As Donald Trump’s impeachment trial nears the end, there is renewed focus on threats from white supremacist and other groups who stormed the U.S. Capitol last month. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara looks at the challenges of striking the right balance between security concerns and civil liberties in addressing the rising national terror threat.
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Month: February 2021
Australia Leading Race to Save Endangered ‘Hedge-Trimmer’ Fish
New research has shown that Australia is the “last stronghold on Earth” for four out of five threatened species of sawfish. With their serrated snouts, these predatory fish are one of the ocean’s most unusual and endangered animals.They have a snout, or rostrum, that looks like a hedge-trimmer or a chainsaw. Small electromagnetic sensors help the sawfish detect the heartbeat and movement of buried prey. They are generally unassuming creatures, but when threatened, the saw also serves as a weapon. They can grow up to 7 meters in length and move easily between fresh and salt water. In Australia, they’re found in Queensland, the Northern Territory and on the west coast.Around the world, they are hunted for their fins and other body parts, which are used in traditional medicines or sold as souvenirs. Habitat loss is a significant threat. So is entanglement in fishing nets as their serrated snout is easily caught up in the mesh.An international study published in the journal Science Advances, including research from Charles Darwin University in Australia’s Northern Territory, has found that sawfish are now extinct in more than 50 nations.Leonardo Guida is a shark scientist from the Australian Marine Conservation Society. He says sawfish have disappeared in many parts of the world.“Sawfish are facing the very real threat of global extinction because of overfishing and habitat destruction across the world,” he said. “So we know that in more than half of the countries that they live in, they are no longer found. That equates to about 55 out of 90 countries, and Australia is the lifeboat. It is the last place on Earth where we have chance to really save these species from global extinction.”New research has identified eight nations, including Tanzania, Brazil and Sri Lanka, where urgent action could help to save this unique species.Trade in sawfish is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, but deliberate and accidental killings still take place.
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US Says North Korea an Urgent Priority
North Korea’s nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs are an urgent priority for the United States and Washington remains committed to denuclearization of the country, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.The Biden administration’s lack of direct engagement with North Korea should not be seen as an indication that the challenge posed by its weapons programs was not a priority, department spokesperson Ned Price said.”It in fact very much is,” he told a regular briefing.North Korea continued to make progress in its nuclear and missile programs in recent years “which makes this an urgent priority for the United States and one that we are committed to addressing together with our allies and partners,” Price said.”And … the central premise is that we remain committed to denuclearization of North Korea,” he said.Price said the lack of direct engagement to date was “a function of us making sure that we have done the diplomatic legwork, that we have been in close contact, in touch with our partners and allies,” aiming for a coordinated approach.The Biden administration, which took office last month, says it is conducting a full review of North Korea policy in consultation with allies, particularly South Korea and Japan, following former President Donald Trump’s unprecedented engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which failed to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.A confidential U.N. report seen by Reuters on Monday said North Korea developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programs throughout 2020 in violation of international sanctions, helping fund them with some $300 million stolen through cyber hacks.President Joe Biden’s top Asia official, Kurt Campbell, has said the administration must decide quickly on how to approach North Korea and not repeat an Obama-era delay that led to “provocative” steps by Pyongyang that prevented engagement.Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who discussed North Korea with his South Korean counterpart on Thursday, has said additional sanctions could be used in coordination with allies to press North Korea to denuclearize.Biden called Kim a “thug” during his election campaign and said he would only meet him “on the condition that he would agree that he would be drawing down his nuclear capacity to get there.”
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Report: 2018 Peace Deal Was Not a Fix for South Sudan
A new International Crisis Group (ICG) report is urging South Sudan’s leaders to consider a political model that uses consensus and inclusion to decide the country’s future.Alan Boswell, a South Sudan researcher and author of the ICG report, said that although the initial 2018 peace deal signed by the country’s warring parties halted the country’s civil war, it was not a long-term fix for South Sudan’s deeper problems.Boswell said he didn’t expect the agreement to last, because he believed the ruling elites would turn against each other.Civil war threat remains“We don’t think South Sudan’s problems are going to be resolved by the transitional period that leads to elections, probably between the two different camps, and in which one side wins power and the other side loses power. We think that a ‘winner-take-all’ solution to South Sudan’s problems is not a very good one for South Sudan,” Boswell told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus via WhatsApp.In the 33-page report released Wednesday, Boswell wrote, “Smaller conflicts are still ablaze and the threat of return to full-blown civil war remains.”The report noted that South Sudan is a diverse country that lacks basic institutions. It concluded that the country was so fragile that it might not be possible to peacefully govern without broadly accommodating its diverse groups, and it expressed doubt that the elections scheduled for 2022 could be held without the country descending into more violence.FILE – Women march carrying placards with messages demanding peace and their rights, on the streets of South Sudan’s capital, Juba, July 13, 2018.The report suggested a pre-election deal to guarantee broader power-sharing and a political settlement that decentralizes government.“The real risk of course is that you have two former warring parties on other sides running against each other in elections, and the result of those elections is one of those sides feeling they have lost and then seeking to return to war in order to get back in government,” Boswell told VOA. “We think that will obviously be a terrible outcome and we also think that it is avoidable, and that’s why we encourage not only increased power-sharing before the vote but also regional leaders to encourage dialogue between the main principals if they do run against each other in the upcoming elections.”Find what worksICG called South Sudan’s political system broken.“We think it is important for the South Sudanese to revisit these political systems so that they come up with a model that works for itself, a model in which South Sudan is able to rule its people by consensus rather than by exclusion, and we think that is a process that can be done through a national conference at some point in the future,” said Boswell.FILE – In this Jan. 5, 2014, photo, South Sudanese Information Minister Michael Makuei attends a press conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Government spokesperson Michael Makuei insisted countries like the United States also have broken political systems.Makuei told South Sudan in Focus it wasn’t fair for organizations like the ICG to write about South Sudan because, in his opinion, they do not adequately understand it.”South Sudan is a democratic state … and as long as we are a democratic state, then there ought to be divergent political opinions,” said Makuei. “And if there are divergent political opinions, that does not necessarily mean that it will collapse or anything will happen to it.”Puok Both Baluang, spokesman for South Sudan’s main opposition party, said that South Sudan once had a broken political system, but that the parties were now working hard to reform the country’s “tainted image” and ensure lasting peace in the country.”We say the country indeed was in a broken system of governance; it’s not in terms of the political aspect only, but through this peace agreement we are hoping that we can transform the country according to the articles and the provisions in the revitalized agreement,” Baluang told South Sudan in Focus.Accent on unityBoswell said it was important for the country’s leaders to push for unity rather than division and to ensure that citizens are ruled by people they choose as their leaders, not by leaders that are imposed on them.He also encouraged the transitional government to commit strongly to the constitutional review process, saying it would likely resolve most of the country’s problems.The ICG report noted that just two years after the country’s inception in July 2011, South Sudan “collapsed at the center, as the rival camps loyal to President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar turned against each other in bloody combat that shattered the ruling party.”ICG is an independent organization whose mission is to “prevent wars and shape policies that will build a more peaceful world,” according to its website.
