Year: 2019

Amazon.com Inc. will protest the Pentagon's decision to award a $10 billion cloud computing contract to Microsoft Corp., The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing a statement.    Amazon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.    A challenge to the Defense Department's award announced last month was widely expected by legal experts, analysts and consultants, especially after President Donald Trump publicly derided Amazon's bid for the high-stakes contract.    Trump had said in August that Amazon's bid for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure Cloud (JEDI) contract was under review by his administration after complaints from other companies.    Amazon was considered a favorite for the contract, part of a broader digital modernization process of the Pentagon, before Microsoft emerged as the surprise winner.  ...

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' office announced that a special envoy would be sent to Bolivia to support a "peaceful resolution" to its current crisis after military leaders called on the Bolivian president to resign over election irregularities.  Former U.N. special envoy to Colombia Jean Arnault will act as the U.N. envoy to Bolivia to engage with "all Bolivian actors," and attempt to support peaceful elections in the country. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, announced that "the secretary-general remains deeply concerned about developments in Bolivia. He reiterates his appeal to all Bolivians to refrain from violence and exercise utmost restraint." FILE - Jean Arnault, then the the U.N. secretary-general's special representative for Colombia, speaks in Funza, Colombia, Sept. 22, 2017. Former President Evo Morales served as president of the South American…

U.S. President Donald Trump became the third president in modern U.S. history to face open impeachment hearings Wednesday. Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives called two key State Department witnesses to begin making the case that Trump abused the power of his office by allegedly pressing Ukraine for information that would help him in the 2020 election.  VOA's Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more on the first day of hearings and Republican response from Capitol Hill.   ...

Fresh protests erupted Wednesday in Bolivia just hours after opposition Sen. Jeanine Áñez was sworn in as interim president. The United States recognized Áñez as Bolivia's temporary president. The country's longtime leader, Evo Morales, said he was removed by a coup and that he would continue to fight. He spoke from Mexico where he was granted asylum. The leftist leader resigned  Sunday after weeks of protests over a disputed presidential election result. VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports Morales still has supporters in his country, especially among indigenous Bolivians. ...

U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met at the White House Wednesday but did not reach resolutions on major irritants to bilateral relations including Turkey's recent incursion into northern Syria and its purchase of Russian military hardware. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report.   ...

North Korea's supreme decision-making body has lashed out at planned U.S.-South Korean military drills and warned that the United States will face a "bigger threat and harsh suffering" if it ignores North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's end-of-year deadline to salvage nuclear talks. The North's State Affairs Commission said Wednesday that the drills would violate agreements between Kim and President Donald Trump on improving bilateral relations and compel North Korea to raise its war readiness. Kim is chairman of the commission, which he established in 2016 following years of efforts to consolidate his power and centralize governance. The statement is North Korea's latest expression of displeasure over the military drills and slow pace of nuclear negotiations with Washington. The talks have stalled over disagreements on disarmament steps and sanctions relief.…

Spanish police said Wednesday they have been unable to locate a Venezuelan former spymaster wanted by the United States for extradition on charges of drug trafficking. Police told The Associated Press that its officers have been unable to find Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal. News website El Español reported on Friday that a Spanish court had reversed an earlier ruling throwing out the U.S. arrest warrant and that it had ordered authorities to proceed with the extradition request. A spokesman for the National Court said Wednesday that no decision on the case has been made public at this time. Carvajal’s lawyer, Maria Dolores de Arguelles, said her client couldn’t be considered a fugitive because the defense has not been officially notified of the court ruling granting the extradition, and no court…

Russia's Embassy to Washington says it has lodged a formal diplomatic protest after Israel extradited a Russian national to the United States, where he is suspected of stealing more than $20 million from U.S. consumers through credit card fraud. In a Wednesday Facebook statement, the embassy also accused Washington of "hunting" Russian citizens across the world. The statement said that Russia had formally sent an official note to the U.S. State Department, demanding Aleksei Burkov's rights be respected. The U.S. Justice Department says Burkov was "charged with wire fraud, access device fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, computer intrusions, identity theft, and money laundering" in the Eastern Court in Virginia on November 12. "According to court documents, Burkov allegedly ran a website called "Cardplanet" that sold payment card numbers…

