Site Overlay

Category: News

News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication

Ship Carrying Waste Returns to Canada From Philippines

By Liner

A ship carrying 69 containers of waste mislabeled as plastic recyclables returned to Canada on Saturday from the Philippines, closing a chapter on a dispute that started in 2013 and sparked a diplomatic furor between Ottawa and Manila.  The shipment was taken off the container ship Anna Maersk docked close to Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal and arrived at GCT Deltaport in Delta, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver, GCT said in a statement.  Sarah Lusk, Metro Vancouver spokeswoman, said the waste would be sent to a Waste-to-Energy facility in Burnaby where it will be incinerated, but added that there was “uncertainty with respect to timing” and the facility may not receive the waste over the weekend.  The waste containers became part of a diplomatic dispute between Manila and Ottawa, as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened Canada with war and withdrew top diplomats from Canada after Canada missed a May 15 deadline to take back the waste.  The waste was shipped to the Philippines in 2013 and 2014 and mislabeled as recyclable plastics. Instead, it was filled with garbage including used diapers and newspapers. A Philippine court ruled in 2016 that it be returned.  Canada made arrangements in late May to accept the containers and said they hired Bollore Logistics Canada to safely bring them back as soon as possible.  Waste disposal has emerged as a topic of political dispute between Southeast Asian countries and …

US Urges End to Mobile Data Blackout in 2 Myanmar States 

By Liner

The United States on Saturday urged an immediate end to a mobile data blackout in parts of two Myanmar states, saying a service restoration would help provide transparency to what the government says are law enforcement actions to avert unrest.  Morgan Ortagus, the State Department spokeswoman, said the United States was “deeply concerned” by the data shutdown that has curbed internet-based communications for as many as 1 million people in Rakhine and Chin states.  On Monday, Yanghee Lee, the special U.N. rapporteur who monitors human rights in Myanmar, said the Myanmar military was conducting a “clearance operation” against Arakan Army rebels in the blacked-out areas. She said she feared troops were committing “gross human rights violations” against civilians under the cover of the shutdown.  The Arakan Army, an insurgent group fighting for greater autonomy for Rakhine state, recruits from the state’s ethnic Rakhine Buddhist majority.  In a statement, Ortagus said internet service should be restored “without delay.”  “Resumption of service would help facilitate transparency in and accountability for what the government claims are law enforcement actions aimed at preventing further outbreaks of violence in the affected areas,” Ortagus said.  A leading Myanmar telecommunications operator, the Telenor Group, said on June 22 that the Ministry of Transport and Communications had ordered a temporary shutdown of internet services in western Myanmar, citing “disturbances of peace and the use of the internet to coordinate illegal activities.”  A military spokesman said the army had no information about the shutdown …

Hong Kong Protests Stir Questions in Macau

By Liner

Since Portugal’s colony of Macau reverted to Chinese control in 1999, it has become known for operating the world’s most profitable gaming industry and a go-along, get-along attitude toward Beijing. However, the continuing protests in Hong Kong over a controversial extradition bill may be triggering some small change of political attitudes in Macau, 65 kilometers (40.4 miles) away by ferry. Hong Kong businesses closed to support protests, so did some Macau shops, for example. FILE – Macau lawmaker and member of the election committee, Jose Coutinho, speaks to the media, July 26, 2009. Jose Pereira Coutinho, president of the pro-democracy New Hope party in Macau, and one of the most influential members of its legislative assembly, told VOA that despite the different legal systems in Macau and Hong Kong, the two Special Administrative Regions of China “are highly similar in the ways of life and their societies in general. We always reflect on what happens in Hong Kong. The recent protests there … are a lesson for the Macau government to not step into a wrong decision, so that the mistakes would not happen … in Macau.” His is not the only voice hinting at change. ‘One citizen, one photo’ …

