Year: 2019

New satellite images published Monday by the European Space Agency show an increase in air pollution in the Brazilian Amazon while fires burned in the region last month. Several maps showed more carbon monoxide and other pollutants in August than in the previous month, when there were fewer fires. The agency said fires released carbon dioxide once stored in the Amazon forests back into the atmosphere, potentially having an impact on the global climate and health. Burning continues in the Amazon despite a 60-day ban on land-clearing fires that was announced last month by President Jair Bolsonaro. Data from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research showed the number of fires in all of Brazil has surpassed 100,000 so far this year, up 45 percent compared to the same period in…

Barcelona could cut deaths from air pollution and improve quality of life by implementing in full a plan to calm traffic and free up space for residents, researchers said Monday. The compact Spanish city is home to more than 1.6 million people and is plagued by contaminants and noise largely due to heavy density of traffic, as well as lack of greenery. A study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), published in the journal Environment International, found the city of Barcelona could prevent 667 premature deaths every year if it created 503 "superblocks" as first proposed. The superblocks — which keep cars out of designated areas in the city and develop public space in streets — have been complex to roll out, with only six put in place so…

The American Medical Association on Monday urged Americans to stop using electronic cigarettes of any sort until scientists have a better handle on the cause of 450 lung illnesses and at least five deaths related to the use of the products. The AMA, one of the nation's most influential physician groups, also called on doctors to inform patients about the dangers of e-cigarettes, including toxins and carcinogens, and swiftly report any suspected cases of lung illness associated with e-cigarette use to their state or local health department. The recommendation followed advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday for people to consider not using e-cigarette products while it investigates the cause of the spate of severe lung illnesses associated with vaping. Many, but not all, of…

Officials in northern Burkina Faso say at least 29 people were killed in two separate incidents Sunday.  Government spokesman Remis Dandjinou said, in a statement, at least 15 people were killed when a truck carrying people and goods "rode over an improvised explosive device in the Barsalogho area."  Fourteen people were killed when a food convoy of trucks came under attack in Sanmatenga province, according to the spokesman.  The French news agency AFP reports that locals sources said many of the dead in the convoy were the drivers of the vehicles carrying provisions for people displaced by fighting.  "Military reinforcements have been deployed and a thorough search in under way," said Dandjinou.  Millions of people in Burkina Faso are facing an unprecedented humanitarian emergency because of growing hunger, instability and…

Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China and any form of  secessionism "will be crushed,” state media said on Monday, a day after demonstrators rallied at the U.S. consulate to ask for help in bringing democracy to city. The China Daily newspaper said Sunday's rally in Hong Kong was proof that foreign forces were behind the protests, which began in mid-June, and warned that demonstrators should "stop trying the patience of the central government". Chinese officials have accused foreign forces of trying to hurt Beijing by creating chaos in Hong Kong over a hugely unpopular extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to be tried in Communist Party-controlled courts. Anger over the bill grew into sometimes violent protests calling for more freedoms for Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese…

Nissan Motor Co's nominating committee will discuss Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa's resignation and possible successors at a meeting on Monday, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Saikawa has expressed his desire to resign from the troubled automaker and is not "clinging to his chair", the source said, declining to be identified because the information has not been made public. The Nikkei newspaper earlier reported that Saikawa told reporters on Monday he wanted to "pass the baton" to the next generation as soon as possible. The executive has come under pressure since admitting last week to being improperly compensated.   ...

Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday replaced the energy minister with one of his sons, state media said, in a major shakeup as the OPEC kingpin reels from low oil prices. The appointment of Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, half-brother to de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, marks the first time a royal family member has been put in charge of the all-important Energy Ministry. He replaces veteran official Khalid al-Falih as the world's top crude exporter accelerates preparations for a much-anticipated stock listing of state-owned oil giant Aramco, expected to be the world's biggest. "Khalid al-Falih has been removed from his position," the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing a royal decree. "His royal highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman is appointed minister of energy." Since his appointment as…

