This week is Thanksgiving in the United States, a national holiday during which people celebrate their blessings over the past year. Traditionally a large meal is shared with friends and family. Not everyone can afford to do that, though, so some food banks are providing special Thanksgiving meals to low-income families. VOA’s Deborah Block takes us to the largest food bank in northern Virginia, where Thanksgiving packages are being handed out so everyone can enjoy the holiday.   …

Farmers across France are protesting poor economic and social conditions in the farming community. Hundreds of tractors disrupted traffic in Paris and other major cities in a demonstration organized by the National Federation of Agricultural Holders’ Unions and the union of young farmers. Farmers unloaded tires to block some roads and scattered hay bales across the Champs-Elysées, the central avenue in Paris. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports farmers demand a response from President Emmanuel Macron.   …

Babies born with HIV benefit the most if treatment is started within hours or days of birth rather than waiting for them to be a little older, a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine found. A Harvard-led study of 40 infected infants in Botswana found those treated within hours of birth developed a much smaller viral reservoir, the pool of virus that remains within the body during and after treatment and is responsible for later relapses. While babies who were given the medications starting at four months after birth did not fare as well. The first group of babies also had more robust immune systems even than babies born without the virus. The study was based on a case in the U.S. know as the “Mississippi Baby.” That case involved a baby who was treated within 30 hours of birth in July 2010. Her family stopped treatment when she was a toddler and she stunned the medical community by remaining in remission for 27 months before she relapsed and restarted treatment. The findings of the Mississippi Baby case and the study in Botswana are particularly important to poorer nations where at-risk babies are not tested for HIV …

The Department of Homeland Security lacked a technology system to efficiently track separated migrant families during the execution of the zero tolerance immigration policy in 2018, a report released Wednesday by the agency’s inspector general found. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) was not able to confirm the total number of families DHS separated under the zero tolerance policy, in which every adult who crossed the border illegally, including those who came with their children, was criminally prosecuted. The result was a widespread practice of separating families at the border. “DHS also did not provide adequate guidance to personnel responsible for executing the zero tolerance policy,” the report found. According to OIG, DHS estimated that border patrol agents separated 3,014 children from their families while the policy was in place. Yet, OIG investigators were able to identify about 1,400 cases where separations may have occurred but were not documented in the various methods to record and track family separations used by DHS and border patrol officials. FILE – Children cover their faces as they are escorted to the Cayuga Center, which provides foster care and other services to immigrant children separated from their families, in New York, July 10, 2018. …

Appeals court judges put on hold a ruling by a lower court that would require former White House Counsel Don McGahn to testify to lawmakers as part of the Democrat-led impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. McGahn, who left his post in October 2018, last May defied a House Judiciary Committee subpoena to testify about Trump’s efforts to impede former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation that detailed Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. The hold on the case comes as the judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit consider a longer stay. They scheduled oral arguments for Jan. 3 on the underlying appeal, according to a court order. Hours earlier, Washington-based U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson agreed to impose a temporary delay on her ruling, saying in an order it would give her time to rule on whether to put the case on hold longer-term so the Justice Department can appeal. Pivotal figure The Justice Department filed a second emergency application earlier to the appeals court, asking that court to put the litigation on hold after Jackson did not immediately act on its earlier request. Justice Department lawyers said the filing was …

More international students who said they were attending a university that was actually a shell created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have been arrested in Michigan on immigration charges in recent months. DHS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) created the University of Farmington to expose weaknesses in the student visa immigration process, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Helms wrote in a sentencing memo, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. The paper broke the story last spring. “While ‘enrolled’ at the university, 100 percent of the foreign citizen students never spent a single second in a classroom. If it were truly about obtaining an education, the university would not have been able to attract anyone, because it had no teachers, classes or educational services,” the memo said. While the students were granted student visas to enter the U.S., they were in violation when they did not actually attend the school, federal agencies said. Of about 250 people arrested, more than 200 students voluntarily left the U.S., and 50 stayed until being arrested or deported, the Free Press reported. ICE officials said many of the students were from India. The paper reported that some students — claiming they …

