A key centrist U.S. Democratic lawmaker, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, helped broker passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, but declared Sunday that he remains opposed to eliminating the filibuster in the Senate to ease passage other progressive legislation. In the politically divided chamber, with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, Manchin played a center-stage role in shaping the virus relief aid. He agreed to keep the $300-a-week national government payments to jobless workers at their current level rather than raise the figure to $400 and to cut off tax relief for the unemployed if they had annual family income above $150,000. “We targeted where help was needed,” Manchin told CNN. “This is one tremendous piece of legislation. It’s going to help a lot of people.”Key Facts About the $1.9T COVID Bill Legislation still needs final passage in House, president’s signature But until Manchin reached agreement with his more progressive Democratic allies in the Senate who wanted bigger financial assistance for the unemployed, passage of the relief aid remained in doubt. The House of Representatives is expected to approve the Senate version of the relief package in the coming days and send it to Biden for his signature, his first major legislative victory since taking office in January. No Republican voted for the legislation in either chamber. In the Senate, that left Manchin, perhaps the most conservative of the 50-member Democratic caucus, with an outsized role in reaching agreement with his fellow Democrats even as he rejected overtures from Republican lawmakers to join them in approving a much-reduced coronavirus spending package.”My Republican friends are my friends. They’re not my enemies,” he told the “Fox News Sunday” show. “And my Democrats are my colleagues, they’re not my enemies either. That’s my caucus.”But Manchin told Sunday talk shows he maintains his opposition to ending the legislative filibuster in the Senate, which some progressive Democrats want to do away with in order push through Biden’s legislative agenda on 51-50 votes if need be, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.Senate Passes $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill50-49 vote falls along party lines in 100-member chamber While simple majorities are enough to approve legislation in the House, 60 votes are often necessary in the Senate to end debate on controversial issues and move forward to a vote. If the filibuster is eliminated to thwart opponents from blocking key legislation, a Democratic majority, as is currently the case with the Harris tie-breaking vote, could pass legislation with a simple majority.Manchin, however, says he won’t accede to other Democrats wanting to change the Senate rules to end use of the filibuster, although he is open to make it more difficult to use, such as renewing the tradition from years past when filibustering lawmakers were required to hold the floor during Senate debates by speaking for hours without a recess. “I’d make it harder to get rid of the filibuster, I’m supporting the filibuster, I’m going to continue to support the filibuster,” Manchin said on Fox. “I think it defines who we are as a Senate. I’ll make it harder to get rid of it, but it should be painful if you want to use it.”Manchin noted that in recent years it has become much easier to use the filibuster.”It really should be painful, and we’ve made it more comfortable,” he said.The rules of Senate debate could come into play in the coming weeks over several Biden initiatives, including debate over a House-approved measure that would set national standards for the conduct of elections that Republicans oppose and whether to raise the U.S. minimum wage for workers from $7.25 an hour to $15.Manchin on CNN said there is “not one senator opposed to increasing the minimum wage,” although the debate centers on by how much and how quickly low-wage workers would be paid more. But a Biden bid to gradually raise the wage to $15 an hour was stripped from the coronavirus relief deal when several Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the provision.
…
Month: March 2021
Floyd’s Cause of Death, Former Cop’s Use of Force Will Be Keys at Trial
A Minneapolis police officer was swiftly fired and charged with murder after bystander video showed him pressing his knee into George Floyd’s neck, ignoring the Black man’s cries that he couldn’t breathe. But even with that powerful footage, legal experts say the case isn’t a slam dunk for the prosecution.Jury selection begins Monday in Derek Chauvin’s trial, which is expected to come down to two key questions: Did Chauvin’s actions cause Floyd’s death, and were his actions reasonable?”It’s hard not to watch the video and conclude that the prosecutors will not have any trouble with this case,” said Susan Gaertner, the former head prosecutor in neighboring Ramsey County. “But it’s not that simple.”Key Events Since George Floyd’s Arrest and DeathJury selection in the case begins MondayFloyd was declared dead May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes, holding his position even after Floyd went limp as he was handcuffed and lying on his stomach. Floyd’s death sparked sometimes violent protests in Minneapolis and beyond and led to a nationwide reckoning on race. Chauvin is charged with second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers, all of whom also were fired, face trial in August on charges of aiding and abetting the second-degree murder and manslaughter counts.The second-degree murder charge requires prosecutors to prove Chauvin caused Floyd’s death while committing or trying to commit a felony — in this case, third-degree assault. The manslaughter charge has a lower bar, requiring proof that Chauvin caused Floyd’s death through negligence that created an unreasonable risk, and consciously took the chance of causing severe injury or death.In addition, prosecutors are also hoping to reinstate a third-degree murder charge against Chauvin after a ruling from a panel of appeals court judges. Last fall, the trial judge in Chauvin’s case dismissed the third-degree charge, which has traditionally been used in Minnesota to prosecute suspects who acted dangerously but did not have the intention to harm a specific person. A recent court ruling in an unrelated case may reshape that interpretation in that it may be applied in a case in which a suspect’s actions are dangerous to a single person. Exactly how Floyd died is shaping up as a major flashpoint of the trial.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 11 MB480p | 15 MB540p | 21 MB720p | 45 MB1080p | 85 MBOriginal | 102 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioGeorge Floyd Murder Trial Spotlights Ongoing Race Issues in USChauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, argues in court documents that Floyd likely died from fentanyl he consumed, or a combination of fentanyl, methamphetamine and underlying health conditions — not as a result of Chauvin’s knee on his neck.But Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill wrote last fall that for the second-degree murder charge, prosecutors don’t have to prove that Chauvin was the sole cause of Floyd’s death — only that his conduct was a “substantial causal factor.”Still, defense attorneys who are not connected to the case say all Nelson has to do is raise reasonable doubt in a single juror’s mind.”Although he had him pinned under his knee and he’s yelling ‘I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!’ there’s an argument that (Chauvin) wasn’t exerting pressure and his inability to breathe was due to the drugs in his system or something to that effect, or his anxiety,” said F. Clayton Tyler, a prominent local defense attorney.Defense attorneys say it also may not be easy to establish that Chauvin was committing the felony of assault — as required for the second-degree murder charge in this case. Chauvin is authorized to use force as a police officer, and his attorneys will argue that his use of force against Floyd was reasonable.Gaertner, the former head prosecutor, said the defense will face a challenge of trying to move the jury’s focus off the video and the strong emotion it generates. They will instead try to focus on the medical evidence and Floyd’s underlying conditions while trying to portray the circumstances of the arrest as “justifiable, consistent with police norms,” she said. Chauvin will likely have to take the stand to explain why he felt he had to hold Floyd down for so long, experts say. He may say he followed his training, and that it was necessary because his experience with other suspects under the influence of drugs shows that things can suddenly become erratic and dangerous.Tyler said if he were a prosecutor, he would use a still shot of Chauvin’s expressionless face from that video and keep it in view for the jury to see.”I mean, the look on his face,” Tyler said. “If I was prosecuting this case, I have to say, I’d have that picture up there. You want to show indifference? Just look at him.”
…
Etna Keeps Up Its Spectacular Explosions, Rains Ash on Towns
A particularly spectacular blast from Italy’s Mount Etna volcano belched out a towering cloud of ash and lava stone Sunday onto Sicilian villages, the latest in a series of explosions since mid-February.Italy’s national geophysics and volcanology institute INGV said the powerful explosion at 2 a.m. local time was the 10th such big blast since February 16, when Europe’s most active volcano started giving off an impressive demonstration of nature’s fire power, coloring the night sky in hues of orange and red. Increasing tremors rattled the mountain throughout much of the night. Ash and small lava stones rained down on eight villages on Etna’s slopes Sunday morning, while lava flowed from the southeast crater slowly down an uninhabited side, as it has been doing for the last three weeks, the institute said. The column of ash and lava reached a height of 10,000 meters (33,000 feet) on Sunday, according to scientists who monitor volcanic activity with specialized instruments from an observatory at Etna in eastern Sicily.Locals swept ash and lava stones from their front steps and balconies. They have taken to covering cars parked outdoors with carpets, blankets and sheets of cardboard to make cleanup easier after each blast. Winds helped carry the ash eastward, INGV said.No injuries or serious damage have been reported after the recent blasts. Geologically active, Etna occasionally becomes particularly noisy and explosive as it has been lately.By midmorning, Etna’s latest display of activity had slowed somewhat with the lava flow ending, although the volcano was still puffing out a “weak emission of ash” from the southeast crater. A few hours later, the volcanic tremors picked up again, the INGV said in a statement. The INGV scientists say there is no way of predicting when this current round of particularly robust volcanic activity might subside.
