The German captain of a migrant rescue ship made her first court appearance in an Italian court on Monday, following an incident in which her vessel hit and damaged a police boat as she was docking without permission. No injuries were reported. Authorities have accused Carola Rackete of endangering the lives of the four police officers who were on board the smaller boat at the time of the incident. The captain maintains the docking process was carried out in a safe manner. If convicted, Rackete faces up to 10 years in prison. Last month, Rackete’s Sea-Watch picked up more than 40 Libyan migrants who had been stranded on an inflatable raft in the Mediterranean Sea. Rackete spent more than two weeks in international waters, waiting for a European port to accept her ship for docking. Thirteen migrants were accepted into Italy for health concerns, but the rest remained on the ship. She was not allowed into port in Italy, which bans non-government boats carrying migrants from docking.    Reports say the collision happened as the police boat sought to prevent her from pulling up to the pier. She docked at a port on the Italian island of Lampedusa in violation …

Mauritania’s constitutional council confirmed Mohamed Ould Ghazouani as president, amid concerns of election impropriety by opposition leaders. On Monday, the West African country’s constitutional council announced Ghazouani had won the June 22 presidential elections with 52% of the vote, rejecting a challenge by the opposition.   “The candidate Mohamed Ould Cheikh Lohaled Ahmed Ould Ghazwani is proclaimed president, having acquired an absolute majority in the first round,” said Haimond Ba, a council member. Ghazouani will take office on August 2, succeeding Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. Aziz, an ally of Ghazouani, who had served two five-year terms, the maximum in Mauritania. Prior to being elected president, Ghazouani had served as the country’s defense minister. The confirmation by the Constitutional Court represents the first democratic transition of power since Mauritania’s independence from France in 1960. On Sunday, opposition parties alleged that election fraud took place, referencing crackdowns in the country surrounding the presidential vote, as well as what they saw as impossible poll percentages. The constitutional council asserted that there was insufficient evidence for the allegations.    …

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow says the condition of an American man held on spying charges in Russia has worsened. The Embassy said on Twitter Monday that Russian authorities had rejected a request to send a doctor to examine Paul Whelan. It said Whelan has received basic medical assistance, but that his condition has deteriorated. Whelan, who also holds British, Irish and Canadian citizenship, was arrested in a hotel room in Moscow in December and charged with espionage, which carries up to 20 years in prison. The former U.S. Marine, who denies the charges, has publicly complained of poor prison conditions and has said his life is in danger. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Monday denied plans to exchange Whelan for Russians in U.S. custody. …

Two more members of the Congressional Black Caucus are backing Kamala Harris’s bid for the presidency: Reps. Bobby Rush of Illinois and Frederica Wilson of Florida. Endorsements from the caucus, which counts more than 50 members, could be influential in the Democratic presidential primary. With these two new supporters, Harris now has six endorsements from the CBC. Rush has been sharply critical of former Vice President Joe Biden in the wake of comments in which he recalled working alongside two segregationist Southern senators. Rush told Politico that Biden, another Democratic presidential candidate, was “wholly out of touch and woefully ignorant of the nuances of the black American experience.” Rush will serve as Harris’ Illinois campaign chair. Rush said Harris was “the only candidate prepared to fight for all Americans against a Trump Administration that has left them behind” and that she is a “once-in-a-lifetime leader” who “exemplifies what global leadership is all about.” Harris and Biden clashed during the first Democratic primary debate after Harris, who is black, directly challenged Biden over his history of opposing school integration through federally ordered busing. Harris said Biden’s recollections of working with the two senators were hurtful. Harris’s campaign announced on Saturday that …

The latest meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has drawn criticism from a wide range of voices in Washington DC. Some say it amounted to little more than reality television. Others complained it conferred legitimacy on a brutal dictator. But many in South Korea, where the summit was held, view the meeting positively, as VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from Seoul. …

The U.S. military says it has struck an al-Qaida leadership and training facility in northern Syria where attacks threatening Americans and others were being planned. The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the strike occurred on Sunday near the northern province of Aleppo. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-linked war monitor, said Monday that the strike killed eight members of the al-Qaida-linked Horas al-Din, which is Arabic for “Guardians of Religion.” The Observatory says the dead included six commanders: two Algerians, two Tunisians, an Egyptian and a Syrian. Al-Qaida-linked militants control wide parts of northern Syria, mostly in Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold in the war-torn country.       …

A powerful car bomb-and-gun attack in the Afghan capital of Kabul Monday morning is said to have killed and wounded dozens of people. The Taliban insurgency claimed responsibility for plotting the suicide raid against what it said was the logistics and engineering center of the Afghan Defense Ministry. Residents said Monday’s blast occurred in a central part of the city during morning rush hour, sending a plume of black smoke over Kabul. Witnesses heard gunfire and small explosions as the attack appeared to be continuing. Wounded people receive treatment in a hospital after a powerful bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 1, 2019. Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said in a statement that several gunmen later took positions in a nearby under-construction, multistory building after the blast and started firing at Afghan police forces. Rahimi added that Afghan special forces reached the site and an operation was underway to neutralize the assailants. Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah condemned the Taliban attack, saying it “showcases the group’s inherent criminal nature” and vowed the violence will not deter security forces from pursuing and punishing the “miscreants.” Ambulances rushed to the scene and ferried at least 65 injured people to hospitals, including at …

