In a first for France, six nongovernmental organizations launched a class-action lawsuit Wednesday against the French government for alleged systemic discrimination by police officers carrying out identity checks.The organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, contend that French police use racial profiling in ID checks, targeting Black people and people of Arab descent.They served Prime Minister Jean Castex and France’s interior and justice ministers with formal legal notice of demands for concrete steps and deep law enforcement reforms to ensure that racial profiling does not determine who gets stopped by police.French Police Charged in Beating, Racial Abuse of Black Man Tens of thousands protested Saturday against a security bill, which would restrict the right to publish images of on-duty policeThe lead lawyer in the case, Antoine Lyon-Caen, said that the legal action is not targeting individual police officers but “the system itself that generates, by its rules, habits, culture, a discriminatory practice.””Since the shortcomings of the state (concern) a systemic practice, the response, the reactions, the remedies, the measures must be systemic,” Lyon-Caen said at a news conference with NGOs taking action. They include the Open Society Justice Initiative and three French grassroots groups.The issue of racial profiling by French police has festered for years, including but not only the practice of officers performing identity checks on young people who are often Black or of Arab descent and live in impoverished housing projects.Serving notice is the obligatory first step in a two-stage lawsuit process. The law gives French authorities four months to talk with the NGOs about how they can meet the demands. If the parties behind the lawsuit are left unsatisfied, the case will go to court, according to one of the lawyers, Slim Ben Achour.It’s the first class-action discrimination lawsuit based on color or supposed ethnic origins in France. The NGO’s are employing a little-used 2016 French law that allows associations to take such a legal move.”It’s revolutionary, because we’re going to speak for hundreds of thousands, even a million people.” Ben Achour told The Associated Press in a phone interview. The NGOs are pursuing the class action on behalf of racial minorities who are mostly second- or third-generation French citizens.”The group is brown and Black,” Ben Achour said.The four-month period for reaching a settlement could be prolonged if the talks are making progress, he said.The abuse of identity checks has served for many in France as emblematic of broader alleged racism within police ranks, with critics claiming that misconduct has been left unchecked or whitewashed by authorities.Video of a recent incident posted online drew a response from President Emmanuel Macron, who called racial profiling “unbearable.” Police representatives say officers themselves feel under attack when they show up in suburban housing projects. During a spate of confrontational incidents, officers became trapped and had fireworks and other objects thrown at them.The NGOs are seeking reforms rather than monetary damages, especially changes in the law governing identity checks. They argue the law is too broad and allows for no police accountability because the actions of officers involved cannot be traced, while the stopped individuals are left humiliated and sometimes angry.Among other demands, the organizations want an end to the longstanding practice of gauging police performance by numbers of tickets issued or arrests made, arguing that the benchmarks can encourage baseless identity checks.The lawsuit features some 50 witnesses, both police officers and people subjected to abusive checks, whose accounts are excerpted in the 145-page letters of notice. The NGO’s cite one unnamed person who spoke of undergoing multiple police checks every day for years.A police officer posted in a tough Paris suburb who is not connected with the case told the AP that he is often subjected to ID checks when in civilian clothes.”When I’m not in uniform, I’m a person of color,” said the officer, who asked to remain anonymous in keeping with police rules and due to the sensitive nature of the topic. Police need a legal basis for their actions, “but 80% of the time they do checks (based on) heads” — meaning how a person looks.Omer Mas Capitolin, the head of Community House for Supportive Development, a grassroots NGO taking part in the legal action, called it a “mechanical reflex” for French police to stop non-whites, a practice he said is damaging to the person being checked and ultimately to relations between officers and the members of the public they are expected to protect.”When you’re always checked, it lowers your self-esteem,” and you become a “second-class citizen,” Mas Capitolin said. The “victims are afraid to file complaints in this country even if they know what happened isn’t normal,” he said, because they fear fallout from neighborhood police.He credited the case of George Floyd, the Black American whose died last year in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck, with raising consciences and becoming a catalyst for change in France.”These are practices that impact the whole society,” said Issa Coulibaly, the head of Pazapas-Belleville, another organization taking part in the case. Like a downward spiral, profiling hurts youths’ “feeling of belonging” to the life of the nation and “reinforces prejudices of others to this population.”NGOs made clear they are not accusing individual police of being racist.”It’s so much in the culture. They don’t ever think there’s a problem,” said Ben Achour, the lawyer.
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Month: January 2021
Indonesia’s Most Active Volcano Erupts
Authorities in Indonesia say the nation’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi, on the island of Java, erupted Wednesday sending up a cloud of ash, as well as lava flows at least 1,500 meters down its slopes.
Officials with Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation says the lava flow was the biggest for Mount Merapi since authorities raised its danger level to 3 in November, the second highest, where it has remained.
A spokesman for the center told the Reuters news agency Merapi had spewed “quite intense” hot clouds at least 30 times since early Wednesday and warned of a danger of lava cutting roads near the volcano.
Authorities told people to stay out of the existing 5-kilometer danger zone around the crater as the local governments in Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces closely monitor the situation.
When the mountain erupted in November, the center had evacuated nearly 2,000 people living on the mountain in Magelang and Sleman districts on Java Island but most have since returned.
The 2,968-meter volcano is on the densely populated island of Java and near the ancient city of Yogyakarta.
It is the most active of dozens of Indonesian volcanoes and has repeatedly erupted with lava and gas clouds recently.
Merapi’s last major eruption in 2010 killed more than 300 people.
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South Africa’s President Accuses Rich Nations of Hoarding Vaccines
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is calling on wealthy countries to, in his words, stop hoarding coronavirus vaccines so that poorer countries can have access to them. Ramaphosa spoke at a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum Tuesday, as VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports.
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US Aims to Advance Racial Equity
President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a series of executive orders that the White House says will advance “racial equity for Americans who have been underserved and left behind.” Biden’s moves disavow racism and xenophobia, including of the type directed at Asian Americans following the rise of the coronavirus pandemic. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this story.
