U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he would “strongly consider” testifying at the House Intelligence Committee impeachment inquiry targeting him for allegedly abusing his office. “Even though I did nothing wrong, and don’t like giving credibility to this No Due Process Hoax, I like the idea & will, in order to get Congress focused again, strongly consider it!” Trump said on Twitter. ….that I testify about the phony Impeachment Witch Hunt. She also said I could do it in writing. Even though I did nothing wrong, and don’t like giving credibility to this No Due Process Hoax, I like the idea & will, in order to get Congress focused again, strongly consider it! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2019 In an interview Sunday on the news show “Face the Nation,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested that if Trump “has information that is exculpatory — that means ex, taking away, culpable, blame — then we look forward to seeing it.” She added, “The president could come right before the committee and talk, speak all the truth that he wants … or he could do it in writing. He has every opportunity to present his case.” Whether Trump would actually …

Pete Buttigieg strides past an oversized photograph of himself dressed in fatigues, the Afghan horizon behind him, as he enters a Des Moines arena for an Iowa Democratic Party gala. In his first Iowa television ad, he holds a rifle and points it toward the rubble at his feet, introducing himself, “As a veteran … .” Like candidates from the time of George Washington, the South Bend, Indiana, mayor is leaning hard on his seven-month deployment as an intelligence officer in Afghanistan as a powerful credential. As he does, he walks a narrow path between giving his wartime service its due and overstating it. He is careful not to call himself a combat veteran even as he notes the danger he faced. One of his former competitors for the Democratic nomination, Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, has drawn a sharp contrast between his four combat tours in Iraq and Buttigieg’s service. And a former commanding officer, who said he thinks Buttigieg would be within his rights to say he is a combat veteran, nonetheless questions the use of a rifle in his ads. As support for his campaign grows, Buttigieg can expect more intense scrutiny of his military record in …

Indonesian police said Monday that they have arrested 43 suspected militants believed to have links to last week’s suicide attack at a busy police station in the country’s third-largest city. National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said those arrested are suspected members of a local affiliate of the Islamic State group known as the Jama’ah Anshorut Daulah. He said police seized explosives, guns, knives, arrows and jihadi documents from the suspects. The arrests were made in seven provinces and include the group’s leader, Prasetyo said at a news conference in the capital, Jakarta. The Nov. 13 suicide bombing involving a lone attacker in Medan wounded six people. Among the suspects arrested in the raids were 20 members of JAD who have attended military-style jihadi training in North Sumatra’s Mount Sibayak, Prasetyo said. Police on Saturday killed two suspected militants in a shootout in North Sumatra province’s Hamparan Perak village. Police said they believe the two were the bombmakers in the Medan attack. A day later, four suspects surrendered to authorities, Prasetyo said. JAD has been implicated in numerous attacks in Indonesia over the past two years and was designated a terror organization by the U.S. in 2017. An Indonesian court banned …

Dozens of student protesters in Hong Kong made frantic efforts Monday to escape a university that has been surrounded by riot police, as the campus siege entered a second day. As VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from Hong Kong, there are concerns the incident could end in a violent crackdown. …

Russia’s Foreign Ministry says three Ukrainian naval ships that were seized in a shooting confrontation nearly a year ago have been returned.                     The two gunboats and a tug were taken by the Russian coast guard on Nov. 25, 2018, as they passed through the Kerch Strait that connects the Black Sea with the Azov Sea, en route to their home port in Mariupol.                     The Kerch Strait runs between mainland Russia and Russia-annexed Crimea. Russia claimed the ships violated procedures for transiting the strait.                     The Russian coast guard fired shots and seized 24 Ukrainian sailors. The sailors were detained for 10 months and returned home in September as part of a prisoner exchange.                     A Russian ministry statement said the ship handover took place Monday but did not give further details. …

 Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited President Donald Trump to testify in front of investigators in the House impeachment inquiry ahead of a week that will see several key witnesses appear publicly. Pushing back against accusations from the president that the process has been stacked against him, Pelosi said Trump is welcome to appear or answer questions in writing, if he chooses. “If he has information that is exculpatory, that means ex, taking away, culpable, blame, then we look forward to seeing it,” she said in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Trump “could come right before the committee and talk, speak all the truth that he wants if he wants,” she said. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer echoed that suggestion. “If Donald Trump doesn’t agree with what he’s hearing, doesn’t like what he’s hearing, he shouldn’t tweet. He should come to the committee and testify under oath. And he should allow all those around him to come to the committee and testify under oath,” Schumer told reporters. He said the White House’s insistence on blocking witnesses from cooperating begs the question: “What is he hiding?” The comments come as the House Intelligence Committee prepares for …