Female Candidates Challenge Electability Question in Debates

By Liner

For months, the names of white men have sat at the top of early Democratic presidential primary polls. On the debate stage this week, the half-dozen women in the field offered up an alternative: themselves. They did so with different tactics and styles but a shared goal: shaking up assumptions about who is electable in a race for a job that has only been held by men. While it’s too early in the Democratic nominating process to know if they succeeded on that front, some of the women emerged as dominant forces on the debate stage, driving the policy discussions and insisting on being heard on issues despite the crowded field. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and California Sen. Kamala Harris led the way and were widely seen as among the top performers. “Over the past two nights, women won each debate and showed that this race is not over,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of Emily’s List, the largest national organization devoted to electing women. “They were great debaters, compelling storytellers and effective at making their case and getting in the fight when they had a point to make.” Of course, winning one debate is far different than winning the nomination …

A Village Benefits as India Links Welfare To Digital Economy

By Liner

Biru Devi is relaxed about getting paid for her labor as she toils on the picturesque hill slopes in Tanda village with a group of other women. She is working on a construction project under India’s flagship $10 billion rural jobs program that guarantees poor rural households 100 days of work every year.   “Earlier my money was never paid in time, maybe the bills did not get passed. But now my wages go into my bank account and are not delayed,” said Devi.   Women in Tanda village on the Himalayan slopes in Himachal Pradesh are among the millions of poor women who get 100 days of work a year as part of India’s rural employment welfare scheme for poor rural households. (A. Pasricha/VOA) The payments got streamlined after the 60-year-old Devi opened a bank account using her biometric identity card. The unique 12-digit identification number made it possible to operate the account even though she did not know how to read and write. All the 3000 village residents did so as part of a project led by a public sector bank and village authorities to transform Tanda into a digital village.     The switchover from cash to …

US, Taliban Open Doha Talks in Fresh Bid to End War

By Liner

A fresh round of talks between the U.S. and the Taliban began in Qatar on Saturday, just days after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington is hoping for an Afghan peace agreement before Sept. 1. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed to The Associated Press that negotiations had begun. Originally scheduled to begin in the morning, the two sides sat down mid-afternoon for the seventh time in a series of direct talks that began last year following the appointment of U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. FILE – Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. As in previous talks between Khalilzad and the Taliban, the focus will be on the withdrawal of U.S. troops and Taliban guarantees to prevent Afghanistan from again hosting militants who can stage global attacks. Both sides say they have come to an understanding on the withdrawal and the guarantees but the details have yet to be worked out. Both Khalilzad and Pompeo have said that agreements with the Taliban will come hand in hand with agreements on an intra-Afghan dialogue and a permanent cease fire. Until now, the Taliban have refused to meet directly with President Ashraf Ghani’s government but have held several rounds of talks with a …

Ongoing Violence in Eastern DR Congo Threatens Life-Saving Ebola Operation

By Liner

A senior World Health Organization official warns efforts to contain the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo will remain elusive unless the vicious cycle of violence in the region is broken.  Latest WHO figures put the number of Ebola cases at 2284, including 1540 deaths and 637 survivors.  WHO Assistant Director-General for Emergency Response Ibrahima Soce Fall says there has been good progress in scaling up operations to contain the spread of the deadly ebola virus in conflict-ridden North Kivu and Ituri provinces. Congolese security forces attend the scene after the vehicle of a health ministry Ebola response team was attacked in Beni, northeastern Congo Monday, June 24, 2019. Fall has just returned from a three-month stint in Butembo, the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic in DR Congo.  He says last week there were 79 new Ebola cases, 27 fewer than the previous week.  He says infections are continuing to fall in the major urban centers of Butembo and Katwa thanks to coverage in all 33 health areas.   At the same time, he tells VOA the operation is running into difficulty in the rural areas of Mabalako and Mandima, the new hot spots …