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Zimbabwe’s Women Making Progress in Fight for Property Rights
Most marriages in Zimbabwe are customary rather than legal unions that, if ended by divorce or death, leave the women empty handed. But a court ruling last year granted women the right to equal property if the marriage is registered. Thirty-nine-year-old Juliet Gwenere’s customary marriage of 12 years ended in 2016. She was left with five children to care for and no property or support from her ex-husband. She was forced to move in with her mother in Chitungwiza town, about 40 kilometers southeast of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. Gwenere wants her three daughters not to make the same mistake she made when they get married.Thirty-nine-year-old Juliet Gwenere lives in Chitungwiza, about 40 kilometers southeast of Zimbabwe’s Harare, Jan. 2021. (VOA/Columbus Mavhunga)“I encourage my children to go to school. Just to empower yourself. At least if you are empowered you can stand on your two feet. That’s what I always tell my kids, that’s what I always encourage other women; to stand on their own two feet,” Gwenere said.Most marriages in Zimbabwe are customary, unregistered unions that give no legal protection or inheritance rights to women if the union ends. However a Zimbabwe Supreme Court ruling last year granted women the right to equal property – if the marriage is registered. Hilda Mahumucha, from Women Lawyers of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe, says that since the ruling her organization is noticing more women becoming aware of their rights.Hilda Mahumucha, from Women Lawyers of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe, says that since the Supreme Court ruling her organization is noticing more women becoming aware of their rights (VOA/Columbus Mavhunga) “This has been a development in the positive direction, especially for women who had been disadvantaged for years. Most of our clients who visited our offices expressed their confidence in the judiciary system, especially with regard to their right to protection, which is a constitutional right. They even expressed that they even have (the) right to equality with their male counterparts unlike in the past when the burden of proof was placed on the woman to indicate how she contributed towards the acquisition of the matrimonial property,” Mahumucha said.But rights advocates say women, especially in the countryside, need to be educated on the importance of marriage registration.Maureen Sibanda, head of governance for U.N. Women in Zimbabwe says gender equality advocates need to continue with advocacy and engage with lawmakers, judges in terms of the promotion of women’s rights.Maureen Sibanda, head of governance for U.N. Women in Zimbabwe said, “We have a lot of work out for us or civil society. Gender equality advocates need to continue with advocacy. We need to engage with lawmakers, we need to engage with judges in terms of the promotion of women’s rights, on judiciary activism, even interpretation of some of the normative frameworks that are out there that promote women’s rights.” While Zimbabwe’s wheels of justice turned too slowly for women like Juliet Gwenere, there is at least a more hopeful future for equality and legal protection for her daughters.
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Biden to Target Climate Change
U.S. President Joe Biden is set to sign a series of actions Wednesday to combat climate change. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday that Biden believes climate change is one of the top crises to address during his time in office. Biden has appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry to serve as his climate envoy. Kerry was the nation’s top diplomat during the crafting of the Paris climate agreement, a pact Biden recommitted the United States to on his first day in office in a reversal of former President Donald Trump’s policy. The steps Biden is expected to take include a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on U.S. lands and waters, and regulatory actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It will also include directing officials to set aside more area for conservation and establishing a White House office to serve low-income and minority communities that disproportionately suffer from air and water pollution. Biden is also expected to direct federal agencies to use science-based decision-making for federal rules, and to announce the United States will host a climate leaders summit in April.
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UN: 250,000 People Affected by Cyclone Eloise in Mozambique
Cyclone Eloise has affected 250,000 people in the Mozambique port city of Beira and surrounding areas and damaged or destroyed 76 health centers and 400 classrooms, a senior U.N. official said Tuesday. “We also see widespread floods that are still there,” Myrta Kaulard, the U.N. resident coordinator in the African country, told U.N. correspondents in a virtual briefing from the capital Maputo. “And what we can see is a lot of people trying to get out of the flooded areas.” FILE – Residents of the Praia Nova neighborhood seek shelter and protection from Tropical Cyclone Eloise, in Beira, Mozambique, Jan. 23, 2021. (UNICEF/Franco/Handout via Reuters)She said that “nearly two years ago Cyclone Idai devastated exactly the same areas that are now affected.” Hundreds of people were killed by Idai, one of the Southern Hemisphere’s worst cyclones that flooded much of Beira, collapsing homes or washing many away. In December, Cyclone Chalane hit the same area, Kaulard said. Then there was flooding about a week or 10 days ago, and on Saturday Cyclone Eloise passed through. She said the number of people affected rose from 170,000 on Monday to 250,000 on Tuesday, including 18,000 who are internally displaced. What’s needed now, Kaulard said, are tents, emergency shelter, blankets, drinkable water, hygiene products, sanitation, face masks and food. “We also need to rebuild schools as soon as possible,” she said, explaining that the school year begins in March and many students missed 2019 and 2020 and were looking forward to classes resuming. She said health centers must also be quickly fixed. UN Gears Up Operations to Help Mozambicans Battered by Cyclone Eloise Survivors of this devastating storm are in urgent need of food, tents, drinking water, mosquito nets, and other essential relief Kaulard said assessments are still going on including the extent of flood damage to crops, which are due to be harvested in April. If the water stays, she said, this could have “a very devastating impact on the harvest. “Basically, this is really a very bad wake-up call of how much Mozambique is exposed to climate, and this yearly rendezvous with the cyclonic season is just too frequent for recovery to progress,” Kaulard said. This is just the beginning of the cyclone season, which will continue into April, she said, “and the waters in the Mozambican channels are very warm,” and the coast is 2,700 kms long. Kaulard lamented that people had been making progress with their crops and rebuilding their houses when the latest flooding hit. “These are very poor people that have become even poorer because of the damage,” she said.