Europe is taking on propaganda videos and social media accounts that glorify terrorism and extremism in an effort to limit the space for extremist groups to recruit people online, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, known as Europol, said this week. The decision was made following two days of meetings last week by Europol’s European Union Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU), at its headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, the agency said in a statement Monday. “This coordinated action focused on the dissemination of online terrorist content. Among the items referred were propaganda videos and social media accounts glorifying or supporting terrorism and violent extremism,” the agency said in a statement. The crackdown came after meetings between law enforcement and judicial authorities in Europe aimed at launching a joint effort to disrupt Islamic State’s online activities, the agency said, adding that they have been addressing this issue since 2015. “Since July 2015, the EU IRU of Europol has been working with law enforcement authorities and online service providers to address the terrorist abuse of the internet in the framework of the EU Internet Forum,” the statement added. FILE – Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov, center, smiles as he leaves after a …

Marko Kepi, an Albanian-American activist, is heading a fundraising campaign to aid victims of Wednesday’s earthquake. …

Albanian Defense Minister Olta Xhacka becomes emotional while reading names of victims of the strongest earthquake to hit Albania in more than three decades. …

William Doyle Ruckelshaus, who famously quit his job in the U.S. Justice Department rather than carry out President Richard Nixon’s order to fire the special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal, died Wednesday at age 87.    Ruckelshaus served as the first administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which confirmed his death in a statement Wednesday.    The lifelong Republican also served as acting director of the FBI. But his moment of fame came on October 20, 1973, when he was a deputy attorney general and joined his boss, Attorney General Elliot Richardson, in resigning rather than carrying out Nixon’s unlawful order to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox.    After Richardson and Ruckelshaus resigned, Solicitor General Robert Bork carried out the firing in what became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre” — prompting protests and outrage around the country. Impeachment proceedings against Nixon began 10 days later.  ‘Incorruptible’   “He was incorruptible,” longtime friend and Seattle philanthropist Martha Kongsgaard said Wednesday of Ruckelshaus. “It was very disappointing for him to see this happening again in our country, and maybe on a larger scale. Deep decency in the face of corruption is needed now more than ever.”    Ruckelshaus’ civic service and …

Senior doctors in Zimbabwe have joined their junior counterparts in a general strike over low wages that they say are not keeping up with high inflation. On Wednesday, health care workers said they would continue their strike, which began Tuesday to protest the dismissal of junior colleagues who walked out in September, paralyzing the country’s health delivery system. Zimbabwe’s biggest hospital, Parirenyatwa General in Harare, looked deserted as patients were being turned away. Margret Mashava brought in her pregnant sister, Marvel, who she suspected might have complications related to an earlier cesarean section. “Now we are stranded. We do not know what to do. There are no nurses at the clinics. We do not know. Maybe we will approach midwives since there are no doctors now. We don’t know what to do,” she said. Zimbabwe’s senior doctors on Wednesday said in a statement that they had watched “over the past few months as the situation in our hospitals deteriorate … no bandages, no gloves and syringes available. In response, the employer [the government] unlawfully withheld their salaries. The authorities are so vindictive that they went to [a medical] theater to hand a letter to a doctor who was finishing an emergency operation. For the …

Egypt’s government is using a secretive judicial agency designed to fight terrorism to detain peaceful protesters, journalists and critics on trumped-up charges without trial, Amnesty International said in a report released Wednesday. The 60-page report by the London-based rights group details how Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution, or SSSP, has become increasingly central to President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s sweeping crackdown on dissent. “In Egypt today, the Supreme State Security Prosecution has stretched the definition of `terrorism’ to encompass peaceful protests, social media posts and legitimate political activities,” said Philip Luther, the group’s Middle East and North Africa director. Rainbow-colored flags Concertgoers were accused of terrorism for waving rainbow-colored flags. A journalist charged with “broadcasting false news” was detained repeatedly for three years. A human rights lawyer was arrested for joining a protest he says he didn’t attend. Several Christians were imprisoned for “aiding a terrorist group,” a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood organization. “Ridiculous” prosecutions have proliferated, said report author Hussein Baoumi. Citing these cases and over a hundred others, Amnesty International said the SSSP, a secretive agency comprised of just a few hand-picked judges, is abusing its legal powers as a counterterrorism branch to stifle political dissent. “There’s no …

