It’s not unusual for the Olympic Games to attract controversy. Then again, not every Olympics is hosted by a country being accused of genocide. That’s what is creating waves upon the approach of the 2022 Winter Olympics, as VOA’s Bill Gallo reports.Jesusemen Oni contributed to this report.
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Month: August 2021
Indian Navy Ships to Join Exercises in Indo-Pacific
India is sending four navy ships for exercises and port visits with the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, its navy said Wednesday, as China’s maritime power grows in the area.The Indian ships will spend more than two months in the region, the navy said in a statement.Commander Vivek Madhwal, the Indian navy spokesman, said four ships will take part.The ships will also participate in a multilateral exercise, MALABAR-21, along with the Japanese, Australian and U.S. navies, the statement said.It said the exercises will enhance coordination with friendly countries, based on common maritime interests and a commitment to freedom of navigation.”Besides regular port calls, the task group will operate in conjunction with friendly navies to build military relations and develop interoperability in the conduct of maritime operations,” the statement said.The U.S., India, Japan and Australia are part of the Quad regional alliance created in response to China’s growing economic and military strength. Washington has long viewed New Delhi as a key partner in efforts to blunt increasing Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.India is also in a continuing standoff with China over their disputed border in the eastern Ladakh region. The countries have stationed tens of thousands of soldiers backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets along their de facto border, called the Line of Actual Control.Last year, 20 Indian troops died in a clash with Chinese soldiers involving clubs, stones and fists in a portion of the disputed border. China said it lost four soldiers.
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Harris to Push Back on China’s South China Sea Claims During Asia Trip
Vice President Kamala Harris will focus on defending international rules in the South China Sea, strengthening U.S. regional leadership and expanding security cooperation during her trip to Vietnam and Singapore this month, a senior White House official told Reuters.Harris will be the first U.S. vice president to visit Vietnam as Washington seeks to bolster international support to counter China’s growing global influence.The U.S. official said Washington saw both countries as critical partners given their locations, the size of their economies, trade ties and security partnerships on issues such as the South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety.
Former U.S. foe Vietnam has been a vocal opponent of China’s South China Sea claims. Countries in the region largely welcome the U.S. military presence there in the face of China’s militarization of the waterway and its vast coastguard and fishing fleet.”We do not want to see any country dominate that region or take advantage of the power situation to compromise the sovereignty of others,” the White House official said.”The vice president is going to underscore that there should be free passage for trade, throughout the South China Sea, and no single country should disrespect the right of others.”The U.S. Navy has maintained a steady pattern of freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea and near Taiwan, but these appear to have done little to discourage Beijing. Harris’ trip will follow one by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week to Hanoi, where he sought to nudge forward steadily deepening security ties. FILE – U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin with Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang, left, inspects an honor guard in Hanoi, Vietnam, July 29, 2021.
It will also follow high-level talks between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and senior Chinese diplomats last month that did little to ease deeply strained ties.This week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will seek to reinforce the U.S. message that it is serious about engaging with Southeast Asia to push back against China by joining a series of regional meetings held virtually.Addressing a virtual session Tuesday of the Aspen Security Forum, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said high-level U.S. visits were “greatly valued” as they showed Washington knew it had substantial interests to protect and advance in the region.He expressed concern about deteriorating U.S.-China relations, however, and said many countries hoped to see this checked “because many U.S. friends and allies wish to preserve their extensive ties with both powers.””It’s vital for the U.S. and China to strive to engage each other to head off a clash, which would be disastrous for both sides, and the world,” he said.The White House official said the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccinations and quality of vaccines would also be a top priority for Harris.Last month, Washington shipped 3 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam, bringing total donations to Hanoi to 5 million.Harris is due in Singapore on Aug. 22. She arrives in Vietnam on August 24 and departs on August 26.
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Belarusian Olympian Departs Tokyo for Vienna
A Belarusian Olympic sprinter who said she faced punishment if she returned to her country departed Japan Wednesday on a flight bound for Austria. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya was scheduled to land in Vienna Wednesday afternoon. She is then expected to travel on to Poland, where the government has offered her a humanitarian visa. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki posted Tuesday on Facebook that he had spoken with Tsimanouskaya and that she should be able to live in Poland without obstacles. Polish authorities granted Tsimanouskaya a humanitarian visa to seek political asylum on Monday after she alleged her team’s officials were trying to force her to fly home to Belarus against her wishes.Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya arrives at the Polish embassy in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 2, 2021. Tsimanouskaya told officials in Tokyo she feared she would not be safe in Belarus from the autocratic government of President Alexander Lukashenko. “They made it clear that upon return home I would definitely face some form of punishment,” she told The Associated Press in a Tuesday videocall interview. “There were also thinly disguised hints that more would await me.” Her departure from Tokyo comes days after she provoked backlash in state-run media in Belarus by criticizing how official were managing the Belarusian Olympians. On her Instagram account, Tsimanouskaya said she was put on the country’s 4×400 relay team even though she has never raced in the event. The Belarus National Olympic Committee has been led for more than 25 years by Lukashenko and his son, Viktor. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Lukashenko government was trying to force Tsimanouskaya to leave the Games “simply for exercising free speech.” Some information in this report came from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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USAID Head Pushes for Humanitarian Aid Access in Tigray
U.S. Agency for International Development head Samantha Power is set to meet Wednesday with officials in Ethiopia as the United States urges the government to allow clear access for humanitarian aid to the Tigray region. Power on Tuesday met with refugees in Sudan who have fled Tigray, and she reiterated the position of the United States, the United Nations and others that ultimately what will help the people in the northernmost region of Ethiopia is an end to the war that has been ongoing for more than nine months. “The U.S. has been pushing all parties in Tigray toward an immediate cease-fire in the hopes that people like the Ethiopians I met here will be able to return home,” Power said in a Twitter post Tuesday. “The conflict has brought harrowing attacks against civilians, it is impacting millions, and it has to end.” She said specifically the United States is calling for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or the TPLF, to withdraw from the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, for the Amhara regional government to pull its forces from western Tigray, and for neighboring Eritrea to immediately withdraw its forces from Ethiopia. “All parties should accelerate unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to those affected by the conflict, and the commercial blockade of Tigray must end,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Tuesday in Washington. The United States announced last week $149 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the Tigray region, while also calling attention to bureaucratic delays and attacks on aid convoys that have hindered efforts to get food and other necessary supplies to those in need.U.N. official Martin Griffiths asks for more aid access to Ethiopia’s war-ravaged Tigray, Aug. 3, 2021.U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told reporters Tuesday in Addis Ababa that in recent days, 122 trucks had arrived in preparation for taking supplies into Tigray, but that humanitarian organizations said the need in the region is more like 100 trucks of aid per day. “We need to change circumstances that have seen trucks moving in rather slowly. We need assured access routes by land, as well as, of course, our own flights going in and out of Mekele, and frankly we need the war to end, we need the conflict to stop if this is to be a safe place for the people of those particular regions in northern Ethiopia,” Griffiths said. All warring parties have been trading blame on several issues including blockade of access to humanitarian aid. The Ethiopian government has blamed Tigrayan forces for aid blockades, while Tigrayan forces blame the government. The Associated Press reported last week a senior USAID official told the news agency that the government’s allegation is “100% not the case.” The official added that the “primary obstacle is the government.” Ethiopia suspended part or all of the operations Tuesday of Doctors Without Borders and the Norwegian Refugee Council. The aid groups said the government ordered them to halt their work in Tigray. The Associated Press and Reuters provided some information for this report.
