Asian markets are down across the board Tuesday over lingering worries about the rising casualties from the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and the stalemate in Washington over a potential new financial relief package. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index ended down 0.1%. The S&P/ASX index in Australia dropped 0.4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index plunged 0.6%. The KOSPI index in South Korea lost 0.1%, while Taiwan’s TSEC index plummeted one percent. Singapore’s Composite lost 1.8 points, but was unchanged percentage-wise (0.06%). In late afternoon trading, Mumbai’s Sensex is 25 points higher, but is also unchanged percentage-wise (0.09%). In commodities trading, gold is trading at $1,848.30 an ounce, up 0.8%. U.S. crude oil is selling at $46.82, down 0.3%, and Brent crude oil is down 0.5%. All three major U.S. indices are up in futures trading.
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Month: December 2020
Putin Congratulates Biden on Election Win
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Joe Biden on winning the November U.S. presidential election.The Kremlin said Tuesday that Putin wished Biden “every success” and expressed confidence that the United States and Russia can “help to solve the many problems and challenges facing the world.”Putin added he is “ready for interaction and contact” with Biden.Numerous world leaders have called Biden to offer their congratulations and discuss cooperation with the new U.S. administration that will take office in January.Putin had said he would wait until the U.S. election results were official, which happened Monday with the Electoral College confirming Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump.
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Somalia Says It Will Cut Diplomatic Ties with Kenya
The Somali government announced on Monday it would cut diplomatic ties with neighboring Kenya, citing violations of Somalia’s sovereignty.Somalia Information Minister Osman Abukar Dubbe told VOA’s Somali service late Monday the decision had been taken in response to what he called recent political violations and constant, blatant interference by Kenya against Somalia’s sovereignty.Kenya did not immediately respond to Somalia’s diplomatic action.Dubbe said Somalia is pulling its diplomats out of Nairobi and has instructed Kenyan diplomats, starting December 15, to leave Mogadishu within seven days.Already frosty relations between the two countries have deteriorated since November 29, when Somalia recalled its ambassador to Nairobi and instructed Kenya’s ambassador to leave Mogadishu for consultations with his government.At the time, Somalia accused Kenya of “overt and blatant” interferences in the internal and political affairs of Somalia. Specifically, Somalia accused Kenya of placing “great political pressure” on Somali regional leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam known as Ahmed Madobe of Jubaland, in order to pursue its political and economic interests in Somalia, an official statement said.Somalia argued that as a result of Kenya’s interference, Ahmed Madobe reneged on the election agreement reached between federal and regional Somali leaders on September 17. The September 17 agreement paves the way for indirect elections in Somalia, but the leader of Jubaland wants the Somali government to remove federal forces from Gedo region so that his administration can hold elections, a move opposed by the federal government.Both Kenya and Jubaland denied the allegations at the time. Kenya expressed regret at the “unfortunate” move by Somalia. Kenya, responding to the Somali government’s statement two weeks ago, said the allegations were “unsubstantiated.”And on Sunday, Muse Biji Abdi, president of the breakaway republic of Somaliland, landed in Nairobi on a three-day visit. On Monday, Abdi met with President Uhuru Kenyatta.Kenya’s ministry of foreign affairs said the sides are discussing areas of “mutual interests.”Kenya said it has no diplomatic presence in Somaliland but praised Somaliland as an important partner in the Horn of Africa region in the fight against terrorism and particularly Al-Shabab.Kenya said it is keen to enhance and broaden trade and investment.Somaliland declared secession from the rest of Somalia in May 1991 but is yet to gain international recognition. Somalia considers Somaliland as part of Somalia.In July this year, Somalia cut ties with Guinea after the West African country welcomed Somaliland’s president during a visit to Conakry.Although relations between Somalia and Kenya have deteriorated, Kenya has thousands of troops in Somalia as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia known as AMISOM. It’s not yet clear if Somalia will demand the withdrawal of Kenya troops that are based in Jubaland, the region of Somalia neighboring Kenya.Also, the two countries have a maritime dispute pending before the International Court of Justice. The hearing will take place at The Hague in March 2021.
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Seoul Bans Anti-North Korea Leaflet Drops
South Korea’s National Assembly has passed a law that penalizes activists who send anti-North Korean material across the border.Human rights groups have for years sent items such as leaflets, USB sticks, money and Bible verses to North Korea, mostly by way of large balloons that are carried by wind over the demilitarized zone. But after South Korea’s ruling party successfully pushed through new legislation in the country’s parliament on Monday, dispatching any unauthorized material is now illegal.The measure will largely impact activists, including North Korean defector-led organizations and Christian missionaries, whose balloon launches have drawn international media attention as well as condemnation from governments in both Pyongyang and more recently Seoul.People read an article condemning anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent across the border by South Korean activists, at a news stand in Pyongyang on June 6, 2020.Once in effect, those convicted of violating the so-called anti-leaflet law face fines of up to 30-million won (roughly $27-thousand) as well as up to three years in prison.Park Sang-hak, a defector whose group Fighters For A Free North Korea has launched balloons filled with anti-Pyongyang flyers for over a decade from below the border, says he’s “disappointed” about the new law and claims it calls South Korea’s commitment to democracy into question.“We risked our lives to find freedom in South Korea,” he told VOA News. “I am not sure whether this is the Seoul-government making this law or Pyongyang.”Some of the leaflets that Park’s group has sent to North Korea include information that is banned inside the country, such as news about the 2017 murder of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of ruler Kim Jong Un. Pyongyang is widely believed to have ordered his death.“The leaflets tell North Koreans the truth about the brutality of the Kim dynasty,” he said.The new law comes as dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang is virtually non-existent. And critics, including Park, accuse the South Korean government of caving into pressure from the north to stop the balloon launches.Seoul’s efforts to prevent activists from sending materials to the north has also drawn criticism from human rights groups that say the new law “compromises” freedom of expression in South Korea.“It doesn’t send a good signal to North Korea,” said Arnold Fang, East Asia researcher for the international rights group Amnesty International. “”It shows that any government can limit freedom of expression through new rules and that is not a good sign.”“What the South Korean government should be doing is promoting freedom of expression in North Korea which is so limited already,” said Fang, who spoke by Skype with VOA News from Hong Kong.He added it appears Seoul took this step at the “request of North Korea.”In June, North Korea cut-off cross-border military hotlines and demolished a jointly run liaison office on its territory that was opened two-years earlier to improve communication between governments.Kim Yo Jung, the powerful sister of North Korea’s leader, blamed the leafleting campaigns of defector organizations in the south for the breakdown of relations, calling them “human scum” in official media.The regime has threatened to attack the activists on South Korean soil.FILE – In this June 6, 2020 file photo, North Korean students stage a rally to denounce South Korea for sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets over the border.In 2014, the two Koreas exchanged fire across the demilitarized zone following a balloon launch organized by activists near the border. There were no reports of casualties or significant damage.Song Young-gil, a National Assembly representative from President Moon Jae-in’s Democratic Party, cited this security concern as justification for passing the anti-leaflet measure.“Balloon activities can provoke military action which can be easily escalated to local war or even full-scale war,” he wrote in an editorial published by the Korea Herald on Sunday.“Freedom of expression is important, but the most important matter is to protect the Korean people’s lives and properties,” Song wrote.During a 2018 summit between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un, the two leaders agreed to halt propaganda campaigns, including leaflet drops.Until that time, flyers depicting anti-South Korea slogans and imagery were often found in regions below the border as well as on the streets of Seoul.Despite government warnings and police blockades of launch sites, some South Korea-based activist groups continued sending material to the north, although it is unclear how many flyers reached their intended readers.Defector Park Sang Hak is reportedly considering appealing the new law to South Korea’s Constitutional Court, according to his lawyer Lee Heon, the Yonhap News Agency reported.Park told VOA News that for now, he and other activists will not accept the government’s ban.“If the government wants to send us to prison, they can go ahead and jail us,” Park said . “We are not going to stop sending the leaflets.”Juhyun Lee contributed to this report.