Reef ‘Grief” As Tourists Fear For Australia’s Greatest natural Treasure

By Liner

Australia’s national science agency says years of concern about the health of the Great Barrier Reef have created a type of ‘grief’ among tourists.  A survey of thousands of visitors to the reef has found they consider the world’s largest coral system to be less beautiful now, and worry about its decline.  The study is published in the journal, Nature Climate Change.  The Great Barrier Reef is nature’s gift to Australia, but it is in trouble because of climate change and pollution. “But now the largest living structure on the planet is becoming the largest dying structure.  Vast amounts of coral is being killed off by rising ocean temperatures.” A new study says that media coverage of damage to the reef is causing some tourists to start mourning its loss.  But researchers want to move beyond the despair and focus instead on positive changes that can help the world’s largest coral system from further decline.   More than 4,500 visitors were surveyed by Australia’s main science agency and other universities in the state of Queensland. Matt Curnock is from the CSIRO, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. “One of the first questions we ask are what are the first …

Italy arrests captain of charity vessel carrying migrants

By Liner

Italian police Saturday arrested the captain of the Dutch-flagged Sea Watch 3 vessel, owned by a German charity, after it docked in the port of Lampedusa with out authorization. The vessel, still carrying 40 African migrants, had been at sea for more than two weeks. Carola Rakete, the 31-year-old German captain of the Sea Watch 3, was arrested Saturday morning amid heavy police presence in the port of Lampedusa. She had entered the port without authorization and docked the vessel. Rakete said she had no choice but to enter the port because the situation of the migrants on board was very tense and she feared they would inflict self-harm. Italian authorities had refused to allow the vessel entry into Lampedusa since it rescued 53 migrants on an inflatable raft off the coast of Libya on June 12. Malta had also refused port entry to the Sea Watch 3. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini had been clear about his requests. He said he wanted the arrest of any unlawful person who even put at risk Italian law and order officials, a fine for this foreign NGO, the seizure of the ship to stop it going around the Mediterranean breaking the laws …

Latest Taliban Attacks Kill At Least 42 Afghan Forces 

By Liner

The Taliban has killed dozens of government forces in its latest battlefield attacks in Afghanistan as the insurgent group opens a new round of peace negotiations with the United States in Qatar to discuss a political settlement to the deadly Afghan war. Officials in northern Baghlan province said Saturday a large group of insurgents assaulted several security outposts in Nahreen district, triggering hours-long fierce clashes. The district chief, Fazluddin Mardi, told VOA the attack killed 26 in the pro-government anti-Taliban forces and wounded eight others. He asserted that insurgents also suffered heavy casualties but gave no further details. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid gave a much higher casualty toll for Afghan forces, saying several senior commanders were also among those killed. Attack in Kandahar province The Taliban also carried out an early morning attack against police posts in southern Kandahar province. A security official told VOA the insurgent raid in the Takhta Pol district near the airport of the provincial capital, also named Kandahar, killed 16 policemen and wounded four others. The insurgent group in a statement claimed it killed 20 Afghan police personnel, though Taliban spokesman people often issue inflated claims for such attacks. Taliban captured Separately, provincial governor Hayatullah …

US, China Leaders Meet Amid Trade War

By Liner

Both the U.S. and Chinese presidents, as they began a tense meeting Saturday, expressed hope about improving relations amid their escalating trade war. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, sitting across the table from each other on the sidelines of the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in Osaka, made brief statements but did not answer any questions from a group of reporters. “China and the United States both benefit from cooperation and lose in a confrontation,” Xi stated. “Cooperation and dialogue are better than friction and confrontation.” Xi added that he wanted to exchange views with Trump “on the fundamental issues concerning the growth of China-U.S. relations so as to set the direction of our relationship.” U.S. President Donald Trump meets with China’s President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G-20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. Trump: ‘We want to do something’ Trump, noting his “excellent relationship” with Xi, said “we want to do something that will even it up with respect to trade. I think it’s something that’s very easy to do.” The U.S. president said that the two countries had been very close to achieving a historic trade agreement and then …