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‘She Never Gets Tired’: Indonesian Dad Hails Daughter’s Badminton Gold
As Ameruddin Pora’s relatives gathered in his living room, shouting at the final of the Olympics badminton women’s doubles, he locked himself in his room to watch his daughter win Indonesia’s historic gold medal. Apriyani Rahayu, 23, and her veteran partner Greysia Polii picked up the badminton-mad country’s first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo on Monday, and its first-ever Olympic medal in the women’s doubles. “Everyone was screaming with joy outside, I decided to lock myself up in my room so that I can focus (on) praying while watching the game alone, and Allah heard my prayers. She won the gold medal,” 63-year-old Pora told AFP on Tuesday a day after his daughter’s win. Her fellow Indonesians were also celebrating, taking to social media on Monday to hail the gold medal win, while President Joko Widodo said the victory was a gift for the country’s independence day that is slated for August 17. Pora said his daughter used the death of her mother, Siti Jauhar in 2015, as fuel for the momentous victory, a gift to the woman who inspired her rise to become a professional badminton player. One day before flying to Tokyo, Rahayu flew home to Konawe city in southeast Sulawesi island to visit her mother’s grave and to ask for a blessing from her father. The badminton star’s relatives also came to Pora’s house to pray for her during the short home visit. “She has this tradition whenever she wants to attend a competition, she always returns home to meet her parents, asking me for a prayer,” he said. “Our prayers are finally answered by God.” As soon as Rahayu arrived in Tokyo, she called her dad on a daily basis to ask him to continue his prayers for her. He said his daughter’s success is thanks to a combination of those prayers and her own hard work. “Whenever she leaves the hotel heading to the venue, she always called me asking for prayers. I always tell her to be calm and leave everything to Allah,” he said. He had some advice for his daughter about securing more golds after her Olympic win: listen to your coaches and don’t become arrogant. “She is always a very motivated person. She never gets tired practicing,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t only pray for Rahayu, but also for Greysia. I pray for both. They made us proud.”
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More Than 100 Charged With Insulting King During Past Year of Thai Protests
More than 100 protesters have been charged under Thailand’s royal insult laws since last July, when rallies across the kingdom began demanding reforms to the unassailable monarchy, a lawyer representing the activists and an AFP tally showed Tuesday. A mostly youth-led movement kicked off last summer, fueled by discontent with the government of Thai Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former military chief who first came to power in a coup in 2014. A year since those rallies began, 110 protesters have been charged under lese majeste laws for their role in the movement, which is calling for Prayut to step down, a rewrite to the military-scripted constitution, and for royal reforms. At their peak, the protests drew tens of thousands to the streets. Prominent leader Parit Chiwarak — better known as “Penguin”— holds the record of some 20 charges, while at least eight other protesters — all under 18 — are also facing charges. If found guilty, they face sentences of three to 15 years in jail per charge. “It is a severe law. Punishment [for royal defamation] could be made, but it has to be reasonable,” said lawyer Krisadang Nutcharut, who represents the protesters and has a history of taking on lese majeste cases. The use of the lese majeste law slowed prior to 2020, which Prayut said was due to the “mercy” of the king. Colloquially referred to as “112” for its section number in the penal code, it is intended to protect Thailand’s ultra-powerful royal family from defamation. But critics have long said it has been broadly used to stifle criticism and target political opponents — and its abolition was one of the key demands of the youth movement. Their frank public discussions about the monarchy, which has long been supported by the military and Thailand’s billionaire class — sent shockwaves through Thai society. Legal ire from the government has done little to silence them, as protest leaders continue to stage rallies which have recently pivoted to airing grievances on the kingdom’s handling of a spiraling Covid-19 surge. “There are changes occurring. The youth who grew up in the digital world seem to refuse thoughts and principles that are not scientific-based,” Krisadang told AFP. “This is a testament that Section 112 is not compatible with the modern world.” In 2017, U.N. Special Rapporteur David Kaye urged the regime to stop section 112 prosecutions, saying such laws “have no place in a democratic country”. AFP has contacted the Thai government for comment.
