Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido warned President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday that any attempts to bring forward parliamentary elections would end in “disaster” for the government. Elections to renew the National Assembly, the only branch of government under opposition control, are set for December 2020. But the Constituent Assembly, a rival body created by the Maduro regime and given extraordinary powers superseding the National Assembly, has hinted at the possibility of ordering early elections. Such a maneuver could threaten the opposition’s hold on the National Assembly and with it Guaido’s claim as head of the legislature to be the country’s legitimate president. But Guaido insisted it would backfire, further isolating Maduro, who has so far withstood opposition challenges to his presidency with the support of the military. “What would happen if the regime dared to — and it could — bring forward an irregular convocation for elections without any conditions?” said Guaido. “They will drown in contradictions, in isolation — they will drown in disaster.” Constituent Assembly president Diosdado Cabello, the most powerful regime figure after Maduro, admitted on Monday the move was a “counter-attack” after the United States increased its sanctions on the government. Venezuela has been locked in …

A longtime human rights lawyer who is running for Tunisia’s presidency as the country’s first gay candidate says he is receiving threats from radical Islamist groups. Mounir Baatour, founder of the Tunisian Liberal Party, recently announced his candidacy for president, vowing to bring about justice and equality in the Muslim-majority, North African nation.  “I have received a number of threats after my announcement, especially through social media,” Baatour told VOA in an interview. “Many of these threats are from extremist individuals. But no political parties have responded negatively to my announcement.” Baatour, 48, said his campaign focuses on employment, equal rights for women and the country’s criminal code. Law 230 of the Tunisian criminal justice system defines homosexuality as a crime and penalizes people convicted of being homosexual with up to three years in prison.  Baatour founded the Tunisian Liberal Party in 2011 with a clear objective to promote human rights and to create a constitutional court that would protect the country’s constitution and its democratic tenets. Tunisia’s presidential election will take place in November, following a parliamentary election that will be held in October. Both elections are expected to involve fierce competition among several Islamic and secular groups, including …

Thousands of students and teachers have protested federal cuts in education spending in gatherings across Brazil. Union leaders called for a strike Tuesday in the education sector, denouncing funding cuts from elementary schools to higher public education and plans to open federal universities to private investment. The government says it is implementing the cuts across the board and in an equal way.    Online news portal G1 registered events in 72 cities Tuesday, but the turnout did not match the huge crowds that joined in similar protests in May. The latest cuts of 348 million reals (about $87 million) happened in July, targeting school textbooks.    The education ministry had already announced earlier this year a 30% cut to university funding and blocked all forthcoming scholarships for master’s and doctoral students. …

With lampshades made by Indian women and trays from East Africa, H&M said on Tuesday that it had become the latest retail giant to back businesses with a mission to do good, as pressure mounts to end throwaway consumerism. The world’s second-biggest fashion retailer said it will sell homewares made by two social enterprises — businesses that aim to do good as well as make a profit — in H&M Home and Arket stores in five European countries from late August. “By offering products made by social entrepreneurs, we want to make it possible for our customers to be change makers,” said Cecilia Tiblad Berntsson, social sustainability manager for H&M Group. H&M hopes the project will lead to “job creation and positive change for people where it is much needed,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in emailed comments. Retailers are under growing pressure to prove positive social and environmental impact amid worries about labor exploitation, waste and pollution, with some calling for tax reforms to end a throwaway lifestyle that is ruining the planet. H&M’s move echoes that of another Swedish retail giant, Ikea, which has been selling products made by social enterprises since 2012, such as Ugandan coffee …

Apple’s AirPods, Apple Watch and HomePod, which have helped the company offset waning sales of its bestselling iPhone this year, are not included in a temporary reprieve on tariffs by the Trump administration and will face a 10% levy on Sept 1. The administration said on Tuesday that some major items, such as laptops and cellphones, including Apple’s MacBooks and iPhones, will not face tariffs until Dec. 15.  President Donald Trump said the change was to avoid an impact on U.S. customers during the Christmas shopping season. The tariff delay that affects some of Apple’s biggest-selling products helped send its shares up more than 4% in late trading. FILE – Apple’s iPhone 7 smartphones sit on a shelf at an Apple store in Beijing, China, Sept. 16, 2016. Trump and his administration did not say why some electronics received a reprieve and others did not. Many of the products set to face tariffs on Sept. 1, such as smart watches, fitness trackers, smart speakers and Bluetooth headphones, had been spared once before. These include popular products from Apple rivals, such as Fitbit smart watches and smart speakers from Amazon.com and Alphabet’s Google.  The Trump administration had proposed tariffs on those …