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Tunisia Parliament Reshuffles Cabinet as Protesters Face Off Against Police
Hundreds of anti-government protesters faced off against riot police outside the Tunisian parliament Tuesday as lawmakers inside confirmed a cabinet reshuffle amid growing unrest. Mired in a political and economic crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the North African country has been rocked by a wave of anger at a political class seen as obsessed with power struggles and disconnected from the suffering of ordinary people. Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Michichi attends the presentation of his new ministers before the Tunisian Assembly headquarters in the capital Tunis, Jan. 26, 2021.Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi told the assembly that by naming 11 new ministers to the interior, justice, health and other key portfolios, he aimed to create a “more effective” reform team. He faced opposition from President Kais Saied, however, who said he was not consulted. Saied charged that one of the proposed ministers was involved in a corruption case and that three others were suspected of conflicts of interest. Mechichi said the new cabinet would listen to the demands of the protesters. Security forces have carried out mass arrests during more than a week of nighttime riots and daytime protests against police repression, poverty, inequality and corruption. Tunisia has often been praised as a rare success story for its democratic transition after the Arab Spring regional uprisings sparked by its 2011 revolution. Protesters march from the Ettadhamen city suburb on the northwestern outskirts of Tunisia’s capital Tunis in a bid to reach an anti-government demonstration outside the Tunisian Assembly headquarters, Jan. 26, 2021.But many Tunisians are angered by a political class seen as disconnected from the suffering of the poor, amid high unemployment and spiraling prices. “Poverty is growing, hunger is growing,” read one sign carried by the protesters, while another demanded “Dignity and freedom for working-class neighborhoods.” ‘Threat of the baton’The session came a day after protesters clashed with police in the town of Sbeitla, in Tunisia’s marginalized center, after a young man hit by a tear gas canister last week died in the hospital. Some chanted slogans against the government and Ennahdha, the biggest party in parliament. But police forces stopped demonstrators from gathering at the usual square in front of the parliament. “The politicians are producing the same strategies that until now have only led to failure,” said Yosra Frawes, head of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women. “They must change their governance model or step down.” Some lawmakers criticized the heavy security deployment around the assembly and called for further dialogue. Security forces confront protesters from the Ettadhamen city suburb on the northwestern outskirts of Tunisia’s capital Tunis, Jan. 26, 2021.One complained of a vote held “under police siege” and said: “All that’s missing is to vote under the threat of the baton.” Some members of the opposition held up pictures of the young man who was killed. An AFP correspondent said there were clashes between police and demonstrators on Tuesday on the sidelines of his funeral. Protests have been held in defiance of a coronavirus-related ban on gatherings and a nighttime curfew recently extended until February 14. The virus has killed more than 6,000 people in Tunisia and wreaked havoc on an already struggling economy. Fragile alliancesTunisia’s politics have also been turbulent and seen a deepening rift between the prime minister and head of state. President Saied — an independent academic who has criticized parliamentary democracy — has been seeking to reposition himself at the center of an unstable political scene. The task of forming a government has become more difficult since elections in October 2019 resulted in a parliament split among myriad parties and fragile alliances. Islamist-inspired Ennahdha came top in the polls but fell far short of a majority and eventually agreed to join a coalition government. Mechichi’s outgoing cabinet was sworn in in September after the previous executive, the second since the polls, resigned in July. Mechichi had initially put together a team including civil servants and academics, some close to the president. But he gradually moved away from Saied, and made changes with the support of Ennahdha, which is allied with the liberal Qalb Tounes party and Islamist group Karama. Saied has threatened to block the swearing-in of some new ministers, a move that could aggravate animosities that have paralyzed political action.
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Rising Concern Over Working Conditions as China’s Gig Economy Booms
Liu Jin wanted his due — $733 in back pay.As a scooter driver in a blue uniform, Liu gigged for Ele.me, an online food delivery service owned by the Alibaba Group, a growing multibillion-dollar behemoth that dominates China’s e-commerce.On January 11, Liu showed up at Ele.me’s distribution center in Taizhou, doused himself in gasoline and set himself on fire. Onlookers captured the scene on video, their footage displaying the Ele.me slogan “Instant Delivery, Beautiful Life” on a wall behind the man engulfed in flames.A video of the incident went viral on Weibo, China’s social media platform, as the 48-year-old worker was being treated for third-degree burns.Liu’s protest in China’s eastern Jiangsu province came not long after a 43-year-old scooter driver referred to only as Han died while delivering meals in Beijing. Han also worked for Ele.me. The company’s insurance paid $4,600 in compensation to his wife, parents and two children.When his family spoke out, the company offered $92,500. A woman wearing a face mask rides an electric bicycle with her groceries past delivery workers of Meituan and Ele.me, in Beijing, China, July 13, 2020.The incidents cast a spotlight on the working condition for China’s gig economy workers.“This shows the helplessness of an ordinary workers,” said one commentator on Weibo.“Now that the society is ‘ruled by law,’ the capitalists are not afraid of anything,” said another.According to a 2020 Drivers of the food delivery service Ele.me attend a morning briefing before an internal security check in Beijing, China, Sept. 21, 2017.Li Qiang, director of the New York based rights group China Labor Watch, said that the gig economy workers have to pay a huge price to defend their rights through legal channels.”Fighting through legal channels doesn’t guarantee you can get your salary back, and it’s extremely time consuming. So for most workers, they will choose to be quiet and quickly get another job,” said Li.He added that labor unions in China need to be more effective to ensure proper enforcement of labor laws. He also pointed out when enforcing the law, local government authorities favor businesses over workers because companies are considered useful for creating job opportunities and maintaining social stability.If workers protest, “they might be arrested and imprisoned for crimes such as ‘disrupting social order’ or ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble,’ ” Li continued.Although China recognized flexible and informal employment in 2001 in the tenth Five-Year Plan, Beijing has yet to implement real structural changes and protection for gig economy workers.On January 20, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee received a draft regulation for review. According to the draft, workers, including those with flexible employments, can apply for legal aid to help solve disputes over work-related accidents such as traffic accidents, food and drug safety accidents, medical accidents and personal damages. Teng Biao, a Chinese human rights lawyer, said the new regulation, if passed, will offer some help to those at the bottom of the society. But in China, he cautioned such regulation will have limited effect because of the centralized, authoritarian system.“In many cases, it is not just a lack of legal service or legal consultation, but also the corruption in the entire legal channel,” he said. “The legal system in China is opaque and laws can be difficult to enforce, so the actual effect of legal aid will be limited.”Lin Yang contributed to this report which originated on VOA Mandarin.
