Refugees in Kenya and their supporters are hailing a Kenyan court’s decision to temporarily halt a government effort to close two camps in the country.In March, Kenya’s interior ministry demanded the U.N.’s refugee agency (UNHCR) plan to close the Dadaab and Kakuma camps, which are home to about 400,000 refugees and asylum-seekers — mainly from Somalia and South Sudan. The ruling is the second time a Kenyan court has stopped authorities’ attempts to close the camps. Somali Abdullahi Ali, 37, has been living in the Dadaab refugee camp since 1992, when he fled Somalia’s civil war. He met his wife in the camp, and they now have seven children. He welcomed the Kenyan high court’s order Thursday to suspend the government move to shut down Dadaab, in the country’s east, and Kakuma, in the northwest. The court has seen that it’s not easy to close the camp and send refugees home in a short period, Ali said.The court ordered the 30-day halt after lawyer Peter Gichira filed a legal challenge to the interior ministry’s plan to close the camps. The ministry had given the UNHCR until Wednesday to develop a plan to close the camps. The UNHCR on Friday said it had shared its proposal with the Kenyan authorities. The statement said the plan included voluntary repatriation, in accordance with COVID-19 health protocols, and resettlement to third countries for refugees who cannot return for safety reasons. Kenya’s interior ministry, which is in charge of refugee affairs, has not responded to requests for comment. But Kenyan media report the ministry is not happy with the UNHCR’s proposal. FILE – A donkey pulls a cart loaded with firewood at the Dadaab refugee complex, northeastern Kenya, April 18, 2018.Constitutional lawyer Bob Mkangi said Kenya cannot ignore local and international laws that protect the rights of refugees. “But also, to go ahead and do it would be very difficult considering these refugee camps house over 400,000 people, and to simply say you are closing them down is a huge logistical undertaking that cannot be done whimsically,” he said. The Kenyan government has insisted the refugee camps pose a security threat, and since 2014 have sought to have them closed. But Irungu Houghton, head of Amnesty’s International Kenya office, said the time is not right to close the camps. “Obviously, this is not a good time for Somalis, South Sudanese, Ugandans, Tanzanians,” Houghton said. “We are seeing in the case of Tigray in Ethiopia a new front of violence has opened up and for many of those refugees they are not assured of their safety or protection they require in order to return.” FILE – An aerial picture shows a section of the Hagadera camp in Dadaab, near the Kenya-Somalia border.Houghton also noted that many refugees have not received coronavirus vaccinations, so moving them in large groups would risk further spreading the virus. Kenya’s Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps have been open for close to three decades. At the height of conflicts and famine in Somalia, the Dadaab camp hosted more than 600,000 people, most of them Somalis.Since 2014, more than 80,000 Somali refugees have returned home from Kenya under the U.N.’s voluntary repatriation program.
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Month: April 2021
UN Criticizes Sudanese Authorities’ Failure to Stop West Darfur Violence
The U.N. human rights office is urging Sudanese authorities to speed up the deployment of security forces to West Darfur, in an effort to protect civilians from ethnic and tribal clashes in the region.The latest resurgence of violence nearly one week ago has left more than 130 people dead and more than 200 injured, with thousands forced to flee their homes. This is the third eruption between Masalit and Arab tribes since former Sudanese dictator Omar-al-Bashir was ousted and a transitional government took power in April 2019. Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights office, says her agency is appalled by the carnage and disturbed by authorities’ slow progress in holding the perpetrators of the violence accountable. “Similar to previous situations of violence in Al Geneina, the authorities failed to stop the clashes despite a robust security force presence in the town,” she said. “We urge the authorities to fully uphold their role of protection for the population without discrimination. In this regard, we call on the government of Sudan to accelerate the implementation of the National Plan for the Protection of Civilians.” Clashes over land and access to water resources have been going on for decades between the Masalit, who are mainly farmers, and the Arab herder tribes. The United Nations estimates the war in Darfur that broke out in 2003 killed some 300,000 people and displaced 2.7 million. Hurtado says all tribes responsible for violence in Darfur must be disarmed and the state must maintain order and ensure the rule of law. This, she says, means authorities must prevent armed civilians from taking the law into their own hands. “We acknowledge that, after the latest clashes, the authorities have taken steps to contain the situation in the area,” she said. “We also welcome the government’s commitment to addressing the root causes of the violence, especially disputes over land, pasture and water resources — disputes that are at the heart of the entrenched tribal divisions.” The human rights office is calling for an independent, impartial and thorough investigation into the acts of violence. It says effective accountability for crimes and justice for the victims will pave the way for reconciliation and lasting peace.
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German Health Officials Say New Nationwide Lockdown Needed to Control COVID-19
Germany’s top health officials said Friday a nationwide lockdown of two to four weeks is necessary to bring a new wave of COVID-19 infections under control.
Health Minister Jens Spahn and Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for Infectious Disease President Lothar Wieler told reporters in Berlin there were 25,000 new infections reported as of Friday, which Spahn said were too many. He said a nationwide lockdown is needed to get the rate of infection permanently below 100 per 100,000 people.
Spahn said the infection rates are being felt most in the hospitals and intensive care units, which he said are currently treating nearly 4,500 patients across the country. Wieler said RKI hospital surveillance data indicates more and more of these seriously ill patients are young people.
He said that fact adds more stress to hospitals because young patients tend to require respiratory care longer than older ones.
Spahn said that burden on the hospitals is why nationwide action is needed. “This is why we must break this third wave as quickly as possible. This means reducing contacts and limiting mobility.”
But Germany’s federal government and regional governments are divided on new COVID-19-related restrictions. Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling for a tighter lockdown as some regions and cities unilaterally ease restrictions.
Meanwhile, Spahn said vaccinations in Germany were “on a good path, with thousands of ordinary doctor practices this week joining the vaccination campaign.”
Germany now has almost 15 percent of its population vaccinated with one dose and 5.8% have received both shots.
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Britain’s Prince Philip Dies
Prince Philip, the Greek-born consort to Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest sitting monarch, has died at the age of 99. The Duke of Edinburgh is best remembered for his sense of duty to the queen, and also his sense of humor. Henry Ridgwell reports for VOA from London.
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Archeologists Discover Ancient Egyptian City
A team of archeologists has unearthed a city buried under the sands of Egypt that has lain “untouched for thousands of years, left by the ancient residents as if it were yesterday,” the team said in a statement Thursday.The team said after weeks of removing sand they found “a large city in a good condition of preservation, with almost complete walls, and with rooms filled with tools of daily life.”The discovery of the lost city of Aten, near Luxor, home to the Valley of the Kings, is the “second most important archeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun,” Betsy Bryan, a Johns Hopkins University professor of Egyptian art and archaeology, said in the statement.Aten “will give us a rare glimpse into the life of the Ancient Egyptians at the time where the empire was at . . . (its) wealthiest,” Bryan said.Renowned Egyptian archaeologist and former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass led the excavation team. “Many foreign missions searched for this city and never found it,” he said.The archaeologists believe the city was an administrative and industrial settlement, dating back to the reign of Amenhotep III, who ruled the country from 1391 to 1353 B.C. The team also believe that Aten was eventually used by Tutankhamen and his successor, King Ay.
