Many isolated tribes have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. One such tribe in Indonesia, the Baduy Tribe has been devastated economically. To survive, some members of the community have embraced a local taboo, as VOA’s Rendy Wicaksana reports.Camera: Rendy Wicaksana
…
Month: August 2021
Donors’ Conference Aims to Boost Lebanese a Year After Beirut Blast
France hopes to secure more than $350 million in humanitarian aid for Lebanon’s crisis-battered population at a donors’ conference it co-hosts with the United Nations Wednesday — marking the year anniversary of Beirut’s deadly port blast. International pressure is growing for Lebanon’s fractious parties to unify and push through reforms. Roughly 40 representatives of international institutions and heads of state were expected at this video conference, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Jordan’s King Abdullah. FILE – French President Emmanuel Macron attends a donor teleconference with other world leaders concerning the situation in Lebanon following the Beirut blast, in Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, France, Aug. 9, 2020.It marks the third international meeting Paris has hosted this past year to support ordinary Lebanese, struggling under deepening poverty and spiraling inflation and unemployment. The World Bank calls Lebanon’s political and financial crisis since 2019 the world’s worst since the mid-19th century. Co-hosted by the U.N. Wednesday’s virtual talks come exactly a year after the massive explosion of fertilizer stocked at Beirut’s port, which killed more than 200 people, injured thousands and devastated big chunks of the capital. International frustration is growing over Lebanon’s squabbling political parties. Lebanon’s new prime-minister-designate, billionaire businessman Najib Mikati, said he was unable to form a new government before the blast anniversary. His predecessor, Saad Hariri, gave up efforts to do so. FILE – Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, speaks to journalists after his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, July 26, 2021.Hasni Abidi, international relations professor at the University of Geneva, said France and other donor nations cannot invest in Lebanon in a sustainable way so long as there is no government willing to engage in real reforms demanded by the international community. Apparently to ramp up pressure on Lebanon’s parties, the European Union announced it had adopted a legal framework for sanctioning individuals and entities seen as undermining the country’s rule of law and democracy. Before the EU framework was announced, a European Union spokeswoman said it was too soon to talk about specifics in terms of sanctions. Former colonial power France has played a leading role in mobilizing international backing for struggling Lebanese and in prodding the country’s politicians.FILE – French President Emmanuel Macron, center, visits the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Aug.6, 2020.French President Emmanuel Macron was the first foreign leader to visit Beirut after the 2020 blast. Days later, he held a first international funding conference — and another, this past June, to support Lebanon’s financially strapped army. Some critics suggest France has little to show for its efforts thus far and should have imposed tough sanctions against Lebanon’s political elite early on. Others say it is up to Lebanon’s politicians to act. Otherwise, they say, there is little the international community can do. Sources: AFP, Reuters, Al Jazeera, The New York Times, AP, ESSEC-French business school webinar.
…
Japan Limits Hospital Access Amid COVID-19 Surge
With worries of a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections overwhelming the country’s hospitals, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced Tuesday that only seriously ill coronavirus patients or those at risk of becoming so will be admitted for treatment. Others infected with COVID-19 will have to isolate at home in order to try to make sure there are enough beds available. Japan is adding about 10,000 new cases per day, prompting the head of the Japan Medical Association to call Tuesday for a nationwide state of emergency. Residents wait at the observation area during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination session for those aged between 12 and 14, in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China, Aug. 3, 2021. (China Daily via Reuters)In China, authorities said Tuesday all residents of Wuhan will be tested after the city recorded its first domestic infections in more than a year. The virus was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019, and the city of 11 million people was put under a strict lockdown in January 2020 that lasted 76 days. As many countries worry about the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus, South Korean health officials on Tuesday reported the country’s first two cases of a sublineage known as delta plus. Britain, Portugal and India are among countries that previously reported a few cases of delta plus infections. Hundreds of people line up to receive their second dose of vaccine against the coronavirus at the municipal ground in Hyderabad, India, July 29, 2021.The World Health Organization has said it is important to closely watch such changes in the virus that could be more resistant to drugs and vaccines, and for more genomic sequencing of COVID-19 tests for tracking and studying. Countries are also rushing to vaccinate their populations to drive down infections. Pakistan’s top health official reported Tuesday that the country had administered 1 million doses in one day for the first time. Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi began a partial lockdown on Saturday with a wave of cases putting pressure on its health care system. In Australia, authorities said a lockdown in Sydney could be allowed to expire at the end of the month if half of the city is vaccinated by then. Australian airline Qantas expressed less optimism Tuesday, saying it expects the restrictions in Sydney to be in place for at least two months and announcing furloughs for 2,500 of its 26,000 workers in Australia. More restrictions in USIn the United States, more jurisdictions are requiring employees to get vaccinated or submit to regular testing as the country grapples with a rise of infections blamed on the delta variant. FILE – People wear masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, as the delta variant has led to a surge in infections, in New York City, July 30, 2021.Denver, Colorado, Mayor Michael Hancock announced Monday the city will mandate all city employees and private sector workers in high-risk settings to be vaccinated against the virus by the end of September. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said state health care workers, along with workers in corrections facilities or assisted living centers, must be vaccinated or face testing twice a week. In New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo urged businesses to turn away unvaccinated customers. He said it is in businesses’ best interests because many customers want to know that the customer next to them is vaccinated. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that 70% of U.S. adults have received at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine. President Joe Biden had originally aimed to pass that milestone by July 4. Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.