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Biden: US Buying 200 Million More COVID-19 Vaccine Doses
President Joe Biden said Tuesday the United States was buying 200 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate nearly the entire U.S. population of 300 million people by early fall. The U.S. has purchased 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 100 million of the Moderna vaccine. They will be delivered by the end of summer or early fall, Biden said. With this latest order, the U.S. will have purchased 600 million doses. “Not in hand yet, but ordered,” Biden said. “We expect these additional 200 million doses to be delivered this summer.” People wait in line to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at Ebenezer Baptist Church, in Oklahoma City, Jan. 26, 2021.The administration also announced it will be increasing delivery of available vaccines to states for the next three weeks to ramp up vaccination rates. Biden said the administration was increasing doses to states from 8.6 million a week to 10.1 million next week. Biden also promised to provide states with firm vaccine allocation advisories three weeks ahead of delivery, which should allow state officials to more accurately plan for injections. There are more than 100 million confirmed cases worldwide of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and more than 2.1 million deaths. The U.S. accounts for nearly a quarter of the cases, at nearly 25.5 million, and has recorded 424,690 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center statistics on Tuesday. A woman is vaccinated inside her vehicle at a mass COVID-19 vaccination site outside The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Jan. 26, 2021.Biden, who was sworn into office a week ago, pledged to provide 100 million COVID-19 vaccine shots in his first 100 days in office. He said during a news conference Tuesday that ending the pandemic would require a “war-time effort.” “More than 400,000 Americans have already died,” he said. “This is a war-time undertaking. It’s not hyperbole.” Harris vaccinatedAlso Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris received the second dose of her COVID-19 vaccine. Both Harris and Biden received their vaccinations on live television to help allay fears about the vaccine. Biden received his second dose before his swearing-in last week. Vice President Kamala Harris reacts after receiving her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Md., Jan. 26, 2021.Pharmacist to plead guiltySteven Brandenburg, a Wisconsin pharmacist accused of trying to spoil dozens of vials of COVID-19 vaccine, has agreed to plead guilty in federal court. Brandenburg, 46, is charged with two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine on each count. Brandenburg was arrested December 31 after police investigated 57 vials — enough to inoculate more than 500 people — of the Moderna vaccine that had been left outside a refrigerator at a hospital in a Milwaukee suburb. Jason Baltz, Brandenburg’s attorney, declined to comment Tuesday to The Associated Press.
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US Senate Confirms Biden Nominee as Secretary of State
The U.S. Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s nominee Antony Blinken to lead the U.S. State Department on Tuesday. As VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, Blinken faces numerous challenges worldwide as the nation’s top diplomat.
Camera: Adam Greenbaum Produced by: Katherine Gypson
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Biden, Putin Hold First Phone Discussions
For the first time since his inauguration, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke Tuesday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, expressing concerns about the arrest of dissident Alexei Navalny, Moscow’s cyber-espionage campaign and bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, two senior Biden administration officials said.Biden’s stance appeared to mark another sharp break with that of former President Donald Trump, who often voiced delight at his warm relations with the Kremlin leader. At the same time, according to U.S. accounts of the call, Biden told Putin that Russia and the United States should complete a five-year extension of their nuclear arms control treaty before it expires in early February.There was no immediate readout of the call from Moscow, but Russia reached out to Biden in the first days of his four-year term in the White House. The U.S. leader agreed but only after he had prepared with his staff and had a chance for phone calls with three close Western allies of the U.S. — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.People gather in Pushkin Square during a protest against the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow, Jan. 23, 2021. Russian police arrested hundreds of protesters.It was not immediately known how Putin responded to Biden raising contentious issues between the two countries.Biden told reporters Monday that despite disagreements with Moscow, “I find that we can both operate in the mutual self-interest of our countries as a New START agreement and make it clear to Russia that we are very concerned about their behavior, whether it’s Navalny, whether it’s SolarWinds or reports of bounties on heads of Americans in Afghanistan.”Shortly before his call with Putin, Biden spoke to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, reassuring him of the United States’s commitment to the West’s post-World War II military pact that was formed as an alliance against the threat of Russian aggression.During his White House tenure, Trump often quarreled with NATO allies, complaining they were not contributing enough money for their mutual defense.FILE – U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at the beginning of a their bilateral meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018.The former president was often deferential to Putin, rejecting claims in the U.S. from opposition Democrats that Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help him win — a years-long saga that Trump derisively dismissed as “the Russia hoax.”Last year, Trump also questioned whether Russia was involved in the hack of software manufactured by the U.S. company SolarWinds that breached files at the departments of Commerce, Treasury and Energy.Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Russia was “pretty clearly” behind the cyberattack, but Trump claimed the attack was being overplayed by the U.S. media and that perhaps China was responsible.Before taking office, Biden said, “I will not stand idly by in the face of cyber assaults on our nation.”Trump had also dismissed claims that Russia offered the Taliban bounties to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, another issue Biden pressed Putin on.Despite his conciliatory approach to Russia, Trump imposed sanctions on the country, Russian companies and business leaders over various issues, including Moscow’s involvement in Ukraine and attacks on dissidents.The Biden-Putin call followed pro-Navalny protests in more than 100 Russian cities last weekend, with more than 3,700 people arrested across Russia.Navalny is an anti-corruption campaigner and Putin’s fiercest critic. He was arrested January 17 as he returned to Russia from Germany, where he had been recovering for nearly five months after a nerve-agent poisoning he claims was carried out by Russian agents, an accusation the Kremlin has rejected.
