Month: February 2024

Zimbabwe’s Ruling Party Gets Two-Thirds Majority in Parliament

Posted on by SeeAF

Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s ruling party has achieved a two-thirds majority in Parliament according to by-election results released by the country’s elections commission over the weekend. That paves the way for the ZANU-PF party to amend the constitution as it wishes — including removal of the two-term limit for the presidency — but creates dread for opposition parties.

ZANU-PF now holds 190 out of 280 seats in the National Assembly after winning six seats over the weekend, according to Zimbabwe Electoral Commission figures.

Farai Muroiwa Marapira, the ZANU-PF spokesperson, attributed his party’s victory to policies of President Emmerson Mnangagwa since he took power in 2017 from the late Robert Mugabe.

“With this two-thirds majority, we will look to ensure that we process our legislation faster for the betterment of our country,” Marapira said. “ZANU-PF is the only party that has – from its inception – been focused only on ensuring that people of Zimbabwe are served and to the best of the requirements and ability.”

Maripara added that people’s trust in the party was not misplaced.

“[We] assure them that they are safe in their trust of ZANU-PF, and they will not regret this decision of trusting in policies of President Mnangagwa,” he said.

Hwange Central legislator Daniel Molokele, who is with the country’s main opposition party — the Citizens Coalition for Change or CCC — expressed worry.

“It is indeed a very dark day in the history of Zimbabwe,” he said. “The gain that had been done to stop the two-thirds majority has been reversed, but we know that parliament is no longer relevant in deciding the future of Zimbabwe. It is heavily compromised; it is now a toothless bulldog.”

The same sentiment came from Linda Masarira, leader of the Labour, Economists and African Democrats, or LEAD, party. She said the two-thirds majority just means every decision will be made on behalf of ZANU-PF and not others in the country.

“I think it is a travesty of multiparty democracy, which is actually enshrined in the constitution of Zimbabwe, and I don’t think we’re going [anywhere] very fast if we’re going to be having one party making the decisions, all the decisions for all Zimbabweans.”

Gibson Nyikadzino, a Harare-based political analyst, said the election victories should keep ZANU-PF in the driver’s seat of Zimbabwe politics for years to come.

“It also means that it will be easy for ZANU-PF to discuss proposed legislative agendas or the agendas,” Nyikadzino said. “And also at a broader national scale, it means that ZANU-PF remain a dominant party because the opposition [has] proven it lacks the capability to ideologically organize and mobilize its people or its structures.”

Zimbabwe’s next general election is slated for 2028. That’s when Mnangagwa’s second and final term will end – unless ZANU-PF changes the constitution.
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Santander, Lloyds Shares Fall on Report Iran Used Banks to Evade Sanctions

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MADRID — Shares in Santander and Lloyds fell after the Financial Times reported that Iran used accounts from two of the U.K.’s biggest banks to covertly move money around the world as part of a vast sanctions-evasion scheme backed by Tehran’s intelligence services. 

According to documents seen by the Financial Times, Lloyds and Santander U.K. provided accounts to British front companies secretly owned by a sanctioned Iranian petrochemicals company based in London. 

Shares in Madrid-based parent Santander fell as much as 3.6% and were down 2.9% at 0827 GMT, while shares in Lloyds declined 0.9% by 0842 GMT. 

A Santander spokesperson said the bank declined to comment on specific client relationships. 

“Santander abides by its legal and regulatory obligations, and we are highly focused on sanctions compliance,” the person said. 

“Where we identify sanctions risks, we will investigate and take appropriate action.” 

A Lloyds spokesperson said: “The Group’s business activities are conducted to ensure compliance with applicable sanctions laws. 

“We are committed to adhering to all legislative and regulatory requirements as they relate to economic crime. We are not permitted to comment on individual customers.” 
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Germany Mulls Far-Right Party Ban as Secret Meeting Evokes Nazi Memories 

Posted on by SeeEU

london — Germany is debating a ban on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party amid mass protests across the country against far-right extremism. The discussion follows revelations last month that senior AfD politicians attended a secret meeting where the forcible deportation of migrants, including German citizens, was discussed.

Details of the meeting, published by the investigative organization Correctiv on January 15, evoked painful memories in Germany, a country especially sensitive to fears of far-right extremism given its 20th-century history.

However, any action against the AfD would be highly controversial as the party is polling in second place ahead of crucial elections later this year.

An estimated 150,000 protesters joined hands around the German parliament building in Berlin on Saturday to form what they called a symbolic “firewall” against right-wing extremism. Similar demonstrations were held in cities across Germany.

Senior German politicians were among those attending the protests. “I want to make it very clear that the civil society is sending out a signal here, that the civil society is standing up, opening its mouth and making it clear that the AfD will never gain power in this country. We will all take a clear stand against it,” Saskia Esken, head of the ruling Social Democratic Party, told Reuters.

