A rocket attack on a Turkish military supply convoy in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province has killed one soldier and wounded four others, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. Turkish forces retaliated to the attack by firing on targets they identified in the region, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. It did not elaborate or say who was responsible for the attack late Monday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitoring group, said a roadside bomb exploded when a Turkish convoy of seven vehicles was passing on a road between the border crossing point of Bab al-Hawa and the Syrian border village of Kfar Lousin. The Observatory said one of the vehicles suffered a direct hit. Ambulances, it said, rushed to the areas to evacuate Turkish troops who suffered injuries. It added that Turkish troops cordoned off the area for some time preventing people from reaching it. Last year, Turkey and Russia reached a cease-fire agreement that stopped a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive on Idlib – the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. Despite sporadic violations, the agreement has held since then. Russia is the Syrian government’s main military ally, while Turkey has backed the Syrian opposition.
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Month: May 2021
8 People Shot and Killed at Russian School
Seven children were shot and killed at a school in southwest Russia Tuesday, Russian officials said.At least one teacher was also killed in the incident in the city of Kazan, capital of the Tartarstan republic, located more than 800 kilometers east of Moscow. Four boys and three girls were among those killed. Initial reports from state-owned RIA news agency said 11 students had been killed. News reports say some students were able to escape the building during the attack. Authorities say at least 21 others were wounded, including at least a dozen children. Several emergency vehicles were deployed to the school. Rustam Minnikhanov, the governor of Tartarstan, told reporters a 19-year-old man he described as a “terrorist” has been arrested in the shooting. Mass shootings are a rare event in Russia. The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin has ordered a review of gun control laws in the aftermath of Tuesday’s deadly shooting.
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China Population Growth Falls to Lowest Rate in Decades
China says its population grew to 1.41 billion in the decade ending in 2020, its lowest rate of growth since imposing a strict one child per family policy in the 1980s. The National Bureau of Statistics announced Tuesday that China added 72 million people between 2010 and 2020, an increase of 5.38%, with annual growth averaging 0.53%, a decline of 0.04% rate from the previous decade. The world’s most populous nation is facing a worrying trend of declining working-age citizens coupled with a rising number of aging retirees, a trend brought on by the government’s mandatory birth limits as a means of controlling population growth. Chinese leaders eased those limits in 2015, but the birth rate has continued its steady decline due to the huge cost of living, a lack of decent housing and people more focused on maintaining their careers than starting families.
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Iranian Fast Boats Harass US Ships, Submarine in Strait of Hormuz
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter fired two rounds of warning shots at a group of Iranian fast boats after what the Pentagon described as an “unsafe and unprofessional” encounter in the Strait of Hormuz.Pentagon press secretary John Kirby called Monday’s high-speed encounter, involving 13 Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) boats, “significant” given that it took place in an area where movement is limited.According to Kirby, a group of six U.S. vessels, including the guided missile cruiser USS Monterey, had been escorting the guided missile submarine USS Georgia into the strait when the Iranian boats approached them “at a very fast speed … acting very aggressively.”JUST IN: Images of the unsafe encounter between FILE – USS Monterey in the Black Sea port of Constanta, Romania, June 7, 2011.A statement from the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet on Monday said the 13 IRGCN boats broke into two groups, with two of the boats approaching the U.S. vessels at speeds in excess of 32 knots, “with their weapons uncovered and manned.”The statement said two of the U.S. ships, the USS Squall and the Maui, made multiple attempts to hail the two boats, including repeated bridge-to-bridge verbal warnings and five short blasts of the ship’s horn — the internationally recognized signal for danger — before the warning shots were fired.This is the second time in recent weeks that a U.S. vessel fired warning shots at Iranian boats after what the U.S. termed an unsafe encounter at sea.The USS Firebolt, a navy patrol ship, fired warning shots at a group of three IRGCN fast boats back on April 27, after encountering them in the North Arabian Sea.In that incident, the Iranian fast boats came within 62 meters of the USS Firebolt after several failed attempts to hail the Iranian vessels.The U.S. Navy also complained last month about a third incident in early April, when an Iranian naval vessel, accompanied by three fast attack craft, harassed two other U.S. ships, coming within 64 meters before pulling back..@US5thFleet has released video and images of an April 2nd unprofessional interaction by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy in #ArabianGulf. pic.twitter.com/0tGJbffFJR— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) April 27, 2021Despite the concern, U.S. defense and military officials have been hesitant to lay blame on the Iranian government.”The activities we typically see from the IRGC Navy are not necessarily activities that are directed by the supreme leader or from the Iranian state,” U.S. Central Command’s General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie told a virtual audience last month. “Rather (they are) irresponsible actions by local commanders on the scene.””We’re very careful to ensure that we don’t get into a provocative cycle as a result of that,” McKenzie added. “Luckily, our guys are pretty good. … They’re very mature and they’re able to de-escalate the situation.”
