A group of Oregon state Republican senators have gone into hiding to stop the passage of a landmark climate change legislation. The western state’s House bill 2020 would set limits to carbon emissions with permits auctioned off to polluting industries. Republicans say the bill would hurt rural Oregonians. Democrats have a majority in both chambers of the state’s congress and the bill is likely to pass if it comes to the floor, which cannot happen unless there is a quorum of two-thirds of senators present. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports the state governor, a Democrat, has given authorization to state police to track them down.
Month: June 2019
Oregon State Senators Go Into Hiding to Block Climate Bill
Posted by Worldcrew On 24/06/2019
What’s Changed Since Same Sex Marriage Became Legal
Posted by Worldcrew On 24/06/2019
Four years ago on June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same sex couples have the right to marry, a right guaranteed by the Constitution’s equal protection clauses. The landmark ruling accelerated a growing public acceptance of LGBTQ marriage, which includes lesbian, gay and other diverse sexual orientations. But as VOA’s Brian Padden reports, while opposition to same sex marriage is declining, it is still a strong political force in the country.
China’s Qu Dongyu is New Chief of UN Food Agency
Posted by Worldcrew On 23/06/2019
China’s agricultural deputy minister Qu Dongyu has been elected as the new director general of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Qu is the first person from a Communist country to hold the FAO director-general’s chair. He will succeed Jose Graziano da Silva from Brazil for a 4-year term.
Istanbul Votes Again in Key Ballot
Posted by Worldcrew On 23/06/2019
Residents of Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, are voting again after the opposition’s historic victory ending 25 years of dominance by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was annulled.
In a sign of the importance of Sunday’s election, voting was brisk from the moment the Kadikoy district ballot station opened, in a city where people traditionally vote late. Early heavy voting was reported across the city.
“The election is very important for Turkey, this will change the face of Turkey,” said retiree Cengiz Demir, one of the first to vote in Kadikoy district. “We have to return to democratic settings. Maybe more than a majority have had enough of one man rule,” he added.
One man rule is a reference to President Erdogan who many of his opponents accuse of undermining democracy and turning Turkey into an authoritarian state.
Istanbul is repeating the vote because election authorities controversially annulled opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu’s historic victory on a technicality after President Erdogan disputed the defeat of his candidate, Binali Yildirim, in the March poll.
Electoral authorities rejected Erdogan’s AKP Party’s claims of voting fraud, but ordered a revote on the grounds a number election officials were ineligible. The opposition condemned the decision and claimed the Sunday vote is now more than just about who runs the city
“In the name of our Turkey, in the name of our Istanbul, we are going through a very important election,” Imamoglu said to hundreds of supporters after voting. “This is not only about the Istanbul metropolitan, municipal election but at the same time a day for the repair the damage of this unlawful process imposed on our nation for the sake of democracy in Turkey.”
Observers say Imamoglu’s strategy of avoiding polarizing politics and pledging inclusivity has been key to turning his CHP party’s fortunes around in the city.
“I have so many hopes for Turkey,” said Ayse, a teacher who only wanted to be identified by her first name, “Imamoglu is the only person who can make the change. Before I was so pessimistic.”
The importance of Sunday’s election has seen hundreds of thousands of people cut short their vacations to vote. The city’s airports and roads were full the night before the polls opened.
“This is so important,” said Deniz Tas speaking after voting, “I have traveled 12 hours on the road to vote and to right this injustice that has been done.”
Istanbul is Erdogan’s home city and has been his power-base for 25 years, since his rise to power started as the city’s mayor. The city accounts for a third of Turkey’s economy and nearly half the taxation, and the mayorship is widely seen as Turkey’s most important political prize after the presidency.
Underscoring the importance of the vote, Erdogan has again put his political prestige on the line, campaigning heavily for Yildirm in the run-up to the election. Erdogan too claims democracy is at stake, repeatedly accusing the opposition of voter manipulation.
Observers say a second defeat for Erdogan could have significant consequences, damaging his reputation of electoral invincibility empowering opponents both in and outside his party.