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross warned Tuesday that 70 years after countries adopted the Geneva Conventions to limit the barbarity of war, the terrible suffering in conflicts today shows they are not being respected. Peter Maurer told a U.N. Security Council meeting marking the anniversary that continued violations of the rules in the conventions doesn’t mean they are inadequate, “but rather that efforts to ensure respect are inadequate.” “We can — and must — do more. You can do more,” he told the 15 council members. The four Geneva Conventions were adopted on Aug. 11, 1949, and have been universally ratified by the world’s countries.    The first three were revised from earlier treaties to update rules on protecting the wounded and sick in the armed forces on land and sea and prisoners of war. The fourth was the first-ever treaty specifically dedicated to protecting civilians in times of war. A new provision is now included in all four conventions to provide protections in conflicts that aren’t between countries, such as civil wars and those involving armed groups not affiliated with governments. FILE – German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas attends the weekly cabinet meeting in …

The United Nations refugee agency urgently appealed to European governments Tuesday to let two migrant rescue ships disembark more than 500 passengers who remain stranded at sea as countries bicker over who should take responsibility for them.    The people rescued while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa are on ships chartered by humanitarian aid groups that the Italian government has banned from its territory. The archipelago nation of Malta also has refused to let the ships into that country’s ports. It’s unclear where they might find safe harbor, even though the Italian island of Lampedusa appears closest. About 150 of the rescued passengers have been on the Spanish-flagged charity ship the Open Arms since they were plucked from the Mediterranean 13 days ago.  FILE – Migrants are seen aboard the Open Arms Spanish humanitarian boat as it cruises in the Mediterranean Sea, Aug. 9, 2019. “This is a race against time,” Vincent Cochetel, the International Red Cross special envoy for the central Mediterranean, said in a statement. “Storms are coming, and conditions are only going to get worse.”    While the number of migrants reaching Europe by sea has dropped substantially so far this year, the …

CBS and Viacom have reached a deal to reunite media mogul Sumner Redstone’s U.S. entertainment empire after 13 years apart. The new company will be named ViacomCBS Inc despite the fact that CBS shareholders will own 61% and Viacom shareholders will own 39%. Viacom shareholders will receive 0.59625 CBS shares for each share they own, representing a slight premium to Viacom’s closing price Monday. The merger creates a company with roughly $30 billion market value, which is still small compared to rivals including Netflix, at $136 billion; ABC network owner Walt Disney Co., at about $245 billion; and NBC owner Comcast at $193 billion. It will combine the CBS television network, CBS News, Showtime cable networks with MTV Networks, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and the Paramount movie studios. Together, they will own more than 140,000 TV episodes and more than 3,600 film titles. Annually, it is estimated to generate about $28 billion in revenue. The two companies are controlled by National Amusements, the holding company owned by billionaire Sumner Redstone and his daughter, Shari. FILE – Shari Redstone, vice-chair of CBS Corporation and Viacom, attends the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, July 10, 2019. …

A Mexican judge has ordered former cabinet minister Rosario Robles detained pending criminal proceedings involving the disappearance of public funds, a lawyer for Robles said Tuesday, in a case hailed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as part of his campaign against corruption. Robles served in the cabinet of former President Enrique Pena Nieto from 2012 to 2018, first as secretary of social development and then as secretary of agrarian, land and urban development, and earlier became the first woman to serve as mayor of Mexico City. Prosecutors have accused Robles of “improper exercise of public service.” Robles has appeared in court over prosecution claims that more than 5 billion pesos ($258 million) destined for welfare programs during her tenure had gone missing, according to local media reports. FILE – Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador attends a news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, June 10, 2019. The investigation has fueled accusations that the money was siphoned off, allegations denied by Robles. Julio Hernandez, a lawyer for Robles, said on local television that she will fight the accusations. “Truly, Rosario Robles is innocent,” Hernandez said.  Lopez Obrador made rooting out corruption a cornerstone of his campaign for …