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Ethiopia Must Set Right Environment for Election, US Says
The United States said it “strongly supports democratization in Ethiopia” as it nears a national election June 5, while noting a “free, fair, and credible election” can happen only with a conducive electoral environment. The statement comes amid a humanitarian crisis and conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Dina Mufti addresses the media during a briefing regarding the current situation of the country in Addis Ababa, May 8, 2021.Former U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia David Shinn told VOA it is not possible to have an election in the Tigray region, adding “there are some real concerns as to the viability of an election on June 5th” in Ethiopia, outside of Tigray. The unrest and restrictions on outside observers have led some to question the electoral process. On May 3, the European Union High Representative Josep Borrell issued a statement announcing the cancellation of an election observation mission to Ethiopia. Borrell cited disagreement “on key parameters” for an EU Electoral Observation Mission. “As conditions are not fulfilled, the deployment of the mission has to be cancelled,” the statement added. ‘Deep concerns’On Monday, a bipartisan U.S. congressional statement expressed deep concerns for the continued presence of Eritrean forces in Tigray. “The only viable path toward a durable cessation of hostilities and inclusive political dialogue will not be found through military action. The continued presence of Eritrean forces, who have been credibly implicated in gross violations of human rights in Tigray, is a major impediment to resolving this conflict,” said congressmen Gregory Meeks, the chairman of House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Michael McCaul, the ranking member of the committee. The U.S. will continue to pause non-humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia to pressure Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government to do more to end atrocities in Tigray. But the State Department will continue other humanitarian aid to the country. “As we consider our aid to Ethiopia, we want to make sure that in the first instance, we’re not doing anything that would place a further burden on the people of Tigray, who are in such humanitarian plight,” said Price. “We want to make sure that as we consider any future steps that we continue to do all we can to support them,” he added. The Tigray crisis was among issues discussed at last week’s G-7 foreign ministerial meetings in London. In a communique, foreign ministers called on “all parties to cease hostilities immediately, ensure the protection of civilians and respect human rights and international law as well as media freedom and access, and hold those responsible for human rights violations and abuses, including sexual violence, accountable.”
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New Pandemic-era Air Travel Record Set Over Mother’s Day Weekend
Americans hit the road for Mother’s Day, setting a new pandemic-era air travel record over the holiday weekend, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Just more than 1.7 million people passed through airport checkpoints Sunday, TSA announced, the most since March of last year, when air travel began to shrink because of the coronavirus pandemic. Sunday’s mark broke a previous record set two days earlier by an estimated 4,500. Friday’s record saw 1.7 million people screened, topping the 1.64 million air travelers recorded a day earlier. Despite reaching new highs two days apart, airport crowds were still smaller than before the pandemic, with Sunday’s count down 29% from the same Sunday two years ago. Even so, air travel has been growing since hitting rock bottom in April of last year. The seven-day moving average of U.S. travelers surpassed the period around Easter, which fell on April 4, while also setting a new pandemic-era high. Airlines say most of the people taking to the skies are leisure travelers on domestic flights.
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Capitol Police Deficient at Monitoring Threats, Watchdog Says
The Capitol Police force was hobbled by inadequate intelligence gathering ahead of the January 6 siege, the department’s watchdog told Congress on Monday, alarming lawmakers who are concerned for their safety amid rising threats against members of Congress. Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton testified in the first of three House hearings this week on what went wrong during the January 6 insurrection. Lawmakers are investigating the riots as they contemplate overhauling security, and Bolton has recommended that the Capitol Police create a new stand-alone division that would gather intelligence about threats and protect members similar to how the U.S. Secret Service protects the president. Many lawmakers are receiving threats and worry for their safety after the U.S. Capitol was so easily breached on January 6 by supporters of then-President Donald Trump who wanted to overturn the election. The rioters were hunting for lawmakers, calling out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Vice President Mike Pence by name as they roamed the building and members fled the House and Senate. FILE – Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump sit inside the office of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as they protest inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.In a statement Friday, the Capitol Police said that there has been a 107% increase in threats against members of Congress this year compared with 2020 and “provided the unique threat environment we currently live in, the department is confident the number of cases will continue to increase.” A new inspector general report, one of several Bolton is preparing in response to the insurrection, said the department “has experienced issues” because of the increase in threats over the last five years and recommended the force hire more agents who are dedicated to assessing threats. Bolton said there were multiple deficiencies that led to a lack of communication and guidance ahead of the siege. Bolton told the panel that the Capitol Police is in the process of opening up two regional offices so it can better protect lawmakers at home. The department confirmed that on Monday, saying they will be opening up offices in San Francisco and Miami. FILE – Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., speaks on the floor of the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, in this April 23, 2020, image from video.Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, the top Republican on the committee, said he hopes they open up more offices around the country and prosecute more people who are making the threats. He noted that he has received threats himself — a man was arrested in 2019 for threatening to shoot him. “So I know firsthand that these threats are real, and that the people making these threats intend to act on them,” Davis said. “I do believe a truly more aggressive enforcement stance, more arrests and more prosecutions of those who make violent threats and intend to carry them out would be a very strong deterrent.” In Friday’s statement, the Capitol Police said they have already taken “significant steps” to improve counterintelligence and agreed that a stand-alone intelligence division would be helpful, but said they’d need more money to achieve it. The statement said the Capitol Police have about 30 agents and analysts doing the same job as more than 100 in the Secret Service, while the Capitol Police had 9,000 cases in 2020 and the Secret Service had 8,000. The House is also scheduled to hear this week from former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, who will testify about his role in approving National Guard troops during the insurrection. The troops did not arrive until several hours after the riots began, a subject that has attracted intense interest in Congress. Miller is expected to appear Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee alongside former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and District of Columbia Police Chief Robert Contee III. All three were part of frantic meetings that day as Capitol Police begged for backup.