…
Greece Sidelines Thousands of Asylum-Seekers in National Inoculation Drive
Illegal migrants and refugees in Greece will take a back seat in the nation’s coronavirus vaccination drive, the government in Athens has said, stoking concerns that more than 70,000 asylum-seekers, stuck in squalid living conditions, may become more vulnerable, according to aid workers and the United Nations.In rolling out the vaccine program last month, the center-right government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis vowed to make asylum-seekers eligible for the jab.
But Aristotelia Peloni, a government spokesperson, said this past week that thousands of migrants and refugees stuck in some 30 camps across the country or left adrift without proper accommodation, waiting for years to have their asylum requests heard, were not a priority.
“There is a provision for [migrant] inoculations to take place in closed areas, but for the time being others have priority, mainly elders … and vulnerable groups that will soon be added into the program regardless of age,” she told a news conference.
As of February 1, only the Netherlands and Spain have included migrants into their vaccination programs, according to the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM). Britain also offers free coronavirus testing and vaccinations for undocumented migrants. And Germany, most recently, said migrants would be second in line in its ongoing vaccination drive.
People older than age 85 have led Greece’s vaccination campaign, including senior government officials, health workers, police, coast guard personnel and the military. Jabs for those 60 and older have followed in recent weeks in a second and third wave of inoculation against the deadly virus that causes the COVID-19 disease.
But the government’s “Greeks first” vaccination policy has critics here fearing it echoes strong anti-immigrant sentiment and rhetoric once trumpeted by the leaders of Golden Dawn, one of Europe’s most violent neo-Nazi groups.
Humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR, are urging the government to clarify its policy regarding migrants.
“No one is safe until everyone is safe,” said Peter Kessler, the senior communications officer for the U.N.’s agency in Greece. “Ensuring that refugees and other non-nationals are included in the vaccine rollout and have access to vaccinations is key to protecting everyone and ending the pandemic.”
At least 70% of the population worldwide needs immunity to “sustainably slow the transmission of the virus.” And key to ending the pandemic, experts say, is ensuring that refugees are included in the vaccine rollout.
Since taking power in 2019, Mitsotakis’s center-right government has adopted a tougher stance on illegal migration, coming under increasing fire by aid organizations and the UNHCR for mistreating migrants and refugees, and by orchestrating covert operations to forcibly evict asylum-seekers.
In a report issued last month, aid group Aegean Boat Report documented the cases of 13 men, women and children it says were beaten, robbed and forced onto a life raft by Greek authorities on the island of Lesbos, only hours after illegally entering the country from Turkey.
The report said uniformed operatives removed the refugees from a camp on the island, claiming the refugees were being taken for COVID-19 testing.
“Instead,” the report said, “they were forced into an isobox, repeatedly beaten with batons, stripped of their possessions and forced into seas on an inflatable raft.”Greece has grappled with accusations of forced migrant returns and abuse since 2015, when about a million refugees, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, arrived in Europe to escape violence at home.
Forcing migrants to turn around is a serious breach of international law, violating asylum-seekers’ right to safe passage and protection.
Croatia, France, Spain, and Italy — all European Union member states that face similar migration challenges — also have been accused of engaging in unlawful, sometimes violent pushbacks.
Officials contacted by VOA on Sunday did not respond to requests for comment. Still, the government in Athens has repeatedly denied the allegations, claiming humanitarian groups have been aiding and abetting asylum-seekers in their quest to illegally enter Greece from Turkey and seek passage to the heart of Europe. Athens has also alleged that several of the non-governmental organizations have been working with human smugglers, allegedly facilitating illegal migration to Europe.
In February, NGO Mare Liberum said it alone had documented “close to 10,000 people” who were pushed back in 320 cases last year.
The group said the alleged pushbacks represented an “unprecedented escalation in human rights violations in the Aegean.”
…
US Senator Joe Manchin Play Key Role on Vital Legislation
A key centrist U.S. Democratic lawmaker, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, helped broker passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, but declared Sunday that he remains opposed to eliminating the filibuster in the Senate to ease passage other progressive legislation. In the politically divided chamber, with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, Manchin played a center-stage role in shaping the virus relief aid. He agreed to keep the $300-a-week national government payments to jobless workers at their current level rather than raise the figure to $400 and to cut off tax relief for the unemployed if they had annual family income above $150,000. “We targeted where help was needed,” Manchin told CNN. “This is one tremendous piece of legislation. It’s going to help a lot of people.”Key Facts About the $1.9T COVID Bill Legislation still needs final passage in House, president’s signature But until Manchin reached agreement with his more progressive Democratic allies in the Senate who wanted bigger financial assistance for the unemployed, passage of the relief aid remained in doubt. The House of Representatives is expected to approve the Senate version of the relief package in the coming days and send it to Biden for his signature, his first major legislative victory since taking office in January. No Republican voted for the legislation in either chamber. In the Senate, that left Manchin, perhaps the most conservative of the 50-member Democratic caucus, with an outsized role in reaching agreement with his fellow Democrats even as he rejected overtures from Republican lawmakers to join them in approving a much-reduced coronavirus spending package.”My Republican friends are my friends. They’re not my enemies,” he told the “Fox News Sunday” show. “And my Democrats are my colleagues, they’re not my enemies either. That’s my caucus.”But Manchin told Sunday talk shows he maintains his opposition to ending the legislative filibuster in the Senate, which some progressive Democrats want to do away with in order push through Biden’s legislative agenda on 51-50 votes if need be, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.Senate Passes $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill50-49 vote falls along party lines in 100-member chamber While simple majorities are enough to approve legislation in the House, 60 votes are often necessary in the Senate to end debate on controversial issues and move forward to a vote. If the filibuster is eliminated to thwart opponents from blocking key legislation, a Democratic majority, as is currently the case with the Harris tie-breaking vote, could pass legislation with a simple majority.Manchin, however, says he won’t accede to other Democrats wanting to change the Senate rules to end use of the filibuster, although he is open to make it more difficult to use, such as renewing the tradition from years past when filibustering lawmakers were required to hold the floor during Senate debates by speaking for hours without a recess. “I’d make it harder to get rid of the filibuster, I’m supporting the filibuster, I’m going to continue to support the filibuster,” Manchin said on Fox. “I think it defines who we are as a Senate. I’ll make it harder to get rid of it, but it should be painful if you want to use it.”Manchin noted that in recent years it has become much easier to use the filibuster.”It really should be painful, and we’ve made it more comfortable,” he said.The rules of Senate debate could come into play in the coming weeks over several Biden initiatives, including debate over a House-approved measure that would set national standards for the conduct of elections that Republicans oppose and whether to raise the U.S. minimum wage for workers from $7.25 an hour to $15.Manchin on CNN said there is “not one senator opposed to increasing the minimum wage,” although the debate centers on by how much and how quickly low-wage workers would be paid more. But a Biden bid to gradually raise the wage to $15 an hour was stripped from the coronavirus relief deal when several Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the provision.
…
Biden Officials Visits US-Mexico Border Amid Migrant Influx
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas led a visit by Biden administration officials to the U.S. border with Mexico on Saturday amid a growing number of border crossings and criticism by Republicans that an immigration crisis is brewing.President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has sought to reverse rigid immigration polices set up by his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, whose 2016 election and four-year presidency were dominated in part by his efforts to build a border wall and reduce the number of legal and illegal migrants coming into the United States.Biden has faced criticism from immigration activists, too, who say unaccompanied migrant children and families are being held too long in detention centers instead of being released while their asylum applications are considered.Biden Immigration Changes Raise Hopes, Concerns on US-Mexico Border Policy shift has renewed hope for hundreds of thousands of migrants, but raised concerns among law enforcement officials and residents The White House said last week Biden had asked senior members of his staff to travel to the border to report back about the influx of unaccompanied minors making crossings. It declined at the time to release details about the timing of the trip, citing security and privacy concerns.Mayorkas and other officials, including Biden’s domestic policy adviser Susan Rice, visited a border patrol facility and a refugee resettlement facility during their Saturday trip, the White House said in a statement on Sunday.”They discussed capacity needs given the number of unaccompanied children and families arriving at our border, the complex challenges with rebuilding our gutted border infrastructure and immigration system, as well as improvements that must be made in order to restore safe and efficient procedures to process, shelter, and place unaccompanied children with family or sponsors,” the White House said.”Officials also discussed ways to ensure the fair and humane treatment of immigrants, the safety of the workforce, and the wellbeing of communities nearby in the face of a global pandemic.”An influx of people seeking to cross the U.S. border is likely to be a big issue in the 2022 midterm elections; Trump may use it to rally his base against Biden and lay the groundwork for a potential return as a presidential candidate in 2024 or as a way to boost another Republican successor.”The border is breaking down as I speak. Immigration in 2022 will be a bigger issue than it was in 2016,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” program. Graham is a close ally of Trump.
