China has granted some debt relief to Democratic Republic of Congo to help it overcome economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the Congolese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. As a result, Congo will not have to repay its interest-free loans from China that matured at the end of 2020. The ministry did not say how much this amounted to. China has extended debt relief worth over $2 billion to developing countries under a G-20 framework aimed at giving those hammered by the COVID-19 crisis some financial breathing space. The latest deal was announced at a joint press conference in Kinshasa with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. “As Congo’s most reliable friend, China wishes to continue to make its contribution to Congo’s development,” Wang was quoted as saying in the Congolese ministry’s statement. According to data gathered by the Johns Hopkins China Africa Research Initiative, Chinese entities have extended 53 loans to the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2000-2018, amounting to a total of $2.4 billion. Most of the lending was focused on the power, transport and mining sectors. The major cobalt and copper producer has attracted billions of dollars in investment from Chinese miners in recent years. Congo’s exports to China surged 30% in 2020 compared with the previous year.
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Month: January 2021
British Judge Denies Bail to WikiLeaks’ Founder Assange
A British judge has rejected a request to release WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange on bail, ordering him to remain incarcerated while British courts determine whether he should face espionage charges in the United States.District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said Wednesday that Assange could fail to appear in court if he is released and therefore must remain in a high-security prison while British courts consider a U.S. appeal of her decision not to extradite him.The decision to deny bail to Assange came two days after Baraitser rebuffed an American request to extradite him to the U.S. to face spying charges over WikiLeaks’ disclosure of confidential military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. Baraitser’s extradition denial was based on concerns over Assange’s well-being, saying he was likely to commit suicide if held under harsh conditions in U.S. prisons.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
FILE – In this May 19, 2017 photo, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been in self imposed exile since 2012.Assange will remain in London’s Belmarsh Prison, where he has been detained since his April 2019 arrest for skipping bail seven years earlier in a separate court case.The U.S. has indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ disclosures. Assange could be sentenced to up to 175 years in prison if convicted.Assange’s attorneys say he was acting as a journalist and therefore is entitled to U.S. constitutional free speech protection for leaking documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Won’t Attend Biden’s Inauguration
Former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter will not attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. It marks the first time the couple, 96 and 93, will have missed the ceremonies since Carter was sworn in as the 39th president in 1977.
A spokeswoman at The Carter Center in Atlanta said the Carters have sent Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their “best wishes” and “look forward to a successful administration.”
Biden was a young Delaware senator and Carter ally during the Georgian’s term in the White House.
The Carters have spent the coronavirus pandemic mostly at their home in Plains, Georgia, where both were raised and where they returned after leaving the White House in 1981.Bushes will attend
Separately, former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura will attend the inauguration in person. Their spokesman, Freddy Ford, said, “President and Mrs. Bush look forward to returning to the Capitol for the swearing in of President Biden and Vice President Harris.”
The announcement from Bush, a Republican, came a day before Congress was scheduled to convene for a joint session to confirm the Electoral College vote won by Biden. President Donald Trump’s Republican allies in the House and Senate plan to object to the election results, a longshot effort that is all but certain to fail.
The Bushes also attended Trump’s 2017 inauguration. Ford added that “witnessing the peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy that never gets old.”
Carter, a Democrat, became the longest-lived American president in March 2019, surpassing former President George H.W. Bush, who died the previous November. Carter survived a melanoma diagnosis that spread to his brain in 2015. He has since had several falls and hip replacement surgery. He no longer teaches Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, as he had for decades, but still participates in church activities via video amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Carter was the first former president to confirm his plans to attend Trump’s inauguration in 2017. The Carters were seated on the aisle, next to former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, and former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush. The elder Bush was the lone former president at the time who did not attend Trump’s inauguration. The Carters did travel to Washington for the elder Bush’s funeral.
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US Governors Work to Speed Up Vaccine Distribution
More than two-thirds of the 15 million coronavirus vaccines shipped within the United States have so far gone unused. As Mariama Diallo reports, some states are vowing to penalize hospitals that fail to dispense shots quickly enough.
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Trump Targets Imports of Asian Tires in Final Month
An initial U.S. decision to place special import duties on automobile tires made in four Asian manufacturing hubs will jolt domestic industries while reinforcing President Donald Trump’s tough foreign trade stance in his final days in office, analysts say. The U.S. Department of Commerce said December 30 it had made “preliminary determinations” to levy duties on tires made for passenger vehicles and light trucks. Duties would affect exporters in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam if the decision becomes final May 14 after a follow-up investigation, the department said on its website. “Impacts from this matter are really, really big for Taiwan,” said Danny Ho, chief executive of the Taiwanese petrochemical consulting firm DMI. In trade terms, dumping refers to the practice by countries or manufacturers of pricing goods entering a foreign market to less than that paid by domestic customers in the source country. U.S. Commerce department officials tentatively found that exporters have “dumped” tires in the United States, the website says. The findings answer a petition from the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union. Thailand most impacted Thailand stands to be impacted because of its unusually large tire-making industry. U.S.-bound imports from the auto manufacturing sector led by American and Japanese investors were worth $1.96 billion in 2019, the U.S. commerce department says. The automotive industry is one of Thailand’s five biggest employers and generates up to 2 million cars per year, said Richard Doner, retired political science professor at Emory University in the United States. The duties “might severely impact that industry,” Doner said, though most finished goods are not shipped to the United States. “It’s not like Thailand relies totally on the United States, but it’s probably important and given the significance of the automotive industry for Thailand, it’s probably a big deal,” he said. Cheng Shin Tyre and Nankang Tyre, are Taiwan’s chief tire suppliers overseas, said Liang Kuo-yuan, president of the Polaris Research Institute, a policy group in Taipei. He estimated that Nankang gets 37% of revenues from U.S.-bound exports and fears high duty exposure because its factories are concentrated in Taiwan rather than in offshore locations that could avoid the tariffs. Nankang did not answer a request for comment. Taiwanese tire exporters may have deliberately lowered prices for the U.S. market to compensate for the lack of any low-tariff incentives from Washington, Ho said. Exporter peer South Korea entered into a free trade deal with the United States in 2012. “The conclusion is that there’s no immediate impact, but from the Taiwanese perspective, if they’re found to have committed dumping activities, then it’s disadvantageous to all kinds of Taiwanese businesses that are returning onshore,” Liang said. Vietnamese producers and American business people in the country oppose U.S. duties, said Nguyen Thanh Trung, Center for International Studies director at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City. “They are not satisfied with what the department is targeting in the tire making industry in Vietnam,” said Nguyen, who has spoken with some of the opponents. “They think ‘I have worked for these companies for long (periods) and I know how legitimate they are and how good they are, so it’s not rational to impose high tariffs on the industry.’” South Korea’s tire imports to the United States reached $1.17 billion in 2019, followed by Vietnam at $469.6 million and Taiwan at $373 million, the commerce department says. Trump’s legacy “Strict enforcement” of U.S. trade law marked a “primary focus” of the Trump administration, the Commerce Department website said last week. During his term, the department has opened 306 new anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations, a 278% increase over a “comparable period” of former President Barack Obama’s term. Trump over the past four years withdrew the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico as well as from a now 11-nation Pacific Rim free trade region. Trump’s broader trade policy is “definitely” steering the proposal to impose tire duties, Ho said. President-elect Joe Biden might turn the tire duty decision around, Nguyen said. Biden is due to take office January 20.
