country’s biggest teachers’ union called for a strike unless their concerns are addressed.The teachers earn about $100 a month, including a $75 “COVID-19 allowance” introduced two months ago. They want an additional $500 to be above the poverty line.Sifiso Ndlovu, the head of the Zimbabwe Teachers Association, said he is “worried” that UNICEF has not looked at his country’s lack of preparedness to reopen schools.“The safety issues that we have been concerned about in the schools have not been met thoroughly as to guarantee safe and healthy reopening of schools without high incidents of COVID-19. Secondly, UNICEF seem to be oblivious that the learning conditions for students is also dependent on the working conditions of the teachers and above all it should be supported by budgetary support even from UNICEF,” he said.Amon Murwira is Zimbabwe’s minister of higher and tertiary education. He said the government allocated about $60,000 to ensure that when schools reopen they are observing World Health Organization guidelines for COVID-19.Neighboring Zambia opened schools Monday. Via WhatsApp, Christopher Yalukanda, from the Zambia National Union of Teachers said his organization is checking on the preparedness of schools after the over half-a-year-long closures.“What we observed is that most of children came back equipped with masks, the schools have already acquired some face masks, sanitizers and they have set up some washing points within the school. In order to take care of social distancing schools have divided or staggering timetable, which means not all the learners will report to school the same day,” said Yalukanda.He said it was too early to conclude that Zambia has successfully reopened schools and is following WHO guidelines to contain the coronavirus. He said the teachers union will go around the country to assess the situation.
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Trump Tells UN to Hold China Accountable for Coronavirus
U.S. President Donald Trump called on the United Nations to “hold China accountable for their actions” in a speech to the world body’s General Assembly Tuesday.In a pre-recorded speech from the White House, Trump blamed the Chinese government for the global spread of COVID-19, which has now infected 31 million people worldwide and killed more than 965,000. “In the earliest days of the virus, China locked down travel domestically, while allowing flights to leave China and infect the world,” Trump said in his address. “The Chinese government, and the World Health Organization — which is virtually controlled by China — falsely declared that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.” Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 18 MB480p | 25 MB540p | 26 MB1080p | 80 MBOriginal | 112 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioChina and WHO, to which the president has cut funding from the United States, “falsely said people without symptoms would not spread the disease,” according to Trump. Trump’s speech was “unusually critical of China for a United Nations General Assembly speech by a U.S. president,” noted Julian Ku, a professor of law at Hofstra University. “By naming China as responsible for the spread of the virus and calling it the ‘China virus,’ President Trump is seeking global support to hold China responsible.” Ku told VOA that while he is skeptical Trump’s remarks will persuade anyone at the U.N. to take any measures, “it might increase the global pressure on China to cooperate more fully with international investigations of the origins of the pandemic and its spread.” In his recorded remarks, Chinese President Xi Jinping said any attempt to politicize the pandemic should be rejected, and WHO should be given a leading role in the international response to the coronavirus. No country has been hit harder by the coronavirus than the United States, with more than 200,000 deaths and 6.9 million reported infections, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. Trump has been harshly criticized for his handling of the pandemic, including from some former officials of his own administration. Trump defended the U.S. response, calling it “the most aggressive mobilization since the Second World War.” He told the U.N. General Assembly the United States “will distribute a vaccine. We will defeat the virus. We will end the pandemic. And we will enter a new era of unprecedented prosperity, cooperation and peace.” The pandemic has altered the annual event during which world leaders typically gather in New York and await their turn to address the Assembly. Trump’s speech also included references to the recent U.S. brokering of economic cooperation between Serbia and Kosovo, and the deals his administration helped negotiate to normalize Israeli relations with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Trump also discussed efforts to wind down the war in Afghanistan, where U.S. forces have been deployed since 2001. Plans are in place to reduce the troop level there to 4,500 by November. “As we speak, the United States is also working to end the war in Afghanistan, and we are bringing our troops home. America is fulfilling our destiny as peacemaker,” Trump said. Another topic raised by Trump was Iran. The United States, in defiance of other U.N. Security Council members, declared it reimposed sanctions against Iran related to the 2015 international agreement on the country’s nuclear program. Other signatories of the Iran nuclear deal have dismissed the U.S. action, arguing that since the Trump administration withdrew from the pact in 2018, it does not have the standing to utilize the snapback sanctions mechanism the Security Council approved. More broadly, Trump’s address also included the promotion of his preference to prioritize U.S. interests over multilateral efforts, a theme he has stressed in previous annual addresses to the international organization. “For decades, the same tired voices proposed the same failed solutions, pursuing global ambitions at the expense of their own people. But only when you take care of your own citizens, will you find a true basis for cooperation,” he concluded.