Almost 70% of India’s apple supply comes from the federally administered regions of Jammu & Kashmir. But the lockdown of the region since August has badly hurt the industry. VOA’s Ritul Joshi reports from Kashmir.  …

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president.   In his inaugural address Monday at the Ruwanwell Seya Buddhist Temple in the north-central region,  Rajapaksa urged the minority Tamil and Muslim communities who voted against him to work with him. Both communities had expressed their concern during the presidential campaign about a victory for Rajapaksa, a hardline former defense official under his older brother, ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The newly-installed president pledged in his address Monday that national security would be a major priority of his administration.  Sri Lanka was rocked by the deadly Islamic State-inspired suicide bomb attacks on Easter that killed 269 people.   The new leader, who is 70, oversaw the military defeat of the Tamil separatists 10 years ago. Rajapaksa’s opponent in Saturday’s vote was Sajith Premadasa, the 52-year-old son of assassinated ex-president Ranasinghe Premadasa.  …

The president of the Polytechnic University under siege in Hong Kong, has said he has brokered a truce with police. Teng Jin-Guang said it would allow the hundreds of protesters trapped inside the campus to leave peacefully. Teng said he received assurances from police for a temporary suspension of the use of force if the protesters do not initiate the use of force. “We have also received permission from the police for you to leave the campus peacefully, and I will personally accompany you to the police station to ensure that your case will be fairly processed,” Teng said. It is unclear whether and when the truce was taking effect. Waves of students fled on foot late Monday, running through clouds of tear gas as they attempted to break through police lines.  It was the second concerted attempt by students to flee the urban campus, which has been surrounded by police who have repeatedly warned they will use lethal force.  Live feeds showed riot police chasing down students, some of whom were covered in blood. It wasn’t immediately clear how many were arrested and how many may have escaped the campus successfully. The clashes raised fears that the siege would …

More international students come to the U.S. from around the world for higher education than any other country, but those metrics show stagnation — and steep declines from some countries — for the second year after decades of growth. The annual Open Doors report, compiled by the Institute for International Education with the U.S. State Department and released Monday, for the 2018-2019 school year showed enrollment of 1,095,299 international students among 19,828,000 total students in institutions of higher education in the U.S. That makes international students 5.5% of all college and university students in the U.S. The numbers showed a slight increase in total international enrollment, 0.05% from the previous year, but a decrease in new international student enrollment, -0.9%. Decreases were seen in undergraduate (-2.4%), graduate (-1.3%) and non-degree (-5.0%) trends, as well. China sent the most students — 369,548 — comprising 33.7 percent of all foreign students, a 1.7 percent increase from the previous year. India sent the second-largest number — 202,014 — or 18.4% of all college and university students, a 2.9% increase from the previous year. But several other countries, in descending order of number of students sent to the U.S., showed declines: South Korea (-4.2%), …

“Enough, we cannot deal with this anymore,” a visibly disgusted Predica Jean, coordinator for the League of Haitian Women for Reconstruction(Lig Fanm Ayisyen pou Rekonstruksyon)  (LIFAR) said during a press conference in Port-au-Prince.   “We’re asking all the political actors who are involved to resolve the situation quickly so we can have a country where we can live (in peace and security), where women’s rights are respected,” she added. Haiti’s League of women is denouncing the gang rape of female prisoners during an attempted jail break by 300 male prisoners. There are STD and pregnancy fears in addition to the psychological trauma. Female activists demand Jail in Gonaives, Haiti where jailbreak and gang rape happened. (VOA/Exalus Mergenat) Jean also demanded the immediate release of a female prisoner who remained jailed even though she was set to be released before the attacks. “They claimed they couldn’t find her release form and held her in jail where she was subjected to rape,” Jean told reporters. The LIFAR coordinator cited the Geneva Conventions and other international law statutes that demand prisoners of war, as well as civilian prisoners, be treated humanely. “These laws are being violated in our country,” Jean said. A human …

Hundreds of Haiti’s national police officers (PNH) were in the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the northern city of Cape Haitian Sunday, demanding better work conditions and a union to represent and defend their rights. This is the second time in a month police have protested. “We need a union that can represent us when things aren’t good,” a member of POLIFRONT, Haiti’s Border Police unit of the National Police, told VOA Creole. He was in uniform and wearing a black face mask. “I’m talking about abuse, our meager 19,000 (Haitian gourdes) salary (about $208), which is not enough.” This policeman from the POLIFRONT unit of @pnh_officiel says they need a union to defend and protect their rights. 📹Matiado Vilme @VOAKreyol#Haitipic.twitter.com/6AoAu70fBO — Sandra Lemaire (@SandraDVOA) November 17, 2019 The officer said the police are suffering because they don’t enjoy the same benefits reserved for their leaders, and they don’t have anyone to represent and defend them when they need it most. “If we remain strong, we’ll get everything we need,” another police protester, dressed in civilian clothing, from the Mobilized Intervention Unit (BMI) of the national police told VOA. This policeman of the Mobilized Intervention unit of @pnh_officiel says …