…
Pope Francis Encourages Iraq’s Christians to Forgive and Rebuild
Pope Francis Sunday visited Christian communities in Iraq’s north, where the Islamic State group carried out its worst devastation, to bring encouragement and solace to those who suffered numerous atrocities and are trying to rebuild their homes and lives. Iraqis are also hoping to rebuild trust and hope for the future.Joyous celebrations welcomed Pope Francis to Iraq’s Christian heartland, first in Mosul where Iraqis shouted, “Viva Baba Francesco, long live Pope Francis, welcome to Nineveh.” Surrounded by the ruins of Islamic State militant destruction, the pope led prayers for the victims of war, saying, “Hope is more powerful than hatred.” The pope then headed to the town of Qaraqosh, the heartland of Iraq’s once thriving Christian community of 50,000, where only half the population has returned after the jihadists destroyed infrastructure and laid mines in homes. He urged Christians to forgive injustices perpetrated by Muslim extremists against them and rebuild their lives once again. “So do not lose hope; do not lose faith. Remember that we need to forgive. Have good courage to continue fighting, to continue to seek forgiveness. And I know it is hard, but God can bring peace to this Earth,” he said. Pope Francis arrives to pray for the victims of war at Hosh al-Bieaa Church Square in Mosul, Iraq, March 7, 2021.French Dominican Rev. Olivier Poquillon is helping to oversee the rebuilding of Mosul’s Our Lady of the Hour Church, where Muslims, Christians and other communities “work together, engage together for the common good.” “It’s really a bottom-up initiative,” he said. “The idea came from the people of Mosul. We saw a young neighbor, he was probably born after the time of the American invasion, so he never knew the peaceful time of Mosul. And he told us, Oh, you are Christians, come back, come back; we need you to live in peace together.” Hassan Amer, a Muslim, works with Catholic Relief Services in the Nineveh Plains on projects to promote rebuilding devastated communities and interreligious trust. The “Shared Future Program’’ receives funding from USAID. “We work with communities from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds to common goals and establish and strengthening the relationships. Most importantly, building the broken trust among the communities on Nineveh Plains after years of displacement,” he said. For the Vatican, the continued presence of Christians in Iraq is vital to keeping alive faith communities that have existed since the time of Christ.
…
Suu Kyi Party Official Dies in Police Custody as Anti-Coup Protests Continue
An official from ousted de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party has died in police custody, a party official confirmed to VOA’s Burmese service, as security forces continue to crack down on anti-coup protests in Myanmar.NLD member Khin Maung Latt was arrested during overnight raids in Yangon Saturday and died while in detention, party lawmaker Sithu Maung said. A cause of death was not released.Tun Kyi, spokesperson of the Association Assistance for Political Prisoners, Burma told VOA Burmese that he accompanied the bereaved family to claim Khin Maung Latt’s body and witnessed blood on his head, his fingers blackened, and wounds on his back.Overnight raids conducted by police have targeted leaders of the NLD. Police have not commented on the matter.Meanwhile, thousands of anti-coup protesters returned to the streets of Myanmar Sunday.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
Protesters take cover behind shields in Nyaung-U, Myanmar, March 7, 2021, in this still image from a video obtained from social media.A 19-year-old man and a woman sustained serious injuries as they were shot, but it was not clear whether they were hit by rubber bullets or live ammunition.At least three people were arrested in Kyauktada Township in downtown Yangon late Saturday into Sunday, residents said, with no reason given for the arrests.”They are asking to take out my father and brother. Is no one going to help us?” one woman screamed as two of the three, an actor and his son, were led away, according to Reuters.Soldiers also looked for but didn’t find a lawyer who worked for former de facto leader Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, Sithu Maung said in a Facebook post.The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group said Saturday that more than 1,700 people had been detained under the junta, according to its figures.Riot police officers hold down a protester as they disperse protesters in Tharkata Township on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, March 6, 2021.”Detainees were punched and kicked with military boots, beaten with police batons, and then dragged into police vehicles,” AAPP said in a statement. “Security forces entered residential areas and tried to arrest further protesters, and shot at the homes, destroying many.”State television MRTV reported Saturday that Myanmar authorities had exhumed the body of Kyal Sin, also known as Angel, who died while wearing a T-shirt that read, “Everything will be OK.”Kyal Sin, who has become an icon of the protests, was shot in the head and died Wednesday.A grave of 19-year-old protester, Kyal Sin, is pictured in Mandalay, after Myanmar authorities exhumed her body, Match 6, 2021, in this picture obtained from social media.Police, doctors and a judge determined that she was killed by “those who do not want stability” and not police, MRTV said. Officials had said her wound was to the back of her head, and therefore couldn’t have been caused by police. Photos published by Reuters, however, show Kyal Sin had the back of her head turned to a line of security forces moments before she was shot.Myanmar has been consumed by chaos and violence since February 1, when the military overthrew the civilian government and detained Suu Kyi and other high-ranking NLD officials. Military officials say widespread fraud occurred in last November’s election, which the NLD won in a landslide. Election officials have denied any significant irregularities. (VOA Burmese Service contributed to this story.)
…
Cameroon Military Accused of Killing Civilians in New Attacks on Separatists
Cameroonians are complaining of increasing human rights abuses as the central African state intensifies raids on English-speaking rebel camps. The military says within the past week, at least 23 separatist rebels and three soldiers have been killed, but local people say most of those killed were unarmed civilians. The military is denying the accusations. There are growing calls for investigations of alleged human rights abuses by troops.General Valere Nka, commander of the Cameroonian troops fighting separatists in the English-speaking North-West region, said within the past seven days, 400 troops have attacked at least 15 separatist camps. Nka said in Bui, an English-speaking administrative unit in the North-West region, more than 15 rebels were killed, and hundreds of weapons seized.He said he has instructed the military to remain professional and respect human rights as they destroy all separatist camps and kill rebel fighters who refuse to drop their weapons. He said people should cooperate with troops risking their lives to protect civilians. He said peace must return to Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.Cameroon military displaying weapons seized from separatists in Bamenda, March 4, 2021. (Moki Edwin Kindzeka/VOA)Nka said two soldiers were killed and another died after a roadside bomb damaged a military vehicle in the town of Kumbo. The general said a self-proclaimed separatist general called Assan died during the raids while 11 rebel fighters were arrested.The government said another self-proclaimed general called Elangue Godwin surrendered to troops fighting rebels in the South-Western town of Kumba.Separatists have acknowledged the attacks and the killing of their general on social media. They also acknowledged that one of their fighters surrendered but said only three fighters died. The separatists said they killed nine troops in Kumba.Thirty-two-year-old honey seller Ernest Kebam fled from Oku, a district in the North-West region on March 3. He said he does not trust the military claims that troops respect human rights. He said his uncle, also a honey seller, was among several civilians who were tortured and killed in Oku. He said people he saw in military outfits tortured civilians and looted homes. He spoke via a messaging app from Douala.”They [the government] should carry out investigations because the same scenario happened in Ngarr-buh last year and then they [the military] said it was the separatists and at the end, after investigations it was the military. Up north, was the same scenario. They [the military] said it was not the military that it was Boko Haram that attacked [civilians] and after investigations it was the military, so let them carry out investigations,” said Kebam.Joseph Vincent Ntuda Ebode is a lecturer in international security and defense at the University of Yaoundé-Soa. He said Cameroon, as a signatory to all human rights conventions, should conduct an independent investigation of claims of abuses by its troops. He said people want to be sure that their rights are not abused by the military that claims to be defending civilians. He said only true investigations will assure civilians, the military and the international community that troops committed or did not commit intolerable human rights abuses the military is accused of. He said investigations will also determine if the military committed atrocities because of the inhumane treatment separatist fighters inflict on the troops.This is not the first time Cameroonian soldiers have been accused of human rights abuses.Last week, Cameroon described as grossly exaggerated a Human Rights Watch report that its military raped 20 women, including four with disabilities, and arbitrarily arrested and beat men, but the abuses went unreported for a year. HRW said the victims did not report the abuses for fear of reprisal from the military. Cameroon said the report lacks credibility. Officials acknowledged that 35 men were arrested in the English-speaking southern village of Ebam, but denied there were abuses.Separatist have been fighting since 2017 to form an English-speaking state within the majority French-speaking country.Rights groups accuse both the military and rebels of atrocities during the conflict in the English-speaking western regions, which the U.N. says has left over 3,000 people dead and more than half a million displaced.