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Codeine Abuse Increasing Among South African Youth, Experts Say
Experts say South Africa is seeing growing drug addiction among young people during the pandemic. A medical research center found that some teenagers are abusing cough syrup that contains the drug codeine. Franco Puglisi looks at the drug addiction problem and efforts to rehabilitate youth in this report from Johannesburg.Camera: Franco Puglisi Produced by: Barry Unger
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Biden Administration Seeks Repeal of 2002 War Powers Authorization
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told a Senate panel Tuesday that the Biden administration supports repeal of the 2002 congressional authorization for the war in Iraq, saying it is no longer necessary to protect Americans or U.S. national security interests abroad. But some Republican senators expressed concern, saying repeal of the so-called war powers authorization could send the wrong message to adversaries like Iran. VOA’s senior diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine reports.
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Ethiopia Suspends Work of Two Aid Groups Active in Tigray
Two international aid groups said Tuesday that the Ethiopian government had suspended part or all of their operations, while the United Nations humanitarian chief warned Ethiopian authorities that blanket accusations against aid workers in the country’s embattled Tigray region and elsewhere are dangerous and must stop.The United Nations’ new Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths addresses a news conference on the humanitarian crisis in Tigray after visiting the region, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Aug. 3, 2021.Martin Griffiths spoke to reporters amid a new push to get more badly needed food and other supplies into Tigray, where hundreds of thousands of people face famine conditions and Ethiopia’s government has been accused of blocking assistance. He acknowledged that his own flights into and out of Tigray had difficulties with searches and delays.Separately, the aid groups Doctors Without Borders and the Norwegian Refugee Council said Ethiopia’s government had suspended their operations on July 30. An NRC spokesman said the stated reasons were “public advocacy” and failure to obtain proper permissions for foreign staff and that all operations were suspended.A Doctors Without Borders spokeswoman said the operations of the charity’s Dutch section, its largest in Ethiopia, were suspended for three months in the Tigray, Amhara, Gambella and Somali regions, and the group was “urgently seeking clarification from the authorities.”Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, warned of “dire consequences” in the regions where access to aid is already limited. MSF already had suspended operations in three major Tigray towns after three of their colleagues were killed by unknown attackers.The Ethiopian government spokesman for the Tigray emergency task force, Redwan Hussein, alleged last month that aid groups are “playing a destructive role” in the nine-month conflict and even arming the Tigray forces that long dominated Ethiopia’s government before a falling-out with the current prime minister. Redwan didn’t respond to questions on Tuesday.Such blanket allegations are unfair and need to be backed up by evidence, the U.N. humanitarian chief said.Griffiths also told reporters that some progress had been made on aid delivery to Tigray after more than two weeks as 122 trucks with supplies had reached the region. The previous attempt at an aid convoy was attacked last month on the only operational land route into Tigray as fighting continues.But some 100 such trucks are needed to enter Tigray every day, Griffiths said, adding the needs are “huge, they are urgent.”FILE – In this Monday, Nov. 30, 2020 file photo, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed responds to questions from members of parliament at the prime minister’s office in the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.He said Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during their talks asserted that he was trying to ensure more than one land route from other parts of Ethiopia into Tigray for aid. But a route from a neighboring country such as Sudan can be “politically sensitive,” Griffiths added.The conflict recently spilled into Ethiopia’s neighboring Afar and Amhara regions after the Tigray forces rejected the unilateral cease-fire that Ethiopia’s government declared in June as its soldiers retreated. Now the Tigray forces have said they want Abiy out.About 200,000 people in the Amhara region and 54,000 in Afar have been displaced by the insecurity, the U.N. humanitarian chief said.On Wednesday, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, is visiting Ethiopia in another push for better access to the Tigray region, which remains without phone, internet or banking services.While Ethiopia’s government has blamed the blockage of aid on the Tigray forces, a senior USAID official last week told The Associated Press that the allegation is “100% not the case.”
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US Has Shipped 110 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses to 65 Countries
Calling it a major milestone, U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that the country has shipped President Joe Biden speaks about the coronavirus pandemic in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Aug. 3, 2021.In response to a question from VOA on whether other high-income countries should follow the lead of the United States, the president replied: “I think those countries that have been able to cover their population and have the ability to provide either dollars and/or vaccines for the 100 or so net-poor nations that need help should do so.” Biden added that some Group of 7 countries, which made such pledges at their recent summit in England, have followed through.”We’ve kept the commitment that we would do what we said, which is more than all the rest of the countries combined this far,” the president noted. Tom Hart, acting chief executive officer of the ONE campaign, a global organization fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, agreed with Biden’s call for other prosperous countries to do more.Chart of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the U.S.”The U.S. is leading the global COVID-19 fight, but the rest of the world must step up to the plate and match the Biden administration’s ambition and action. With COVID-19 raging globally and new variants emerging constantly, wealthy countries face a clear choice: Share more doses and shorten the pandemic or continue to hoard doses and prolong COVID-19 indefinitely,” Hart said in a statement. A September summit that the U.S. president plans to host “must be a turning point, with new, additional commitments to get vaccines to everyone and address the devastating economic impact of COVID-19. Everyone is on the hook to deliver,” Hart added. “The Biden administration’s efforts to share excess vaccine doses with other countries will save lives and help end the pandemic faster in the U.S. and around the world,” Sean Simons, press secretary for the ONE Campaign, told VOA. “We won’t end this pandemic anywhere unless we beat it everywhere.” FILE – Members of the Armed Forces queue at the CCK Cultural Centre in Buenos Aires to be inoculated against COVID-19 with the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine obtained through the COVAX scheme, on June 15, 2021.Most of the U.S. vaccine doses have been shipped through the World Health Organization-managed COVAX cooperative, as well as through regional partnerships such as the African Union and Caribbean Community. Biden said that his administration has fulfilled its pledge to give at least 80 million vaccine doses to other nations around the globe and that they are a down payment on hundreds of millions of more doses that the United States will deliver in the coming weeks. “Starting at the end of this month, the administration will begin shipping a half a billion Pfizer doses that the United States has pledged to purchase and donate to 100 low-income countries in need,” according to a White House statement. The president’s announcement comes amid an increase in infections in the United States and around the world, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. During the past month, average daily new cases of COVID-19 in the United States have surged above 85,000. That is higher than the peak seen last summer and is at a level not seen since mid-February of this year. Biden, in his Tuesday remarks, criticized moves by some U.S. states to forbid mask mandates. “As of now, seven states not only ban mask mandates but also ban them in their school districts, even for young children who cannot get vaccinated,” the president noted. “Some states have even banned businesses and universities from requiring workers and students to be masked or vaccinated.” Biden called such edicts disappointing and said if governors “aren’t willing to do the right thing to beat this pandemic, then they should allow businesses and universities who want to do the right thing to be able to do it.” The president repeated his appeal for governors to help, “but if you aren’t going to help, at least get out of the way. The people are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to save lives.” Governors opposing mask mandates say it should be a matter of individual choice. They also claim such mandates are not enforceable nor do they encourage more people to be vaccinated.
