Torrential rains across Tennessee flooded homes and at least one church and left roads impassable, prompting dozens of people to be rescued in the Nashville area. Authorities said four bodies were found Sunday in the flood’s aftermath.Nashville received more than 7 inches of rain, the second-highest two-day rainfall total ever recorded, Mayor John Cooper said at a news conference Sunday.Ebony Northern said a normally tame creek running through her Nashville apartment complex swiftly rose after heavy rain started late Saturday night. Within an hour or so, she could see some first-floor units in other parts of the complex being flooded. She said people moved to the second floor and she also heard calls for boats come in over the fire department scanner. “The units are a mess. Some of the outside air conditioning units have floated off,” she said Sunday morning.Severe Weather Causes Damage Across 4 US StatesWeather service says more severe weather possible Thursday in southeast USShe said the American Red Cross arrived to assist her neighbors.At least one church canceled in-person Palm Sunday services. The New Tribe Church in Mt. Juliet said on Facebook that knee-deep water flooded the building, broke out the glass of its front entrance and sent chairs through a hallway.”I am smiling but our hearts are devastated,” Pastor Jarod Smith said at the start of an online service. “We are standing in our worship center and there’s just not enough words to describe what it actually looks like.”Nashville Fire Chief William Swann said swift-water teams were placed on standby in anticipation of the storms. At least 130 people were rescued from cars, apartments and homes, while about 40 dogs were moved from a Nashville boarding kennel, Camp Bow Wow, to another location. Cooper said first responders walked along creek beds Sunday and worked with the Red Cross to canvass affected neighborhoods.To the south in Williamson County, more than 34 swift water rescues were carried out, according to county Emergency Management Agency Director Todd Horton. As many as 18 homes in one neighborhood had to be evacuated.A portion of Interstate 40 was temporarily shut down because of high water that stranded a vehicle and its driver. The driver was able to get out of the vehicle and to safety, the Tennessee Highway Patrol in Nashville tweeted. First responders also told drivers to avoid part of I-24 south of Nashville.Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said three bodies were found after Seven Mile Creek flooded. The body of a 70-year-old man, a 46-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man.Drake said a 65-year-old man’s body was found on a golf course. Police later identified him on Twitter as some who lived nearby and was swept away as he got out of his car after it had become stuck in floodwaters.Many rivers and creeks were at or near their highest level since 2010, according to the National Weather Service. Floods in May 2010 caused 21 deaths in Tennessee and an estimated $1.5 billion in damage in Nashville.While there was no longer any precipitation falling, flooding remained a threat, Brittney Whitehead, a weather service meteorologist in Nashville, said Sunday afternoon. “Over the next couple of days, we’ll see some of our rivers continue to rise. And we’ve got several flood warnings out for those areas that we expect to remain high, at least into Monday,” she said. Major flooding was forecast on two rivers. The weather service predicted the Harpeth River near Kingston Springs, west of Nashville, would crest about 20 feet (about 6.1 meters) above flood stage on Sunday night, while the Duck River at Centerville would crest about 17 feet (about 5.2 meters) above flood stage Monday morning.In Bristol, along the Virginia border, a NASCAR race on a dirt track Sunday was postponed until Monday after torrential rains flooded campgrounds and parking lots surrounding Bristol Motor Speedway. In Brentwood, eight people and a dog stayed overnight at City Hall after flooding from the Little Harpeth River forced residents from their homes, City Manager Kirk Bednar said. Hotels in the area were booked up, in part because of spring break, he said.Fifteen people were rescued and two were taken to the hospital at the City View Apartments in south Nashville, where the lower level of the building was flooded in waist-deep water. The fire department responded to reports of a collapse at the building following a mudslide, news outlets reported. The two hospitalized patients had injuries not considered to be life-threatening.Drake, the Nashville police chief, also said an officer on his way home was hospitalized after his vehicle was caught in floodwaters. The officer got out of the car and was found clinging to a tree when he was rescued.March historically is a turbulent month for weather in Tennessee. Last March, tornadoes killed more than 20 people and destroyed more than 140 buildings in Middle Tennessee.
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Month: March 2021
Myanmar Communities in Taiwan Protest Military Coup After ‘Deadliest Day’
Taiwan’s Myanmar community came out in force on Sunday to protest the continued crackdown in that country following the military coup on February 1.Gathered beside Taipei’s Liberty Square, demonstrators sat for hours singing songs, holding anti-coup posters and waving the flag of Myanmar. Even younger demonstrators banged pots and pans as a form of protest, as seen within the embattled country. Estimates for numbers in attendance have ranged from 1,000 to 3,000, according to student organizers and event volunteers. A week earlier, a similar rally at the plaza in Taiwan took place.Myanmar Military Opens Fire on FuneralMourners fled the funeral in Bago, near commercial capital of Yangon, as gunfire erupted, according to witnesses; there were no immediate reports of casualties A group that calls itself the University Youth Prayer Committee, made up of students, assisted in organizing the rally that lasted from mid-afternoon until early evening.On stage, several people took to the microphone to condemn the junta’s crackdown, telling harrowing stories of those within Myanmar and re-enacting some of the violence soldiers have orchestrated since the coup. Some in attendance were visibly emotional. Demonstrators repeatedly sang “Kabar Ma Kyay Buu” – (We will be holding a grudge until the world ends) – an unofficial anthem to remember the 3,000 people killed during the 8888 Revolution in 1988.Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy that is home to a population of more than 23 million, with 40,000 people reportedly from Myanmar originally. China considers Taiwan part of its territory despite their break since the end of China’s civil war in 1949, when nationalist forces were driven off the mainland by Communist forces and fled to the island.Su Wai Lin, a volunteer for the University Prayer Youth Committee for Sunday’s event, told VOA, “Our heart and our mind is still in Burma and we didn’t accept the military coup. We want to show the people of Myanmar, even though we are outside of Myanmar, we are with them,” the volunteer said, using a former name for Myanmar.More Than 100 Killed in Bloodiest Day of Myanmar’s Military Crackdown Junta leader marks Armed Forces Day by defending February coup, vows to step down after future elections without specifying date Hein Dway San, a volunteer from Myanmar’s Bago region, stressed the importance to help those within the country.“A lot of people in Myanmar every time they see the people from other countries, support from Facebook, Twitter, support from the internet, they are really, really happy…I think that can give them a lot of courage,” he said.“A lot of people have to move from their place because they are doing Civil Disobedient Movement so the military forced them to move from their place, the people need a place, money, to eat. Mostly we get a lot of donations here, and we are planning to send to CRPH,” he added.But the volunteer acknowledged he has family still in his home country and is concerned about what might happen next because of the continued violence.“My parents told me a few days ago they hear the gunshot so I’m not sure about tomorrow but until now they are safe,” he told VOA.Myanmar gained independence in 1948 from Britain, but most of its modern history has been governed under military rule.In 2015, Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party won the country’s first open democratic election.But in last November’s general elections, the military contested the results, claiming widespread fraud, without evidence. On February 1, the Myanmar military, also known as Tatmadaw, removed the NLD government. De factor leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint were detained and have since been charged. In response to the coup, ousted NLD members formed the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), refusing to recognize the military government’s Cabinet. A civil disobedience movement (CDM) consisting of Myanmar professionals, such as health workers and lawyers, has also refused to work under military rule.The military has deployed armored vehicles and live ammunition to suppress protests, while martial law has been imposed across the country. The junta has implemented daily internet shutdowns for the sake of the country’s “stability.”A spokesperson for the non-governmental Hong Kong Outlanders, spoke onstage during the rally in Taiwan, denouncing the brutal crackdown from the Myanmar military.Based in Taipei, the NGO raises awareness of political issues in Hong Kong following a proposed, now withdrawn, extradition bill that sparked months of anti-government protests in 2019.“The Myanmar situation is a thousand times worse than Hong Kong, so we’re here to do whatever we can in the international community to support Myanmar at this point.” the spokesperson told VOA. “Myanmar students, the people, they’re allowed to voice out for their country and gather so many people without getting hurt here.”This past Saturday saw Myanmar’s bloodiest day so far with more than 100 people killed as the junta continues a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters nationwide. The day marked Armed Forces Day, formerly Resistance Day, to commemorate the country’s rebellion against Japanese occupation in 1945.According to the Assistance Association For Political Prisoners Burma (AAPPB), more than 420 people have been killed in Myanmar since the February 1 coup.Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) released a statement condemning the Myanmar military’s forceful suppression of demonstrations and that the violence “makes the current situation more chaotic.”“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again called on the Myanmar military not to use force to resolve domestic political issues, but to resolve conflicting situations through peaceful and rational dialogue and to restore Myanmar’s democratic politics as soon as possible,” part of the statement read.