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South Africa President Outlines Ambitious Viral and Economic Plans in Annual Address
As president of South Africa since 2018, Cyril Ramaphosa has dutifully delivered his annual address before Parliament, outlining government priorities in the year ahead.None have been like this one, though, he said late Thursday, speaking to a thinned-out, well-spaced crowd of masked lawmakers in Cape Town. Before speaking, he led the assembly in a moment of silence for the more than 47,000 people who have been killed by the virus since it landed in South Africa last year.Then, with hope and determination threaded through every sentence, he spoke.“This is no ordinary year, and this is no ordinary State of the Nation address,” Ramaphosa said. “I will therefore focus this evening on the foremost, overriding priorities of 2021. They are not many, but they are focused.”First, we must defeat the coronavirus pandemic. That is primary in everything we have to do as a nation. And second, we must accelerate our economic recovery,” the president said.”Third, we must implement economic reforms to create sustainable jobs and drive inclusive growth.”And finally, and not leaving other things aside, but these are the key ones, finally we must fight corruption and strengthen the state that has been weakened.”This file illustration photo taken on Nov 17, 2020 shows vials with Covid-19 Vaccine stickers attached and syringes with the logo of U.S. pharmaceutical company Johnson &; Johnson.Even without the pandemic, that is an ambitious list. However, on Thursday, Ramaphosa revealed some encouraging progress on his top priority: the government has secured 9 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The first batch of 80,000 doses will arrive in South Africa next week, he said, with another 420,000 doses due in the next month.Additionally, he said, the government has secured 12 million vaccine doses through the global COVAX facility, and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has committed 20 million doses of its vaccine. The government aims to vaccinate 40 million people — about 67% of the population — by the end of the year.That encouraging news follows the disappointing revelation from earlier this week, in which the nation’s top health experts revealed that the recently arrived shipment of one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine showed disappointing results against the highly contagious variant that is prevalent in South Africa. That realization meant that officials put the mass vaccination program — the largest in Africa, so far — on hold before it was to begin.South Africa will not use its stockpile of 1 million vaccines, and will instead consider trading it to countries unaffected by the variant that makes up the bulk of South Africa’s new infections.Ramaphosa also laid out a series of government initiatives to resuscitate the economy, which is 6% smaller than it was a year ago. South Africa’s formal unemployment rate now stands at an unprecedented 30.8%.And, he assured his beleaguered nation, which has been the continent’s viral epicenter, that just like the iconic fynbos shrub — which requires fire to thrive — South Africa will get through the firestorm and thrive.“In counting the great cost to our society over the past year, we may be tempted to lose faith. But we can get through this, because we are a nation that never gives up. We are a nation that is never defeated,” Ramaphosa said.”We are a nation of heroes right across the country. I am referring not to the glorious lineage of struggle icons, but to the everyday heroes that walk among us, who work hard every day to put food on the table, to keep the company running, and to give support, help and care to our people. It is your resilience that will help this country recover. “Ramaphosa ended by invoking the hopeful words of the man many South Africans consider the father of the nation, Nelson Mandela. On his release from prison 31 years ago, Mandela, who was elected the nation’s first Black president, exhorted his people to continue their lengthy, painful struggle against injustice and inequality.The president applied that to the modern day, saying, “To relax our efforts now would be a mistake which generations to come will not be able to forgive.”
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US Veteran Finds Way to Fight PTSD — and Help Homeless
After Navy veteran Maxwell Moore returned home to Los Angeles following numerous tours to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, the local Veterans Affairs office urged him to find a hobby to help him deal with his post-traumatic stress disorder. His therapy eventually turned into a business, as reporter Angelina Bagdasaryan found in this story narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian .
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Canada Eases Immigration From Hong Kong
Canada is easing the requirements for some students from Hong Kong to stay in Canada, a reaction to crackdowns by China in the former British colony.Starting this month, the government will allow work permits to be granted to Hong Kong residents who have graduated from a Canadian university, or a similar school, in the last five years. The permits will last for up to three years. Subsequently, the students can apply to become permanent residents and eventually Canadian citizens.The move is a direct response to the National Security Law in Hong Kong. It follows moves by other countries, such as Britain, which is now allowing those with British National Overseas passports to come and stay there.Graduates who have already returned to Hong Kong can apply, as can those with education credentials from other countries, provided the diploma came from a program of at least two years.Given the current travel restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic, the first applicants are most likely already in Canada.Activists’ arrestVancouver immigration lawyer and policy analyst Richard Kurland said the move had been expected, but the timing appeared to be related to the latest arrests of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.“Well, no surprise,” he said. “This has been on the planning books for a long time in anticipation of events in Hong Kong progressing as they have been progressing. It’s the timing of the announcement, which is key.”FILE – Shoppers walk past a Lunar New Year display at the Aberdeen Centre, which is named after the Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong, in Richmond, British Columbia, Jan. 26, 2021.A student from Hong Kong, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal, is about to graduate from a Canadian university and said she hoped the new regulations would allow her to quickly get a work permit and start her career.She said that for her family, the new regulations were a relief.“I think my family, they are happy about the policy,” she said. “They were pretty worried because of the pandemic, as well as for the future, in Hong Kong. So I guess for my family, that’s a good sign.”Infusion of energyHong Kong native Miu Chung Yan, a professor of social work at the University of British Columbia, has extensively studied the settlement of immigrants and refugees. He is also involved with the Vancouver Hong Kong Forum Society, which helps immigrants from Hong Kong settle into Canadian society.He said the new immigration rules would allow an increase of energetic, young, well-trained professionals for the Canadian labor market. He also said he thought the rules would revitalize the Hong Kong and Asian communities in Canada.“So now if we can have a new group of [the] younger generation to come and join, I think that will … energize the community and also push up the economy a little bit, the so-called ethnic economy,” he said. “So I think those are good things.”FILE – Maria Law, who emigrated from Hong Kong with her family, views the skyline with her daughters from Jericho Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jan. 26, 2021.The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said it would create two more plans for Hong Kong residents to become permanent residents.Kurland, the immigration lawyer, said he found it surprising that the Canadian government was not revealing all the plans at once. He said the delay appeared to be tied to actions the Chinese government is taking incrementally in Hong Kong.“Rather than release the plan in its entirety, the government of Canada is engaging in a kind of communication striptease exercise,” he said. “Every time there’s a negative headline from Hong Kong affecting potential migration to Canada from either Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, or people living in Hong Kong, the communications response is to reveal one more page of Canada’s plan to absorb hundreds of thousands of people from Hong Kong to Canada.”Work, education experienceOne plan will apply to individuals who have at least one year of work experience in Canada and who speak either English or French and meet educational standards. The second program will allow those who have graduated from postsecondary schools, like a university or technical college, to directly apply to become permanent residents of Canada.It is not known when further details will be announced or when they will take effect.The government estimates there are more than 300,000 Canadian citizens living in Hong Kong. This makes it one of the largest communities of Canadians outside the country.