…
Missing Belarusian Activist Found Dead in Kyiv Park
A Belarusian activist was found dead in a park near his home in Kyiv early on Tuesday, a day after he was reported missing, Ukrainian police said. Vitaly Shishov, who led a Kyiv-based organization that helps Belarusians fleeing persecution, had been reported missing by his partner on Monday after not returning home from a run. Police said they had launched a criminal case for suspected murder but would investigate all possibilities including murder disguised as suicide. “Belarusian citizen Vitaly Shishov, who disappeared yesterday in Kyiv, was found hanged today in one of Kyiv’s parks, not far from his place of residence,” the police statement said. Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania have become havens for Belarusians during a crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenko following a disputed election last year. Shishov led the Belarusian House in Ukraine (BDU) group, which helps Belarusians find accommodation, jobs and legal advice, according to its website. The organization said on Monday it was not able to contact Shishov. It said Shishov had left his residence at 9 a.m. and was supposed to have returned an hour later. The Belarusian authorities have characterized anti-government protesters as criminals or violent revolutionaries backed by the West and described the actions of law enforcement agencies as adequate and necessary.
…
New COVID-19 Cases Prompt Mass Testing in Wuhan, China
A Chinese official says all residents of the city of Wuhan will be tested for COVID-19 infections after the emergence of the first domestic cases there in more than a year. City official Li Tao made the announcement Tuesday at a news conference. There were at least three new coronavirus cases recorded Monday in Wuhan and 90 nationwide. The virus was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019, and the city of 11 million people was put under a strict lockdown in January 2020 that lasted 76 days. Some information in this report came from Reuters.
…
S. Korea Lawmakers: N. Korea Wants Sanctions Eased to Restart Talks With US
North Korea wants international sanctions banning its metal exports and imports of refined fuel and other necessities lifted in order to restart denuclearization talks with the United States, South Korean lawmakers said Tuesday.
The North also has demanded the easing of sanctions on its imports of luxury goods to be able to bring in fine liquors and suits, the lawmakers said after being briefed by South Korea’s main intelligence agency.
The briefing came a week after the two Koreas restored hotlines that North Korea suspended a year ago.
North Korea’s state-run media made no mention on Tuesday of any new request for the lifting sanctions to restart talks.
The South Korea legislators said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had both expressed a willingness to rebuild trust and improve ties since April, and Kim had asked to reconnect the hotlines. They also said North Korea was in need of some 1 million tons of rice, as its economy was battered by the coronavirus pandemic and bad weather last year. South Korea’s central bank said last week North Korea’s economy suffered its biggest contraction in 23 years in 2020 as it was battered by U.N. sanctions, COVID-19 lockdown measures and the weather. Moon has made improving diplomatic and economic relations with North Korea a top priority, while the United States has long insisted relations with North Korea can not improve until it gives up its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006 and test-fired missiles capable of hitting the United States. The U.N. Security Council has issued a wide range of sanctions against North Korea, including entities and individuals in the reclusive country, for pursuing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in defiance of U.N. resolutions. The United States, Japan and South Korea also have issued sanctions on North Korea, but they are not binding on other countries. A senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration told Reuters in March that North Korea had not responded to behind-the-scenes diplomatic outreach since mid-February. The Biden administration has been cautious in publicly describing its approach to North Korea, saying it was carrying out a comprehensive policy review following former President Donald Trump’s unprecedented engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
North Korea has not tested a nuclear weapon or its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles [ICBMs] since 2017, ahead of an historic meeting in Singapore between leader Kim Jong Un and Trump in 2018. That meeting and two subsequent ones failed to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons or its missile program.
Independent U.N. sanctions monitors found that North Korea maintained and developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programs throughout 2020 in violation of sanctions, helping fund them with some $300 million stolen through cyber hacks.
…
Children Stopped at Border Likely Reached Record High in July
The number of children traveling alone who were picked up at the Mexican border by U.S. immigration authorities likely hit an all-time high in July, and the number of people who came in families likely reached the second-highest total on record, a U.S. official said Monday, citing preliminary government figures. The sharp increases from June were striking because crossings usually slow during stifling — and sometimes fatal — summer heat. U.S. authorities likely picked up more than 19,000 unaccompanied children in July, exceeding the previous high of 18,877 in March, according to David Shahoulian, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at the Department of Homeland Security. The June total was 15,253. The number of people encountered in families during July is expected at about 80,000, Shahoulian said. That’s shy of the all-time high of 88,857 in May 2019 but up from 55,805 in June. Overall, U.S. authorities stopped migrants about 210,000 times at the border in July, up from 188,829 in June and the highest in more than 20 years. But the numbers aren’t directly comparable because many cross repeatedly under a pandemic-related ban that expels people from the country immediately without giving them a chance to seek asylum but carries no legal consequences. The activity was overwhelmingly concentrated in the Border Patrol’s Del Rio and Rio Grande Valley sectors in south Texas, accounting for more than 7 of 10 people who came in families.Lizeth Morales, of Honduras, hugs the daughter of a Honduran friend she met at a camp for migrant families as she waits to cross into the United States to begin the asylum process, July 5, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico.In the Rio Grande Valley sector, the “epicenter of the current surge,” agents stopped migrants about 78,000 times in July, Shahoulian said, up from 59,380 in June and 51,149 in May. The government disclosures came in a court filing hours after immigrant advocacy groups resumed a legal battle to end the government’s authority to expel families at the border on grounds it prevents the spread of the coronavirus. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention renewed those emergency powers, known as Title 42 and named for a 1944 public health law. The Homeland Security Department said it would continue to enforce the ban on asylum for single adults and families despite growing pressure from pro-immigration groups that it isn’t justified on public health grounds. Unaccompanied children are exempt. “Title 42 is not an immigration authority, but a public health authority, and its continued use is dictated by CDC and governed by the CDC’s analysis of public health factors,” the department said in a statement. The final count for July border arrests isn’t expected for several days, but preliminary numbers are usually pretty close. Over the first 29 days of July, authorities encountered a daily average of 6,779 people, including 616 unaccompanied children and 2,583 who came in families, Shahoulian said. The number of people stopped in families is expected to hit an all-time high for the 2021 fiscal year that ends September 30, Shahoulian said, adding it will likely be higher if courts order that the pandemic-related powers be lifted. The rising numbers have strained holding facilities, Shahoulian said. The Border Patrol had 17,778 people in custody on Sunday, despite a “COVID-19 adjusted capacity” of 4,706. The Rio Grande Valley sector was holding 10,002 of them. The American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups said Monday that they were ending settlement talks with the Biden administration over their demand to lift the pandemic-related ban on families seeking asylum. The impasse resumes a legal battle before U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington. “We are deeply disappointed that the Biden administration has abandoned its promise of fair and humane treatment for families seeking safety, leaving us no choice but to resume litigation,” said Neela Chakravartula, managing attorney for the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies. Since late March, the ACLU has been working with advocates to choose particularly vulnerable migrants stuck in Mexico for the U.S. government to allow in to seek asylum. ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said the exemptions will continue for another week. “Seven months of waiting for the Biden administration to end Title 42 is more than enough,” Gelernt said. The breakdown reflects growing tensions between advocates and the administration over use of expulsions and the government’s decision last week to resume fast-track deportation flights for families to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Last week, the International Rescue Committee and HIAS also said they were ending efforts to help the administration choose asylum-seekers to exempt from the pandemic-related ban. The asylum advocacy groups had been working on a parallel track with the ACLU to identify particularly vulnerable migrants stuck in Mexico. The CDC said Monday that the ban would remain until its director “determines that the danger of further introduction of COVID-19 into the United States from covered noncitizens has ceased to be a serious danger to the public health.”