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Asian Markets Mixed Ahead of Pivotal US Senate Race Results
Asian markets are mixed Wednesday amid a trio of coinciding political and economic events.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index lost 0.3%. Australia’s S&P/ASX index fell 1.1%. The KOSPI index in South Korea plunged 0.7%, and Taiwan’s TSEC index finished 0.1% lower.Shanghai’s Composite index closed 0.6% higher. In late afternoon trading, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong is 0.2% higher, while Mumbai’s Sensex is down 0.2%. Investors were keeping a close eye on the runoff vote in the southern U.S. state of Georgia for two U.S. Senate seats, which will determine which party controls the chamber as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office on January 20. Reverend Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, was declared the winner over incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler late Tuesday night, while Democrat Jon Ossoff maintained a lead over David Perdue, the other Republican incumbent heading into early Wednesday. Meanwhile, at least 50 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists and politicians were arrested Wednesday in a sweeping crackdown on opposition forces under a draconian new national security law; and U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning financial transactions with eight Chinese software apps, including Alipay and WeChat Pay. In commodities trading, gold is selling at $1,953.40, down one point but virtually unchanged percentage-wise (-0.05%). U.S. crude oil is selling at $49.85 per barrel, down 0.1%, and Brent crude oil is selling at $53.76 per barrel, up 0.3%. All three major U.S. indices are trending negatively in futures trading.
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Democrats Win Key US Senate Runoff With Second Georgia Race Too Close to Call
Control of the U.S. Senate hung in the balance Wednesday with the result of one of two runoff elections in the southern state of Georgia still too close to call.Democrats moved closer to regaining control of the chamber with the Rev. Raphael Warnock’s projected defeat of Sen. Kelly Loeffler in one of Tuesday’s elections.U.S. media organizations called the race with Warnock leading Loeffler by more than 40,000 votes and nearly all ballots counted.“We were told that we couldn’t win this election, but tonight we proved that with hope, hard work and the people by our side, anything is possible,” Warnock said in a message to his supporters late Tuesday.In the second election, Democrat Jon Ossoff, a television documentary producer, led by fewer than 4,000 votes over Republican David Perdue, who was seeking a second six-year term in office.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 12 MB480p | 17 MB540p | 23 MB720p | 49 MB1080p | 92 MBOriginal | 258 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioGeorgia Voters Determine Prospects for Biden PresidencyGoing into Tuesday’s voting, Republicans controlled the 100-seat Senate with a 50-48 advantage, needing to win one of the Georgia contests to keep their majority and act as a bulwark against Democratic President-elect Joe Biden’s legislative proposals after he is inaugurated January 20.With Warnock’s victory, an Ossoff win would give Democrats a 50-50 split with Republicans and a chance for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who will be able to preside over Senate proceedings when she chooses, to cast tie-breaking votes in the Democrats’ favor.Democrats already narrowly control the House of Representatives. With Democratic control of both houses of Congress, Biden would likely offer more sweeping proposals to bolster health care in the United States, tighten environmental controls that were eased during the four-year tenure of President Donald Trump and try to make it easier for immigrants to gain U.S. citizenship.Conversely, Republican control of the Senate would make Biden’s political life more difficult and likely force protracted negotiations between his administration and Republican lawmakers on contentious issues.The controlling party in the chamber also sets the legislative calendar, determining which issues are voted on while also holding a majority on each of the Senate’s issue-specific committees where potential laws are first considered.The Perdue-Ossoff and Loeffler-Warnock contests were made necessary because none of the four candidates won a majority in the first round of voting in November.Understanding US Senate Runoff Elections in GeorgiaEight things you need to know about the elections that will decide who controls the US SenateVoter turnout was robust on Tuesday, with long lines of voters snaking into polling places, and came after nearly 3.1 million people cast ballots before the official Election Day. Five million votes were cast in Georgia in the November balloting that included Biden’s race against Trump.The overall vote count in U.S. runoff elections usually lags general elections, but about 100,000 people who did not vote in November in Georgia cast ballots in the Senate runoffs even before the official Election Day.In the November vote, Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win in Georgia since 1992.Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that he was defrauded out of winning the state, pleading in an extraordinary phone call last weekend with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find him 11,780 more votes – enough to upend the Biden win by a single vote. But Raffensperger, a Republican, rebuffed Trump, saying he was “just plain wrong” in contending he was cheated out of a victory in the state.Loeffler said she would support Trump’s challenge to Biden’s victory in Georgia when a joint session of Congress meets Wednesday to certify Biden’s 306-232 victory in the Electoral College, which determines the outcome of U.S. presidential elections rather than the national popular vote.Election Day exit polls conducted by Edison Research indicated about seven in 10 Georgia voters were confident that the votes in Tuesday’s runoff elections would be counted accurately. Democrats were far more confident than Republicans.Both Biden and Trump held rallies Monday in Georgia in a final attempt to persuade voters.“The power is literally in your hands,” Biden said. “Unlike any time in my career, one state, one state, can chart the course, not just for the next four years, but for the next generation.”He said Georgians had voted in record numbers in the presidential election in November. “Now, we need you to vote again in record numbers,” he said.Trump campaigned Monday in a heavily Republican enclave in Dalton in the northern part of the state, telling supporters the election could be their “last chance to save the America that we love.”“The far left wants to destroy our country, demolish our history and erase everything that we hold dear,” Trump said. “This could be the most important vote you will ever cast for the rest of your life.”