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Overseas and Overlooked, Americans in Thailand Seek Vaccines
Alec Goldman, an American educator who has made a life in Bangkok, wants to get vaccinated.Right about now would be a good time as COVID-19 cases in Thailand have been spiking since early April, fueled by the highly transmissible variant B.1.1.7, first detected here just before the four-day Thai New Year holiday that began April 12. Goldman worries about the health risks posed by long international flights. He said a trip would strain his finances. Alec Goldman is an American educator and a cofounder of a personalized learning startup based in Bangkok, ThailandTo get a shot in the United States, Goldman, who runs a personalized learning startup in Bangkok, would have to spend at least 20 hours at airports and on airplanes. Depending on vaccine availability, it might take another week to a month to get fully vaccinated.Then the 51-year-old New York native would need permission from Thai authorities to return to Thailand, where, after landing, he would be required to pay to stay at a private hotel for the mandatory 14-day quarantine, even with a vaccination certificate.Although all Americans 16 and older in the U.S. are eligible to receive the vaccine, and about 44% of adults 18 and above in the U.S. are now Paul Risley, chair of Democrats Abroad Thailand, talks to VOA about the group’s appeal to the U.S. government to provide U.S. FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines for U.S. citizen overseas. (VOA)The call by American expatriates is becoming more urgent as more contagious and virulent variants of the coronavirus emerge. ”Americans who live abroad need to be vaccinated for the same reasons that Americans who live in the United States need to be vaccinated,” Risley told VOA Thai. “Because it’s the only way to stop COVID-19.” Expatriate Republicans echo the Democrats’ concern. ”In this particular case, all of us are on board,” Tony Rodriguez, vice president of Republicans Overseas Asia, told VOA. “Obviously, there’s plenty of vaccines in America. Just get them on a plane and fly them over.” The two groups, along with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 12074, and American Women’s Club, on May 6 signed a joint letter asking Washington to get vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — namely Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines — into the arms of overseas Americans as soon as possible. In the letter, they asked “that our government now continue to fulfill the pledge made by President (Joe) Biden to make coronavirus vaccines available to all Americans.”Le’Ana Freeman from Washington registers before casting vote on the Super Tuesday for U.S. Democrats Abroad multi-location global primary, at Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in Bangkok, March 3, 2020.Expatriates propose pilotAddressing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the groups also proposed that Thailand, with its robust health infrastructure, “could serve an ideal testbed for a pilot project for the U.S. Government to deliver approved and effective vaccines to the tens of thousands of private U.S. citizens living here, and then ultimately replicate that effort for the large number of other Americans living overseas.” ”Would the logistics of such a project be challenging?” the letter asks. “Perhaps, but Americans excel at dealing with precisely these sorts of challenges, especially via the public and private sector partnerships which could undoubtedly be brought to bear.”The Thailand campaign is gaining support from Medical personnel administers the COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine to a man at the Holy Redeemer Catholic church compound in Bangkok on May 9, 2021.Thailand’s vaccine supplyOnly AstraZeneca and China-made Sinovac vaccines are currently available in Thailand. Since February, the country has administered 1.8 million doses to its nearly 70 million people. About 513,000 Thais — or 0.73% — have been fully vaccinated as of May 6, according to Thailand’s Department of Disease Control. Since the onset of the pandemic, the country has reported 85,005 cases and a death toll of 421 as of Monday, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. The U.N. estimates the population of Thailand is 69,929,000. After sending mixed messages about the vaccine eligibility of expats, Thailand’s Public Health Ministry said on May 6 that everyone residing in the country is eligible to get a vaccine, including about 3 million foreign residents in the country. While that is a relief for some, Americans interviewed by VOA said they prefer the three vaccines approved by the U.S. FDA. ”My husband is diabetic and I’m immunocompromised. For us, which vaccine we get is extremely important,” Goldman said. ”We want something that will have a good chance not only of working against the U.K. variant but against the Indian variant that’s emerging right now that seems really serious.” New studies published by the New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has a real-world effectiveness against COVID-19 variants B.1.1.7 and B.1.351, first identified in the U.K. and South Africa. Moderna also said its early trial results show that its booster shot generated increased immunity against variants first found in Brazil and South Africa. Many Thais have expressed their wariness about the efficacy of the country’s two available vaccines, saying they prefer those approved by the U.S. authorities. Some have traveled to cities in the U.S. for a free jab, and Thai travel agencies are even starting to sell COVID-19 “vaccine tours.” U.S. private citizens on their own The U.S. State Department delivered COVID-19 vaccines to all its eligible workforce stationed overseas in late April and expects its entire workforce to have been fully vaccinated by mid-May, according to Reuters. The program has not been extended to U.S. private citizens abroad. Nikki Fox, spokesperson of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, said in an email to VOA that the State Department does not provide direct medical care to private citizens abroad. The State Department’s current guidelines recommend that Americans overseas check whether they are eligible for a vaccine with local authorities. Some U.S. expats, however, remember when U.S. government personnel inoculated American expats.When Gary Suwannarat first moved to Thailand in the 1980s, she and her family were vaccinated against hepatitis B, a major public health concern in Asia at the time, on the grounds of the U.S. Consulate in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. Last month, the 73-year-old vice chair of the Democrats Abroad Thailand wrote to President Joe Biden, urging him to restore the program to make vaccines available for Americans abroad. ”I think it would be really important for the U.S. government to go back and look at, OK, how did we do it then, let’s do it now,” said Suwannarat.Washington has been under pressure to share excess doses with other parts of the world. The Biden administration committed to sending 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to hard-hit countries beginning this month. ”I’m not quite sure how it would work for Thailand if there were lines of Americans waiting outside the embassy for vaccination,” Rodriguez said. “Still, I do think it’s an important service that the embassy should be able to provide to Americans.”Cindy S. Spang contributed to this report.