Islamic State militants have increased their activity in some northern Iraqi provinces. Local residents say IS recently kidnapped and threatened to kill civilians in the area, forcing many to flee their homes. VOA’s Dilshad Anwar filed this report narrated by Sirwan Kajjo. …

It’s been a year since the deadliest fire in California history destroyed 90% of the town of Paradise, killing 85 people. Much of the burned debris has been removed and empty lots remain.  Most of the fire survivors are scattered, living in other towns and cities.  But there are a few who have moved back to Paradise, and dream of a day when the town is vibrant again.  VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the story of one family who is trying to rebuild the town. …

A U.S. judge on Wednesday delayed the planned Dec. 18 sentencing hearing of President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, but did not set a new date. Judge Emmett Sullivan had been expected to put off sentencing after both Flynn, who has pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents, and the United States filed a joint motion to request the delay, citing the expected December release of the Justice Department inspector general’s report on the origins of investigations into alleged Russian election interference. The inspector general said last week he expects to release the report on Dec. 9. “The parties expect that the report of this investigation will examine topics related to several matters raised by the defendant,” they wrote in the joint filing. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to agents about his 2016 conversations with Sergey Kislyak, then-Russian ambassador to the United States. The retired Army lieutenant general is one of several Trump aides to plead guilty or be convicted at trial in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. …

The New York-based Human Rights Watch claims it has “damming evidence” showing the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army is engaged in summary executions, pillaging, seizing properties, and preventing the return of people to their homes. “Turkey is turning a blind eye to the reprehensible behaviors displayed by the factions it arms,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “So long as Turkey is in control of these areas, it has a responsibility to investigate and end these violations.” In this photo taken from the Turkish side of the border between Turkey and Syria, in Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province, southeastern Turkey, smoke billows from a fire in Ras al-Ayn, Syria, Oct. 20, 2019. Last month Turkish forces and the SNA launched an offensive in northeast Syria against Syrian Democratic Forces, which are made up mainly of the Kurdish militia the YPG. Ankara considers the YPG terrorists, but the militia was a crucial ally of Washington’s military effort against Islamic State. HRW cites evidence that the SNA executed prisoners, seized the homes of local Kurds, and engaged in indiscriminate shelling of civilians. The case of Hevrin Khalaf, a prominent women’s rights activist, is highlighted. In October, Khalaf was executed after …

As Zimbabwe’s healthcare system collapses amid medical worker strikes, some women are being forced to rely on midwives and give birth in unsanitary conditions, which experts say puts the mother and child at risk infections. Zimbabwe’s clinics have often been forced to suspend operations since medical workers went on strike to push for better wages in September. Pregnant women have been turning to midwives to deliver their babies, explains Esther Zinyoro-Gwenya, who is a midwife in one of Harare’s poorest townships, Mbare. “I ask each expecting mother to bring a razor blade, a pin for the baby’s navel and cotton.  Nothing untoward has happened.  It’s an easy task after the baby is delivered, I ask the mother to go into my bedroom to rest while I take care of the next one,” she said. The 74-year-old Zinyoro-Gwenya said she has already delivered about 250 babies in November. While she said all mothers and babies survived, the lack of sanitation means a higher risk of infection.   It is also a symptom of the ailing state of health care in the country, said Dr. Tawanda Zvakada from the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association.  “It’s a sad situation that we find ourselves in …

The House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump is focused on whether the White House delayed promised U.S. military aid to Ukraine until its leader agreed to do the president a political favor. While lawmakers investigate the president’s role in the matter, VOA’s Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine takes a closer look at that military aid at the center of the controversy and why it’s so critical for Ukraine   …