Italian senators don’t often interrupt their summer vacations but thanks to the firebrand populist Matteo Salvini, the country’s deputy prime minister and head of the Lega party, they had to return to a scorching hot capital Tuesday to discuss when to hold a formal vote of no-confidence in Italy’s tempestuous 14-month-old coalition government.  Italy’s politicians traditionally avoid serious politicking during the vacation weeks of high summer when much of the country decamps to the beaches for a long break. Salvini, a master of disruptive populism, chose last week, however, to announce he could no longer continue governing in coalition with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement.  “Not all marriages work,” quipped Steve Bannon, the former adviser to Donald Trump, who has acted as an informal consigliere, or adviser, to Salvini. “I think that the marriage between Salvini and Di Maio was a noble experiment,” Bannon told the Corriere Della Sera newspaper, referring to Luigi Di Maio, the head of the Five Star Movement.  The divorce has been on the cards since last May’s European parliamentary elections when the Lega doubled its support from 17%  to 34%, prompting not only Salvini’s glee, but predictions from most analysts that he’d likely collapse the squabbling coalition …

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a decree Tuesday offering citizenship to Russians suffering political persecution, and also to foreigners who fought on Kyiv’s side in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Zelenskiy had announced such a move last month in response to a Russian decree expanding the number of Ukrainians who can apply for fast-track Russian passports. Separately Ukraine’s state security service declared a Russian consular officer in the western city of Lviv as persona non grata, accusing him of spying. The officer had already left the country, a statement said. Russia’s foreign ministry said Moscow had expelled a Ukrainian consular worker from St. Petersburg in response, TASS news agency reported. Relations between Kyiv and Moscow plunged after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for fighters in the eastern Donbass region in a conflict that has killed 13,000 people despite a notional cease-fire. Zelenskiy has prioritized achieving peace in the Donbass region, but days after his election victory in April Russian President Vladimir Putin eased rules for residents of rebel-controlled parts of Donbass to receive passports. In July, he extended the offer to government-held areas. Zelenskiy’s decree would apply to citizens of the Russian Federation who had been …

At least 10 state attorneys general say they will join conservation groups in suing the Trump administration from making drastic changes to the U.S. Endangered Species Act. U.S. officials have announced a revision of the nearly 50-year-old set of laws that environmentalists credit with saving numerous animals, plants and other species from extinction. About 1,600 species are currently protected by the act and the administration says streamlining regulations is the best way to ensure those animals stay protected. “The revisions finalized with this rule-making fit squarely within the president’s mandate of easing the regulatory burden on the American public without sacrificing our species’ protection and recovery goals,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said.  The proposed changes include considering the economic cost when deciding to save a species from extinction. The law currently says the cost to logging or oil interests will have no bearing on whether an animal, bird, or other species deserves protection. The revised act would also end blanket protection for a species listed as threatened — a designation that is one step away from declaring an animal population as endangered — and reduce some wildlife habitat. Conservation and wildlife groups took little time in denouncing the changes, calling …

 Suzanne Sataline contributed to this report from Hong Kong Riot police clashed with pro-democracy demonstrators at the Hong Kong’s international airport Tuesday evening, with all departing flights cancelled for a second straight day. The protestors once again took over the facility’s main terminal, with periodic skirmishes with helmeted police wielding batons. Scuffles broke out between police and demonstrators as medics took an injured person out of the terminal. A contingent of riot police used pepper spray to disperse protesters as they tried to block an ambulance taking the man away. Police detained at least two people. Hong Kong’s airport authority said operations had been “seriously disrupted.” Airport security personnel stand guard as travelers walk past protesters holding a sit-in rally at the departure gate of the Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, Aug. 13, 2019. The airport protests over the past two days are part of 10 weeks of demonstrations by Hong Kong residents against their perceived erosion of freedom and lack of autonomy under Chinese control of the territory. China’s United Nations mission said the protesters had smashed public facilities, paralyzed the airport, blocked public transport and used lethal weapons, “showing a tendency of resorting to terrorism.” The …

Cameroon has threatened all journalists who it says are refusing to be patriotic, after TV reporter Samuel Wazizi was arrested for allegedly supporting separatist fighters in Cameroon’s English-speaking north, west, and southwest regions. The journalists say it is becoming impossible for them to practice their profession, as they face pressure from both separatist fighters and the government. Paul Atanga Nji, territorial administration minister, says Cameroon’s journalists are becoming highly unpatriotic. “They have one main objective, just to sabotage government action, to promote secessionist tendencies,” said Nji. “I urge them to be responsible. Those who do not want to respect the laws will be booked as being recalcitrant and will be treated as such.” Atanga Nji also says most journalists support the opposition and believe that President Paul Biya was not the true winner of the October 2018 presidential election. Macmillan Ambe, president of the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists, CAMASEJ, says the threat from the government is one of many that journalists have faced since the separatist crisis began in 2016. He says journalists should be given the freedom they need to do their work. “When you get the minister of territorial administration giving lessons to journalists on how …