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‘No Cease-fire’ in Myanmar’s Ethnic Minority States, According to Humanitarian Group
Ethnic groups in Myanmar’s Kayin State and elsewhere are reportedly still experiencing waves of attacks from the country’s military, the Tatmadaw, after the February coup, despite the junta’s declaration of a one-month cease-fire on March 31.The armed forces have aggressively cracked down on pro-democracy protesters nationwide since the coup, leaving thousands detained and hundreds dead.Although the current nationwide crackdown in Myanmar is the biggest seen in years, ethnic conflict in the Southeast Asian nation is not new. Myanmar, also known as Burma, is home to the world’s longest ongoing civil war, spanning 70 years with a series of ethnic insurgencies.David Eubank, head of the Thai-based Free Burma Rangers, a group that has provided medical assistance inside Myanmar, told VOA this week that daily military attacks against several ethnic minority states continue.Eubank said by phone the Tatmadaw has stepped up assaults that have led to the displacement of thousands of members of ethnic minorities in recent weeks, starting with airstrikes from March 27 to April 2 in Kayin State, also known as Karen State.“From all these airstrikes, as well as sustained ground attacks, there are now 23,000 people displaced in northern Karen State,” Eubank told VOA.Saw Thuebee, spokesperson for the civil society group, the Karen Peace Support Network, told VOA that 30,000 people had been displaced in Kayin state by increasing fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Karen National Liberation Army, the military arm of Karen National Union, the political organization that claims to represent the ethnic Karens.Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw, MyanmarHe said, the Tatmadaw presence in the region has been increasing, particularly since the coup.“The Karen has made a repeated request to the Tatmadaw in the last five years to remove their military camps in the Karen territories. But instead of removing the camps the, the Tatmadaw has increased more, more troops and upgrading their outposts, and building more bigger roads so they can move in as fast as possible even during military tensions. I think Karen is responding to this militarization of this Myanmar army, this is why we are seeing more fighting going on and it’s spreading out to other districts as well,” Saw Thuebee told VOA.Non-Burman ethnic groups in Kayin State have had a long history of running conflict with the central government over issues related to autonomy or independence. As is the case with other ethnic groups in the country, ceasefire agreements have been agreed to over the years in attempts for peace.Eubank, of the Free Burma Rangers said previous truces have often been broken but not to the extent of the current attacks. “The Burma army said there’s a cease-fire, there is no cease-fire there,” he told VOA.“There has been a cease-fire in Karen State for five years. And every year there has been a violation,” according to Eubank, who says the military moved in on some states before February’s coup.“We saw more and more attacks in December and then January they kept increasing, steadily, slowly,” he added.Thousands nationwide have opposed the coup, both in urban and ethnic areas. But the military’s armored vehicles and live ammunition have suppressed regular street demonstrations and martial law and internet shutdowns have been imposed.Reports in recent days have indicated that airstrikes have temporarily stopped in ethnic regions, but constant flyovers are still a daily occurrence, according to Eubank’s group. Ground attacks are also increasing, and according to Eubank, his FBR team reported a 30% increase in attacks on ethnic minority areas such as Kachin State, while thousands have also been displaced in Shan State.Ethnic armed organizations are fighting back, Eubank said.“In northern Karen State they are attacking with every chance they get,” Eubank said.Yet with thousands still displaced, a lot of damage has already been done. Eubank told VOA his group’s biggest priority now is “food, medicine and shelter” as a food crisis could be imminent, coupled with the approach of the rainy season.“People are now hiding among the trees, many of them in caves to escape bombing and living pretty rough. Schools stopped, fields can’t be tended, and people are scared,” he said.
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Iran Frees South Korean Ship it Held Amid Funds Dispute
A South Korean oil tanker held for months by Iran amid a dispute over billions of dollars seized by Seoul was freed and sailed away early Friday, just hours ahead of further talks between Tehran and world powers over its tattered nuclear deal.MarineTraffic.com data showed the MT Hankuk Chemi leaving Bandar Abbas in the early morning hours.South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Iran released the tanker and its captain after seizing the vessel in January. The ministry says the Hankuk Chemi left an Iranian port at around 6 a.m. local time after completing an administrative process.Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Saeed Khatibzadeh, later confirmed that Iran had released the vessel.“At the request of the owner and the Korean government, the order to release the ship was issued by the prosecutor,” Khatibzadeh was quoted as saying by the state-run IRNA news agency.The ship’s owner, DM Shipping Co. Ltd. of Busan, South Korea, could not be immediately reached for comment.The Hankuk Chemi had been traveling from a petrochemicals facility in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates when armed Revolutionary Guard troops stormed the vessel in January and forced the ship to change course and travel to Iran.Iran had accused the MT Hankuk Chemi of polluting the waters in the crucial Strait of Hormuz. But the seizure was widely seen as an attempt to pressure Seoul to release billions of dollars in Iranian assets tied up in South Korean banks amid heavy American sanctions on Iran. Iran released the 20-member crew in February but continued to detain the ship and its captain while demanding that South Korea unlock frozen Iranian assets.Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not acknowledge the fund dispute when announcing the ship’s release, with Khatibzadeh saying only that the captain and tanker had a clean record in the region.But an official from South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity under regulations, said Seoul’s willingness to resolve the issue of Iranian assets tied up in South Korea “possibly had a positive influence” in Iran’s decision to release the vessel.The official said Iran had acknowledged South Korea’s attempts to resolve the dispute as it became clear the issue was “not just about South Korea’s ability and efforts alone” and was “intertwined” with negotiations over the return to Tehran’s foundering nuclear deal.Unfreezing the funds involves the consent of various countries including the U.S., which in 2018 imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran’s oil and banking sectors. The official said South Korea has been closely communicating with other countries over the frozen Iranian assets.In January, the U.N. said Iran topped a list of countries owing money to the world body with a minimum bill of over $16 million. If unpaid, Iran could lose its voting rights as required under the U.N. Charter.“We’re expecting to make a considerable progress in terms of paying the U.N. dues,” an unnamed South Korean Foreign Ministry official was quoted by the country’s Yonhap news agency. “We have also exported some $30 million worth of medical equipment since we resumed the humanitarian trade with Iran last April.”The development came as Iran and world powers were set to resume negotiations in Vienna on Friday to break the standoff over U.S. sanctions against Iran and Iranian breaches of the nuclear agreement. The 2015 nuclear accord, which then-President Donald Trump abandoned three years later, offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
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Expansion Plan by World’s Largest Contract Chipmaker Won’t Ease Global Shortage: Experts