Explosive revelations

Nationwide protests have been held every weekend since mid-January, when the Correctiv article was published. The group’s managing director, Jeannette Gusko, described the revelations as “explosive.”

“At the meeting, neo-Nazis, donors and AfD politicians spoke very specifically about the realization of the expulsion of millions of people from Germany. And this is a situation in which the AfD has a real option to gain power. We knew that the research was politically explosive,” Gusko told Reuters. “We knew that, but what is happening now is certainly unique in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz briefly joined a protest march in Potsdam, outside Berlin, and welcomed the show of anger at the AfD.

“There are a lot of demonstrations planned against the right-wing extremist enemies of our democracy,” Scholz said in a televised address on January 19. “I find that’s right and good. If there is something in Germany which must never ever find a place again, it is the national race ideology of the Nazis. The repulsive relocation plans by these extremists is just that.”

AfD response

AfD co-chairperson Alice Weidel has called the report a “left-wing campaign.” Among those attending the meeting was Roland Hartwig, who was Weidel’s senior aide in the AfD. Local media reported that Hartwig has not held that position since the Correctiv article was published.

“It is scandalous when left-wing activists attack a private meeting with Stasi-like secret service and subversive methods in order to eavesdrop and spy on innocent citizens,” Weidel said.

“The real enemies of the constitution are those who call for a ban on parties, for the deprivation of basic civil rights and the so-called protection of the constitution exploited as a political instrument, because they cannot accept the possibility of a democratic transfer of power to the opposition,” she said on January 16, one day after the Correctiv article was published.

Germany’s painful history before and during World War II, under Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, makes it acutely sensitive to fears of right-wing extremism.

“Germany in particular has a history that they cannot afford, in any way, shape or form, to allow anything like this to happen,” said Matt Qvortrup, a professor of political science and international relations at Coventry University in England, and an author on Germany.

Calls for ban

There are growing calls for the AfD to be banned. Qvortrup said it’s vital that action is taken.

“The forced transfer of people to other places sounds very familiar in a German context. And frankly, Germany cannot afford that. In this case, the Article 21 of the German constitution says anything that will undermine or challenge the German democratic order is unconstitutional,” he told VOA. “There is then a process whereby the Ministry of the Interior will refer a particular party to the Supreme Court.”

That would be a highly controversial step against the AfD, a party that is polling in second place nationally, on around 20%.

“People will say, ‘Well, they’re not that bad yet, they’re not that dangerous.’ But that’s what we’ve always said. … I think democracies have to fight back. Democracies can’t just think they will last forever,” Qvortrup added.

Election campaigns are already underway in some parts of Europe ahead of EU parliamentary elections scheduled for June, where right-wing populist parties are expected to do well. Meanwhile, state elections are due in September in the east of Germany, traditionally a stronghold for the AfD party.
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US Justice Department Proposes Major Changes to Address Disparities in Crime Victim Funds

Posted on by SeeUS

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Opposition to Senate Border Bill Jeopardizes Help for Afghans Who Aided US Troops

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WASHINGTON — The massive $118 billion Senate border bill not only contains once-in-a-decade border security legislation and wartime aid to Israel and Ukraine, but also offers a chance for the U.S. to keep its promise to Afghans who worked alongside U.S. soldiers in America’s longest war. 

Tucked inside the sprawling package is a measure that would provide a long-awaited pathway to residency for tens of thousands of Afghan refugees who arrived in the U.S. on military planes after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. 

But the measure may fail if members can’t agree on the bill’s larger, unrelated provisions. Democrats, especially members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, have voiced opposition for what they call the extreme, far-right border policies in the legislation that they say do nothing to help fix the country’s broken immigration system. 

Conservatives have said the package does not go far enough in limiting the number of daily migrant crossings at the southern border. 

If it fails, it will represent yet another disappointment for the more than 76,000 Afghans currently living in the U.S. who remain in immigration limbo as a result of years of congressional inaction. 

A small group of bipartisan lawmakers and advocacy groups have worked for nearly three years to get a House or Senate vote on a standalone bill, the Afghan Adjustment Act, that would prevent Afghans from becoming stranded without legal residency status when their humanitarian parole expires. But advocates have repeatedly faced strong opposition from some Republican lawmakers to vetting requirements for the refugees who were brought here and their family members still stranded in Kabul. 

The bipartisan border deal offered a long-awaited breakthrough. Both Republican and Democratic senators and their staff worked to bridge the divide and produce legislative text that both sides could support. The new proposal would couple measures enabling qualified Afghans to eventually apply for U.S. citizenship, as was done for refugees in the past, including those from Cuba, Vietnam and Iraq, with stricter and more expedited vetting processes. 

“I think the most gracious thing would be to say there’s been a lot of twists and turns, but I’m very happy with the result,” Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, one of the lead sponsors of the effort, told The Associated Press on Monday. “And I’m very glad that it’s included because this is an important signal that the United States stands by those who stand by us.” 