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Facing Economic Woes, North Korea Admits Failure, Mulls Future
North Korea has opened a major, multi-day political gathering in the capital, Pyongyang, with leader Kim Jong Un using the forum to acknowledge recent economic failures.Addressing thousands of tightly packed delegates at an auditorium in Pyongyang, Kim admitted his country had not reached the goals set out in an economic plan for the five-year period that just expired.“The goals we set were immensely underachieved in almost all areas,” Kim said in an opening speech at the eighth congress of the ruling Workers’ Party, according to state media.The last five years, Kim said, were “unprecedented” and “the worst of the worst” for North Korea. In response, he said the country should “strengthen our own power and our own self-reliant capacity.”Pictures posted by the official Korean Central News Agency showed thousands of participants seated close together in a large hall, with no observable social distancing measures. No one appeared to be wearing masks.It is only the second time Kim has convened a party congress since he took power in December 2011. This year’s gathering, which is expected to set North Korea’s policy goals for the next five years, comes at one of the most challenging times of Kim’s rule.Economic problemsNorth Korea’s economy had already been held back by international sanctions over its nuclear program, but a series of devastating recent floods as well as strict coronavirus measures dramatically worsened the situation.Overall, North Korea’s economy may have contracted by at least 8.5% in 2020, according to an estimate by Fitch Solutions.One big reason: North Korea closed its border with China, its biggest trading partner and economic lifeline, last January, shortly after news of the coronavirus emerged. That helped lead to an 80% drop in trade between the two countries, according to the Korea International Trade Association.A health worker sprays disinfectant inside the Pyongyang Department Store No. 1 prior to opening for business, in Pyongyang on Dec. 28, 2020.Supply shortagesNK News, a Seoul-based website focusing on North Korea, on Tuesday reported “significant and ongoing food shortages” in Pyongyang, especially at grocery stores frequented by the country’s elite.Key items such as sugar, cooking oil, and toothpaste “are almost completely gone” from some supermarket shelves in Pyongyang, NK News reported. Local fresh fruit and vegetables were being sold at over five times the usual cost, it added.Despite strict coronavirus restrictions, North Korea insists not a single person in its country has tested positive for the coronavirus — a claim widely disputed by global health experts and others.North Korea is especially vulnerable to a disease outbreak. It is one of the world’s poorest countries and its medical infrastructure is badly outdated and under-resourced.According to a Wall Street Journal report, North Korea has submitted an application to receive Covid-19 virus vaccines from Gavi, an international alliance of governments, drug companies, charities and civic organizations that arrange global vaccination campaigns in lower income countries.North Korean leaders have called the pandemic response a top priority and a matter of “national survival.” Given that dynamic, it is not clear what North Korea can do to stimulate its economy, at least until the virus threat recedes and border restrictions are loosened, many analysts say.“It’s not like Kim Jong Un is going to come out and promise denuclearization, marketization, and human rights improvements,” says Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.“What optimists are looking for is a willingness to engage in diplomacy with the incoming Biden administration, mention of economic development opportunities including with South Korea, and any openness to humanitarian cooperation during the pandemic,” Easley said.”Pessimists expect the Kim regime will emphasize military strength, self-reliant socialism, and an ongoing crackdown on subversive elements,” he added.Admitting failure?It would not be the first time for Kim to admit policy failures, especially on the economy.In August, the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party acknowledged plans to improve the economy have been “seriously delayed” by “severe internal and external situations.” N. Korea to Unveil New Economic Plans in January Party Meeting The Workers’ Party last convened for a full congress in 2016, which was its first in 36 yearsIn recent years, Kim has attempted to convey a more modest “man of the people” persona than that of his father, former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.Lim Eul-chul with Seoul’s Institute of Far Eastern Studies of Kyungnam University questions whether Kim actually admitted failure on Tuesday. But he says Kim’s comments were still unusual in a North Korean context, where top leaders are expected to be highly revered.”It is not quite right to say that he admitted failure,” Lim said. “He acknowledged that the results were not sufficient following the seventh congress, which is still not very common considering North Korea’s usual behavior.Foreign policy directionThe party congress, which comes two weeks ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, is also being watched for signs about North Korea’s foreign policy.North Korea has for months boycotted nuclear talks, frustrated at the U.S. refusal to relax sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump met Kim three times during his presidency, but the meetings did not lead to North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons program.Biden has said he won’t rule out meeting Kim face-to-face, but has suggested that would only come as part of broader, working-level negotiations.On Tuesday, the top U.S. general in South Korea said Pyongyang does not appear to be preparing a major provocation around the onset of the Biden administration.“We’re not seeing any indicators that suggest that there would be a major provocation — but that’s today. That could change next week,” General Robert Abrams, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, told an online forum.No Signs of N. Korean Tests Ahead of Biden Inauguration, US General Says Pyongyang often conducts major tests near US presidential transitionsNext stepsNorth Korea has often timed major tests, including of ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons, around U.S. presidential transitions to demonstrate its military capabilities and possibly gain leverage in future negotiations with Washington.Kim said a year ago he no longer feels bound by his self-imposed pause on nuclear and long-range missile tests, raising fears of a return to major tensions on the Korean peninsula.In October, North Korea used a military parade to unveil a massive new intercontinental ballistic missile, which appears designed to overwhelm U.S. missile defenses. Some suspect Pyongyang may test the missile or other weapons systems in the coming months.Many in South Korea are also watching to see if the party congress will provide any hints about future inter-Korean cooperation.North Korea last year unilaterally raised tensions with the South, a bitter disappointment for many in Seoul. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, whose five-year presidential term ends in May 2022, has placed a high priority on improving inter-Korean ties.During his opening speech Tuesday, Kim did not mention the United States, South Korea, or nuclear issues. The event is expected to last for multiple days.