…
Bodies Found in River Between Ethiopia’s Tigray and Sudan
A Sudanese official says local authorities in Kassala province have found around 50 bodies, apparently people fleeing the war in neighboring Ethiopia’s Tigray region, floating in the river between the countries over the past week, some with gunshot wounds or their hands bound. The official said Monday a forensic investigation is needed to determine the causes of death. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. Two Ethiopian health workers in the Sudan border community of Hamdayet confirmed seeing the bodies found in the Setit River, known in Ethiopia as the Tekeze. The river flows through some of the most troubled areas of the nine-month conflict in Tigray, where ethnic Tigrayans have accused Ethiopian and allied forces of atrocities while battling Tigray forces. Tewodros Tefera, a surgeon who fled the nearby Tigray city of Humera to Sudan, told The Associated Press that two of the bodies were found Monday, one a man with his hands bound and the other a woman with a chest wound. Fellow refugees have buried at least 10 other bodies, he said. He shared a video of men appearing to prepare a shroud for a body floating face-down in the river. Tewodros said the bodies were found downstream from Humera, where authorities and allied fighters from Ethiopia’s Amhara region have been accused by refugees of forcing out local Tigrayans during the war while claiming that western Tigray is their land. “We are actually taking care of the bodies spotted by fishermen,” Tewodros said. “I suspect there are more bodies on the river.” While it was difficult to identify the bodies, one had a common name in the Tigray language, Tigrinya, tattooed on his arm, the surgeon said. Another doctor working in Hamdayet who saw the bodies told the AP that some of the corpses had facial markings indicating they were ethnic Tigrayans. “I saw a lot of barbaric things,” said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. “Some had been struck by an axe.” Witnesses at the river told him they had not been able to catch all the bodies floating downstream because of the water’s swift flow during the rainy season, the doctor said. An Ethiopian government-created Twitter account on Monday called the accounts of bodies a fake campaign by “propagandists” among the Tigray forces. Samantha Power, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, on Monday visited a refugee camp in Sudan hosting thousands of Ethiopians who fled the Tigray war. She next will visit Ethiopia to press the government to allow humanitarian aid to Tigray, a region of some 6 million people where the world’s worst hunger crisis in a decade is unfolding. The U.S. says up to 900,000 people now face famine conditions. The U.N. food agency said it is working to provide food to Tigray through Sudan despite frayed ties between Khartoum and Addis Ababa. Negotiations to access the blocked Tigray region have proved to be quite difficult, Marianne Ward, the World Food Program’s deputy country director in Sudan, said. She said WFP has already moved 50,000 tons of wheat to Ethiopia through Sudan.
…
Flooding Kills 7 in South Sudan’s Unity State, Official Says
Authorities in Unity state say at least seven people are reported dead after floods submerged several homes in Mayendit County in recent days. The floods have also displaced about 400 families, officials say. Mayendit County Commissioner Gatluak Nyang told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus that heavy rains had intensified over the past few weeks. Seven people died of drowning, and 17 people have been bitten by snakes, Nyang said. The floods destroyed infrastructure, houses and the livelihoods of hundreds of people. Nearly 90% of the land in Mayendit is submerged, Nyang said. Nearly 400 families fled to higher ground for safety, and more than 500 head of cattle and 300 goats died in the flooding, he said. “People are facing very, very bad situation in health,” Nyang said. “There are many diseases … because the hygiene is very poor. They have lack of shelter, and there is lack of mosquito nets, and people have malaria.” Nyang urged aid agencies and the national government to provide food, shelter and medicine to prevent waterborne diseases from spreading. John Juan Bum, executive director of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission in Unity state, has issued a plea for help. “We have submitted the comprehensive emergency and disaster report this morning to UNCHR as well as the NGO (nongovernmental organization) forum so that they share it with all the partners on (the) ground, such as to respond or at least initiate a rapid response,” Bum told South Sudan in Focus. Kai Yer, a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) coordinator in Unity state, said he had yet to receive full reports on the extent of the damage. “We have not got the details,” Yer said. Torrential rains across South Sudan have repeatedly devastated several parts of the country, including Jonglei and Lakes states and parts of Central and Western Equatoria states. Between July and September 2020, about 800,000 people were affected by flooding in areas along the White Nile River, forcing entire communities to flee to higher ground, according to the South Sudan government and aid agencies.