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Thousands Flee Homes Outside Athens as Heat Fuels Wildfires
More than 500 firefighters struggled through the night to contain a large forest fire on the outskirts of Athens, which raced into residential areas Tuesday, forcing thousands to flee. It was the worst of 81 wildfires that broke out in Greece over the past 24 hours, amid one of the country’s most intense heatwaves in decades.Civil Protection chief Nikos Hardalias said the fire north of Athens was “very dangerous,” and had been exacerbated by strong winds and tinder-dry conditions thanks to the heat that reached 45 Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in the area.No severe injuries were reported, and authorities said several buildings had been damaged, but no detailed breakdown was available. The cause of the blaze was unclear.”We continue to fight hour by hour, with our top priority being to save human lives,” Hardalias said. “We will do so all night.””These are crucial hours,” Hardalias said. “Our country is undergoing one of the worst heatwaves of the past 40 years.”The wind dropped later Tuesday, and the regional governor for greater Athens, Giorgos Patoulis, said this could allow the fire to be tamed after water-dropping aircraft resume operations at first light Wednesday.”If the winds don’t grow, it can be brought under control by the early morning so the planes can provide the final solution,” he told state ERT TV.A firefighting plane drops water over a fire near holiday homes in Costa village in the Argolida region, in Southeastern Greece during a developing wild fire, July 20, 2015.The blaze sent a huge cloud of smoke over Athens, prompting multiple evacuations near Tatoi, 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) to the north and forcing the partial closure of Greece’s main north-south highway. Residents left their homes in cars and on motorcycles, often clutching pets, heading toward the capital amid a blanket of smoke.One group stopped to help staff from a riding school push their horses into trucks to escape the flames.Fire crews went house to house to ensure that evacuation orders were carried out, and 315 people were escorted to safety after calling for help. Authorities said nobody was listed as missing, and Greek media said six people required treatment for breathing complaints.As the heat wave scorching the eastern Mediterranean intensified, temperatures reached 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) in parts of the Greek capital. The extreme weather has fueled deadly wildfires in Turkey and blazes in Italy, Greece, Albania and across the region.Wildfires also raged in other parts of Greece, prompting evacuations of villages in Mani and Vassilitsa in the southern Peloponnese region, as well as on the islands of Evia and Kos, authorities said. A total 40 blazes were raging late Tuesday.The fires prompted Greek basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo to cancel celebrations planned in Athens for the NBA championship he won recently with the Milwaukee Bucks.”We hope there are no victims from these fires, and of course we will postpone today’s celebration,” Antetokounmpo wrote in a tweet.Earlier, authorities closed the Acropolis and other ancient sites during afternoon hours. The site, which is normally open in the summer from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., will have reduced hours through Friday, closing between midday and 5 p.m.A Ch-47D Chinook helicopter is watched by a paddleboarder as it fills up with water while firefighting near Lambiri Beach at Patras on Aug. 1, 2021.The extreme heat, described by authorities as the worst in Greece since 1987, has strained the national power supply and fueled the wildfires.The national grid operator said the power supply to part of the capital was endangered after part of the transmission system, damaged and threatened by the fires, was shut down.Seven water-dropping planes and nine helicopters were involved in the firefighting effort near Athens, including an aircraft leased from Russia. They ceased operations after dark for safety reasons.The Greek Fire Service maintained an alert for most of the country for Tuesday and Wednesday, while public and some private services shifted operating hours to allow for afternoon closures.Hardalias appealed to the public for high vigilance.”Because the heatwave will continue in coming days, please avoid any activity that could spark a fire,” he said.