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Georgia Voters Determine Prospects for Biden Presidency
Voting in the Southern U.S. state of Georgia ended Tuesday, where two crucial runoff races will determine which party holds the majority in the U.S. Senate. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports from Atlanta, Georgia, where the races are close.
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US Judge Denies Effort to Stop Drilling Auction in Arctic Refuge
A federal judge in Alaska ruled late on Tuesday that the Trump administration’s planned auction of oil drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) could proceed as planned on Wednesday morning.The order by U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason comes after environmental groups and the indigenous people of northeastern Alaska sought a preliminary injunction to block the sale in the ecologically sensitive area.The sale is scheduled for Jan. 6, but the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) started accepting bids at the end of last month.The ruling is a victory for the President Donald Trump’s plan to deliver on an important pillar of his “energy dominance” agenda just two weeks before Democrat Joe Biden, who opposes drilling in ANWR, takes office.Four lawsuits have been filed since August challenging the plans to auction drilling rights in the potentially energy-rich coastal plain of ANWR along the Beaufort Sea.In her order, Gleason said the green and native groups had failed to establish that they would suffer irreparable harm as a result of the sale. If BLM approves “ground-disturbing activities” in ANWR before the groups’ original lawsuits are resolved, Gleason wrote, the groups could again seek a court order to block those activities.“Today’s ruling is disappointing but does nothing to change the strength of our lawsuit or our resolve,” said Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, a group that represents some of the indigenous people of northeastern Alaska that sued to block the auction. Gleason has previously ruled against Trump administration efforts, including an attempt to open vast areas of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans to oil and gas leasing and a land trade that would have allowed construction of a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. She was appointed by former President Barack Obama.
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Trump Supporters to Rally in DC as Congress Certifies Election
Washington braced for violence Tuesday as supporters of President Donald Trump gathered in the nation’s capital ahead of planned protests against the Electoral College certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.Congress is expected to certify the Electoral College results on Wednesday.D.C. streets were shut down, and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called in the National Guard, fearing repeats of violence between protest groups like the city saw over the summer.Bowser and politicians in Maryland and Virginia have urged residents to stay home Wednesday and avoid counterprotests.I am asking Washingtonians and those who live in the region to stay out of the downtown area on Tuesday and Wednesday and not to engage with demonstrators who come to our city seeking confrontation, and we will do what we must to ensure all who attend remain peaceful.— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 4, 2021 Some activists on social media also called for counterprotesters to stay home, warning against inciting violence between groups.Clashes between Trump supporters and counterprotesters in December led to four people suffering stab wounds. [[link: https://www.voanews.com/2020-usa-votes/trump-supporters-rally-us-protest-presidents-election-loss ]]The rallies on Tuesday and Wednesday are in support of Trump’s baseless claims that the November presidential election was rigged.Trump is expected to speak at the “Save America” rally outside the White House at 11 a.m. Wednesday.I will be speaking at the SAVE AMERICA RALLY tomorrow on the Ellipse at 11AM Eastern. Arrive early — doors open at 7AM Eastern. BIG CROWDS! pic.twitter.com/k4blXESc0c— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2021“Washington is being inundated with people who don’t want to see an election victory stolen by emboldened Radical Left Democrats,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.Washington is being inundated with people who don’t want to see an election victory stolen by emboldened Radical Left Democrats. Our Country has had enough, they won’t take it anymore! We hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2021Trump’s claims of a “stolen” election remain unsubstantiated. In a phone call leaked over the weekend, he pleaded with election officials in Georgia to find him enough votes to overturn his pivotal loss there to Biden. This usually routine and ceremonial function – a final step after the Electoral College officially elected Biden on December 14 – has turned into a litmus test on Republican lawmakers’ loyalty to Trump. More than 100 Trump loyalists in Congress are set to challenge certification.The Proud Boys, designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, are expected to be present at the rally on Wednesday.Proud Boys leader, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, was arrested Monday on charges of destruction of property for burning a Black Lives Matter flag that was torn down from a historic Black church during protests last month in Washington. He was released from police custody on Tuesday but has been barred from returning to the city before his next hearing in June. Thousands of Trump supporters are expected to march in multiple rallies around Washington on Wednesday. The “Rally to Revival” has been issued a permit to be at Freedom Plaza near the White House Wednesday evening.Another rally organized by a group called “The Silent Majority” began Tuesday afternoon and is expected to continue into Wednesday morning.Downtown shops have been boarded up, and Guard members will assist D.C. and National Park police controlling crowds on Wednesday.
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Over 50 Hong Kong Activists Arrested for Breaching Security Law, Local Media Reports
Over 50 pro-democratic activists in Hong Kong were arrested Wednesday for breaking the city’s contentious national security law, local media reported, in the biggest crackdown yet against the democratic opposition under the new law. The arrests in the Asian financial hub included well-known democratic figures and former lawmakers James To, Lam Cheuk-ting and Lester Shum, according to the Democratic Party’s Facebook page and public broadcaster RTHK. Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Democratic Party’s Facebook page said police arrested the activists for participating in an independently organized ballot last year to select democratic candidates for an upcoming legislature election, which the Hong Kong government and Beijing warned at the time may violate the new law. FILE – Pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, right, speaks to reporters in Hong Kong, Nov. 12, 2020.The attempt to win a majority in the 70-seat city legislature, which some candidates said could be used to block government proposals and increase pressure for democratic reforms, was seen as an “act of subversion, in violation of the national security law,” the party said. The full election for the legislative council has since been postponed, with the government citing the coronavirus. The security law was imposed by Beijing on the former British colony in June. It punishes what China broadly defines as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in jail. The law has been condemned by the West and human rights groups as a tool to crush dissent in the semi-autonomous, Chinese-ruled city. Authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing say it is vital to plug gaping holes in national security defenses exposed by months of sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests that rocked the global financial hub in 2019.