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Turkey Criticizes Israel over Response to Palestinian Protests
Mosques across Turkey broadcast prayers Monday in support of Palestinians injured in violent confrontations with Israeli police in Jerusalem. The unrest, which coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, comes amid the possible eviction of Palestinians from east Jerusalem homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers.Also Monday, hundreds of people, many waving Palestinian flags, massed in front of Israel’s consulate in Istanbul in protest of Israeli police actions around the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City. The site is known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, considered the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. Witnesses reported Israeli security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades at Palestinian demonstrators, some of whom threw rocks at police.Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during an event in Ankara, May 8, 2021. In a speech late Saturday, Erdogan, strongly condemned violence in Jerusalem.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s communication chief, Fahrettin Altun, Monday tweeted, “It’s time to stop Israel’s heinous and cruel attacks.”His comments come two days after Erdogan denounced Israel.”Israel, the cruel terrorist state, attacks the Muslims in Jerusalem, whose only concern is to protect their homes and their sacred values, in a savage manner devoid of ethics,” Erdogan said.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday Israel “will continue to maintain freedom of worship for all faiths, but we will not allow violent disturbances.” The Israeli leader told a cabinet meeting that he had met with security officials and vowed to “enforce law and order decisively and responsibly.” Ankara had been looking to repair strained relations with Israel as part of a broader strategy to end its regional isolation. Both countries withdrew ambassadors in 2018 over Israel’s crackdown on protests by Palestinians.Relations also soured in 2010 after Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish-owned ship that was part of a flotilla trying to break an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Nine pro-Palestinian activists aboard were killed.Turkish presidential adviser Mesut Casin, while condemning the recent violence, says a reset in bilateral ties is still possible but says Washington needs to act.”This is unacceptable during the prayers of the Muslims in the very important religious time, during the Ramazan (Ramadan); it is an unacceptable situation,” Casin said. “So the radical groups do not want to normalize Turkey-Israel relations. However, Turkey-Israel economic relations are in good condition; why we not do change to normalize diplomatic relations. This depends also on a little bit of Washington to control some of the unlawful actions.” The United States has voiced concern over the violence in Israel, with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaking by phone Sunday with Israeli counterpart Meir Ben-Shabbat, according to the White House. A statement said Sullivan expressed the Biden administration’s commitment to Israel’s security and to supporting peace and stability throughout the Middle East.
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EU Suspends China Trade Deal as Tensions Grow Over Xinjiang, Hong Kong
European and Chinese leaders are urging swift ratification of the trade deal they agreed to in December, after tensions over accusations of human rights abuses in China delayed approval of the deal by European Union lawmakers. The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) took seven years of negotiations and was finally agreed to in principle December 30, 2020, following a virtual summit between EU and Chinese leaders. Europe said it was the most ambitious trade deal China had ever undertaken with a third party. However, EU Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said last week that efforts to get the deal ratified by lawmakers in the European Parliament had been halted. FILE – European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis speaks at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, March 10, 2021.“We have … for the moment suspended some efforts to raise political awareness on the part of the commission, because it is clear that in the current situation, with the EU sanctions against China and the Chinese counter-sanctions, including against members of the European Parliament, the environment is not conducive to the ratification of the agreement,” Dombrovskis told Agence France-Presse on May 4. The suspension follows tit-for-tat sanctions imposed over China’s treatment of the Uyghur population in Xinjiang province. The United States, along with several other Western states, has described the treatment of the Uyghur population as genocide. Washington imposed sanctions on several Beijing officials in March. Officials had also voiced reservations over the China-EU trade deal. The EU followed days later with its own measures, targeting four Chinese officials linked to Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang. China retaliated by sanctioning five lawmakers in the European Parliament — the very body tasked with approving the trade deal — said Alicia García-Herrero, a senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank, who spoke to VOA from Hong Kong. “At the end of the day, the ratification happens at the European Parliament. So, in a way, the target of the sanctions was somehow too involved in the decision to ratify,” García-Herrero said. She added that tensions between China and Europe over Xinjiang and the crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong mean ratification of the trade deal looks unlikely anytime soon. Beijing denies any persecution of the Uyghur population and has urged Western nations to stop interfering in what it calls the “internal affairs” of Hong Kong. Market expansionAnalysts say the CAI could benefit German carmakers who already have a strong presence in China and are looking to expand the production and sales of electric vehicles. FILE – German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes her seat during the weekly cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, May 5, 2021.Speaking May 5, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the trade deal should not be abandoned. “Despite all the difficulties that we will certainly encounter in ratification, it is nevertheless a very important initiative that opens up greater reciprocity in access to our reciprocal markets,” Merkel told reporters. The agreement was meant to open China’s huge market to European companies and provide greater transparency. From the beginning, many in Europe saw the deal as deeply flawed, García-Herrero said. “Every single piece of market access that Europe was getting, when you read the details, it’s not actually as big,” she said. Garcia-Herrero added that the investment deal is a key part of China’s expansion plans. “Europe is kind of the one and only big developed economic area where China can still buy companies,” she said. Beijing is pushing Europe to ratify the agreement. “The China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment aims to be mutually beneficial, to be beneficial to China, to (the) European Union and to the world,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters last Thursday. “China is willing to communicate and cooperate with (the) EU to promote the realization of the deal as early as possible, to benefit people from both sides and to positively signal to the international community that China supports maintaining an open economy.” Meanwhile, the EU has unveiled separate plans to block foreign companies that are supported by state subsidies from buying European businesses or bidding for public contracts. Analysts say that would impact Chinese state-backed companies looking to expand in Europe.