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Biden Orders End of Federally Run Private Prisons
President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Justice on Tuesday to end its reliance on private prisons and acknowledge the central role government has played in implementing discriminatory housing policies.In remarks before signing the order, Biden said the U.S. government needs to change “its whole approach” on the issue of racial equity. He added that the nation is less prosperous and secure because of the scourge of systemic racism.”We must change now,” the president said. “I know it’s going to take time, but I know we can do it. And I firmly believe the nation is ready to change. But government has to change as well.”Biden rose to the presidency during a year of intense reckoning on institutional racism in the U.S. The moves announced on Tuesday reflect his efforts to follow through with campaign pledges to combat racial injustice. Housing policiesBeyond calling on the Justice Department to curb the use of private prisons and address housing discrimination, the new orders will recommit the federal government to respect tribal sovereignty and disavow discrimination against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community over the coronavirus pandemic.Biden directed the Department of Housing and Urban Development in a memorandum to take steps to promote equitable housing policy. The memorandum calls for HUD to examine the effects of Trump regulatory actions that may have undermined fair housing policies and laws.Months before the November election, the Trump administration rolled back an Obama-era rule that required communities that wanted to receive HUD funding to document and report patterns of racial bias.Stop ‘profiting off of incarceration’The order to end the reliance on privately-run prisons directs the attorney general not to renew Justice Department contracts with privately operated criminal detention facilities. The move will effectively revert the Justice Department to the same posture it held at the end of the Obama administration.”This is a first step to stop corporations from profiting off of incarceration,” Biden said.The more than 14,000 federal inmates housed at privately-managed facilities represent a small fraction of the nearly 152,000 federal inmates currently incarcerated.The federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) had already opted not to renew some private prison contracts in recent months as the number of inmates dwindled and thousands were released to home confinement because of the coronavirus pandemic. Criticism of Biden moveGEO Group, a private company that operates federal prisons, called the Biden order “a solution in search of a problem.””Given the steps the BOP had already announced, today’s Executive Order merely represents a political statement, which could carry serious negative unintended consequences, including the loss of hundreds of jobs and negative economic impact for the communities where our facilities are located, which are already struggling economically due to the COVID pandemic,” a GEO Group spokesperson said in a statement.David Fathi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Prison Project, noted that the order does not end the federal government’s reliance on privately-run immigration detention centers.”The order signed today is an important first step toward acknowledging the harm that has been caused and taking actions to repair it, but President Biden has an obligation to do more, especially given his history and promises,” Fathi said.The memorandum highlighting xenophobia against Asian Americans is in large part a reaction to what White House officials say was offensive and dangerous rhetoric from the Trump administration. Trump, throughout the pandemic, repeatedly used xenophobic language in public comments when referring to the coronavirus.This memorandum will direct Health and Human Services officials to consider issuing guidance describing best practices to advance cultural competency and sensitivity toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the federal government’s COVID-19 response. It also directs the Justice Department to partner with AAPI communities to prevent hate crimes and harassment.
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On the Brink of Extinction, the Northern White Rhino Now Has a Chance at Survival
The northern white rhino is on the brink of extinction. Poachers decimated the population, but now science has a chance to bring it back. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports.Camera: Reuters Produced by: Arash Arabasadi
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European Leaders See Promise on Digital Tax
The U.S. Senate’s confirmation of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has raised hope on the other side of the Atlantic. Yellen said the U.S. administration remains committed to working to resolve digital taxation disputes, a remark that Europeans are reading optimistically.In this file photo taken on Dec. 1, 2020, Janet Yellen speaks during a cabinet announcement event at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware.Overall, Yellen explained that the new administration supports the call for tech companies to pay more taxes, a statement that won praise from French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who spoke at the World Economic Forum.“I think it is very good news that the new Secretary for the Treasury Janet Yellen just explained that she was open about the idea of thinking about a new international taxation with the two pillars: First of all, digital taxation and, of course, also a minimum taxation on corporate tax,” Le Maire said. “I think we are on the right track. There is a possibility of finding an agreement on this new international taxation system by the end of this spring 2021.”German Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses a press conference following talks via video conference with Germany’s state premiers in Berlin on Dec. 13, 2020.The comments echoed those by German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz. He told Reuters on Tuesday he hopes an international agreement on digital taxation will happen by summer.Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon are dubbed as GAFA in France by those who criticize what they say are the multinationals’ longstanding avoidance of European taxes.For years, former U.S. president Donald Trump had opposed any proposal to tax the tech giants.The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) hosted the international talks over digital taxation. Members postponed a deadline for an agreement into 2021 after the U.S. pulled out of talks in June last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.The French finance minister said it is a matter of fairness.“The winners of the economic crisis are the digital giants,” Le Maire said. “How can you explain to some sectors that have been severely hit by the crisis and that are paying their due level of taxes that the digital giants will not have to pay the same amount of taxes? This is unfair and also inefficient from a financial point of view.”Last October, the OECD warned that tensions over a digital tax could trigger a trade war that could wipe out one percent of global growth every year.