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US Food Banks Overwhelmed with Demand During Pandemic
Food assistance has skyrocketed since the coronavirus pandemic began in the United States 10 months ago.Job losses, reduced wages, business closures and illness from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, are taking their toll on millions of Americans who are concerned about not having enough food to feed their families.As the coronavirus has surged, people from Anchorage, Alaska, to Atlanta, Georgia, are going to food banks and food distribution centers to pick up free groceries.In Douglasville, Georgia outside Atlanta, police officers place groceries into vehicles at a mobile food pantry event. (Atlanta Community Food Bank)In cities and rural areas, “there is stress on all the food banks because of the large amount of people requesting food,” said Zack Wilson, executive director of the High Plains Food Bank in Amarillo, Texas.“The pandemic has increased the demand for food assistance in communities that were already struggling, especially for people of color and low-income working families,” said Kyle Waide, CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, one of the largest food banks in the nation.“Half the people who come to our food pantry are there for the first time,” which also includes middle-class Americans without jobs, Waide said.“Across the country, we’re seeing about a 60% increase in the number of people going to food banks,” said Zuani Villarreal, communications director for Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks.“There are a lot of people who are barely making ends meet, and they need a little extra help to put food on the table,” Villarreal said. “Food banks are scrambling to meet the increasing demand for donations of food.”“The food banks are doing the best they can,” said Luis Guardia, president of the Food Research and Action Center. “But the system is not designed to feed so many people.”A volunteer with the High Plains Food Bank in Amarillo, Texas puts boxes of food into a car to bring to people in a rural community. (High Plains Food Bank)In Atlanta, there has been “a 70% increase in the amount of food we’re providing,” Waide said. With help from the government and private donors, such as farmers and grocery stores, he said the food bank had been able to meet the need so far.Mike Miller, president of the River Bend Foodbank in Davenport, Iowa, said food insecurity in his area “is at the highest level it’s ever been.”He said the group usually buys food from grocery stores. But because of some food shortages, the food bank is instead purchasing supplies from wholesalers and manufacturers. This increases our costs, and it takes longer for the food to arrive, making it more difficult to get it to people who need it the most, Miller said.Jamie Winkler, an executive director with the Salvation Army in Detroit, Michigan, said it has been “overwhelming” how many people need food in the low-income neighborhoods of a city that is already challenged by urban decay and poverty.“A lot of people lost their jobs, and some of them became homeless,” he said. “And families are finding it difficult to feed their children, since they can’t get free meals at school anymore because they are closed due to the pandemic.”Winkler said the Salvation Army drives “bread trucks” around the low-income neighborhoods offering soup, sandwiches and hot meals.In Detroit, Michigan, Salvation Army trucks drive around low income neighborhoods offering soup, sandwiches and hot meals. (Salvation Army USA)Other food distribution centers are also finding it crucial to bring supplies to where people live, especially in rural and remote areas.Wilson, with the High Plains Food Bank in Amarillo, said his group can get food to people in the city. But the rural area outside Amarillo is more challenging because the average distance between towns is 48 kilometers, he said.For protection from the coronavirus, he said the food bank is operating a contactless mobile food pantry, where food boxes are loaded into vehicles.The Salvation Army in Huntington, California helps a senior citizen with food. (The Salvation Army USA)Wilson said his group is particularly concerned about the seniors living in rural communities because many of them live alone.Alaska has been hit hard by the need for food, especially since the state has had fewer visitors during the pandemic.“Tourism is a huge part of our economy,” said Cara Durr, director of public engagement at the Food Bank of Alaska in Anchorage. “Cruise ships were canceled, and many people didn’t come for vacation.”She said the only way to get food to the remote parts of the huge state is by air.“We are the only food bank in the country that delivers food by plane. Some native villages may have just a couple hundred people, and it’s challenging and expensive to get food to them,” she said.In Alexandria, Virginia, Yolanda Thompson has set up a small food pantry in front of her home. Once a week, she gives food to some low-income neighbors who have lost their jobs or had their hours cut. With the help of family, friends and a local nonprofit, she buys and hands out groceries such as fresh vegetables, flour and rice.Mirna Nolasco, who arrived at Thompson’s house with her baby, said the additional food is “a blessing to my family.”
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Syrian Kurdish Farmers Accuse Turkey-Backed Militias of Seizing, Taxing Olive Crops
In late October, Farhan and his two sons finished packing up their olive harvest to transport it to the city center of Afrin in northwestern Syria. But before doing so, they pondered the possibilities waiting for them.“Would we be able to sell our olives at a good rate? Would the armed groups impose additional taxes on us?” wondered Farhan, who requested his real name not be revealed for safety reasons. Farhan, 61, is a Kurdish farmer who owns an olive farm nearly 16 kilometers (10 miles) outside of Afrin, a region controlled by Turkey-backed Syrian militias since 2018. The area is known for its high-quality, abundant olive oil. “We used to make a good living by cultivating olives,” he told VOA via a messaging app. “But in the past two years, it’s been a real challenge to do our businesses without interference from the armed groups.” In January 2018, Turkey and its Syrian proxies invaded the Kurdish-majority region to dislodge Kurdish fighters affiliated with the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the main element within the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Afrin SyriaTurkey views the YPG and SDF as extensions of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an outlawed Kurdish rebel group that is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara and Washington. Western governments and international rights groups have accused Turkish-backed militias of war crimes, including looting and stealing civilian properties in Afrin. Source of revenue Experts say Afrin’s olive farms have become a main source of revenue for the various armed groups present in the region. “There are about 18 million olive trees in the Afrin area,” said Khorshid Alika, a Syrian economist who closely follows developments in northern Syria. “The militias have been imposing high taxes on local Kurdish farmers,” he told VOA. “Most recently, for example, the armed groups in control of Kakhera village (in Afrin) levied 2,000 olive oil barrels as taxes on the village residents.” Alika said each barrel of olive oil currently is worth about $30 at the local market, a figure confirmed by Farhan, the farmer.FILE – Farmers pick olives during the harvest season in the western province of Idlib, Syria, November 19, 2015.Mohammed Billo, a journalist from Afrin who now lives in northeastern Syria, says militias that control different parts of Afrin have different ways to benefit from the olive oil production.