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President Biden Calls on New York Governor Cuomo to Resign
U.S. President Joe Biden said New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo should resign after a report released Tuesday by the state’s attorney general found that Cuomo had sexually harassed numerous women in violation of federal and state laws, allegations that he vehemently denied. “I think he should resign,” Biden told reporters Tuesday afternoon at a press conference in Washington. Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, said Cuomo allegedly targeted 11 current and former employees of the state government.New York State Attorney General Letitia James speaks at a press conference, in New York, Aug. 3, 2021.The probe uncovered a “climate of fear” created by Cuomo’s behavior, which included unwanted kisses, groping, hugging and making unacceptable remarks, James said. She said the investigation also found that the Democratic governor had retaliated against at least one former employee for complaining about his actions. At a news conference in Albany, Cuomo denied any wrongdoing, declaring, “I never touched anyone inappropriately.” “That is just not who I am, and that’s not who I have ever been,” he added. In March, Biden said Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, should resign if the investigation confirmed allegations of harassment. “I don’t know that anyone could’ve watched this morning and not found the allegations to be abhorrent. I know I did,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House in Washington, August 3, 2021.The nearly five-month investigation was performed by two outside attorneys whom the state attorney general had hired. They spoke to 179 people, including complainants, current and former members of the governor’s office, state troopers, and other state workers. James said the probe was launched because of the “heroic women who came forward.” Shortly after the report’s release, several of Cuomo’s accusers demanded that he resign immediately, including Charlotte Bennett, who tweeted, “Resign, @NYGovCuomo.” The report is expected to be taken into account in an ongoing investigation by the state Legislature into whether there are reasons for Cuomo to be impeached. New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who authorized the investigation, was one of a growing chorus of state lawmakers calling for Cuomo’s resignation on Tuesday. He said in a statement that the report’s findings point to “someone who is not fit for office.” New York’s U.S. senators, Democrats Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have been calling for him to step down since last winter. Gillibrand reiterated her demand Tuesday at a news conference in Washington. The Legislature is also investigating the assistance Cuomo received from top aides to write a book about the coronavirus pandemic, preferential treatment his relatives received during COVID-19 testing last year, and his administration’s decision not to publicly disclose some data relating to nursing home fatalities for several months. Some information in this report is from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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Pentagon Officer, Suspect Killed During Transit Hub Attack
A Pentagon police officer was killed during an attack at the Pentagon public transit hub Tuesday, a U.S. senator said. U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the U.S. state where the Pentagon is located, told Reuters he was saddened to learn Tuesday that an officer had died. The Associated Press, citing officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, said the officer had been stabbed and a suspect had been shot by law enforcement and died at the scene. Chief Woodrow Kusse, who leads the Pentagon Police, told a press conference that gunfire was exchanged and there were multiple injuries. Police investigate near a Metrobus outside the Pentagon Metro area, at the Pentagon in Washington, Aug. 3, 2021.Kusse could not provide information about the assailant or the possible motive. “And I do promise to get back as soon as possible with further details, but I can’t release those right now,” he said. “This morning at about 10:37 a.m., a Pentagon police officer was attacked on the Metro Bus platform. Gunfire was exchanged. And there were — there were several casualties. The incident is over, the scene is secure, and most importantly, there’s no continuing threat to our community,” Kusse said. The FBI is leading the investigation, he said. The Pentagon was locked down for several hours, and public transit was diverted. The Pentagon was later reopened. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency said the area remains “an active crime scene.” An attack in 2010 left two Pentagon Force Protection Agency officers wounded after a gunman approached them at a security screening point. The officers managed to shoot and kill the assailant. Some information in this report comes from The Associated Press.
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US Republican Report: Coronavirus Leaked From Chinese Lab; Scientists Still Probing Origins
A report by U.S. Republican lawmakers says a “preponderance of evidence” proves the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic leaked from a Chinese research facility — a conclusion that U.S. intelligence agencies have not reached. The report, released Monday, also cited “ample evidence” that Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) scientists — aided by U.S. experts and Chinese and U.S. government funds — were working to modify coronaviruses to infect humans, and such manipulation could be hidden. FILE – Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, speaks with members of the media outside of the White House, Oct. 16, 2019.Representative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the report by the panel’s Republican staff. It urged a bipartisan investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic that has killed 4.4 million people worldwide. China denies a genetically modified coronavirus leaked from the facility in Wuhan where the first COVID-19 cases were detected in 2019, a leading but unproven theory among some experts. Beijing also denies allegations of a cover-up. Other experts suspect the pandemic was caused by an animal virus likely transmitted to humans at a seafood market near the WIV. “We now believe it’s time to completely dismiss the wet market as the source,” said the report. “We also believe the preponderance of the evidence proves the virus did leak from the WIV and that it did so sometime before September 12, 2019.” The report cited what it called new and underreported information about safety protocols at the lab, including a July 2019 request for a $1.5 million overhaul of a hazardous waste treatment system for the facility, which was less than two years old. In April, the top U.S. intelligence agency said it concurred with the scientific consensus that the virus was not human-caused or genetically modified. U.S. President Joe Biden in May ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to accelerate their hunt for the origins of the virus and report back in 90 days. A source familiar with current intelligence assessments said the U.S. intelligence community has not reached any conclusion whether the virus came from animals or the WIV.
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UN Report: Torture Widespread in Iraqi Detention Centers
The United Nations accused the government of Iraq of the widespread torture of detainees held in the country’s detention centers. A U.N. report covers conditions in the centers from July 1, 2019 to April 30, 2021.Torture and ill treatment are prohibited under international law. Iraq ratified the international convention against Torture in 2011 and since has enacted national laws criminalizing torture.The problem is the government has not implemented the procedural safeguards to prevent torture, and so the practice continues throughout the country. That assessment in a report released Tuesday by the U.N. human rights office and the U.N. assistance mission for Iraq is based on interviews that the authors conducted with 235 people deprived of their liberty.FILE – In this July 18, 2017 file photo, suspected Islamic State members sit inside a small room in a prison south of Mosul, Iraq. In some cells in Iraq, Iran, Syria and other countries in the Middle…U.N. human rights spokeswoman Marta Hurtado says more than half of those interviewed provided accounts of having been tortured or ill-treated while in custody. She says some detainees described beatings by officers with metal pipes, or of being shocked with exposed electrical wires. One inmate, she says, spoke of having his handcuffs hooked on a chain and hung from the ceiling.“The report states that legal procedures designed to bring interrogations and detention under judicial control within 24 hours of the initial arrest are not respected; and access to a lawyer is systematically delayed until after suspects have been interrogated by the security forces,” Hurtado said.Hurtado said torture is used to extract confessions and access to a lawyer is systematically delayed until after suspects have been interrogated by security forces. She said the location of 17 official detention sites remains opaque.“The report also raises concerns that the authorities ignore complaints and signs of torture and says that the systems established to address official complaints appear to be neither fair nor effective,” Hurtado said. “The report also says that the limited accountability for such failures on the part of the authorities suggests acquiescence and tolerance of these practices.”The report calls on Iraqi authorities to put the nation’s anti-torture legal framework fully in line with international human rights law, particularly the United Nations Convention against Torture.Commenting on the report, U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet says the prevention of torture, and not just on paper, would contribute to peace and stability in the long term. Bachelet adds such an outcome is in the interest of the state as well as the victims.