The U.S. government admitted the refugees on a temporary parole status as part of Operation Allies Welcome, the largest resettlement effort in the country in decades, with the promise of a pathway to life in the U.S. for their service. 

“Our position is that Afghans stood by us for 20 years and over the past three years, they’ve been asked to take a backseat to every other bill,” said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. “And so it is really nice to see that they’re included in this one.” 

But hopes for fulfilling that promise to longtime allies of America’s mission in Kabul could be short-lived. Republican leaders in the House have declared the bill a non-starter, and even passage through the Senate, where the deal was negotiated, is an uphill climb. 

As proponents of the Afghan provision await the fate of the package, they are trying to remain cautiously optimistic that their campaign is making headway. 

VanDiver, who has worked with the State Department on this issue since the U.S. withdrawal, said he has heard a lot of excitement from Afghan allies and their family members in the last 12 hours about the inclusion in the package. 

“The worst part about it is that it is now on us to manage expectations,” he said. “These folks have already been through so much and it’s frankly embarrassing that we can’t figure out how to give them the permanency that they’ve earned.” 
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Ahead of March Poll, Russia Disqualifies Only Pacifist Challenger to Putin

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Russia is preparing for a presidential poll next month, an election overshadowed by the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – nearing its second anniversary – and a crackdown on political opponents and the media. Marcus Harton narrates this report from VOA’s Moscow bureau.
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Iran-Backed Militias Resume Attacks on US Positions

Posted on by SeeUS

Pentagon — Iran-backed militias in Syria are again targeting the United States and its allies, launching at least three attacks on American positions following a U.S. bombardment aimed at disrupting the ability of the militias to pose a threat.

U.S. military officials told VOA the most recent attack came early Monday, when a single rocket was lobbed at U.S. and coalition forces at the Mission Support Site Euphrates base in eastern Syria. 

The official said there were no injuries or damage as a result of the attack.

But an earlier attack, targeting the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces on Sunday, did hit its mark. The official said a one-way attack drone hit the base at the Omar Oil Field, near Deir el-Zour, causing multiple SDF casualties. 

SDF spokesman Farhad Shami said on social media that the drone attack killed six SDF fighters. 

The SDF base is located near the U.S. position known as Green Village.

The U.S. also confirmed an attack by Iran-backed militias on Friday, when multiple rockets targeted Mission Support Site Euphrates base. No injuries or damage were reported.

The three latest attacks are the first since the U.S. unleashed a series of airstrikes that hit 85 targets at seven locations in Iraq and Syria late Friday, dropping more than 125 precision munitions in about half-an-hour.

U.S. officials have said Friday’s strikes were aimed at disrupting the militia’s logistical capabilities by striking targets “critical to their supply chain,” including command-and-control centers, drone and missile storage sites, and other key facilities.

Washington has also warned more strikes are coming.

U.S. President Joe Biden “will do what he thinks needs to be done,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, refusing to rule out strikes inside Iran itself.

“There will be additional action that we will take — all designed to put an end to these attacks,” White House National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, told reporters following Friday’s strikes.

Iranian officials have condemned the U.S. strikes, calling them a violation of Syrian and Iraqi sovereignty. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani further described the U.S. strikes as “a serious strategic mistake.”

U.S. officials, so far, have declined to share estimates on how many militias members were killed in Friday’s strikes, but Syrian opposition activists said at least 29 fighters were killed in Syria while Iraqi officials said at least 16 militia members were killed with another 36 wounded.

The renewed attacks by Iran-backed militias in Syria come as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen continue to threaten international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, despite a new wave of airstrikes Saturday by an international coalition led by the U.S. and Britain.

The U.S. military said it carried out a “self-defense” strike late Sunday against cruise missiles in an area of Yemen controlled by Houthi militants. 

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees U.S. forces in the region, said the strike hit four anti-ship missiles that were being readied to launch at ships in the Red Sea.

CENTCOM said it also carried out self-defense strikes against a Houthi land attack cruise missile in a separate incident on Sunday.

Sunday’s preemptive strikes come after the U.S. and Britain hit at least 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday.

The Houthis, though, said they will not be backing down.

“Military operations against Israel will continue until the crimes of genocide in Gaza are stopped and the siege on its residents is lifted, no matter the sacrifices it costs us,” Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi official, wrote on X. “American-British aggression against Yemen will not go unanswered, and we will meet escalation with escalation.”    

Still, the White House has defended its approach to both the militias in Iraq and Syria and Yemen’s Houthis, recently designated as a terror group.

“Each attack we undertake helps degrade capabilities” of the Iranian-backed militias in the region, the White House’s Sullivan said Sunday. “The U.S. will step up when it’s attacked,” but at the same time make sure the U.S. is “not pulled into a war in the Middle East. We will defend our troops.”