“In my village, the militias this season seized all the olives belonging to families who have fled their homes and lands following the Turkish invasion,” he said. “In addition to imposing taxes, the militias also charge farmers at checkpoints for transporting their olive crops,” Billo told VOA. When Farhan and his sons finally decided to take their harvest to the city, they were stopped at three checkpoints on the road. “They were manned by different groups, which most of the time they are at odds with each other,” he said, “So this comes at our expense.” He ended up paying the three checkpoints to have access to the city. “When we sold the crops, the money was so little that would maybe last for three months only,” Farhan added. “I don’t know how my family will survive for the rest of the year.” FILE – A Free Syrian Army member inspects goods that were confiscated at a checkpoint during a siege on the Kurdish city of Afrin, in the Aleppo countryside, June 30, 2013.Exporting abroad Afrin farmers are allowed to sell their oil crops only to either the militias or representatives of Turkey’s Agricultural Credit Cooperatives, according to economist Alika. “Turkey and its proxies buy olives from local farmers at half the real price, collect them at an oil extraction plant near Afrin, and then export them to Turkey and ultimately the outside world,” he said. Several news outlets have reported that olive oil produced in Afrin has been seen at stores in Europe and the United States. Turkey’s foreign ministry, agriculture and forestry ministry and Agricultural Credit Cooperatives didn’t respond to VOA’s requests for comment. ‘Black propaganda’ against Turkey In November 2019, however, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a parliament session that allegations about stealing Afrin’s olives are “black propaganda” against Turkey. “The olives in Syria are being reexported via us, and the income from here is being distributed to the landowners. So, there is no theft or anything else. … This olive stealing and other [allegations] are part of this black propaganda,” he said. A year before Cavusoglu’s comment, Turkey’s minister of agriculture and forestry, Bekir Pakdemirli, told the parliament that 600 tons of olives from Syria’s Afrin had entered the country as of November 2018. “We do not want revenues to fall into PKK hands,” he said. “We want the revenues from Afrin to come to us. This region is under our hegemony.” Ali Kenanoglu, a lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP), says Afrin’s olive oil has been discussed at the Turkish parliament several times. “When we ask about this issue, they (the ruling AK Party) defend themselves by appealing to nationalist sentiments such as, ‘So what? Instead of falling into the PKK and YPG terrorists, it became for our country’s benefit,’” he said. “Most of the revenues from these olives are largely transferred to the (Turkish-backed) Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces and used in their financing,” Kenanoglu told VOA. “This has turned into a resource to support the FSA rebels in Syria.”
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‘Democracy Prevailed,’ Biden Declares After Electoral College Vote
“In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,” President-elect Joe Biden said Monday night, shortly after the Electoral College vote that confirmed his presidency.While urging Americans that now is the time “to unite, to heal,” Biden for the first time bluntly condemned attempts by President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results, calling it an “unprecedented assault on our democracy.”Not even an abuse of power can stop a peaceful transition, Biden said, just hours after members of the Electoral College voted in every state and the District of Columbia.“We the people voted, faith in our institutions held, the integrity of our elections remains intact,” Biden said in a speech held in Wilmington, Delaware.Electors on Monday gave Biden 306 votes to incumbent Trump’s 232, comfortably above the threshold of 270 electoral votes required for election.Biden’s 306 vote total is the same Trump achieved four years ago when he defeated Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton.“At the time, President Trump called his Electoral College tally a landslide,” Biden said. “By his own standards, these numbers represented a clear victory then, and I respectfully suggest they do so now.”The former vice president, speaking in a downtown Wilmington theater, said that “if anyone didn’t know it before, we know it now. What beats deep in the hearts of the American people is this: Democracy.”Trump has refused to concede, claiming without evidence that the election was rigged and that Biden would be an illegitimate president.Trump had no comment immediately after Biden’s speech, but on Sunday, he took to Twitter, saying, “Swing States that have found massive VOTER FRAUD, which is all of them, CANNOT LEGALLY CERTIFY these votes as complete & correct without committing a severely punishable crime.”He retweeted it Monday morning as the Electoral College voting started.Trump’s campaign and supporters have filed dozens of lawsuits, which have been rebuffed by judges.However, on Monday, Senator John Thune, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, said it was “time to move on” and that as soon as Biden crossed the 270-vote threshold in the Electoral College, he would be president-elect, Reuters reported.Electoral College member Pennsylvania State Representative Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia) arrives ahead of electors gathering to cast their votes at the at the state capitol complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Dec. 14, 2020.Other Republican senators who publicly recognized Biden as president-elect Monday included South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, Ohio’s Rob Portman, Missouri’s Roy Blunt and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia.Biden noted Trump’s actions in his speech and added that “respecting the will of the people is at the heart of our democracy — even when we find those results hard to accept. But that’s the obligation of those who have taken on a sworn duty to uphold the Constitution.”The president-elect, with just a small number of staff, journalists and TV cameras in the historic Queen Theater because of COVID-19 precautions, said, “The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know that nothing — not even a pandemic or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame.”And he added, “Now it is time to turn the page — to unite, to heal.”There is little indication yet that the majority of lawmakers of Trump’s party are receptive to that message. Most Republicans in Congress have yet to recognize Biden’s victory.
The president-elect indicated his preference going forward is to focus on the pandemic, rather than looking back on the contentious election, saying: “There is urgent work in front of all of us. Getting the pandemic under control, to getting the nation vaccinated against this virus. Delivering immediate economic help so badly needed by so many Americans who are hurting today — and then building our economy back better than ever.”