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UK Lockdown Causes Biggest Drop in New Car Sales Since World War Two
British new car sales fell nearly 30% last year in their biggest annual drop since 1943 as lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus hit the sector, a trade industry body said Wednesday. Demand stood at 1.63 million cars in 2020, preliminary data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed. It was particularly hard hit by a 97% fall in April, the first full month of a national lockdown. Dealerships gradually reopened in June across the United Kingdom’s four nations. “We lost nearly three quarters of a million units over three or four months, which we never got back,” said SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes. Showrooms in England were closed again during a second lockdown in November but many were better prepared with “click and collect” options, allowing more purchases, but still leading to a 27% year-on-year slump. The performance leaves new car sales at their lowest level since 1992, and suffering the biggest drop since 1943. Then, Britain was fighting World War Two and industry was repurposed for the effort. Last year, the sector was also awaiting a trade deal with its biggest export market, the European Union. An agreement was reached on December 24, meaning immediate tariffs and disruption were avoided, but the sector warned on Wednesday of additional costs. Diesel cars accounted for around one in five sales while battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles stood at a tenth. Expectations for 2021In common with other non-essential retail, the car sector faces the challenge of new national lockdowns announced in England and Scotland this week. The SMMT expects sales to be below 2 million this year, with the sector nervously looking ahead to March, one of the top two selling months of the year due to the change in the license plate series. “Where the industry is focused at the moment, is what do we need to do to try to sustain sales …, sustain manufacturing over the next two to three months, especially with March being such a critical month for the industry and that will undoubtedly be affected,” said Hawes.
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Trump Bans Transactions with 8 Chinese Apps Including Alipay
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese software applications, including Ant Group’s Alipay, the White House said, escalating tensions with Beijing before President-elect Joe Biden takes office this month. The order, first reported by Reuters, tasks the Commerce Department with defining which transactions will be banned under the directive and targets Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s QQ Wallet and WeChat Pay as well. The move is aimed at curbing the threat to Americans posed by Chinese software applications, which have large user bases and access to sensitive data, a senior official told Reuters. A U.S. Tencent spokeswoman did not immediately comment. FILE – WeChat has an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States.The order signed by Trump also names CamScanner, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate and WPS Office and says “the United States must take aggressive action against those who develop or control Chinese connected software applications to protect our national security.” A U.S. official told Reuters that even though the order gave the Commerce Department 45 days to act, the department plans to act before January 20 when Trump leaves office to identify prohibited transactions. Trump’s order says “by accessing personal electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, Chinese connected software applications can access and capture vast swaths of information from users, including sensitive personally identifiable information and private information.” It added the data collection “would permit China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, and build dossiers of personal information.” The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. FILE – A TikTok logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration.Another official said the order mirrors earlier Trump executive orders signed in August directing Commerce to block some transactions with WeChat and Chinese-owned Tiktok seeking to bar some transactions that have been blocked by U.S. courts. Any new transactions prohibited by the Trump administration are likely to face similar court challenges as the Commerce Department did when it sought to block transactions with WeChat and TikTok. The Commerce orders would have effectively banned the Chinese app’s use in the United States and barred Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s app stores from offering them for download for new users. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in a statement he supports Trump’s “commitment to protecting the privacy and security of Americans from threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party.” The latest action has been under debate within the administration for an extended period. Many administration officials are eager to cement the hardline U.S. position with China on a number of fronts before Trump leaves office. Last month, the Commerce Department added dozens of Chinese companies, including the country’s top chipmaker SMIC and Chinese drone manufacturer SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd., to a trade blacklist. Also last month the administration published a list of Chinese and Russian companies with alleged military ties that restrict them from buying a range of U.S. goods and technology. In November, the administration put on hold an effort to blacklist Ant Group, the Chinese financial technology company affiliated with e-commerce giant Alibaba.
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Rev. Sharpton: Firing Officer Who Killed Andre Hill Is Not Enough
As light snow fell around the Ohio church Tuesday morning, Andre Hill’s family, friends and strangers angry about his death — clad in their Sunday best and Black Lives Matter masks — walked in to honor his life. Inside the church in Columbus, a photo of Hill, 47, surrounded by the faces of Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor and other Black people killed by authorities in recent years leaned against the stage next to his open casket. A white mark was taped on every other chair to facilitate social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. FILE – Attorney Benjamin Crump, left, discusses the police shooting of Andre Hill at a news conference attended by Hill’s daughter, Karissa, center, and sister Shawna Barnett, December 31, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio.State Sen. Hearcel Craig greeted guests at the door. The Democratic lawmaker is a minister at southwest Columbus’ The Church of God, where Hill’s service was taking place. “This is the second time in three weeks I have been here to honor the life of a Black man taken by this city’s officials,” Craig said. The first was for the funeral of 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr., who was killed by a Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputy on December 4. Scarcely three weeks later, Columbus Police Officer Adam Coy can be seen in bodycam footage fatally shooting Hill early December 22 as Hill emerged from a garage holding a cellphone in his left hand with his right hand obscured. He was visiting a family friend at the time. The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered Hill’s eulogy, saluting Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and other city officials for ordering the firing of Coy less than a week after he shot Hill. But he said it’s not enough. FILE – The Rev. Al Sharpton arrives to speak at the “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks March,” in Washington, August 28, 2020, on the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech.”We cannot have a precedent that if you kill us, you just lose your job and keep living your life as you were,” Sharpton told mourners. Hill’s daughter, Karissa Hill, broke down in tears while speaking about her father on stage. “He was my gentle giant. He was my best friend,” she said. “We had a special bond that nobody understood.” A city council member introduced a resolution called Andre’s Law that would ensure Columbus police officers use their body cameras accurately by turning them on before shootings take place and to give victims aid within an appropriate timeframe. “Being Black in America gives us cause to be cynical, and we must say enough is enough,” Shannon Hardin, the Democratic chair of the Columbus City Council, said at the beginning of Hill’s service. Ginther, U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty and state Rep. Erica Crawley were among a number of lawmakers and leaders in attendance. Beatty, a Columbus Democrat and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, noted that Hill died wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt, which she called a symbol of resistance against excessive police force. “His death will not merely be a rallying cry at protests. His death will not be in vain. His memory will not be forgotten,” Beatty said. “Instead his life will be celebrated as a call for justice, his legacy upheld by all.”FILE – A protester lights a candle outside the home where Andre Hill, 47, was killed in Columbus, Ohio, December 24, 2020.In the moments after Hill was fatally shot, additional bodycam footage shows two other Columbus officers rolled Hill over and put handcuffs on him before leaving him alone again. None of them, according to the footage released Thursday, offered any first aid even though Hill was barely moving, groaning and bleeding while lying on the garage floor. Coy, who had a long history of complaints from citizens, was fired December 28 for failing to activate his body camera before the confrontation and for not providing medical aid to Hill. Beyond an internal Columbus police department investigation, Ohio’s attorney general, the U.S. attorney for central Ohio and the FBI have begun their own probes into the shooting.