…
Swiss Vote on So-Called Burka Ban
Swiss citizens vote Sunday on whether to prohibit women from wearing full facial coverings in public, a controversial issue that has divided the country during an exceptionally heated campaign.
Campaigners, politicians and the media have dubbed it the “burka ban” even though the burka is not worn in Switzerland. The burka, a full body covering with a mesh screen to see through that is worn in Afghanistan has come to symbolize the oppression of women. This is one of the messages figuring in a heated campaign leading up to Sunday’s vote. Campaign posters of a menacing-looking woman wearing a black niqab with only her eyes exposed reading “Stop Radical Islam” and “Stop Extremism” are plastered all over Switzerland. Critics of the proposed ban call it deeply racist and sexist. They say it is an attack against the Muslim community and is aimed at stigmatizing and marginalizing this minority group even more. The right-wing Swiss People’s Party, which supports the ban disagrees. It claims the burka initiative defends the dignity of women. However, Swiss parliamentarian Jean-Luc Addor acknowledges the campaign is calling for an end to what supporters see as the Islamization of Switzerland. “This is something that we find shocking. It is fundamentally in opposition with various values of our civilization simply because, for us, free people show their faces in all circumstances outside,” he said. The irony of demanding a ban on full-face coverings has not escaped many at a time when Switzerland’s 8.5 million people are obliged to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Swiss federal government opposes the proposal. Justice Minister Eveline Widmer Schlumpf says accepting the initiative would unnecessarily endanger religious peace in the country. She says it would violate human rights, which are guaranteed under international conventions. Furthermore, she says passage of the initiative would tarnish Switzerland’s reputation as a country that values the protection of fundamental rights. Debates about various symbols of Islam, including burkas and niqabs have been going on for years. In 2009, Swiss voters approved another Swiss People’s Party initiative to ban the building of minarets in the country. Many people in Switzerland believe the proposed ban on full face coverings is much ado about nothing. They note only some 30 women in Switzerland wear the niqab. About half are Swiss converts to Islam and the other half are tourists who come to this Alpine country for vacation. The latest opinion polls suggest the referendum will pass by a slim margin. If it does, Switzerland will join five other European countries that have full or partial bans of face covering in place.
…
Rouhani: Iran Ready to ‘Immediately’ Take Measures if US Lifts Sanctions
Iran says its prepared to take steps to live up to measures in the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers as soon as the United States lifts economic sanctions on the country. “Iran is ready to immediately take compensatory measures based on the nuclear deal and fulfill its commitments just after the U.S. illegal sanctions are lifted and it abandons its policy of threats and pressure,” Iranian President Hassan Rohani said on March 7. Rohani made the remarks as he received Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney amid diplomatic efforts to revive the landmark nuclear deal. Ireland is not party to the deal, but Dublin has the role of facilitator in the implementation of the nuclear agreement. Rohani criticized the European signatories of the deal — Britain, France, and Germany — for what he said was their inaction on their commitments to the agreement. He said Iran “is the only party that has paid a price for it.” U.S. President Joe Biden has signaled his readiness to revive the deal, but insists Iran first return to all its nuclear commitments. Former U.S President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from the agreement that aimed to restrict Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions. The Trump administration argued that the agreement failed to address Iran’s ballistic-missile program or its support for regional groups that Washington considers terrorists. After withdrawing in 2018, the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually and publicly abandoned the deal’s limits on its nuclear development.
…
Pollution Checks on Siberia River after Pipeline Fire
Inspectors will check an underwater pipeline for pollution after it caught fire on a frozen river in Russia’s Siberia, federal monitoring service Rostekhnadzor said Sunday.First reports suggest around 700 tons of liquefied petroleum gas (a mixture of propane and butane) could be on site, Rostekhnadzor spokesperson Andrei Vil said on his Telegram account.The pipeline’s owner Russian petrochemicals giant Sibur said the gas leak happened Saturday, causing a short fire on the frozen River Ob in the oil-rich Khanty-Mansiysk region in Western Siberia.It happened 44 kilometers (27 miles) from the nearest residential area and there were no “risks for the population and the environment”, the company added.But Vil said on Telegram that “statements indicating the absence of risk for the environment raise serious doubts” because of the amounts of liquefied petroleum gas on site.The cause of the leak is still being established, said Sibur.A Sibur regional official Alexander Teplyakov said Sunday the incident was under control but that the company would pay for any damage caused by the incident.Teplyakov, quoted in a statement from the local authorities, said 27 people and 12 units of machinery were currently on site.Samples would be taken from the surface of the water to determine any damage to the environment, he added.Russia frequently suffers environmental disasters, often due to the country’s ageing infrastructure or to negligence.Last month, mining giant Norilsk Nickel was fined close to $2 billion for a fuel spill that leaked tons of diesel into rivers in the Russian Arctic.
…
Dalai Lama: ‘Be Brave and Get Vaccinated’
The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, urged the world to “be brave and get vaccinated,” Saturday after he was inoculated with the coronavirus vaccine in the northern Indian town of Dharmsala. However, some countries are having trouble obtaining enough vaccines for their populations.Fears of vaccine hoarding are beginning to emerge, following word that Italy has blocked a shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia. An Associated Press report says the European Union is set to appeal to Washington to make sure that EU countries receive millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses they still need, as well as ingredients needed to produce vaccines. “We trust that we can work together with the U.S.,” the European Commission said in a statement, “to ensure that vaccines produced or bottled in the U.S. for the fulfilment of vaccine producers’ contractual obligations with the EU will be fully honored.” Britan’s National Health Service may be facing staff loss after lawmakers proposed a 1% pay hike for beleaguered frontline workers. The public has been urged to join in a national protest Thursday. The Washington Post reports that several people have threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement because a Mexican restaurant in Houston, Texas, decided to keep its mask requirement after the governor said he is rescinding the state’s mask mandate even though most Texans have not been vaccinated. “People don’t understand unless you’re in our business what it felt like, how hard it was to go through everything we went through during COVID,” Picos co-owner Monica Richards told The Post. “For people to be negative toward us for trying to remain safe, so that this doesn’t continue to happen, just makes zero sense to us.” India’s Health Ministry said Sunday six states have reported high daily COVID-19 cases, accounting for more than 84% of the 18,711 new cases. Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Sunday that there are more than 116 million global COVID cases. The U.S. has more cases than any place else with nearly 30 million infections. India and Brazil follow with 11.2 million cases and 10.9 million cases, respectively. The coronavirus global death toll has reached 2.5 million, according to Hopkins.
…
Cambodia Aims to Reduce Dependency on US Dollar
The National Bank of Cambodia, the country’s central bank, is aiming to reduce the country’s dependence on the U.S. dollar with the introduction of digital currencies and the phasing out of small-denomination U.S. currency – $1, $2 and $5 bills – in favor of the local currency, the riel.Cambodia has run a dual-currency system since United Nations peacekeepers arrived to oversee elections in 1993, bringing with them U.S. dollars, which circulated in tandem with riel, providing much-needed currency stability amid postwar reconstruction.National Bank of Cambodia Governor Chea Chanto said in September that demand for the riel had increased an average of 16% a year for two decades, with annual economic growth rates of 7.8%, adding that fewer U.S. dollars in circulation would give the central bank greater control over the economy.“I firmly believe all ministries, institutions, companies, enterprises and those who actively participate in the process of developing the banking system promote the use of the riel, which is our national currency,” he said in January.The central bank has introduced small- and large-denomination riel notes ranging from 100 to 100,000 riel (about $25), but their arrival caused confusion and rumors among traders in the local markets that U.S. $1 and $5 notes had been banned.That started a rush to offload dollars and prompted Prime Minister Hun Sen to step in and say, “There is no prohibition like the rumors being spread.”Targeting ‘unbanked population’Cambodia’s first digital currency, Bakong, is designed to allow payments between traditional banks and other financial institutions on smart phones and computers and was introduced late last year.Developed by Japanese financial technology firm Soramitsu, the government is hoping Bakong will bring the “unbanked population” — about 70% of the population who never or rarely use a bank now — into the banking system.Bakong is also aimed at enabling the central bank to crack down on money laundering and the black economy, and stabilize the riel in the absence of the U.S. dollars.David Totten, a financial analyst with Emerging Markets Consulting, said Bakong would facilitate faster, cheaper and more secure payments between clients of different financial institutions.“The idea behind that is that it will facilitate more financial inclusion, so more Cambodians will sign up for financial services,” he said.“That will facilitate the development of e-commerce and in the longer term it is hoped that that will encourage adoption of the riel and eventual replacement of the U.S. dollar for all financial transactions in Cambodia.”A unique historyMoney has a unique history in Cambodia, with the riel introduced following independence in 1953 and an end to French colonialism.Under the 1975-79 rule of the Khmer Rouge, money was abandoned, banks abolished and the central bank blown up as Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot tried to force an agrarian society on Cambodians, resulting in a genocide that claimed about 2 million lives.A dual currency economy also recalls the days when Cambodia was seen as an economic disaster and struggling to rebuild after a 30-year war that ended in 1998. It is that type of history that politicians and bureaucrats negotiating offshore investments would prefer to leave behind.Brendan Lalor, a director with Ernst & Young in Cambodia, said the central bank had raised eyebrows by becoming the first central bank in the region to embrace a digital currency, enabling Cambodians who work in the cities to send money back to the provinces at cheaper rates.He said almost $60 billion was transferred within the country through different payment options in 2019 and the adoption of Bakong is “a very important development for the Cambodian economy.”“What they’re trying to achieve with Bakong is to effectively bring all the currencies, platforms, the Apps, etcetera, e-payments, e-wallets onto one platform that the central bank, the NBC, can control through the blockchain technology.“Blockchain is basically like a ledger. It records all transactions and that will facilitate instantaneous transactions, both for the payments of goods and services but also for transferring from one account to another,” Lalor said.Adding to a sense of urgency is the state of the Cambodian economy, which has buckled under the COVID-19 pandemic and withdrawal of some trade perks by the European Union because of the country’s human rights record.Chea Chanto also noted Cambodia holds international reserves of $20 billion, more than the three-month minimum for developing countries. He was voted central banker of the Year, Asia-Pacific, for 2020 by the financial magazine The Banker.“I am confident that we are on the right track to catch up quickly, and, with some pioneering infrastructure such as Bakong, Cambodia is leading the region and even presents an example of a revolutionary payment platform led by a central bank on the global scene,” he said.