Plans by the world’s largest contract chipmaker for a record $100 billion capacity expansion will just mildly dent a growing worldwide shortage of semiconductors for gear such as high-speed notebook computers, 5G smartphones and newer vehicles, tech experts believe.Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said in an April 1 legal notice to the Taipei stock exchange that it would use the money over three years on “leading technology” for manufacturing and R&D to “answer demands from the market.” The notice specifically cites demand for chips used in 5G-enabled and high-performance devices.That amount would set a dollar-value record for the company, which is better known as TSMC, said Brady Wang, an analyst in Taipei with the market intelligence firm Counterpoint Research.TSMC’s investment will ease “anxiety” among clients worried about semiconductor supply-chain instability caused in part by Sino-U.S. trade tension, said Kent Chong, managing director of professional services firm PwC Legal in Taipei. Its clients include multiple American hardware developers including Apple.“Overall, it would indeed increase capacity, without any question,” Chong said. American clients hope to source chips in the United States, he added. The company headquartered southwest of Taipei is already planning to open a $12 billion plant in the U.S. state of Arizona. “TSMC is obviously the forefront runner in bringing the whole supply chain to the U.S.,” Chong said.TSMC said in its stock market filing it is “working closely with our customers to address their needs in a sustainable manner.”Years-long shortageAnalysts caution, though, that the ever-growing demand for chips paired with the lag time in building new production plants will extend the shortage for years, despite TSMC’s investment.“You can throw a lot of money at it, but it’s not going to solve the problem,” said Sean Su, an independent political and technology consultant in Taipei.He pointed to popularity of home-use devices during the pandemic and a possible long-term reliance on this technology in “hybrid” online-offline economy after COVID-19 subsides.“Demand is off the ceiling,” Su said. “People want smartphones. People want this and that more than ever. People want tablets all of a sudden. Every single child in the house now needs a computer instead of sharing it.”Remote study and telework, two trends that emerged during the 2020 coronavirus outbreak, particularly raised demand last year for chips that run high-speed notebook PCs. That trend is piggybacking on prepandemic demand for 5G smartphones and new devices that run on artificial intelligence.Automakers joined the mix, too, last year as they placed orders for automated vehicles and electric cars. Because of the current chip shortage, they must wait until at least early 2022 as production capacity is now “fully loaded,” said Wen Liu, industry analyst with the Taipei-based Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute.Feeling an additional pinchWorld demand for chips should increase from $450 billion last year to about $600 billion in 2024, market research firm Gartner says. Industry revenue had already grown 5.4% from 2019 to 2020, according to fellow market research company IDC. TSMC and South Korean technology giant Samsung are the biggest chipmakers today and make the highest-grade chips.Chinese semiconductor clients will feel an additional pinch because of curbs introduced by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, Su said. The Trump administration barred companies, including those based offshore, from working with a list of Chinese firms considered national security risks.“They will be [affected in China] due to trade embargoes as is,” Su said. “Every year, companies fight over limited batches of top-end processors.”China-based chip buyers include developers of three of the world’s five biggest smartphone brands by market share in late 2020.Most of the world’s chipmakers, such as the growing China-based Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., lag in the equipment and knowhow to make chips that run fast on low power, tech analysts believe. TSMC’s investment will help it stay ahead of any up-and-coming peers, Wang said.“This is actually because [TSMC] saw a new opportunity, which would mainly be in 5G or high-performance PCs or demands for other digitization needs as that’s the demand following COVID-19,” Wang said. TSMC itself probably does not expect the planned $100 billion outlay to ease today’s chip shortage, he said.The company says in its stock exchange notice that “multiyear mega-trends…are expected to fuel strong demand for our semiconductor technologies in the next several years,” while the pandemic “accelerates digitalization in every aspect.”
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Singapore’s Designated Future Leader Steps Aside, Citing Age
Singapore’s designated future leader, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, has taken himself out of the running in a surprise decision, saying in a letter released Thursday that a younger person with a “longer runway” should be the next prime minister.The announcement sets back the country’s succession plans after current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong retires. Lee, 69, had planned to retire at age 70 but has indicated he may stay on until the coronavirus crisis is over.Singapore has been led by the People’s Action Party since independence in 1965, and succession plans are usually made years in advance.In his letter, posted on the prime minister’s office website, Heng, who turns 60 this year, said the pandemic is likely to be prolonged, and “I would be close to the mid-60s when the crisis is over.””I would have too short a runway should I become the next prime minister then,” he wrote. “We need a leader who will not only rebuild Singapore post-COVID-19, but also lead the next phase of our nation-building effort.”Heng suffered a stroke in 2016, raising questions about his long-term health.”I know that the top job imposes exceptional demands on the office holder,” he wrote. “While I am in good health today, it is in the best interests of the nation for someone who is younger to tackle the huge challenges ahead.”Prime Minister Lee said in a separate letter that he understands and respects the decision.Heng will stay on as deputy prime minister, but will relinquish his finance minister post in the next Cabinet reshuffle, Lee said. The reshuffle is expected in about two weeks.
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Kenya Court Suspends Move to Close 2 Refugee Camps
Kenya’s high court on Thursday suspended the government move to shut down two camps that hold hundreds of thousands of refugees from war-torn neighboring countries.Justice Antony Mrima issued the temporary order, which will run for 30 days, after former presidential aspirant Peter Gichira filed a legal challenge seeking to block closure of the two camps.Kenya’s interior ministry had given the U.N. refugee agency 14 days, which ended Wednesday, to come up with a plan for closing the camps, saying that “there is no room for further negotiations.”The Dadaab camp in Kenya’s east holds more than 200,000 refugees mainly from Somalia, which has not known peace since the 1991 ouster of long-time dictator Siad Barre. The Kakuma camp in northern Kenya hosts nearly 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers, the majority from South Sudan’s civil war.Gichira, who is lawyer, argues that the directive to close the two camps violates Kenya’s constitution as well as international laws and treaties regarding protection of refugee rights.”The threatened closure of camps and forced repatriation offends all those international legal instruments protecting refugees as well as those prohibiting torture, cruelty, degrading and inhuman treatment,” Gichira said in his court filing.Any repatriation of refugees should be based on the principle that such people “return to their places of origin voluntarily and without any undue influence or pressure,” he added.Kenya’s government has been saying for years that it would like to close the Dadaab camp near the Somalia border, calling it a source of insecurity. Some officials have described it as a recruiting ground for the jihadist rebels of the al-Shabab extremist group and a base for launching violent attacks inside Kenya.A Kenyan court in 2017 blocked the closure of Dadaab, saying it was not safe for refugees to return to Somalia.The government’s latest demand to the U.N. refugee agency is seen as retaliation against Somalia for insisting on pursuing a case at the International Court of Justice over a disputed maritime border between the two countries. Kenya wants the case settled out of court.