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‘Democracy Prevailed’: Biden Aims to Unify Divided Nation
President-elect Joe Biden told Americans on Monday that “democracy prevailed” as electors nationwide cast votes affirming his victory in last month’s election, saying the country’s governing principles were “pushed, tested, threatened” but did not crumble. In a speech from his longtime home of Wilmington, Delaware, Biden aimed to guide Americans past the tumult of the campaign and President Donald Trump’s refusal to accept defeat. “If anyone didn’t know it before, we know it now. What beats deep in the hearts of the American people is this: Democracy,” Biden said. “The right to be heard. To have your vote counted. To choose the leaders of this nation. To govern ourselves.” After garnering a record of more than 81 million votes, Biden is trying to build momentum as he prepares to assume the presidency on Jan. 20. That’s been complicated by Trump refusing to concede and instead pursuing baseless legal challenges that have been roundly rejected by judges across the political spectrum, including the justices at the Supreme Court. FILE – Signs by supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump hang outside the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, Nov. 10, 2020.Though Trump’s actions have threatened core democratic norms, including the peaceful transfer of power, Biden argued that America’s system of government remains intact. “In America, politicians don’t take power — the people grant it to them,” Biden said. “The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know that nothing — not even a pandemic — or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame.” He also pledged to be “a president for all Americans” who will “work just as hard for those of you who didn’t vote for me, as I will for those who did.” Whether his message of unity will have any effect remains to be seen. Top Republicans have mostly continued to back Trump and his unsubstantiated claims of a rigged election and, even once Biden takes power, are unlikely to give him any of the traditional honeymoon period. FILE – Supporters of President Donald Trump who are wearing attire associated with the Proud Boys attend a rally at Freedom Plaza, December 12, 2020, in Washington.Biden faces a narrowly divided Senate — next month’s runoff elections in Georgia will decide which party controls the chamber — and a thinned Democratic majority in the House as the GOP picked up seats even as Trump lost. But aides are pointing to the president-elect’s strong approval numbers and an electorate worn by the pandemic in their attempt to nudge Republicans to cooperate. Mike Donilon, a senior adviser to Biden, said Americans are looking for Democrats and Republicans to get in sync. “The agenda that the president-elect is putting forward is very much at the forefront of what people want in their lives,” Donilon said. “So, I think the case is going to be that it’s going to be in the interest of the country, it’s going to be in their own self-interest to get on board and not to get in the way.” In making the case for a mandate, Biden’s team points to the president-elect retaking Rust Belt states that helped spring Trump to the White House four years ago as well as wins in Arizona and Georgia — firsts for a Democratic presidential candidate since the 1990s. Biden also won the popular vote by more than 7 million people, powered by strong showings with women, people of color and independents. FILE – A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump defends the right of a presidential nominee Joe Biden supporter to be at a gathering during a protest about the early results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, in Phoenix, Arizona, Nov. 6, 2020.Still, getting the nation to turn away from a contentious election and to governing is perhaps easier said than done. The spotlight on the Electoral College vote process is heightened this year because Trump has refused to concede the election and is pushing forward with baseless allegations of fraud. “We have won so many times, at this point, in so many different ways. We’re just excited to keep on winning,” said Jen O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s deputy chief of staff, shrugging off Trump’s challenges. “(Monday) obviously is a big day as it takes on a little bit more import than maybe traditionally it does.” And after losing dozens of legal challenges on the state and federal level, Trump is expected to push forward with new litigation this week. Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani says he expects five more lawsuits at the state level. Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is set to hold a hearing Wednesday on election irregularities. Johnson has questioned why Congress wasn’t informed that the taxes of Biden’s son Hunter were under federal investigation during Trump’s impeachment trial last year. The president was acquitted in a Senate trial that centered on Trump’s dealings with Ukraine’s president and on whether he abused his office by seeking an investigation into the Bidens. Hunter Biden served on the board of directors of a Ukrainian energy company. The younger Biden said in a statement last week that he just recently learned that he was under investigation. He also said he committed no wrongdoing. O’Malley Dillon downplayed the notion that the investigation could hamper Biden’s ability to pursue his agenda. “The president-elect himself has said this is not about his family or Donald Trump’s family,” she said. “It is about the American people’s families. And I think we’re going to continue to stay focused on the issues that are impacting their daily lives.”
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Trump Says Barr Resigning, Will Leave Before Christmas
Attorney General William Barr, one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies, is resigning amid lingering tension with the president over the president’s baseless claims of election fraud and the investigation into President-elect Joe Biden’s son. Barr went Monday to the White House, where Trump said the attorney general submitted his letter of resignation. “As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family,” Trump tweeted. Trump has publicly expressed his anger about Barr’s statement to The Associated Press earlier this month that the Justice Department had found no widespread election fraud that would change the outcome of the election. Trump has also been angry that the Justice Department did not publicly announce it was investigating Hunter Biden ahead of the election, despite department policy against such a pronouncement. Barr, in his resignation letter, said he updated Trump on Monday on the department’s “review of voter fraud allegations in the 2020 election and how these allegations will continue to be pursued.” He added that his last day on the job would be Dec. 23. FILE – Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen speaks at the Justice Department in Washington, Nov. 5, 2019.Trump said Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, whom he labeled “an outstanding person,” will become acting attorney general. Trump spent much of the day watching the Electoral College tally and calling allies but broke away to meet with Barr. Despite Trump’s anger at those who publicly disagree with him, Barr had generally remained in the president’s good graces and has been one of the president’s most ardent allies. Before the election, he had repeatedly raised the notion that mail-in voting could be especially vulnerable to fraud during the coronavirus pandemic as Americans feared going to polls. Barr, who was serving in his second stint as attorney general, sought to paint himself as an independent leader who would not bow to political pressure. But Democrats have repeatedly accused Barr of acting more like the president’s personal attorney than the attorney general, and Barr had proved to be a largely reliable Trump ally and defender of presidential power. FILE – Former special counsel Robert Mueller checks pages in the report, on Capitol Hill, July 24, 2019 in Washington.Before releasing special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report on the Russia investigation last year, Barr framed the results in a manner favorable to Trump, even though Mueller pointedly said he could not exonerate the president of obstruction of justice. Barr also appointed John Durham, the U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, as special counsel to conduct a criminal investigation into the origins of the FBI’s probe of the 2016 election that morphed into Mueller’s investigation of possible Trump-Russia cooperation, following Trump’s repeated calls to “investigate the investigators.” FILE – President Donald Trump’s former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn arrives at federal court in Washington, Dec. 18, 2018.Barr also ordered Justice Department prosecutors to review the handling of the federal investigation into Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and then sought to dismiss the criminal charges against Flynn, who had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Trump later pardoned Flynn. Barr’s break from Trump over election fraud was not the first. Earlier this year, Barr told ABC News that the president’s tweets about Justice Department cases “make it impossible for me to do my job.” Tensions flared a few months ago when the two were increasingly at odds over the pace of the Durham investigation. Trump had been increasingly critical about a lack of arrests, and Barr was privately telling people he was frustrated by Trump’s public pronouncements about the case. Trump was also said to blame Barr for comments from FBI Director Chris Wray on election fraud and mail-in voting that did not jibe with the president’s alarmist rhetoric.
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Zimbabwe City Evicts Families Amid Pandemic
Zimbabwe authorities are being criticized for evicting hundreds of families of squatters amid the COVID-19 pandemic and struggling economy. Legal experts say the destruction of their homes in the capital this month, leaving many homeless as the rainy season begins, is a violation of the constitution. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare for VOA News.
Camera: Blessing Chigwenhembe Produced by: Mary Cieslak
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Ethiopia’s War-Scarred Tigray Region Regains Some Services
Ethiopia sent civil servants in Tigray back to work Monday and ordered gun owners to disarm as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government sought to restore normality in the northern region after weeks of war. Some power and telephone links were also restored in regional capital, Mekelle, after a virtual communications blackout since federal troops’ November 4 offensive. But there were reports of big fuel and food price hikes, plus water shortages. Accounts of hunger and harassment also emerged from refugees, some of whom the Ethiopian government has sent back to Tigray. The region is still off-limits to journalists without a permit. Abiy has declared victory over the former local ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The powerful TPLF dominated federal government for nearly three decades before anti-government protests propelled Abiy to office in 2018. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed and nearly a million fled their homes during airstrikes and ground battles in Tigray that exposed bitter ethnic divisions around the vast nation. A Tigray girl sits atop a hill overlooking the Umm Rakouba refugee camp, hosting people who fled the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, in Qadarif, eastern Sudan, December 14, 2020.The government said mobile voice services in Mekelle and six other towns had been restored, and that electricity was also back in the regional capital. However, of 27 calls made by Reuters to Mekelle on Monday, only six connected. Tigray’s airspace was reopened Monday. There was mounting concern over 100,000 Eritrean refugees in Tigray. Three refugees in the Adi Harush camp reached by Reuters said there was no food and little water, and they were being mistreated by armed men without uniforms. The men had raped two women, one of the refugees said. Reuters was unable to verify their stories or reach the Ethiopian refugee agency, which is returning hundreds of people to the camps, for comment. A 40-year-old driver reached by phone in Mekelle said power was back but there was little water and food was extremely expensive. “People are going outside because they are hungry,” he told Reuters on condition of anonymity. He said the price of fuel had jumped nearly 14 times from 22 birr ($0.57) before the conflict to 300 birr on the black market. A kilo of berbere, a popular spice, soared from 70 to 800 birr. Reuters could not verify the prices. Banks remained closed, another resident said. The new government-appointed provisional administration for Tigray has told state employees, including rank-and-file workers from the previous administration, to return to work on Monday or be fired. Gun owners must hand in weapons by Tuesday or risk arrest. Administration head Mulu Nega said he was too busy to comment when Reuters tried to reach him Monday. TPLF leaders, believed to be hiding in the mountains, have previously said they were fighting back. Reuters has not been able to reach them for comment for more than a week. It has been near impossible to verify accounts from all sides due to the communications difficulties.