…
Southern US States Set Records for COVID Hospitalizations
Hospitalizations from COVID-19 are surging in the Southern United States with some states seeing record numbers of patients as the country faces a wave of coronavirus infections fueled by the delta variant. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said Monday that looking ahead to Tuesday’s reported hospitalization numbers, there are “more hospitalizations than at any other point in the pandemic.” Edwards did not give the exact number of hospitalized patients, but said it was more than the official count of 1,984 that health officials announced Monday at noon. The news follows Florida’s announcement Sunday that more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in the state, surpassing Florida’s record. FILE – Masked students walk to the COVID-19 vaccination site at the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium on the Jackson State University campus in Jackson, Miss., July 27, 2021.Arkansas reported Monday its biggest one-day spike in coronavirus hospitalizations since the pandemic began, bringing the state’s total to 1,220. Arkansas is nearing its high of 1,371 coronavirus patients set in January. White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said Friday that coronavirus cases are surging in areas with low vaccination rates. He told reporters on a conference call that one in three cases nationwide occurred in Florida and Texas in the past week. According to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, new confirmed cases hit nearly 560,000. Vaccine numbersThe average number of people being vaccinated is also on the rise. Zients said 3 million Americans had received their first shot in the past seven days, an increase of nearly 70% over the previous week. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that 70% of U.S. adults have received at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine, a milestone that President Joe Biden had originally hoped to pass by July 4. In addition to fueling a demand for vaccines, the surge in new coronavirus cases has led authorities to reinstate mask requirements in hard-hit areas and to introduce vaccine mandates at places of work. RequirementsLouisiana announced Monday that beginning Wednesday masks would be required in all indoor locations, including schools and colleges, while eight counties in California’s San Francisco Bay Area on Monday reimposed mandatory masking in indoor public places. The mayor of Denver, Colorado, Michael Hancock, announced Monday the city will mandate all city employees and private sector workers in high-risk settings to be vaccinated against the virus by the end of September. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said state health care workers, along with workers in corrections facilities or assisted living centers, must be vaccinated or face testing twice a week. FILE – People wear masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, as the delta variant has led to a surge in infections, in New York City, July 30, 2021.In New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo urged businesses to turn away unvaccinated customers. He said it is in businesses’ best interests because many customers want to know that the customer next to them is vaccinated. Biden announced last week that millions of federal workers and contractors must show proof of vaccination or submit to regular COVID-19 tests. As of Monday night, the U.S. has confirmed 35.1 million cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began and more than 613,000 deaths. Some information in this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters.
…
US Dismisses Myanmar Election Plan, Urges ASEAN Pressure
The United States said Monday that Myanmar’s junta was playing for time with a two-year election timeframe as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to encourage ASEAN to appoint an envoy. Blinken is participating virtually in a week of talks involving foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the latest bid by U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to engage a region at the frontlines of U.S. competition with China. FILE – Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the State Department in Washington, July 12, 2021.Ahead of the ASEAN talks, Myanmar’s military leader promised to hold elections and lift a state of emergency by August 2023, extending an initial timeline given when the military deposed elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. The announcement is “a call for ASEAN to have to step up its effort because it’s clear that the Burmese junta is just stalling for time and wants to keep prolonging the calendar to its own advantage,” said a senior U.S. official, using Myanmar’s former name of Burma. “All the more reason why ASEAN has to engage on this and live up and uphold the terms of the five-point consensus that Myanmar also signed up to.” Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing attended an April meeting with ASEAN members on the crisis that led to the so-called consensus statement that called for an immediate end to violence and a regional special envoy. But the military leader later distanced himself from the statement, no envoy has been appointed, and more than 900 people have been reported killed in the six-month crackdown on dissent. ASEAN is not known for its collective diplomatic clout, and its meetings have frequently pitted the United States and China against each other as they seek influence. The U.S. official said Blinken would address Beijing’s “coercion” against ASEAN nations in the dispute-rife South China Sea and also highlight human rights concerns within China. FILE – United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin views the military honor guard at Camp Aguinaldo military camp in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Southeast Asia last week, where he focused on the South China Sea, saying Beijing’s claims had no basis in international law. Vice President Kamala Harris plans this month to visit historic U.S. partner Singapore as well as Vietnam, which has moved increasingly close to Washington despite war memories. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi is expected to meet Blinken in person in Washington this week, while Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman earlier visited Indonesia and Thailand as well as Cambodia – often seen as the most pro-Beijing ASEAN nation.
…
Biden Urges New Eviction Pause as Delta Variant Spreads
U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday urged a new ban on evictions to prevent a wave of homelessness as the more infectious delta variant of the coronavirus takes hold. But a day after a nationwide eviction moratorium expired, Biden acknowledged the administration does not have the legal authority to help renters stay in their homes. That leaves the White House with few tools to deal with the issue that could impact millions of families after the 11-month-old moratorium ordered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lapsed early Sunday. FILE – President Joe Biden speaks in McLean, Va., July 27, 2021.”Given the rising urgency of containing the spread of the delta variant,” Biden asked the CDC to consider “a new, 30-day eviction moratorium — focused on counties with high or substantial case rates — to protect renters,” the White House said in a statement. However, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has been “unable to find legal authority for a new, targeted eviction moratorium,” the statement said. The president also called on state and local authorities “to extend or put in place evictions moratoria for at least the next two months,” joining a handful that have put such protections in place. The nationwide ban was intended to extend until September, but a recent Supreme Court ruling meant it had to end early unless renewed by Congress. However, a last-ditch effort by Democratic lawmakers failed. The White House has instructed government agencies to do what they can to prevent evictions in properties in federal programs or with federal loan guarantees. Biden also urged state and local governments to quickly send out the billions in emergency aid provided to help renters stay in their homes. The Treasury Department said that as of June, only $3 billion in aid had reached households out of the $25 billion sent to states and localities in early February. About $21.5 billion is available in a second round of funding, but it will not go out until the first $25 billion is spent. Unlike other pandemic-related aid that was distributed from Washington, such as stimulus checks, it was states, counties and cities that were responsible for building programs to dole out assistance earmarked for renters.