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Pulmonary Expert Testifies Lack of Oxygen Caused Floyd’s Death
At the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer facing murder and manslaughter charges in the death of George Floyd, a witness testified Thursday that a lack of oxygen killed Floyd. On Friday, the jury will hear from the county’s medical examiner. Esha Sarai has more.
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US Suicides Dropped Last Year, Defying Pandemic Expectations
The number of U.S. suicides fell nearly 6% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic — the largest annual decline in at least four decades, according to preliminary government data.Death certificates are still coming in, and the count could rise. But officials expect a substantial decline will endure, despite worries that COVID-19 could lead to more suicides.It is hard to say exactly why suicide deaths dropped so much, but one factor may be a phenomenon seen in the early stages of wars and national disasters, some experts suggested.”There’s a heroism phase in every disaster period, where we’re banding together and expressing lots of messages of support that we’re in this together,” said Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “You saw that, at least in the early months of the pandemic.”An increase in the availability of telehealth services and other efforts to turn around the nation’s suicide problem may have also contributed, she said.U.S. suicides steadily rose from the early 2000s until 2018, when the national suicide rate hit its highest level since 1941. The rate finally fell slightly in 2019. Experts credited increased mental health screenings and other suicide prevention efforts.The number fell further last year to below 45,000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a recent report. It was the lowest number of U.S. suicide deaths since 2015.Many worried that such progress might end when COVID-19 arrived.Mental health issues roseThe pandemic sparked a wave of business closures. Millions of people were forced to stay at home, many of them alone. In surveys, more Americans reported depression, anxiety, and drug and alcohol use. Adding to that dangerous mix, firearm purchases rose 85% in March 2020.But the spring of last year actually saw the year’s most dramatic decline in suicide numbers, said the CDC’s Farida Ahmad, the lead author of a recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which described the decline.Suicide had been the nation’s 10th leading cause of death but dropped to 11th in 2020. That was mainly due to the arrival of COVID-19, which killed at least 345,000 Americans and became the nation’s No. 3 killer. But the decline in suicide deaths also contributed to the drop in the ranking.The CDC has not yet reported national suicide rates for 2020, nor has it provided a breakdown of suicides by state, age or race, and ethnicity.Moutier is anxious to see more data. For example, while overall suicides decreased last year, it is possible that suicides by youths and young adults did not, she said.She is optimistic the recent declines will mark the beginning of a lasting trend. But she also worries there may be a delayed effect on the mental health of many people as they get past the pandemic’s initial threats but sink into grieving the people and things they lost.”There’s sort of an evolution of mental health distress,” she said. “It’s possible we will see the whole mental health ramifications of this pandemic” later.
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Defrocked US Priest Revered in East Timor Accused of Abuse
It was the same every night. A list of names was posted on the Rev. Richard Daschbach’s bedroom door. The child at the top of the roster knew it was her turn to share the lower bunk with the elderly priest and another elementary school-aged girl.Daschbach was idolized in the remote enclave of East Timor where he lived, largely for his role in helping save lives during the tiny nation’s bloody struggle for independence. So, the girls never spoke about the abuse they suffered. They said they were afraid they would be banished from the shelter the 84-year-old from Pennsylvania established decades ago for abused women, orphans, and other destitute children.The horrors of what they said happened behind closed doors over a period of years is now being played out in court, the first clergy sex abuse case in a country that is more solidly Catholic than any other place aside from the Vatican. The trial was postponed last month because of a coronavirus lockdown but is expected to resume in May.At least 15 females have come forward, according to JU,S Jurídico Social, a group of human rights lawyers representing them. The Associated Press has spoken to a third of the accusers, each recalling their experiences in vivid detail. They are not being identified because of fears of retribution.They told AP that Daschbach would sit on a chair every night in the middle of a room holding a little girl, surrounded by a ring of children and staff members praying and singing hymns before bed.”The way that you determine who sits on his lap is by the list that he’d have on his door,” one accuser said. “And that meant that you were the little girl that was going to go with him.”Later in his room, they said Daschbach would strip down to white boxer shorts and a T-shirt and then undress the girls, giving them deodorant to put on before fondling them and quietly guiding their hands to touch him. Then, they said, there would often be oral sex. One accuser also alleged she was raped.He would sometimes ask the children with him on the lower bunk to switch places with one or two others sleeping on the mattress above, they said, adding abuse also occasionally occurred during afternoon naps.Daschbach faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. He and his lawyer declined to be interviewed by the AP.The church defrocked Daschbach in 2018, saying he had confessed to sexually abusing children. But he maintains strong political ties and is still treated like a rock star by many, especially at the Topu Honis shelter, which means “Guide to Life.”Former President Xanana Gusmao attended the trial’s opening in February. A month earlier, the independence hero visited Daschbach on his birthday, hand-feeding cake to the former priest and lifting a glass of wine to his lips, as cameras flashed.Daschbach’s lawyers have not made their legal strategy public, and court proceedings are closed. But documents seen by AP indicate that they will argue he is the victim of a conspiracy.In January, however, the former priest appeared to be preparing his supporters for the worst. He told local reporters that his message to the children who remain in the orphanage is this: “Be patient. We won’t meet again because I will be detained for life, but I will still remember you and you have to be happy there.”The global clergy sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church for more than two decades, has led to billions of dollars in settlements and the establishment of new programs aimed at preventing further abuse.But experts have seen a growing number of victims coming forward in developing nations like Haiti, Kenya, and Bangladesh, where priests and missionaries deployed by religious orders often operate with little or no oversight.