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ICC Rejects Uighur Plea for Investigation of China
Despite calls from exiled Uighurs, International Criminal Court prosecutors say they will not investigate China for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity, according to a report issued December 14. The Uighurs had called for the investigation and provided The Hague-based court evidence in July that they say supports claims of Chinese abuse of the ethnic minority. On Friday, the court asked for more evidence, according to The Guardian newspaper. FILE – Fatou Bensouda, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, is seen in a courtroom of the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, July 8, 2019.But the office of prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said it was unable to investigate the matter because China is not a signatory to the ICC, Agence France-Presse reported. “This precondition for the exercise of the court’s territorial jurisdiction did not appear to be met with respect to the majority of the crimes alleged,” Bensouda’s report said.The ICC also said there was “no basis to proceed” on the matter of claims that Uighurs were forcefully deported from Tajikistan and Cambodia back to China.The Uighurs argued that since Tajikistan and Cambodia were ICC signatories, the ICC had jurisdiction to act.China called the claims baseless.Many Western countries, including the United States, say the Chinese government has used the guise of combating religious and political extremism for its “systematic policies” of crackdowns against Uighurs and other minorities, including the detention of 1 million to 1.8 million people in internment camps, political indoctrination, enforced disappearances, destruction of cultural sites, forced labor and coercive birth prevention.FILE – Workers walk by the perimeter fence of what is officially known as a vocational skills education center in Dabancheng in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China, Sept. 4, 2018.In October, 39 United Nations countries condemned China’s treatment of the ethnic minority.The Chinese government has rejected accusations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, saying it is only running a campaign of “transformation-through-education centers.” Chinese officials have called the camps “vocational training” facilities for people who were exposed to “ideas of extremism and terrorism.”Officials have also said the camps teach the people skills needed to undertake new jobs.
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US Surpasses 300,000 COVID Deaths
The United States surpassed 300,000 recorded deaths from COVID-19 Monday — the same day the first American was vaccinated against the coronavirus that causes the disease. The grim number comes about two weeks after millions of Americans defied warnings to avoid travel and gathered with family members for the Thanksgiving holiday. According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, by Monday afternoon 300,267 Americans have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The U.S. makes up nearly 1-in-5 deaths worldwide from COVID-19. The medical staff listens during a news conference at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Los Angeles, Dec. 14, 2020.While it took four months for the first 100,000 Americans to succumb to the virus, some public health experts forecast another 100,000 deaths before the end of January. Similar surges are being recorded around the world, as a number of European countries enter a second round of lockdowns, even as front-line health care workers begin to receive vaccines against the virus. In EuropeGermany is heading for a second lockdown starting Wednesday amid rising coronavirus infections. The government is urging citizens to avoid Christmas shopping in the two days before most stores close and social distancing rules tighten. People queue in front of a shop, as the coronavirus disease outbreak continues, in Frankfurt, Germany, Dec. 14, 2020.According to Johns Hopkins, as of Monday afternoon, Germany had recorded more than 1,356,650 confirmed cases and more than 22,300 deaths. Italy has overtaken Britain as the European country with the most COVID-19 deaths, according to data collected by JHU. Monday afternoon, Italy had more than 65,000 deaths, while Britain had 64,500. Prime Minister Micheal Martin of Ireland said Monday that some COVID-19 restrictions may be reimposed in January, after top health officials said infection cases may rise again after many sectors of the economy reopened in the past two weeks. In AsiaIn Asia, South Korean health authorities said 150 virus testing centers will be opened in phases in the capital area, adding to more than 210 existing sites. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the country registered 718 new cases Monday, but the additional cases marked a drop from the more than 1,000 reported Sunday. South Korea has seen relatively low total infections and deaths at 43,484 and 587 respectively as of Monday afternoon. A medical staff member wearing protective gear takes a swab from a woman to test for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a temporary testing station outside Seoul station in Seoul, Dec. 14, 2020.In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Monday that the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine has been approved, with the first shots to be delivered by the end of this month. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday that her country has agreed to allow quarantine-free travel from Australia in the first quarter of next year. Australia is already allowing New Zealanders to skip a two-week quarantine required of travelers from other countries.
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As Britain Rolls Out COVID-19 Vaccine, Pressure Grows on Europe To Approve Drug
Pressure is growing on the European Union to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine after regulators in Britain, the United States and Canada gave the green light in recent days. Coronavirus cases are soaring across the continent, with extended lockdowns announced in Germany and the Netherlands. Henry Ridgwell reports.
