Month: December 2019

U.S. President Donald Trump berated Democratic lawmakers over his impeachment Tuesday as a legislative standoff continues over a Senate impeachment trial. “They treated us very unfairly and now they want to be treated fairly in the Senate,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump also took aim specifically at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for indefinitely postponing the sending of the articles of impeachment to Republican-controlled Senate so a trial can begin. “She hates all of the people that voted for me and the Republican Party,” he declared. “She’s doing a disservice to the country.” On a near straight party line vote, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives approved two articles of impeachment against Trump last Wednesday, making him only the third U.S. president to be impeached in the country’s 243-year history. He is accused of abusing the power of the presidency to benefit himself politically and then obstructing congressional efforts to investigate his actions. Last week, U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell dismissed calls by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to hear testimony from four officials during a Senate impeachment trial, including former National Security Adviser John Bolton and Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.  The officials had refused to testify during the House impeachment inquiry of the president. On Monday, however, McConnell softened his position, saying Republicans have not ruled out calling witnesses in Trump’s impeachment trial. “We haven’t ruled out witnesses,” McConnell told “Fox & Friends.” on Monday. “We’ve said, ‘Let’s handle …

Every year for the last 30 years around Christmas, United Airlines organizes what they call a fantasy flight. They take over 100 children and their families who are part of the Children’s Hospice International Network on a very special trip. Anna Nelson has the story narrated by Anna Rice. …

President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia has got a strong edge in designing new weapons and that it has become the only country in the world to deploy hypersonic weapons.                     Speaking at a meeting with top military brass, Putin said that for the first time in history Russia is now leading the world in developing an entire new class of weapons unlike in the past when it was catching up with the United States.                     The Russian leader noted that during Cold War times, the Soviet Union was behind the United States in designing the atomic bomb and building strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles.                     “Now we have a situation that is unique in modern history when they are trying to catch up to us,” he said. “Not a single country has hypersonic weapons, let alone hypersonic weapons of intercontinental range.”                     The Pentagon and the U.S. military services have been working on the development of hypersonic weapons in recent years, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in August that he believes “it’s probably a matter of a couple of years” before the U.S. has one. He has called it a priority as the military works to develop new long-range fire capabilities.                     The U.S. also has repeatedly warned Congress about hypersonic missiles being developed by Russia and China that will be harder to track and defeat. U.S. officials have talked about putting a layer of sensors in space to more quickly …

Gov. Ralph Northam’s office said Monday that he will push for legislation replacing Virginia’s statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee housed in the United States Capitol. The governor filed a drafting request for a bill that would outline the process for removing the statue — one of Virginia’s two in the National Statuary Hall Collection — and selecting a replacement, Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said. The disclosure from Northam’s office came in response to questions about a letter from two Democratic members of Congress that called on Northam to make replacing the statue part of his agenda for the legislative session that begins next month. “As Virginians, we have a responsibility to not only learn from but also confront our history,” U.S. Reps. Jennifer Wexton and A. Donald McEachin wrote in a letter released Monday. “As part of this responsibility, we must strive for a more complete telling of history by raising up the voices, stories, and memories of minorities and people of color.” Yarmosky said Northam’s office had previously discussed the issue with McEachin and Wexton’s offices “and we look forward to continuing to work with them and all others who are committed to making Virginia open, inclusive, and equitable.” She said additional details about the legislation would be announced later. The National Statuary Hall Collection consists of 100 statues, two each from all 50 states, that honor notable people in their history. Virginia’s other statue is of George Washington. “Virginia’s decision to donate the statue of Lee …