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All Theories Still Open Regarding COVID-19 Origins, WHO Chief Says
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday all hypotheses regarding the origins of COVID-19 remain open, following his discussions with investigative team members about the findings during their visit to China.
The WHO-led international team this week completed a visit to China where they investigated the origins of COVID-19, including a visit to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where some have speculated the virus could have originated.
At a news conference before departing China, WHO scientist Peter Ben Embarek told reporters their initial findings led them to believe it was highly unlikely the virus originated in a lab.FILE – Peter Daszak and Thea Fischer, members of the World Health Organization team tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus disease, sit in a car at Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, Feb. 2, 2021.But at the agency’s regular briefing in Geneva, Tedros indicated nothing is off the table.
“Having spoken with some members of the team, I wish to confirm that all hypotheses remain open and require further analysis and studies,” he said.
Tedros also cautioned, as he had in prior briefings, that the mission would not find all the answers, but he said it has added important information that takes us closer to understanding the origins of the virus. Tedros said the mission achieved a better understanding of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and identified areas for further analysis and research.
He said he expects a summary of the report to be finished in the next week and when it is published, he will discuss the findings.
Meanwhile, Tedros said the number of reported COVID-19 globally fell for the fourth consecutive week, and that the number of deaths also fell for the second consecutive week.
He credited the declines to stringent public health measures being implemented. Tedros urged nations not to let their guard down and relax those measures just yet.
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Istanbul Opposition Chief Seeks to Oust Erdogan While Avoiding Jail
The Istanbul head of the opposition Republican People’s Party, Canan Kaftancioglu, is credited with masterminding the 2019 victory over the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the city’s mayoral elections. The stunning defeat of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party has now led Kaftancioglu to set her sights on ousting Erdogan, if she can avoid jail – as Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
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Human Rights Advocates Seek Action Against Military Coup in Myanmar
Officials attending an emergency session of the U.N. Human Rights Council on the crisis in Myanmar are denouncing the military coup last week that toppled the country’s democratically elected government.The U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, called this a moment of great peril for the people of the Southeast Asian country. Addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday, he said the world must unite with the people and not allow what he calls the “illegal and reprehensible” actions of the Myanmar military against its own people to stand. Andrews said the response of police and security forces to peaceful protests is becoming increasingly violent, and there is growing evidence of Myanmar’s security forces using live ammunition against protesters, which violates international law. A demonstrator is detained by police officers during a protest against the military coup in Mawlamyine, Myanmar, Feb. 12, 2021. (Than Lwin Times/Handout via Reuters)Arbitrary detentions and intimidation also are on the rise, he said, adding that the military junta reportedly has detained 220 government officials and members of civil society since the coup. They include the country’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and President Win Myint. “We need more than a statement on a piece of paper,” Andrews said. “We need real action from the United Nations … I urge this body, the United Nations and all member states to make at least four core demands of the military junta of Myanmar. That they release unconditionally all who have been detained; that they end the persecution and prosecution of the people of Myanmar for exercising their basic human rights.” Andrews also called on the junta to stand down immediately so the elected government can begin its work. He said there must be an end to impunity, and the military leadership must be held accountable for its actions. Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada al-Nashif agreed that this crisis, as well as previous ones, have been born of impunity. “Long-standing lack of civilian control over the military, its disproportionate influence in the country’s political and economic structures, and ongoing failure to genuinely account for crimes committed by the security forces over decades, have combined to compromise Myanmar’s democratization and, indeed, its development,” al-Nashif said. However, Myanmar’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Myint Thu, was not swayed by these arguments. He told the Human Rights Council that his government was compelled to take action following election irregularities, adding that this was done in accordance with the state’s constitution. Myanmar is undergoing an extremely complex and delicate democratic transition, the ambassador said. He added that the government is looking forward to a better understanding of the country’s situation, and to constructive engagement from the international community.
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Who Were the US Capitol Rioters?
When former President Donald Trump urged his followers last month to come to Washington to stop Congress’ certification of Democratic rival Joe Biden’s presidential victory, tens of thousands heeded his call. After hearing rousing speeches by Trump and his allies, thousands then marched on the nearby U.S. Capitol. An estimated 800 stormed the building in a melee shocking in its intensity and sustained violence, which left five people dead, including a police officer, and scores of others injured. While Trump is standing trial in the Senate this week on a single impeachment charge of inciting the mob on January 6, more than 200 ardent Trump supporters who took part in the Capitol breach have been arrested and face a variety of charges in federal court in Washington. Who were the rioters? And what motivated them to attack the seat of their own government? FILE – Pro-Trump protesters storm the U.S. Capitol to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.Initially, they appeared to be mostly “knuckleheads,” said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of The George Washington University Program on Extremism. Then, the FBI started arresting key members of the pro-Trump Proud Boys and two militia groups, training the spotlight on far-right organizations. Now, nearly five weeks after the attack, researchers at the University of Chicago have concluded that the majority of the rioters were not members of far-right groups but “normal” Trump supporters — part of his political base. Among them were doctors, lawyers, architects and business owners. “What we are dealing with here is not merely a mix of right-wing organizations, but a broader mass movement with