In what was a bitter campaign Yildirim appeared conciliatory. “If we’ve ever made any wrongdoing to any rival or brother in Istanbul, I would like to ask for their forgiveness and blessing,” he said after casting his vote.
Some AKP supporters expressed similar sentiments. “Re-vote happens in other countries, too, the voting can be repeated,” said a woman who didn’t want to be named. “It is very normal that we have a repeat as well. The candidate who deserves it should win. The person with experience will win. Also, for us, Binali Yildirim has the experience to run Istanbul.”
Both the leading candidates mobilizing thousands of lawyers and monitors to scrutinize the vote, claiming to defend democracy, Istanbul is bracing itself for a tense election.
ДСНС про забруднення повітря в Києві: покращення слід очікувати в останні дні червня
Posted by UAcrew On 23/06/2019
Державна служба України з надзвичайних ситуацій повідомляє, що поліпшення ситуації із забрудненим повітрям у Києві очікується в останні дні червня.
«Починаючи з 10 червня, спостерігалось поступове накопичення забруднюючих речовин, особливо діоксиду азоту NO2 і формальдегіду. Найбільша концентрація забруднюючих речовин спостерігається наприкінці тижня (у п’ятницю), за вихідні дні концентрація дещо зменшується, а починаючи з понеділка знову поступово зростає, що свідчить про переважаючий вплив автотранспорту», – йдеться в повідомленні ДСНС 23 червня.
За повідомленням, цьому сприяють, зокрема, погодні умови, які останнім часом спостерігаються в Києві: «суха спекотна погода без опадів, відсутність значного вітру, наявніть в приземному шарі повітря затримуючих шарів, відсутність перемішування приземного повітря з верхніми шарами».
До 25 червня синоптична ситуація в Києві суттєво не зміниться, заявляють у ДСНС.
Раніше в Укргідрометцентрі попередили, що 23 червня в Україні, крім більшості районів західних областей, переважатиме надзвичайна (5 класу) пожежна небезпека.
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US Warns Iran as Trump Says New Sanctions Begin Monday
Posted by Worldcrew On 23/06/2019
VOA’s national security correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.
The U.S. warned Iran on Sunday that it should not mistake as “weakness” President Donald Trump’s last-minute decision to not militarily retaliate for Tehran’s shoot-down of an unmanned U.S. drone near the Strait of Hormuz.
“Neither Iran nor any other hostile actor should mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness,” U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said in Jerusalem ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“No one has granted them a hunting license in the Middle East,” Bolton said of Iran. “Our military is rebuilt new and ready to go.”
Bolton’s warning came hours after Trump, without providing any details, said he plans to impose “major” new sanctions against Iran on Monday.
Trump announced the move Saturday on Twitter, saying, “Iran cannot have Nuclear Weapons,” and that the sanctions would be dropped as soon as the country becomes “a productive and prosperous nation again.”
Iran cannot have Nuclear Weapons! Under the terrible Obama plan, they would have been on their way to Nuclear in a short number of years, and existing verification is not acceptable. We are putting major additional Sanctions on Iran on Monday. I look forward to the day that…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2019
Bolton said existing sanctions against Tehran already are having a sharp effect on the Tehran economy.
“Sanctions are biting,” he said. “Iran can never have nuclear weapons — not against the U.S.A. and not against the world.”
Trump spoke with reporters at the White House before leaving for Camp David outside Washington for a meeting with top administration officials, at one point saying as soon as Tehran agreed to renounce nuclear weapons, “I’m going to be their best friend.”
Trump’s tone was much softer on Saturday after a week of intense actions between the U.S. and Iran.
Concern about a potential armed confrontation between the U.S. and Iran has been growing since U.S. officials recently blamed Tehran for mine attacks on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, allegations Tehran denies, and Iran’s downing of an unmanned U.S. drone on Thursday.
On Friday, Trump said that he had canceled late Thursday a retaliatory strike against several Iranian targets.
He tweeted that the United States was “cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it,” Trump tweeted, saying the action would have been disproportionate.
World powers have called for calm after the incidents.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday urged for a political resolution of the crisis. “That is what we are working on,” she told Reuters.