Camera: Henry Ridgwell
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Russian Opposition Leader Navalny Trailed for Years Before Poisoning, Report Says
An elite Russian intelligence chemical weapons unit trailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny for the past three years, right up until his near-fatal poisoning in August, according to the investigative website Bellingcat. The squad from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), according to Bellingcat, started shadowing Navalny in 2017, shortly after he announced he would stand against President Vladimir Putin in presidential elections. Members of the unit specializing in toxins and nerve agents followed the activist on more than 30 trips, according to phone records, flight manifests and other documents unearthed by Bellingcat in a joint investigation with CNN, Russia’s The Insider news site and Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine. FILE – Cars drive past the headquarters of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in central Moscow, Russia, November 10, 2015.Navalny is recuperating in Berlin. Western governments say he was poisoned with the deadly Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok, the same substance British officials say was employed in an attack in England in 2018 in a bid to kill former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. The European Union has sanctioned FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov and senior Kremlin officials over the attack. FILE – Members of the emergency services in biohazard suits afix a tent over the bench where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found March 4 in critical condition, in Salisbury, southern England, on March 8, 2018.In September, ahead of the U.S. presidential election, President Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden gave different reactions to the poisoning. “It is interesting that everybody is always mentioning Russia,” Trump told reporters at a press briefing. “And I don’t mind you mentioning Russia, but I think probably China at this point is a nation that you should be talking about much more so than Russia.” Biden, now president-elect, bluntly blamed Navalny’s poisoning on the Moscow government. “Once again, the Kremlin has used a favorite weapon — an agent from the Novichok class of chemicals — in an effort to silence a political opponent,” he said. “It is the mark of a Russian regime that is so paranoid that it is unwilling to tolerate any criticism or dissent,” he added. Navalny fell ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow on August 20. The plane made an emergency landing in the Siberian city of Omsk, where Russian doctors said they found no trace of any toxic substance. After Navalny was transferred to a hospital in Germany following an international outcry, tests in Berlin showed the presence of the nerve agent. Subsequent tests by French and Swedish laboratories confirmed the German result. In an interview with a German magazine in October, Navalny accused the Kremlin of being behind his poisoning. “I don’t have any other versions of how the crime was committed,” he said. FILE – German army emergency personnel load into their ambulance the stretcher that was used to transport Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny on at Berlin’s Charite hospital, August 22, 2020.The Kremlin has denied any role in the poisoning. Putin on Friday accused European countries, which have demanded Moscow investigate the poisoning, of refusing to cooperate with Russian authorities or to send detailed information. But Putin also said Navalny’s near-fatal poisoning did not warrant the opening of any criminal investigation in Russia. Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested Navalny may have been poisoned on the plane taking him to Germany, or once he arrived in Berlin. Bellingcat said the FSB unit shadowing the Russian activist comprised six to 10 agents, including medical doctors and toxicologists in their late 30s and 40s, and was commanded by military scientist Stanislav Makshakov. He communicated with senior figures at the FSB before and after Navalny’s trips, cellphone logs suggest. Makshakov is thought to have previously worked at a chemicals institute in the closed town of Shikhany-1. The August incident may not have been the first attempt to poison Navalny. During a trip in July to Kaliningrad, Navalny’s wife, Yulia, fell ill with symptoms consistent with low-dosage poisoning, according to toxicologists. Bellingcat said flight manifests indicate that at least three members of the FSB unit were in the city at the same time as the Navalnys. FILE – Yulia Navalnaya, wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, speaks with the media outside a hospital, where Alexei receives medical treatment in Omsk, Russia, August 21, 2020.Bellingcat said for the August attack, three FSB officers followed Navalny to Tomsk. At least five more FSB employees supported the mission. Some went on to Omsk, when Navalny was taken to the hospital there in critical condition. Members of the chemical weapons unit communicated with each other throughout the trip, with peaks in phone activity shortly before the poisoning. Bellingcat uses open-source data for its investigations and named the poisoners involved in the nerve-agent attack on Skripal and his daughter in 2018. The British government subsequently identified the same men as being behind the assassination bid. Navalny on Monday uploaded a video comment to YouTube. He said the FSB’s attempt to kill him was an act of “state terrorism.” He said the FSB’s surveillance operation began when he announced he would stand against Putin. “We now have the villain, the reason, murderers and the murder weapon,” he said. Navalny also described the moment he may have been poisoned. Navalny said he had a cocktail in a hotel restaurant the night before boarding his flight back to Moscow. It was “tasteless,” he said, and stopped drinking it after a couple of sips.
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China Conducts Two Trials in Crackdown on Audio Bibles
Chinese courtrooms this month were the scene of two trials prosecuting Christian businessmen for selling audio versions of the Bible, a new crackdown that is part of a government campaign to “eradicate pornography and illegal publications.”Lai Jinqiang, a Christian businessman whose company sells an audio Bible player — an MP3-like device that allows users to share passages from the Bible — was tried in a district court in China’s coastal city Shenzhen on December 7 for selling the electronic devices.On December 9, four Christians, Fu Xuanjuan, Deng Tianyong, Han Li and Feng Qunhao, were tried by the same court for “illegal business operations.” They all worked for Life Tree Culture Communication Co., Ltd, whose main business is selling audio Bible players. The prosecutor recommended that the court sentence Fu, the owner of the company to five years in prison. The other three sentences ranged from 18 months to three years.According to Bitter Winter, an online magazine on religious liberty and human rights, police are also reaching out to buyers of the Bible players to warn them about potentially breaking the law by making such purchases.Audio Bible playersChina for years has allowed sales of the Bible through official channels only. Currently, among China’s major religions, which include Buddhism, Taoism, Islam and folk beliefs, Christianity is the only one whose major holy text cannot be sold through normal commercial channels. The Bible is printed in China but legally available only at church bookstores approved by Beijing. Roughly two years ago, the Chinese government banned online Bible sales.Audio Bible players, nevertheless, have become popular with people of faith in China because of their ease of use. Apart from Bible verses, these electronic players are also equipped with sermons, hymns and other religious content. They were widely available on China’s largest online commercial site Taobao.Ma Jing, a Christian at a family church, told VOA that the government can detain and punish worshippers for whatever excuse they come up with.“This is bullying,” she said, adding that she believes the reason the Chinese Communist Party controls sales of Bible-related products is that it fears a large number of Christians could pose a threat to its rule.Gina Goh, regional manager for Southeast Asia at Washington-based rights group International Christian Concern, told VOA the ultimate purpose of the trials is to make people fearful.“These are examples that serve the purpose of warning other Christians to stop spreading the theology or the words (of the Bible) through your business,” she said.She added that this is another example that the Chinese government is increasingly cracking down on Christians.“They want to have full control. Targeting these Christian businesses is just one of the many ways that they are trying to crack down on Christianity overall,” she continued.Sui Muqing, a Chinese human rights lawyer, told VOA the trials were meant to stop the spread of the Bible.”My feeling is that this is the same kind of suppression as before, it’s just now expanded to Christian businesses. In essence, these are no difference from past religious persecution cases,” he said.Christianity has been growing in China during the past two decades. According to a 2018 report by China’s State Council, from 1997 to 2018, Catholicism grew to 6 million worshipers from 4 million, while Protestantism increased to 38 million worshippers from 10 million.Most surveys and experts, however, believe that these figures represent only about half the total number of believers, because each has a strong underground church that roughly matches the number of believers in government-run churches. The Council on Foreign Relations estimates China is on track to have the world’s largest population of Christians by the end of this decade.Retranslating the BibleAs part of a longstanding effort to limit the influence of Christianity in China, central government authorities last year indicated that they would publish an “official translation” of the Bible for Chinese worshippers.The CCP called for “a comprehensive evaluation of the existing religious classics aiming at contents which do not conform to the progress of the times” in a 2019 meeting held by the Committee for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, which oversees religious matters in China.The meeting concluded that the new “official edition” of the Bible must not contain any content that contradicts socialism, and paragraphs deemed wrong by censors will be amended or retranslated.