…
Panda on Loan to France Gives Birth to Twins
Huan Huan, a giant panda on loan to France, gave birth to twin cubs very early Monday, according to the Beauval zoo. The twins, born around 1 a.m., are Huan Huan and her partner Yuan Zi’s second and third cubs, after the first panda ever born in France, Yuan Meng, in 2017. “The two babies are pink. They are perfectly healthy. They look big enough. They are magnificent,” said Rodolphe Delord, president of ZooParc de Beauval in Saint-Aignan, central France. WATCH: Using Pandas for DiplomacySorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 16 MB480p | 23 MB540p | 33 MB720p | 74 MB1080p | 134 MBOriginal | 725 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioPanda reproduction, in captivity or in the wild, is notoriously difficult. Experts say few pandas get in the mood or even know what to do when they do. Further complicating matters, the window for conception is small since female pandas are in heat only once a year for about 24-48 hours. Huan Huan and her partner Yuan Zi — the star attractions at Beauval — thrilled zoo officials in March when they managed to make “contact,” as they put it, eight times in a weekend. Veterinarians also carried out an artificial insemination, just to be sure. Huan Huan’s first cub, Yuan Meng, now weighs more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and is to be sent this year to China, where there are an estimated 1,800 giant pandas living in the wild and another 500 in captivity. Huan Huan’s newborns will not be named for 100 days, with Peng Liyuan — the wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping — set to choose what they will be called, the zoo said.
…
Shona Community Granted Kenyan Citizenship
Kenyan officials have given citizenship to 1,600 stateless Shona community in the country, fifty years after their ancestors migrated. The ethnic Shona, who have been struggling as stateless people for rights and benefits, celebrated their new status. Lenny Ruvaga reports from Nairobi.Camera: Amos Wangwa
…
US Senate Pushing Ahead with Massive Infrastructure Measure
The U.S. Senate pushed ahead Monday with consideration of a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, with Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer promising to work with opposition Republican lawmakers to hold key votes on specific construction projects across the country.”Let’s start voting on amendments,” Schumer told the Senate as it started business for the week. He said a final vote on the legislation could be held “in a matter of days” but vowed to keep the chamber in session until work on the measure is completed — before recessing for the Senate’s annual August vacation. “The longer it takes to finish the bill, the longer we will be here.”The package, one of President Joe Biden’s top legislative priorities, would provide tens of billions of dollars to repair the country’s deteriorating roads and bridges, advance broadband internet service throughout the country, expand rail and transit services and replace lead-piped drinking water systems.The package was negotiated over several weeks between a centrist group of 10 lawmakers and the White House, but now the remaining 90 members of the Senate will have a chance to offer amendments to the legislation for favored projects in their home states to earmark for funding.”Infrastructure is exactly the kind of subject that Congress should be able to address across the aisle,” Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said of the politically divided chamber, where Republicans and Democrats spar sharply over most issues.McConnell, over the objections of some Republicans, has agreed to allow debate to proceed but has not said how he will ultimately vote. On Monday, he described the 2,700-page bill as a “good and important jumping off point” for a discussion of the country’s infrastructure needs.FILE – The Interstate 40 bridge connecting Tennessee and Arkansas is seen in Memphis, May 14, 2021. The bridge been indefinitely closed after a crack was found in one of its steel beams.The measure was formally introduced at a rare Sunday evening Senate session. “We know that this has been a long and sometimes difficult process, but we are proud this evening to announce this legislation,” said Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona Democrat who was a lead negotiator on the package. The bill, she said, showed “we can put aside our own political differences for the good of the country.”Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, a Republican negotiator, said the final product will be “great for the American people.”Biden has been vocal in his support for the infrastructure, not only for the improvements that would be made across the U.S., but to show voters that major legislation can still be approved in politically fractious Washington. It includes $550 million in new spending along with $450 billion in previously approved funds.The package includes $110 billion for roads and bridges, $39 billion for public transit, $66 billion for rail and $55 billion for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, as well as billions for airports, ports, broadband internet and electric vehicle charging stations.Portman said, “This is a really important bill because it takes our big, aging and outdated infrastructure in this country and modernizes it. That’s good for everybody.”If the Senate approves the measure, the House of Representatives would then consider it. Passage appears less certain in the House, where some progressive Democratic lawmakers are complaining that the spending package is too small.Some material in this report came from the Associated Press.
…
As Taliban Advances, Europe Fears an Afghan Migration Crisis
Every day sees more Afghan refugees reach Turkey after a grueling trek across Iran. As far as they’re concerned their journey is far from over — they want to get to the countries of the European Union — for them the Promised Land.
But it is a land that is unwilling to accept them and is making plans to deter them from arriving.
Around 2,000 Afghans a day are entering Turkey, and migration experts expect the numbers to surge as the Taliban seizes control of more of Afghanistan.
The Taliban is currently besieging three major cities in south and west Afghanistan to add to the rapid rural gains it has made in recent weeks in the wake of the decision by the Biden administration to withdraw US troops from the country. Almost all NATO troops will be gone by September. Few observers believe the Afghan government will be able to hold out and last week a Pentagon watchdog warned that the country’s government will likely face an “existential crisis.”