Rumbling two by two down the ring road, disgruntled French farmers drove their tractors toward Paris Wednesday to protest stagnant revenues and what they say is unfair competition. The protest was snarling traffic in the Paris area, as farmers from across the country attempted to use 1,000 tractors to block off access to Paris. The tractors will remain parked on the highway circling the city until French President Emmanuel Macron agrees to meet with protesters, regional farmers’ union spokesperson Elisa Despiney told The Associated Press. They could remain there for “hours, or maybe days,” she added. By mid-morning, blue and green tractors bearing signs reading “Respond, Macron!” had advanced toward the southwestern edge of the city, taking up two lanes of the highway as police escorted them on motorcycles. They then stalled on the Paris ring road, where some protesters have pitched tents and lit fires. Protesters on foot inside the city, meanwhile, have blocked off the Champs-Elysees and scattered hay across the famous Paris avenue. The French presidency said no meeting between Macron and a delegation of farmers was planned at this stage. Farmers’ grievances include free trade agreements they say put them at a disadvantage, a government reform …

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has responded positively to a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump that encouraged him to promote democracy and improve strained relations between the two countries. A letter from Hun Sen, dated Tuesday and shared online Wednesday by members of his government, accepted Trump’s invitation to a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders in the United States early next year, as well as an offer for the two countries’ foreign policy teams to hold talks. Washington has long criticized Hun Sen’s government for its poor record on democratic and human rights. Hun Sen, in power for 34 years, has accused the U.S. of seeking “regime change” to oust him. Trump’s Nov. 1 letter assured Hun Sen that the U.S. does not seek regime change. The president counseled Hun Sen to “put Cambodia back on the path of democratic governance.”  “I am reassured by your explicit statement whereby you seek genuine engagement to pursue democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law rather than through regime change,” Hun Sen wrote. Hun Sen has a reputation as an authoritarian leader and has said he intends to serve until 2028. He has been quick to crack down on any opponents, …

U.S. President Donald Trump learned about a whistleblower complaint regarding his relations with Ukraine before he decided to unfreeze nearly $400 million in military aid, according to a New York Times report published Tuesday. The Times cited two people familiar with the matter, saying White House lawyers told Trump about the complaint in late August as they worked to determine whether they were required to send it to Congress. That battle formed the early stages of what has become the focus of the impeachment inquiry now playing out in the House of Representatives.  Lawmakers received the complaint in late September and made a version of it public.   Since then, the Democrat-led House Intelligence committee has held both private and public sessions to hear testimony from current and former diplomats and other officials to examine allegations Trump withheld the aid to Ukraine to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to commit to an investigation of one of Trump’s potential opponents in the 2020 election, Democrat Joe Biden. The House Judiciary Committee, which will decide whether to send articles of impeachment to the full House for a vote, announced Tuesday it would hold its first hearing December 4 and invited Trump to …

Iraqi officials said Wednesday that three protesters were killed and 35 wounded by security forces in southern Iraq after the previous day’s sit-ins and road closures, raising the death toll to six people. Two of the anti-government protesters were killed when security forces fired live ammunition to disperse crowds in the holy city of Karbala late Tuesday, security and medical officials said. One protester died of wounds suffered when a tear gas canister struck him in clashes earlier in the day. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Demonstrations had raged in Baghdad and across the mostly Shiite southern Iraq. The protesters accuse the Shiite-led government of being hopelessly corrupt and complain of poor public services and high unemployment. At least 350 people have been killed and thousands wounded since Iraq’s protests started Oct. 1, in what has become the largest grassroots protest movement in Iraq’s modern history. Three simultaneous explosions rocked Baghdad late Tuesday, killing five people and wounding more than a dozen, Iraqi officials said, in the first apparent coordinated attack since anti-government protests erupted. The bombings took place far from Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of weeks of anti-government protests that have posed …

A British newspaper editor convicted of killing his wife with a hammer has seen his sentence reduced by Dubai’s Court of Appeal. The court ordered Wednesday that former Gulf News editor Francis Matthew must serve a seven-year sentence for manslaughter in the 2017 killing of his wife, Jane. Matthew had received as much as a 15-year sentence for the killing. A series of appeals has seen his sentence change and his case go before Dubai’s Court of Appeal. That court Wednesday order Matthew be convicted of manslaughter, rather than premeditated murder, which carries a heftier sentence. Matthew and his wife of 30 years were prominent members of the United Arab Emirates’ large British expatriate community.  Matthew will be deported after serving his sentence. …