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Zimbabwe Clinic Helps Couples Overcome Infertility, Stigma
In much of Africa, including Zimbabwe, women struggling to have children often face stigma and ridicule. To help overcome the problem, two Zimbabwean doctors in 2017 re-opened the country’s only in vitro fertilization clinic.Since the clinic re-opened in 2017, several years after its previous owner retired, IVF Zimbabwe says it has helped about 120 women have babies through in vitro fertilization.Dr. Sydney Farayi, who runs the clinic with Dr. Tinovimba Mhlanga, said some couples struggle to have children and turn to the wrong sources for help.”The most hindering obstacle people from seeking assistance is lack of knowledge…. Imagine how many people have stayed together for one year and still failing to conceive, but do not know where to go and get assistance. People are not sure where to go. Normally people will turn to go to traditional, faith healers which are cheap or easy to get but without any good outcomes from there,” said Farayi.Dr. Sydney Farayi, who runs IVF Zimbabwe clinic in Harare with Dr. Tinovimba Mhlanga, says some couples turn to the wrong sources for help from traditional, faith healers. (Columbus Mavhunga/VOA)Farayi said he and Mhlanga are happy when they help couples reach their goal.“The value is really seen in the happiness and joy which we are bringing to sub-fertile couples in terms of assisting them to conceive and having a baby. The joy is real and it’s something which is touching, personally affecting also us, as individuals and clinicians, so basically assisting couples to conceive is helping marriages to continue, the unions to continue and also bringing livelihoods to people’s lives,” said the doctor.One of those who have benefitted from IVF Zimbabwe is a 30-year-old woman who is expecting to deliver next month. Her first marriage collapsed after seven years of failing to conceive. As she narrates her ordeal with in-laws and community, she does not want to be identified.“The blame would always come to us women. Maybe there is something that you did. Or maybe you didn’t grow well. To be honest it was a lot of negativity coming from the backstab,” she said.The United Nations’ World Health Organization says failure to conceive in Africa is largely blamed on women, although half of all infertility cases can be traced back to men.Dr. Nancy Kidula – from the WHO’s regional office for Africa – said infertility problems are common and can be overcome. Via a messaging application, Kidula said in Africa, many governments are more focused on health problems like epidemics, infectious diseases and malnutrition.“Therefore, infertility will turn to fall quite low on the priority list. Fertility treatment is also very expensive to the extent that even insurance companies are reluctant to fund fertility management,” she said.Patients at IVF Zimbabwe say they pay around $4,000 for treatment – a huge sum for the average person in Zimbabwe.But to clients ready to welcome their first child after a long wait, the investment is worth it.
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New York to Require Vaccinations of University Students
Students at the State University of New York and the City University of New York must get vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend classes this fall, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday. The requirement, affecting more than 435,000 full-time students, comes as Cuomo and other officials offer a slew of incentives aimed at encouraging people to get inoculated, as they see vaccine demand declining. “So today, no excuses,” Cuomo said at a briefing. “SUNY and CUNY boards will require vaccinations for all in-person students coming back to school in the fall.” Cuomo, who has ultimate authority over New York City’s subways, also announced that riders will get free seven-day passes to the system for getting inoculated at station sites that will dispense Johnson & Johnson vaccine starting Wednesday. The city’s suburban commuter rail services, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro North, will offer two systemwide one-way passes for riders who receive a shot at their station site, he added. FILE – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gestures during a news conference on the coronavirus disease in New York City, New York, May 3, 2021.”So, think about this,” the governor said. “You are walking into the subway station anyway. You are walking past the vaccination site. It’s a one-shot vaccination. Stop, take a few minutes, get the vaccine.” Cuomo, who last week announced a ticket-for-shot arrangement with the Yankees and the Mets, New York City’s two Major League Baseball teams, said half of the tickets for upcoming New York Islanders National Hockey League playoff games would be reserved for vaccinated fans. The requirements and incentives come as New York showed huge progress against the virus since a January surge, with its COVID-19 hospitalizations down 75% and its positivity rate down 82% at 1.4%. While more than 60% of the state’s adult population has received at least one dose of a vaccine, Cuomo, who also chairs the National Governors Association, said the pace was declining in New York and across the country. Earlier on Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that a range of city attractions, including Lincoln Center, the Bronx Zoo and the Staten Island Ferry, will offer free admission in exchange for getting coronavirus shots. “It’s true that the supply has finally gotten to a point that it exceeds the demand,” de Blasio said. The strategy for reaching the unvaccinated will include more incentives and making the inoculations more accessible with mobile units and pop-up sites, de Blasio said. As of Sunday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 45.8% of the country’s population and 58% of those ages 18 and older had received at least one shot.
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Emerging from Pandemic, Smithsonian Re-opens Eight of its Museums
After more than a year in shutdown brought on by the pandemic, eight Smithsonian Museum facilities in and around Washington are reopening this month. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. Camera: Mike Burke Produced by: Julie Taboh / Mike Burke
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Zimbabwe Clinic Helps Couples Overcome Infertility, Stigma
In much of Africa, including Zimbabwe, women struggling to have children often face stigma and ridicule. To help overcome the problem, two Zimbabwean doctors in 2017 re-opened the country’s only in vitro fertilization clinic. Columbus Mavhunga has more from Harare. Camera: Blessing Chigwenhembe
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New Zealand Knife Attack Leaves Four Wounded, Three Critically
Police in New Zealand said a man was taken into custody Monday after he allegedly stabbed four people, critically injuring three of them, inside a grocery store in the city of Dunedin.Southern district police commander Paul Basham said police responded to a midafternoon call reporting the stabbings in a supermarket next door to a Dunedin police station. He said when police arrived minutes later, they found four people with serious stab wounds. Basham said officers also found the suspected attacker had been subdued by members of the public. He said supermarket staff who also intervened were among the wounded. He called the actions of all those who stepped in “nothing short of heroic.”Witnesses told local media the suspect entered the store carrying two large knives. Police said the suspect was taken into custody and treated for injuries he sustained while being subdued. No other information about the suspect was immediately available.New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said investigators told her there is nothing regarding the incident to suggest it was terror related. She said police will release any new information regarding the attacker’s motive when they have it. The most recent mass-casualty attack in New Zealand was the Christchurch mosques shootings in March 2019, when a white supremacist gunman murdered 51 Muslim worshippers and severely injured another 40. The government responded to that incident by passing tough new gun laws.