New research has found that U.S. agriculture uses child workers without proper training and care for their safety. The report published last week in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine says 33 children are injured every day while working on U.S. farms, and more child workers die in agriculture than in any other industry. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports rights groups blame loopholes in U.S. laws for failing to protect child workers in agriculture …

British photographer Terry O’Neill, whose images captured London’s Swinging ’60s and who created iconic portraits of Elton John, Brigitte Bardot and Winston Churchill, has died at age 81. O’Neill died Saturday at his home in London following a long battle with cancer, according to Iconic Images, the agency that represented O’Neill. “Terry was a class act, quick witted and filled with charm,” the agency said in a statement posted to its website. “Anyone who was lucky enough to know or work with him can attest to his generosity and modesty. As one of the most iconic photographers of the last 60 years, his legendary pictures will forever remain imprinted in our memories as well as in our hearts and minds.” Born in London in 1938, O’Neill was working as a photographer for an airline at Heathrow Airport when he snapped a picture of a well-dressed man sleeping on a bench. The man turned out to be the British home secretary, and O’Neill was hired by a London newspaper. In the early 1960s he photographed the Beatles during the recording of their first hit single, and he captured the image of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill clutching a cigar as he …

Fighting reportedly intensified between Turkish-backed Syrian fighters and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces Sunday over a major highway and a strategic town in northeastern Syria. Local news reported that Turkish military and allied Syrian militias continued shelling positions belonging to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in a bid to control the town of Tal Tamr and the nearby M4 highway. In an effort to prevent Turkish-backed forces from advancing into the town, the SDF has reportedly reached a cease-fire deal with Russia, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday. The deal, according to the war monitor, would allow Russian and Syrian government troops to be deployed near the Christian-majority Tal Tamr and parts of the M4 highway, locally known as the “International Road.” “Our sources on the ground have confirmed the agreement between the SDF and Russia,” Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory, told VOA. He added that some areas outside the town have been handed over to the Turkish military, while Russian and Syrian government troops have taken control of the International Road. ‘No deal yet’ But SDF officials denied these reports, saying that no cease-fire has been reached as Turkish forces and their Syrian allies continued their …

Heavy police presence in Athens appeared to have prevented serious clashes Sunday with anarchists and other extreme leftists on the 46th anniversary of a student uprising against the then-ruling Greek military dictatorship. Over 20,000 people made the traditional march from the National Technical University of Athens, site of the 1973 uprising, to the U.S. Embassy on Sunday. Police said about 10,000 people participated in a Communist Party rally and a further 1,000 marched with the formerly ruling leftist Syriza party, both separate from the main march with over 10,000 participants. Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras started the march with Syriza but left before the halfway point. Police say they arrested 28 people in clashes after the march, mostly in the Exarchia neighborhood near the university, and detained a further 13. A recent crackdown by the conservative government on extreme leftist activity in Exarchia, a known anarchist haven and counterculture center, and another nearby university, the Athens University of Economics and Business, had raised fears of possible heavy clashes. More than 5,000 officers were deployed, focused on preventing rioters from occupying the rooftops of apartment buildings and hurling firebombs and rocks into the streets below, as happened two years ago. Police …

French Beninese writer and activist Kemi Seba is in Haiti this weekend on a humanitarian mission. Seba traveled to the Caribbean nation to show support for the PetroChallenger anti-corruption movement and for the residents of the poorest slums of the capital. VOA Creole spoke with the activist as he was distributing sanitary kits in Port-au-Prince. “We wanted to show that we are capable and that we don’t have to wait for the government to act, we can take action ourselves to show our support,” Seba said. “Although we have meager resources we only exist when we can share what we have with others in the context of this dimension, this dynamic,” he added. “We have medical staff with us, midwives, specialists who are not only distributing the kits but also doing free consultations. They are volunteers who gave their time to make this happen.” French Beninese writer and activist Kémi Seba is visiting President Moise denies the corruption allegations and in recent weeks has taken steps to address the protesters’ concerns, such as naming new Cabinet ministers, visiting local businesses, and speaking directly to the people on traditional and social media. He has also called for a national dialogue to …