The Afghans making their way through Iran to Turkey are voting with their feet, fearful of what a Taliban future of strict Islamic rule will hold for them. Most arriving at the Turkish borders are single men, and many are uneducated, but hope to secure settlement in Europe and for their families to join them later, say migration groups.An Afghan migrant eats outside a bus terminal, as he and others struggle to find buses to take them to western Turkish cities, after crossing the Turkey-Iran border in April 11, 2018.Turkey the GatekeeperEuropean leaders are preparing for a new migration crisis and are negotiating another multi-year migration deal with Turkey to get Ankara to block Afghan and other asylum-seekers from heading their way. It would be a renewal of a five-year deal struck in 2016 that saw the EU pay Ankara billions of dollars to curb irregular migration towards Europe, improve the living conditions of refugees in Turkey, and foster legal migration through official resettlement schemes.
“The 2016 agreement had a significant impact on limiting the number of arrivals” in the EU, according to Daniele Albanese of Caritas Italiana, a non-profit and the charitable arm of the Italian Bishops Conference. “While nearly 861.630 people reached Greece in 2015, that number dropped to 36, 310 the following year,” she noted in a commentary for the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, a think tank.
But she warns that a “political approach that does not take into consideration the needs of the refugee population deserving a better life is far from a long-term, durable solution.”Afghans wait inside the passport office in Kabul, Afghanistan, June 30, 2021.No repeat of 2015For now, though, European governments are focused on the short-terms and are in no mood to see a return to the open-doors migration policy of 2015, one that in its wake roiled the continent’s politics and fueled the rise of populist nationalist parties. “Post-U.S. Afghanistan poses a severe migration problem, and we expect a rising number of people attempting to flee the Taliban,” a senior EU diplomat told VOA.
Around a million asylum-seekers from the Mideast, most of them Syrians, Afghanistan and sub-Saharan Africa arrived and settled in Europe in 2015-2016.
Asked last month at a press conference whether Germany should welcome Afghan refugees, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the architect of the 2015 open-doors policy, replied: “We cannot solve all of these problems by taking everyone in.” She called instead for political negotiations so “people can live as peacefully as possible in the country.”
Greek authorities are reporting that Afghans now make up the largest share of asylum-seekers who manage to navigate the Aegean from Turkey. Austria last week announced it is to deploy additional soldiers to its borders with Slovenia and Hungary so as to increase the number of border guards by 40 percent. The country’s interior minister Karl Nehammer said at a news conference that EU migration policies have proven ineffective against irregular migrants, and he said Austrian immigration authorities have already apprehended 15,768 migrants attempting to cross illegally the Austrian border this year, compared to 21,700 for the whole of 2020.
“In Austria we have one of the biggest Afghan communities in the whole of Europe,” Nehammer said. “It cannot be the case that Austria and Germany have to solve the Afghanistan problem for the EU,” Nehammer added.
Despite the advance of the Taliban, European countries have been continuing with deportations of Afghan asylum-seekers — only Finland, Sweden and Norway have announced temporary suspensions of forced returns to Afghanistan.
Turkey is already hosting anywhere from an estimated 200,000 to 600,000 Afghans and – unlike the more than three million Syrian refugees living in Turkey – they have few legal rights of protection and no access to public services. Turkish opposition parties have been seizing on migration as an issue to try to outmaneuver President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and last month jumped on remarks by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz that Turkey is “a more suitable place” for Afghans than his or other western European countries.
On Sunday, Devlet Bahçeli, chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party, MHP, told the Türkgün newspaper “there should be a limit on asylum seekers from going and settling wherever they want without the control [of authorities].”“It’s understood that an influx of refugees will reach our borders in the risky and dangerous period ahead. We must be on the alert,” he added.
…
New York Governor Calls for More Vaccinations for State Employees
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday that Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Port Authority employees working in state facilities must be vaccinated or face weekly testing, beginning after the Labor Day holiday September 6. The policy will cover more than 70,000 workers, most of whom are already vaccinated. Cuomo made the announcement at a news conference in New York, where he also noted, “In our hospitals, public-facing employees must be vaccinated. Not vaccinated or tested once a week. You must be vaccinated.” He said New York “is the first state in the nation to do it.” Last week, Cuomo announced that public-facing state employees working in high-risk situations such those at state hospitals must get vaccinated against COVID-19, with no option for regular testing, and that all other state employees must be vaccinated or face testing. The policies come after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidelines, saying fully vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in areas where the delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is causing surges in news cases. That decision comes after studies show even vaccinated people can carry and spread the delta variant, first detected in India. Cuomo also urged New York’s bars and restaurants and other businesses to adopt a policy of only serving vaccinated people. He said Radio City Music Hall and some sporting events have already done this with great success. The governor said he could not issue mask or vaccine mandates for the general public because that would require the legislature — which has adjourned — to act. “The best I can do is say, ‘I strongly recommend’ that they do that. We’re in the city of New York. Whatever they put in place, we will follow,” Cuomo said. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.