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Dozens Killed as Mozambique Attack Survivors Evacuated
Dozens of people were killed during coordinated jihadi attacks in Palma in northern Mozambique, the defense ministry said Sunday, four days after the raids were launched.”Last Wednesday, a group of terrorists sneaked into…Palma and launched actions that resulted in the cowardly murder of dozens of defenseless people,” defense ministry spokesman Omar Saranga told a news conference Sunday.Seven of those were killed in an ambush during an operation to evacuate them from a hotel where they had sought refuge, Saranga said.In the last three days, government security forces have prioritized “the rescue of hundreds of citizens, nationals and foreigners,” he said, without giving a breakdown of the numbers.The unknown number of militants began attacking the town, a gas hub in the province of Cabo Delgado, on Wednesday, forcing nearly 200 people to take refuge at the Amarula hotel with others taking cover in the nearby tropical forest. The 200 civilians were temporarily taken to the heavily guarded gas plant on the Afungi Peninsula on the Indian Ocean coast south of the Tanzanian border before being moved to Pemba. Some residents of the city of about 75,000 people also fled to the peninsula, home of a multi-billion-dollar gas project being built by France’s Total and other energy companies.A ship that left Afungi on Saturday landed in Pemba around midday, according to police patrolling the city port. According to a source close to the rescue operation, about 1,400 people were on board. The evacuees included non-essential staff of Total and Palma residents who had sought refuge at the gas plant.Several small boats packed with displaced people were on their way to Pemba and expected to arrive overnight or Monday morning, according to humanitarian aid agencies.Airport officials in Pemba said humanitarian aid flights had been suspended to free up space for military operations.Caritas, a Catholic aid agency that is active in the province, also reported new arrivals to Pemba, about 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of Palma.Shot in their homes”Now we await the arrival of people who are most vulnerable so that we can provide assistance,” the local head of Caritas, Manuel Nota, told AFP. Human Rights Watch said the militants indiscriminately shot civilians in their homes and on the streets.”A rescue operation is currently under way. An unknown number of people died as they tried to flee Amarula hotel,” Human Rights Watch regional director Dewa Mavhinga told AFP, adding their rescue convoy “was attacked by the insurgents.”The militant attack on Palma is the closest yet to the major gas project during a three-year Islamist insurgency across Mozambique’s north.Since October 2017, extremist fighters have raided villages and towns in the region, prompting nearly 700,000 to flee their homes.The violence has left at least 2,600 people dead, half of them civilians, according to the U.S.-based data-collecting agency Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED).A South African worker was killed in the Palma violence, according to a government source in his native country.’Appalling violence’Martin Ewi, a senior researcher with the Pretoria-based think tank, the Institute for Security Studies, said that more than 100 people were unaccounted for. “That’s what we know so far, but it so confusing,” Ewi said.While local media reports said British workers may also have been caught in the attack, Britain’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said its embassy in Maputo was in “direct contact with authorities in Cabo Delgado to urgently seek further information on these reports.””The UK wholeheartedly condemns the appalling violence in Cabo Delgado. It must stop,” Minister for Africa, James Duddridge, tweeted.The U.S., whose troops are helping to train Mozambican troops to fight the insurgency, said Sunday it “continues to monitor the horrific situation in Palma,” adding one American citizen who was in Palma had been safely evacuated.The embassy announced earlier this month that American military personnel will spend two months training soldiers in Mozambique.
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Al-Shabab Issues Threats Ahead of Elections in Djibouti
The leader of Somalia’s al-Shabab militant group is calling for lone wolf attacks against American and French interests in Djibouti ahead of key presidential elections in the Horn of Africa country. In newly released audio, Ahmed Omar Abu Ubaidah accuses the leaders of Djibouti of turning the country into a military base “from where every war against the Muslims in East Africa is planned.”Abu Ubaidah specifically called on the youth in Djibouti to “carry out individual lone wolf martyrdom operations” to expel the French and Americans.” “Make American and French interests in Djibouti the highest priority of your targets,” the audio posted by al-Shabab media says. Abu Ubaidah said his group was ready to offer “safe refuge” and “prepare and train” those willing to migrate from Djibouti if they cannot fulfill the “individual obligation of jihad.”The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), which has a base in Djibouti, responded to the new message from the al-Shabab leader. A spokesperson, Colonel Christopher Karns, told VOA Somali that the U.S. Africa Command is aware of the recent audio release from al-Shabab calling for attacks on U.S. and French interests in Djibouti. “U.S. Africa Command takes these statements seriously,” Karns said. “Al-Shabab remains a persistent threat to U.S. interests in East Africa. This is why it remains important to apply continued pressure on the al-Shabab network and isolate the threat it presents to the region and beyond,” he added.The United States completed the withdrawal of most troops from neighboring Somalia in January following an order from then-President Donald Trump. The number of U.S. military personnel in Somalia ranged from 650 to 800 people. U.S. troops supported and mentored an elite Somali unit known as the Danab “lightning” brigade. The U.S. military has also been conducting airstrikes against al-Shabab. There have been no confirmed strikes in Somalia since President Joe Biden took office. Earlier this month, Somali military officials expressed concern about the reduction of strikes against al-Shabab, which they fear could give the militant group additional momentum. Karns said airstrikes remain an option. “We will not telegraph actions or our intentions. It would not be in al-Shabab’s best interests to incite a response from us,” he said. “We remain committed to security in East Africa and are postured to respond to threats.” Al-Shabab previously attacked Djibouti on May 24, 2014 in a double suicide explosion at a restaurant frequented by Westerners, killing three people. Djibouti voters go to the polls on April 9 for presidential elections. Incumbent Ismail Omar Guelleh is seeking a fifth term in office. Djibouti officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the new threat.Djibouti has a military contingent serving as part of the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
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US Vows ‘Consequences’ for Russian Actions
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says there will be “costs and consequences” for Russia for its allegedly malign activities against the United States.“We will take the steps necessary to defend our interests” at the time of the U.S.’s choosing, Blinken said in a CNN interview that aired Sunday but was taped last week as he completed talks with other NATO diplomats in Brussels.He said there was “a shared commitment” among Western allies to be “clear-eyed” about Moscow’s actions and hold the Kremlin accountable.The top U.S. diplomat said officials “are in the process” of considering what sanctions or actions Washington plans to take against Moscow, and in consultation with other NATO countries.“We are stronger when we can do it in a coordinated way,” he said.While the U.S. and Russia agreed quickly to extend a nuclear arms control deal that was set to expire shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden assumed power, the U.S. is blaming Russia for other actions, including allegedly placing a bounty on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, meddling in the November election that Biden won and hacking into U.S. computer systems.Blinken’s remarks in the CNN interview echoed those of Biden, who has taken a tougher stance against Russia than that of his predecessor, Donald Trump.In an interview on ABC News two weeks ago, Biden said he considers Russian President Vladimir Putin to be a “killer.”Biden said in the interview, “The price he’s going to pay, well, you’ll see shortly,” while adding that he, Biden, wants to be able to “walk and chew gum at the same time, and there are places where it’s in our mutual interest to work together.”“That’s why I renewed the (arms reduction) agreement with them. That occurred while he’s doing this,” he said, apparently referencing Putin’s election interference efforts. “But that’s overwhelming, in the interest of humanity, that we diminish the prospect of a nuclear exchange.” Russia has denied meddling in the U.S. election and orchestrating the cyber hack that used U.S. tech company SolarWinds to penetrate U.S. government networks. In addition, it has rebuffed reports it offered bounties to Taliban militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan or tried to poison Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. A U.S. intelligence analysis concluded that Putin likely directed a campaign to try to help Trump win a second four-year term in the White House.It is not clear what actions Biden could be considering against Russia; but he could invoke any of several penalties, including freezing the U.S. assets of any entities found to have directly or indirectly interfered in a U.S. election or engaged in “cyber-enabled” activities from abroad that threaten U.S. national security.In addition, a 1991 law allows the U.S. president to bar U.S. banks from lending to a country that used chemical weapons, such as is alleged in the Navalny case.