The Trump administration awarded billions of dollars in contracts for private companies to operate immigration detention centers in California — less than two weeks before a new state law takes effect to prohibit them. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill in October to ban contracts for for-profit prisons starting Jan. 1. Supporters hoped the law would force U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to look elsewhere after current contracts expire. A federal website posted long-term awards on Friday worth a combined $6.8 billion for detention facilities in San Diego, Calexico, Adelanto and Bakersfield. The sites will house about 4,000 detainees, with capacity to expand in the future. ICE said the contracts were not subject to the new state law, deflecting criticism that the timing was meant to circumvent it. Paige Hughes, an agency spokeswoman, said ICE believed the new contracts will limit transfers of detainees outside California, where they would be farther from family, friends and legal representatives. “State laws aimed at obstructing federal law enforcement are inappropriate and harmful,” Hughes said. FILE – The Adelanto U.S. Immigration and Enforcement Processing Center operated by GEO Group, Inc., a Florida-based company specializing in privatized corrections, is seen in Adelanto, Calif., Aug. 28, 2019. Vicky Waters, a spokeswoman for Newsom, said Monday that ICE was trying to get around the law, which she called a historic step to address excessive incarceration, including detention of immigrants and asylum-seekers. “For-profit prisons, including ICE-contracted facilities, run contrary to our values and have no place in California,” …

The State Department has withdrawn the U.S. ambassador to Zambia after he strongly criticized the south African country for jailing a gay couple for having sex. A State Department spokesperson said Ambassador Daniel Foote’s job in Zambia is “no longer tenable” because Zambian President Edgar Lungu said he no longer wants to work with Foote. “Despite this action, the United States remains committed to our partnership with the Zambian people,” the spokesperson said, adding that the U.S. “firmly opposes abuses against LGBTI persons. Governments have an obligation to ensure that all people can freely enjoy the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms to which they are entitled.” Ambassador Foote said last month that he was horrified by the 15-year prison sentence a Zambian court handed out to two men for having sex in what the court said was “against the order of nature.” When Zambian officials criticized Foote’s reaction, he said all they want are diplomats “with open pocketbooks and closed mouths.” Zambia has not yet commented on Foote’s withdrawal. The country gets hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid every year.   …

The Christmas spirit encompassing the old and the new is alive in historic Williamsburg, Virginia. The colonial town dates back to the 1600s, while nearby Busch Gardens amusement park opened in the 1970s. Both places are displaying different but unique holiday decorations, making Williamsburg one of the best places in the United States to visit during the Christmas season. VOA’s Deborah Block takes us on a tour. …

The United States has confirmed a news report citing unnamed Iranian officials as saying about 1,500 people were killed in a crackdown by security forces on anti-government protests last month. In a report published Monday, London-based Reuters said it obtained the death toll from three Iranian interior ministry officials who said the fatalities included “at least 17 teenagers and about 400 women as well as some members of the security forces and police.” Special Report: Iran’s Leader Ordered Crackdown on Unrest – ‘Do Whatever it Takes to End it’ Order, confirmed by three sources close to the supreme leader’s inner circle and a fourth official, set in motion the bloodiest crackdown on protesters since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 In a Monday tweet, the State Department quoted U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook as saying the Reuters report “underscores the urgency for the international community to punish the perpetrators and isolate the regime for the murder of 1,500 Iranian citizens.” Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook: “The @Reuters report on the massacre ordered by @khamenei_ir underscores the urgency for the international community to punish the perpetrators and isolate the regime for the murder of 1,500 Iranian citizens.” https://t.co/TpUncLjDcv — Department of State (@StateDept) December 23, 2019 Reuters’ death toll was much higher than the latest fatalities reported by British rights group Amnesty International, which said in a Dec. 16 statement that it documented the killings of at least 304 demonstrators by Iranian security forces in days of unrest that …

Opposition politicians in Africa face tough challenges — including arrest, intimidation and violence — as they struggle to upend decades of rule by the parties that originally brought liberation from colonialism. But their struggle, they say, is not only an African movement — it’s a global generational shift towards accountability and a departure from authoritarian leadership. VOA’s Anita Powell met with two of the continent’s most vocal opposition leaders, and reports from Johannesburg. …