Information from the Associated Press and Reuters was used in this article. 
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Turkey Earthquake Survivor: ‘I Wish We Had Just Lost Our Homes’

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A year after a massive earthquake killed more than 56,000 people and displaced 3 million in Turkey and northern Syria, hundreds of thousands of people still live in containers in Turkey, grieving, traumatized and not knowing whether or when they will have new homes. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul with videographers Umut Çolak in Istanbul and Orhan Erkılıç in Kahramanmaraş.
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US Envoy Piles Pressure on Orban to Ratify Sweden’s NATO Entry

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BUDAPEST — The U.S. envoy to Budapest along with ambassadors from some other NATO allies including Denmark and Poland attended the Hungarian parliament on Monday in a surprise show of pressure on Budapest to approve Sweden’s bid to join the alliance. 

The extraordinary meeting of parliament was called by the opposition to vote on ratification on Monday, but lawmakers from his ruling Fidesz party went ahead with their boycott of the session and now ratification will be further delayed.  

Hungary is the only NATO country not to ratify Stockholm’s membership application, a process that requires the backing of all members, souring relations with the United States and raising concerns among its allies.  

“Its extremely unpleasant that up to today, they [Fidesz] have been blocking Sweden’s NATO accession,” Mate Kanasz-Nagy, lawmaker of the opposition LMP party told parliament, his words echoing in the half-empty room as the envoys sat in the public gallery. 

“He [Orban] wants to favor [Russian President] Putin, thus breaking the unity of NATO,” Agnes Vadai, lawmaker of the opposition Democratic Coalition said.  

The ambassadors did not make any remarks before entering parliament but are expected to comment after the session. 

Sweden’s NATO bid could be ratified when Hungary’s parliament reconvenes for a normal session, the Fidesz party’s parliamentary group said earlier on Monday, adding that first it expects a visit by the Swedish prime minister to Budapest. 

Parliament will reconvene after the winter break in late February.  

“If this is an important issue for the Swedes, then obviously the Swedish prime minister will come to Budapest,” Fidesz said in an emailed reply to Reuters questions. 

The office of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and his foreign minister did not immediately reply to requests for comment. 

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said late on Friday that it would be “fair” if Kristersson visited Budapest before the ratification, just as the Swedish leader had also gone to Turkey before the Turkish ratification.  

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has better ties with Russia than other EU states and most NATO members, says his government backs Sweden joining the alliance but the relevant bill has been stranded in parliament since mid-2022.  
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Northwest Syria Reeling a Year After Earthquake

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Most people in northwest Syria were already displaced when the magnitude seven-point-eight earthquake struck Feb. 6, 2023, killing thousands in the region and rendering 170,000 people homeless again. A year later, emergency aid has dried up, and some people are sheltering in condemned buildings. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul, with Moawia Atrash in the countryside of Idlib, Syria.
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Bombing in Greek Capital Triggers Concerns of Terrorism Resurgence

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ATHENS — A powerful bomb blast in central Athens has sent shock waves across the country with authorities concerned about what they call a new era of terrorism.

Surveillance footage showed the powerful blast exploding in front of the nation’s Labor ministry, shattering its steel-and-glass façade and gutting offices as far up as the sixth floor.

Surrounding buildings were also scarred, and metal at a nearby construction site was mangled and melted. 

There were no casualties in Saturday’s blast, but authorities said the fallout could have been bloody if the explosion had hit the Greek capital’s busiest boulevard, an area teeming with bars, coffee shops and restaurants, during business hours.

It was the first terrorist attack to mar the streets of Athens in five years, and Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoides said authorities are seriously concerned about the resurgence of terrorism.

Greece has seen hits like this in the past, and he said authorities will do everything to safeguard democracy and the country’s image.

The attack was claimed by a new urban guerilla group calling itself the Revolutionary Class Self-Defense. 

Security experts suspect the new group includes militant recruits drafted by terrorists remaining at large after the country’s most deadly terror group was disbanded some 20 years ago.

Since then, several smaller groupings have emerged, staging sporadic low-grade attacks, but none of this intensity. At least 5 kilograms of explosives were used.

Stavros Balaskas, a police investigator, said counterterrorism officials were focusing on forensic evidence to track the culprit from a list of potential suspects.

Surveillance footage Balaskas says, shows a man making his way across the road to the ministry, hanging a sack of explosives on a steel railing and leaving.

Members of the group claimed responsibility in telephone calls to a local newspaper and television station 40 minutes ahead of the explosion.

Authorities expect the group will issue a proclamation to explain who they are and the reasons they targeted the Labor Ministry.

Until then, investigators warn, the fear of a follow-up hit, potentially with victims, looms.

 
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Taylor Swift Wins Album of the Year At The Grammy Awards for 4th Time

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LOS ANGELES — Taylor Swift won album of the year at the Grammy Awards for “Midnights,” breaking the record for most wins in the category with four. 

She began her speech by thanking her producer and friend Jack Antonoff and added, “I would love to tell you this is the happiest moment of my life,” she told the crowd, but said she feels this happy when she creates music and plays shows.