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US ‘Monitoring’ as Iran Sends Fuel Tankers to Venezuela in Defiance of Sanctions
As Iran sent three gasoline shipments to fuel-starved Venezuela in recent months in defiance of U.S. sanctions, the Biden administration apparently did nothing to stop the tankers, signaling a reticence to enforce the sanctions and a savviness by the anti-U.S. allies in evading them.Two National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC)-owned vessels, the Faxon and the Fortune, delivered several hundred thousand barrels of Iranian gasoline to the Venezuelan city of Puerto La Cruz at the end of January and beginning of February. The third NITC tanker, the Forest, delivered another 270,000 barrels of gasoline to the city of Puerto Cabello on February 20.BREAKING: A shipment of around 44 million liters of gasoline has secretly arrived at El Palito, Venezuela from Iran aboard handysize tanker FOREST. This is according to our 6 week long tracking investigation. FOREST is the 3rd tanker we were expecting after FORTUNE & FAXON. #OOTT
— TankerTrackers.com, Inc.⚓️🛢 (@TankerTrackers) February 20, 2021The deliveries were confirmed by a variety of nongovernmental sources, including TankerTrackers.com, an online service that tracks global energy shipments using satellite imagery and maritime data and London-based energy markets news service Argus Media, which said it obtained shipping data and documents related to the Iranian tankers.Further confirmation came from the Reuters news agency, which cited several unnamed people with knowledge of the Iranian shipments.Iran began sending irregular gasoline shipments to Venezuela, its longtime anti-U.S. ally, last May to help Caracas manage domestic fuel shortages stemming from dilapidated refineries and government mismanagement in the major oil-producing nation. In exchange for the deliveries, Caracas has provided Tehran with gold, surplus Venezuelan jet fuel and other commodities, according to U.S. and Venezuelan officials and reports by Argus Media and Reuters citing shipping documents and knowledgeable sources, respectively.FILE – The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Javad Zarif, left, bumps elbows with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza at the Casa Amarilla palace in Caracas, Nov. 5, 2020.The administration of former president Donald Trump, which had sanctioned both Iran and Venezuela, responded to Iran’s May and June gasoline shipments by seizing in August four tankers that U.S. officials said also were carrying Iranian gasoline to Venezuela, albeit under non-Iranian flags. But reports citing tanker-tracking services later showed that Iran managed to send three more gasoline shipments to Venezuela using NITC tankers in late September and early October, apparently without U.S. interference.The U.S. Justice Department on August 14, 2020, confirmed it had seized the fuel cargo aboard four tankers — including the Bering, pictured here in an undated photo — sent by Iran to crisis-wracked Venezuela.Asked by VOA Persian for its response to the three Iranian gasoline shipments to Venezuela in late January and early February, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on March 24, “We are aware of reports of a Venezuelan-Iranian petroleum exchange and continue to monitor the situation.”The spokesperson made no reference to any U.S. sanctions enforcement action in relation to the illicit shipments and made no direct response to a question about whether the Biden administration will follow Trump’s example by seizing future similar shipments.The State Department spokesperson also referred questions about sanctions to the Treasury Department, which did not respond to a VOA Persian email requesting comment on the issue.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 11 MB480p | 16 MB540p | 19 MB720p | 35 MB1080p | 71 MBOriginal | 251 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioIn an earlier March 8 phone briefing with reporters, a senior Biden administration official responded to a VOA question by acknowledging that Venezuelan authorities have adapted to unilateral U.S. sanctions on their energy sector by “sustain(ing) themselves through illicit flows.”The official expressed skepticism about the wisdom of maintaining those unilateral sanctions on Venezuela and said they are being reviewed to ensure that they punish President Nicolas Maduro’s government, which the U.S. considers to be illegitimate, and not the Venezuelan people. There is “no rush” to lift the sanctions while the review is under way, the official added. The Biden administration also has expressed a willingness to ease unilateral U.S. sanctions on Iran as part of a diplomatic process to revive a 2015 deal in which Tehran promised world powers to curtail nuclear activities that could be weaponized in return for global sanctions relief.Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, saying it was not tough enough on Iran, and started toughening U.S. sanctions to pressure Tehran to end objectionable behaviors. Iran retaliated a year later by starting an ongoing series of violations of the agreement’s nuclear activity limits. The Biden administration has said it will keep Trump’s sanctions in place until Tehran agrees to coordinate with Washington on a joint return to compliance with the nuclear agreement.In addition to signaling a willingness to ease unilateral U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, the Biden administration has signaled a reluctance to aggressively enforce those sanctions in the case of the Iran-Venezuela fuel transfers.Bogota-based analyst James Bosworth, whose company, Hxagon, provides political risk analysis on emerging markets, recently told VOA Persian that the Biden administration has shown that it wants to avoid escalating tensions with Iran and Venezuela. He noted that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned last May that if the U.S. interferes with Iranian tankers bringing gasoline to Venezuela, U.S. tankers will have a “reciprocal problem.”FILE – Iranian oil tanker Fortune is anchored at the dock of the El Palito refinery near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, May 25, 2020.“Blocking tankers from reaching Venezuelan shores — that really escalates tensions beyond basic sanctions enforcement,” Bosworth said. “You don’t want enforcement to be this high stakes game that could lead you to military action.”Iran’s success in shipping gasoline to Venezuela also can be attributed to its decades of experience in evading U.S. sanctions, said Emanuele Ottolenghi, an Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, in a recent VOA Persian interview. Besides Iran having its tankers switch off their transponders for much of their journeys to and from Venezuela, it has developed new ways to disguise the shipments, he said.”One of the recent techniques has been to disguise vessels as ships that are not owned by the Iranian fleet and do not have the Iranian flag. Part of the reason that further seizures of Iranian tankers have not happened since August is that it has taken some time for the U.S. government to figure out these techniques,” Ottolenghi said.The FDD analyst says one factor driving Iran and Venezuela to develop the new techniques for evading U.S. sanctions is the financial gain reaped by those involved in the illicit fuel shipments.“The industry of sanctions evasion that facilitates these costly and circuitous deals makes a lot of money for the regime figures in Tehran and in Caracas who pull the strings, and it incentivizes them to continue creating ever more ingenious ways to break free of the sanctions,” Ottolenghi said.This article originated in VOA’s Persian Service. Cristina Caicedo Smit and Rafael Salido of VOA’s Latin America Division contributed to this report.
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Jovan Divjak, Defender of Sarajevo, Dies at Age 84
Former Bosnian army general Jovan Divjak, who defended Sarajevo during a 44-month siege of the city, died Thursday in the Bosnian capital at the age of 84, his organization said. Divjak was one of the very few ethnic Serbs to fight for the Bosnian army during the devastating 1990s inter-communal conflict that ripped the former Yugoslavia apart. A champion of a multi-ethnic Bosnia, Divjak died after a “long illness,” according to his organization, Obrazovanje Gradi BiH, which means “education builds Bosnia and Herzegovina.” When the conflict broke out in Sarajevo in April 1992, Divjak, a retired Yugoslav army officer, was a member of Bosnia’s territorial defense forces. He immediately joined the ranks of those defending Sarajevo, which was besieged for nearly four years. At least 10,000 residents of the city were killed during the war. “It was natural to be with those who were attacked, who did not have weapons,” Divjak told AFP in 2017, rejecting the “good Serb” label. “The idea of a multi-ethnic Bosnian army had won me over,” he added. FILE – Citizens of Sarajevo protest in front of the building of the EU Special Representative office building in Sarajevo, to show support for retired General Jovan Divjak, March 5, 2011.After the conflict, Divjak renounced his rank of general and devoted himself entirely to his association, which granted thousands of scholarships to orphans and also to children from poor families. He was awarded the Legion of Honour by France in 2001 for “his civic sense, his refusal of prejudice and ethnic discrimination.” To his death, Divjak remained fiercely anti-nationalist. His role in the war was badly viewed by most Bosnian Serbs who considered him a traitor. Serbia demanded Divjak’s extradition over a 1992 attack on a retreating Yugoslav army convoy in Sarajevo. The ex-general denied the allegations and insisted that he ordered the shooting to stop, a claim that seems to be backed up by television footage from the time.