Egypt’s former military chief-of-staff Sami Anan was released from detention on Sunday almost two years after his arrest following his plans to compete in the 2018 presidential election, his office manager said on Twitter. Anan, now at home according to the manager, was held in a military prison until he suffered a stroke in July 2018 and was then moved to a military hospital in Cairo’s Maadi suburb, where he remained until his release. His health has improved, a source familiar with the matter said. The reason for his release is still unclear. Anan, seen as Sisi’s main challenger in that election, was arrested and halted his presidential bid after the military accused him of running for office without permission, which it said was a breach of military law. Anan’s spokesman denied that he had broken any laws. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was re-elected for a second term in 2018, winning 97% of the vote with a turnout of 41%. The election featured only one other candidate, an ardent Sisi supporter, after opposition contenders halted their campaigns in January. …

For the first time in more than 200 years, France’s historic Notre Dame Cathedral will be dark and silent for Christmas. The iconic Gothic structure was ravaged in April by a fire that destroyed parts of the roof, the spire and vault. “This is the first time since the French Revolution that there will be no midnight Mass” at Notre Dame, said cathedral rector Patrick Chauvet. Christmas services have been moved a mile away to Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, a church dating back to the 7th century. There has been a Christmas service every year at the UNESCO World Heritage site through France’s sometimes tumultuous history. The only time it was forced to close was during the anti-Catholic revolutionary period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. President Emmanuel Macron has set a timetable of five years to complete repairs on the eight-centuries-old structure. French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause of the fire, suggesting that it might have been the fault of a stray cigarette or an electrical malfunction.  …

While the international attention on China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang has focused mainly on ethnic and religious issues, Beijing’s economic development plans in the strategic region also play a key role in shaping the conflict, some experts and observers say. Home to more than 11 million Turkic-speaking Uighurs, Xinjiang covers an area of 1.66 million square kilometers that accounts for one-sixth of China’s land mass. Its oil, natural gas and coal reserves make up more than 20% of China’s energy reserves, turning the region into a national powerhouse. The government in Beijing since 2017 has launched a major campaign of mass surveillance and the detention of over one million Uighurs and other Turkic minorities in the so-called “re-education” camps.    Darren Byler, a Seattle-based anthropologist at the University of Washington who studies the Uighurs, charged that Chinese government’s economic development programs in Xinjiang to access natural resources have allowed a huge influx of majority Han migrants to the region. This has triggered more conflict with Uighurs who fear a demographic change in their land. Uighurs: Some Quick Facts video player. Embed Copy Link The programs, such as the Open up the Northwest Campaign in the 1990s, and the larger scale Open up the West Campaign in the 2000s, allowed Han corporate farmers to claim Uighur land and expand industrial scale agriculture in the Uighur-majority region, Byler told VOA. “In general, Uighurs were excluded from the most lucrative jobs in these new industries by state-authorized job discrimination. Uighurs saw …

Ecuador declared a state of emergency Sunday after a barge carrying nearly 2,300 liters of diesel fuel sank at the Galapagos Islands. A crane collapsed while loading fuel onto the ship at a port on San Cristobal, the easternmost island of the Galapagos chain. A heavy container of fuel fell to the deck, causing the barge to go down while the crew jumped overboard for their lives. Soldiers and environmentalists immediately deployed barriers and absorbent cloths to stop the spilled fuel from spreading. Experts will assess the damage. The Galapagos, which are part of Ecuador, is a United Nations World Heritage Site and is one of the globe’s most fragile ecosystems. Many of the plant and animal species who live on the islands are found nowhere else in the world. The island chain is renowned for helping Charles Darwin develop his theory of evolution in the mid-19th century.   …

Russian Prime Minister Sergei Lavrov has struck a defiant tone, saying the Nord Stream 2 and Turk Stream gas pipeline projects will be launched despite U.S. sanctions. Quoted by the Interfax news agency on December 22, Lavrov said that Russia planned to respond to the new measures. U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill on December 22 that included legislation imposing sanctions on firms laying pipe for Nord Stream 2, which seeks to double gas capacity along the northern Nord Stream pipeline route to Germany. More sanctions against Russia for its alleged interference in democratic processes abroad as well as its “malign” actions in Syria and aggression against Ukraine — known as the “sanctions bill from hell” — has been approved by a U.S. Senate committee but has not been put to a vote in Congress. In other remarks, Lavrov said Russia was prepared to include the heavy Sarmat missile and the Avangard hypersonic missile if the New START arms treaty with the United States is extended. Russia is also ready to demonstrate the Sarmat missile to the United States, Interfax cited Lavrov as saying on a talk show on Russian state television. …