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WHO Chief ‘Disappointed’ China Hasn’t Allowed Researchers into Wuhan
The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed disappointment Tuesday with the failure of Chinese officials to grant final permission to an international team of researchers to enter the country to investigate the origins of the coronavirus.At the agency’s regular COVID-19 briefing at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was “very disappointed” that China had not authorized entry of the team, some of whom had begun their travels to Wuhan. The news forced other members of the team to cancel their travel at the last minute.Tedros said plans for the trip had been arranged jointly among WHO officials, the Chinese government and the countries for which the team was meant to travel through on their way to Wuhan. He said the agency just learned Tuesday “that Chinese officials have not yet finalized the necessary permissions for the team’s arrival in China.”Tedros said he had been in contact with senior Chinese officials. “And I have once again made it clear that the mission is a priority for WHO and the international team. I have been assured that China is speeding up the internal procedures for the earliest possible deployment. We are eager to get the mission under way as soon as possible.”FILE – Medical workers move a person who died from COVID-19 at a hospital in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province, Feb. 16, 2020.China reported the first cases of a pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan to the WHO on Dec. 31, 2019, and closed a market where the novel coronavirus was believed to have emerged.Health ministers called on the WHO in May to identify the source of the virus and how it crossed the species barrier.The United States, which has accused China of having hidden the outbreak’s extent, has called for a “transparent” WHO-led investigation and criticized its terms, which allowed Chinese scientists to do the first phase of preliminary research. U.S. President Donald Trump has accused the agency of being a puppet for China during the pandemic. The coronavirus causes the COVID-19 illness.
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Ethiopian Police Release Detained Reuters Cameraman Without Charge
NAIROBI – Ethiopian police released Reuters cameraman Kumerra Gemechu on Tuesday after detaining him without charge for 12 days.Police had told his lawyer Melkamu Ogo that their lines of inquiry included accusations of disseminating false information, communicating with groups fighting the government, and disturbing the public’s peace and security. However, Ogo said he had seen no evidence.”We are delighted that Kumerra has been released and reunited with his family. His release today affirms he has done nothing wrong,” Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler said in a statement.”Kumerra is a journalist who has consistently demonstrated his professionalism and commitment to accuracy, as part of a Reuters team that reports from Ethiopia in a fair, independent and unbiased way. Journalists like Kumerra must be allowed to report the news in the public interest without fear of harassment or harm, wherever they are.”The Ethiopian police and prosecutor’s office did not respond to questions from Reuters on the reasons for Kumerra’s arrest and subsequent release.Kumerra, 38, has worked for Reuters for a decade.His family said they were preparing a special meal and looking forward to having him home for Christmas, which many Ethiopian Christians will celebrate on Thursday.”We are so relieved that Kumerra has been released and would like to thank everyone who has supported us during this difficult time,” the family said in a statement.”Kumerra is a dedicated and professional journalist who has done nothing wrong. He simply wants to report on Ethiopia in an independent way. His family missed him every day he was detained, and we are delighted that Kumerra will be home for Christmas.”Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, has overseen sweeping reforms since taking office in 2018, including the unbanning of more than 250 media outlets and the release of dozens of journalists.However, rights groups say press freedom has eroded as the government faced outbreaks of deadly violence including fighting between the military and rebellious leaders in the northern region of Tigray.Media watchdog groups reported the arrests of at least 12 other journalists in Ethiopia last year, seven of them in November when the Tigray conflict broke out.Only one journalist was charged, for social media posts about COVID-19 that were denounced by the health ministry as false, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists and Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.Eight have since been released and the rest remain in custody, the two groups said.Police and government officials did not return calls and messages seeking comment. The government has previously said the nation is facing security threats and is committed to maintaining law and order.
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French Health Minister Details Plan to Accelerate COVID-19 Vaccinations
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said Tuesday the nation was going to “amplify, accelerate and simplify” its COVID-19 vaccination program after coming under fire for the initial slow roll out of the program.In an interview with French radio, Veran said more than 2,000 doctors, nurses and other health care workers have received vaccinations. He also announced that firefighters and home aid workers age 50 and older would also be prioritized “because they are also professionals who are in contact with fragile people and who may have to work with the sick.”The faster-paced vaccination campaign comes after the government was criticized for its slow rollout of the vaccine, delivering just over 500 inoculations in the first week, compared to hundreds of thousands delivered by Germany in the same period.The criticism prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to call a meeting with Veran, Prime Minister Jean Castex and other leaders late Tuesday to discuss how to speed up the process.Veran vowed to increase vaccinations exponentially in the next few days, promising the pace of the program “will be on par with that of our neighbors” by the end of the week.He said France is prepared to deliver 500,000 doses per week of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and once it is approved by the European Medicines regulatory agency, (EMA) they will be prepared to deliver 500,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine per month. The EMA is expected to consider the Moderna vaccine Wednesday.