Top oil producers will consider fresh output cuts at a meeting this week, but analysts are doubtful they will succeed in bolstering crude prices dented by the U.S.-China trade war. The OPEC petroleum exporters' cartel and key non-OPEC members want to halt a slide in prices that has continued despite previous production cuts and US sanctions that have squeezed supply from Iran and Venezuela. Analysts say the OPEC+ group's Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, which monitors a supply cut deal reached last year, has limited options when it meets in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. UAE Energy Minister Suheil al-Mazrouei said Sunday the group would do "whatever necessary" to rebalance the crude market, but admitted that the issue was not entirely in the hands of the world's top producers. Speaking at a…

Turkish and U.S. troops conducted their first joint ground patrol in northeastern Syria Sunday as part of a planned so-called "safe zone" that Ankara has been pressing for in the volatile region. Turkey hopes the buffer zone, which it says should be at least 30 kilometers (19 miles) deep, will keep Syrian Kurdish fighters, considered a threat by Turkey but U.S. allies in the fight against the Islamic State group, away from its border. Associated Press journalists in the town of Tal Abyad saw about a dozen Turkish armored vehicles with the country's red flag standing along the border after crossing into Syria, and American vehicles about a mile away waiting. The two sides then came together in a joint patrol with American vehicles leading the convoy. At least two…

This story originated in VOA's Ukrainian service. Some information is from Reuters and RFE. VOA Ukrainian's Tatiana Vorozhko contributed reporting.  WASHINGTON - Ukrainian security officials have a launched an investigation into "subversive" activities by one of the Eastern European country's defense contractors over plans to supply military hardware to neighboring Russia.    Ukraine's main government agency for counterintelligence and counterterrorism, the SBU, confirmed Thursday that Motor Sich, the country's largest manufacturer of engines for missiles and military aircraft, was under investigation for preparing an illegal export shipment of military or dual-use equipment to Russia, with whom Ukraine is at war. The news was first reported by RFE.    SBU officers raided Motor Sich headquarters and seized its shares in 2018 when the defense firm, then valued at nearly $500 million, was in the process of being sold to a…

Bidi Bidi refugee camp is home to nearly a quarter-million South Sudanese who fled the violence of civil war in their home country. Its progressive policies allow refugees to live, farm and work together while they wait to return to their home country. But, as conditions are slow to improve in South Sudan, many refugees are opting to stay. Bidi Bidi Refugee Camp U.S. Democratic Senators Chris Coons and Chris Van Hollen visited the camp recently. The two lawmakers were touring several refugee settlements throughout Uganda last month, including Bidi Bidi -- one of the world’s largest. Speaking by phone, Senator Van Hollen called the settlements an “important model” that other countries should consider when housing the displaced. Commandant Nabugere Michael Joel, an official at Bidi Bidi, takes questions from…

Winston Churchill’s grandson, who was expelled midweek from the Conservative party for voting to delay Brexit, launched Saturday a scathing attack on Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who wrote a biography of his grandfather, saying he should stop comparing himself to Britain’s iconic wartime leader as he’s “nothing like” him. “Winston Churchill was like Winston Churchill because of his experiences in life. Boris Johnson's experience in life is telling a lot of porkies [lies] about the EU in Brussels and then becoming prime minister,” Nicholas Soames told Britain’s The Times newspaper. Soames was among 21 Conservative rebels who were expelled from the party for voting to stop Johnson taking Britain out of the EU by October 31, something Johnson has pledged to do “no ifs or buts.” In the interview, Soames,…

An American Airlines mechanic was ordered temporarily detained Friday after he was charged with purposely damaging an aircraft in July amid a dispute between the airline and its mechanics union involving stalled contract negotiations. Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani will remain in custody pending a hearing Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Federal prosecutors are requesting he be detained pending trial. Takeoff aborted Pilots of a flight from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, July 17 aborted takeoff plans after receiving an error message involving the flight computer, which reports speed, pitch and other data, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Miami. It said after returning to the gate for maintenance, a mechanic discovered a loosely connected pitot tube, which measures airspeed and connects directly to the…

The announcement of John Lansing’s resignation as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media is renewing questions about the mission and direction of the broadcasters it oversees. The USAGM directly manages five international news entities, including Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Voice of America. Combined, the USAGM broadcasters transmit in 61 languages and have an unduplicated weekly audience of 345 million. Lansing, 62, a veteran cable TV executive, was named CEO of USAGM in 2015 and has now served under two presidents. He will formally leave the agency at the end of September and start in mid-October as CEO of the domestic National Public Radio network. “John Lansing is going to leave behind a really remarkable legacy,” said Amanda Bennett, director of the Voice of America. “He…