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New York Lawmakers Agree to Legalize Recreational Marijuana
Lawmakers reached an agreement late Saturday to legalize recreational marijuana sales in New York. At least 14 other states already allow residents to buy marijuana for recreational and not just medical use, but New York’s past efforts to pass marijuana legalization have failed in recent years. Democrats who now wield a veto-proof majority in the state Legislature have made passing it a priority this year, and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has estimated legalization could eventually bring the state about $350 million annually. “My goal in carrying this legislation has always been to end the racially disparate enforcement of marijuana prohibition that has taken such a toll on communities of color across our state, and to use the economic windfall of legalization to help heal and repair those same communities,” Sen. Liz Krueger, Senate sponsor of the bill and chair of the Senate’s finance committee, said. The legislation would allow recreational marijuana sales to adults over the age of 21, and set up a licensing process for the delivery of cannabis products to customers. Individual New Yorkers could grow up to three mature and three immature plants for personal consumption, and local governments could opt out of retail sales. The legislation would take effect immediately if passed, though sales wouldn’t start immediately as New York sets up rules and a proposed cannabis board. Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes estimated Friday it could take 18 months to two years for sales to start. Adam Goers, a vice president of Columbia Care, a New York medical marijuana provider that’s interested in getting into the recreational market, said New York’s proposed system would “ensure newcomers have a crack at the marketplace” alongside the state’s existing medical marijuana providers. “There’s a big pie in which a lot of different folks are going to be able to be a part of it,” Goers said. New York would set a 9% sales tax on cannabis, plus an additional 4% tax split between the county and local government. It would also impose an additional tax based on the level of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, ranging from 0.5 cents per milligram for flower to 3 cents per milligram for edibles. New York would eliminate penalties for possession of less than three ounces of cannabis, and automatically expunge records of people with past convictions for marijuana-related offenses that would no longer be criminalized. That’s a step beyond a 2019 law that expunged many past convictions for marijuana possession and reduced the penalty for possessing small amounts. And New York would provide loans, grants and incubator programs to encourage participation in the cannabis industry by people from minority communities, as well as small farmers, women and disabled veterans. Proponents have said the move could create thousands of jobs and begin to address the racial injustice of a decades-long drug war that disproportionately targeted minority and poor communities. “Police, prosecutors, child services and ICE have used criminalization as a weapon against them, and the impact this bill will have on the lives of our oversurveiled clients cannot be overstated,” Alice Fontier, managing director of Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, said in a statement Saturday. New York’s Legal Aid Society also hailed the agreement. “This landmark legislation brings justice to New York State by ending prohibition, expunging conviction records that have curtailed the opportunities of countless predominately young Black and Latinx New Yorkers, and delivers economic justice to ensure that communities who have suffered the brunt of aggressive and disparate marijuana enforcement are first in line to reap the economic gain,” the group said in a news release Sunday. Melissa Moore, the Drug Policy Alliance’s director for New York state, said the bill “really puts a nail in the coffin of the drug war that’s been so devastating to communities across New York, and puts in place comprehensive policies that are really grounded in community reinvestment.” Cuomo has pointed to growing acceptance of legalization in the Northeast, including in Massachusetts, Maine and most recently, New Jersey. Past efforts to legalize recreational use have been hurt by a lack of support from suburban Democrats, disagreements over how to distribute marijuana sales tax revenue and questions over how to address drivers suspected of driving high. It also has run into opposition from law enforcement, school and community advocates, who warn legalization would further strain a health care system already overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic and send mixed messages to young people. “We are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the serious crisis of youth vaping and the continuing opioid epidemic, this harmful legislation is counterintuitive,” said an open letter signed by the Medical Society of the State of NY, New York State Parent Teacher Association, New York Sheriff’s Association and several other organizations March 11. New York officials plan to launch an education and prevention campaign aimed at reducing the risk of cannabis among school-aged children, and schools could get grants for anti-vaping and drug prevention and awareness programs. And the state will also launch a study due by Dec. 31, 2022, that examines the extent that cannabis impairs driving, and whether it depends on factors like time and metabolism. “One of the things that no country in the world has and everybody wants is a way to quickly and easily figure out if someone’s high or impaired on cannabis,” University of Buffalo psychologist and professor of community health and health behavior R. Lorraine Collins said. “Research is being done to find systems that can do that. But I think those efforts will not come to fruition for awhile.” The bill also sets aside revenues to cover the costs of everything from regulating marijuana, to substance abuse prevention. State police could also get funding to hire and train more so-called “drug recognition experts.” But there’s no evidence that drug recognition experts can tell whether someone is high or not, according to Collins, who was appointed to Cuomo’s 2018 working group tasked with drafting cannabis regulations. “I think it’s very important that we approach that challenge using science and research and not wishes or unsubstantiated claims,” Collins said. Collins pointed to a 2020 report from the American Civil Liberties Union that found that Blacks are almost four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession compared to Whites, based on FBI statistics. “Every New York should be concerned about how these laws will be implemented or how those ways of examining drivers will be implemented in different communities,” Collins said. “It’s not likely to be equal.” The bill allows cities, towns and villages to opt out of allowing adult-use cannabis retail dispensaries or on-site consumption licenses by passing a local law by Dec. 31, 2021 or nine months after the effective date of the legislation. They cannot opt out of legalization.
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Sudan, Rebel Group Sign Agreement on Separation of Religion and State
The Sudanese government and a major rebel group from its southern Nuba Mountains on Sunday signed a document which paves the way for a final peace agreement by guaranteeing freedom of worship to all while separating religion and the state. The signing is viewed as a crucial step in efforts by the power-sharing government headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to reach accords with rebel groups across the country and end decades of conflicts that left millions displaced and hundreds of thousands dead. Last year Sudan signed a peace agreement with many groups, including from the Western region of Darfur. But a key faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, did not join in last year’s agreement because it stuck to its demand that Sudan dispenses with sharia law and becomes a secular, democratic state. Sharia law was first imposed in Sudan in 1983, and maintained by the now deposed president Omar al-Bashir for the duration of his 30-year-long Islamist rule. The so-called ‘Declaration of Principles’ signed on Sunday in South Sudan’s capital Juba between Sudan and the rebel faction means talks on a final accord can now begin. The declaration stated that both sides agreed to “the establishment of a civil, democratic federal state in Sudan, wherein, the freedom of religion, the freedom of belief and religious practices and worship shall be guaranteed to all Sudanese people by separating the identities of culture, religion, ethnicity and religion from the state.” “No religion shall be imposed on anyone and the state shall not adopt official religion,” it said, without specifying that Sudan would become a secular state, a controversial issue in the country’s transition. Aman Amum, the Secretary-General of SPLM-N told Reuters on Sunday that reaching a consensus on the role of religion in Sudan’s politics was a breakthrough that would now accelerate talks towards a final peace settlement. Sudan had now “accepted the separation of religion from the state,” Amum said. It had been unclear whether Sudan’s military, which shares power with a civilian executive branch, would support any such moves after years of backing Islamists. Civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok signed a similar declaration with al-Hilu last year. Sudan has been wracked by conflicts for decades. After the oil-rich south seceded in 2011, an economic crisis fueled protests that led to the overthrow of Bashir in 2019. SPLM-N has been operating in a region inhabited by minority Christians and followers of African beliefs who complain of long discrimination under Bashir’s rule. Amum told Reuters both sides would start negotiating over other issues like power-sharing and the fate of combatants. After Sunday’s signing, only one rebel group — a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) – remains a major security challenge to the government in Khartoum.