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Aung San Suu Kyi to Appear in Court Later This Month, Lawyer Says
Deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi will appear in court on May 24, her lawyer said. She has not been seen in public since February 1, when she was detained and placed under house arrest by the country’s military, which seized power. Since the coup, she has been charged with six alleged crimes, including flouting COVID-19 restrictions during last year’s election. Most seriously, she is charged with violating the country’s Official Secrets Act. A conviction could carry a sentence of up to 14 years, according to Reuters. The current regime also accuses her of corruption but has not brought an official charge. Suu Kyi has reportedly attended some previous hearings via videoconference and complained that the proceedings were moving too slowly. “She will appear in person in court on May 24,” lawyer Khin Maung Zaw told Agence France-Presse. The military junta has defended the arrest of Suu Kyi, saying her party committed electoral fraud during the November elections. The party won in a landslide. Since the coup, Myanmar has been rocked by protests, many of them violent. At least 780 people have been reported killed in the unrest.
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COVID-19 Takes the Pomp Out of US College Graduations
As graduation approaches for university and college students in the United States, students are preparing for one of the most important milestones of their lives. But this year, COVID-19 has taken the pomp out of this year’s celebrations. Yanet Chernet explains, narrated by Kathleen Struck.
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Two Highly Contagious Coronavirus Variants Appear in South Africa
South African officials say two highly contagious variants of coronavirus are now present in the country, as Africa’s worst-hit nation prepares for a possible new onslaught of cases.Officials from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases announced late Sunday that they have detected the B.1.617.2 and B.1.1.7 variants among the South African population. With just under 1.6 million confirmed cases, South Africa leads the continent in coronavirus infections. Of those, nearly 55,000 people have died. “It is not surprising that new variants have been detected in South Africa,” said Adrian Puren, the institute’s acting director. “We would like to assure the public that the institute is focusing their resources and research efforts towards understanding the variants and what the potential implications are for South Africa.”FILE – A man passes doctors consulting rooms in Johannesburg, April 16, 2021.The first variant, B.1.617.2, has been detected in four positive cases, the institute said. Two of those are in Gauteng, the most populous province, and home to Johannesburg and Pretoria. South African officials said in a statement that all four known cases of this variant “have been isolated and managed.” and that contract tracing was underway.B.1.617.2 is among the variants currently circulating in India, where the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center says 22.6 million COVID-19 cases have been reported — though health experts have warned that they believe both cases and deaths are being underreported in India. Officials with the institute said they are now giving higher priority to positive samples from travelers entering South Africa, especially those coming from India.COVID Variants May Emerge That Are Not Covered By Vaccine, Scientists Warn In rare but expected development, a small number of people have developed COVID-19 after being vaccinatedThe second variant, B.1.1.7, has been detected in 11 cases, South African officials said. This highly transmissible variant was initially detected in the U.K. Officials urged South Africans to be vigilant, as the nation battles to secure enough vaccines to achieve herd immunity. The nation’s vaccination campaign has moved slowly so far, and to date, just over 382,000 people — all of them health workers — have been vaccinated. The next phase of vaccinations is set to begin next week.“We understand that many are suffering from COVID-19 fatigue, and becoming lax in exercising preventative measures,” Puren said. “But for the sake of yourselves and your loved ones, wash or sanitize your hands, wear your masks and maintain physical distance of 1.5 meters from others. Remember to hold gatherings outdoors, or in well ventilated areas and roll up your sleeve once the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to you.”
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Germany Makes Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Available to All Adults
German Health Minister Jens Spahn announced Monday the country was making the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine available to all adults, lifting a prioritization that limited the shot only to those 60 and older.Like the AstraZeneca vaccine before it, Germany had limited the use of the Johnson & Johnson shot after several cases of blood clots were reported among younger recipients of the vaccine.The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said blood clots should be listed as a rare side effect of both the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca shots but that the benefits continue to outweigh risks. The EMA left it up to individual European nations as to how they would administer the shots.Spahn told reporters in Berlin they expected deliver of about 10 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in June and July, by which time he expects most Germans 60 and older will have been vaccinated. The nation lifted a similar restriction on the AstraZeneca vaccine last week.Spahn said the government will also decide this week on lifting quarantine requirements on fully vaccinated people returning to Germany from travel abroad. Spahn said he anticipates there will be exceptions for those returning from places where virus variants are prevalent.The health minister said the country is also considering lifting restrictions on outdoor gatherings and events where the incidence rate of COVID-19 infections has fallen below the threshold of 100 per 100,000 people. He said outdoor restaurants, bars and possibly spectator sports like soccer could be allowed, with the proper testing in place.