Eight-and-a-half-months pregnant and experiencing contractions, a Salvadoran woman who had crossed the Rio Grande and was apprehended by the Border Patrol was forced to go back to Mexico. Agents took her to the hospital, where doctors gave her medication to stop the contractions. And then, according to the woman and her lawyer, she was almost immediately sent back to Mexico. There, she joined the more than 38,000 people forced to wait across the border for immigration court hearings under a rapidly expanding Trump administration policy. And her plight highlights the health risks and perils presented by the “Remain in Mexico” program. The woman was waiting Thursday with her 3-year-old daughter in a makeshift tent camp in Matamoros, Mexico, next to an international bridge, due to give birth any day, said…

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday the United States is ready to make a free trade agreement with Britain as soon as the country completes its exit from the European Union. In a keynote address at the International Trade Dinner in London's Guildhall, Pence conveyed a message of strong support from President Donald Trump for the embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose determination to take Britain out of the bloc at any cost has angered even some members of his own party.  VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports.   ...

Robert  Mugabe, who ruled the southern African nation of Zimbabwe for 37 years following the end of white minority rule in 1980, has died.  He was 95 years old. Some hailed Mugabe as a liberation hero, but others say he destroyed the economy of what was once Africa's breadbasket, rigged elections and terrorized his people for decades. VOA's Anita Powell looks at his life and legacy.   ...

Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe was feted as an African liberation hero and champion of racial reconciliation when he first came to power in a nation divided by nearly a century of white colonial rule. Nearly four decades later, many at home and abroad denounced him as a power-obsessed autocrat willing to unleash death squads, rig elections and trash the economy in the relentless pursuit of control. Former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe DiesMugabe died in Singapore, where he has often received medical treatment in recent years Mugabe, was ultimately ousted by his own armed forces in November 2017. He demonstrated his tenacity — some might say stubbornness — to the last, refusing to accept his expulsion from his own ZANU-PF party and clinging on for a week until parliament started to impeach…

The day started with one Republican congressman from Texas announcing he would retire and ended with another, a long-serving former committee chairman from Wisconsin, saying he too was ready to bow out, signaling the House GOP mood as the party tries to find its path back to the majority in 2020. With the retirement announcements of Reps. Bill Flores, R-Texas, and Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., 15 House Republicans have said they will step aside before next year's elections. The departures show the limits of serving in the House minority, but also raise questions about the sway of President Donald Trump's own reelection effort alongside down-ballot candidates. A spokesman for the House GOP's campaign committee noted that both Flores and Sensenbrenner come from Republican districts, which suggests voters will have little interest…

An American woman who attempted to carry a 6-day-old baby out of the Philippines hidden inside a sling bag has been arrested at Manila's airport and charged with human trafficking, officials said Thursday. They said Jennifer Erin Talbot was able to pass through the airport immigration counter on Wednesday without declaring the baby boy but was intercepted at the boarding gate by airline personnel. Talbot, from Ohio, was unable to produce any passport, boarding pass or government permits for the baby, airport officials said. Clad in an orange detainee shirt and in handcuffs, Talbot, 43, was presented to reporters in Manila on Thursday. She kept her head low and appeared at times to be on the verge of tears. She did not issue any statement. Talbot had planned to board…

Prominent Washington lawyer Greg Craig was found not guilty of lying to the Justice Department about work he did for the government of Ukraine in a case that arose from the special counsel’s Russia investigation and that centered on the lucrative world of foreign lobbying. The jury deliberated for less than a day before clearing Craig, a White House counsel in the Obama administration, of a single count of making false statements to federal investigators. The swift verdict on Wednesday was a setback to the Justice Department’s crackdown on lobbyists who do unregistered work for foreign governments and came as prosecutors have been ramping up enforcement of a decades-old law meant to police foreign influence and promote transparency. U.S. officials hoped a conviction would demonstrate an aggressive approach to lobbyists…