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US Hits Myanmar’s Gem Industry with Sanctions
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on one of Myanmar’s biggest industries, gemstones, according to a Department of Treasury news release.Specifically, the U.S. is targeting Myanma Gems Enterprise (MGE), a state-owned business “responsible for all gemstone activities in Burma.” Gemstones, according to Treasury, “are a key economic resource for the Burmese military regime.”“Today’s action highlights Treasury’s commitment to denying the Burmese military sources of funding, including from key state-owned enterprises throughout Burma,” said Andrea Gacki, Director of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.Myanmar is also known as Burma.The company will be blocked from all property and interests in property “that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50% or more by them, individually or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons.”The military seized power in a February 1 coup, overthrowing the civilian government and detaining de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other high-ranking officials.Mourners make the three-finger salute as they attend the funeral of a protester, who died amid a crackdown by security forces on demonstrations against the military coup, in Taunggyi in Myanmar’s Shan state, March 29, 2021.Since the coup, widespread protests have rocked Myanmar, many of them turning violent as government officials cracked down. Nearly 600 civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed by government troops and police since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Of the 3,500 people who have been arrested, 2,750 are still detained, AAPP said.The U.S has already imposed sanctions on military leaders, some of their family members and other businesses in the country.It has called for the immediate release of Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy Party, ousted President Win Myint, and protesters, journalists and human rights activists it says have been unjustly detained since the coup.Military officials claimed widespread fraud in last November’s general election, which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won in a landslide, as justification for the February takeover. The fraud allegations have been denied by Myanmar’s electoral commission.
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Commercial Trucks Refusing to Enter South Sudan Because of Insecurity
Hundreds of commercial trucks carrying goods bound for South Sudan have stopped at the borders this week, with drivers refusing to complete deliveries because of insecurity. A series of armed attacks on vehicles in South Sudan last month left at least 15 people dead. The truckers say they won’t leave Uganda and Kenya until their safety can be guaranteed.David Kirotho Mathinde, chairman of the Kenyan Drivers Association, said attacks on roads linking Juba to the towns of Nimule and Yei have claimed the lives of several foreign truckers in recent months.He said no truck will leave for South Sudan if the government does not provide security along the roads.”You see, these guys have been hijacking people — not only hijacking people, but killing drivers,” Mathinde said. ” . . . If the government of (South) Sudan is not going to take any action … we are going to discuss this issue with our government and make sure that no person will enter that country.”Mathinde said that drivers often put their lives on the line to deliver food to countries such as South Sudan and Congo, which struggle with food insecurity, and that it’s not fair that they are being targeted.He said the association has asked South Sudan’s government several times to boost security, but nothing much has ever been done.All the drivers want, he said, is protection.”Let them make sure that we have full support of security,” Mathinde said. “No driver should be killed, no goods should be stolen.”Colonel Santo Domic, deputy spokesperson for South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), said the chief of staff has implemented plans to provide security on the major roads leading to Juba.Domic said that it was resolved in a SSPDF strategic security meeting that the forces along the road from Juba to Nimule and from Juba to Yei had to be reinforced. The security forces have been reinforcing since Friday, he said.”We are going to locate a lot of detachments along those roads,” he said. “Of course, it is impossible to close all the roads with the military, but we are going to close all those gaps either by foot patrol or mechanized patrol.”Domic said the army will make sure that the roads are safe for the movement of all commercial trucks, and for humanitarian operations.Daniel Deng, an official in charge of border agents in the town of Nimule, said there are about 3,000 trucks parked on the Uganda side of the border. He said if the standoff continues, prices of fuel and food in South Sudan may start to rise because the landlocked country is dependent on goods transported through its neighbors.
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Strasbourg Mosque a Lightning Rod for Broader French-Turkish Tensions
The cement skeleton of the unfinished Eyyub Sultan mosque in France’s eastern city of Strasbourg has become a repository for myriad grievances, ranging from local partisan wrangling to longstanding friction between Islam and this country’s staunchly secular creed.The grievances also reflect mounting fears within the European Union about Turkey’s growing international influence.Claiming concern over foreign — and specifically Turkish — meddling, a top French official launched legal proceedings this week against a decision by Strasbourg’s leftist government to subsidize the construction of the mosque, designed to be Europe’s largest.The move coincided with a rare visit by EU leaders to Ankara, where efforts to patch up longstanding differences were overshadowed by a seating spat.Underpinning both issues, analysts say, is the EU’s reliance on Turkey as a bulwark against another massive refugee influx — a reality underpinning a multibillion-dollar migrant deal with Turkey in 2016 which limits the bloc’s muscle-flexing options today.The EU nations “need Turkey — if Turkey opens its borders what will happen?” asked Muslim specialist Erkan Toguslu, a lecturer at KU Leuven University, even as he warned about Ankara’s growing influence in the region, spread through its nationalist brand of Islam.FILE – French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a press conference, in Paris, France, Feb. 25, 2021.That warning appears to resonate with French President Emmanuel Macron. He has racked up an especially bitter and personal feud with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wrangling over issues from the conflicts in Libya and Syria, to Turkey’s exploration for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean.More recently Macron’s focus has shifted closer to home. He warned Ankara last month against interfering in next year’s French presidential elections, and his government takes aim at Turkish groups it considers suspect.Foreign meddling or partisan politics?Last year, for example, France moved to ban a Turkish ultra-nationalist group called Grey Wolves, after its members were accused of defacing an Armenian genocide memorial near Lyon. Other European countries, including Germany, are considering similar steps.French lawmakers are also debating legislation against extremism, which would ban foreign funding of religious groups. Among those potentially in its crosshairs: Turkish association Milli Gorus, the main backer of the Strasbourg mosque.In an interview with French radio Tuesday, Macron’s hard-line interior minister Gerald Darmanin threatened to dissolve Milli Gorus and others he deemed “enemies of the Republic,” noting the Turkish association’s refusal to sign a new government charter against extremism.Newly appointed French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin arrives to