violence at its core,” Robert Pape and Keven Ruby of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST) wrote in a FILE – Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump sit inside the office of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as they protest inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.Other researchers following the rioters have reached similar conclusions. Hughes said he agreed they represent a new mass movement of violent extremism. But he said a repeat of January 6 is unlikely, given that the “merely curious” types that took part in the insurrection would be reluctant to participate again. “No one’s going in there ignoring the law,” he said. “If somebody tried to do something like that again, they’re going in there fully aware of what they’re about to do.” The University of Chicago report was last updated on February 5 and doesn’t include charges filed over the past week.Extremism researcher Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, cautioned that the data on the rioters is far from conclusive, and as the investigation proceeds, previously unknown ties between the insurrectionists and organized right-wing groups may come to light. Just because a violent rioter is not a member of an organized extremist group does not make him or her any less dangerous, Levin said. “They might dine from the same buffet table of extremism,” but “you don’t have to be a member of the Proud Boys or the Oath Keepers to belong to the same overall subculture or to adhere to certain conspiracies,” he said. Demographic snapshot To gain insight into the backgrounds and ideologies of the rioters, the University of Chicago researchers examined more than 1,500 court documents and media stories about 221 people arrested so far. They found that in contrast to right-wing extremists arrested over the past five years, the Capitol rioters make up an older, better employed crowd. The majority are white and male. Sixty-six percent are 34 years or older; 85% have jobs; 13% are business owners, while 27% hold white-collar jobs. Geographically, they hail from across the country and not just from “red” counties that support Trump. In fact, more than half come from counties that Trump lost to Biden — counties that tend to be more racially mixed with higher unemployment rates, according to the report. “This will come as a surprise to many Biden supporters, who presumably think that the insurrectionists are coming from red counties — rural, almost completely white, and with high unemployment — far from Biden strongholds,” the researchers said. ‘Normal’ Trump supporters Of the 221 defendants the researchers investigated, 198 had no known links to militias or other far-right groups. That is about 90% of the total. The researchers characterize these unaffiliated rioters as “normal” pro-Trump activists. Hughes said the majority of these rioters fall under what he calls the “merely curious” category — “folks taking selfies in the Senate Rotunda.” Former Houston police officer Tam Pham claims to have been such a participant. Before his arrest last month, FILE – Supporters of then-President Donald Trump, wearing attire associated with the Proud Boys, attend a rally at Freedom Plaza in Washington, Dec. 12, 2020.Tarrio was arrested two days before the riot and was barred from returning to Washington. In the days since, two other prominent members of the group — organizer Joe Biggs, 37, and “Sergeant of Arms” Ethan Nordean, 30 — have been charged for their roles in the riot. Additional charges are likely forthcoming, Hughes said, noting that arrest warrants have been issued for a number of other members. In addition to the Proud Boys, nine members of the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters — two far-right militia groups — have been charged. Last month, three suspected members of the Oath Keepers were indicted on multiple felony charges for coordinating their attack on the Capitol. The trio documented their movements during the riot. “Yeah. We stormed the Capitol today. Teargassed, the whole, 9. Pushed our way into the Rotunda. Made it into the Senate even. The news is lying (even Fox) about the Historical Events we created today,” Jessica Watkins, 38, an Oath Keeper and a self-styled commander of the Ohio State Regular Militia posted on social media. The Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters are known for recruiting current and former military personnel, police officers and firefighters. According to the report, 40% of the militia members and other right-wing extremists arrested so far have military experience. Watkins is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. QAnon support Among the most memorable images on January 6 were QAnon signs and other memorabilia carried by the rioters. But the University of Chicago researchers found that just 8% of those arrested so far — fewer than 20 people — have expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory. That largely mirrors the FILE – Jacob Chansley and other supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.Among the QAnon supporters charged is Jacob Chansley, the so-called “QAnon shaman” also known as Jake Angeli, who gained notoriety for storming the Capitol sporting horns, a bearskin headdress, and red, white and blue face paint. He told FBI agents he traveled to Washington with other “patriots” from Arizona at Trump’s “request.” Other QAnon supporters have drawn less public attention. Henry Phillip Muntzer, an appliance store owner from Montana, is known locally for a QAnon mural covering the façade of his store front. In a Facebook post that included a video taken from inside the Capitol, Muntzer wrote, “Stormed the Capitol in Washington DC we were able to push through the capitalpPolice (sic) and enter several Chambers,” according to court documents.
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US First Lady Displays ‘Valentine to the Country’ on White House Lawn
U.S. President Joe Biden joined first lady Jill Biden early Friday for an unannounced stroll of the White House lawn to view Valentine’s Day decorations the first lady had erected to send a message of hope to the nation.
The president and first lady, with coffee cups in hand and their two dogs alongside, casually roamed the north lawn of the White House among giant hearts bearing messages such as “healing,” “courage” and “compassion.”
The first lady told reporters she just wanted to share some joy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The president told reporters Valentine’s Day — observed this year on Sunday, February 14 — has always been special to the first lady and related a story from his days as vice president when she decorated every window in his office.
Reporters took the opportunity to ask Biden about the ongoing impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in the U.S Senate. President Biden, up to now, has offered little or no public comment on the proceedings.
“I’m just anxious to see what my Republican friends do, if they stand up,” Biden told reporters, referring the Republican senators serving as jurors in the trial. Asked if he plans to call them, Biden said no.
U.S. House Democratic managers have spent the last three days presenting their case against Trump, whom they have charged with instigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Despite often intense video evidence and emotional presentations, most Senate Republicans are expected to vote to acquit the former president.