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UN: Fighting Displaces 200,000 in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region
United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Tuesday 200,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Ethiopia’s Amhara region and 54,000 in its Afar region.In recent weeks, fighting has spread into the two regions neighboring Tigray, where a war erupted eight months ago between Ethiopia’s central government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.“We need 100 trucks a day going into Tigray to meet humanitarian needs,” Griffiths told reporters in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, adding that the number was a “calculated need” and not “overestimated.”The U.N. aid chief also said that 122 trucks made it into Tigray in recent days.The U.N. says that around 400,000 people are living in famine conditions in Tigray, and more than 90% of the population needs emergency food aid.The United Nations children’s agency warned last week that more than 100,000 children in Tigray could suffer life-threatening malnutrition in the next 12 months, a tenfold increase in normal numbers.Afar regional spokesperson Ahmed Koloyta and Amhara spokesperson Gizachew Muluneh did not respond to requests for comment.Spokespeople for the prime minister and a government task force on Tigray did not respond to a request for comment.
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Biggest US Food Company Mandates Coronavirus Vaccinations
Tyson Foods, the biggest U.S. food company, said Tuesday it is requiring all its employees to be fully vaccinated, joining a growing list of employers who are making vaccination a condition of further employment.For months, Tyson said it has encouraged its 139,000 workers to get vaccinated, but to date only about 56,000 have been inoculated.“We did not take this decision lightly,” Donnie King, Tyson’s president and chief executive, said of the mandatory vaccination requirement.“We take this step today because nothing is more important than our team members’ health and safety, and we thank them for the work they do, every day, to help us feed this country, and our world,” he said in a letter to Tyson workers.Under the Arkansas-based company’s policy, Tyson workers at its U.S. locations must be vaccinated by October 1, with workers at its foreign locations vaccinated by November 1, although it plans to make exceptions to the directive for legitimate medical or religious reasons.After individual workers are vaccinated, Tysons said it would pay them a $200 bonus, similar to what some other companies are doing to encourage vaccinations.The U.S. meat-packing industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with critics saying Tyson, among others, has not done enough to protect its workers. Early in the pandemic last year, Tyson was forced to close some of its meat processing plants because of an outbreak of the virus.The federal government said in May it was legal for employers to require their workers to get vaccinated.As the virus seemed to be a diminished threat weeks ago, many companies started to make plans to reopen offices and there was little talk of requiring mandatory vaccinations.Now, with the surging spread of the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus, major employers by the day are requiring vaccinations before employees can return to offices in the coming weeks.U.S. President Joe Biden ordered more than 2 million federal workers to get vaccinated, without threatening to fire them if they did not. But he said they would be required to undergo frequent testing for the virus if they refused to get inoculated.“Unlike a year ago, we have the ability to save lives and keep our economy growing,” Biden said Monday on Twitter. “We know we can dramatically lower the cases in the country. We can do this. Get vaccinated.”Biden: Unvaccinated Federal Workers to Face Testing, Masking President also is directing the Pentagon to plan for requiring COVID-19 shots for service membersThe number of vaccinations in the U.S. had dropped for weeks, but with the spread of the delta variant, first discovered in India, the number of inoculations is on the rise again, to about 800,000 on Sunday.But so are the number of new infections, to about 85,000 a day in the last week, up from about 10,000 daily a month ago. Some analysts say the number of new daily cases could reach 300,000 this month.With the surge in the new cases, numerous companies have ordered their employees to get vaccinated, including the search engine company Google, social media company Facebook, the movie supply company Netflix, giant retailer Walmart, clothier Saks Fifth Avenue, The Washington Post newspaper, financial firms BlackRock and Morgan Stanley and ride share companies Uber and Lyft.Major U.S. medical professional groups have called for mandatory vaccinations, but millions of health workers remain unvaccinated, with many workers resisting.On Monday, the U.S. said it reached a new milestone, with 70% of all adults having at least one vaccination shot of the typical two-shot regimen, a figure achieved a month after the July 4 Independence Day goal that Biden had called for.The government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that not quite half of the country’s total population of 332 million people has been fully vaccinated.
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Nigerian Doctors Strike Amid Coronavirus Third Wave
Doctors in Nigeria’s state-run hospitals have walked off the job over what they call poor salaries, insurance, and facilities despite a third wave of coronavirus infections. Hospitals were already struggling to cope with the caseload and health authorities fear the strike, which began Monday, could overwhelm them and end up costing lives.The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, or NARD, said the goal is to compel the government to uphold an earlier agreement on pay arrears, hazard allowances and honor benefits for families of members who die in service to the country. The government, for its part, said it was not aware of the plan for the doctors to go on strike.But as the country faces a third coronavirus wave caused by the lethal delta variant, health authorities said the strike action is dangerous.Hospital staff receives one of the country’s first coronavirus vaccinations using AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and provided through the global COVAX initiative, at Yaba Mainland hospital in Lagos, March 12, 2021.Ndaeyo Iwot is the executive secretary at the Abuja Primary Health Care Board.”It is expected to affect those that are 50 years and above particularly those with co-morbidities,” Iwot said. “The effect of the disease is most likely to be aggravated.”Out of about 42,000 registered doctors in Nigeria, some 16,800 or 40%, are residents.Union officials have said there will be no exception for doctors responding to coronavirus cases at hospitals.Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi is the national president of the association.”There’s no better time to have a strike action,” Okhuaihesuyi said. “And as it stands, we have waited patiently for them to try and sort out the issues concerning the welfare of our members, those we lost, those that are still alive. And we actually want to apologize to Nigerians generally but at this stage you can’t blame us.”Nineteen members of NARD have died since the pandemic started. The union is also demanding improvement on health care facilities across state-run centers.In April, the union suspended a 10-day strike that stalled activities in various state health facilities.The latest strike action comes as President Muhammadu Buhari visits Britain for medical reasons. He is expected to return to Nigeria during the second week of August.
