Month: October 2019

President Donald Trump says there is "big success" on the Turkey-Syria border following the withdrawal of Kurdish forces from northeast Syria and the end of a Turkish offensive against them. "Big success on the Turkey/Syria Border. Safe Zone created! Ceasefire has held and combat missions have ended. Kurds are safe and have worked very nicely with us. Captured ISIS prisoners secured. I will be making a statement at 11:00 A.M. from the White House. Thank you!." Trump said on Twitter. Big success on the Turkey/Syria Border. Safe Zone created! Ceasefire has held and combat missions have ended. Kurds are safe and have worked very nicely with us. Captured ISIS prisoners secured. I will be making a statement at 11:00 A.M. from the White House. Thank you!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)…

The U.S. has postponed a resumption of refugee arrivals by at least another week, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to VOA on Tuesday, as the Trump administration pushes for further reductions in the number of refugees America takes in each year. The postponement follows last month's announcement that a pause in refugee arrivals would be in effect until Oct. 22 while the White House and Congress engaged in legally required discussions to determine how many refugees will be admitted for the 2020 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. The State Department now says refugee arrivals likely will resume next week "on or after October 29." Refugees who had been expected to travel to the U.S. in the interim will be rescheduled, according to an agency statement. The U.S. reached its…

Aid workers in northern Iraq say they are seeing increasing numbers of Syrians fleeing over the border into the mainly Kurdish region as the cease-fire in northeastern Syria is about to expire. In the past day alone, the Norwegian Refugee Council reports that 1,736 Syrians crossed into Iraq, the highest number to cross in one day since the beginning of Turkey's military operation. They say that many have escaped with just the clothes on their backs.  Ibrahim Barsoum is a program officer working with Syrian refugees for the Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq, run by a Catholic priest, Father Emanuel Youkhana. The group has been helping Iraqis displaced by Islamic State militants. Barsoum says the KRI, or Iraq's Kurdistan Region authority, facilitates their transfer into the country. "Usually the families…

A court established by Russia-backed separatists who hold parts of eastern Ukraine has sentenced journalist Stanislav Aseyev, an RFE/RL contributor, to 15 years in a penal colony. In a ruling condemned as "reprehensible" by RFE/RL's president, separatist news outlet DAN reported on Tuesday that the court had found Aseyev guilty of espionage, extremism, and public calls to violate the territory's integrity. Aseyev, who wrote under the pen name Stanislav Vasin, disappeared in Ukraine's Donetsk region on June 2, 2017, and has been held in detention since by the separatists. "The conviction against Stanislav Aseyev, which dates from August but was made public only today, is reprehensible," said RFE/RL President Jamie Fly. "Stas is a journalist and was only trying to raise awareness about the situation in eastern Ukraine. The ruling…

Twelve U.S. Democratic presidential candidates squared off in a spirited debate Tuesday night, all looking to confront President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, even as their Democratic congressional cohorts have accused Trump of political wrongdoing and opened an impeachment inquiry against him.    The dozen challengers all support the four-week-old impeachment probe, although Trump's removal through impeachment remains unlikely. The candidates, however, wasted no time before telling a national television audience why Trump should be impeached by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives to face trial in the Republican-majority Senate.    In his opening statement, former Vice President Joe Biden, one of Trump's top challengers, declared, "This president is the most corrupt ... in all our history," an assessment echoed across the debate stage.  'No one is above the law'…

“Desperate Housewives'' star Felicity Huffman — aka prisoner No. 77806-112 — reported Tuesday to a federal prison in California to serve a two-week sentence in a college admissions scandal that ensnared dozens of wealthy mothers and fathers trying to get their children into elite schools.    Huffman's husband, actor William H. Macy, dropped her off at the Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin, a low-security prison for women in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to TASC Group, which represents Huffman.    The prison has been described by media as “Club Fed,'' making its way onto a Forbes list in 2009 of America's 10 Cushiest Prisons.     Like all inmates, Huffman would be issued a prison uniform and underwear and referred to by her number once inside the prison, where she will…

Eight-year-old Sara hardly speaks anymore. She spends most of her time watching cartoons on a mobile phone in a rugged pink cover.      One of her legs is severed above the knee, the other is broken.    On Thursday, about 15 minutes after her family decided to flee the area, a bomb fell about 8 meters from Sara and her three siblings.      Doctors say hospitals in northeastern Syria are already working beyond their capacity, as aid organizations evacuate their foreign staff.  As Turkey continues to fight for a strip of land along its southern border, doctors say this war is turning into an unmitigated health disaster.    "Any further crisis will destroy us," said Dr. Furat Maqdesi Elias, who heads the Al Salam Hospital in Qamishli, a city on the Syrian…

Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno on Monday officially scrapped his own law to cut expensive fuel subsidies after days of violent protests against the IMF-backed measure, returning fuel prices to prior levels until a new measure can be found. The signing of the decree is a blow to Moreno, and leaves big questions about the oil-producing nation's fiscal situation. But it represents a win for the country's indigenous communities, who led the protests, bringing chaos to the capital and crippling the oil sector. The clashes marked the latest in a series of political convulsions sparked by IMF-backed reform plans in Latin America, where increased polarization between the right and left is causing widespread friction amid efforts to overhaul hidebound economies. Moreno's law eliminated four-decade-old fuel subsidies and was estimated to have…

Two Pacific Northwest tribes on Monday demanded the removal of three major hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River to save migrating salmon and starving orcas and restore fishing sites that were guaranteed to the tribes in a treaty more than 150 years ago. The Yakama and Lummi nations made the demand of the U.S. government on Indigenous Peoples Day, a designation that's part of a trend to move away from a holiday honoring Christopher Columbus. For decades, people have debated whether to remove four big dams on the Lower Snake River, a tributary of the Columbia, but breaching the Columbia dams, which are a much more significant source of power, has never been seriously discussed.   Proposals to merely curtail operations, let alone remove the structures, are controversial, and the…

Along Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, tens of thousands of New Yorkers and tourists celebrated the world's largest display of Italian-American pageantry on Columbus Day, while New Mexico and a growing list of states and municipalities ditched the holiday altogether for the first time. The Italian navigator namesake who sailed to the modern-day Americas in 1492, Christopher Columbus has long been considered by some scholars  and Native Americans as an affront to those who had settled on the land thousands of years prior to his arrival.  While the earliest  commemoration of Columbus Day dates back to 1866 in New York City,  as a celebration to honor the heritage and contributions of the now-17 million Italian-Americans living in the United States, the movement behind "Indigenous Peoples' Day" began more than a century later, in…

Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate are making their first official visit to Pakistan Monday that will "pay respect to the historical relationship" between the two countries. They are the first royals to visit Pakistan since 2006, when Charles and Camilla, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, toured the country. 🇬🇧🇵🇰 Coming soon...#RoyalVisitPakistan@UKinPakistanpic.twitter.com/F7pKLrrFgY— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 13, 2019 William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will be accorded a red carpet welcome when they land in the capital Islamabad under special security arrangements. "They are looking forward to building a lasting friendship with the people of Pakistan," British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew said in a video message on the eve of the five-day trip. The British royals will meet Pakistani Prime…

News reports say South Korean pop star and actress Sulli has been found dead at her home south of Seoul.   A report by Yonhap news agency said the 25-year-old was found Monday afternoon. The report said police have said there were no signs of foul play at her home in Seongnam.   Repeated calls to the Seongnam Sujeong Police Department and Sulli's agency weren't answered.   Sulli's legal name is Choi Jin-ri. She debuted in 2009 as a member of the girl band "f(x)" and also acted in numerous television dramas and movies. ...

For weeks, Spain has rejected repeated U.S. requests for the extradition of former Venezuelan spy chief Hugo Carvajal, wanted in the United States on drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges. Now, the reasons for Madrid's refusal are emerging: he is cooperating in Spain's efforts to mediate Venezuela's drawn out political crisis.  Spanish court documents say Carvajal was operating under "directions and orders from the Presidency of Venezuela," and analysts say Spain's protection of him may be influenced by his importance as an intelligence asset to the Spanish Foreign Intelligence Service, CNI. The weight of the charges levied by the United States is hefty. The indictment, sent to Voice of America by the Department of Justice, alleges that Carvajal “worked with terrorists and other drug traffickers to dispatch thousands of kilograms of…

Hunter Biden, the son of former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, on Sunday defended his work in Ukraine and China after calls by President Donald Trump that the two countries investigate his business dealings, pleas that have engulfed Trump in an impeachment inquiry. The younger Biden, whose father is one of the leading Democratic candidates seeking to face Trump in the 2020 presidential election, said in a statement issued by his lawyer that despite Trump's accusations of improprieties while he was a board member of the Burisma energy company in Ukraine for five years, no foreign or domestic law enforcement agency has accused him of any wrongdoing. Hunter Biden left the Burisma board last April and said, without giving an explanation, that he would leave the board of China's BHR…