Britain's political turmoil is again making headlines across the English Channel, with a number of European commentators criticizing Prime Minister Boris Johnson's handling of Brexit. But others, like conservative French lawmaker Nicolas Bay, saluted Johnson for standing firm, and honoring Britain's 2016 referendum to leave the European Union. In Brussels, European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said the EU's position toward Brexit has not changed. "There may be twists and turns in political developments in London right now, but our position is stable," she said. "We are willing to work constructively with Prime Minister Johnson and to look at any concrete proposals as long as they're compatible with the withdrawal agreement." The commission is freeing up millions of dollars in disaster funds for farmers, workers and companies to cope with a…

Illegal drug use is on the rise around the world according to a new UN report. How bad is it and what is being done to stop the spread of dangerous and increasingly deadly drugs? Former US "Drug Czar" Gil Kerlikowske and Ben Westhoff, author of "Fentanyl Inc." weigh in with Greta Van Susteren. Recorded September 4, 2019    ...

The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Burundi said Wednesday that the country, following years of political turmoil, was primed for a genocide.     The commission's warning, contained in its latest report on human rights in Burundi, was based on an analysis developed by the U.N. Office for the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect.      The three-member panel found that eight common risk factors for criminal atrocities leading to a possible genocide were present in Burundi.    Factors included an unstable political, economic and social environment; a climate of impunity for human rights violations; a weak judicial system; and the absence of an independent press and freedom of expression.    Commission member Francoise Hampson said the criteria identified by the Genocide Prevention Committee indicated that in countries where these factors were present, there was a risk the situation could deteriorate.     "On top of that, our own report shows the…

Argentine economists sharply hiked 2019 inflation forecasts and cut their gross domestic product outlook for the year, according to a central bank poll released on Tuesday, following a wave of  political uncertainty that beat the local peso down 26% in August. The survey came two days after the government announced capital controls in a bid to halt a run on the peso currency. The controls, which followed an announcement that Argentina would extend the maturities of about $100 billion in debt, were a massive setback for the government's free-markets reform effort. Inflation was seen at 55% for the year, according to the survey of 39 analysts, up from 40% in the same central bank poll a month earlier. The new weakness in the peso, which fell 50.5% against the U.S.…

Saber Sessi was working the night shift at a municipality vehicle depot in Carthage, Tunisia, when he signed off on five bulldozers in the early hours of July 9. Unbeknownst to him, the intended target for those bulldozers was his home. "I opened the gate, I handed [the keys] over and then I saw them drive around to my house," said Sessi, 50, who lived beside the depot in the working-class neighborhood of Mohamed Ali, in the northern surburbs of the Tunisian capital. Sessi's house and nine other buildings were razed to the ground that night in a government operation to clear illegal homes from the area that used to be a battleground for gladiators in the Roman Empire — the Circus of Carthage. Today, two-thirds of Carthage — about…

Hurricane Dorian will likely avoid landfall in Florida, but that does not mean residents of the Sunshine State or anywhere else along southeastern U.S. coast can relax. Forecasters say Dorian is getting bigger and will move "dangerously close" to Florida and Georgia Tuesday through Wednesday night, then threaten North and South Carolina with massive rainfall and powerful winds. Potential rainfall from Hurricane Dorian, through Sunday, Sept. 8 As of late Tuesday, Dorian was a Category 2 storm, about 200 kilometers east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, with top sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for an area from near the Savannah River along the Georgia-South Carolina border north to Surf City, North Carolina. Even if it stays offshore, Dorian's winds and rain extend 95…

People in the Bahamas experienced another hellish night as the center of powerful Hurricane Dorian sat stationary on the northern edge of Grand Bahama Island and pounded the area with fierce winds and the flooding effects of heavy rains and storm surge. Dorian made landfall on the island late Sunday night and barely moved throughout the day Monday. Forecasters expect the storm to finally move away during the day Tuesday and threaten the U.S. state of Florida. "We are in the midst of a historic tragedy in parts of northern Bahamas," said Prime Minister Hubert Minnis. "Our mission and focus now is search, rescue, and recovery. I ask for your prayers in those in affected areas and for our first responders." He told reporters at a Monday news conference there…