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New York City Bars, Restaurants, Gyms to Require Proof of Vaccination
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday people engaged in indoor activities including fitness clubs, bars and restaurants will be required to be vaccinated, beginning later this month, the first major city in the United States to make such a requirement. At a news conference, De Blasio said the city will create a Key to NYC Pass, available by providing proof of vaccination. The new policy will be phased in over few weeks, during which time the city will coordinate with the business community and educate the community on the process, with the final details to be announced and implemented the week of August 16. FILE – New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio speaks to people as he gives away face masks for using in public spaces to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), May 16, 2020.The new rule will require all workers as well as patrons of businesses to be vaccinated. De Blasio has focused on getting as many New Yorkers vaccinated as possible while resisting calls to mandate masks indoors, as several cities and counties in California have done. De Blasio also said Monday he was making “a strong recommendation” that everyone wear a mask in public indoor settings but stressed that the city’s “overwhelming strategic thrust” remained getting more people vaccinated. Official data indicate about 66% of adults in New York City are fully vaccinated. The announcement comes a day after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a mandate requiring all frontline workers in state hospitals get vaccinated or find new positions off the front line.
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Turkey Wildfires Scorch Recovery in Hobbled Tourism Sector
Wildfires scorching some of Turkey’s most popular destinations have upended a nascent recovery in the country’s tourism sector hobbled for more than a year by the COVID-19 pandemic.Scenes of happy beachgoers flocking to coastal areas turned nightmarish as fires forced mass-evacuations of tourists and locals alike in cities such as Bodrum and Marmaris.Tuesday marked the seventh consecutive day Turkish firefighters battled the blazes, fueled by abnormally high summer temperatures and strong winds. The fires have been blamed for at least eight deaths and forced numerous residents, many of them farmers, to flee. 10,000 Flee Turkey Wildfires; Greece Power Grid Threatened At least 8 people have been killed in Turkey since Wednesday; EU sends firefighters Beyond physical destruction, the economic impact is already costly.“We are devastated,” said Huseyin Aydin of Bordum Tour, a travel agency that books boating excursions in the Mediterranean Sea. “All the routes for the boat tours have been canceled as of now, and they will also be canceled into next year because all the nature sightseeing parts of our tours are completely burned.”Aydin told VOA his business will have to shift to other tourist ventures or risk shutting completely.
Elsewhere in the country, things look less grim.Tourists visit the 150A.D Roman temple dedicated to Apollo the Greek and Roman god of music, harmony and light, in Antalya, southern Turkey, June 20, 2021In Istanbul, crowds of tourists can be seen strolling the streets after the Turkish government lifted almost all pandemic-related restrictions to boost economic activity and stimulate the country’s vital tourism sector.
“It’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience,” said Tania Nel, a resident of Qatar who has spent almost a month traveling Turkey.“It was a country that I could enter easily, with just a PCR [COVID test], and obtain a visa for online. I’ve always wanted to see Turkey and, with other countries being closed, it seemed like a very obvious choice,” she told VOA. “Things being comparatively cheap here also meant I could stay longer and see quite a lot of regions in the country.”Turkey sought to remain an international tourist destination throughout the pandemic, requiring only a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country and exempting foreigners from some restrictions, such as curfews and travel limitations within the country. Nel said ease of access drew her to Turkey.“I had originally planned to travel to South Africa in July to see my family, but they experienced a spike in cases and stricter restrictions, hence the decision to come to Turkey,” Nel said, who is originally from Cape Town, South Africa.Lagging recoveryTurkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism says incoming foreigners in June of this year barely topped 2 million, less than half the total recorded in June 2019 which saw over 5 million foreign visitors.That hits especially hard in Turkey, where tourism is a key contributor to the national economy. The Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation describes Turkey’s tourism economy as “one of Turkey’s most dynamic and fastest growing sectors,” accounting for more than two million jobs and more than 7% of total employment.Arriving tourists report receiving especially warm greetings by cash-strapped hospitality workers.“They welcomed all tourists like royalty,” Nel said.
Low tourism levels have capped the economic stimulation usually expected during the summer. Many businesses report continued and intense financial hardship.“We are in a really hard time economically at the moment,” said Turgay Karahan, who owns two gift shops in an area of Istanbul frequented by tourists.Foreign tourists visit Buyukada, the largest of the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara, off Istanbul, Turkey, July 14, 2021.
A lack of customers forced Karahan to let employees go and work longer hours for a fraction of pre-pandemic earnings.
“We’re working more but we’re also earning less. Most of the money we make is spent on taxes and rent. Therefore, as an employer I am in a very hard spot,” Karahan told VOA.Numerous cafes, restaurants, and bars in Istanbul and elsewhere have permanently closed since the pandemic first struck.
Karahan spoke wistfully of the throngs of tourists that used to pack into his gift shops.“In the past, Turks felt like foreigners on this street because so many international tourists were here. Before the pandemic, you’d see tourists from England, Germany, France, Italy all crowding the streets in the summer. Nowadays, it’s not like this at all,” he said.
Lost earningsThe financial pain is also felt by Kuzey Yucehan, who owns a restaurant around the corner from Galata Tower, a top Istanbul tourist attraction.Staff at Kuzey Yucehan’s restaurant Art Smyrna are seen setting up freshly repainted tables to attract customers during an otherwise sluggish summer tourism season in Istanbul (VOA/ Salim Fayeq)
“For months we were only operating for takeaway [orders], but the business that brought was not sustainable. Because of that, we have many problems with making ends meet and being profitable,” Yucehan told VOA, adding that many businesses have had to fend for themselves.
“Although in the media the government presented themselves as helpful and generous toward businesses in Turkey, we did not receive any financial relief as an independent business,” Yucehan said. “We hope that COVID passes and the world will get back to normal soon.”This report includes some information from Reuters.