Uganda is ramping up efforts to curtail online content deemed immoral or hateful, a move critics say will silence dissent. Since March 2018, the Uganda Communications Commission,  a state regulator, has required certain online publishers to register and pay a fee of $20 per year. Now, the government is expanding its enforcement of the regulation, levying the fee on news organizations and social media influencers with large followings, including some journalists, celebrities, musicians and athletes. The UCC calls these people “data communicators” and will be looking at media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to determine which users will be affected. Catherine Anite, executive director of the Freedom of Expression Media Hub, told VOA’s Nightline Africa  that the registration requirement curbs free speech. “It’s a very restrictive regulation,” she said. “The freedom of expression is an essential right, and it is the cornerstone of any democratic society, which I believe Uganda is, because we have ascribed to these national, regional and international freedom of expression laws.” Anite pointed to Article 29 of Uganda’s constitution, which protects freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of belief. She said this should give Ugandans wide latitude to express themselves in …

Octavia Spencer will be honored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network with its Inspiration Award at a gala later this year. The group known as GLSEN announced Tuesday that the star of “Hidden Figures and The Helpwill”” receive the honor at the group’s Respect Awards, presented in October in Beverly Hills, California.   GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard said in a statement that Spencer “has devoted her career to diverse storytelling, promoting social good and is a steadfast ally for the LGBTQ community.” GLSEN was founded in 1990 to address LGBT issues in K-12 education, and has presented the Respect Awards since 2004.   The group’s past honorees have included Kerry Washington and Ellen Pompeo. …

New missile technologies, including so-called hypersonic systems capable of traveling at more than 25 times the speed of sound, are fueling a new global arms race, according to a new report from analyst group the Russian President Vladimir Putin, fifth left, and other top officials oversee the test launch of the Avangard hypersonic missile from the Defense Ministry’s control room in Moscow, Dec. 26, 2018. The United States, China and Australia also are developing their own systems, said report author Katarzyna Kubiak of the European Leadership Network. “These are going to outmatch existing missile systems by speed and by maneuverability, and are going to be able to potentially bypass any existing air and missile defense systems for years to come. And on top of this, we also witness an exploration in anti-satellite technologies, which include missiles,” said Kubiak. Hypersonic, Dual-Capable Missiles Pose Huge Global Threat, Report Warns video player. In this grab taken from footage by the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM press service, a woman holds roses as people gather for the funerals of five Russian nuclear engineers killed by a rocket explosion in Sarov, Aug. 12, 2019. Kubiak said the global security architecture surrounding missile proliferation is …

Mongolia’s most famous horse festival is a celebrated event across the country, but in the background rights groups are concerned about the rise of performance-enhancing drugs, harsh handling of horses and lax enforcement of safety protections for child jockeys. More than ten thousand children participate in nearly four hundred races nationwide in Mongolia and according to Mongolia’s National Traumatology and Orthopaedics Research, an average of six hundred child jockeys are thrown from their horse and in 2017 169 were killed. Libby Hogan has this report from middle Gobi desert, Mongolia.   …

CNN says it completely supports anchor Chris Cuomo after he was seen on video threatening to push a man down some stairs during a confrontation after the man apparently called him “Fredo,” in a seeming reference to the “Godfather” movies. The video appeared Monday on a conservative YouTube channel. Host Brandon Recor told The Washington Post the exchange happened Sunday at a bar in Shelter Island, New York, after a man approached Cuomo for a picture. The man made the video. It doesn’t show the “Fredo” reference but depicts Cuomo’s profanity-laced reaction as he characterizes the comment as an anti-Italian slur. The man says he thought “Fredo” was Cuomo’s name. CNN spokesman Matt Dornic tweeted that Cuomo “defended himself” after being slurred in what Dornic calls “an orchestrated setup.” On Tuesday, President Donald Trump added his voice to the fray, tweeting, “I thought Chris was Fredo also. The truth hurts. Totally lost it! Low ratings (at) CNN.” …