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14 Hurt as Suspected Suicide Bombers Targets Indonesian Church
Two suspected suicide bombers blew themselves up outside a Catholic church in Makassar, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, during a Palm Sunday Mass, wounding at least 14 people.Argo Yuwono, an Indonesian police spokesperson, told reporters that the suicide bombers were intercepted by security at the gate to the church compound, and then the bomb exploded.“We suspect that there are two perpetrators who [were] riding a motorbike” Yuwono said. “Initially, they would enter the courtyard or gate of this Cathedral Church, which has just finished Sunday Mass.”Yuwono said that authorities were not able to immediately confirm how many people were killed, and whether the body parts scattered at the scene were of the perpetrators or victims. “Everything is still under investigation,” he said.Indonesian Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qaumas strongly condemned the bombing in a video response he sent VOA’s Indonesian Service.“I urge all religious leaders, whatever the religion is, to reiterate to their followers that no religion justifies terrorism,” Qaumas said. “Religion always teaches us about love, peace, to love one each other. The heinous act that we see today is not a behavior of religious communities.”He called on people not to be afraid of such terror acts. “Fear will destroy our social cohesion,” Qaumas said.Stanislaus Riyanta, an expert on terrorism at the University of Indonesia, said in an interview with VOA’s Indonesian Service it was likely that the perpetrators came from Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a radical group affiliated with Islamic State. The Sunday bombing, he said, was carried out in the same way as the one at Surabaya Church in 2018, which left more than 30 dead, and one at Medan Police in 2019.“Since the law enforcement is very intense in eradicating terror networks in Indonesia, I think this action may occur as a revenge or resistance, as well as a form of reaction due to the increasing pressure on the group by the security apparatus,” Riyanta said.Noor Huda Ismail, a visiting fellow at the S. Rajaratnam Institute of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, said the explosion at the Catholic cathedral in Makassar was not a new trend, but rather “a continuation and disturbing trend in Indonesia.”“Observing the pattern, by having two perpetrators riding a motorbike and carrying explosives, I think, this is not Jemaah Islamiyah [terrorist group],” Ismail told VOA’s Indonesian Service. “I suspect the perpetrators are the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah group.”Indonesia has long suffered Islamic militant violence and has seen a series of attacks, including the deadly terror attack in Bali in 2002 which killed more than 200 people.VOA Indonesian Service’s Eva Mazrieva contributed to this report.
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Pope Leads Scaled-down Palm Sunday Service
Pope Francis led Palm Sunday services in an almost empty St. Peter’s Basilica because of coronavirus restrictions for the second consecutive year and he urged people to be close to the poor and suffering. In pre-COVID times, Palm Sunday, which marks the start of Holy Week and leads to Easter, tens of thousands of people would pack St. Peter’s Square holding olive branches and intricately weaved palm fronds in an outdoor ceremony. Instead, only about 120 members of the faithful participated in Sunday’s Mass, joining the pope and about 30 cardinals in a secondary wing of the huge basilica. Italy is in the midst of another national lockdown, which is due to end after Easter. The Vatican, a sovereign city-state surrounded by Rome, has applied similar measures. Nearly everyone who took part in the Mass, except the pope and the choir, wore masks. The Vatican re-created the traditional Palm Sunday service, albeit on a much smaller scale, with the 84-year-old pope and the cardinals processing to the altar holding palm fronds. Palm Sunday commemorates the day the gospels say Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was hailed by the people, only to be crucified five days later. During the Mass, the pope had a pronounced limp. He suffers from sciatica, which causes pain in his legs when it flares up. In his homily during the Mass, televised and streamed worldwide, Francis encouraged people to keep their faith from growing dull from habit and to let themselves be amazed by God and by good. “With the grace of amazement we come to realize that in welcoming the dismissed and discarded, in drawing close to those ill-treated by life, we are loving Jesus. For that is where he is: in the least of our brothers and sisters, in the rejected and discarded,” he said. The remainder of the pope’s Holy Week services – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter next Sunday, also will take place with a limited number of participants. Italy has registered 107,636 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain.
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World Bank, Asian Development Bank Freeze Funds to Myanmar to Shun Junta
Moves by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to freeze funds to post-coup Myanmar could make many vulnerable communities worse off even as the lenders look for ways to keep some projects going without the government, analysts and experts say.The World Bank said February 19 it was freezing outlays to Myanmar “as we closely monitor and assess the situation.” The ADB followed suit March 10, putting a hold on new contracts and funds to existing public-sector projects. Together, the institutions have put hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Myanmar on hold to avoid working with the country’s new military junta, which has shot and killed more than 400 people since seizing power February 1 to quell protests, according to local media and activists.Counting the costLosing the average $500 million to $600 million both bank earmark for Myanmar each year will not on its own cripple the country’s $76 billion economy, said Bryan Tse, country analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit and a former consultant specializing in international development projects.However, much of the work they fund does have an outsized impact on the communities they target, he added, from malaria treatment in the south to harm reduction programs for drug addicts in the north and village farming projects across the country.“If these projects get suspended for an extended period of time, then that would have an impact on people’s well-being, and these are things that are not necessarily visible in the headline GDP [gross domestic product] figures,” Tse said.“If you are part of that community, then there will be a direct impact. So, at the end of the day, it’s not necessarily the broad economy but the people, especially the vulnerable population, that will suffer the most.”FILE – A farmer works in the field in Nyaung Woon village, Kyauk-Se, central Myanmar, Dec. 18, 2018.Their projects are also often of the type the private sector or the state are unlikely to pick up on their own, Tse added.“These are not the kind of populations that would generate a lot of revenue for private business, or it may not even be worth it for the government to do,” he said. “That’s where a lot of these development organizations step in.” Their grants and loans span major infrastructure projects, too, from highways to power grids.The banks have not said exactly how much money is on hold.The World Bank would not elaborate, and referred VOA back to its February 19 statement, which offers no figures or any other details. The ADB did not provide VOA with figures either.According to its website, the World Bank has 24 active projects in Myanmar worth a combined $2.73 billion and another 13 worth $1.68 billion in the pipeline. The ADB says it has committed $3.57 billion to Myanmar over the years up to the end of 2019, with 99 active or approved projects as of February and 10 more planned.Alternate spendingMoe Thuzar, a Myanmar analyst for the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said the banks will try to keep projects going where they can find ways around the military-run government.In its statement, the World Bank said it was bolstering efforts to monitor projects already underway to ensure compliance with the group’s policies, while the ADB’s announcement left open the possibility of continuing with private-sector programs.“They’re not halting projects that would affect the life of communities, of grassroots, of people across the country in these difficult times and where I think direct delivery or assistance can be done without necessarily having [to work with] entities that purport to represent the government as it is right now,” Moe Thuzar said.“It’s about the ‘do no harm’ principle, which really is not to let any action taken by the banks, by these financial institutions, [have] any negative or adverse consequences on the people,” she added.However, as most of the banks’ grants and loans go to, or at least through, government bodies, many of their projects will surely grind to a halt, said Jared Bissinger, a development economist who has done consulting work for the World Bank, United Nations and other organizations in Myanmar.While health care projects might lend themselves to new partnerships with private clinics and independent charities that can help to keep them running, others do not.“For a lot of what they do it’s going to be very difficult if not impossible,” Bissinger said. “You’re not going to be working on the national electrification grid without the government; it’s just not possible.”Moe Thuzar said strikes at local banks, part of a nationwide civil disobedience movement against the junta, will make it hard to send money to anyone in Myanmar, the government or otherwise. She said local charities are also coming under added scrutiny from authorities for foreign ties, making any activity with even a hint of resistance to the new regime risky.Earlier this month the junta arrested a local employee of the Open Society Foundation, a U.S.-based philanthropic group that champions democracy and human rights around the world. State-run media claimed the group ran afoul of fund-transfer rules, which the group denies.Donors’ dilemmaThe coup also risks derailing donors’ projects to help Myanmar combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit the country harder than most others in Southeast Asia.The World Bank and ADB had both committed tens of millions of dollars to the effort ahead of the coup.“It’s a no-win situation,” Bissinger said.“The World Bank just can’t continue working with and thereby sort of implicitly endorse this military-controlled government,” he said. “But at the same time, by not doing that, yeah, it’s going to interfere with plans to address the COVID pandemic. So, it really does put organizations like the bank in a really difficult position.”Myanmar’s military claims it took power because the country’s civilian government failed to address its allegations of rampant fraud in last year’s general election, which the National League for Democracy party of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi had won in a landslide. Local and international election monitors had raised concerns with the poll but said the results on the whole did reflect the will of the people.The U.N., local media and nongovernment groups say police and soldiers have killed hundreds and arrested thousands since the coup in a failing bid to quash near-daily protests and strikes. The U.S., European Union and others have imposed sanctions on the top generals and some of their business interests in response.