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Malawi’s Former President Welcomes Biden Administration, Criticizes Rival
Peter Mutharika is certain he won reelection last June, in a poll which he insists was rigged and which triggered violent protests.But instead of pursuing his case through the courts, he invited the new president and his wife over for a chat and some coffee.Landlocked Malawi is Southern Africa’s poorest nation, and was rocked by political protests over the June poll, which was a redo of a February poll that courts invalidated. But after months of protests and challenges, Mutharika folded and says he’ll never run for office again.“I thought we needed peace in this country after 11 months of violence,” Mutharika said. “So that’s what happened, and I think my people are so glad, that they acted responsibly and accepted that we should go on, let them take the government and let Malawi go on in peace.”Malawi’s newly elected President Lazarus Chakwera takes the oath of office in Lilongwe, Malawi, June 28, 2020.President Lazarus Chakwera acknowledged, broadly, some of his shortcomings late last year, said he accepted criticism for his handling of the pandemic and other pressing issues.”Someone asked if I have done enough,” Chakwera said. “No, I will be the first one to tell you that I have not done enough, and this country has not done enough.”One thing Chakwera’s government was quick to do shortly after taking office was to freeze Mutharika’s bank accounts amid a corruption investigation. The former president is accused of taking part in a $6 million scheme to illegally import cement.When asked about it by VOA, Mutharika denied his involvement in the purchase.Mutharika, who remains leader of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, called out his rival for what he sees as his biggest stumble — dealing with coronavirus.He said the government has failed to provide enough tests and economic assistance for citizens affected by viral restrictions.“They need to do more,” Mutharika said. “We probably need some kind of lockdown at some point. We also need to have resources to assist those families in terms of buying food and nutrition.”The former president did note the government is encouraging the use of face masks and urging people to social distance, steps he said were good for the fight against COVID-19.The 80-year-old statesman added that he would not hesitate to take the vaccine when it arrives in Malawi, which has yet to happen.And finally, Mutharika says he’s encouraged by political change in a major donor nation, the U.S.President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy in the State Dining Room of the White House, Jan. 22, 2021, in Washington.“We’ve already seen President Biden reversing so many things, going back to COP-25, for example, and also getting the United States back into the World Health Organization,” Mutharika said. “So, there are changes, and I assume that Africa, the previous government probably was not very active in Africa. I assume that perhaps the new government will be more active in Africa, as Democrats normally tend to do.”He did, however, offer some praise for the Trump administration, noting that Malawi was one of four countries that Melania Trump graced during her only tour of Africa, in 2018.
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Britain Surpasses 100K COVID-19 Deaths
Britain’s health department reported Tuesday the nation’s death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 100,000 people.
In a televised news briefing from his office, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “It’s hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic, the years of life lost, the family gatherings not attended, and for so many relatives the missed chance, even to say goodbye,”
The health department said more than 100,000 Britons have died within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test. The government figures show Britain has the fifth highest death toll globally and reported a further 1,631 deaths and 20,089 cases on Tuesday.
Britain is the fifth country in the world to record 100,000 virus-related deaths, after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, and is by far the smallest in terms of population.
The U.S. has recorded more than 400,000 COVID-19 deaths, the world’s highest total, but its population of about 330 million is about five times Britain’s. Worldwide, more than 2.1 million people have died from COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Britain is speeding up its vaccine distribution with more than 6.8 million people receiving their first dose of vaccine and more than 472,000 receiving both doses as of Monday.
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Internet Outages, Slowdowns Reported from Boston to Washington
People from Boston to the Washington area were reporting internet outages or slow service Tuesday. According to Downdetector.com, which tracks outages, users reported problems with Verizon, Google, Zoom, YouTube, Slack and Amazon Web Services. Many of those services have become staples for millions of Americans working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Students attending school virtually also depend on the services. Verizon reported that a fiber cable in the city of New York borough of Brooklyn had been severed, but it was unclear if that was causing all the problems. Downdetector also showed that Comcast users were reporting outages or slowdown. Comcast is a rival internet service provider. Amazon Web Services, which provides cloud services to many companies, also reported connectivity issues, according to The Washington Post.
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Hong Kong Activists Feel Pressure as Chinese Authorities Approach Relatives in Mainland China
A pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong is the latest to disclose that Chinese authorities questioned his family and friends in mainland China for information about him. Yat-Chin Wong, 19, is the organizer of StudentPoliticism, a political group in Hong Kong whose aim is to promote “core values such as democracy and liberty and our sentiments to Hong Kong.” The teenager was arrested twice last year, while national security officers warned group members about their continued activism. Wong, who spent his childhood in China before moving to Hong Kong while in primary school, revealed that his relatives in Sichuan had recently been approached for questioning. “I was told by my family in the past few days that my relatives, friends and even classmates from primary school in China were questioned by public authorities. They wanted to know my plans and whereabouts. They told my relatives and friends not to keep in contact with me,” Wong told VOA. After learning about the questionings, Wong severed ties with his family and friends. “From past to future, my stand and actions are entirely on my own and are not associated with, or linked to, any of my relatives and family,” Wong posted on his Facebook page. But Wong said he is still worried that further action could be taken. “China suppresses people who hold opposite ideas against them. I guess the government could still approach or interrogate or question them,” he said. “I haven’t seen or contacted them in a long time. Rather, I am more worried about the political prosecution that might happen to me in Hong Kong,” he said. Hong Kong was returned to China from Britain in 1997 under the “one country, two systems” agreement that promised Hong Kong would retain a “high degree of autonomy” until 2047. But since the handover, Beijing has attempted to further tighten its control of the city. In 2019, a now-withdrawn extradition bill sparked widespread anti-government protests in Hong Kong In response, Beijing implemented the National Security Act for Hong Kong, effective June 30, 2020.FILE – Chinese President Xi Jinping reaches to vote on a piece of national security legislation concerning Hong Kong during the closing session of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing, Thursday, May 28, 2020.The widely interpreted law prohibits secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, and carries maximum sentences of life imprisonment. Since the law became active, it has been a catalyst for changes in the city. In 2019, a now-withdrawn extradition bill sparked widespread anti-government protests in Hong Kong that led to further demands, such as universal suffrage. The protests often turning violent. To restore stability to the city, Beijing implemented the National Security Act for Hong Kong, effective June 30, 2020. The law prohibits secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, and carries maximum sentences of life imprisonment. Since the law became active, it has been a catalyst for changes in the city. Street demonstrations have stopped, pro-democracy slogans have been banned, activists have been arrested, or jailed and some have fled the city. ‘Time for a change’ Wong founded StudentPoliticism last May. As anti-government street demonstrations were declining, he said he felt it was time for a change. “I actually realized the old method of demonstrations — taking our demands to the street — is not working anymore because the political suppression is so strong,” he told VOA. He explained his group held different activities such as holding street counters every weekend, including to support both jailed protesters in Hong Kong and the 2020 Thailand protests. His efforts still came at a cost. He was arrested by authorities in September and November. “The first was on the 6th of September. We were merely sending out masks due to the pandemic, and I was charged with unlawful assembly,” he said. “The reason for the second arrest [was] because of the [demonstrations] I held to support 12 Hong Kong Youths. Citizens were encouraged to write letters to send love to the 12 youths. I was arrested while I [was] sending the letters,” he added. Both arrests led to no further investigations, according to Wong. But in December, Wong and members of his group were warned by national security officers that if their activism showed any suspicions that promoted Hong Kong independence, they would be arrested immediately. It is not the first time that Beijing’s sweeping National Security Law has been used against young activists in Hong Kong. FILE – Tony Chung was found guilty of unlawful assembly and desecrating the national flag. He will be sentenced on Dec. 29, 2020. Photo taken in Mongkok, Hong Kong, Oct. 2020. (Tommy Walker/VOA)In October, Tony Chung, the former organizer of the pro-independence group Studentlocalism, was detained by national security officers. Chung, also 19, is facing four charges under the law, including secession, money laundering and conspiracy to publish seditious materials. According to local reports, Chung is facing up to seven years in jail if convicted, with his next court hearing on January 28. He earlier had been sentenced to a four-month jail term unrelated to the security law for allegedly insulting the Chinese flag during a protest in May 2020. Wong admitted his group will have to resort to “different activities” because of the National Security Law.“I’m not in university now. I’m retaking my exam (from) last year. … Last year, I concentrated on the activism. I believe I have the ability to go to university, so I retook the exam,” he said. He added, “Hong Kong’s freedom is slowly getting eroded under the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] control. And our fight for democracy … is under enormous strain,” he said.