…
Africa’s Pandemic Year Full of Tragic Twists, Turns and … Now, Hope
In recent weeks, as Africa prepared to mark the milestone of one year since the coronavirus reached its shores, millions of doses of long-awaited vaccine finally began to arrive across the continent. Most were provided by the global COVAX Facility, which distributes vaccine to lower income countries.That, officials say, has flipped this tale from one of despair to one of optimism.And, says South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Africans played a valuable part in turning the tide.“South Africa’s scientists and research institutions have made an important contribution to these efforts and have contributed to global knowledge about the disease, including on the emergence of new variants,” he said this week, addressing his nation on television. “And in this regard, our scientists who we should be proud of, have really led the way and they are recognized globally.”Ramaphosa, who held the rotating head of the African Union in 2020, was also instrumental in establishing a continental plan to acquire vaccines. He and other African leaders have repeatedly stressed the importance of global vaccine equity and urged access for poorer nations.In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, officials this month received their first delivery of 1.7 million vaccine doses through COVAX.Village Reach is an aid organization that focuses on remote, rural low-income countries. Their DRC country director, Freddy Nkosi, told VOA that while African nations appear to have a lower proportion of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, the pandemic has still hit hard here.“Yes we are as affected as the rest of the world, in different proportion,” he said via Google Hangouts, from Kinshasa. “We have to continue to protect ourselves through all the protective measures, but also we have to get vaccinated so that we are all protected.”Dr. Richard Lessells, one of South Africa’s top viral researchers, says the continent’s largest vaccine drive, in South Africa, looks promising after fits and starts.The country was set to distribute 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but reversed course last month after researchers found it to be less effective against a variant that accounts for the majority of the nation’s new cases.South Africa has since switched to the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but the process still delayed the vaccination campaign.Lessells says that as the continent stares down this anniversary, it needs one thing: time.“Once we get beyond that first priority group of the health care workers and start delivering it to the other vulnerable groups within the population,” he said. “We then get a much better sense of how we’re doing here in South Africa.”So, what is year two of the pandemic going to look like in Africa? On this, everyone seems to agree: hopeful.
…
Africa’s Pandemic Year Was Full of Tragic Twists, Turns and Now, Hope
Africa’s year with the pandemic has been a challenging one, full of suspense and surprises. VOA’s Anita Powell looks back at the continent’s bout with the virus, which has infected at least 2.8 million people and killed about 72,000, according to the World Health Organization. She reports from South Africa.
Camera: Zaheer Cassim
…
Key Events Since George Floyd’s Arrest and Death
A timeline of key events that began with George Floyd’s arrest on May 25, 2020, by four police officers in Minneapolis:May 25 — Minneapolis police officers respond to a call shortly after 8 p.m. about a possible forgery at a corner grocery and encounter a Black man later identified as George Floyd, who struggles and ends up handcuffed, face down in the street. Officer Derek Chauvin uses his knee to pin Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes while bystanders shout at him to stop. Bystander video shows Floyd crying “I can’t breathe” multiple times before going limp. He’s pronounced dead at a hospital.May 26 — Police issue a statement saying Floyd died after a “medical incident,” and that he physically resisted and appeared to be in medical distress. Minutes later, bystander video is posted online. Police release another statement saying the FBI will help investigate. Chauvin and three other officers — Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao — are fired. Protests begin.May 27 — Mayor Jacob Frey calls for criminal charges against Chauvin. Protests lead to unrest in Minneapolis, with some people looting and starting fires. Protests spread to other cities.May 28 — Gov. Tim Walz activates the Minnesota National Guard. That night, police abandon the 3rd Precinct station as protesters overtake it and set it on fire.May 29 — Chauvin is arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. President Donald Trump tweets about “thugs” in Minneapolis protests and warns: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Protests turn violent again in Minneapolis and some other cities.May 30 — Trump tries to walk back his tweet. Protests continue around the country and sometimes turn violent.May 31 — Walz says Attorney General Keith Ellison will lead prosecutions in Floyd’s death and the nationwide protests continue.June 1 — The county medical examiner finds that Floyd’s heart stopped as police restrained him and compressed his neck, noting Floyd had underlying health issue and listing fentanyl and methamphetamine use as “other significant conditions.”June 2 — Minnesota’s Department of Human Rights launches a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department.June 3 — Ellison files a tougher second-degree murder charge against Chauvin and charges the other three officers who were involved in Floyd’s arrest.June 4 — The first of multiple funeral services for Floyd is held in Minneapolis.June 5 — Minneapolis bans chokeholds by police, the first of many changes to be announced in coming months, including an overhaul of the police department’s use-of-force policy.June 6 — Massive, peaceful protests happen nationwide to demand police reform. Services are held for Floyd in Raeford, North Carolina, near his birthplace.June 7 — A majority of Minneapolis City Council members say they support dismantling the police department. The idea later stalls but sparks a national debate over police reform.June 8 — Thousands pay their respects to Floyd in Houston, where he grew up. He’s buried the next day.June 10 — Floyd’s brother testifies before the House Judiciary Committee for changes in holding police officers accountable.June 16 — Trump signs an executive order to encourage better police practices and establish a database to track officers with a history of excessive-use-of-force complaints.July 15 — Floyd’s family sues Minneapolis and the four former officers.July 21 — The Minnesota Legislature passes a broad slate of police accountability measures that includes bans on neck restraints, chokeholds and so-called warrior-style training.Oct. 7 — Chauvin posts $1 million bond and is released from prison, sparking more protests.Nov. 5 — Judge Peter Cahill rejects defense requests to move the officers’ trials; takes rare step of allowing cameras in a Minnesota courtroom, citing the coronavirus pandemic.Jan. 12 — Cahill rules Chauvin will be tried alone because of courtroom capacity issues. The other officers will be tried in August.Feb. 12 — City leaders say George Floyd Square, the intersection blocked by barricades since Floyd’s death, will reopen to traffic after Chauvin’s trial.March 8 — Jury selection is scheduled to begin in Chauvin’s trial.