The women mountaineers of Africa are reaching for new heights, following in the footsteps of the first black African woman to scale Mount Everest. Now four other South Africans are training to become the first all-female African team to climb the world’s tallest peak. Deshun Deysel, Lisa Gering, Tumi Mphahlele and Alda Waddell are training on the sandstone cliffs of South Africa’s Drankensberg Mountains. They hope that next year, they can become the first team of African women to conquer Mount Everest. Their inspiration The women are inspired by South African business executive Saray Khumalo, who in May became the first black African woman to climb the world’s highest mountain, which stands at 8,848 meters tall. Africa has few mountains to practice on, but Khumalo says that is not a problem. “What excites me even more is that those coming behind us, behind me, effectively won’t have to struggle as much as I have had, you know,” she said. “Even though we’re not born in a place where there’re mountains, there’s ice and snow and more. So, when the ladies go next year, I think it’s going to open up even more doors.” Each team member does her own intensive …

Africa’s women mountaineers are reaching new heights.  In May, South African businesswoman Saray Khumalo became the first black African woman to summit Mount Everest. Now four other South Africans are preparing to become the first all-women African team to climb the world’s tallest peak. Marize de Klerk reports from Waterval Boven, South Africa. …

The third meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has drawn praise as well as criticism.  Critics say Trump is showering attention on a dictator without getting any concessions on the North Korean nuclear development, while others see it as a ray of hope for a permanent peace on the Korean peninsula.  VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports. …

A victim of domestic abuse while pregnant and now a mother of two, Miriam Gutierrez is a champion Spanish boxer and an elected official whose goal is to knockout those who challenge women’s rights. Arash Arabasadi has more. …

Senior U.S. officials were on hand in Jerusalem Sunday for the opening of part of what is believed to be an ancient Roman-era road to the Jewish temple, angering Palestinians and some Israeli historians. Ambassador David Friedman, Mideast peace negotiator Jason Greenblatt, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham attended the unveiling. The City of David Foundation, which organized Sunday’s ceremony, says visitors will now be able to “touch history” and walk the 300-meter-long portion of the road through a tunnel, uphill to where the Jewish temple stood more than 2,000 years ago in what is now east Jerusalem. “Were there ever any doubts about the accuracy, the wisdom, the propriety of President Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, I certainly think this lays all doubts to rest,” Friedman said. People walk inside an ancient tunnel during the opening of an ancient road at the City of David. The site is on what many believe to be the ruins of the biblical King David’s ancient capital and see as centerpieces of ancient Jewish civilization. Work on the project was carried out in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan. The Palestinian Authority condemned the project as another example of pushing the Palestinians …

Anti-government protesters in Hong Kong blocked main roads early Monday to limit access to a ceremony marking the anniversary of the city’s handover to China. Senior officials from Hong Kong and mainland China are to attend the annual flag-raising on the 22nd anniversary of the handover on July 1, 1997. Pro-democracy activists have called for a march as they have on every anniversary. This year the march is expected to be larger than usual because of widespread opposition to a government proposal that would allow suspects to be extradited to mainland China to face charges. It will be the third protest in three weeks against the extradition bill. The government has already postponed debate on the bill indefinitely, leaving it to die. But protest leaders want the legislation formally withdrawn. They are also calling for Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to resign. On Sunday, government supporters held a pro-police rally. Hong Kong police have come under criticism for using tear gas and rubber bullets during a crackdown on a protest that left dozens injured June 12.   …

Turkey said Sunday that six of its nationals were being held by a Libyan force and vowed to respond to any attacks on its vessels or interests. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement it would consider Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter’s “illegal militia forces” to be “legitimate targets” if the Turks are not released. Earlier, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said there would be “heavy” consequences to any “hostile attitude or attacks.” His comments came after a spokesman for Hifter’s self-styled Libyan National Army called Turkish assets in Libya “legitimate targets,” accusing Turkey of helping rival militias allied with the U.N.-supported government. Hifter’s forces have received aid from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and France. Akar said Turkey was in Libya to support “regional peace and stability.” His comments were carried by the official Anadolu news agency. The LNA controls much of eastern and southern Libya. In April it launched an offensive against Tripoli, where a weak, U.N.-aligned government is based. The LNA said in a brief statement that its air force targeted a Turkish drone near the Matiga airport, which is controlled by the Tripoli government. The airport said all flights were canceled after the attack. Matiga …