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Belarus Sends Reporter to Prison Over Deleted Chat Messages
A court in Belarus convicted a journalist of insulting the president in messages in a deleted chat group and sentenced him to 1 1/2 years in prison, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said Monday. The verdict in the case against Siarhei Hardziyevich, 50, comes as part of a massive crackdown that Belarusian authorities have unleashed on independent media and human rights activists. Hardziyevich on Monday was found guilty of insulting the president and slandering police officers, according to the association. The court sentenced him to a prison term and a $1,600 fine. The charges against the journalist from Drahichyn, a city 300 kilometers (185 miles) southwest of Belarus’ capital of Minsk, were brought over messages in a chat group on the messaging app Viber which was deleted last year. Hardziyevich, who worked for a popular regional news outlet, The First Region, has maintained his innocence. His defense team demanded the charges be dropped due to a lack of evidence and because the crime was impossible to establish. “I have nothing to do with these crimes, I don’t consider myself guilty,” Hardziyevich said in his address to the court before the verdict. The Viasna human rights center declared Hardziyevich a political prisoner. Belarusian authorities have ramped up the pressure against non-governmental organizations and independent media in recent weeks, conducting more than 200 raids of offices and apartments of activists and journalists in July alone, according to Viasna.Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has vowed to continue what he called a “mopping-up operation” against civil society activists whom he has denounced as “bandits and foreign agents.”Lukashenko faced months of protests triggered by his being awarded a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition and the West saw as rigged. He responded to demonstrations with a massive crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police.
A total of 29 Belarusian journalists remain in custody either awaiting trial or serving their sentences.
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Cameroon Says Hundreds Boko Haram Fighters Surrendering After Abubakar Shekau’s Death
Authorities in Cameroon say there are seeing an increase in the number of Boko Haram militants surrendering at a disarmament center on the northern border with Nigeria. Officials say there have been hundreds of defections from the terrorist group since May, when Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Islamist group, was declared killed.Cameroonian authorities said they are overwhelmed by the number of militants fleeing the extremist group Boko Haram. The National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, or the DDR, a center set up by the government, hosts about 750 former militants in Meri, a town on the northern border with Nigeria.Dieudonne Nkollo Zanga is one of the administrators of the DDR center in Meri. He said the center received more than 155 militants within the past seven days and a total of about 450 militants have arrived at the center since May.Zanga said the government of Cameroon has provided space in Meme, another northern town not far from Nigeria, for the construction of a center that can host 1,500 former Boko Haram fighters. He said funds to construct the DDR center are available and construction work will begin soon.DDR officials say a majority of the 155 militants who arrived this week in Meri, Cameroon, July 29, 2021, are wives of the fighters and their children. (Moki Edwin Kindzeka/VOA)Zanga said the center in Meri is small and can’t accommodate the increasing number of Boko Haram militants abandoning the group. DDR officials say a majority of the 155 militants who arrived this week are wives of the fighters and their children. Forty of the 57 men are former Boko Haram fighters.Francis Fai Yengo is director of the government’s DDR center. He told reporters Monday that the government has taken adequate measures to provide for the needs of the former fighters. Speaking at a news conference in Yaounde, Yengo says Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, has instructed officials to pardon all fighters who surrender and disarm.He said a majority of the fighters who escape from the bush to join the DDR center need to detox from substance use. He said it is very difficult to communicate with the former Boko Haram combatants when the fighters are still struggling with substance use disorders. He said the former fighters confess to their crimes, including killing and should be admitted in the deradicalization programs as soon as possible.Yengo did not say how many weapons were collected from the fighters. However, Cameroon’s military said the militants handed themselves to troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force of the Lake Chad Basin that is fighting the jihadist group. The task force is made up of troops from Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria.Wives of Boko Haram fighters and their children are seen at the DDR Center in Meri, Cameroon, July 29, 2021. (Moki Edwin Kindzeka/VOA)Cameroon said the troops transported the militants who surrendered from border localities to the DDR center. A majority of the militants surrendered around Nigeria’s Sambisa Forest, an area bordering Cameroon and a stronghold for Boko Haram.Saibou Issa is a conflict resolution specialist at the University of Maroua in Cameroon. He said many militants have been defecting following the death of Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, in May.Issa said attacks by the joint task force in formerly Boko Haram-controlled areas and his fighters have made Shekau’s militants weaker.“With the demise of Shekau, they [former fighters] were obliged to go in for predatory attacks giving the impression that they were just going in for survival attacks to make money around Lake Chad and be able to, let’s say, be independent at least concerning their daily lives,” he said.Issa said rival jihadist groups that disagree with Shekau also scare Boko Haram militants who fail to join the rival groups. He said the fighters who defect are either returning to their communities, handing themselves to the military or regrouping to strategize and form a stronger jihadist group.In May, a video from Bakura Modu, the presumed successor of Shekau, appeared to confirm that the Boko Haram leader was killed by rival jihadist groups in the Sambisa Forest in April.Although founded in 2002, Boko Haram gained more prominence after attacks against authorities in northeastern Nigeria in 2009. And in 2014, it spread into neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Over 30,000 people been killed and two million have been displaced due to conflict.
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White House: More than 110 million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Shipped to More than 60 Countries
The White House announced Tuesday the U.S. has shipped more than 110 million doses of U.S.-made COVID-19 vaccines to more than 60 nations.In a statement, the White House said most of the vaccine was shipped through the World Health Organization–managed COVAX cooperative, but also through regional partnerships, such as the African Union and Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The White House said the donations reflect a fulfillment of President Joe Biden’s pledge to give at least 80 million vaccine doses to other nations around the globe, and the doses are a down payment on the “hundreds of millions of more doses that the U.S. will deliver in the coming weeks.”The statement says the Biden administration will begin shipping half-a-billion doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to 100 of the world’s low-income countries.Biden is expected to discuss the donations milestone and other efforts later Tuesday.The president’s announcement will come amid an increase in infections in the U.S. and around the world, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.
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