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Nigerians March Against Government Over Kidnapping of Schoolboys
Hundreds of Nigerians in northwestern Katsina state held street protests Sunday calling for answers from authorities after gunmen on motorcycles abducted more than 300 schoolboys.Nigerian security forces say they engaged in gun battles Friday with the kidnappers at Kankara’s Government Science School for boys, but are still searching for the 333 missing students. Kankara resident Salihu Bamle says the town is in shock. “On Friday night, the people of Kankara town witnessed a very, very sad thing,” Bamle said. “Around 10 p.m. at night, the bandits were here shooting sporadically in the entire town before they moved on straight to the school.” A classroom sits empty at the Government Science School, where gunmen abducted students, in Kankara, in northwestern Katsina state, Nigeria, Dec. 14, 2020.The kidnappings occurred hours after President Muhammadu Buhari landed in Katsina, his home state, for a weeklong visit. Katsina authorities immediately closed all schools and Nigerian police announced a review of security for schools across the country. It’s the worst kidnapping incident since Boko Haram terrorists in 2014 kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from the northeast town of Chibok. Of those, 112 Chibok girls are still missing and believed to be held by the Islamist militants. The kidnappings sparked the Bring Back Our Girls group, which blames Nigerian authorities for not doing enough to find the girls. The group’s leader, Edith Yassin, says she fears the schoolboys taken Friday could be forced to join an armed group. “When such a large number of boys are taken away from a school, what immediately comes to mind is child soldiers, forced labor, and all other evil that terrorists make young people do. They’re also looking maybe for a new set of young people to indoctrinate,” Yassin said.Security experts note Boko Haram does not usually operate in northwest Nigeria, where bandits and kidnapping for ransom are more common. Parents gather at the Government Science School where gunmen abducted students, in Kankara, in northwestern Katsina state, Nigeria, Dec. 14, 2020.Kabir Adamu, who runs the private Beacon Security group in Abuja, says Nigeria’s poor law enforcement and justice systems are to blame.”I can count several states where this type of incident has happened — Zamfara, Kaduna, Lagos, Ogun, Yobe; schools have been attacked, students have been taken away and no form of accountability. So clearly, the deterrent element within the criminal justice system in Nigeria is next to zero,” Adamu said.On Nigerian social media, hashtags like “Bring Back Our Boys” have been trending since the schoolboys were kidnapped. As police and the military continue their search for the kidnapped children, religious groups called for a statewide prayer Monday.
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UK Health Ministry Says New COVID-19 Variant Discovered in Britain
British Health Minister Matt Hancock said Monday that a new variant of COVID-19 has been identified in southern Britain, which could explain why infection levels in that area have increased faster than in other areas of the country. Speaking to Parliament, Hancock said the variant was identified in more than a thousand cases of the virus, mostly in the south of the country, but in a total of about 60 different areas. He said similar variants have been identified in other countries, and the British government has alerted the World Health Organization. The health minister was quick to add there was nothing to suggest this new variant is more virulent or would be resistant to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that is being distributed in Britain. But he said it was even more reason for people to remain vigilant and follow COVID-19 guidelines to make sure the virus does not spread. Hancock made the announcement as he introduced new COVID-19 restrictions imposed on London and the immediate surrounding area where new infections have been rising “exponentially.” He said London was moving into the “Tier 3: Very High Alert level.” Under these restrictions, people can only see friends and family who live outside their household in outdoor public places and “in line with the rule of six,” meaning groups must be six people or fewer. Hancock said restaurants and other hospitality businesses can be open for take-out and deliver only, and residents are advised to avoid unnecessary travel outside their immediate area.
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US Sanctions NATO Ally Turkey over Russian Missile Defense
The Trump administration on Monday imposed sanctions on its NATO ally Turkey over its purchase of a Russian air defense system, setting the stage for further confrontation between the two nations as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office. The move comes at a delicate time in relations between Washington and Ankara, which have been at odds for more than a year over Turkey’s acquisition from Russia of the S-400 missile defense system, along with Turkish actions in Syria, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and in the eastern Mediterranean. The U.S. had previously kicked Turkey out of its F-35 stealth fighter development and training program over the purchase, but had taken no further steps despite persistent warnings from American officials who have long complained about the purchase of the S-400, which they say is incompatible with NATO equipment and a potential threat to allied security. “The United States made clear to Turkey at the highest levels and on numerous occasions that its purchase of the S-400 system would endanger the security of U.S. military technology and personnel and provide substantial funds to Russia’s defense sector, as well as Russian access to the Turkish armed forces and defense industry,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. “Turkey nevertheless decided to move ahead with the procurement and testing of the S-400, despite the availability of alternative, NATO-interoperable systems to meet its defense requirements,” he said in a statement. “I urge Turkey to resolve the S-400 problem immediately in coordination with the United States,” he said. “Turkey is a valued Ally and an important regional security partner for the United States, and we seek to continue our decades-long history of productive defense-sector cooperation by removing the obstacle of Turkey’s S-400 possession as soon as possible.” The sanctions target Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries, the country’s military procurement agency, its chief Ismail Demir and three other senior officials. The penalties block any assets the four officials may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar their entry into the U.S. They also include a ban on most export licenses, loans and credits to the agency. The administration had held off on imposing punitive sanctions outside of the fighter program for months, in part to give Turkish officials time to reconsider deploying it and, some suspect, due to President Donald Trump’s personal relationship with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, in past months Turkey has moved ahead with testing of the system drawing criticism from Congress and others who have demanded the sanctions be imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA, which mandates penalties for transactions deemed harmful to U.S. interests. Coming just a month and-a-half before Biden assumes office, the sanctions pose a potential dilemma for the incoming administration, although the president-elect’s team has signaled it is opposed to Turkey’s use of the S-400 and the disunity within NATO it may cause. Last month, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey was prepared to discuss with the U.S. its “anxiety” over the interoperability of the S-400s and the F-35s. The U.S. reacted cooly to the suggestion and Pompeo shortly thereafter pointedly did not meet with any Turkish government officials on a visit to Istanbul. Turkey tested the missile defense system in October for the first time, drawing a condemnation from the Pentagon. Ankara says it was forced to buy the Russian system because the U.S. refused to sell it American-made Patriot missiles. The Turkish government has also pointed to what it considers a double standard, as NATO member Greece uses Russian-made missiles.
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US Envoy Calls for Timely Resumption of Intra-Afghan Peace Talks
The U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has asked the Taliban and representatives of the Afghan government to swiftly resume peace talks after their mutually agreed three-week break starting Monday.The two Afghan warring sides have been engaged in U.S.-brokered direct negotiations in Doha, Qatar, since September and paused the process for internal consultations ahead of their return to the table on January 5. Both negotiating teams confirmed they had exchanged “preliminary lists of agenda items” to be discussed when talks restart.“Tragically, the war continues. The need for a political settlement, reduction in violence, and a ceasefire remain urgent,” Khalilzad said in a series of tweets Monday. “Given how much is at stake, it is imperative that there [are] no delays in resumption of talks and they must resume on Jan 5 as agreed,” he said.The intra-Afghan negotiations stemmed from of a landmark troop withdrawal agreement the Trump administration sealed with the Taliban in February.FILE – In this Feb. 29, 2020 file photo, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group’s top political leader sign a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar.The deal, negotiated and signed by Khalilzad, is aimed at winding down the 19-year-old Afghan war, the longest overseas military intervention in U.S. history.Khalilzad’s call for the timely resumption of intra-Afghan negotiations came amid fierce fighting between Afghan forces and insurgents in recent days, killing dozens of combatants on both sides and civilians.On Monday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani backed calls from his aides for the next round of peace negotiations with the Taliban to be held at home and not in Doha, where the insurgent group maintains its political office.“We would prefer the second round of peace talks to take place inside Afghanistan… It is not appropriate to insist on holding talks in luxurious hotels,” Ghani was quoted as telling a Cabinet meeting in Kabul.The Taliban vehemently oppose such calls because they denounce the Afghan government as an illegitimate entity and a product of the U.S.-led foreign occupation of the country.The U.S.-Taliban pact has reduced the number of American troops in Afghanistan to 4,500 and all the remaining soldiers along with NATO partners are required to be out of the country by May 2021.Gen. Scott Miller, commander of American forces in Afghanistan, said Sunday he had “orders to reduce the U.S. military presence to 2,500” in line with the U.S.-Taliban agreement.Under the deal, the insurgent group is bound to fight transnational terrorist groups on Afghan soil and cut ties with the al-Qaida terror network. The Taliban also have pledged to negotiate a political deal and comprehensive cease-fire with Afghan rivals to bring an end to years of war.Khalilzad visits Pakistan Also Monday, Khalilzad visited Pakistan where he held a meeting with the country’s military chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Gen. Miller also accompanied the U.S. special envoy.