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Trump Says He Has Strong Message on China in UN Speech
U.S. President Donald Trump’s turn to address the U.N. General Assembly comes Tuesday with prerecorded remarks that he says include “a strong message on China.”Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump did not specify any of the topics he focused on with regard to China, but excerpts released Tuesday morning included his renewed criticism of China’s handling of the coronavirus and Trump’s accusation that the World Health Organization is too close to China.Trump, who cut U.S. funding to the WHO, faults the U.N. agency and China for not doing enough to stop the outbreak in its early stages.“The United Nations must hold China accountable for their actions,” Trump said, according to the White House.Trump’s administration has received sharp criticism for its own handling of the coronavirus, with the United States leading the world with about 6.9 million confirmed infections and 200,000 deaths.Trump’s speech includes a defense of the U.S. response, calling it “the most aggressive mobilization since the Second World War.”“We will distribute a vaccine, we will defeat the virus, we will end the pandemic, and we will enter a new era of unprecedented prosperity, cooperation and peace,” he said.The coronavirus pandemic has altered the annual event during which world leaders typically gather in New York and await their turn to address the assembly. Trump said he recorded his address Monday afternoon.The speech excerpts also include references to the recent U.S. brokering of economic cooperation between Serbia and Kosovo, and the deals his administration helped negotiate to normalize Israeli relations with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.Trump also discusses the efforts to wind down the war in Afghanistan, where U.S. forces have been deployed since 2001. Plans are place to reduce the troop level there to 4,500 by November.“As we speak, the United States is also working to end the war in Afghanistan, and we are bringing our troops home. America is fulfilling our destiny as peacemaker,” Trump said in the excerpted remarks.WATCH: UN General Assembly Speeches LIVE Sanctions against IranAnother topic is Iran, after the United States, in defiance of other U.N. Security Council members, declared it reimposed sanctions against Iran related to the 2015 international agreement on the country’s nuclear program.Other signatories of the Iran nuclear deal have dismissed the U.S. action, arguing that since the Trump administration withdrew from the pact in 2018 it does not have the standing to utilize the snapback sanctions mechanism the Security Council approved.More broadly, Trump’s address also includes the promotion of his preference to prioritize U.S. interests over multilateral efforts.“For decades, the same tired voices proposed the same failed solutions, pursuing global ambitions at the expense of their own people. But only when you take care of your own citizens, will you find a true basis for cooperation,” he said.