One Iraqi protester was killed and more than 30 others were wounded Sunday amid renewed clashes on a key bridge in Baghdad. The protesters now have control of three bridges crossing the Tigris River toward the heavily fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq’s government. The protests that began in October over lack of jobs and public services have grown to include widespread corruption and income inequality. Demonstrators are now demanding the complete overhaul of the government. The protests have spread out of Baghdad into other cities in southern and central Iraq. Demonstrators across the country are blocking roads and disrupting business. Security forces have used live ammunition, tear gas and stun grenades against mostly unarmed demonstrators, killing more than 320 people and wounding thousands.  Iraqi security forces have come under heavy criticism for their use of deadly force. “While the events of the last six weeks are an absolute tragedy, NATO continues to urge restraint to the government of Iraq,” Canadian Major General Dany Fortin, the outgoing chief of NATO’s Iraq mission, told AFP Sunday. …

House Republicans and Democrats are reacting Sunday to the first week of Impeachment hearings targeting U.S. President Donald Trump. Democrats say testimony hearing during the hearings confirms the president abused power by allegedly withholding military aid to Ukraine in exchange for dirt on a political foe.  Republicans say the proceedings have provided no hard evidence of wrongdoing.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports …

The U.S. and South Korea said Sunday they are postponing joint military drills.   U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the move is an “act of goodwill” toward North Korea.  “I see this as a good-faith effort by the United States and the Republic of Korea to enable peace, to shape … to facilitate a political agreement — a deal, if you will — that leads to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Esper said. The joint announcement was made in Bangkok at an Asia defense ministers conference. Shortly after the announcement, Japan’s defense minister made a blistering counterstatement. “No one could be optimistic about North Korea,” Taro Kono said. “North Korea has repeatedly launched more than 20 missiles this year, including new types of ballistic missiles, as well as a submarine-launched ballistic missile.”   Kwon Jong Gun, a roving ambassador for North Korea’s foreign ministry, said earlier this month the joint drills are a “provocative and dangerous act.” He added that the U.S., in its “reckless frenzy,” is “throwing a wet blanket over the spark of the DPRK-U.S. dialogue on the verge of extinction.” The DPRK is the acronym for North Korea’s official name in English, the Democratic People’s …

Jennifer Williams, a special adviser to Vice President Mike Pence for Europe and Russia and who is a career Foreign Service officer, arrives for a closed-door interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 7, 2019. Impeachment hearings targeting U.S. President Donald Trump are heading into a second week, with key witnesses set to testify about how he pushed Ukraine to investigate one of his chief 2020 Democratic challengers, former Vice President Joe Biden, while temporarily withholding military aid Kyiv wanted. Eight more current and former government officials will appear before the House Intelligence Committee for nationally televised sessions, with a central figure, Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, set to appear Wednesday. In amended behind-closed-doors testimony, Sondland, a million-dollar Trump political donor before being tapped by Trump for the EU posting in Brussels, said that he had warned an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in early September that it would not get the U.S. military assistance it wanted unless the Kyiv leader publicly committed to opening the investigation of Biden. FILE – President Donald Trump speaks to reporters outside the White House, in Washington, Nov. 9, 2019. It was a reciprocal, quid pro quo deal that …

Student protesters in Hong Kong engaged in fierce clashes with police at a university campus into the early morning hours of Monday, in what appeared to be some of the worst violence since anti-government protests began five months ago. Police late Sunday raided the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where a group of student protesters had barricaded themselves for most of the week, stockpiling makeshift weapons, including bricks, slingshots, and Molotov cocktails. Police advanced in waves throughout the night, firing tear gas and water cannons before retreating, as protesters lobbed petrol bombs and other weapons. At one point, an armored police vehicle appeared to be completely on fire. Police eventually surrounded the campus and gave several deadlines for the protesters to exit the campus. Just after midnight local time, police warned they may use live rounds on protesters if they kept attacking the police. There were no immediate reports of deaths. A group of international journalists, including some from VOA, stayed behind on the campus, with many vowing to stay until the situation was resolved. Protesters are sprayed with blue liquid from water cannon during clashes with police outside Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Hong Kong, China, Nov. …

Pope Francis hosted 1,500 poor and needy people for lunch on Sunday at the Vatican. Earlier he celebrated Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica to mark World Day of the Poor. Some 150 round tables were prepared in the large Vatican hall where the pope normally holds his indoor audiences with the faithful during the winter months.  There he hosted lunch for poor people, including migrants and about 50 volunteers who work with the needy. Before lunch was served, the pope thanked all those present and asked God to bless them and their families. The menu for all the pope’s guests was lasagne, chicken with cream of mushroom sauce and potatoes, dessert, fruit and espresso coffee. Elsewhere in Rome, another 1,500 needy people were also served lunch and in many parishes. Earlier on Sunday the pope celebrated a special mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica to raise awareness about the poor in the world. The mass was attended by the poor and the volunteers who later lunched with the pope. During the service, Pope Francis said the poor “facilitate our access to heaven” and described them as “the treasure of the Church.” People wait for Pope Francis arrival for a lunch in …