attend the weekly Cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, July 7, 2020.Darmanin also took aim at Strasbourg’s Greens Mayor Jeanne Barseghian, finding it regrettable she supported providing nearly $3 million in financing for the mosque, roughly one-tenth of the total cost, “given what we know about political Islam and sometimes foreign meddling on our soil.”Berseghian has rejected Darmanin’s suggestions. Another leading Greens Party mayor said he was scandalized by Macron’s suggestion of Turkish meddling. Strasbourg city council must still vote again to release the construction funds, a move that may be compromised by the new legal proceedings launched against the financing.Milli Gorus officials did not reply to a request for comment. But in a recent statement, the group denied being fundamentalist and described itself as a staunchly French association “that has always acted with total transparency, in respect of the republic’s values.” The Strasbourg mosque, with a total price tag of about $38 million, has been in the works for several years, but was halted for lack of funding.For some analysts, the mosque financing spat, and Macron’s warning of possible foreign election interference, may be aimed mostly at French voters, as critics point to the president’s rightward shift ahead of next year’s vote.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks in Ankara, Turkey, March 2, 2021.”That Mr. Erdogan today supports Islamist fundamentalism and acts like the enemy of French security today is certain,” far-right leader and leading opposition candidate Marine Le Pen told the Anglo-American Press Association in a recent interview. “But does he have the capacity to interfere with (French) elections? Not more than any other countries that are influential within their own diaspora.”Longstanding fearsStill the controversy digs up longstanding fears about the role of Islam in France, home to Western Europe’s largest Muslim community and battered by a series of terrorist attacks, as well as newer concerns about Turkey’s influence here.”The Green Mayor of Strasbourg is Subsidizing Political Islam,” right-wing magazine Valeurs Actuelle titled a recent headline. “Collaboration or Submission?””Should we be afraid of Turkish Islam?” France’s La Croix newspaper ask in an analysis of the evolving controversy.“The Turkish government wants to use this (Strasbourg) mosque and Milli Gorus as a kind of soft power,” said KU Leuven University’s Erkan Toguslu, describing Ankara’s aim as nationalist rather than religious. “It uses Turkish mosques, Turkish associations and the Turkish diaspora in Europe for its own policy, not to defend Muslim interests.”The quandary of foreign financing of local mosques is a longstanding one in France, where many local Muslim communities are too poor to bankroll construction and a 1905 law separating church and state prevents public financing of places of worship. The Strasbourg mosque doesn’t fall under these strictures because the larger Alsace region where it is located has a different set of rules.Past funding questions, and fears of foreign influence, have often centered on North African or Middle Eastern countries with sizable ethnic populations in France, and less on Turkey. The estimated 700,000 Muslims with Turkish roots here account for a fraction of France’s roughly 6-million-member Muslim community, and its geographically diverse factions are often at odds with each other. Like several other countries, Turkey also sponsors imams in France, making up for a dearth of local-born ones.Moreover, the Turkish religious community here is fragmented, experts say. Milli Gorus counts among several Muslim groups in France, including those sharply critical of the Erdogan government.Still, observers say, France’s Turkish community is increasingly influential and ambitious. Last year, its representatives captured the majority of seats on the French Council of the Muslim Faith, the main representative body, for the first time since its creation in 2003.”The threat is not about religion,” analyst Toguslu said. “The threat is about nationalism. Turkish nationalism.”
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Somali Elections Remain on Hold After Latest Political Talks Collapse
Somalia’s federal government said Wednesday that efforts to resolve the stalemate on elections collapsed after leaders from the states of Puntland and Jubbaland failed to agree on the way forward.But leaders from both states rejected that claim from the information minister, Osman Dubbe, saying in a joint statement that the administration of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo is not ready for polls.Residents of the capital, Mogadishu, seem frustrated by the continued disagreement among the political stakeholders in the country.Bukhari Amin remains hopeful the crisis can be resolved.Amin said the interest of the general public rests on the urgent end of the ongoing talks on the polls and conducting transparent, peaceful elections in the Horn of Africa nation.He adds that the continued differences between political leaders on holding democratic elections will jeopardize the hard-earned stability in the country.The presidential and parliamentary elections were originally scheduled to begin late last year. Farmajo’s term officially expired in February and some opposition leaders insist he is no longer president, further complicating the talks.Political science teacher at Somali National University Anwar Abdulfatah said lack of trust among the Somali leaders is the main obstacle to holding the elections.“There are several reasons which caused this fiasco,” Abdulfatah said. “Lack of good will is one of them because both sides were engaged on defeating each other instead of focusing on the gist of the issue. Secondly, there is a degree of recklessness among the Somali politicians because, all the Somali people were waiting the results from the talks but yesterday both sides were delivering wealth of information and started demonizing each other.”The international community has repeatedly urged Somali leaders to resolve their issues but diplomacy analyst Mohamed Dugow said the ball is now in the global partners’ court to take necessary action against stubborn leaders.Dugow said Somali citizens expect the international community to take a decisive role through intervention since leaders failed to agree on the polls. He added that in order to safeguard the progress made in the democracy and stability of the country the international community intervention in Somalia’s ongoing talks on polls is inevitable.The U.N. office in Somalia, the U.S. and European Union have all appealed to Somali leaders to resolve their differences in the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan.
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About 24 Monkeys Escape From Zoo in Southwestern Germany
About 24 monkeys escaped from a zoo in the town of Loffingen, Germany, and eluded recapture for several hours, local police said Thursday. The Barbary macaques broke out of their enclosure at the Tatzmania wildlife park, police and local media said, about 140 kilometers southwest of Stuttgart, near the border with Switzerland. People initially spotted the macaques roaming in a pack in part of Loffingen, and while the monkeys are not large or considered dangerous, the public was warned not to approach or attempt to capture them. Zoo workers finally caught up with the fugitives later in the day as they basked in the sun. “The animals apparently took advantage of the nice weather and spent the afternoon on the edge of a forest near the zoo,” police said. While it was unclear exactly how the macaques escaped, police think construction work at the zoo created an opportunity for the monkeys to slip away. Barbary macaques are native to mountainous areas of North Africa, zoo officials said, and a small but famous population of them live in the British territory of Gibraltar, where they are known as Barbary apes. They are considered endangered because of severe habitat loss.