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Conditions Deteriorate for Thousands of Migrants Stranded in Bosnia
Conditions continue to deteriorate for thousands of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers stranded in Bosnia as politicians fail to reach a solution to alleviate their plight, the International Organization for Migration warned.About 6,000 migrants are housed in official accommodation centers in Bosnia while nearly 3,000 other migrants, including women and children, are sleeping outdoors in Una Sana Canton, on the border with Croatia. The IOM said about half of those people are squatting under sub-standard conditions in abandoned buildings. Another 1,400, mainly single men, who had been living in the Lipa Emergency Tent Camp were forced to leave after the camp burned down. The migrant camp Lipa is seen in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jan. 5, 2021.They have been living outdoors in bitterly cold temperatures and frequent rainy conditions for the past two weeks. IOM Bosnia Chief of Mission Peter Van der Auweraert said the situation is not sustainable. Speaking on a video link from the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, he said there is space in two official centers that could shelter all the people currently sleeping outside. “What has been impossible is to get a consensus between the central government, which are, at least normally, in charge of dealing with this issue and the local authorities where these two centers are located to allow migrants access to these centers,” he said. “There is international funding available. There is international assistance available. What has been the difficulty is to get a political consensus as to where these migrants could be accommodated.” Auweraert said most of the migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers come from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Algeria and Morocco, and most use Bosnia as a transit route through Croatia and Slovenia to get to the European Union. Migrants cook on a stove improvised from wheel rims at a makeshift camp in a forest outside Velika Kladusa, Bosnia, Jan. 5, 2021.Their presence has generated hostility and anti-migrant sentiments among some local authorities and populations, he added. “I think there is some issues in terms of the media here in Bosnia-Herzegovina highlighting mostly negative stories among migrants,” Auweraert said. “But I also think we need to be very careful not to overplay the anti-migrant or refugee sentiments in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Clearly there is a minority of people that is very vocal on social media … but there is a consensus, I believe, amongst the majority of people that while they are here, they should be treated humanely.” The IOM official said urgent action is needed to end the political impasse and alleviate the suffering of the migrants. While their physical health is degrading, he also noted signs that the situation is taking a serious toll on their mental health.
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Conflicting Stories Emerge After Protest at Senator’s Home
A self-proclaimed anti-fascist group staged a protest on the Northern Virginia property of a Republican senator Monday night.
It was the latest in a string of protests aimed at politicians’ private homes.
The group Shutdown DC says it was protesting because Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) says he will not vote to certify the Electoral College presidential vote finalizing Democratic President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the November contest.
On Twitter, Hawley called the group “antifa scumbags” and said they “screamed through bullhorns, shouted down my wife when she asked you to leave, vandalized property, pounded on our door, and terrorized neighbors.”
Hawley’s wife and newborn daughter were reportedly home alone.
In a tweet, Shutdown DC says it “sang songs, chanted and shared our stories. A small group of people delivered a copy of the constitution to his door.”
In a video posted by the group and since deleted by Twitter for violating its terms of service, Shutdown DC members are seen shouting through a megaphone and several can be seen congregating around the front door. The full video was still available on YouTube.
On Jan. 1, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Ca.) San Francisco home was vandalized by protesters who also left a pig’s head outside the garage. “$2K” and “Cancel Rent” were also spray painted on the home. The protesters were angry Congress did not approve payments of $2,000 in pandemic relief for Americans.
On Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) Kentucky home was also vandalized over the same issue, with someone spray painting “WERES MY MONEY” and “MITCH KILLS POOR” on the front of his home.
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Experts: Report of China Hacking African Union HQ Fits Larger Pattern
A recent report that Chinese hackers secretly redirected surveillance footage from the African Union headquarters so it could be viewed abroad is part of a larger pattern by Chinese networks to electronically infiltrate key communication channels in Africa, experts say.
“I’m not particularly surprised,” Joshua Meservey, senior policy analyst on Africa at the Heritage Foundation, told VOA. “We know China operates this way all across the world, including in Africa. They clearly have a particular interest in the AU headquarters.”
The report in December by the Reuters news agency alleged that prior to the 33rd AU Summit last February, a Japanese cybersecurity firm alerted AU technicians of the security breach.
Meservey said the alleged hacking is part of a larger effort. He conducted a study that alleges Chinese companies have built at least 186 government buildings in Africa and 14 “sensitive intragovernmental telecommunications networks.”
There have also been recent reports of governments such as Uganda and Rwanda targeting dissidents and their supporters by hacking into their WhatsApp and Skype accounts with the help of Chinese tech giant Huawei.In Uganda, Dissidents Adapt to Evade Huawei Assisted Government Spying After spying assisted by Huawei employees, Ugandan politician Bobi Wine, a vocal critic of President Yoweri Museveni, takes elaborate steps to keep government spies at bayChina has been accused of spying on the AU before. In 2018, the French newspaper Le Monde reported that China had installed listening devices in the headquarters. The report alleged that servers in the AU headquarters were secretly sending data to a computer system in Shanghai each night between midnight and 2 a.m.
Meservey said private Chinese companies are “legally obliged” to help the Chinese Communist Party gather intelligence.Report: Chinese Construction Projects Create Opportunity to Spy on African LeadersNew Heritage Foundation report examines Chinese projects in Africa as possible ‘vector’ for espionageIn the alleged February 2020 attack on the AU, Meservey said the strategic importance of the video footage is unclear.
“I’m a little bit perplexed about why exactly they would want CCTV footage because … as far as I know, there’s no audio associated with it,” Meservey said. “So all you really can do is track people’s physical movements, I guess. But clearly they felt that was worthwhile.”
One possibility, Meservey said, is that China is seeking to build artificial intelligence capabilities by compiling video and other data and feeding it into systems that can learn facial features and other identifying information.
“They’re gathering immense amounts of data on their own citizens, feeding those into A.I. systems and then refining them in that way,” he said. “So that’s one thing that I think potentially they’re after.”
Reuters cybersecurity reporter Raphael Satter said the AU was alerted by Japan’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) on Jan. 17, 2020, after it saw unusual traffic between the AU and a Chinese hacking group known as “Bronze President.” AU technicians then set about tracing the source of the activity.
“When they investigated, they found that a group of servers in an annex of the AU was communicating with a website that was associated with the Chinese hacking group,” Satter told VOA. “And those servers were sending surveillance camera footage to that website, which meant that cameras from across the AU campus were effectively being fed to hackers operating from abroad.”
China dismisses hacking report
VOA reached out to Ebba Kalondo, spokesperson for the AU, but did not get a response. The chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki, has previously denied that any Chinese hacking took place.After Allegations of Spying, African Union Renews Huawei AllianceChinese technology giant Huawei plans to expand its footprint in Africa through 5G, cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologiesChinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a December 21 press briefing that the Reuters report is an attempt to harm China-Africa relations.
“China-Africa cooperation will not be disturbed by noise, and China-Africa friendship will not be diluted by false information,” Wang said.
Satter said the AU has attempted to piece together what information was compromised but may still not know the complete picture.