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Trump’s Lawyers to Present Defense in One Day
Lawyers for former U.S. President Donald Trump say they only need one day to present their client’s case in his impeachment trial before the U.S. Senate.Trump’s lawyers are mounting the former president’s defense Friday without any testimony from the former president, who has declined to participate in the trial.The defense follows a two-day presentation by House Democrats linking Trump’s rhetoric at a rally on Jan. 6 to the actions of the mob that overtook the U.S. Capitol shortly afterward in an attempt to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.In an unusual move Thursday, three Republican Senators — Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah — who are jurors in the trial, met with Trump’s lawyers.CNN reported that David Schoen, one of Trump’s lawyers, said the lawmakers wanted to ensure that the Trump’s defense team was “familiar with procedure” before Friday’s presentation.Trump is reported to be disappointed with the performance of his lawyers –- Schoen and Bruce Castor — who were recruited after the former president’s first legal team quit shortly before the trial began.Impeachment prosecutors contended Thursday there is “clear and overwhelming” evidence that former Trump incited insurrection by sending a mob of his supporters to the Capitol last month to confront lawmakers as they were certifying that he had lost the November election to Democrat Joe Biden.In closing arguments, the lead impeachment manager, Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland, told the 100 members of the Senate acting as jurors they should use “common sense on what happened here.”“It is a bedrock principle that no one can incite a riot” in the American democracy, Raskin said.But he argued that Trump urged hundreds of his supporters to march to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and then, when they stormed the building, smashed windows, ransacked offices and scuffled with police, “did nothing for at least two hours” to end the mayhem that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.“He betrayed us,” Raskin said of the former U.S. leader, whose four-year term ended Jan. 20 as Biden was inaugurated as the country’s 46th president. “He incited a violent insurrection against our government. He must be convicted.”Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 8 MB480p | 12 MB540p | 16 MB720p | 33 MB1080p | 65 MBOriginal | 73 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioRaskin and eight other impeachment managers, all Democrats in the House of Representatives, concluded their case after about 12 hours spread over two days of presenting arguments and evidence against Trump.They flashed dozens of Trump’s Twitter comments on television screens in the Senate chamber from the weeks leading up to the election with his claims that the only way he could lose to Biden was if the election were rigged, then more tweets with an array of his unfounded claims after the election that he had been cheated out of another term in the White House.The House impeachment managers also showed an array of video clips of the rioters raging through the Capitol complex, most graphically scenes of some of them shouting “Hang Mike Pence!” as they searched in vain for Trump’s vice president, who had refused to accede to his demands to block certification of Biden’s victory.Other insurgents stormed into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, looking to kill the longtime Trump political opponent. But security officials escorted Pence to a secluded room in the Capitol and whisked Pelosi to safety away from the building, which is often seen as a symbol of American democracy.Trump’s lawyers have broadly claimed that Trump’s speech at the rally shortly before the rampage at the Capitol in which he urged his supporters to “fight like hell” was permissible political rhetoric, sanctioned by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protection of freedom of speech.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 9 MB480p | 13 MB540p | 18 MB720p | 39 MB1080p | 73 MBOriginal | 83 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioBut Raskin told the Senate, “What is impeachable conduct if not this? If you don’t find [that Trump committed] high crimes and misdemeanors [the standard for conviction of an impeachment charge] you have set a new terrible standard for presidential conduct.”Earlier Thursday, another impeachment manager, Congresswoman Diana DeGette of Colorado, quoted numerous insurgents who stormed the U.S. Capitol who said they acted on Trump’s demands.She said the mob “believed the commander in chief was ordering them. The insurrectionists made clear to police they were just following the orders of the president.”“The insurrectionists didn’t make this up,” she said. “They were told [by Trump] to fight like hell. They were there because the president told them to be there.”DeGette showed lawmakers several television interviews in which the protesters said they went to the Capitol because Trump had commanded them to do so.Several impeachment managers warned that if Trump is acquitted, which is the likely outcome of the trial, he could be emboldened to create more chaos in another run for the presidency in 2024.Congressman Ted Lieu of California said, “You know, I’m not afraid of Donald Trump running again in four years. I’m afraid he’s going to run again and lose, because he can do this again.”Thursday’s session came after several lawmakers told reporters they were shaken by graphic, previously undisclosed videos of the mayhem the Democratic lawmakers showed them Wednesday, with scenes of dozens of officials scrambling to escape the mob that had stormed into the Capitol.But there was no immediate indication that Republican supporters of Trump in the Senate were turning en masse against him. Trump remains on track to be acquitted.A two-thirds vote is needed to convict Trump of a single impeachment charge, that he incited insurrection by urging hundreds of supporters to confront lawmakers at the Capitol to try to upend Biden’s victory. In the politically divided 100-member Senate, 17 Republicans would have to join every Democrat for a conviction.At the moment, it appears that only a handful of Republicans might vote to convict Trump, the only president in U.S. history to be twice impeached.Trump’s lawyers say he bears no responsibility for the attack on the Capitol. The Senate voted 56-44 on Tuesday to move ahead with the trial, rejecting Trump’s claim that it was unconstitutional to try him on impeachment charges since he has already left office. The vote also seemed to signal that relatively few Republicans appear willing to convict him.Trump left Washington hours ahead of Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20 and is living at his Atlantic coastal mansion in Florida.
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EU Signs $800-Billion COVID-19 Recovery Fund
European Union leaders Friday signed an $814-billion package of grants and low-interest loans intended to help the bloc’s member nations recover from the record recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The package is the central component of a $908-billion recovery plan approved by the EU last year. Member nations must ratify the plan to allow the European Commission – the EU’s executive arm – to borrow funds on the market.
At a news conference in Brussels, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged EU nations to move quickly, because the commission will go to the market, raise the funds and disburse them as soon as possible. She expected the first of the recovery money by about the middle of the year.
The 27-member governments have until the end of April to submit detailed plans on how they will spend the money. Under EU guidelines, the plans must dedicate at least 37 percent of their budgets to addressing climate change and at least 20 percent to “digital transformation” – updating their nation’s technology infrastructure. The funding will be available for three years.
The commission says that so far, 19 EU countries have submitted draft plans, while seven other countries have plans underway.
Von der Leyen also told reporters the European Commission hopes to see 70 percent of the EU population vaccinated for COVID-19 by the end of summer – September 21.
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ICRC Calls for Africa to Get Fair Share of COVID-19 vaccines
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is calling on the world community to make sure Africa gets a fair share of COVID-19 vaccines.
Ahead of a visit to the Central African Republic, one year after the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported there, ICRC President Peter Maurer said in a statement Friday that “[i]t is a moral imperative that Africa’s access to needed vaccines is drastically improved, but also that COVID vaccination campaigns do not come at the cost of other key health concerns.”
He said as new COVID-19 variants start to spread, “[n]o one is safe until everyone is safe,” adding that “equitable access to its vaccine today is a critical step towards more equitable access to vaccines more generally.”
The World Health Organization said this week that the UN-led COVAX initiative aims to start shipping about 90 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa this month. It said the immunization rollout will be the continent’s largest ever mass vaccination campaign.
Most of the doses will be of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The ICRC said as more vaccines become available, it is of paramount importance that authorities give high priority to displaced people, migrants and refugees, people in detention, and to communities in areas under non-government control, the statement said.
“Vaccinating vulnerable groups across the globe makes economic sense,” Maurer said.
The ICRC, in close cooperation with Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies and other partners, is ready to help with vaccine roll outs, Maurer said.