On Sunday, Britain’s Middle East minister, Andrew Murrison, will travel to Tehran for talks with Iranian officials.
Britain’s Foreign Office said Murrison would call for “urgent de-escalation in the region.” He will also discuss Iran’s threat to cease complying with the nuclear deal that the United States pulled out of last year.
James Phillips, a senior researcher at the conservative Washington-based Heritage Foundation, said he believes the immediate risk of a U.S.-Iran conflict has passed.
“It’s probably over as far as the incident goes with the shoot down of the drone. But, I think if there are further provocations, the president will respond in a strong and effective manner,” he said.
Phillips also said he does not expect Tehran to accept U.S. calls for negotiations while Trump continues a “maximum pressure campaign” of sanctions on Iran. “I doubt that Tehran will be serious until it sees who wins the next presidential election,” he said.
The U.S. announced this week it was authorizing another 1,000 troops — including a Patriot missile battery and additional manned and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft to bolster defenses at U.S. positions in Iraq and Syria.
Болтон: «обережність» США щодо Ірану не є слабкістю
Posted by UAcrew On 23/06/2019
Радник президента США з національної безпеки Джон Болтон закликає Тегеран не сприймати за слабкість «розсудливість і обережність» США щодо Ірану. Він сказав про це 23 червня в Єрусалимі після зустрічі з прем’єром Ізраїлю Біньяміном Нетаньягу.
За словами Болтона, ніхто не давав Ірану «ліцензію на полювання на Близькому Сході».
21 червня президент США Дональд Трамп визнав, що був готовий наказати здійснити воєнні удари по Іранові у відповідь на збиття безпілотника, але змінив думку останньої миті. Як писав Трамп у твітері, військові були в повній готовності і до видання наказу лишалося 10 хвилин, але він відмовився від цього, бо число жертв становило б сотні людей.
Іранська протиповітряна оборона збила американський розвідувальний безпілотний літак Global Hawk 20 червня. Тегеран твердить, що він перебував над територією Ірану. Вашингтон наполягає, що безпілотник був у міжнародному повітряному просторі над Ормузькою протокою.
Перед тим США звинувачували Іран у низці нападів на танкери в регіоні Ормузької протоки. Тегеран заперечує це.
22 червня президент США Дональд заявив, що накладе проти Ірану нові санкції, щоб не дати Тегеранові можливості створити ядерну зброю, і додав, що серед можливостей і далі залишається воєнна акція.
Американські ЗМІ повідомили, що США здійснили кібернапади на комп’ютерну систему іранських військових 20 червня, через кілька годин після того, як Іран збив американський розвідувальний безпілотний літак.
Представники Пентагону відмовилися коментувати ситуацію.
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Українець переміг у конкурсі класичного співу у Британії
Posted by UAcrew On 23/06/2019
Український баритон, 31-річний Андрій Кимач переміг на конкурсі класичного співу BBC Cardiff Singer of World у Великій Британії.
Як повідомляє BBC, він був одним із п’яти співаків, які пройшли до фінального туру після тижня змагань.
Кимач отримає 20 000 фунтів (25,5 тисячі доларів) і Кардіффський трофей.
«Мене переповнюють почуття через те, що я виграв BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2019… Це буквально втілення мрії», – сказав переможець.
У фіналі Кимач виконав твори Бізе, Рахманінова та Доніцетті.
Більш ніж 400 співаків з усього світу подали заявки на участь у конкурсі в 2019 році, 20 учасників з 15 країн пройшли етап відбору.
Конкурс проводять кожні два роки, його почали з нагоди відкриття концертної зали St David Hall у 1983 році.
Андрій Кимач народився на Вінниччині, навчався на філософському факультеті Університету імені Тараса Шевченка, а потім на вокально-дерижерському факультеті Музичної академії імені Петра Чайковського у Києві.
У 2016 році він став солістом Херсонської обласної філармонії, а з 2016 до 2018 року був артистом Молодіжної оперної програми московського Большого театру.
На початку червня 2019-го українець значився серед виконавців партії Ескамільо в опері «Кармен» Жоржа Бізе у Театрі Джузеппе Верді в італійському Трієсті.