India’s government said Tuesday it is easing its lockdown in Kashmir in a “phased manner” after cutting phone and internet access for over a week to prevent protests over its decision to end the Himalayan region’s autonomy. Fearing unrest, India cut communications and imposed a curfew in the sector of Kashmir it controls on August 4, a day before its surprise presidential decree to strip the Muslim-majority region of its special status. An Indian Home Ministry spokesperson said on Twitter that the restrictions “are being eased out in a phased manner” in the tinderbox Kashmir Valley. Normal communication in the more peaceful Jammu division of the region “has been restored after assessment by relevant local authorities”, the spokesperson added. Kashmiri Muslims shout slogans during a protest after Eid prayers in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Aug. 12, 2019. There was no independent confirmation of the easing of restrictions. On Tuesday afternoon people in Kashmir could still not be reached by phone and the internet still appeared to be inaccessible. The spokesperson said that medical services are being provided “without any hindrance” and the availability of medicines has “been ensured” in every hospital in the valley. A main highway through the region …

The United States and four Western countries offered help Tuesday to Serbia and Kosovo to restart their European Union-sponsored talks aimed at normalizing ties between the former wartime foes. Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the U.S. said in a joint statement that they “stand united in our aim to see the full normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia via a comprehensive, politically sustainable, and legally binding agreement that contributes to regional stability.” A former Serbian province, Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a move that Belgrade and its ally Russia do not recognize. The U.S. and over 100 countries recognize Kosovo’s statehood following a NATO intervention in 1999 that stopped a Serbian crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists. Talks between the two stalled last year over Kosovo’s decision to impose a 100% tax on goods from Serbia. The statement urged Kosovo to lift the tariffs, but also asked Serbia to suspend “the de-recognition campaign against Kosovo.” Serbia has recently stepped up efforts — mostly among developing African countries — to suspend recognition of Kosovo’s statehood. “The status quo prevents progress on Kosovo’s and Serbia’s path toward the European Union and is simply not sustainable,” the statement said, adding “We stand ready …

A senior U.S. diplomat says Washington is consulting with its allies as it proceeds with plans to deploy intermediate-range missiles in Asia, a move China says it will respond to with countermeasures. Washington has said it plans to place such weapons in the Asia-Pacific following the U.S. withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.   The U.S. accused the other treaty signatory, Russia, of cheating by developing weapons systems banned under the treaty. However, many analysts say Washington has long sought to deploy intermediate-range missiles to counter China’s growing arsenal.    In a conference call Tuesday, State Department Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs Andrea Thompson said governments would decide whether or not to host such missiles.    “That’s a sovereign decision to be made by the leaders of those governments,” Thompson said. “Any decision made in the region will be done in consultation with our allies — this is not a U.S. unilateral decision.”   U.S. mutual defense treaty allies Japan, South Korea and Australia are considered the prime missile base candidates, although Beijing has warned that any nation that accepts such an arrangement will face retribution, likely in the form of an economic boycott or similar …

More than one in 10 voters could cast ballots on paperless voting machines in the 2020 general election, according to a new analysis, leaving their ballots vulnerable to hacking.   A study released by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law on Tuesday evaluates the state of the country’s election security six months before the New Hampshire primary and concludes that much more needs to be done. While there has been significant progress by states and the federal government since Russian agents targeted U.S. state election systems ahead of the 2016 presidential election, the analysis notes that many states have not taken all of the steps needed to ensure that doesn’t happen again.   The report also notes that around a third of all local election jurisdictions were using voting machines that are at least a decade old, despite recommendations they be replaced after 10 years. The Associated Press reported last month that many election systems are running on old Windows 7 software that will soon be outdated.   “We should replace antiquated equipment, and paperless equipment in particular, as soon as possible,” the report recommends.   The analysis comes as Congress is debating how much federal …

If all goes as planned, Thai citizens suffering from cancer and a handful of other diseases and disorders could start taking the country’s first legal doses of medical cannabis within days. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization delivered its premier batch of cannabis oil to the Ministry of Public Health last week, eight months after Thailand became the first country to legalize the drug for medical use in Southeast Asia, a region known more for its harsh anti-drug laws. The 5-milliliter bottles are being rolled out to 12 hospitals across the country that will in turn dole out doses to the first 4,000 registered patients. Somsak Akkslip, director general of the Health Ministry’s Medical Services Department, told VOA that those hospitals could start prescribing the medicine as soon as the end of this week. Thailand’s then-military junta amended the country’s tough narcotics laws in December in a bid to cash in on a flowering global medical cannabis industry projected to be worth $5.8 billion by 2024 in Asia alone, according to Prohibition Partners, a UK-based research group. The cause received a major boost in March, when the Bhumjaithai party made a strong showing in the general election on a platform to fully …