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Turkey Embarks on Naval Buildup, Stoking Tensions
Turkey is in the midst of a major naval construction program, seeking to restore regional maritime influence lost since the collapse of the Ottoman empire, and the project is already generating regional tensions.”Turkey will get back its fair share in the Mediterranean, Aegean and the Black Sea,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared last month. “If we say we will do something, we will do it, and we will pay the price.”Turkey’s imperial legacy looms large in the fabric of Turkish society. An imposing statue of the 16th century Ottoman Admiral, Hayreddin – or Barbarossa – dominates a square adjacent to Istanbul’s Bosphorus waterway.A statue of the 16th century Ottoman Admiral, Hayreddin – or Barbarossa – dominates a square adjacent to Istanbul’s Bosphorus waterway. (Dorian Jones/VOA)Many European historians portray Barbarossa as a pirate and slave trader. However, in modern Turkey, he is still revered for his naval victories that asserted Ottoman control of the Mediterranean Sea.Since 1923, when the Turkish Republic was founded on the Ottoman Empire’s ashes, Turkey’s military power was primarily land-based, with its naval forces limited to coastal patrols.Under the mantra of “Blue Homeland,” Erdogan is vowing to restore Turkey’s naval prowess and he seeks to extend its power beyond the horizon.Government videos depict images of past Ottoman Empire glories, promising to extend Turkish influence across the Mediterranean and beyond. (Courtesy: Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Communication Directorate)”Turkey is becoming a maritime state, like England, like France, like the United States,” said Retired Admiral Cem Gurdeniz, author of the “Blue Homeland” doctrine.”In order to protect Turkey’s rights and interests, in overseas areas like in [the], Persian Gulf, like in [the] Red Sea, the Arabian sea and whatever need arise, the Turkish navy, Turkey’s maritime signature should be there,” Gurdeniz told VOA.Turkey’s efforts to restore its navy to blue water power include plans for an assault aircraft carrier.GreeceThe country has given a glimpse of its longer-term goals already by challenging Greece, its neighbor, with claims on waters that Greece considers its own and that are believed to have vast energy reserves.Athens, citing international law, claims much of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean between the two countries, confining Turkey to its coastal waters.Retired admiral Cem Gurdeniz is the architect of the “Blue Homeland” doctrine, which calls for Turkey to reassert itself as a maritime power. (Dorian Jones/VOA)”The main implication [of the Blue Homeland doctrine], first of all Greece should understand they’re not the owners of the Eastern Mediterranean or the Aegean Sea,” said Gurdeniz.”Yes, they might think in their fantasy world that all the seas surrounding them are belonging to Greece, but that dream is over.”An arms race could be looming.”The time has come to strengthen the armed forces as a legacy for the security of the country,” said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in announcing Athens’ own naval construction program this month.Also this month, French President Emmanuel Macron met with six Mediterranean leaders to counter Ankara’s assertiveness.”We must be tough with the Turkish government,” said Macron ahead of the summit.Erdogan pushed back, warning Macron “not to mess” with Turkey.Faceoff with EuropeOn Thursday, European Union leaders are due to discuss sanctions against Turkey to support Greece, an EU member.”We are at a watershed moment in Turkish-EU relations,” warned EU foreign affairs chief Jospeh Borrell last week.Under the threat of sanctions, Turkey stepped back, withdrawing a research ship that had been operating in waters claimed by Greece.FILE – Turkey’s exploratory vessel, the Oruc Reis, is seen anchored in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Antalya, Turkey, July 24, 2020.”Let’s give diplomacy a chance, let’s put forth a positive approach for diplomacy,” Erdogan said Friday. “Greece should also positively meet this approach of ours, and let’s take a step accordingly,” he said.Greek and Turkish officials are already holding technical talks under NATO’s auspices to introduce measures to avoid an accidental confrontation. The two NATO members are regularly holding live-fire naval exercises in close proximity.But tensions over Turkey’s naval aspirations are not limited to Greece.In July, France accused a Turkish frigate of threatening one of its naval ships seeking to enforce an arms embargo on Libya. The two countries back rival sides in the Libyan civil war.NATO is refusing to publish a report on the incident, citing the “sensitivity” of the issue.”It would be a disaster if two NATO countries started shooting at one another it would be the end of the alliance,” said Turkish presidential advisor Mesut Casin, who is also a professor of international relations at Istanbul’s Yeditepe University.The true purpose?But domestic political considerations rather than broader strategic goals may be the real driving force behind Turkey’s naval expansion.Recent opinion polls reveal Erdogan’s popularity on the wane, with the already weak Turkish economy hit hard hit by the COVID-19 epidemic. Analysts say restoring past maritime power could the door to untapped electoral support.Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks in a televised address in Ankara, Sept. 21, 2020.”Domestically owning or embracing this very nationalistic idea, very sovereignty- orientated idea you know, has improved or has expanded his support base,” said International Relations Professor Serhat Guvenc of Istanbul’s Kadir Has University.”He is getting support from circles which would normally would not want to do anything with Tayyip Erdogan,” Guvenc told VOA.Government videos depict images of past Ottoman Empire glories, and promises to extend Turkish influence across the Mediterranean and beyond.With the price tag of the ambitious naval program running into the billions of dollars, economic realities could yet stymie Erdogan’s aspirations.