…
As Record Number of Refugees Cross Channel, Britain Seeks to Criminalize Irregular Migration
A record number of migrants has crossed the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom this year in small boats. The British government is seeking to deter the migrants by making irregular migration a criminal offense.The migrants come from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Most are fleeing conflict or poverty.At its narrowest point, the English Channel is 30 kilometers wide. The migrants usually travel in overloaded inflatable dinghies across the busiest shipping lane in the world. British and French intelligence services say the crossings are coordinated by networks of people smugglers, who charge about $3,000 per person.French police patrol the coastline to intercept migrants, but say the coastline is too vast to prevent all departures. Once inside British waters, the migrants must be taken ashore under international law.A man thought to be a migrant who made the crossing from France is escorted along a walkway past dinghies after disembarking from a British border force vessel in Dover, south east England, July 22, 2021.A record 430 people made the crossing in a single day last month. The total for 2021 so far stands at around 8,500, according to data from PA Media, formerly the Press Association, that was collated from government statistics. That number is higher than all of 2020, when 8,461 people made the crossing.Speaking in parliament last month, Home Secretary Priti Patel said the government would take action to stop the migration.“We’re seeing right now is effectively people trafficking, smugglers, criminal gangs exploiting our asylum system to bring in economic migrants and people that, quite frankly, are circumventing our legal migration routes, coming to our country illegally,” she told lawmakers last month.“This is an evolving situation. The numbers of migrants attempting these crossings from France have increased considerably,” she said.The spike in arrivals has embroiled Britain’s revered sea rescue charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), into the controversy. Critics accuse the charity of providing a “taxi service” to Britain. The RNLI has defended its actions.“When our lifeboats launch, we operate under international maritime law, which states we are permitted, and indeed obligated, to enter all waters regardless of territories for search and rescue purposes. And when it comes to rescuing those people attempting to cross the channel, we do not question why they got into trouble, who they are or where they come from. All we need to know is that they need our help,” RNLI chief executive Mark Dowie said in a statement last month.A group of people thought to be migrants crossing from France, come ashore aboard the local lifeboat at Dungeness, southern England, July 20, 2021.The government argues that the migrants should seek asylum in the first safe country in which they arrive, rather than traveling to Britain. Its proposed legislation would sentence migrants who enter Britain without permission up to four years in prison.Bridget Chapman of Kent Refugee Action Network, a charity that supports migrants arriving across the English Channel, said retribution won’t deter the migrants.“It flies in the face of international law, you know. The Geneva Convention states that people have a right to seek asylum, and it can be in a country of their choosing. It feels very deliberately punitive. It feels like saber rattling. It feels like a lot of tough talk to make people feel that the U.K. is not a welcoming place. The fact is that that’s not going to stop people from coming,” she told VOA.A committee of British lawmakers last week condemned the living conditions for newly arrived migrants in the port of Dover. During a visit to a migrant reception center, women with babies and very young children were seen sleeping on thin mattresses on the floor.Meanwhile, Britain has given France $75 million to beef up policing of the northern French coastline to try to intercept migrants, on top of the $39 million it gave last year.France has called for the European Union to conduct reconnaissance flights over the English Channel.
…
Hong Kong Pop Star Arrested Over 2018 Performance
A well-known Hong Kong pop singer and pro-democracy proponent was arrested Monday for performing songs at a political rally three years ago.
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption commission said Anthony Wong urged attendees at the rally to vote for pro-democracy candidate Au Nok-hin.
Au, who won, was also charged for promoting the show and saying Wong would perform. He has been in jail since March on other charges.
The anti-corruption commission said that providing refreshments and entertainment at a political rally was “corrupt conduct and a serious offense.”
Wong, 59, was later released on bail. There has been no comment from him.
Wong has been a popular singer since the 1980s when he was one half of the Tat Ming Pair. He later went solo.
He backed the 2019 pro-democracy protesters, as well as the 2014 so-called Umbrella Revolution against what many saw as restrictive changes by the Chinese Communist Party in the way Hong Kong held elections.
After his support, Wong was banned from performing in China, and his music was deleted from streaming services.
Wong and Au were expected to appear in court on Thursday.
…
Nigeria Hit by Deadly Cholera Surge Focused on North
Nigeria has been hit by a surge in cholera cases in recent weeks, focused on the country’s north and adding to a public health crisis accompanied by a rise in COVID-19 cases.”In the last two weeks we had new and resurgence cases,” Dr. Bashir Lawan Muhammad, the state epidemiologist and deputy director of public health for northern economic hub Kano State, told Reuters.He said the rainy season was making it worse, while insecurity in the north, where the authorities have been battling Islamist militants and armed criminals, was also hindering the authorities’ ability to respond.Twenty-two of Nigeria’s 36 states, as well as the federal capital territory Abuja, have suspected cases of cholera, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC). The illness, which is caused by contaminated water, can kill within hours if not treated.The surge has been focused in the north of the country, where health systems are least prepared.At least 186 people had died in Kano of cholera since March, Muhammad said. The state accounts for the biggest share of the 653 cholera deaths recorded in the country as a whole by the NCDC. Nearby northern states Bauchi and Jigawa are also among the hardest hit, according to the NCDC.Lagos-based consultancy SBM Intelligence said the states with the most fatalities showed a strong correlation with those that performed poorly in its health preparedness index published in May.The cholera surge comes as daily COVID-19 cases hit their highest since March, raising fear of a third wave of the pandemic in Africa’s most populous nation.