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Chad’s New Leader Visits Niger in 1st International Trip
Chad’s new leader Gen. Mahamat Idriss Deby traveled to Niger on Monday, making his first international trip since the military put him in charge last month following the death of his father.Deby arrived in Niger’s capital, Niamey, where he was greeted by Niger’s Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou and other dignitaries. The 37-year-old Chadian head of state is expected to meet with Niger’s new President Mohamed Bazoum.Some 1,200 Chadian soldiers are deployed in western Niger near the border with Burkina Faso, where extremist attacks have been increasing over the past few years.Chad and Niger are both members of the G5 Sahel, a regional security force battling extremism, alongside Burkina Faso, Mali and Mauritania.Chad’s military government now in charge has blamed the death of longtime President Idriss Deby Itno on a rebel group, and said some of the militants had then retreated across the border into Niger.The younger Deby has sought to move forward despite lingering concerns by opposition groups that he should not have been handed control of the country. Under the country’s constitution, power should have been given to the president of the National Assembly.However, a number of opposition politicians have since been named to prominent positions within the military-led transitional government, including the posts of prime minister and justice minister.
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Reversing Trump, US Restores Transgender Health Protections
The U.S. will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care, the Biden administration announced Monday, reversing a Trump-era policy that sought to narrow the scope of legal rights in sensitive situations involving medical care. The action by the Department of Health and Human Services affirms that federal laws forbidding sex discrimination in health care also protect gay and transgender people. The Trump administration had defined “sex” to mean gender assigned at birth, thereby excluding transgender people from the law’s umbrella of protection. “Fear of discrimination can lead individuals to forgo care, which can have serious negative health consequences,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “Everyone — including LGBTQ people — should be able to access health care, free from discrimination or interference, period.” Becerra said the Biden administration policy will bring HHS into line with a landmark Supreme Court decision last year in a workplace discrimination case, which established that federal laws against sex discrimination on the job also protect gay and transgender people. Despite that ruling, the Trump administration proceeded to try to narrow the legal protections against health care discrimination, issuing rules that narrowly defined “sex” as biological gender. A federal judge had blocked those rules from taking effect, although Trump administration officials argued that as a legal matter health care discrimination was a separate issue from the employment case the Supreme Court decided. Monday’s action means that the HHS Office for Civil Rights will again investigate complaints of sex discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Hospitals, clinics and other medical providers can face government sanctions for violations of the law. The Biden administration action essentially restores policy established during the Obama years. The Affordable Care Act included a prohibition on sex discrimination in health care and the Obama administration had interpreted that to apply to gay and transgender people as well. It relied on a broad understanding of sex shaped by a person’s inner sense of being male, female, neither or a combination. Behind the dispute over rights for transgender people in particular is a medically recognized condition called “gender dysphoria” — discomfort or distress caused by a discrepancy between the gender that a person identifies as and the gender assigned at birth. Consequences can include severe depression. Treatment can range from gender confirmation surgery and hormones to people changing their outward appearance by adopting a different hairstyle or clothing. Medical groups and civil rights organizations generally support broader legal protections for gay and transgender people, while social and religious conservatives sought to narrow their scope.
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Malaysia’s State-Owned Investment Fund, Ex-Unit Sue to Recoup Billions
Malaysia’s state-owned 1MDB investment fund and a former unit have filed nearly two dozen civil lawsuits seeking $23 billion in assets allegedly looted from the two entities.In a statement Monday, the finance ministry said 1MDB has filed six lawsuits against 25 people and nine entities, including two foreign financial institutions. The ministry says 1MDB’s former subsidiary, SRC International, has filed 16 lawsuits against 15 people and eight entities. The ministry did not identify the targets.Malaysia recovered nearly $5 billion in assets last August after settlement deals with U.S.-based investment firm Goldman Sachs, Malaysian banking group AmBank and audit firm Deloitte related to the 1MDB scandal.Malaysian and U.S. authorities allege that at least $4.5 billion was looted from 1MDB as part of a wide-ranging embezzlement scheme involving former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who created the fund in 2009, and several cronies.The 67-year-old Najib was sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges of abuse of power, breach of trust and money laundering. Prosecutors accused Najib of illegally receiving nearly $10 million from SRC International.Najib claims he was misled by Malaysian financier Jho Low and other rogue 1MDB officials into believing the money deposited into his personal accounts was donated by the Saudi royal family.Najib faces as many as 42 charges involving the looting of 1MDB, which he formed to spur Malaysia’s economic development. U.S. investigators say the missing money was instead used to buy hotels, luxury items such as a yacht, jewelry and classic artwork, and to finance the 2013 Hollywood feature film The Wolf of Wall Street. Investigators say as much as $1 billion ended up in Najib’s personal accounts.Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansour, is also facing several corruption charges after a raid on the couple’s properties found more than $270 million in cash, jewelry, luxury handbags and other valuables.