Earlier in the night, Taylor Swift used her 13th Grammy win on Sunday to announce her new album, “Tortured Poets Department,” will arrive April 19.

“I know that the way that the Recording Academy voted is a direct reflection of the passion of the fans,” she said while accepting the best pop vocal album award. “So, I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the last two years which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19. It’s called ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’ I’m gonna go and post the cover right now backstage.”

One of the night’s biggest awards, record of the year, went to Miley Cyrus for “Flowers,” her second-ever Grammy and second of the night. 

“This award is amazing. But I really hope that it doesn’t change anything because my life was beautiful yesterday,” she said in her speech.

Victoria Monét won best new artist.

“Thank you to the champagne-servers tonight,” Monét started her acceptance speech. “Thanks to my mom, a single mom raising this really bad girl.” Then she started to cry, telling the room that this award was “15 years in the making.”

Billie Eilish won song of the year for writing the “Barbie” hit, “What Was I Made For?”

“Thank you to Greta Gerwig for making the best movie of the year,” Eilish said during her acceptance speech.

It was just one of several standout moments from Sunday’s show, broadcast live from Cypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

Karol G made Grammy history Sunday by becoming the first female performer to win best música urbana album for her blockbuster “Mañana Será Bonito” record.

“This is my first time at the Grammys,” she told the audience in English. “And this is my first time holding my own Grammy.”

Performances were many. Olivia Rodrigo brought her bloodsucking ballad “vampire” – or in this case, bloodletting, as red liquid dripped from the walls behind her. Joni Mitchell, 80, made Grammy history by performing “Both Sides Now” from her 1969 album “Clouds”; Travis Scott did a medley of “My Eyes,” “I Know?,” and “Fein.” Burna Boy was joined by Brandy and 21 Savage and did “On Form,” “City Boys,” and “Sittin’ on Top of the World.”

A long and touching In Memoriam segment celebrated many of the musical greats lost in the year. Stevie Wonder performed “For Once in My Life” and “The Best Is Yet To Come” in honor of Tony Bennett; Annie Lennox delivered “Nothing Compares 2 U” for Sinéad O’Connor. “Artists for ceasefire, peace in the world,” Lennox said at the end of the song, her fist extended in the air.

Jon Batiste did a medley of “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean On Me,” and finally “Optimistic” with Ann Nesby for the late great music exec Clarence Avant. Oprah introduced a fiery Tina Turner tribute of “Proud Mary” by Fantasia Barrino and Adam Blackstone.

SZA also took the stage – performing a medley of her larger-than-life hits “Snooze” and “Kill Bill,” joined by dancers wielding katanas.

Later, she’d take home the trophy for best R&B song — for “Snooze,” handed to her by Lizzo. SZA ran to the stage and gave a charming, out of breath speech because she was “changing, and then I took a shot,” before starting to tear up and saying, “Hi Taylor… I’m not an attractive crier. Have a good evening.”

Mariah Carey presented the night’s first award, for best pop solo performance, to Miley Cyrus for “Flowers.” It was also the singer’s first-ever Grammy.

Afterward, Luke Combs’ delivered a heartfelt rendition of “Fast Car” with Tracy Chapman – his cover of the Chapman classic has dominated country radio and won him song of the year at the 2023 CMAs. In 1989, Chapman won best pop vocal performance, female for the song.

Dua Lipa opened the show with a high-octane medley: first, a tease of her forthcoming single, “Training Season,” then, her most recent single, “Houdini,” and finally, her disco-pop “Barbie” hit “Dance the Night.”

Eilish and Finneas brought their “Barbie” ballad to the Grammys stage with live string accompaniment, the second of two songs from the blockbuster film in one hour. They were followed by Cyrus, who performed “Flowers” for the first time live on television – moments after receiving her first Grammy. 

“Why are you acting like you don’t know this song?” she teased the crowd — John Legend and wife Chrissy Teigen were among those in the audience who got up to dance — and later cheered mid-song, “I just won my first Grammy!”

Four-time Grammy host — and two time nominee — Trevor Noah greeted an excited crowd, starting things off with a kiss on the cheek from Meryl Streep. “The Grammys are gonna win as Oscar,” he joked about the moment.

Best country album went to Lainey Wilson for “Bell Bottom Country,” — her very first Grammy — as presented by Kacey Musgraves. “I’m a fifth-generation farmer’s daughter,” she told the crowd, adding that she’s a “songwriting farmer,” and that’s where the musical magic came from.

Jay-Z was awarded the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award and used his speech to talk about the hip-hop greats that came before him – and heavily suggesting at the Grammys history of placing rap on the backburner – or at the very least, not in the televised version of the show. (This year, there were no rap categories on screen, but two pop, one Latin, one country and one R&B.)

“We want you all to get it right,” he said. “At least get it close to right,” before switching focus to Beyoncé. “Most Grammys, never won album of the year. How does that work?”