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UN ‘Concerned’ About Zimbabwe Using COVID as Pretext to Crack Down on Dissent
The United Nations Human Rights Office says it is “concerned” by a new Human Rights Watch report that says Zimbabwe’s government is using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association. Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman of the U.N. Human Rights Office, said the agency is encouraging President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to engage with civil society and other stakeholders to find sustainable solutions to grievances, while ensuring that people’s rights and freedoms are protected in accordance with Zimbabwe’s human rights obligations. “We are indeed concerned at allegations that suggest that the Zimbabwean authorities may be using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association,” Hurtado said. “Merely calling for a peaceful protest or participating in a peaceful protest are an exercise of recognized human rights. An example of intimidation is the repeated arbitrary arrest and detention of three members of the main opposition party for taking part in a protest.”That is an apparent reference to three female opposition activists who were arrested in May for protesting the Zimbabwe government’s failure to provide payouts during a lockdown to contain the coronavirus. They now face two more charges – all related to breaking lockdown regulations. On Thursday, HRW released a report chronicling how 23 African governments are using the COVID-19 pandemic to clamp down on freedom of the media and of assembly. On Friday, Cecillia Chimbiri – one of the three female opposition activists mentioned in the HRW report – welcomed the U.N. Human Rights Office’s statement on Zimbabwe. She maintains the trio’s innocence and wants Zimbabwe government look after its citizens during lockdowns. “The demo was simply to say: people are hungry, what are you doing as the government of Zimbabwe, people are unemployed, Zimbabweans live hand to mouth? We are law-abiding citizens,” she told VOA. ” Speaking against the government doesn’t make us unpatriotic. We love our country that’s why we are speaking against any injustices and any inequalities that are existing. We did not commit any crime. We are not criminals. They are trying to tarnish our images, this is what this government is doing, to clampdown voices, to make sure they continue doing that (abuses).”On Wednesday, Elasto Mugwadi, the head of the government-affiliated Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, confirmed to VOA that his organization had received complaints of abuses raised in the HRW report. He said the complaints included “robust approach in enforcement by the police” and “generally excessive enforcement.” Mugwadi said the commission was investigating the complaints of abuses during the lockdown by the Zimbabwe government to contain coronavirus. “While recognizing the government’s efforts to contain the pandemic, it is important to remind the authorities that any restrictions should be necessary, proportionate and time-limited, and enforced humanely without resorting to unnecessary or excessive force,” Hurtado said. The HRW report, Covid-19 Triggers Wave of Free Speech Abuse, said the rights group was concerned about introduction of Zimbabwe’s Public Health Order Act in March, which threatened up to 20 years in prison for fake news on public health matters.
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Russian Officials: Moscow Ready to Respond if Faced with Harsh EU Sanctions
Russia says it needs to be ready to respond if the European Union imposes harsh sanctions on the country over the arrest and jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow should be prepared to replace any of its vital infrastructure with necessary elements to counter the difficulties that Russia would face if faced with foreign sanctions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with a YouTube channel (Soloviev Live, February 12, 2021) earlier Friday that Moscow is ready to sever ties with the European Union if the 27-member bloc imposes harsh economic sanctions on Russia.
Lavrov said that his country would take countermeasures if “we again see sanctions imposed in some sectors that create risks for our economy, including in the most sensitive spheres,” adding that Russians “don’t want to isolate ourselves from global life, but we have to be ready for that. If you want peace, then prepare for war.”
Likely sanctions would be travel bans and asset freezes on associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which after France and Germany indicated they were willing to take measures on Russia, could be imposed as soon as this month.
Pressure for sanctions has intensified after Moscow expelled German, Polish and Swedish diplomats last week without informing the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who was in Moscow for a visit.
Navalny, 44, appeared again in court Friday for allegedly making a derogatory statement about a World War II veteran last year.
The hearing came after the court ordered Navalny last month to serve 2 1/2 years in prison for allegedly violating a suspended sentence while recovering from a poisoning in Germany.
Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that Navalny’s wife, Yulia, has fled Russia for Germany.
The Russian news agency Interfax and German daily Der Spiegel each reported her departure, quoting unnamed sources.
Speaking to the state-run TASS news agency, lawyers for the Navalnys could not confirm her departure and said they had no information about it.
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Trump’s Lawyers to Present his Defense in Just 1 Day
Lawyers for former U.S. President Donald Trump say they only need one day to present their client’s case in his impeachment trial before the U.S. Senate.Trump’s lawyers are mounting the former president’s defense Friday without any testimony from the former president, who has declined to participate in the trial.The defense follows a two-day presentation by House Democrats linking Trump’s rhetoric at a rally on Jan. 6 to the actions of the mob that overtook the U.S. Capitol shortly afterward in an attempt to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.In an unusual move Thursday, three Republican Senators — Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah — who are jurors in the trial, met with Trump’s lawyers.CNN reported that David Schoen, one of Trump’s lawyers, said the lawmakers wanted to ensure that the Trump’s defense team was “familiar with procedure” before Friday’s presentation.Trump is reported to be disappointed with the performance of his lawyers –- Schoen and Bruce Castor — who were recruited after the former president’s first legal team quit shortly before the trial began.Impeachment prosecutors contended Thursday there is “clear and overwhelming” evidence that former Trump incited insurrection by sending a mob of his supporters to the Capitol last month to confront lawmakers as they were certifying that he had lost the November election to Democrat Joe Biden.In closing arguments, the lead impeachment manager, Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland, told the 100 members of the Senate acting as jurors they should use “common sense on what happened here.”“It is a bedrock principle that no one can incite a riot” in the American democracy, Raskin said.But he argued that Trump urged hundreds of his supporters to march to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and then, when they stormed the building, smashed windows, ransacked offices and scuffled with police, “did nothing for at least two hours” to end the mayhem that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.“He betrayed us,” Raskin said of the former U.S. leader, whose four-year term ended Jan. 20 as Biden was inaugurated as the country’s 46th president. “He incited a violent insurrection against our government. He must be convicted.”Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 8 MB480p | 12 MB540p | 16 MB720p | 33 MB1080p | 65 MBOriginal | 73 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioRaskin and eight other impeachment managers, all Democrats in the House of Representatives, concluded their case after about 12 hours spread over two days of presenting arguments and evidence against Trump.They flashed dozens of Trump’s Twitter comments on television screens in the Senate chamber from the weeks leading up to the election with his claims that the only way he could lose to Biden was if the election were rigged, then more tweets with an array of his unfounded claims after the election that he had been cheated out of another term in the White House.The House impeachment managers also showed an array of video clips of the rioters raging through the Capitol complex, most graphically scenes of some of them shouting “Hang Mike Pence!” as they searched in vain for Trump’s vice president, who had refused to accede to his demands to block certification of Biden’s victory.Other insurgents stormed into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, looking to kill the longtime Trump political opponent. But security officials escorted Pence to a secluded room in the Capitol and whisked Pelosi to safety away from the building, which is often seen as a symbol of American democracy.Trump’s lawyers have broadly claimed that Trump’s speech at the rally shortly before the rampage at the Capitol in which he urged his supporters to “fight like hell” was permissible political rhetoric, sanctioned by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protection of freedom of speech.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 9 MB480p | 13 MB540p | 18 MB720p | 39 MB1080p | 73 MBOriginal | 83 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioBut Raskin told the Senate, “What is impeachable conduct if not this? If you don’t find [that Trump committed] high crimes and misdemeanors [the standard for conviction of an impeachment charge] you have set a new terrible standard for presidential conduct.”Earlier Thursday, another impeachment manager, Congresswoman Diana DeGette of Colorado, quoted numerous insurgents who stormed the U.S. Capitol who said they acted on Trump’s demands.She said the mob “believed the commander in chief was ordering them. The insurrectionists made clear to police they were just following the orders of the president.”“The insurrectionists didn’t make this up,” she said. “They were told [by Trump] to fight like hell. They were there because the president told them to be there.”DeGette showed lawmakers several television interviews in which the protesters said they went to the Capitol because Trump had commanded them to do so.Several impeachment managers warned that if Trump is acquitted, which is the likely outcome of the trial, he could be emboldened to create more chaos in another run for the presidency in 2024.Congressman Ted Lieu of California said, “You know, I’m not afraid of Donald Trump running again in four years. I’m afraid he’s going to run again and lose, because he can do this again.”Thursday’s session came after several lawmakers told reporters they were shaken by graphic, previously undisclosed videos of the mayhem the Democratic lawmakers showed them Wednesday, with scenes of dozens of officials scrambling to escape the mob that had stormed into the Capitol.But there was no immediate indication that Republican supporters of Trump in the Senate were turning en masse against him. Trump remains on track to be acquitted.A two-thirds vote is needed to convict Trump of a single impeachment charge, that he incited insurrection by urging hundreds of supporters to confront lawmakers at the Capitol to try to upend Biden’s victory. In the politically divided 100-member Senate, 17 Republicans would have to join every Democrat for a conviction.At the moment, it appears that only a handful of Republicans might vote to convict Trump, the only president in U.S. history to be twice impeached.Trump’s lawyers say he bears no responsibility for the attack on the Capitol. The Senate voted 56-44 on Tuesday to move ahead with the trial, rejecting Trump’s claim that it was unconstitutional to try him on impeachment charges since he has already left office. The vote also seemed to signal that relatively few Republicans appear willing to convict him.Trump left Washington hours ahead of Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20 and is living at his Atlantic coastal mansion in Florida.