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Tropical Storm Beta Makes Landfall, Brings Flooding to Texas
Storm surge and rainfall combined Tuesday to bring more flooding along the Texas coast after Tropical Storm Beta made landfall, threatening areas that have already seen their share of damaging weather during a busy hurricane season.
The storm made landfall late Monday just north of Port O’Connor, Texas. Early Tuesday, Beta was 35 miles (56 kilometers) north northwest of the city with maximum winds of 40 mph (64 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm was moving toward the northwest near 3 mph (4 kilometers) and is expected to stall inland over Texas.
“We currently have both storm surge and rainfall going on right now,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Amaryllis Cotto in Galveston, Texas.
Cotto said 6-12 inches (15-30 centimeters) of rain has fallen in the area, with isolated amounts of up to 18 inches (45 centimeters). Dangerous flash flooding is expected through Wednesday, Cotto said.
Beta was the ninth named storm that made landfall in the continental U.S. this year. That tied a record set in 1916, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. It also was the first time a Greek letter named storm made landfall in the continental U.S.
Forecasters ran out of traditional storm names on Friday, forcing the use of the Greek alphabet for only the second time since the 1950s.
Beta will move inland over southeastern Texas through Wednesday and then over Louisiana and Mississippi on Wednesday night through Friday, and the biggest unknown from Beta was how much rainfall it could produce. Beta was expected to weaken into a depression, but flash flooding was possible in Arkansas and Mississippi as the system moves farther inland.
Earlier predictions of up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) in some areas were downgraded Monday to up to 15 inches (38 centimeters).
Forecasters and officials reassured residents Beta was not expected to be another Hurricane Harvey or Tropical Storm Imelda. Harvey in 2017 dumped more than 50 inches (127 centimeters) of rain on Houston, causing $125 billion in damage in Texas. Imelda, which hit Southeast Texas last year, was one of the wettest cyclones on record.
Storm surge up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) was forecast from Port Aransas to Sabine Pass in Texas. In Galveston, an island city southeast of Houston, there was already some street flooding Monday from rising tides and part of a popular fishing pier collapsed due to strong waves.
Farther south on the Texas coast, Maria Serrano Culpepper along with her two daughters and dogs left their home in Magnolia Beach near Matagorda Bay on Sunday night.
Culpepper said she didn’t want to be trapped in her home, three blocks from the beach, with wind, rain and possibly no electricity. She and her family evacuated to a friend’s home in nearby Victoria.
Culpepper said her home should be fine as it’s on stilts 13 feet (4 meters) off the ground and was built to withstand strong storms.
“I’m feeling OK now. I had two nights without sleeping because I was worried about (Beta) being a Category 1 hurricane. I calmed down when the storm lost power,” said Culpepper, who works as an engineer at a nearby chemical plant.
On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 29 Texas counties ahead of Beta’s arrival.
Beta is forecast to dump heavy rain on the southwestern corner of Louisiana three weeks after the same area got pounded by Hurricane Laura. The rainfall and storm surge prompted Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards to declare a state of emergency.
In Lake Charles, Mayor Nic Hunter worried about Beta’s rainfall could set back efforts in his Louisiana community to recover after Laura, which damaged about 95% of the city’s 30,000 structures. Hunter said the worry of another storm was “an emotional and mental toll for a lot of our citizens.”