Bridgers took an early lead at the Grammys, quickly winning four trophies ahead of the main telecast, with her and her boygenius bandmates bringing an infectious energy to the Premiere Ceremony.

Songwriter Justin Tranter gave her the first award Sunday, best pop duo/group performance, which went to SZA and Bridgers for “Ghost in the Machine.”

Jack Antonoff took home producer of the year, non-classical for a third year in a row, tying Babyface as the only other producer to do so consecutively. “You need the door kicked open for you,” he said in his acceptance speech. “Taylor Swift kicked that (expletive) door open for me,” referencing their work together.

The first of three new categories in 2024, best pop dance recording, was given out shortly afterward and went to Kylie Minogue for “Padam Padam” — her first win in 18 years.

About 80 Grammys were handed out pre-broadcast. Regional Mexican star Peso Pluma won his first Grammy for his first and only nomination, for best música Mexicana album for his “Genesis.”

 
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US Senate Unveils $118 Billion Bipartisan Bill to Tighten Border Security, Aid Ukraine and Israel

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Washington — The U.S. Senate on Sunday unveiled a $118 billion bipartisan border security bill that would also provide aid to Ukraine and Israel following months of negotiations, but the measure faces an uncertain future amid opposition by Donald Trump and hard-line Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said an initial vote on the bill would take place no later than Wednesday but faces opposition from both sides of the aisle.

In addition to $20.2 billion for border security, the bill included $60 billion to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, $14.1 billion in security assistance for Israel, $2.4 billion to U.S. Central Command and the conflict in the Red Sea, and $4.8 billion to support U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific facing aggression from China, according to a Senate source.

An additional $10 billion would provide humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine, the source said.

The U.S. would provide $4.8 billion to support key regional partners in the Indo-Pacific where tensions have risen between Taiwan and China, as well as $2.3 billion for Ukrainians diplaced by Russia’s invasion and other refugees fleeing persecution, the source said.

“The priorities in this bill are too important to ignore and too vital to allow politics to get in the way,” Schumer said in a statement. “The United States and our allies are facing multiple, complex and, in places, coordinated challenges from adversaries who seek to disrupt democracy and expand authoritarian influence around the globe.”

Mitch McConnell, the top Senate Republican, has been supportive of the negotiations, saying Republicans would not get a better deal under a Republican White House.

But other congressional Republicans have said President Joe Biden can enact many of the changes they want to immigration policy through executive action, though they had previously called for legislative action.

Biden had asked Congress in October to pass a measure providing additional funds for aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as Ukraine tries to repel Russian forces and following Oct. 7 raids by Hamas in Israel and a subsequent war.

That request was stalled by House Republicans’ insistence that it be tied to a shift in immigration policy.

Immigration is the second-largest concern for Americans, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Wednesday, and is a top issue for Republicans specifically. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested about 2 million migrants at the border in fiscal year 2023.

Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in the November election, has campaigned heavily on opposition to immigration. House Republicans are also pushing ahead with an effort to impeach Biden’s top border official, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
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US Combines Military Might, Diplomacy to Contain Middle East Tensions

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With both a show of military might and a stronger push for a diplomatic solution, the United States is trying to contain a broader war in the Middle East. With the backdrop of Israel’s war against Hamas, Iran-backed forces in the region are committed to continuing their attacks against Western interests. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports.
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Biden Sets Sights On Las Vegas Before Nevada’s Primary

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Reno, Nevada — President Joe Biden’s latest campaign swing is taking him across the country to Nevada, where the “first-in-the-West” primaries are underway with early and absentee voting. But the Democrat and his team are also using the visit to shore up support for the general election in November.

Biden was arriving in Las Vegas on Sunday for appearances through Monday after spending part of the weekend in California.

The president last visited Nevada in December, when he highlighted more than $8 billion in federal funding for passenger rail projects nationwide. On Sunday, Biden plans to meet with voters in the city’s majority-Black Historic Westside and speak with community leaders about infrastructure investments.

Michael Tyler, a spokesperson for Biden’s reelection campaign, said the president will rally supporters to vote in Tuesday’s primary and help build momentum for the fall, in what is shaping up to be a rematch of the 2020 contest against Republican Donald Trump.

 

In Tuesday’s primary, Biden faces only token opposition from author Marianne Williamson and a handful of relatively unknown challengers. He won Nevada in November 2020 by fewer than 3 percentage points.

The state known largely for its casino and hospitality industries is synonymous with split-ticket, hard-to-predict results. It has a transient, working-class population and large Latino, Filipino and Chinese American and Black communities. There is a stark rural-urban divide, with more than 88% of Nevada’s active registered voters — and much of its political power — in the two most populous counties, which include the Las Vegas and Reno metro areas.

In 2022, Democrats successfully defended their U.S. Senate seat and lost the governor’s office. The six constitutional officers elected statewide are split evenly among Democrats and Republicans.