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Eddie Murphy Inducted into NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame
Eddie Murphy was inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame at the organization’s show that highlighted works by entertainers and athletes of color. After Murphy accepted his induction award Saturday night, the actor-comedian said he was “very moved” by the honor. He was presented the award by his longtime friend and “Coming 2 America” co-star Arsenio Hall. “I’ve been making movies for 40 years now … 40 years. This is the perfect thing to commemorate that and be brought into the hall of fame,” he said. “Thank you very much. I’m very moved.” Murphy went on to send a message to Hall about his famous red leather suit from his 1983 stand-up special “Delirious.” “My red suit was not that tight Arsenio,” Murphy said. “I get a lot of cracks about that red suit. When I was rocking that red suit, that [expletive] was fly.” The hall of fame induction is bestowed on an individual who is viewed as a pioneer in their respective field and whose influence shaped the “profession for generations to come.” Previous inductees include Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, Spike Lee, Ray Charles and Sidney Poitier. The most recent honorees to be inducted were Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Paris Barclay in 2014. Murphy began his career as a stand-up comic while as a teenager and eventually joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live.” He starred in the box office hit “48 Hours” and made his mark in a slew of films such as “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Coming to America,” “The Nutty Professor,” “Dr. Dolittle” and “Dolemite Is My Name.” His latest film “Coming 2 America” was released on Amazon this month. The awards ceremony virtually aired live on BET. It was also simulcast on CBS, MTV, VH1, MTV2, BET HER and LOGO. “Black-ish” star and comedian Anthony Anderson hosted the show for the eighth consecutive year. The late Chadwick Boseman won best actor in a motion picture for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The actor, who also starred in the blockbuster Marvel film “Black Panther,” died at 43 last year after he privately battled colon cancer. “As always, he would give all honor and glory to the most high God,” said the teary-eyed Simone Ledward Boseman, the actor’s wife, who accepted the award on his behalf. “He would thank his mom and dad. And he would give honor to his ancestors as we now honor him. Thank you, NAACP, for always giving him his flowers. He was an uncommon artist and an even more uncommon person.” Boseman spoke about how commonly Black people have been diagnosed with or died from colon cancer. She urged Black people over the age of 45 to get screened. “Don’t put it off any longer,” she said. “Please, get screened. This disease is beatable if you catch it in its early stages. So, you don’t have any time to waste, even if you don’t have any family history. If you think nothing is wrong, and younger than 45, please be proactive about your health. Know the signs. Know your body. Listen to your body.” LeBron James received the President’s Award for his public service achievements. He thanked the NAACP for recognizing his efforts beyond the basketball court. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar was recognized for his efforts through his LeBron James Family Foundation and his I PROMISE School, a co-curricular educational initiative. Last year, he launched More Than a Vote — a coalition of Black athletes and artists — that is dedicated to educating and protecting Black voters. James ventured into the entertainment realm with The SpringHill Company, which unites three companies he co-founded with Maverick Carter including athlete empowerment brand UNINTERRUPTED, film and television production company SpringHill Entertainment and The Robot Company, the brand and culture consultancy. “This award is so much more than myself,” James said. “I’m here receiving it, but this dives into everything that I’m a part of.” DJ D-Nice took home entertainer of the year in a competitive category against big names such as Regina King, Tyler Perry, Viola Davis and Trevor Noah. During the pandemic’s early stage, D-Nice created a virtual remedy for anyone dealing with the lockdown blues. He hosted Homeschool at Club Quarantine on his Instagram Live, where he spun popular tunes on the turntables at his home. An array of celebrities tuned in: Rihanna, Oprah Winfrey and Mark Zuckerberg popped in for a listen. “It’s been an honor to provide entertainment and inspiration during one of the darkest times we’ve experienced,” D-Nice said. Michelle Obama presented Stacey Abrams with the first Social Justice Impact award. Abrams was honored for being a political force and her voting rights work that helped turn Georgia into a swing state. Abrams paid homage to her parents for her upbringing. “They taught me and my five siblings that having nothing was not an excuse for doing nothing,” she said. “Instead, they showed us by word and deed to use our faith as a shield to protect the defenseless, to use our voices to call out injustices, and to use our education and our time to solve the problems that others turn away from.” Viola Davis took home best actress for her film and television roles in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “How to Get Away with Murder.”
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Expelled from US at Night, Migrant Families Weigh Next Steps
In one of Mexico’s most notorious cities for organized crime, migrants are expelled from the United States throughout the night, exhausted from the journey, disillusioned about not getting a chance to seek asylum and at a crossroads about where to go next. Marisela Ramirez, who was returned to Reynosa about 4 a.m. Thursday, brought her 14-year-old son and left five other children — one only 8 months old — in Guatemala because she could not afford to pay smugglers more money. Now, facing another agonizing choice, she leaned toward sending her son across the border alone to settle with a sister in Missouri, aware that the United States is allowing unaccompanied children to pursue asylum. “We’re in God’s hands,” Ramirez, 30, said in a barren park with dying grass and a large gazebo in the center that serves as shelter for migrants. Lesdny Suyapa Castillo, 35, said through tears that she would return to Honduras with her 8-year-old daughter, who lay under the gazebo breathing heavily with her eyes partly open and flies circling her face. After not getting paid for three months’ work as a nurse in Honduras during the pandemic, she wants steady work in the U.S. to send an older daughter to medical school. A friend in New York encouraged her to try again. “I would love to go, but a mother doesn’t want to see her child in this condition,” she said after being dropped in Reynosa at 10 p.m. The decisions unfold amid what Border Patrol officials say is an extraordinarily high 30-day average of 5,000 daily encounters with migrants. Children traveling alone are allowed to remain in the U.S. to pursue asylum while nearly all single adults are expelled to Mexico under pandemic-era rules that deny them a chance to seek humanitarian protection. Families with children younger than 7 are being allowed to remain in the U.S. to pursue asylum, according to a Border Patrol official speaking to reporters Friday on condition of anonymity. Others in families — only 300 out of 2,200 on Thursday — are expelled. Reynosa, a city of 700,000 people, is where many migrants are returned after being expelled from Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. The Border Patrol has said the vast majority of migrants are expelled to Mexico after less than two hours in the United States to limit the spread of COVID-19, which means many arrive when it is dark. Migrants recently expelled from the U.S. after trying to seek asylum sit next to the international bridge in the Mexican border city of Reynosa, March 27, 2021.In normal times, migrants are returned to Mexico under bilateral agreements that limit deportations to daytime hours and the largest crossings. But under pandemic authority, Mexicans and citizens of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras can be expelled to Mexico throughout the night and in smaller towns. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott acknowledged in an interview last year that agreements limiting hours and locations for deportations are suspended “on paper” but said U.S. authorities try to accommodate wishes of Mexican officials. The U.S. also coordinates with nongovernmental organizations. “I would never sit here and look at you and say Tijuana is not dangerous, Juarez is not dangerous, Tamaulipas (state) is not dangerous,” Scott said. “However, a lot of it is like any other U.S. city. There are certain U.S. cities that there are pockets of it that are very dangerous and there are pockets of it that aren’t.” Tamaulipas, which includes Reynosa, is among five Mexican states that the U.S. State Department says American citizens should not visit. A U.S. travel advisory says heavily armed criminal groups patrol Reynosa in marked and unmarked vehicles. More than 100 fathers, mothers and children who were expelled overnight waited in a plaza outside the Mexican border crossing at sunrise Saturday, many bitter about the experience and scared to venture into the city. Several said they left Central American in the past two months because they could finally afford it, but information about President Joe Biden’s more immigrant-friendly policies contributed to their decisions. Some reported paying smugglers as much as $10,000 a person to reach U.S. soil. Michel Maeco, who sold his land in Guatemala to pay smugglers $35,000 to bring his family of five, including children aged 15, 11 and 7, said he was going home after a 25-day journey. He left Guatemala after hearing “on the news” that Biden would allow families to enter the United States. Maeco’s family was expelled to the streets of Reynosa at 3 a.m. Saturday. “Supposedly (Biden) was going to help migrants, but I see nothing,” said Maeco, 36. A Honduran woman who declined to give her name said she left two months ago because her home was destroyed in Tropical Storm Eta and she heard Biden would “open the border” for 100 days — unaware that the president’s 100-day moratorium on deportations, suspended by courts, does not cover new arrivals. She planned to send her 9-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son across alone to live with their aunt in Alabama while she returns to Honduras. Underscoring the dangers, the Border Patrol said Friday that a 9-year-old Mexican girl died crossing the Rio Grande near the city of Eagle Pass. Mexico’s migrant protection agency, Grupos Beta, persuaded many overnight arrivals to be bused to a distant shelter. Crowds at the nearby park had thinned from a few hundred migrants days earlier. Felicia Rangel, founder of the Sidewalk School, which gives educational opportunities to asylum-seeking children in Mexican border cities, sees the makings of a squalid migrant camp like in nearby Matamoros, which recently closed. “If they get a foothold in this gazebo, this is going to turn into an encampment,” she said as a church distributed chicken soup, bread and water to migrants for breakfast. “They do not want another encampment in their country.” Martin Vasquez is among the migrants staying for now. The 19-year-old was expelled after being separated from his 12-year-old brother, who was considered an unaccompanied child and will almost certainly be released to a grandfather in Florida. He said he was inclined to return to Guatemala, where he worked for a moving company, but wanted to wait a while “to see what the news says.”