Mark Sanford, a former governor of South Carolina, abandoned his longshot bid on Tuesday to challenge President Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination. Sanford, 59, announced he was dropping out of the race at an event in New Hampshire, which holds the first Republican presidential primary, his hometown newspaper, The Post and Courier, reported. Sanford's bid to challenge the sitting president for the Republican nomination failed to gain much traction since he threw his name into the ring two months ago. His departure from the race leaves two other Republicans waging longshot bids to win the Republican nomination -- former Massachusetts governor William Weld and former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh. Sanford was governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011, and served two separate stints in the House…

Clashes between protesters and riot police continued well into Tuesday night at a prominent Hong Kong university, extending one of the more violent stretches in the five months of demonstrations. Police fired rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and students responded by throwing bricks and gasoline bombs. Clashes continued until police eventually used a water cannon truck and then began a retreat. The weekday clashes — thus far unusual for the Hong Kong protests which have largely occurred on weekends — followed a day of chaos as protesters erected barricades on roads and subway tracks. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam called the protesters who threw Tuesday's rush hour commute into chaos "extremely selfish." Dozens of passengers aboard a commuter…

Jordan’s King Abdullah visits one of two small parcels of land which, until recently, was leased to Israel as part of the neighbors’ 1994 peace agreement. Jordan's decision not to renew the lease was made at a time of brewing tensions between the peace partners. Jordanians blame Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for antagonizing the relationship, with action against Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque and the detention of Jordanian citizens, among others.   During Monday’s visit to Baqura, a 81-hectare enclave along the Jordan River in Jordan’s north, King Abdullah tweeted that "Jordan's sovereignty over its territory is above all other considerations." Jordan announced last year that it would not renew its peace treaty annexes with Israel on Baqura and al-Ghamr that gave Israeli farmers free access to the Jordan's sovereign land.…

Guinea President Alpha Conde announced on Monday that he was replacing his security minister following deadly protests against suspected efforts by Conde to extend his mandate. Conde, 81, is due to step down next year when his second and final five-year term expires, but he has refused to rule out running again and asked his government in September to look into drafting a new constitution. Conde's opponents fear a new constitution could be used as a reset button on his presidency, allowing Conde to run again like other African leaders who have amended or changed constitutions in recent years to stay in power. Protests in Conakry, the capital, and the bauxite-mining north against such a move have resulted in at least 13 deaths over the past month. The presidential statement…

Iraqi officials expressed "deep regret" on Monday at the death of protesters during weeks of unrest but defended Baghdad's handling of the situation. Nearly 300 people have been killed in Iraq since the protests against political corruption, unemployment and poor public services began on Oct. 1. At a U.N. review of member states' human rights records in Geneva, diplomats from several countries accused the Iraqi government of using excessive force. Justice Minister Farooq Amin Othman acknowledged there had been "individual violations" by members of the law enforcement agencies but said they were being investigated. "...We would like to express our deep regret for the number of people killed," he told international diplomats gathered at what the U.N calls the Universal Periodic Review. "Our constitution guarantees peaceful assembly and the objective…

The Ukrainian military and Russia-backed separatist rebels have completed a pullback of troops and weapons from an area in eastern Ukraine embroiled in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people, officials said Monday. The disengagement near Petrivske that began Saturday followed a recent similar withdrawal in another section of the frontline, where separatists and Ukrainian forces have been fighting since 2014. Ukraine's military said Ukrainian forces completed the pullback in Petrivske at midday Monday. The disengagement of forces in eastern Ukraine was seen as a key step to pave the way for a summit of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany on ending the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed plans for holding the summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a phone call Monday, according to the Kremlin.…

Authorities declared a state of emergency across a broad swath of Australia's east coast on Monday, urging residents in high risk areas to evacuate ahead of looming "catastrophic" fire conditions. Bushfires burning across New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland states have already killed three people and destroyed more than 150 homes. Officials expect adverse heat and wind conditions to peak at unprecedented levels on Tuesday. Bushfires are a common and deadly threat in Australia’s hot, dry summers but the current severe outbreak, well before the summer peak, has caught many by surprise. "Everybody has to be on alert no matter where you are and everybody has to be assume the worst and we cannot allow complacency to creep in," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney. The country's most…