Mexico Bolsters Borders as US Talks with Northern Triangle Continue

By Liner

VOA associate producer Jesusemen Oni contributed to this report from Washington.     As U.S. lawmakers agreed this week to provide billions of dollars in funding to federal law enforcement agencies at the Southwestern border, Mexico ramped up its own border efforts, deploying thousands of newly commissioned National Guard troops to its southern and northern frontiers.  The country’s immigration agency also announced it would hire new agents for the third time this year, though on a decidedly smaller scale than the troop deployment. The original posting was for 66 officers, but authorities said they might approve funds for more.    Meanwhile, Kevin McAleenan, acting head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said Friday that he would be meeting again with Northern Triangle officials in the coming week, as Washington attempts to lock down an asylum deal with Guatemala to divert asylum seekers away from Mexico and the U.S.    FILE – Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in Washington, May 23, 2019. Expectations on migration    Despite a dizzying number of moving parts to the multicountry brokering, McAleenan told reporters he expected to see results of the attempts to mitigate unauthorized migration across the southwestern U.S. border by next month. …

Trump to Kim: Let’s Shake Hands at the DMZ

By Liner

U.S. President Donald Trump says he is willing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, “just to shake his hand and say hello.” Trump made the offer in a tweet just hours ahead of landing in South Korea on Saturday. After some very important meetings, including my meeting with President Xi of China, I will be leaving Japan for South Korea (with President Moon). While there, if Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) FILE – U.S. special representative to North Korea Steve Biegun speaks after being named by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department in Washington, Aug. 23, 2018. Indicator of progress It would be the third meeting between Trump and Kim, who met in Singapore last June and in Vietnam in February. Since Vietnam, working-level negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have broken down because of disagreement over how to pace sanctions relief with the dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear weapons. In recent weeks, Trump and Kim have exchanged personal letters, raising hopes the talks may get …

Trump Praises Saudi Crown Prince at G-20 Meeting 

By Liner

VOA’s White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman in Osaka, Japan, and Dorian Jones in Istanbul contributed to this report. U.S. President Donald Trump praised Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the two met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan, calling him a “friend of mine” who has done a “spectacular job.” Trump said Saturday he appreciated Saudi Arabia’s purchase of U.S. military equipment and said the prince has worked to open up his country with economic and social reforms. The U.S. president declined to respond to questions from the media on whether he would raise the issue of the death last year of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Saudi prince has faced international scrutiny since Khashoggi was killed in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul last year. Following their working breakfast on Saturday, the White House said the two leaders had a productive meeting, discussing the growing threat from Iran, the need to ensure stability in global oil markets and the importance of human rights issues.   FILE – This combination of file photos shows U.S. President Donald Trump on March 28, 2017, in Washington, and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Feb. 22, 2017, …

Senate Fails to Limit Trump War Powers 

By Liner

Political unease over the White House’s tough talk against Iran is reviving questions about President Donald Trump’s ability to order military strikes without approval from Congress. The Senate fell short Friday, in a 50-40 vote, on an amendment to a sweeping Defense bill that would require congressional support before Trump acts. It didn’t reach the 60-vote threshold needed for passage. But lawmakers said the majority showing sent a strong message that Trump cannot continue relying on the nearly 2-decade-old war authorizations Congress approved in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The House is expected to take up the issue next month. Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 29, 2019. “A congressional vote is a pretty good signal of what our constituents are telling us — that another war in the Middle East would be a disaster right now, we don’t want the president to just do it on a whim,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a co-author of the measure with Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. “My gut tells me that the White House is realizing this is deeply unpopular with the American …