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday defended a new citizenship law critics claim discriminates against Muslims at a rally in New Delhi as protests over the law continue. More than 20 people across the country have died in clashes with police since parliament passed the discriminatory law earlier this month. The new law allows for Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities who are in India illegally to become citizens, if they can prove they were persecuted because of their religion in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  The new law, however, does not apply to Muslims. “People who are trying to spread lies and fear, look at my work. If you see any trace of divisiveness in my work, show it to the world,” Modi told the demonstration.  He said the opposition Congress party was trying to “push not only New Delhi but other parts of the country into a fear psychosis.” Critics of the new law say it violates India’s secular constitution and seeks to marginalize India’s 200 million Muslims.   …

Afghanistan’s incumbent President Ashraf Ghani has apparently won a second five-year term based on preliminary results announced Sunday for the disputed September 28 presidential vote. The head of the country’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) released the long-delayed outcomes at a news conference in Kabul, noting that Ghani secured around 51% (50.64 exact figure) of the more than 1.8 million total votes. Hawa Alam Nuristani said Ghani’s main challenger and governing partner in the outgoing unity government, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, received 39.52% of the ballots. The rest of the votes were shared among other candidates, she said. Hawa Alam Nuristani, chief of Election Commission of Afghanistan, center, leaves after a press conference at the Independent Election Commission office in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 22, 2019. Election authorities were originally due to release the preliminary results on October 19 but allegations of fraud from candidates, particularly Abdullah, and technical issues had forced the IEC to repeatedly delay the announcement. “We have accomplished our task with honesty, responsibility, transparency, faithfulness and courage, respecting every single vote to ensure that democracy continues and endures in our country,” Nuristani stressed. President Ghani announced via a Twitter post he will address the nation later Sunday to speak about the preliminary election results and “thank the nation for their patience with the process.” But Abdullah swiftly rejected as “fraudulent” the initial results, fueling concerns the fallout from the bitterly contested Afghan presidential polls is far from over and a final outcome could still take weeks. “We would …

It took a blaze that nearly destroyed Paris’ most famous cathedral to reveal a gap in global safety regulations for lead, a toxic building material found across many historic cities. After the Notre Dame fire in April spewed dozens of tons of toxic lead-dust into the atmosphere in just a few hours, Paris authorities discovered a problem with the city’s public safety regulations: There was no threshold for them to gauge how dangerous the potentially-deadly pollution was from the dust that settled on the ground. Toxic Lead Removed From Paris Schools After Notre Dame Fire Paris authorities ordered a deep clean and removal of hazardous substances at schools near the cathedral, after the April 15 blaze which seriously damaged it sent tons of toxic lead into the air Since then, The Associated Press has found this regulatory gap extends far beyond France. Officials in other historic European capitals such as Rome and London, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization also have no such outdoor lead dust hazard guidelines. The reason, they say, is that although there are lead regulations, no one contemplated a conflagration on a lead-laden building the scale of Notre Dame — whose spire towered nearly 100 meters (330 feet) high. Poisoning from lead dust can cause permanent loss to cognitive ability, seizures, coma, or death — and exposure is of greatest risk to pregnant mothers and to young children, who can easily transfer toxic dust into their mouths. People watch …

2019 began with cheers at the U.S. Capitol as a record number of women as well as ethnic and religious minority members were sworn in as lawmakers. But, as 435 representatives and 100 senators got down to work, polarized politics regularly stalled progress in the politically-divided Congress, which ended the year consumed by the impeachment of President Donald Trump. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti reports, even with impeachment proceedings, Congress ended the year with a sudden flurry of significant legislative action …