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US Woman who Lost Child to Brain Tumor Gives Birth at Age 57
A New Hampshire woman who lost her 13-year-old daughter to a brain tumor in 2016 has now given birth to a son — at age 57.Barbara Higgins also had a brain tumor of her own while trying to get pregnant and had it removed.Higgins and her husband, Kenny Banzhoff, of Concord, have been grieving for their late daughter, Molly.In recent years, the couple, who also have an older daughter, thought about having another child. They found an in vitro fertilization clinic in Boston that worked with them.Higgins gave birth to a healthy boy named Jack on Saturday. He weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces.”Yes, I’m scared and I’m anxious, but I’m so excited,” Higgins told the Concord Monitor for a story published Friday.Higgins, an avid runner who has been a high school track coach, said she did weight training until the day she went into labor.In addition to Higgins’ struggles with her brain tumor, Banzhoff, 65, had been living with kidney disease and underwent a transplant.According to Guinness World Records, the oldest woman to give birth was 66-year-old Maria del Carmen Bousada Lara, who had twins in Spain in 2006.
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In US, Asian Medical Workers Face Extra COVID Threat
Asians are disproportionately represented in the medical fields compared to their numbers in the US population. Many endure racial discrimination as they provide care.
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9 Hurt as Suspected Suicide Bomber Targets Indonesian Church
A suspected suicide bomber blew themselves up outside a Catholic church in the Indonesian city of Makassar on Sunday, wounding nine people on the first day of the Easter Holy Week, police and a witness said.The congregation had been inside the church on the island of Sulawesi at the time of the explosion and the lone attacker was the only fatality, police said.The Rev. Wilhemus Tulak, a priest at the church, told Indonesian media that the suspected bomber tried to enter the church grounds on a motorbike, but had been stopped by a security guard.Security camera footage showed a blast that blew flame, smoke and debris into the middle of the road.Police did not say who might be responsible for the apparent attack and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.Police blamed the Islamic State-inspired Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) group for suicide attacks in 2018 on churches and a police post in the city of Surabaya that killed over 30 people.Boy Rafli Amar, the head of the country’s National Counterterrorism Agency, described Sunday’s attack as an act of terrorism.Makassar Mayor Danny Pomanto said the blast could have caused far more casualties if it had taken place at the church’s main gate instead of a side entrance.Makassar, Sulawesi’s biggest city, reflects the religious makeup of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country with a substantial Christian minority and followers of other religions.“Whatever the motive is, this act isn’t justified by any religion because it harms not just one person but others, too,” Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Indonesia’s religious affairs minister, said in a statement.Gomar Gultom, head of the Indonesian Council of Churches, described the attack as a “cruel incident” as Christians were celebrating Palm Sunday and urged people to remain calm and trust the authorities.Indonesia’s deadliest Islamist militant attack took place on the tourist island of Bali in 2002, when bombers killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.In subsequent years, security forces in Indonesia scored some major successes in tackling militancy, but more recently there has been a resurgence of militant violence.
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Top Military Officers from a Dozen Countries Strongly Condemn Myanmar Crackdown
Defense chiefs from a dozen countries, including the United States, issued a rare joint statement Saturday condemning Myanmar’s use of lethal force against pro-democracy, unarmed people.“A professional military follows international standards for conduct and is responsible for protecting — not harming — the people it serves,” the statement said.“We urge the Myanmar Armed Forces to cease violence and work to restore respect and credibility with the people of Myanmar that it has lost through its actions.”The statement released after the violence in the country on Saturday, is backed by defense chiefs from Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea and New Zealand.More than 100 people were killed Saturday as the military junta backed by police continues a brutal, countrywide crackdown on pro-democracy protesters on Armed Forces Day, marking the deadliest day of protests since the Feb. 1 military coup.In reaction to Saturday’s killings, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson said Guterres, “condemns in the strongest terms the killing of dozens of civilians, including children and young people, by security forces in Myanmar” and urged the military to refrain from violence and repression, in a statement issued on March 27.Myanmar Now news site reported late Saturday a nationwide death toll of at least 114, with at least 29 people killed in the northern city of Mandalay, including a boy as young as 5. The Associated Press cited a Yangon-based independent researcher who put the death-toll at 107 — both numbers exceeding what activists have previously been reporting with a high of 90 killings on March 14.Security forces killed civilians in the central Sagaing region, the eastern town of Lashio, the southcentral region of Bago, near Yangon, and in other parts of the country, according to news wires.“They are killing us like birds or chickens, even in our homes,” said Thu Ya Zaw, a resident of the central town of Myingyan, where at least two protesters were killed, according to reports. “We will keep protesting regardless. We must fight until the junta falls.”The military government further escalated the use of deadly force Saturday with fighter jets launching air strikes in an area near the Thai border controlled by an armed ethnic group dedicated to overturning the coup, according to Reuters.The Karen National Union (KNU), an armed political group, said the jets attacked Day Pu Noe village about 8:00 p.m. local time (3:30 UTC), killing two people and forcing residents to take refuge elsewhere.The KNU said earlier Saturday it killed 10 soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, as it overran an army base.The Myanmar government has not responded to requests for comment on the civilian killings or on reports of the KNU’s killing of soldiers at an army base.In a show of force, the military regime held a massive parade in the capital, Naypyitaw Saturday to celebrate the 76th Myanmar Armed Forces Day, which commemorates the start of local resistance to the Japanese occupation during World War II.
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Britain’s Johnson Criticizes ‘Disgraceful’ Attacks on Police at Protest
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday criticized what he called “disgraceful attacks” on police officers after protests over a new policing bill in the city of Bristol turned violent, resulting in 10 arrests.Local police said a demonstration involving more than 1,000 people Friday afternoon had been largely peaceful, but a minority had shown hostility to police later in the evening.”Last night saw disgraceful attacks against police officers in Bristol. Our officers should not have to face having bricks, bottles and fireworks being thrown at them by a mob intent on violence and causing damage to property,” Johnson tweeted.”The police and the city have my full support.”Police in riot gear had beaten back crowds of protesters with shields and batons.Large demonstrations are not allowed because of coronavirus restrictions, and police have urged people not to attend even peaceful protests.On Saturday, a peaceful demonstration against the policing bill in Manchester, where protesters lay down on tram tracks, was ended by police, who made 18 arrests, citing disruption to the transport network.But Bristol has seen the most dramatic protests. Last Sunday, two police officers were seriously injured and at least two police vehicles set on fire in the city after a peaceful protest turned violent.The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill would give police new powers to impose time and noise limits on street protests.That has angered activists, and scrutiny of police tactics has increased since a heavy-handed response to a London vigil for murder victim Sarah Everard.Matthew Dresch, a journalist for the Daily Mirror newspaper, on Friday filmed a policeman hitting him as he shouted “What are you doing? I’m press.”In a tweet accompanying the video, Dresch said: “Police assaulted me at the Bristol protest even though I told them I was from the press. I was respectfully observing what was happening and posed no threat to any of the officers.”Police said they were aware of the video and were trying to contact the journalist.
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Death Toll from Egypt Building Collapse Climbs to 18
The death toll from the collapse of a nine-story apartment building in Cairo has climbed to 18 people, according to Egyptian state media.The building collapsed in the Egyptian capital early Saturday. State newspaper Al-Ahram said that search and rescue workers recovered the bodies over the course of the day.Excavators could be seen digging through the debris in the el-Salam neighborhood Saturday morning. Police cordoned off the area, keeping back the curious and people apparently looking for relatives in the building.”They took four people out in front of me, who looked like they were almost gone,” said Mohamamed Mostafa, a resident of the neighborhood.At least 24 others were injured and taken to hospitals, according to a morning statement by Khalid Abdel-Al, the administrative head of Cairo governorate. The tally of those killed by his office stayed at nine as of Saturday evening.It was not immediately clear what caused the building’s collapse. An engineering committee was formed to examine the structural integrity of neighboring buildings, Abdel-Al said.Building collapses are not uncommon in Egypt, where shoddy construction is widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighborhoods and rural areas.With real estate at a premium in big cities like Cairo and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, developers seeking bigger profits frequently violate building permits. Extra floors often are added without proper permits.The government has recently launched a crackdown on illegal building across the country, jailing violators and in many cases destroying the buildings.