US special representative Zalmay Khalilzad and his delegation held a meeting with Pakistan army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa in Rawalpindi, Dec 14, 2020. (Courtesy ISPR)The Pakistani military said in a post-meeting statement that the two sides discussed regional security and the ongoing Afghan reconciliation process.The statement said Bajwa “assured” the U.S. delegation that Pakistan will continue to play its “positive role” in promoting peace and stability in the region. It noted that Khalilzad “appreciated Pakistan’s untiring efforts” for facilitating the Afghan peace process.Pakistan, which maintains close contacts with the Taliban, is credited with bringing the insurgents to the table for negotiating and singing the Feb. 29 deal with Washington and facilitating the ongoing intra-Afghan talks.
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US Rescinds Sudan’s Designation as State Sponsor of Terror
The United States announced it was formally rescinding Sudan’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism as a result of its “historic democratic transition.”
Sudan was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 in part because of the policies of then-President Omar al-Bashir, who supported militant organizations such as Hamas, and harbored militants such as al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
Over the past two years, a popular protest movement led to the ouster of Bashir, who ruled Sudan for three decades and whose policies often antagonized the United States and Israel.
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the achievement was made possible by the efforts of Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government “to chart a bold new course away from the legacy of the Bashir regime.
“He commended the Sudanese people for their continued calls for “freedom, peace, and justice,” and congratulated the transitional government for its “courage in advancing the aspirations of the citizens they serve.”
From his Twitter account, Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok thanked Pompeo and added, “Today we return to the international community with all our history, the civilization of our people, the greatness of our country and the vigor of our revolution.”
The move was not unexpected, as U.S. President Donald Trump announced in October plans to remove Sudan from the terror list after the government agreed to pay $335 million to settle claims by victims of the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen’s coast in 2000.
The unelected transitional government also agreed to normalize relations with Israel.
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Philippines Targets Deal for 25 MLN Doses of Sinovac COVID-19 Vaccine
The Philippines aims to finalize negotiations with Sinovac Biotech this week to acquire 25 million doses of the Chinese company’s COVID-19 vaccine for delivery by March, a coronavirus taskforce official said on Monday.President Rodrigo Duterte, who has pursued warmer ties with Beijing, wants to inoculate all his country’s 108 million people, preferably buying vaccines from Russia or China.Philippine officials had met with Sinovac representatives on Friday and there would be another meeting this week to finalize a deal, Carlito Galvez, the country’s vaccine chief, said.”We have already conveyed to them our needs, 25 million for 2021,” Galvez told a news conference, adding that vaccine distribution was targeted for March.Sinovac’s plan to conduct Phase 3 clinical trial in the Philippines is being evaluated by the country’s drugs agency. Trials are taking place in Indonesia and Brazil.Philippine companies last month signed a deal for 2.6 million shots of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca, the Southeast Asian nation’s first supply deal for a coronavirus vaccine, for delivery in May or June.Harry Roque, Duterte’s spokesman, told the news conference for people who were waiting on Western vaccine brands, “the Chinese brand will come earlier.”Since taking office in 2016, Duterte has set aside a territorial spat in the South China Sea in exchange for billions of dollars of pledged Chinese aid, loans and investment.But mistrust of China, including of its vaccines, remains widespread in the Philippines, according to an opinion survey conducted in July.The Philippines’ $370 billion economy, among Asia’s fastest growing before the pandemic, fell deeper into recession in the third quarter as broad curbs aimed at controlling the virus battered the economy.With nearly 451,000 COVID-19 infections and more than 8,800 deaths, the Philippines has the second-highest number of cases and fatalities in Southeast Asia, next to Indonesia.
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In-Person Voting Begins in Crucial Georgia Senate Runoffs
In-person early voting begins Monday in the U.S. state of Georgia where two runoff elections will decide which political party holds a majority in the U.S. Senate when a new term begins in January.Democrats are challenging two Republican incumbents after no candidate earned an absolute majority in either race in the November general election.Republicans currently stand to hold a 50 to 48 advantage in the 100-seat Senate. But with a Democrat winning the presidential election, and the vice president wielding a tie-breaker vote in a 50-50 Senate, Democrats could claim a majority by winning both Georgia seats.With Democrats already holding a majority in the House of Representatives, the stakes for both parties are immense in determining the course of U.S. policy in the coming years.In one contest, Democrat Raphael Warnock is trying to unseat Republican Senator Kelly Loefller, while in the other race Democrat Jon Ossoff is challenging Republican Senator David Perdue.Georgia was one of many states that saw huge early voting turnouts in November as people opted to try to avoid large election day crowds amid the coronavirus pandemic.More than half of the roughly five million votes in Georgia were cast before election day, including 125,000 on the first day of early voting.Voters will have until December 31 in some parts of the state to cast early ballots with the runoff election date set for January 5.
For decades a Republican stronghold, Georgia was narrowly won by Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the November 3 presidential election.
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German President: COVID-19 Situation ‘Bitterly Serious’
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Germans Monday to abide by strict new lockdown measures to be implemented Wednesday, saying the situation regarding the coronavirus was “bitterly serious.”Steinmeier addressed the nation a day after Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the new measures beginning set to run through January 10, to stop the sharp rise of COVID-19 cases in the country. Merkel and the Germany’s 16 regional governors agreed Sunday to close non-essential businesses and limit private gatherings to no more than five people.In his address, Steinmeier said the restrictions were the severest in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, but the situation was such that, “We cannot avoid drastic measures.”The president said the country had come a long way and urged Germans to work together to overcome the crisis, saying, “We must succeed. And we will succeed.”Germany has been recording steadily higher confirmed cases and deaths in recent weeks. The Robert Koch Institute – the country’s central disease control center – reported 16,362 new cases Monday, and 188 new deaths, bringing the overall death toll to 21,975. Last week, the daily death numbers rose to almost 600 cases in one day.Hospitals across the country had repeatedly warned in recent weeks that they were reaching their limits in caring for COVID-19 patients, and that staffing on intensive care units was becoming a problem.On Monday, 4,552 COVID-19 patients were being treated in intensive care units, 52 percent of them on respirators.Starting Wednesday, schools nationwide will be closed or switch to home schooling; most non-food stores will be shuttered, as will businesses such as hair salons that have so far been allowed to remain open.Restaurant takeout will still be permitted, but no eating or drinking can take place on site.With the exception of Christmas, the number of people allowed to meet indoors will remain restricted to five, not including children under 14.The sale of fireworks traditionally used to celebrate New Year’s will also be banned, as will public outdoor gatherings on New Year’s Eve.
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