“And that’s a problem that many organizations, not just the African Union, face when hackers get in, is trying to estimate just what the bad guys have gotten a hold of. And I think that in the AU’s case, they just don’t know,” Satter said.
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Former Head of China State Asset Firm Sentenced to Death
The former head of state-owned China Huarong Asset Management Co. Ltd. was sentenced to death Tuesday for bribe taking in one of the harshest punishments for economic crimes in recent years.
Lai Xiaomin, 58, was also found guilty by the Second Intermediate People’s Court of Tianjin of lesser charges including corruption and bigamy.
Life sentences and suspended death sentences commuted to life after two years are frequently handed down in corruption cases, but death sentences without the chance of reprieve have become rare in recent years. Such sentences are automatically appealed to China’s highest court.
Lai was placed under investigation by the ruling Communist Party’s corruption watchdog in 2018 and expelled from the party later the same year.
In its ruling, the Tianjin court cited the “especially enormous” size of the bribes Lai accepted, saying they exceeded 600 million yuan ($93 million) in one instance. In total, it said Lai collected or sought to collect 1.79 billion yuan (US$260 million) over a decade in exchange for abusing his position to make investments, offer construction contracts, help with promotions and provide other favors.
He was also convicted of embezzling more than 25 million yuan (almost $4 million) in state assets and starting a second family while still married to his first wife.
Although Lai provided useful details about malfeasance by his subordinates, the seriousness of his bribetaking and “degree of harm caused to society” were not enough to win him leniency, the court said in its ruling.
“Lai Xiaomin is lawless and greedy in the extreme,” the ruling said. “His crimes are extremely serious and must be punished severely under law.”
Huarong is one of four entities created in the 1990s to buy nonperforming loans from banks, helping to revive the state-owned finance industry. Such asset management companies expanded into banking, insurance, real estate finance and other fields.
Lai was accused of squandering public money, illegally organizing banquets, engaging in sexual dealings with multiple women and taking bribes, the anti-corruption agency said in 2018.
Investigators seized hundreds of millions of yuan (tens of millions of dollars) in cash from Lai’s properties, the Chinese business news magazine Caixin reported in 2018.
Lai was one of hundreds of officials at government agencies, state companies and the military who have been detained in an anti-corruption crackdown launched in 2012.
Other senior officials snared in the crackdown include a former head of China’s insurance regulator.
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Africa Forges Ahead with Free Continental Trade Bloc Despite Pandemic
Despite a second wave of coronavirus in many African countries, the continent on January 1 launched the world’s largest trade bloc after the World Trade Organization. Every African nation except Eritrea has signed on to the African Continental Free Trade Area and countries including Nigeria are developing safety guidelines for trade during the pandemic.The launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area was initially scheduled for the middle of 2020 but postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. African governments forged ahead with its launch this month despite many African countries recording a second wave of the deadly virus, saying the trade deal could potentially boost African economies affected by COVID-19. But in some countries, such as Nigeria, authorities are dealing cautiously with trade by screening people and goods. Joseph Attah is a Nigerian customs public relations officer. “We are looking at how we can ensure that things that are brought in or taking out are not things that can compromise national economy and security. And in doing this in this period of COVID-19, we keep to NCDC rules,” he said.Nigeria is among over 30 African nations that ratified the treaty by December 2020. All 55 countries except Eritrea had originally signed on to join the agreement. Nigerian authorities reopened its borders in December after they were closed for over a year and said the nation was ready to trade with its neighbors. But this time around, with more scrutiny, says Attah. “Abuse of rules of origin will be definitely one of the major threats, smuggling will be there too considering our porous borders and the fact now that it’s free, influx of substandard goods and of course there will be negative impact on government revenue because you’re saying these things are now coming duty free,” he said.”Rules of Origin” means all the goods traversing borders must be made within the African continent, not imported. The idea is to boost intra-Africa trade, which is low at around 16 percent compared to about 68 percent for Africa’s commerce with Europe and 59% for Africa’s trade with Asia. The continent has a combined GDP of $3 trillion. Experts say the trade deal could expand intra-Africa trade by over 50 percent and the accord contains a dispute resolution mechanism to handle trade disputes that may arise. “One good thing about the Africa free trade area is that it has a dispute resolution mechanism. And that is very different because ECOWAS didn’t have that,” said Ken Ife, a macroeconomist and ECOWAS consultant. “Member states are expected to exercise due diligence in relation to their roles and they have to be accountable and answerable to any violations.” Many African countries are counting on Nigeria’s participation in the trade deal to boost the pact. Nigerian authorities have created a National Action Committee consisting of customs, security, and health officials to oversee the country’s trade dealings with other members and advise government accordingly.
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US Targets Iran’s Steel Industry With New Sanctions
The United States has sanctioned entities and individuals associated with Iran’s steel industry, the U.S. Treasury Department said Tuesday, the latest move in a U.S. pressure campaign against Tehran in the waning days of Donald Trump’s presidency.
The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement that it blacklisted more than a dozen entities and one person.
The sanctions were imposed on the Chinese-owned Kaifeng Pingmei New Carbon Materials Technology Co., Ltd. (KFCC), a manufacturer of carbon materials, key elements in steel production.
The Treasury Department said the company sold materials and equipment to a steel company in Iran through an Iranian trading firm between December 2019 and June 2020. The company was targeted “for having materially assisted, sponsored or provided financial, material or technological support for, or goods or services in support of Iranian steelmaker Pasargad Steel Complex.”
“The Trump administration remains committed to denying revenue flowing to the Iranian regime as it continues to sponsor terrorist groups, support oppressive regimes and seek weapons of mass destruction,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.
The department said it also targeted nine other Iranian steelmakers and Majid Sajdeh, an executive with the Iran-based Hafez Darya Arya Shipping Company, a subsidiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.
The Iranian government did not respond immediately to the sanctions, which freeze any U.S. assets the companies and Sajdeh hold and generally prohibits Americans from conducting business with them.
Iran’s steel sector is a major source of revenue for the Iranian government. The country’s steel industry produced nearly 13% more crude steel during the first 11 months of 2020 over the same period the previous year, according to the World Steel Association, making Iran the world’s 11th largest crude steel producer.VOA’s Nike Ching contributed to this report.
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