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Two Men in Seattle, San Francisco Face Anti-Asian Hate Charges
Prosecutors in Seattle and San Francisco have charged men with hate crimes in separate incidents that authorities say targeted people of Asian descent amid a wave of high-profile and sometimes deadly violence against Asian Americans since the pandemic began.Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Los Angeles and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area on Saturday, the latest in a series of rallies in response to what many said has become a troubling surge of anti-Asian sentiments.”We can no longer accept the normalization of being treated as perpetual foreigners in this country,” speaker Tammy Kim told a rally in Los Angeles’ Koreatown.On Friday, prosecutors in King County, Washington, charged Christopher Hamner, 51, with three counts of malicious harassment after police said he screamed profanities and threw things at cars in two incidents last week targeting women and children of Asian heritage, The Seattle Times reported Saturday.In San Francisco, Victor Humberto Brown, 53, made a first court appearance after authorities said he repeatedly punched an Asian American man at a bus stop while shouting an anti-Asian slur.Charges elevatedBrown was initially booked on misdemeanor counts, but prosecutors recently elevated the case to a felony, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. He said in court that he has a post-traumatic stress disorder.In Seattle, according to court documents, Hamner yelled profanities and threw things at a woman stopped at a red light with her two children, ages 5 and 10, on March 16. Three days later, authorities said, Hamner cut off another car driven by an Asian woman, yelled a profanity and the word “Asian” at her and then threw a water bottle at her car after charging at her when she pulled into a parking spot.Hamner was being held on $75,000 bail on Saturday. It wasn’t immediately clear if Hamner, who has not yet made a court appearance, had retained an attorney or would be assigned a public defender.Protesters march against anti-Asian hate crimes past the Los Angeles Federal Building, March 27, 2021. The crowd demanded justice for the victims of the Atlanta spa shootings and for an end to racism, xenophobia and misogyny.In the first instance, the woman told her 10-year-old daughter to try to take a cellphone photo of the man. The woman, identified by KIRO-TV as Pamela Cole, posted about the incident on social media and a friend’s husband identified Hamner as a possible suspect.The second woman who was accosted had a dashboard camera in her vehicle that captured the license plate of the other car, which is registered to Hamner, according to court documents. The police detective investigating the case reviewed the video and determined the women’s assailant “was clearly Hamner,” according to the charges.Cole, who said she identifies as part Chinese and part Malaysian, told KIRO-TV she felt like “a sitting duck” when Hamner approached her car, hitting his fists together and screaming at her to “Get out! Get out!” while spewing profanities about her Asian heritage.”I was in complete shock. ‘Are you talking to me?’ ” Cole told the station.”He jumps out of the car and he’s charging at us,” she said. “That was the scariest part for me.”‘Get out of my country’In San Francisco, Ron Tuason, an Army veteran of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish descent, told the Chronicle he was at a bus stop in the city’s Ingleside neighborhood on March 13 when Brown approached him, yelling, “Get out of my country,” before using a racial slur meant to denigrate Asian people. Tuason said Brown also said, “It’s because of you there’s a problem here.”Tuason, 56, said he believes Brown was referring to the coronavirus. Brown punched him multiple times, he said, knocking him to the ground. He suffered a black eye and a swollen cheek as a result of the attack and said he’s also experiencing memory loss.Police found Brown shortly after Tuason called 911.
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Convoy of Fleeing Civilians Ambushed in Besieged Mozambique Town
Suspected Islamist insurgents attacked a convoy of fleeing civilians, including foreign workers, as fighting continued in a northern Mozambique town that is near a number of gas projects, security and diplomatic sources said.At least one person was killed and a number wounded in Friday’s attack, according to three sources and three organizations with employees inside a hotel where people have been taking refuge in the town of Palma.On Saturday, French energy group Total said it has postponed the restart of work at its site near Palma, a logistics hub adjacent to gas projects worth $60 billion. No project staff were among the victims of the fighting, it said.The attack on Palma began just hours after Total said Wednesday that it would resume work at its $20 billion project after halting operations in January because of security concerns.Nearly 200 people had been sheltering in the Amarula Palma hotel during the attack, according to three diplomats and one of the organizations with people inside.They included a Spanish resident and other foreigners who locked themselves in a protected room in the hotel, a Spanish diplomatic source told Reuters. Spain’s foreign ministry confirmed there had been a Spanish citizen in Palma who managed to flee the town.Before the ambush, rescue efforts had been under way with at least 20 people flown to safety in helicopters, said Lionel Dyck, who runs Dyck Advisory Group, a South African private security company that works with Mozambique’s government.On Friday afternoon, some people attempted to escape in a convoy of vehicles but were ambushed just outside the hotel, according to Dyck, two diplomats and the organizations with people inside.Dyck said his helicopters evacuated more than 20 survivors on Saturday.Reuters could not independently verify the accounts. Most communications with Palma are down. Officials at Mozambique’s foreign ministry, defense ministry and provincial government did not immediately respond to calls or their phones were switched off Saturday. The national police said they were evaluating the situation, without providing further details.Mozambique’s government said Thursday that security forces were working to restore order in Palma.The province of Cabo Delgado, where the town is located, has since 2017 been the target of a simmering Islamist insurgency linked to Islamic State.It was not immediately clear how many people, if any, remained in the Amarula Palma hotel on Saturday and how many were missing. Contacted via Facebook, the hotel said it could not give any information.Beheadings have been a hallmark of attacks by the insurgents, whose rebellion is rooted in local issues from poverty and unemployment to perceived corruption and religious discrimination.
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Poland Plans Pensions for Dogs, Horses in State Employment
They locate survivors in collapsed buildings, track down fugitives, foil drugs and explosives smugglers and help control rowdy crowds. All in exchange for food and lodging — and an occasional pat on the head.But when retirement time comes, state care ends for the dogs and horses that serve in Poland’s Police, Border Guard and Fire Service. They are given away, with no safeguards for their future welfare.Following appeals from concerned service members, the Interior Ministry has proposed new legislation that would give these animals an official status, and paid retirement to help cover the often-costly care bills their new owners face.Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski described the draft law as a “moral obligation” that should get unanimous backing when presented in Parliament for approval later this year.”More than one human life has been saved, more than one dangerous criminal caught thanks to the animals in service,” he said in February.The new law would affect about 1,200 dogs and more than 60 horses currently in service.Each year, about 10% of the animals are retired, according to the Interior Ministry. Most of the dogs are German or Belgian shepherds.Pawel Kuchnio, handler of Warsaw police sniffer dog Orbita, says retired dogs almost always require expensive medical care, to deal with complaints such as strained hind joints.Police officer Pawel Kuchnio trains with patrol dog Orbita in Warsaw, Poland, on March 19, 2021.The pension money “will certainly be a great help and will make things easier,” he said.The bill would confirm the unwritten rule that the animals’ handlers have priority in keeping them before they’re offered up for adoption.But more importantly, it would extend state responsibility for the animals into their retirement time and secure financial support for the owners.Slawomir Walkowiak, 50, a former police officer caring for retired service dogs and horses at Poland’s only dedicated shelter, named The Veterans’ Corner, says regular state payments would ease concern over bills that reach into thousands of zlotys [dollars] monthly.The privately run, farm-like shelter in Gierlatowo, west-central Poland, houses 10 dogs, and five retired police horses in a spacious paddock.The oldest horse there, Hipol, is in his late 20s and almost blind. Walkowiak says he would have a slim chance of surviving at a regular stable.Walkowiak says many service dogs end up chained to posts or being given unsuitable tasks, as people think they would make good guardians for farms or other properties. This isn’t always the case.”The dog may suddenly remember that it was trained to bite and it will start biting, and when left alone at home it may demolish the couch because it needs to have something in its mouth,” Walkowiak said.In Warsaw, mounted police officer Dariusz Malkowski says he would have to pay the stabling fees for his 13-year-old black gelding, Rywal, if he were to keep him after retirement.Mounted police patrol in a park in Warsaw, Poland, on March 5, 2021.A stall near Warsaw can cost some 2,500 zlotys ($650) a month. The average pre-tax monthly salary in Poland is some 5,500 zlotys ($1,400).On patrol with Malkowski was Sgt. Katarzyna Kuczynska, riding 13-year-old Romeo II, or Romek, who can identify Kuczynska by her voice.”These animals have worked for the state, they have done their jobs well and they should be entitled to health care and proper retirement — on green pastures in the case of horses,” Kuczynska said.