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Trump’s Gone, But North Korea Tensions Still Loom in US-South Korea Alliance
After U.S. President Joe Biden took office last week, perhaps no world leader breathed a bigger public sigh of relief than South Korean President Moon Jae-in. “America is back,” Moon declared in a congratulatory message marking Biden’s inauguration. The statement didn’t directly mention outgoing President Donald Trump, but the intent was clear..FILE – Police officers use umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun while anti-war activists hold a rally against planned South Korea-U.S. annual joint military exercises near the U.S. embassy in Seoul, Aug. 5, 2019.Worry in Seoul A more adversarial U.S. stance toward North Korea would likely upset Moon and his allies in Seoul. At a news conference last week, Moon said the starting point for Biden should be the 2018 Singapore agreement between Kim and Trump, in which both sides agreed to “work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” In an North Korean soldiers keep watch toward the south as South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young inspects the truce village of Panmunjom, Sep. 24, 2020.But will it work? That kind of push for talks would in some ways mirror 2018, when Seoul successfully converted inter-Korean sports cooperation at the Winter Olympics into a series of North-South meetings, which eventually led to the Trump-Kim talks. But there are plenty of reasons to question whether such a move would work this time. The most obvious: the Olympics may not be held at all because of the coronavirus. If the games were held, host Japan may not agree to participate in the talks. “I’d be shocked if his plan worked again because the environment right now is completely different,” says Duyeon Kim, a Korea specialist at the Center for a New American Security. “It was easy to trick Trump into a summit with Kim because Trump loves theatrics and a good photo op,” she adds. “Biden is too smart, experienced, and serious about national security.” How will North Korea respond? In any case, North Korea may not even agree to resume dialogue. For months, Pyongyang has boycotted meetings with both the United States and South Korea, upset among other things that Washington has not relaxed sanctions on its nuclear program.
At a major political meeting this month, North Korea said it was looking for ways to improve relations with the South, but called on Seoul to stop holding military drills with Washington and to stop acquiring new military capabilities. North Korea has also showcased several new weapons over the last few months, including a massive new intercontinental ballistic missile, as well as a ballistic missile possibly designed to be fired from a submarine. Some analysts have expressed concern North Korea could soon test one of those new weapons, or possibly conduct another nuclear test, noting Pyongyang’s tendency to showcase new military capabilities around the start of U.S. administrations. Staying on the same page Another concern among some analysts is that such a major test by the North could sharpen divides between Biden and Moon. “I hope Seoul and Washington can stay on the same page, because it’s going to be challenging. North Korea will continue to pressure South Korea, and there’s only a year left from the Moon administration’s perspective,” said Sue Mi Terry, a Korea expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, during a recent online forum. “The Moon administration just needs to realize that they’re just not going to be able to appease the North,” said Terry, a former CIA analyst. “There’s not going to be a breakthrough on inter-Korean relations until there is a breakthrough between the United States and North Korea.” Some in Seoul are more optimistic, expressing hope Biden and Moon will find enough common ground. “The Biden administration cannot ignore” North Korea, says Youn Kun-young, a South Korean lawmaker and member of Moon’s Democratic Party. “(And) solving the North Korean nuclear issue with only sanctions just isn’t possible.” Lee Juhyun contributed to this report.
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EU Leader Urges US to Join Digital ‘Rule Book”’
The European Union (EU) Tuesday called upon the United States to join the alliance in creating a common rule book to rein in the power of internet companies like Facebook and Twitter to combat the spread of fake news as well as protect data.
In a wide-ranging virtual speech to the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted how much the world has changed by referencing last year’s EU concerns over the possibility of U.S. tariffs on European automobiles.
“Today, a year later, we are worrying about whether democracy itself might have been permanently damaged in the last four years,” said Von der Leyen. He also referenced the storming of the U.S. Capitol, calling it “beyond my imagination” and said it served as a reminder of the “dangers that social media poses to our democracy.”
The European Commission president called on U.S. President Joe Biden to join the 27-nation bloc’s efforts to better regulate tech platforms. She added there needs to be a “framework” for “far-reaching decisions” such as Twitter’s move to cut off former U.S. President Donald Trump’s account.
She said it needs to be clearly laid out how internet companies make decisions about disseminating, promoting or removing content.
“No matter how tempting it may have been for Twitter to switch off President Trump’s account, such serious interference with freedom of expression should not be based on company rules alone,” said Von der Leyen. “There needs to be a framework of laws for such far-reaching decision.”