Seven people were wounded after a mortar attack by al-Shabab militants hit the area around Mogadishu airport on Sunday, Somali witnesses and officials say The mortars landed on the heavily-guarded Halane area of the airport that houses the African Union and United Nations Mission in Somalia. Witnesses told VOA Somali that six mortars were fired at the vicinity just after 1pm local time. The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. The Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Somalia, James Swan, confirmed that the mortars landed inside the U.N. and AMISOM facilities.  “I am appalled by this blatant act of terrorism against our personnel, who work together with the Somali people on humanitarian, peace building, and development issues,” Swan said in a statement. “There is no justification for…

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan held talks Sunday with leaders in Iran to formally begin a diplomatic offensive he said was aimed at defusing the neighboring country’s escalating tensions with Saudi Arabia and the United States. Khan told a joint news conference after his “wide-ranging consultations” with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that his country’s close ties with both Tehran and Riyadh go a long way back and Islamabad will do its utmost to prevent a conflict between the two Islamic countries.   “We recognize that it's a complex issue. But we feel that this can be resolved through dialogue,” Khan stressed and announced he plans to travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to further his peace mission. “I have been very encouraged talking to you Mr. President. I feel encouraged…

Armed men stormed a mosque in the volatile north of Burkina Faso as worshippers were at prayer, killing 16 people and sending residents fleeing, security sources and locals said Saturday. The attack on the Grand Mosque in the town of Salmossi on Friday evening underscores the difficulties faced by the country in its battle against jihadists. One source said 13 people died at the scene and three succumbed to their injuries later. Two of the wounded are in critical condition. “Since this morning, people have started to flee the area,” one resident from the nearby town of Gorom-Gorom said. He said there was a “climate of panic despite military reinforcements” that were deployed after the deadly attack. Although hit by jihadist violence, many Burkinabes oppose the presence of foreign troops…

Britain remains a long way from agreeing on a final Brexit deal and the next few days will be critical if it is to reach departure terms with the European Union, a Downing Street source said Saturday. Negotiators for Britain and the EU entered intense talks over the weekend to see if they can break the Brexit impasse before a crucial summit next week and a deadline for Britain to leave the bloc Oct. 31. News of progress in the talks sent financial markets surging Friday after Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar identified a pathway to a deal following months of acrimony. But on Saturday the deputy leader of the Northern Irish party that holds a key role in the talks signaled his concern about the mooted…

Turkey’s military said it captured a key Syrian border town under heavy bombardment Saturday in its most significant gain since an offensive against Kurdish fighters began four days ago, with no sign of relenting despite mounting international criticism. Turkish troops entered central Ras al-Ayn, according to Turkey’s Defense Ministry and a war monitor group. The ministry tweeted: “Ras al-Ayn’s residential center has been taken under control through the successful operations in the east of Euphrates” River. It marked the biggest gain made by Turkey since the invasion began Wednesday. The continued push by Turkey into Syria comes days after President Donald Trump pulled U.S. forces out of the area, making Turkey’s air and ground offensive possible, and said he wanted to stop getting involved with “endless wars.” Trump’s decision drew…

Robert Forster, the handsome and omnipresent character actor who got a career resurgence and Oscar-nomination for playing bail bondsman Max Cherry in “Jackie Brown,” has died. He was 78. Forster’s publicist Kathie Berlin said he died Friday at home in Los Angeles of brain cancer following a brief illness. He was surrounded by family, including his four children and partner Denise Grayson. Condolences poured in Friday night on social media. Bryan Cranston wrote on Twitter that Forster was a “lovely man and a consummate actor.” The two met on the 1980 film “Alligator” and then worked together again on “Breaking Bad” and the spinoff film “El Camino,” which launched on Netflix Friday. “I never forgot how kind and generous he was to a young kid just starting out in Hollywood,”…