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Biden Moves to Curb US Gun Violence
U.S. President Joe Biden, declaring gun violence “a blemish on our character as a nation,” on Thursday ordered tighter regulation of some weapons and pressed Congress to renew the country’s long-expired ban on assault weapons.”Gun violence in this country is an epidemic,” Biden told a the White House audience of lawmakers and citizens touched by gun violence. “And it’s an international embarrassment.”He said that as the number of mass shootings mounts, lawmakers in Congress have “offered plenty of thoughts and prayers … but they have passed not a single new federal law to reduce gun violence. Enough prayers; time for some action.”King Soopers employees are led away from an active shooter at the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, March 22, 2021. Police say 10 people were killed in the shooting, including a police officer.Biden offered his proposals after several high-profile mass killings, including gun attacks that in a week’s time killed eight people at spas in the Atlanta, Georgia, area in the southern United States and 10 more at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, in the western part of the country.Biden said that in the time between the two incidents, which drew nationwide television coverage, another 850 less publicized shootings killed 250 people and injured 500.“This is an epidemic, for God’s sake!” Biden said. “It has to stop.”Biden directed the Justice Department to issue a proposed rule to “stop the proliferation” of what law enforcement officials call “ghost guns” — handmade or self-assembled firearms that don’t have serial numbers, making it difficult for police to track their owners when the weapons are used to commit crimes.Some of the guns can be fabricated in a half-hour using kits and parts purchased online.Another of Biden’s proposed rules would target stabilizing braces for pistols, which give shooters more accuracy and help to manage recoil as they position them on their shoulders before firing. Police say such a weapon, effectively a short-barreled rifle, was used in the Colorado mass killing.Under Biden’s proposal, the White House said, the weapons would be covered by regulations in the National Firearms Act, which would require registration.U.S. President Joe Biden listens as Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks about executive actions on gun violence prevention in the Rose Garden at the White House, April 8, 2021.Attorney General Merrick Garland, speaking after Biden, said the Justice Department is planning to issue a model of what are known as “red flag” laws that give family members and law enforcement the ability to petition a court to temporarily restrict someone deemed to be a danger to themselves or others from accessing guns. The model is intended to give individual states a starting point for enacting their own laws.The new efforts include an annual report on firearms trafficking, and a set of community violence interventions.Democratic Party lawmakers have long called for tighter gun regulations while Republicans have voiced their ardent support for Second Amendment gun ownership rights.Biden said his plans do not impinge on the rights of Americans under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to own a gun.He said, however, “There is much more Congress can do.”Lawmakers have repeatedly talked about gun violence but failed to agree on measures to curb it. The U.S. banned the sale of assault weapons from 1994 to 2004, but the law was not renewed when it expired.“It saved lives,” Biden said of the assault weapons ban. “Nobody needs a weapon that fires 100 rounds.”FILE – In this September 25, 2019, file photo, David Chipman, Giffords Law Center senior policy adviser, speaks at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on assault weapons, on Capitol Hill in Washington.Biden said he is planning to nominate David Chipman, a former federal firearms agent and adviser at the gun control group Giffords, to lead the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Chipman was a 25-year agent at the agency where he took part in the investigations of bombings at New York’s World Trade Center and a federal building in Oklahoma City in the 1990s.Chipman is likely to be sharply questioned about his gun control views at his Senate confirmation hearing.House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., responds during his weekly news conference at the Capitol in Washington, March 18, 2021.House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, said Biden’s moves would “trample over” the constitutional right to bear arms.“He is soft on crime but infringes on the rights of law-abiding citizens. I won’t stand for it. And neither will House Republicans. Follow the Constitution!” McCarthy tweeted.The National Rifle Association, a major gun rights group, has said it will fight Biden’s executive actions.John Feinblatt, president of the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, praised Biden’s actions, particularly on ghost guns, saying that will “undoubtedly save countless lives.”“We are glad to hear the administration’s commitment that today’s actions are just the beginning and look forward to continuing to work closely with them to end gun violence in this country,” Feinblatt said in a statement.
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Venezuela, Iran Strengthen Alliance to Evade Sanctions
Iran and Venezuela have managed to maintain their commercial relationship, despite U.S. sanctions. Cristina Caicedo Smit reports.
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Kenyan Charity Makes Vegetable Soap for Poor
Checking the spread of the coronavirus through handwashing is a challenge in Kenya, where many people can’t afford soap. To help, a Kenyan charity is making soap out of vegetables to hand out in city slums. Victoria Amunga reports from Nairobi.Camera: Robert Lutta
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Myanmar’s Ambassador to Britain Locked Out of London Embassy
Myanmar’s ambassador to Britain has been locked out of his London office over his support for deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi.Kyaw Zwar Minn told reporters he was barred from entering the embassy Wednesday under orders from Myanmar’s military junta.In a statement read on his behalf Thursday in front of the building, Kyaw Zwar Minn said that embassy personnel were being “threatened with severe punishment” if they refused to work for diplomats loyal to the military government.British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, in a tweet Thursday, condemned the “bullying actions of the Myanmar military regime,” while paying tribute to Kyaw Zwar Minn for his courage.Kyaw Zwar Minn, the Myanmar ambassador, walks outside the Myanmar Embassy in London, April 7, 2021.The development comes a day after Myanmar security forces killed at least 11 civilians and wounded at least 10 others when they fired on government protesters in the northwestern town of Kalay, according to reports received by VOA’s Burmese service.One protest organizer told the service that troops tasked with removing barricades set up by the demonstrators opened fire indiscriminately. The protesters are demanding that Suu Kyi’s civilian government be returned to power.The organizer said an undetermined number of protesters, some armed with homemade weapons, were arrested in the town known for fiercely resisting government forces.Video of the pre-dawn attack included the sounds of gunfire and grenade explosions. Social media posts said rocket-propelled grenades were fired.A young man who lives in Kalay and escaped arrest told VOA the security forces fired at least 20 rocket-propelled grenades to destroy the barricades and fired bullets at the protesters.Protesters in Kalay, who previously armed themselves with homemade hunting rifles and had established neighborhood strongholds, inflicted casualties on security forces during an earlier assault on the town and nearby villages on March 28, according to the Myanmar Now news service.The demonstrators, who have organized what they call the “Kalay Civil Army,” inflicted more casualties on junta forces in the following days, the online news site reported.Mourners make the three-finger salute while attending the funeral of Arkar Thu Aung, a protester who was shot dead by security forces in the northwestern town of Kale, April 8, 2021. (Anonymous Souce via Facebook)The March 28 attack occurred one day after government troops killed more than 110 civilians throughout the Southeast Asian country, the highest one-day death toll since the February 1 military coup that ousted the democratically elected government.Regular anti-government protests continued in other cities and towns Wednesday, including in Bago, northeast of Yangon, where a resident confirmed to VOA that government forces killed two men and injured five others.One person was killed in a protest crackdown in Monywa, the capital of the Sagaing region, and another was killed in the town of Nyaung Shwe in the southern Shan State, VOA confirmed. At least nine arrests were reported in the southern city of Dawae.Nearly 600 civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed by government troops and police since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Of the 3,500 people who have been arrested, 2,750 are still detained, AAPP said.Breaking news 🛑
Myanmar famous model and actor Paing Takhon was arrested at 5:00 AM local time in North Dagon. He is in bad health condition as evident by his latest social media. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar#Apr8Couppic.twitter.com/2S2STpmVf1
— MyatPyaeSone (@myatpyae77) April 8, 2021The National League for Democracy, led by Suu Kyi, had governed Myanmar since its first open democratic election in 2015, but the military contested last November’s election results, claiming widespread electoral fraud, largely without evidence.Suu Kyi and President Win Myint were detained in the coup. Martial law has been imposed in townships across Myanmar.On April 1, the U.N. Security Council repeated its call for the immediate release of all detainees in Myanmar, including Suu Kyi and Win Myint, and an end to violence.In a statement, the council expressed its deep concern for the “rapidly deteriorating situation” in Myanmar and strongly condemned the use of lethal force by security forces and police against peaceful pro-democracy protesters and the deaths of hundreds of civilians, including women and children.The council also called on the military “to exercise utmost restraint” and on all sides “to refrain from violence.”The Security Council reiterated the need for full respect for human rights and the pursuit of “dialogue and reconciliation in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar.”
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