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What Is the NTSB?
What is the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)?The NTSB is an independent U.S. federal agency responsible for investigating and determining the probable cause of every U.S. civil aviation accident. The NTSB also investigates significant accidents involving other modes of transportation, including highways, railroads, marine and pipeline.How are NTSB investigators trained?The NTSB has its own training facility in suburban Washington. Its curriculum is designed to train investigators who can produce, the agency says, “independent, objective, and technically advanced accident investigations that will enhance the safety of all modes of transportation.”Does the NTSB investigate foreign accidents?The NTSB’s Aviation Go Teams respond only to accidents that occur on U.S. territory or in international waters. Elsewhere, the investigator is the government in whose territory the accident occurs, usually assisted by a U.S. “accredited representative” from the NTSB’s staff of investigators if a U.S. carrier or U.S. manufactured plane is involved.Are there NTSBs in other countries?Several countries, among them Australia, Canada and the Netherlands, have established their own NTSBs. The formation of some foreign NTSBs has been inspired by the U.S. agency.Other major NTSB investigations?NTSB investigators have participated in a variety of national and international investigations, including the disappearance in 2014 of a Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Recently, the NTSB released a report about a California helicopter crash whose passengers included basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter.
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Tokyo Olympics Chief Quits, Apologizes Again for Sexist Remarks
Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigned on Friday and again apologized for his sexist remarks that sparked a global outcry, leaving the troubled Olympics searching for a chief five months from the start.”My inappropriate comments caused a big trouble. I am sorry,” Mori, 83, said at an Olympic organizing committee meeting.He said the most important thing now was for the Tokyo Olympics to be a success.His resignation only months before the postponed Summer Games are scheduled to begin will further erode confidence in the organizers’ ability to pull off the event during a coronavirus pandemic.Mori, a former Japanese prime minister, sparked a furor when he said during an Olympic committee meeting earlier this month that women talk too much.After a global outcry for him to be sacked, he apologized for his comments but refused to step down.On Thursday, Mori asked the mayor of the Olympic village, 84-year-old Saburo Kawabuchi, to take over the top position, but by Friday public criticism of his hand-picked successor, another older male, reportedly saw Kawabuchi turn down the job.Local broadcaster Fuji News Network reported the government would seek to block the nomination of Kawabuchi.”We can’t give the impression that things have changed unless we install a woman or see a generational shift,” FNN cited a government source as saying.The Mori controversy has done “serious reputation damage” to the Tokyo Olympics, said one source involved in the Olympics.The source, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said many officials want a woman to replace Mori.Local media said Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto, a woman who has represented Japan in both the summer and winter Olympics, was being considered as a possible candidate.Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had asked Mori if there was either a younger or a female candidate to succeed, but Mori recommended Kawabuchi, Kawabuchi said.Katsunobu Kato, top government spokesman, said he was not aware of Suga’s conversation with Mori.
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Kim Blames Officials for North Korea’s Economic Failures
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ripped into the performance of his Cabinet and fired a senior economic official he appointed a month ago, saying they’d failed to come up with new ideas to salvage an economy in decay.The report by state media on Friday comes during the toughest period of Kim’s nine-year rule. The diplomacy he had hoped would lift U.S.-led sanctions over his nuclear program is stalemated, and pandemic border closures and crop-killing natural disasters last year deepened the damage to an economy broken by decades of policy failures, including a crippling famine in the 1990s.The border closure caused trade volume with China, the main source of support for North Korea’s economy, to drop by 75% in the first 10 months of the year. Raw materials shortages caused factory output to plunge to its lowest level since Kim took power in 2011, and prices of imported foods like sugar quadrupled, according to South Korea’s spy agency.Economic perfect stormSome analysts say the current challenges may set up conditions for an economic perfect storm in the North that destabilizes markets and triggers public panic and unrest.The current challenges have forced Kim to publicly admit that past economic plans hadn’t succeeded. A new five-year plan to develop the economy was issued during the ruling Workers’ Party congress in January, but Kim’s comments during the party’s Central Committee meeting that ended Thursday were rich with frustration over how the plans have been executed so far.During Thursday’s session, Kim lamented that the Cabinet was failing in its role as the key institution managing the economy, saying it was producing unworkable plans while displaying no “innovative viewpoint and clear tactics.”He said the Cabinet’s targets for agricultural production this year were set unrealistically high, considering limited supplies of farming materials and other unfavorable conditions. Targets for electricity production were set too low, he said, showing a lack of urgency when shortages could stall work at coal mines and other industries.”The Cabinet failed to play a leading role in mapping out plans of key economic fields and almost mechanically brought together the numbers drafted by the ministries,” the KCNA paraphrased Kim as saying.The KCNA also said that O Su Yong was named as the new director of the Central Committee’s Department of Economic Affairs during this week’s meeting, replacing Kim Tu Il who was appointed in January.10.1 million people food insecureDuring the January party congress, Kim Jong Un called for reasserting greater state control over the economy, boosting harvests and prioritizing the development of chemicals and metal industries. He also vowed all-out efforts to bolster his nuclear weapons program in comments that were seen as an attempt to pressure the new Biden administration.To truly revive the economy, analysts say, the country needs to invest heavily in modern factory equipment and technology, and to either import more food or improve farm productivity: a U.N. assessment in 2019 found that 10.1 million people, or 40% of the population, were food insecure and in urgent need of assistance. The border closure has hindered updates on the situation, but output of staple grains had plateaued since surging a few years ago, when farmers were allowed to retain more of their harvests instead of handing them entirely over to the government.The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization estimates that nearly half of North Koreans are undernourished.The metal and chemical industries are crucial for revitalizing stalling manufacturing, which has been decimated by U.N. sanctions and disrupted imports of factory materials amid the pandemic. However, most experts agree that North Korea’s new development plans aren’t meaningfully different from its previous ones that lacked in substance.South Korean intelligence officials say there are also signs that the North is taking dramatic steps to strengthen government control over markets, including suppressing the use of U.S. dollars and other foreign currencies.Such efforts might compel people to exchange their foreign currency savings for the North Korean won. They demonstrate the government’s sense of urgency over its depleting foreign currency reserves, analysts say.