…
Pandemic Forces Route Change, Other Precautions for Iditarod Sled Dog Race
Traveling across the rugged, unforgiving and roadless Alaska terrain is already hard enough, but whatever comforts mushers previously had in the world’s most famous sled dog race will be cast aside this year due to the pandemic.In years past, mushers would stop in any number of 24 villages that serve as checkpoints, where they could get a hot meal, maybe a shower and sleep — albeit “cheek to jowl” — in a warm building before getting back to the nearly 1,609-kilometer Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. When the race starts Sunday, north of Anchorage, they will spend the next week or so mostly camping in tents outside towns, and the only source of warmth — for comfort or to heat up frozen food and water — will come from their camp cookers.“It’s a little bit old school,” said Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach.This year’s Iditarod will be marked by pandemic precautions, a route change, no spectators, the smallest field of competitors in decades, the return of one former champion and the swan song of a fan favorite, all against the backdrop of pressure on the race and sponsors by an animal rights group.The most noticeable change this year will be no spectators. The fan-friendly ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage, which draws thousands of people, has been canceled, and the actual start in Willow of the race is being moved to a boat dock 11 kilometers out to help cut down on fans who would normally attend the race start just off a main highway. Urbach is encouraging fans to watch the race start and finish live on TV or on the Internet.The route has also been shortened to 1,384 kilometers. For the first time in the race’s 49-year history, the finish line will not be in Nome.Instead, mushers will go from Willow to the mining ghost towns of Iditarod and Flat, and then back to Willow for the finish. This, Urbach notes, was the original vision of the race co-founder, the late Joe Redington.Howard Farley, 88, of Nome remembers that well. He disagreed with it in the early 1970s when Redington proposed it, and he’s against it now.He said he told Redington before the first Iditarod in 1973: “There’s nobody in Iditarod. It’s a ghost town. There’s nobody there to clap. I said, ‘Just bring it to Nome.’”The Iditarod could have easily and safely held the finish in Nome again this year, too, he said.“It just makes me sad that all of our work and all of our prayers down through the years have come to this,” Farley said.Since the mushers will have to double back to Willow for the finish, they will go over the Alaska Range twice. Mushers will have to navigate the dangerous Dalzell Gorge and the Happy River Steps, or a series of steep switchbacks that routinely leave competitors bruised and sleds broken.In an effort to prevent the spread of the virus, the Iditarod will skip most of the communities to help prevent any transmission, leaving mushers to sleep in tents specially made for Alaska’s tough weather or under the stars in temperatures that could be well below zero.Urbach has had challenges at every turn as he tries to pull off the second Iditarod during the coronavirus pandemic. The virus took its hold on the U.S. in the middle of last year’s race, one of the few major sporting events not to be canceled in March 2020, when they learned to deal with the pandemic on the fly.FILE – A handler cares for dogs on second place finisher Aliy Zirkle’s team after they pull into the finish line during the Iditarod dog sled race in Nome, Alaska, March 11, 2014.This year, they’ve had more time to prepare. Mushers will undergo vigorous testing and anyone with a confirmed positive COVID-19 test before the start of the race will not be allowed to compete. Additional testing and monitoring will take place on the trail. Any musher with a confirmed positive test during the race will be withdrawn and isolated.Defending champion Thomas Waerner is not the race, telling The Associated Press “it is impossible to plan ahead” during the pandemic. Last year, he and his dogs were stranded in Alaska for months because of travel restrictions after his win. They only made it home to Norway after hitching a ride on an airplane that was being flown from Anchorage to its new home at a museum in Oslo.The race will start with 47 mushers, the smallest field in decades. This year’s field includes four former champions, including two four-time winners, Martin Buser and Dallas Seavey. Buser last won in 2002; Seavey collected his four titles over a five-year span, ending with his last championship in 2016.Seavey last raced the Iditarod when he came in second in 2017, when Iditarod officials said four of his dogs tested positive for a banned opioid painkiller. He adamantly denied giving his dogs the painkillers. The next year, the Iditarod reversed its decision and cleared Seavey, but he took his dogs to Norway to race instead.At only age 34, Seavey is considered by many to someday match and perhaps surpass the win total of the race’s most decorated musher, Rick Swenson who collected five championships between 1977-91.“Five would be awesome,” Seavey said. “I’m going to do my best to win this. If I get beat, which is a pretty likely outcome … whoever beats me is going to earn it.”While Seavey returns, one of the sport’s most liked mushers is bowing out after this year’s race. Aliy Zirkle, 50, announced on her website last month that it was time to retire. Zirkle has finished in the top 10 seven times since 2002 and finished second three years in a row starting in 2012. She has never won.Support workers for the Iditarod Trail sled dog race line up outside the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel, the site of the temporary Anchorage Iditarod headquarters, to be tested for COVID-19, in Anchorage, Alaska, March 4, 2021.The individual prize money for the world’s premiere sled dog race hasn’t been determined. Waerner picked up about $50,000 and a new Dodge pickup for winning last year’s race. However, Chrysler through its Anchorage dealership dropped sponsorship of the Iditarod after that race.The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has been applying pressure on national sponsors, claiming credit for ExxonMobil announcing it would end its sponsorship after this year’s race.PETA contends the race is cruel to dogs and says more than 150 have died during races since the first in 1973. The Iditarod disputes that number but has not provided its count to The Associated Press despite many requests over the years.“PETA absolutely makes it challenging,” Urbach said.He said PETA is “inflammatory and grossly inaccurate” in their approach, but admitted it creates a difficult dynamic for the race.However, Urbach said they are trying to change the narrative, continuing to promote dog wellness, nutrition, training and breeding on its website.The Iditarod has had two other financial hits this year. Because of the pandemic, fundraisers have been canceled, and they have spent thousands of dollars on personal protective equipment and COVID-19 tests. They also reduced the entry fee in half and reduced the total prize purse by 20%, to $400,000.
…
Myanmar Security Forces Arrest at Least 3 in Night Raids
Myanmar security forces conducted overnight raids Saturday night into Sunday morning in several districts of Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, residents said.At least three people were arrested in Kyauktada Township in downtown Yangon, residents said, with no reason given for the arrests.”They are asking to take out my father and brother. Is no one going to help us?” one woman screamed as two of the three, an actor and his son, were led off, according to Reuters.Soldiers also looked for but didn’t find a lawyer who worked for former de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, a member of the now dissolved parliament, Sithu Maung, said in a Facebook post.Reuters was unable to reach police for comment, and a junta spokesperson did not answer calls requesting comment.More protests are expected Sunday, according to local media reports, after military units used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse anti-coup protesters in Yangon on Saturday.The General Strike Committee of Nationalities said protests would be held in Yangon, Mandalay and Monywa, also centers for protests in which the United Nations says security forces have killed more than 50 people.The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group said Saturday that more than 1,700 people had been detained under the junta, according to its figures.”Detainees were punched and kicked with military boots, beaten with police batons, and then dragged into police vehicles,” AAPP said in a statement. “Security forces entered residential areas and tried to arrest further protesters, and shot at the homes, destroying many.”State television MRTV reported Saturday that Myanmar authorities had exhumed the body of Kyal Sin, also known as Angel, who died while wearing a T-shirt that read, “Everything will be OK.”Kyal Sin, who has become an icon of the protests, was shot in the head and died Wednesday.The police, doctors and a judge determined that she was killed by “those who do not want stability” and not police, MRTV said. Officials had said her wound was to the back of her head, and therefore couldn’t have been caused by police. However, photos published by Reuters show Kyal Sin had the back of her head turned to a line of security forces moments before she was shot.Myanmar has been consumed by chaos and violence since February 1, when the military overthrew the civilian government and detained Suu Kyi and other high-ranking NLD officials. Military officials say widespread fraud occurred in last November’s election, which the NLD won in a landslide. However, the country’s election officials deny any significant irregularities.Soldiers and police have cracked down on demonstrators using live ammunition and rubber bullets, shooting indiscriminately into the crowds.The U.N. special envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, said Friday that in the past seven days, at least 50 “innocent and peaceful protesters” have been killed and scores more have been wounded.She said as of March 2, the U.N. office of human rights is aware of about 1,000 people who are either known to be in detention or unaccounted for after having been arbitrarily detained since the coup.“There is an urgency for collective action,” she told U.N. Security Council members. “How much more can we allow the Myanmar military to get away with?”Schraner Burgener said the international community must make it clear that perpetrators of serious human rights violations will be held accountable.Separately, the U.N.’s human rights expert on Myanmar, Tom Andrews, called on the Security Council to impose a global arms embargo on the military.“I urge the Council to take decisive and unified action against the military junta, including targeted sanctions, an arms embargo, and a referral to the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute atrocities committed since the coup on 1 February and those committed against ethnic groups in years prior,” he said in a statement.He noted that 41 countries already have imposed arms embargoes on Myanmar’s military.The committee representing the NLD legislators is also calling for “robust, targeted sanctions” and an arms embargo against the junta in a letter dated March 4 to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