(Im)migration Recap, June 23-28

By Liner

Editor’s note: We want you to know what’s happening, why and how it could impact your life, family or business, so we created a weekly digest of the top original immigration, migration and refugee reporting from across VOA. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.   Congress’ border battle  In a begrudging statement Thursday, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats would sign on to an emergency funding deal to boost the government response at the southern U.S. border. Democratic lawmakers sought more proactive language in the bill regarding the care of children in custody, but “reluctantly” agreed to the Senate’s version of the legislation.  Deal or no deal in Guatemala  Guatemalans will be the first to admit: They may not be the best-equipped nation to handle refugees, when so many of the country’s own citizens choose to leave for a safer life elsewhere. Yet the U.S. continues to try to broker a deal with the Central American country’s government to divert potential asylum seekers from Mexico and the US.  Detained children transferred  The U.S. government said it would move hundreds of children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without their parents out of a Texas detention center and into …

Trump to Meet Chinese President for High-Stakes Talk on Trade 

By Liner

VOA’s Steve Herman and Dorian Jones contributed to this report. U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, to try to restart trade negotiations between the countries that broke off last month.    Trump, asked by VOA News during his meeting Friday at the summit with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro whether he expected Xi to put a trade deal offer on the table on Saturday, replied: “We’ll see what happens tomorrow. It’ll be a very exciting day, I’m sure, for a lot of people, including the world. … It’s going to come out hopefully well for both countries and ultimately it will work out.”    FILE – This combination of file photos shows U.S. President Donald Trump on March 28, 2017, in Washington, and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Feb. 22, 2017, in Beijing. Xi and Trump will meet June 29, 2019, in Osaka, Japan. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said this week that Trump did not agree to any preconditions for the high-stakes meeting with Xi and was maintaining his threat to impose new tariffs on Chinese goods.    Trump has threatened another $325 billion in …

Former USAGM Official Pleads Guilty to Nearly $40,000 Theft of Government Funds

By Liner

A former State Department official and senior employee of the U.S. Agency for Global Media pleaded guilty on Thursday to stealing nearly $40,000 in government funds last year while in the employ of the federal agency. Haroon K. Ullah, who served as chief strategy officer for USAGM from late 2017 to early this year, admitted in U.S. court in Alexandria, Virginia, that he received thousands of dollars in reimbursements from the federal agency by submitting falsified hotel, taxi and Uber invoices, and by billing the government for personal trips to promote his book and weekend trips, during which he performed no USAGM-related work. Ullah, 41, also admitted in court documents that he falsified a letter from a real doctor claiming that Ullah needed to fly in business class because of a sore knee that required him to “lie flat” on long flights. The false letter enabled Ullah to get expensive business class upgrades on several international flights at government expense. One such upgrade for a flight to Cologne, Germany, cost the agency more than $1,600. According to a court filing signed by one of Ullah’s attorneys, Ullah used a laptop issued by the agency and an invoice generator to create …

Women of Color Ready to Claim 2020 As Their Election Year

By Liner

The campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination kicked off this week in Miami with two nights of debates in a city known for its diversity and its close connection with immigrants from Haiti, Cuba and around the world. Democrats hope this early outreach will resonate with one of their strongest bases of voters: women of color. But as VOA’s Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports from Miami, these voters are speaking up and demanding more from candidates. …

Dominican Police Arrest ‘Mastermind’ in David Ortiz Shooting

By Liner

Authorities in the Dominican Republic say they have arrested the mastermind behind the shooting of baseball great David Ortiz earlier this month in an apparent case of mistaken identity.   Police said Friday that Victor Hugo Gomez was detained in the Caribbean country. No further details were immediately released.   Authorities had said last week that they believed Gomez was living in the U.S.   He is accused of ordering the killing of his cousin, Sixto David Fernandez. Authorities say hit men confused Ortiz with Fernandez during the June 9 shooting at a bar in the capital of Santo Domingo. The two men are friends and were sharing a table.   Ortiz was flown to Boston and remains hospitalized there after doctors in the Dominican Republic removed his gallbladder and part of his intestine. …

Firearms Safety

By Liner

VOA Connect Ep 76 – We look at T4Tactics, a training program that teaches participants how to respond to an active shooter and a father’s quest to keep his son’s memory alive and promote gun safety after Parkland.   …