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House Impeachment Managers Close Case Against Trump
House impeachment managers on Thursday closed their case, arguing former President Donald Trump was directly responsible for the attempt to overturn the counting of Electoral College votes for Joe Biden. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports on Democrats’ final argument in this historic trial.
Camera: Mike Burke
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Tokyo Olympics Chief to Quit Over Sexist Remarks in Another Blow to the Games
Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori is expected to resign on Friday over his sexist comments, with the mayor of the Olympic village Saburo Kawabuchi saying Mori had asked him to take over.Kawabuchi said he accepted Mori’s request in an emotional meeting on Thursday during which both men cried.”Mr. Mori was straightforward saying ‘I want you to take over now this happened,’ ” Kawabuchi, 84, told reporters late Thursday.”I thought how hard it must be for him and I couldn’t stop crying,” Kawabuchi said.The 83-year-old Mori, a former Japanese prime minister, sparked a global outcry with sexist comments that women talk too much, which he made during an Olympic committee meeting.Mori apologized for his comments but initially refused to resign, despite growing calls for him to step down.His resignation less than six months before the Summer Olympics are scheduled to begin would raise new doubts over the viability of holding the postponed Games this year.Games officials are already struggling with how to hold a safe Olympics, with tens of thousands of athletes and possibly spectators, during the coronavirus pandemic.Kawabuchi, the former Japan Football Association president, said he wants Mori to play a consulting role in the Games to help make the event a success.Kawabuchi represented Japan in football at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and helped Japan co-host the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea.Later Friday, the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, which has not officially commented on Mori’s resignation, plans to hold a meeting of its council and executive board, followed by a press conference.Having initially said it considered the matter closed with Mori’s initial apology, the International Olympic Committee branded his remarks “completely inappropriate.”
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Wisconsin Biologist Charged with Lying About Caviar Scheme
Prosecutors charged the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ top sturgeon expert Thursday with obstructing an investigation into allegations that his employees have been funneling the valuable fish’s eggs to a network of caviar processors under the guise of a scientific study.Ryan Koenigs faces one count of obstructing a conservation warden, which is a misdemeanor punishable by up to nine months in jail and $10,000 in fines. Online court records did not list an attorney for him. DNR spokeswoman Sarah Hoye said Koenigs was placed on administrative leave Thursday but declined further comment. He could be the first of many to be charged in what investigators allege was a wide-ranging scheme involving multiple DNR employees and caviar processors.Sturgeon are bony fish that can grow as large as 3.6 meters (12 feet) long, and their eggs are highly coveted as caviar. Wisconsin, which prides itself on outdoor traditions such as hunting and fishing, holds a sturgeon spearing season every February on the Lake Winnebago system near Oshkosh, about 142 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of Milwaukee. This year’s season is set to begin Saturday.According to the criminal complaint, Koenigs has served as the DNR’s top sturgeon biologist since 2012 and is the lead coordinator for the department’s spearing season. He oversees the roughly 60 DNR workers who staff registration stations during the season.The DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a joint investigation in 2017 into allegations that DNR workers had been illegally selling or trading sturgeon caviar in violation of state and federal law. The investigation culminated in January 2020 and uncovered multiple people who were illegally selling, purchasing, bartering or trading sturgeon eggs, the complaint states.Investigators interviewed Koenigs in January 2020. He told them that DNR registration workers collect eggs as part of a fertility study. If a spearer wants the eggs back, the workers will not collect them or they will return them after they have been studied, Koenigs said.Investigators asked him why workers at a registration station were putting eggs in a cooler marked for a caviar processor. Koenigs said he did not know the processor, that staff should not be taking custody of eggs and that he did not know the processor kept a cooler at the station.He said he had never called the processor. When investigators showed him phone records confirming that Koenigs had in fact done so in May 2018, he said he did not know what he and the processor discussed, but that he was sure it was not sturgeon eggs.He insisted he did not know that any DNR workers were collecting eggs and giving them to members of the public who were not involved in department research. He added, however, that if a spearer asks for eggs to be taken to a processor as part of the research, DNR workers will do so and that processors sometimes thank DNR staffers with jars of caviar.Investigators interviewed Kendall Kamke, a DNR fisheries supervisor, the same day. He said he was guilty of taking eggs to a processor “here and there” and that processors would give him jars of caviar in return. One processor gave him moonshine, he said.Investigators also uncovered official DNR logs showing that caviar was going to a processor, according to the complaint. A former DNR fisheries supervisor named Ronald Bruch told them that staff had received caviar from processors for years and ate it at meetings.Two processors told investigators that staff would give them eggs; one of them said he made 65 pounds of caviar out of them in 2015. He and Koenigs were both nervous about the arrangement because it was prohibited, he said. A DNR sturgeon registration employee told them that one year, they threw out all the eggs because wardens were asking too many questions about them, the complaint states.Investigators searched Koenigs’ home in June and seized his DNR-issued phone. They discovered it had been erased in April, four months after they interviewed him, and reset without the department’s permission.Last week, Koenigs told investigators that members of his staff were indeed taking eggs from five to six sturgeon to processors annually after research rather than throwing them away. He also said he accepted 20 to 30 jars of caviar annually from processors and disbursed them to as many as a dozen co-workers for their personal use, according to the complaint.His false statements added “hundreds” of hours to an investigation “that could have been dramatically shortened had he told investigators the truth,” the complaint said.
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