The narrow victory of U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto helped Democrats keep control of the Senate for the remainder of Biden’s current term.

Working in Biden’s favor this year is the vast Democratic operation built by the late U.S. Sen. Harry Reid. The “Reid Machine” has for years trained operatives and retained organizers and is partially why, despite Nevada’s status as a purple state, Democrats have won every presidential election here since 2008.

But early signs show Biden could have more ground to make up than in past races. Voters are largely dissatisfied with the likely Biden-Trump rematch. A New York Times/Siena poll from November shows that Biden’s approval rating is 36% in Nevada.

“I know from my reelection, the issues that matter to Nevadans are still those kitchen table issues,” Cortez Masto said in an interview.

Biden has built his reelection campaign around the theme that Trump presents a dire threat to U.S. democracy and its founding values. The president also has championed the defense of abortion rights, recently holding his first big campaign rally, in Virginia, where the issue energized Democrats who won control of the state’s House of Delegates.

Biden also promotes his handling of the economy, arguing that his policies have created millions of jobs, combated climate change and improved American competitiveness overseas. But polls show that many voters aren’t giving his administration credit.

The Democratic National Committee last week announced a six-figure ad buy in Nevada and South Carolina, where Biden won the leadoff primary Saturday. The ads are meant to boost enthusiasm among Black, Asian and Latino voters statewide, including radio, television and digital ads in Spanish, Chinese and Tagalog, and a billboard in Las Vegas’ Chinatown.

As early voting began last weekend in Nevada, Trump asserted without evidence during a campaign rally in Las Vegas that he was the victim of the Biden administration’s weaponizing law enforcement against him. Trump has been indicted four times and faces 91 felonies.

About a mile away, Harris warned union leaders at a get-out-the-vote rally that Trump “made clear his fight is not for the people. His fight is for himself.”

Dan Lee, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said that for Biden, “the map says he has to hold on to Nevada.”

The Republican primary is also Tuesday, but the state Republican Party is holding caucuses Thursday to allocate delegates. Trump is competing in the caucuses; rival Nikki Halley opted to stay on the nonbinding primary ballot.
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Parisians Vote to Triple SUV Parking Fees

Posted on by SeeEU

Paris — Paris voters Sunday backed a proposal from the capital’s Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo to triple parking charges on hefty SUV-style cars, according to official results from city hall.

Parisians voted 54.55% in favor of charging cars weighing 1.6 tons or more 18 euros ($19.50) per hour for parking in the city center, or 12 euros farther out.

But only 78,000, or 5.7%, of the 1.3 million eligible voters bothered to vote at the 39 voting stations set up around the French capital.

Hidalgo hailed a “clear choice of Parisians” in favor of a measure that is “good for our health and good for the planet.”

Fully electric cars will have to top two tons to be affected, while people living or working in Paris, taxi drivers, tradespeople, health workers and people with disabilities will all be exempt.

“It’s an ecological issue, but it’s also a societal issue, and it’s about how cities need to evolve in a changing environment,” said Gregoire Marchal, a 43-year-old cinema distributor, after voting in favor of the measure at a polling station in Paris’s 10th district.

“I do have a car, but I think it’s great that we can ask ourselves the question and change our behavior,” he added.

Not all voters were happy.

“I’m sick of all these diktats from Mrs. Hidalgo,” said Jeannine, 75, in the wealthier 8th district, where more of the cars appear to be SUVs.

SUVs an ‘aberration’

Hidalgo herself voted at a school in the city’s 15th district a little before 6 p.m. local time.

On Hidalgo’s watch — the capital city has pedestrianized many streets — including the banks of the river Seine and built a network of cycle lanes to discourage driving and reduce harmful transport emissions.

The environmental group, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), has dubbed SUVs an “aberration,” saying they burn 15 percent more fuel than a classic coupe and cost more to build and purchase.

City hall has further pointed to safety concerns about taller, heavier SUVs, which it says are “twice as deadly for pedestrians as a standard car” in an accident.

The vehicles are also singled out for taking up more public space — whether on the road or while parked — than others.

Paris officials say the average car has put on 250 kilograms (550 pounds) since 1990.

Hidalgo, whose city will this summer host the 2024 Olympics, rarely misses a chance to boast of the environmental credentials of the town hall and its drive to drastically reduce car use in the city center.

35 million euros a year

But drivers’ groups attacked the scheme, Yves Carra of Mobilite Club France dismissing the “SUV” classification as “a marketing term” that “means nothing.”

He argued that compact SUVs would not be covered by the measures, which would however hit family-sized coupes and estate cars.

Conservative opposition figures on the Paris council say this imprecise targeting of the referendum “shows the extent of the manipulation by the city government.”

Even among fuel-burning cars, “a new, modern SUV… does not pollute more, or even pollutes less, than a small diesel vehicle built before 2011,” said drivers’ group 40 millions d’automobilistes.