The United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq warned Sunday of the need for timely, tangible results in the government's response to protests that began in early October, and offered a roadmap to address some of the demonstrators' demands. The U.N. office issued a statement saying that within a week the government should release all protesters who have been detained since October 1 and accelerate efforts to identify and prosecute those responsible for using excessive force against protesters. It said there should be public calls for those in the region and elsewhere in the world with influence in Iraq to respect the country's sovereignty and not interfere with its internal affairs. UNAMI also called for the finalization of a framework for electoral reform and for anti-corruption action by the country's political…

A Hong Kong police officer shot at masked protesters on Monday morning, hitting at least one in the torso, as anger sparked by the recent death of a student spilled into the rush hour commute. The shooting, which was broadcast live on Facebook, is the latest escalation in more than five months of seething pro-democracy protests that have engulfed the international financial hub and battered its reputation. Footage showed a police officer drawing his sidearm in the district of Sai Wan Ho as he tried to detain a masked person at a junction that had been blocked by protesters. Another unarmed masked individual then approached the officer and was shot in the chest area, quickly falling to the ground, clutching their left side. Seconds later, two more live rounds were…

Pope Francis says he intends to go to South Sudan, where efforts are underway to salvage a peace deal. In public remarks Sunday, Francis also urged the African nation's leaders to find “consensus” for the good of the country. South Sudan President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar last week agreed to postpone forming a coalition government for 100 days to resolve security and governance issues. Francis didn't detail his travel plans, only saying “I must visit” South Sudan “this year.” The pope travels to Asia later this month. In past years, he has spoken of a hoped-for pilgrimage to South Sudan. Francis referred to a visit by the two leaders at the Vatican this year, when he got down on his knees to entreat them to preserve peace.…

U.N. monitors report scores of civilians are being killed and wounded, and thousands are fleeing their homes as violence and human rights abuse escalate in northern and northeastern Syria.    In just the last five days, at least 92 civilians have been killed in these two separate battles.  The U.N. human rights office reports most of the deaths have occurred in Syria's northeastern Kurdish-controlled area, which is under assault by the Turkish military.   It says 49 people have been victims of airstrikes, ground-based strikes and summary executions.  These have been carried out by opposing Turkish-affiliated armed groups and Kurdish armed groups.  It says another 31 civilians have been killed by roadside bombs in populated areas, most likely planted by groups opposing the Turkish military offensive. Rupert Colville, spokesman for…

Voters are going to the polls Sunday in Romania for the country's presidential election. Analysts say incumbent Klaus Iohannis will likely be returned to office in a runoff vote. Centrist liberal Iohannis, unlike some other Eastern European leaders, has not embraced nationalism. Polls indicate he will receive 40% of the votes Sunday. His toughest competition is expected to come from former Prime Minister Viorica Dancilla, leader of the Social Democrats. If no one receives 50% of Sunday's ballots, there will be a second round of voting November 24.       ...

A U.N. agency is urging the Iraqi government to address the grievances of its people or risk that the ongoing deadly protests across the country could spiral even further out of control. Since anti-government protests began Oct. 1, the U.N. Human Rights Office has documented 269 deaths and at least 8,000 injuries, including among members of the Iraqi security forces.  The agency blames the majority of these casualties on the use of live ammunition by security forces and private armed militia groups. U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville says his agency also is following up on reports of multiple arrests of demonstrators and activists.  He says protesters and volunteers providing assistance during the demonstrations reportedly have been abducted by unknown perpetrators.   “We are also disturbed by the statement by…

Hundreds of pilgrims Saturday from India’s minority Sikh community crossed the international border with Pakistan without a visa for the first time in 72 years to pay homage to one of their holiest shrines. The rare instance of cooperation to facilitate the religious journey comes amid a sharp deterioration in already tense ties between the nuclear-armed rival countries sparked by recent Indian actions in the disputed Kashmir region. Both India and Pakistan control portions of the Himalayan territory but claim it in its entirety. Indian pilgrims, including senior politicians and officials, traveled through a newly established 4.1-kilometer cross-border corridor, featuring fenced-off sides and leading straight to the shrine in the Pakistani town of Kartarpur in Punjab province. Known as the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the temple is believed to have been…