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China Sanctions US, Canadian Citizens in Xinjiang Row
China on Saturday announced tit-for-tat sanctions against two Americans, a Canadian and a rights advocacy body in response to sanctions imposed this week by the two countries over Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs.Two members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Gayle Manchin and Tony Perkins; Canadian Member of Parliament Michael Chong; and a Canadian parliamentary committee on human rights are prohibited from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, the Chinese foreign ministry said.Chong reacted by calling the sanctions a “badge of honor.””We’ve got a duty to call out China for its crackdown in #HongKong & its genocide of #Uyghurs,” Chong wrote on Twitter. “We who live freely in democracies under the rule of law must speak for the voiceless.”At least 1 million Uyghurs and people from other mostly Muslim groups have been held in camps in northwestern Xinjiang, according to rights groups, who accuse authorities of forcibly sterilizing women and using forced labor.The European Union, Britain, Canada and the United States sanctioned several members of Xinjiang’s political and economic hierarchy this week in coordinated action over the allegations, prompting retaliation from Beijing in the form of sanctions on individuals from the EU and Britain. China’s foreign ministry on Saturday accused the U.S. and Canada of imposing sanctions “based on rumors and disinformation.” The sanctioned officials, who are also banned from conducting business with Chinese citizens and institutions, “must stop political manipulation on Xinjiang-related issues, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs in any form,” the ministry said. “Otherwise, they will get their fingers burnt,” the foreign ministry statement warned.FILE – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a COVID-19 pandemic briefing from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Nov. 20, 2020.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the sanctions were “an attack on transparency and freedom of expression.””We will continue to defend human rights around the world with our international partners,” he said on Twitter.Trudeau’s comments came after top Canadian diplomat Marc Garneau accused Beijing of deploying heavy-handed tactics.”Bullies don’t change unless you send very clear messages to them,” Garneau told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview recorded shortly before Beijing announced its retaliatory sanctions.Consumer boycottsThe diplomatic standoff spilled over into the fashion world this week when pledges made last year by several companies to boycott Xinjiang cotton resurfaced this week on Chinese-owned social network Weibo, triggering additional controversy.The resurfacing of the pledges, made by the likes of Sweden’s H&M, American sportswear giant Nike, Germany’s Adidas and Japan’s Uniqlo, was denounced Friday by the United States, which implied the timely reappearance was a calculated move by Beijing. “The U.S. condemns the PRC … social media campaign and corporate and consumer boycott against companies, including American, European and Japanese businesses,” U.S. State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.Chinese celebrities and tech firms have pulled partnerships with companies ranging from Nike and H&M to Adidas, Burberry and Calvin Klein.Beijing, which insists Xinjiang is an “internal affair,” announced sanctions Friday against nine British individuals and four entities, saying they had “maliciously spread lies and disinformation” over the treatment of Uyghurs.China flatly denies any abuses in the region, describing detention centers there as work camps intended to boost incomes and deter extremism in a region made restive by central control.China previously sanctioned dozens of U.S. officials including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for “crazy moves” against Beijing under the Trump administration.Meanwhile, Canada-China relations are at their lowest point in decades, with China trying two Canadians for alleged espionage this month while an extradition hearing in Vancouver for Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou enters its final months.
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Sudan Normalizes Relations With World Bank
Sudan is celebrating the normalization of its relations with the World Bank Group after significantly reducing its debt with the help of a U.S. bridge loan. A virtual celebration was broadcast Friday on national TV, featuring officials of the World Bank and the Sudanese government welcoming Sudan’s re-engagement in the international financial institution.The executive boards of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) declared Sudan eligible for debt relief under the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative.Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok welcomed the beginning of the debt relief and praised the transitional government’s economic reforms.He congratulated the Sudanese people, the transitional government and the partners of the development for the achievement. Hamdok said this was the real beginning of removing the weight of the external debt from the Sudanese people and returning Sudan to the global financial markets. He said the debt had halted the growth and potential of a giant economy that suffered from corruption, mismanagement, wars and suppression of the Sudanese people.Sudan’s debt had mushroomed to $56 billion under three decades of the autocratic role of Omar al-Bashir.A transitional government supplanted al-Bashir, making concerted efforts to alleviate Sudan’s isolation brought on by his iron-fisted rule.Economic reformsSince 2019, the Sudanese government has made economic reforms to relieve its debt and meet IMF and World Bank Group requirements to access the international funds.The U.S. Treasury provided a same-day bridge loan of $1.15 billion to help Sudan clear its arrears.Sudan’s debt to the International Development Agency (IDA) had blocked the country’s access to international financial institutions like the World Bank Group.Sudanese Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim praised the U.S. role in helping Sudan clear its unpaid debt. He also thanked the World Bank for the unlimited support of the transitional government, including the grant of $1.3 billion to help with debt relief. Ibrahim said the strong partnership showed that the international community stoof with the nation after the December 2018 revolution in which al-Bashir was deposed.The executive director of the World Bank, Axel Van Trotsenberg, confirmed the International Development Association’s willingness to support Sudan’s transition.”This is a historic day,” Van Trotsenberg said. “After nearly three decades, the Republic of Sudan has now officially normalized relations with the World Bank Group. This will allow us to open an exciting new chapter in our partnership. The bank stands ready and is willing to step up its support to Sudan and we would like to make available about $2 billion in IDA grants for poverty reduction and sustainable economic recovery.”Clearing arrears with the IDA is a key step toward meeting the requirements needed to assist Sudan with the HIPC Initiative, which is scheduled to make a formal assessment in June.
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Somalia Parliament Session Called Off
Somalia’s parliamentary session was called off Saturday after pro-government and opposition members could not agree on the agenda. The House was expected to discuss COVID-19, but opposition members complained the agenda also included a proposed term extension for President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, popularly known as Farmajo.The parliament speaker, Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdurahman, called off the meeting after members of the opposition disrupted his attempt to chair the session.Somali parliament meeting ends in disarray after disagreement between MPs over the “intentions” behind a quickly arranged session. MPs were told Covid19 to be the agenda but some MPs argue they feared the Lower House may force “unilateral” term extension for the executive. pic.twitter.com/l5lbXRR4FB— Harun Maruf (@HarunMaruf) March 27, 2021Opposition lawmakers claimed the speaker and pro-government members of parliament were planning to pass a term extension for the president’s administration, a claim denied by pro-government members, including Hani Mohamed Adan.She said some members of parliament tried to cause chaos in the parliament, which was against the standing orders. She said the speaker must take action against the legislators who broke House rules.Later, the speaker issued a letter suspending 15 lawmakers from attending the next five sessions of the parliament, according to government media. The lawmakers were accused of obstructing Saturday’s planned session of the parliament.Somalia’s Speaker of Parliament suspends 15 lawmakers from attending next 5 sessions of the Lower House of Parliament. The MPs rioted and obstructed Saturday’s Parliament session on Covid-19. pic.twitter.com/GiMo4dZABq— SNTV News (@sntvnews1) March 27, 2021One suspended MP said the speaker’s move violated House rules.The terms of parliament and the president have expired, and elections, once planned for February, have been delayed while the country’s leaders work out differences about how to conduct the vote.Sadik Warfa, a former cabinet minister and member of parliament, stressed the need to wait for the outcome of election talks between federal and regional leaders in the capital, Mogadishu.Warfa said they were warning against term extensions for the government by the parliament and were supporting talks among the leaders to resolve the election standoff.Warfa added that they were confident about the prospect of transparent, peaceful elections in the country, underscoring the challenges facing ordinary citizens in the Horn of Africa nation.International partners, including the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, are pressuring Somalia to hold an election, and they reiterated this week their opposition to parallel electoral processes or term extensions for the incumbent government.VOA’s Harun Maruf contributed to this report.
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