During Tuesday’s speech, Von der Leyen also urged pharmaceutical companies to “honor their obligations” on the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, saying the EU had invested billions in their development “for the common good.”
The bloc on Monday criticized pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, accusing it of failing to guarantee the delivery of coronavirus vaccines without a valid explanation.
The EU also expressed displeasure over vaccine delivery delays from Pfizer-BioNTech last week.
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Somali Journalists Worry About Arrests Ahead of Elections
The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), a press freedom group, says at least 14 journalists have been arrested and a radio station attacked in the country in just three weeks. The group condemned the latest attacks on media organizations and their workers, which come as Somalia prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections.
Since the beginning of this year, at least 14 journalists have been arrested across Somalia, either for airing views that upset local administrations or for reporting security incidents authorities wanted to keep quiet.
Osman Aweys Bahar is one of the arrested journalists. South West federal state security officers stormed his radio station in the town of Barawe, taking him into custody and pulling the FM station off the air.
“They arrested me because we aired the opinions of the public, complaining about the bad governance of Barawe town on the radio, Bahar said. “I was in jail for four days and the four days I was behind bars the radio was off the air. I was released after elders intervened on the issue but they told me to continue with my work and to stop airing the voices of those opposing the administration.”
On Wednesday of last week, authorities in Galmudug federal state arrested two journalists. Abdiweli Jamaa, the director of the office of president, told VOA the two reporters were arrested for sharing sensitive security details and the president’s activities in Puntland state.
“These journalists have directly violated media laws and regulations that are preventing the journalists from interfering with the peace of the people, reporting on something that injures the peaceful existence of the people. If you check their social media pages they reported something that has effects on the security of the region and its leaders and this kind of reporting brings a lot of problems,” Jamaa said.
The journalists were released the following day.
The SJS, which fights for the rights of journalists and free media, says it’s worried about the rising number of detained journalists.
Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, the secretary-general of the organization, says the upcoming elections are a key factor driving the arrests.
“There are a lot of uncertainties surrounding this election and journalists are trying to get the news out and to feed information for the public interest. But unfortunately, the authorities do not want to see that. That’s why you see they are targeting journalists, they are targeting local radio stations including radio in Beledweyne. Also, since they are local complaints, uprisings in various states the local authorities are trying to suppress these voices,” Mumin said.
The current Somali government mandate ends February 8 with no end in sight to the disagreement over how to conduct the parliamentary and presidential elections.
The growing tension has increased the appetite for news, but may lead to further problems for Somali journalists as they try to keep the public informed.
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Indonesia’s COVID-19 Cases Top 1 Million
Indonesia surpassed 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases Tuesday, when the Indonesian Health Ministry reported 13,094 new infections. Meanwhile, deaths are nearing 29,000 in the fourth most populous country in the world.
These numbers come at a time when the country is nearing capacity in intensive care units. Ministry data shows that hospital capacity nationwide is currently at 70%, although some areas have been hit harder. In parts of Indonesia’s most densely populated island of Java, as is the case of West Java, East Java and Yogyakarta, occupancy rates are 95%.
“This is time for us to mourn as many of our brothers and sisters who died, including more than 600 health care workers, while dealing with (the) pandemic,” Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in a Tuesday televised address.
Two weeks ago, President Joko Widodo announced a nationwide campaign to vaccinate at least two-thirds of Indonesia’s 270 million people. Widodo himself has already received the first shot of the Chinese vaccine Sinovac.
In a country of more than 17,000 islands and limited infrastructure, Indonesian officials are working around the clock to deliver the first doses in a timely manner.
With cases going up, many local governments, especially in the islands of Bali and Java, have imposed new quarantine measures, while the Wododo administration has urged Indonesians to observe health guidelines and collaborate.
“This 1 million figure gives an indication that all Indonesian people must work together with the government to fight against the pandemic even harder,” the health minister said.
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UN Gears Up Operations to Help Mozambicans Battered by Cyclone Eloise
Humanitarian operations are underway to provide life-saving assistance to tens of thousands of people in Mozambique devastated by Tropical Cyclone Eloise. At least six people reportedly have died and more than 176,000 have been affected. Tropical Cyclone Eloise made landfall Saturday, dumping torrents of rain in areas already affected by Tropical Storm Chalane, which flooded large areas of Mozambique three weeks ago. A family from Nharrime takes shelter in the Samora Machel school to take shelter from Tropical Cyclone Eloise in Beira, Mozambique, Jan. 23, 2021. (UNICEF/Franco/Handout via Reuters)The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports 32 accommodation centers have been opened up in the heavily affected Sofala province. The centers are providing temporary shelter for more than 15,000 families. OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke says survivors of this destructive cyclone are in urgent need of food, tents, drinking water, mosquito nets, COVID-19 prevention materials and other essential relief. “The cyclone destroyed, damaged or flooded more than 8,800 houses in Mozambique and at least 26 health centers have been damaged,” he said. “Large areas of crops have been flooded which raise concern for the annual harvest which is expected in April. Again, these numbers may go up when we get more assessment results.” A recent analysis of the food and malnutrition situation in Mozambique indicates more than 2.9 million people face high levels of food insecurity in rural and urban areas in southern, central and northern provinces. World Food Program spokesman Tomson Phiri says his agency, along with the government and partners, is currently assessing the needs to have a full picture of the storm’s impact. “Whilst the full extent of the need will be revealed once ongoing assessments have been concluded, early indications are that the storm has aggravated further the precarious food security situation in Sofala province. People need food assistance now to cope and will need support to re-establish their livelihoods going forward,” he said. Aid agencies express concern about the extra level of danger posed by COVID-19. They say it is very difficult to maintain social distancing in displacement centers where people are in enclosed areas with little or no ventilation. The International Organization for Migration reports its staff is distributing soap and hygiene materials and a limited supply of cloth face masks to the most vulnerable and encouraging people to do their best to keep their distance from others.
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