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Fresh Dispute Erupts Between Spain and Morocco Over Western Sahara Leader
A diplomatic dispute between Morocco and Spain over Madrid’s decision to host a leader of the Western Saharan independence movement has soured what had been improving relations across the Mediterranean Sea. Brahim Ghali, the leader of the Polisario Front, which wants for independence of the Sahrawi people in Western Sahara, is being treated at a hospital in Logroño in northern Spain, after he was infected with COVID-19. His presence in Spain has angered Morocco which has accused the leftist government in Madrid of endangering relations with Rabat. The Polisario Front fought a long war against Morocco to win the independence of the disputed Western Saharan territory. Despite a truce in 1991, both sides have been at loggerheads for years. The United Nations classifies Western Sahara, a Spanish colony until 1975 with a population of one million people, as a “non-self-governing territory.” The Polisario Front has demanded an independence referendum while Rabat claims the territory as part of Morocco. Spain has tried to appear neutral on the Western Sahara issue, but analysts suggest that Morocco will use the diplomatic dispute between Rabat and Madrid over the presence of Ghali in Spain to exert pressure on Spain to change its policy. Rabat complains Moroccan Foreign Minister Naser Burita asked whether Spain wanted to “sacrifice relations with Morocco” by failing to inform Rabat of Ghali’s presence in Spain. “Why doesn’t Spain consider it should have to inform Morocco of the presence of Ghali? Would they rather consort with the enemies of Morocco? This is a test of our relationship,” Burita said in an interview at the weekend with EFE, the Spanish state news agency. Burita was referring to Algeria when he mentioned Morocco’s enemies as the neighboring North African state champions the cause of the Polisario Front. The minister said Morocco had supported Spain when former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont staged a failed independence declaration in 2017, plunging Spain into its worst political crisis for decades. Morocco last month summoned Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner, the Spanish ambassador to Rabat, to complain about Ghali’s presence in Spain. Rabat also accused Madrid of allowing Ghali to enter Spain with a false passport and identity, adding that there are several complaints against Ghali in Spain for allegations of “war crimes and human rights violations.” Ghali has been accused by a dissident Polisario Front group based in Spain called ASADEDH, who accuse him of torture and crimes against humanity, charges that Spanish authorities are investigating. The dissidents claim members the Western Saharan independence movement held them in camps in Algeria against their will. FILE – Spain’s Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez speaks during a media briefing at San Carlos Palace in Bogota, Colombia, Feb. 26, 2021.Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told journalists Spain admitted Ghali for “strictly humanitarian” reasons, saying he was recovering from coronavirus. Spain’s National Court, which deals with serious cases of terrorism and fraud, has summoned the militia leader to appear on June 1 to answer allegations of torture made by Polisario Front dissidents. “Ghali has been summoned to appear on June 1 if he is well enough to attend the hearing,” a court spokesman told VOA. Gonzalez said Spain’s justice system would deal with any allegations against the Polisario leader but it had nothing to do with the Spanish government. “If the justice system believes Ghali must answer to the justice system, then he will appear before the court,” she added during a press conference last week. “It will not be the government that intervenes in the independent and free operation of justice in our country. Justice will do what it has to do and the government will fully respect it as it cannot be otherwise in a democratic country.” Spanish media reported that Ghali had given a false name and used an Algerian diplomatic passport to enter Spain. Ignacio Cembrero, a Spanish journalist who has written widely about Morocco, said Rabat will try to use the Ghali row to change Spain’s policy on Western Sahara. Spain under pressure At present, Spain maintains a solution to the issue can only come from an agreement brokered by the United Nations but, Cembrero contends, Morocco may try to push Spain to change this stance to one more sympathetic to Rabat. “In public Spain would never admit that it had changed its policy,” Cembrero told VOA. “However, in private Spain may act more favorably towards Morocco’s ambitions to rule Western Sahara. Over the years, Spain has quietly helped Morocco by aiding it at the United Nations and in its legal battles at the European Court of Justice.” Spain has sought to distance itself over international disputes over Western Sahara, conscious of the possible effect this could have on trade and security relations between the close neighbors, experts said. Last week, a fresh disagreement erupted between Morocco and Germany over the disputed territory, with Rabat recalling its ambassador in Berlin. Morocco accused Germany of “distancing itself from the spirit of constructive solution with a destructive attitude on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara,” the Moroccan Foreign Ministry said in a statement. FILE – U.S. and Moroccan flags emblems are seen outside the provisional consulate of the U.S in Dakhla, Morocco-administered Western Sahara, Jan. 10, 2021.After the U.S. recognized the Moroccan right to control over Western Sahara in January, Germany called for a closed-door UN Security Council meeting to discuss the issue. The German government said it was “surprised” by Morocco’s move to recall its ambassador. “We are all the more surprised by this measure as we are working with the Moroccan side in a constructive way to resolve this crisis,” the German Foreign Ministry said.
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China Turns to Naturalized Players to Save World Cup Hopes
China on Monday named five foreign-born players for critical World Cup qualifiers starting later this month as the world’s most populous country steps up its controversial naturalization policy.China, who have big ambitions but are perennial underachievers ranked 77th in the world, began drafting in players born overseas in 2019 in a quick fix to reach the Qatar 2022 World Cup.Coach Li Tie has picked a 26-man squad that includes a trio of offensive players originally from Brazil — Elkeson, Fernando Henrique and Alan Carvalho.Also included is their Guangzhou FC teammate Tyias Browning, the former Everton central defender who was born in Liverpool and played for England youth teams.The fifth naturalized player is Nico Yennaris, the former Arsenal midfielder and another to have played for England youth teams before switching to China.In their previous World Cup qualifier, a 2-1 defeat to Syria under former coach Marcello Lippi in November 2019, only Elkeson and Yennaris featured.Some Chinese media, pundits and former internationals have questioned the move to bring in foreign players.China’s hopes of reaching the World Cup are in the balance but Li is boosted by the return of star forward Wu Lei, after he failed to make recent training squads because he was with his Spanish club Espanyol.Under former Everton player Li — who took over when Lippi quit following the Syria defeat — China are second in Asian qualifying Group A, eight points behind leaders Syria.Only the team that finishes top is guaranteed to reach the next stage of qualifying.The rest of the matches in Group A are set to take place in China from May 30 until June 15, with the hosts facing Guam, Maldives, Philippines and Syria.
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