…
Europe Staggers as Infectious Variants Power Virus Surge
The virus swept through a nursery school and an adjacent elementary school in the Milan suburb of Bollate with amazing speed. In a matter of just days, 45 children and 14 staff members had tested positive.Genetic analysis confirmed what officials suspected: The highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in England was racing through the community, a densely packed city of nearly 40,000 with a chemical plant and a Pirelli bicycle tire factory a 15-minute drive from the heart of Milan.”This demonstrates that the virus has a sort of intelligence. … We can put up all the barriers in the world and imagine that they work, but in the end, it adapts and penetrates them,” lamented Bollate Mayor Francesco Vassallo.Bollate was the first city in Lombardy, the northern region that has been the epicenter in each of Italy’s three surges, to be sealed off from neighbors because of virus variants that the World Health Organization says are powering another uptick in infections across Europe. The variants also include versions first identified in South Africa and Brazil.Europe recorded 1 million new COVID-19 cases last week, an increase of 9% from the previous week and a reversal that ended a six-week decline in new infections, WHO said Thursday.”The spread of the variants is driving the increase, but not only,” said Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, citing “also the opening of society, when it is not done in a safe and a controlled manner.”50% more transmissibleThe variant first found in the U.K. is spreading significantly in 27 European countries monitored by WHO and is dominant in at least 10 countries: Britain, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Israel, Spain and Portugal.It is up to 50% more transmissible than the virus that surged last spring and again in the fall, making it more adept at thwarting measures that were previously effective, WHO experts warned. Scientists have concluded that it is also more deadly.”That is why health systems are struggling more now,” Kluge said. “It really is at a tipping point. We have to hold the fort and be very vigilant.”In Lombardy, which bore the brunt of Italy’s spring surge, intensive care wards are again filling up, with more than two-thirds of new positive tests being the U.K. variant, health officials said.After putting two provinces and some 50 towns on a modified lockdown, Lombardy’s regional governor announced tightened restrictions Friday and closed classrooms for all ages. Cases in Milan schools alone surged 33% in a week, the provincial health system’s chief said.The situation is dire in the Czech Republic, which this week registered a record-breaking total of nearly 8,500 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Poland is opening temporary hospitals and imposing a partial lockdown as the U.K. variant has grown from 10% of all infections in February to 25% now.Two patients from hard-hit Slovakia were expected to arrive Saturday for treatment in Germany, where authorities said they had offered to take in 10 patients.Rate of decline slowingKluge cited Britain’s experience as cause for optimism, noting that widespread restrictions and the introduction of the vaccine have helped tamp down the variants there and in Israel. The vaccine rollout in the European Union, by comparison, is lagging badly, mostly because of supply problems.In Britain, the emergence of the more transmissible strain sent cases soaring in December and triggered a national lockdown in January. Cases have since plummeted, from about 60,000 a day in early January to about 7,000 a day now.Still, a study shows the rate of decline slowing, and the British government says it will tread cautiously with plans to ease the lockdown. That process begins Monday with the reopening of schools. Infection rates are highest in people ages 13-17, and officials will watch closely to see whether the return to class brings a spike in infections.While the U.K. variant is dominant in France, forcing lockdowns in the French Riviera city of Nice and the northern port of Dunkirk, the variant first detected in South Africa has emerged as the most prevalent in France’s Moselle region, which borders Germany and Luxembourg. It represents 55% of the virus circulating there.Austria’s health minister said Saturday the U.K. variant is now dominant in his country. But the South Africa variant is also a concern in a district of Austria that extends from Italy to Germany, with Austrian officials announcing plans to vaccinate most of the 84,000 residents there to curb its spread. Austria is also requiring motorists along the Brenner highway, a major north-south route, to show negative test results.The South Africa variant, now present in 26 European countries, is a source of particular concern because of doubts over whether the current vaccines are effective enough against it. The Brazilian variant, which appears capable of reinfecting people, has been detected in 15 European countries.WHO and its partners are working to strengthen the genetic surveillance needed to track variants across the continent.The mayor of Bollate has appealed to the regional governor to vaccinate all 40,000 residents immediately, though he expects to be told the vaccine supply is too tight.Bollate has recorded 3,000 positive cases and 134 deaths — mostly among the elderly — since Italy was stricken a year ago. It took the brunt in the resurgence in November and December and was caught completely off guard when the U.K. variant arrived, racing through school-age children before hitting families at home.”People are starting to get tired that after a year there is no light at the end of the tunnel,” Vassallo said.
…
Somalia Fears New US Airstrike Guidance Is Benefiting al-Shabab
A key U.S. partner in the fight against terrorism is growing increasingly uneasy about the Biden administration’s new guidance on the use of drones and airstrikes, concerned that the changes are giving an already emboldened al-Qaida affiliate more room to operate.Since U.S. President Joe Biden took office January 20, the United States has not launched a single airstrike against al-Shabab in Somalia, after seven strikes were conducted from January 1 to 19.Senior Somali military officials worry the new guidance, which has imposed tighter controls on ordering airstrikes and requires the White House to sign off on operations, means al-Shabab will begin to gather momentum.“Lack of strikes mean al-Shabab leaders will come out of hiding,” a senior Somali military commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the issue publicly, told VOA’s Somali Service.“They will bring their battle wagons out. They will mount big guns on top of vehicles again. They will start to gather in large numbers again,” he said. “It will be detrimental not only to the security of Somalia but to the region if al-Shabab were given freedom to move around.”Grave threatU.S. defense and intelligence officials have long considered the Somalia-based al-Shabab one of the gravest threats emanating from Africa, targeting the group with 53 airstrikes in 2020 and 63 airstrikes in 2019.The impact, though, has been debatable.Recent U.S. intelligence estimates indicate al-Shabab commands as many as 10,000 fighters across Somalia and parts of Kenya. And despite consistent counterterrorism pressure, officials concluded by the latter half of 2020 that the group was starting to show it was operating without fear.“The terrorist threat in East Africa is not degraded,” the U.S. Department of Defense inspector general warned in a November report. “Al-Shabab retains freedom of movement in many parts of southern Somalia and has demonstrated an ability and intent to attack outside of the country, including targeting U.S. interests.”, are part of a larger review of the existing “legal and policy frameworks” governing such actions.“The purpose of the interim guidance is to ensure the president has full visibility on proposed significant actions,” according to National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne. She said it would be “premature to anticipate” when the review would conclude.Review understoodCurrent and former Somali security officials indicate they understand the new administration’s reasoning for the review. They just fear that the interim guidance is putting them and the U.S. at a disadvantage.“Of course, the operations should be conducted with the utmost care and should protect civilians,” Gaid said. “But the reality is, the group [al-Shabab] needs to be on the defensive and should not have freedom of movement and operations, and that’s what the airstrikes helped with.”The extent to which those concerns have made it up the Somali chain of command and have been communicated to U.S. officials is unclear.In a statement on civilian casualties Friday, U.S. Africa Command acknowledged Somali defense officials have said airstrikes are a critical part of the effort against al-Shabab.“The Somali National Army fully supports U.S. Africa Command’s efforts to degrade al-Shabab through kinetic airstrikes,” the statement quoted Somali Chief of Defense Forces Brigadier General Odawa Yusuf Raage as telling U.S. officials at a recent meeting.“These strikes are a key part in our fight against an enemy that has shown no hesitation in terrorizing innocent Somali citizens through repression, extortion and murder,” Raage said.US Troops to Withdraw From Somalia Amid Ongoing Terror ThreatSenior US military spokesman says terror threat remains but ‘is contained’And that came after the Defense Department inspector general raised concerns that Somalia’s security forces were not yet ready to take the lead in the effort to contain al-Shabab.#Somalia reliant on #Danab Brigrade units for majority – 80% – of counter #alShabaab ops@StateDept tells @DoD_IG Danab performing relatively well but progress hurt by “inadequate troop generation, normal attrition, and combat losses”— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) November 25, 2020Somalia’s security forces “continue to rely on international support,” the inspector general warned in November. “Al-Shabab is not degraded to the point where Somali security forces can contain its threat independently.”VOA’s Somali Service contributed to this report.