…
US Official Says Getting Vaccines to Africans is ‘Top Priority’
The Biden administration is in the process of delivering 25 million vaccine doses to African countries in a massive effort to help African nations beat the COVID-19 pandemic. VOA’s Hayde Adams, the host of “Straight Talk Africa,” spoke with Akunna Cook, the U.S. deputy assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, about how the effort is going. The interview was edited for brevity and clarity. VOA: These are difficult times all over the world In Africa, only about 1% of the continent’s population is fully vaccinated. Please tell us more about what the United States is doing to get much needed vaccines to African countries and where those doses are going first. COOK: It’s a pleasure to be with you, particularly talking about this topic of ending the COVID-19 pandemic, which is a top priority of the Biden-Harris administration. The president has been very clear that we have to approach, vaccine, vaccine contributions around the world with the same urgency that we have here in the United States, and so we are working tirelessly to get out this first tranche of 25 million doses to Africa. We have already, in the past two weeks or so, donated the first five million doses into 16 African countries. Burkina Faso and Djibouti were among the first. But there’s many more coming… We will be delivering the largest sum of doses to any country, to South Africa at, 5.6 million doses, and then to Nigeria at just over four million doses coming up. FILE – A worker looks on as the second delivery of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is offloaded at the O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Feb. 27, 2021.And so this is just the beginning. This are the initial tranche. We remain the largest contributor to (global vaccine distribution scheme) COVAX and are committed to getting vaccines out as quickly as possible because we know that we cannot end this pandemic anywhere until we’ve ended it everywhere. VOA: The World Health Organization says Africa needs about 200 million doses to vaccinate 10% of its population by September this year. Is the United States prepared to do more? Is this a once off donation? COOK: So our vaccine contributions are, what, multitiered and multilayered, right? So these initial this initial tranche of 25 million, it’s the first step. But we are also doing other things including supporting vaccine manufacturing on the continent. And so we have invested in vaccine manufacturing in South Africa and in Senegal to ensure that Africa can then produce its own vaccines moving forward. We are also providing economic assistance to countries that have been impacted by COVID-19 with over $541 million in assistance to respond to the economic aftereffects of the pandemic. And so this is just the beginning. This is an initial tranche of our assistance. And I’m sure that we will see more rolling out over, over the next couple of months. FILE – A man with a cough but who had not been tested for the coronavirus uses COVIDEX, a locally-made herbal medicine approved by the government for use as a supportive treatment for viral infections, in Kampala, Uganda, July 6, 2021.VOA: Something we are seeing in the United States and something that is very prevalent across the African continent is misinformation around vaccines. There is a lack of trust as people feel that in the past, Africans, have been used as guinea pigs for scientific experiments, and of course there was an element of that here in the United States as well. What is your message to people in Africa about taking a vaccine coming from the West? How can they feel safe to trust the vaccines? COOK: Well, you know what I will say is we absolutely acknowledge that there have been past reasons for there to be distrust here in the United States and around the world. But it is absolutely the case that these vaccines are safe and they are effective. And we are working to disseminate best practices, including working with trusted messengers to get the word out that these vaccines are safe and they are effective, and that is absolutely critical that populations around the world including here in the United States, avail themselves of these vaccines so that we can end this pandemic once and for all.
…
Poland Grants Humanitarian Visa to Belarusian Olympian
Polish authorities on Monday granted a humanitarian visa to a Belarusian Olympic sprinter in Tokyo to seek political asylum in Poland after she alleged her team’s officials were trying to force her to fly home to Belarus against her wishes.The runner, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, told officials in Tokyo she feared she would not be safe in Belarus from the autocratic government of President Alexander Lukashenko. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz confirmed late Monday on Twitter that the athlete had been granted the visa.An activist group said it had bought Tsimanouskaya a plane ticket for a Wednesday flight to Warsaw.The political drama unfolded after Tsimanouskaya criticized how officials were managing the Belarusian Olympians, provoking a backlash in state-run media back home, where the government often cracks down on critics.The Belarus National Olympic Committee has been led for more than 25 years by Lukashenko and his son, Viktor.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.Belarusian officials apparently took Tsimanouskaya to the Tokyo airport but she refused to board a flight for Istanbul and instead approached police for help.”I was put under pressure, and they are trying to forcibly take me out of the country without my consent,” the 24-year-old runner said in a filmed message posted on social media.Later, late Monday afternoon local time, she was taken to the Polish embassy in an unmarked silver van and stepped out with her official team luggage. Two women, one carrying the red and white flag considered the symbol of opposition in Belarus, came to the gates to support her.Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is escorted by police officers at Haneda international airport in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 1, 2021.Tsimanouskaya told a Reuters reporter via Telegram that the Belarusian head coach showed up at her room on Sunday at the athletes’ village and told her she had to return home.”The head coach came over to me and said there had been an order from above to remove me,” she wrote in the message. “At 5 (pm) they came my room and told me to pack and they took me to the airport.”But Tsimanouskaya refused to board and sought the protection of Japanese police at the airport.Belarus was widely condemned by Western governments in May when it diverted a passenger jet carrying an opposition activist and his girlfriend that was flying over the country and forced it to land. Given the reports in the Belarusian media about Tsimanouskaya’s complaints about the management of the country’s team, she said she feared for her safety if she returned home.”The campaign was quite serious and that was a clear signal that her life would be in danger in Belarus,” Alexander Opeikin, a spokesman for the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation, told the Associated Press.Through the years, athletes from authoritarian nations have often sought political asylum in other countries while they were competing at the quadrennial summer Olympics or other global sporting events. It happened frequently during the Cold War but also at Olympic Games since then.(This report includes material from the Associated Press and Reuters.)
…
Pandemic Gives Loan Sharks More Prey
The pandemic’s economic impact has led to bankrupt businesses and unemployment around the world. In Malaysia an increasing number of people are looking for cash quickly to keep their families and businesses afloat. But as Dave Grunebaum reports, many soon find themselves in over their heads dealing with debt and threats.Camera: Dave Grunebaum
…
Death Toll from Floods in China’s Henan Province Rises to 302
The death toll from last month’s floods in the central Chinese province of Henan rose to 302 as of Monday, officials said, triple the figure of 99 that was reported last week, with most of the fatalities reported in the provincial capital Zhengzhou. In Zhengzhou, a city of 12 million that lies along the Yellow River, the death toll was 292, including 14 who perished when a subway line was flooded. In total, 39 people died in underground areas in Zhengzhou including garages and tunnels. Over three days last month, 617.1 mm (24.3 inches) of rain fell in Zhengzhou, nearly equivalent to its annual average of 640.8 mm, causing widespread damage and disruption in a city that is a major transport and industrial hub. FILE – An aerial view shows cars sitting in floodwaters at the entrance of a tunnel after heavy rains hit the city of Zhengzhou in China’s central Henan province.Of the 50 people still missing in Henan province, 47 were from Zhengzhou, local officials told a briefing on Monday. Direct economic losses in Henan reached 114.27 billion yuan ($18 billion), with more than 580,000 hectares of farmland affected. China’s State Council said it will set up a team to investigate the disaster in Zhengzhou and will hold officials accountable if found to have derelicted their duty, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
…