Parts of the Alabama coast and Florida Panhandle were still reeling from Hurricane Sally, which roared ashore Wednesday, causing at least two deaths. Two Boston-based disaster modeling firms figured Sally caused about $2 billion in privately insured losses from wind and storm surge. Karen Clark & Company estimated losses at $2 billion, while AIR Worldwide said they were between $1 and $3 billion. The estimates don’t include uninsured losses, the National Flood Insurance Program claims or damage to offshore property, like oil rigs.
Hurricane Teddy was about 295 miles (475 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda Monday night as it heads toward Nova Scotia. It had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (160 kph) while moving north at 25 mph (40 kph) and away from the wealthy British territory, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was expected to weaken and become a strong post-tropical cyclone before reaching Nova Scotia on Wednesday.
The government closed all air and sea ports, schools and government offices for the second time in a week. Hurricane Paulette made landfall in Bermuda on Sept. 14, knocking down trees and leaving thousands without power.
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New Zealand Eases COVID-19 Restrictions
COVID-19 restrictions are being relaxed in New Zealand as infection rates fall. In a four-tiered alert system, all but the nation’s biggest city, Auckland, will move to the lowest disease-control level, alert level one on Tuesday. Auckland will move to alert level two on Wednesday.
Health officials have said that by the end of September there is a 50-50 chance that New Zealand could eliminate the coronavirus once again. In June, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared the country had united to “crush” the virus. A strict lockdown was imposed in March and April, and international borders were closed. FILE – Medical staff prepare to take a COVID-19 tests at a drive through community based assessment centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, Aug. 13, 2020.But in August a second wave of infections linked to a cluster of cases in the city of Auckland forced the government to bring back disease control measures. They seem to have worked, and the restrictions are being relaxed. Auckland will move to alert level two in a four-tiered system on Wednesday, so gatherings of up to 100 people, instead of ten, will be permitted. The rest of the country is now at level one. Life is beginning to resemble what it was before the pandemic. Masks are no longer mandated on public transport and planes, while the 100-person limit on social gatherings has been scrapped. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says a cautious approach to opening New Zealand has been crucial. “We know that the more our economy can be open with low or no levels of the virus the better our long-term economic picture,” she said. “Our good case numbers and confidence in the management of the virus means we can proceed with the decisions we indicated would take place a week ago. For Auckland, that means we have accepted the recommendations of the director-general of health to move to full alert level two arrangements from 11.59 pm on Wednesday, September 23.” FILE – People wearing face masks prepare to board a bus on the first day of New Zealand’s new coronavirus disease safety measure that mandates wearing of a mask on public transport, in Auckland, August 31, 2020.New Zealand’s international borders remain closed to foreign nationals. The government has agreed to buy approved coronavirus vaccines for up to 50 percent of the New Zealand population, along with the Pacific island states of Tokelau, the Cook Islands and Niue. There are just over 60 active COVID-19 cases in New Zealand. In total, the South Pacific nation of five million people has recorded fewer than 1,500 infections during the pandemic, and 25 deaths. New Zealanders vote in a general election next month, where the responses to the virus and the economic recovery will be key issues.
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130 млрд в мусор: путляндия обновила доску позора самолётом sukhoi superjet new
130 млрд в мусор: путляндия обновила доску позора самолётом sukhoi superjet new.
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Мы с нетерпением ждем, когда команда обиженного карлика пукина начнёт рассказывать сказки о подлом Западе, который помешал ей создать обновленный суперджет и заставил чиновников спустить в трубу очередную тонну денег
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Аналогов нет, прорыв. Когда уже холопам обиженного карлика надоест эта пластинка?
Аналогов нет, прорыв. Когда уже холопам обиженного карлика надоест эта пластинка?
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В путляндии на 100 процентов подорожали продукты, а обиженный карлик пукин снова несет чушь о прорывах, которым нет аналогов
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В оккупированных Феодосии, Евпатории и Ялте канализация стекает прямо в Черное море
Попердоленный Крым и экология Черного моря.