…
Cruz Puts Hold on Biden’s CIA Pick Burns Over Nord Stream 2 Pipeline
Republican Senator Ted Cruz has placed a hold on President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency to pressure the administration to put tough sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project.The Senate Intelligence Committee this week backed William Burns, a former ambassador to Russia, by a unanimous vote. Burns has been confirmed by the Senate for five previous jobs in 33 years and is expected to eventually be approved by the full Senate.FILE – Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Feb. 26, 2021, in Orlando, Fla.The hold, placed Friday, is a delaying tactic as the Texas senator pressures the administration to sanction ships and companies helping Russia’s state energy company Gazprom build the $11 billion pipeline to take gas under the Baltic Sea to Europe via Germany.”I’ll release my hold when the Biden admin meets its legal obligation to report and sanction the ships and companies building [Russia President Vladimir] Putin’s pipeline,” Cruz wrote on Twitter. The move was first reported by Bloomberg.After a year’s delay caused by sanctions, Gazprom is racing to finish the pipeline, which analysts expect could happen by September. A second vessel, the Akademik Cherskiy, has joined the construction site off Denmark.President Joe Biden believes the pipeline is a “bad deal for Europe,” the White House has said. The pipeline would bypass Ukraine, depriving it of lucrative transit fees, and could undermine its efforts against Russian aggression.”It’s hard to see how delaying the confirmation of a CIA director who enjoys strong bipartisan support makes Americans safer,” said Biden transition spokesperson Andrew Bates. “Biden has been clear that Nord Stream 2 is a bad idea and plays into Russia’s hands.”U.S. lawmakers from both parties who oppose the project believe about 15 ships are helping to build the pipeline. But the State Department last month sanctioned only one ship in a report to Congress required by sanctions law.Forty Republican senators said in a letter to Biden this week that the sanction against the Fortuna vessel would not stop the pipeline, which as of February had about 75 miles (120 km) left to go off Denmark and 19 miles (30 km) off Germany.The State Department is set to submit to Congress another report on Nord Stream 2 on May 16, which could contain more sanctions, though spokesman Ned Price has said sanctions are only “one of many tools” that can be used.
…
‘Vaxi Taxi’ Targets Vaccine Anxiety as UK Minority Uptake Lags
The Vaxi Taxi was a godsend for Leslie Reid.The 48-year-old stagehand wanted to get a COVID-19 shot, but he was worried about riding public transport to the vaccination center because his immune system had been weakened by a bout with flesh-eating bacteria that almost cost him his arm.So Reid jumped at the opportunity when his doctor called and offered him the shot, together with door-to-door transportation.”I was one of the fortunate ones,” he said after being inoculated inside a black van cab at a community vaccination event in north London. “I’m sure there are plenty more vulnerable people than me that should have gotten this. What can I say? I’m very glad.”The “Vaxi Taxi” that ferried Reid to his appointment and whisked him home again is just one initiative doctors and community organizers are promoting as they try to make sure everyone gets inoculated. While Britain has engineered one of the world’s most successful coronavirus vaccination programs, delivering at least one dose to more than 30% of its population, minority groups and deprived communities are lagging behind.A recent survey commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care found that just 72.5% of Black people in England either have received or would accept the vaccine. That compares with 87.6% for Asians and 92.6% for whites.Anxieties, discriminationThat disparity is the product of a variety of issues ranging from concerns about vaccine safety and past discrimination in Britain’s health care system to simple ones like transportation.But community leaders are trying home-grown solutions to fill the gap.Dr. Jacqueline Marshall talks to patient Margaret Duncan Williams before giving her a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine during a pop-up vaccination drive in Kilburn, London, Feb. 28, 2021.Dr. Sharon Raymond is one of the activists trying to remove vaccination barriers. The general practitioner and head of the Covid Crisis Rescue Foundation helped organize last Sunday’s pop-up vaccination event at Cambridge Gardens, a triangle of grass and trees in a northwest London neighborhood where half the residents are from ethnic minorities.Her aim was to create an inviting space where people would feel comfortable coming forward to ask questions and discuss their concerns.”It brings it to a place that’s familiar. It becomes much more accessible,” Raymond said. “That’s why this model of bringing the vaccination out to communities in familiar places in an unthreatening way, I think, is the way forward.”So on a chilly, late winter afternoon people got their shots under a heated, bright yellow tent festooned with balloons. Neighbors munched on sandwiches, sipped drinks and stopped to talk to the doctors, nurses and firefighters on hand.’Suited to our DNA’Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi praised such local initiatives, describing them as part of a national strategy that aimed to organize uptake down to the postal code. He told The Associated Press that data are showing that people want access to the vaccine at a time of their choice and in a place they trust.”We demonstrated our ability to organize and deploy at scale in the Olympics,” he said with enthusiasm. “This is even bigger. This is the largest vaccination program in the history of the [National Health Service], in the history of the United Kingdom. But I do think it’s suited to our DNA on these isles.”And for those who needed a little help to get to the park earlier this week, there was the Vaxi Taxi. People didn’t even need to leave the back seat in order to receive their inoculation if they didn’t want to.Raymond, who has crowd-funded many of her initiatives, hopes to get more support to get iconic black cabs rolling out to help across the capital. Since they have screens, they provide a shield for those inside, are accessible for the disabled and, with few tourists these days, there are plenty of cabbies willing to take part.”This is my vision of London,” Raymond said. “The black cab saves the day!”
…
US Gives Hope to Previously Denied Asylum-Seekers in Camp
In a camp at the U.S.-Mexico border, some asylum-seekers were told by officials that the U.S. government may reopen their cases and they would eventually be able to enter the U.S. to wait out the asylum process.The new opening for people previously denied came as Mexican authorities worked to close the improvised camp along the banks of the Rio Grande that has housed thousands of asylum-seekers for more than two years.Late Friday night, an official with Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said via Twitter that the last asylum-seekers with active cases from the camp had been processed and the camp was closed. Others — about 50 people — with closed asylum cases who were told their cases could be reopened were urged to move to a shelter. But some remained in the camp Saturday.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment Friday and Saturday.Processing beginsLast month, the Biden administration began processing asylum-seekers who had been forced to wait out the long process from Mexico during the administration of former President Donald Trump. The Matamoros camp was one of the most visible signs of a policy implemented in response to high numbers of asylum-seekers by an administration that worked in various ways to make it more difficult to access protective status in the United States.On Saturday, Juan Antonio Sierra, who runs the migrant shelter in Matamoros confirmed that he had committed to housing asylum-seekers with closed cases so that the camp could be closed.FILE – Children play at a camp of asylum-seekers in Matamoros, Mexico, Nov. 18, 2020. Some asylum-seekers were told March 5, 2021, that the U.S. may reopen their cases and allow them to enter the U.S. to wait out the asylum process.Sierra said that the day before, the U.S. consul in Matamoros, Yolanda Parra, met with officials from the U.N. refugee agency, the International Organization for Migration, Mexico’s National Immigration Institute, Sierra and some migrants. She agreed that the U.S. government would evaluate the possible reopening of closed cases for the people who remained in the camp, Sierra said.The U.S. State Department referred questions to the Department of Homeland Security.”I was going to take them to the Casa del Migrante until it was sure they were going to cross,” Sierra said. The goal, he said, was to avoid new people arriving at the camp and assure that those who were still there would cross the border only when it was clear that their cases would be reopened and that they would avoid being immediately deported.’Avalanche is already here’Asked if word of reopened cases could draw more people to the border, the Reverend Francisco Gallardo, who is in charge of the shelter, said that “the avalanche is already here. A lot of people are arriving.” He warned there were signs that a new camp would form.The shelter has more than 200 migrants staying there.By Friday afternoon, several dozen asylum-seekers remained in the riverside camp. Workers dismantled primitive shelters and hauled away portable toilets. Friday night, power was cut to the camp. But even with the promise that their cases could be reopened, many resisted abandoning the camp for fear that a less public space would allow their shrunken number to be more easily ignored by the U.S. government.FILE – A migrant walks through a refugee camp in Matamoros, Mexico, Nov. 5, 2019. Mexican authorities are working to close the improvised camp along the Rio Grande that has housed thousands of asylum-seekers.A Honduran asylum-seeker who has lived in the camp for two years with her son said that personnel from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees told her Friday that “the United States had approved the reopening of our cases and that we had to wait some days for them to authorize the crossing to the U.S.”The woman, a former police officer who requested anonymity because she did not want to jeopardize her case, said the U.S. government had rejected her case earlier. With the help of lawyers, she appealed and was turned down again in November. She has filed a subsequent appeal.”Now there’s hope,” she said.Others were informed of the same, she said. Some were told their situations could be addressed in a couple of days, others in 10 days. She said they didn’t give her a date.They advised her to move to a local migrant shelter that would provide better living conditions, but “no one wants to move because we believe they are going to forget us,” she said.’Remain in Mexico’Previously, U.S. officials have not said if people will be allowed back in the U.S. at some future date to pursue asylum claims that were denied or dismissed under the Trump administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols, better known as “Remain in Mexico.” They have described the re-entry of an estimated 26,000 people with active cases as an initial step but have not said what any subsequent measures would entail.The Matamoros camp has been an uncomfortable monument to the policy for its residents, as well as the U.S. and Mexican governments.Human Rights Watch published a report Friday that said it “has consistently found that migrants in Mexico are exposed to rape, kidnapping, extortion, assault and psychological trauma.”On Thursday, 10 Democratic members of Congress told U.S. Secretary of Antony Blinken that the U.S. government must help push for greater protections for migrants and asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico.
…