France’s Environment Minister Christophe Bechu told broadcaster RTL the SUV surcharge amounted to “a kind of punitive environmentalism” — even if drivers should “opt for lighter vehicles.”

Hidalgo’s transport chief David Belliard, of the Green party, says around 10 percent of vehicles in Paris would be hit by the higher parking fees, which could bring in up to 35 million euros per year.

Paris’ anti-SUV push has not gone unnoticed elsewhere in France, with the Green party mayor in Lyon planning a three-tier parking fee for both residents and visitors from June.

The last city referendum in Paris, on banning hop-on, hop-off rental scooters from the capital’s streets, passed in an April 2023 vote — but only drew a turnout of seven percent.
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Russian Cosmonaut Sets Record for Total Time in Space

Posted on by SeeEU

Mosocw — Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko on Sunday set a world record for total time spent in space, surpassing his compatriot Gennady Padalka who logged more than 878 days in orbit, Russia’s space corporation said.

At 0830 GMT Kononenko broke the record, Roscosmos said. Kononenko is expected to reach a total of 1,000 days in space on June 5 and by late September he will have clocked 1,110 days.

“I fly into space to do my favorite thing, not to set records,” Kononenko told TASS in an interview from the International Space Station (ISS) where he is orbiting about 263 miles (423 km) from Earth.

“I am proud of all my achievements, but I am more proud that the record for the total duration of human stay in space is still held by a Russian cosmonaut.”

The 59-year-old took the top spot from Padalka, who accumulated a total of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 48 seconds, Roscosmos said.

The Soviet Union spooked the West in the early years of the space race by being first to launch a satellite to orbit the Earth — Sputnik 1, in 1957 — and then Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to travel into space in 1961.

But after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia’s space program grappled with massive funding shortages and corruption.

Officials under President Vladimir Putin have repeatedly vowed to turn around the decline of Russia’s space programs, though serious problems remain, according to officials and space analysts.

Life in space

Kononenko said that he worked out regularly to counter the physical effects of  “insidious” weightlessness, but that it was on returning to Earth that the realization came of how much life he had missed out on.

“I do not feel deprived or isolated,” he said.

“It is only upon returning home that the realization comes that for hundreds of days in my absence the children have been growing up without a papa. No one will return this time to me.”

He said cosmonauts could now use video calls and messaging to keep in touch with relatives but getting ready for each new space flight became more difficult due to technological advances.

“The profession of a cosmonaut is becoming more complicated. The systems and experiments are becoming more complicated. I repeat, the preparation has not become easier,” he said.

Kononenko dreamed of going to space as a child and enrolled in an engineering institute, before undergoing cosmonaut training. His first space flight was in 2008.

His current trip to the ISS launched last year on a Soyuz MS-24.

The ISS is one of the few international projects on which the United States and Russia still cooperate closely. In December, Roscosmos said that a cross-flight program with NASA to the ISS had been extended until 2025.

Relations in other areas between the two countries have broken down since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, to which Washington responded by sending arms to Kyiv and imposing successive rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
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6 Shoes, $8 Million: Auction of Michael Jordan’s Sneakers Sets Record

Posted on by SeeUS

New York — A collection of sneakers that superstar Michael Jordan wore as he and the Chicago Bulls won six NBA championships has fetched $8 million at auction, setting a record for game-worn sneakers, Sotheby’s said.

The six Air Jordan shoes — one apiece from the last games of the 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998 championship series — sold Friday. Sotheby’s dubbed it the “Dynasty Collection.”

“Serving as both a reminder of Michael Jordan’s lasting impact on the world and a tangible expression of his recognized legendary status, its significance is further validated by this monumental result,” Brahm Wachter of Sotheby’s said in a statement. Wachter oversees modern collectables for the auction house.

Sotheby’s didn’t identify the buyer and described the seller only as “a private American collector” who obtained them from a longtime Bulls executive.

Jordan first gave a sneaker to the executive after the championship-winning game in 1991 and continued the tradition afterward, according to Sotheby’s. The auction lot included photos of Jordan wearing a single shoe as he celebrated the 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1998 wins.

A five-time league MVP and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Jordan was so singular a  

player that then-NBA Commissioner David Stern in 1992 called him “the standard by  

which basketball excellence is measured.” The NBA renamed its MVP trophy for Jordan in 2022.

He also helped shake up the athletic shoe industry and supercharge sneaker culture by teaming up with Nike to create Air Jordans in the mid-1980s.

The pair he wore in the second game of the 1998 NBA Finals was sold through Sotheby’s last April for $2.2 million, a record for a pair of sneakers. The highest auction price for any Jordan memorabilia was $10.1 million for his jersey from the first game at that series, according to Sotheby’s, which sold in 2022.

An unused ticket to Jordan’s 1984 debut with the Bulls was sold through Heritage Auctions in 2022 for $468,000 — over 55,000 times the face value.
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