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Читаю очередную новость про Крым. Что в Феодосии канализация стекает прямо в Черное море. И что с канализацией проблемы не только в Феодосии. Такое же случается и в Евпатории, и в Ялте, и в Алуште. И это нормальная ситуация – пришла путляндия, и сырье якутского скульптора начало заполнять окружающее пространство
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Санкции против пропагандонов и членов банды пукина из расследований Навального
Санкции против пропагандонов и членов банды пукина из расследований Навального.
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Европарламент принял резолюцию чтобы заморозить активы персонажей расследования Навального. Так же Европарламент предлагает расширить санкции по ситуации с Беларусью на тех пукинцев, кто поддерживает режим маньяка лукашенко. Но это на Западе, а вот в путляндии не смотря на кризис и рост бедности и отсутствие помощи гражданам и бизнесу, на поддержку пропагандонов хотят выделить почти 103 млрд рублей. Они очень не хотят чтобы по всей путляндии было как в Беларуси и Хабаровске
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Зелений карлик підписав закон про надання держгарантій за кредитами коломойського, ахметова та інших крадунів
Зелений карлик підписав Закон «Про внесення змін до Закону України «Про Державний бюджет України на 2020 рік» щодо надання державних гарантій на портфельній основі та впровадження фінансово-кредитних механізмів забезпечення громадян України житлом» № 873-ІХ, який слуги зеленого карлика ухвалили третього вересня 2020 року.
Згідно із законом, у поточному році держава може надати портфельні гарантії в обсязі до 5 млрд грн. Для забезпечення часткового виконання боргових зобов’язань за портфелем кредитів банків-кредиторів, що надаються українським мікропідприємствам та МСБ, у розмірі, що не перевищує 80% загальної суми таких боргових зобов’язань за портфелем кредитів та 80% за кожним окремим кредитом, необхідне рішення Кабінету Міністрів, погоджене з Комітетом Верховної Ради з питань бюджету.
У документі зазначається, що порядок відбору банків-кредиторів та умови надання державних гарантій на портфельній основі, розмір і вид забезпечення, що надається такими суб’єктами господарювання, встановлюються урядом. Надання таких гарантій оформлюється у вигляді договору між Міністерством фінансів і банком-кредитором.
Таким чином, банда зеленого карлика дозволяє міжнародному шахраю коломойському ще більше красти гроші усіх українців.
Воїни Добра
Chinese City Scheduled for Limited Re-opening After COVID-19 Scare
A Chinese city on the border with Myanmar last week began testing thousands of residents for the coronavirus after two Myanmar migrants tested positive. In Ruili, a Yunnan province transit point on the porous 2,200-kilometer border, officials issued a lockdown order. Authorities rounded up many illegal migrant workers and sent them back to Myanmar. Medical worker in protective suit collects a swab sample from a woman for nucleic acid testing in the border city of Ruili, Sep. 16, 2020.Home quarantine for residents was scheduled to be lifted on Monday at 10 p.m. but cinemas, bars and internet cafes will remain shut, Reuters reported from the statement. That partial reopening will come a day after the Myanmar Health Ministry announced a stay-at-home order for the Yangon region effective Monday amid a record daily increase in new cases of COVID-19. There are 44 townships in the Yangon region with a total population of more than 5 million people. On Monday, the health ministry said it had recorded 264 new coronavirus cases, with most of the recent new infections in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city and commercial center. Myanmar has reported a total of 6,151 COVID-19 cases and 98 deaths as of Monday, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. The Ruili episode began on September 3, when a 32-year-old woman from Myanmar took her three children and two nurses across the border from Muse to Ruili and stayed at her sister’s home, according to one of China’s official news outlets, The Global Times. Everyone in the sister’s residential area was tested, and all 1,185 results were negative. Authorities tracked down 190 close contacts and quarantined them, according to the report.