A heavy downpour and strong winds pounded Tokyo and surrounding areas Saturday as a powerful typhoon forecast as the worst in six decades approached landfall, with streets and train stations deserted and shops shuttered. Store shelves were bare after people stocked up on water and food. Nearby beaches had not a surfer in sight, only towering dashing waves. Typhoon Hagibis, closing in from the Pacific, brought heavy rainfall in wide areas of Japan ahead of its landfall, including Shizuoka and Mie prefectures, southwest of Tokyo, as well as Chiba to the north, which had suffered power outages and damaged homes from last month’s typhoon. Under gloomy skies, a tornado ripped through Chiba Saturday, overturning a car in the city of Ichihara and killing a man inside, city official Tatsuya Sakamaki…

Edwin Bernard, 73, is no stranger to flames that have frequently menaced his sunburned corner of Los Angeles, but they never arrived as quickly or came as close to his home before. Fire swept down the hill across the street and spit embers over his home of 30 years, sizzling through dry grass and igniting trees and bushes. He and his wife scrambled to go, leaving behind medication, photo albums and their four cats. “It was a whole curtain of fire,” Bernard said. “There was fire on all sides. We had to leave.” Bernard’s home and the cats left inside survived — barely. His backyard was charred. Bernard and his wife were among some 100,000 residents ordered out of their homes because of a wind-driven wildfire that broke out Thursday…

The climate action movement known as "Fridays for Future" has spread to Nigeria, where it is being led by a 16-year-old school girl, Faithwins Iwuh.  The movement started by a Swedish teenager, Greta Thunberg, now has millions of school children worldwide, who are demanding immediate action to counteract global warming. For VOA, Timothy Obiezu has more from Abuja. ...

Editor’s note: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was named Friday as this year's winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. In late May, he gave his first interview to a Western news organization when he spoke to the Voice of America’s Horn of Africa service reporter Eskinder Firew, in Addis Ababa, in Amharic. These highlights from their conversation have been edited for brevity and clarity. For the past year, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has led Ethiopia through dramatic changes. Entrenched ethnic tensions and complex regional conflicts have posed ongoing challenges to the young leader’s reform agenda, but he remains resolute in his desire to make the most of his time in office. Abiy spoke to VOA’s Eskinder Firew about Ethiopia’s relationship with neighbor Eritrea, judicial reforms and the imprint he hopes…

Labor rights advocates are warning that an Oct. 1 U.S. ban on imports from a Malaysian rubber glove maker over evidence of forced labor won't be the country's last if employers fail to act quickly to mend conditions for long-suffering migrant workers. Washington announced the ban on the Malaysian firm WRP Asia Pacific along with products from four other countries because of evidence that they were being made with forced labor. Other companies and commodities include a Chinese apparel maker and gems from Zimbabwe's Marange Diamond Fields. The importers hit with the U.S. "withhold release orders" can either re-export the shipments that have arrived or prove that they were not made with forced labor to get them through customs. "Our message here is clear," Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner in…

Sudan's ruling council has appointed the country's first woman chief justice. The appointment is seen as another step forward for female representation in the new transitional government.  The Sovereign Council has officially confirmed the pick of Neemat Abdullah as chief justice of the country's judiciary, a first in Sudan and the entire Arab world. Many in Sudan see the appointment as a major step forward for Sudanese women. Researcher and politican Nahid Jabrallah, the founder of the Sima center for children, said the appointment of Judge Neemat Abdullah is a victory for Sudanese women and very symbolic of Sudanese women's participation in the 30-year fight [against Bashir].  It also shows a commitment to women and women's issues. <!--[if IE 9]><![endif]--><!--[if IE 9]><![endif]-->Sudan’s Copts See Hope in Appointment of First ChristianSudanese…

The Swedish Academy's decision to bestow the 2018 Nobel Prize in literature on Polish author Olga Tokarczuk has given a rare morale boost to liberal Poles only three days before a national election that is likely to be won by the country's right-wing populist party. Tokarczuk, 57, is a literary celebrity in Poland, whose reputation has risen fast in the English-speaking world, particularly after she won the Man Booker International prize in 2018 for her novel “Flights.” She won the Nobel for what the prize committee said was “a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life.” <!--[if IE 9]><![endif]--><!--[if IE 9]><![endif]-->Polish Author Tokarczuk and Austria's Handke Win Nobel Literature PrizeThe Swedish Academy did not name a winner for the prize last…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has denied that his American counterpart, Donald Trump, tried to blackmail him. Claims that Trump requested a corruption investigation into Hunter Biden, son of Democrat Joe Biden – in return for military aid - are the subject of an impeachment inquiry in the United States. Henry Ridgwell has more from Kyiv. ...