Are the West's secrets safe in the hands of Britain’s politicians? It is a question Britain’s intelligence officers are asking themselves — so, too, their counterparts in the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence-sharing relationship that includes the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand. It's a tie-up that’s been called the most successful espionage alliance in history. Not since the 1970s, when some British MI5 officers thought Labour Party leader Harold Wilson, who won four general elections, and his most trusted advisers were KGB assets have Britain’s spooks been so uneasy about their political masters. The worries about Wilson and his aides at that time provoked treasonous plots by conservative-leaning rogue elements of the security agencies, which even drew in members of Britain’s royal family. As Britain heads into its most consequential election…

Political tensions are simmering in Cambodia. While most people are going about their everyday lives, there is an undercurrent of apprehension. Saturday is the day longtime opposition leader Sam Rainsy pegged as the date he planned to return to Cambodia, potentially ending nearly four years of exile. Sitting recently in the shade of his Indian-made tuktuk, Sam Nimol was worried that things were about to get worse. The 31-year-old resident of Phnom Penh's Tuol Kork district expected two scenarios: Either Sam Rainsy would come peacefully or there would be a negotiated resolution. But if the outspoken politician is arrested, Sam Nimol worried, a confrontational situation could get violent, directly affecting people's livelihoods. "For this issue, if he comes peacefully, meaning nobody makes arrest of him, the solutions could be found step by step," Sam Nimol…

U.S. counterterrorism officials are increasingly worried Islamic State fighters captured as the terror group's caliphate collapsed in Syria will find their way back to the battlefield. The concern, they say, is most acute for the approximately 2,000 foreign fighters who are being kept in a state of limbo, held in makeshift prisons run by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces as their home countries refuse to take them back. "We've gotten kind of fatalistic about this," Russell Travers, acting director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, said Friday. "There's a growing likelihood that eventually we could see many of these foreign fighters again when they've broken out of prison or been released," he told an audience at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "The greatest midterm concern is the retention…

Since the start of the impeachment inquiry six weeks ago, more than a dozen current and former Trump administration officials have refused to testify before House of Representatives investigators, raising questions about Congress' ability to summon key witnesses.    In the latest instance, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney failed to show up for a scheduled deposition on Friday, despite a subpoena issued by the House Intelligence Committee.   Lawmakers' strongest investigative tool is the subpoena — a legal order to appear before a congressional committee. But Congress has had mixed success over the years in utilizing this mechanism to compel testimony.    While Mulvaney, a former Republican House member, is unlikely to cooperate, more than a dozen other officials have stepped forward, in many cases after being subpoenaed. …

A student at a Hong Kong university who fell during protests earlier this week died Friday, the first student death in months of anti-government demonstrations in the Chinese-ruled city that is likely to be a trigger for fresh unrest. Chow Tsz-lok, 22, an undergraduate student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, died of injuries sustained early Monday. The circumstances of how he was injured were unclear, but authorities said he was believed to have fallen from the third to the second floor in a parking garage when police dispersed crowds in a district east of the Kowloon Peninsula. Chow’s death is expected to spark fresh protests and fuel anger and resentment against the police, who are already under pressure amid accusations of excessive force as the city…

U.S.-Chinese trade contracted again in October, despite optimism about possible progress in talks aimed at ending a tariff war that threatens global economic growth. Chinese imports of U.S. goods fell 14.3% from a year earlier to $9.4 billion, customs data showed Friday. Exports to the United States sank 16.2% to $35.8 billion. President Donald Trump announced a tentative deal Oct. 12 and suspended a planned tariff hike on Chinese imports. But details have yet to be agreed on and earlier penalties stayed in place. That is depressing trade in goods from soybeans to medical equipment. Beijing announced Thursday the two sides agreed to a gradual reduction in punitive tariffs if talks on the “Phase 1” deal make progress. However, there has been no sign of progress on major disputes about…