While the virus appears to be under control in much of China, Myanmar has seen a recent spike in COVID-19 cases and the scare in Ruili resulted in the shutdown of all business operations and public transit with everyone required to wear masks in public places. The lockdown made life difficult for many. “Even though the border gate is not completely closed, there are very few trucks crossing the border,” Win Aung Khant, chairman of Muse Highway Truckers Association said. “Myanmar trucks are not allowed to enter or unload goods in … Ruili. There are almost no Myanmar workers in Chinese side.” Nang Aye Sein, spokesperson for the Lashio Chamber of Commerce, said agricultural and fishery export businesses were the most affected by the lockdown. In a press conference on September 14, Yang Bianqiang, deputy director of the police department in Dehong Prefecture, where Ruili is located, said securing the border was difficult. “There is no natural border between Ruili and Myanmar,” he said. “Citizens in Ruili and Myanmar speak the same language and visit each other very often. It is difficult to monitor their travels.” The Myanmar and Yunnan border is infamous for its illicit activities in commodities such as jade, the number of illegal migrant workers who cross into China and the Chinese who cross into Myanmar to gamble in border town casinos. In February, authorities on each side of the border in Ruili and Muse cooperated after five people believed to be infected with the coronavirus crossed from China into Myanmar.Wuhan Man, a Fugitive in Myanmar, Turns Himself in to Chinese PoliceUnidentified man who surrendered belonged to a group of five Wuhan residents who slipped across the border into Myanmar last week, according to authorities
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US Offers $5 Million Reward for Arrest of Colombia Rebel Leader
The United States is offering a reward up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of a leader of the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group in Colombia. The U.S. accuses Wilver Villegas Palomino of participating in an ongoing scheme to distribute Colombian cocaine in the United States to finance the rebel group. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently described Palomino on twitter as an “indicted narcoterrorist” following a visit to Colombia. The ELN, founded more than 50 years ago to fight against unequal distribution of wealth in Colombia, has gained international notoriety for terrorist activities, including murders.
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United Nations General Assembly Opens Historic Session Tuesday
For the first time in its 75-year history, leaders of the United Nations’ 193 member states will deliver their annual speeches on the opening day of the world body’s General Assembly on videotape instead of in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tuesday’s session will commence with a pre-taped message from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, in keeping with a decades-long tradition first established in the 1940s, followed by U.S. President Donald Trump, as leader of the U.N. host country. Other prominent world leaders whose pre-recorded messages will be shown Tuesday will be Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, China’s Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin of Russia and France’s Emmanuel Macron. The only attendees in the cavernous General Assembly Hall to watch the videotaped speeches will be a single masked envoy representing each member nation, plus the European Union, the Holy See and the non-member Observer State of Palestine, in order to maintain social distancing. Hand sanitizer stations have been placed in the side aisles of the Hall and delegates will be obliged to wear face coverings, but not to undergo temperature checks. The U.N. marked its 75th anniversary Monday amid the grip of the global coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 960,000 people and sickened more than 31.2 million globally, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center. “The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the world’s fragilities. We can only address them together,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, referencing the disease caused by the coronavirus. “Today, we have a surplus of multilateral challenges and a deficit of multilateral solutions.”WATCH: UN 75th AnniversarySorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
A member of the Irish delegation works on his computer in the main lobby of the United Nations headquarters, Sept. 21, 2020. In 2020, which marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.But the Trump administration has been critical of the world body, withdrawing funding and cooperation from several of its agencies, including the World Health Organization and the Human Rights Council. Chalet said the organization has for too long been resistant to real reform and lacks transparency. “The 75th anniversary of the U.N. is the right time to ask questions about the institution’s strengths and weaknesses, review and learn from its failures, and celebrate its accomplishments,” she said. The United Nations is using its anniversary year as a moment for reflection. More than one million people in 80 countries have provided feedback to a global survey about the organization and its work. Nearly 90% said global cooperation is crucial to deal with today’s challenges, and that the pandemic has made international cooperation more urgent. Nearly three-quarters said the U.N. is “essential” for tackling global challenges, but they also want the organization to change and innovate. The General Assembly adopted a declaration for the anniversary, which in part, says, “There is no other global organization with the legitimacy, convening power and normative impact of the United Nations. No other global organization gives hope to so many people.”
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