Kushner’s Mideast Plan Faces Broad Arab Rejection
Posted by Worldcrew On 23/06/2019
Arab politicians and commentators greeted U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East $50 billion economic vision with a mixture of derision and exasperation, although some in the Gulf called for it to be given a chance.
In Israel, Tzachi Hanegbi, a Cabinet member close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, described Palestinians’ rejection of the “peace to prosperity” plan as tragic.
Set to be presented by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner at a conference in Bahrain on June 25-26, the blueprint envisions a global investment fund to lift the Palestinian and neighboring Arab economies and is part of broader efforts to revive the Israeli-Palestininan peace process.
“We don’t need the Bahrain meeting to build our country, we need peace, and the sequence of [the plan] — economic revival followed by peace is unrealistic and an illusion,” Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara said on Sunday.
The lack of a political solution, which Washington has said would be unveiled later, prompted rejection not only from Palestinians but also in Arab countries with which Israel would seek normal relations.
From Sudan to Kuwait, commentators and ordinary citizens denounced Kushner’s proposals in strikingly similar terms: “colossal waste of time,” “non-starter,” “dead on arrival.”
Egyptian liberal and leftist parties slammed the workshop as an attempt to “consecrate and legitimize” occupation of Arab land and said in a joint statement that any Arab participation would be “beyond the limits of normalization” with Israel.
While the precise outline of the political plan has been shrouded in secrecy, officials briefed on it say Kushner has jettisoned the two-state solution — the long-standing worldwide formula that envisages an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.
‘Another tragedy’
The PLO has dismissed Kushner’s plans as “all abstract promises,” insisting that only a political solution will solve the problem. It said they were an attempt to bribe the Palestinians into accepting Israeli occupation.
On Israel Radio, Hanegbi said Washington had tried to create “a little more trust and positivity” by presenting an economic vision but had touched a raw nerve for Palestinians.
“They are still convinced that the whole matter of an economic peace is a conspiracy, aimed only at piling them with funds for projects and other goodies only so that they will forget their nationalist inspirations. This of course, is simply paranoia, but it’s another tragedy for the Palestinians,” he said.
Jawad al-Anani, a former senior Jordanian politician, described widespread suspicion after Trump’s decisions to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and recognize Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.
“This is an unbalanced approach: it assumes the Palestinians are the more vulnerable side and they are the ones who can succumb to pressure more easily,” he said. “This is a major setback for the whole region.”
Azzam Huneidi, deputy head of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s main opposition said: “The economic plan is the sale of Palestine under the banner of prosperity in return for peace and with no land being returned… A deal with Arab money.”
“Historic crime’
Kushner’s economic proposals will be discussed at the U.S.-led gathering in Bahrain this week. The Palestinian Authority is boycotting and the White House did not invite the Israeli government.
U.S.-allied Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, will take part along with officials from Egypt, Jordan and Morocco. Lebanon and Iraq will not attend.
“Those who think that waving billions of dollars can lure Lebanon, which is under the weight of a suffocating economic crisis, into succumbing or bartering over its principles are mistaken,” parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, said.
Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah, which wields significant influence over the government, has previously called the plan “an historic crime” that must be stopped.
Arab analysts believe the economic plan is an attempt to buy off opposition to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land with a multi-billion dollar bribe to pay off the neighboring hosts of millions of Palestinian refugees to integrate them.
“It is disingenuous to say that this plan is purely economic because it has a political dimension that has implications that are incongruous with the political aspirations,” said Safwan Masri, a Columbia University professor.
After Israel’s creation in 1948, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon absorbed the most Palestinian refugees, with some estimates that they now account for around five million.
‘No harm in listening’
In recent years, Iran’s bitter rivalry with a bloc led by Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia has increasingly pushed the Arab-Israeli struggle into the background.
While Riyadh and its allies have welcomed Trump’s harder line against Tehran, which has cast itself as the guardian of Palestinian rights, critics accuse Saudi Arabia, the custodian of Islam’s holiest places, of abandoning the Palestinians.
Muslim scholars in the region, who would have in the past rallied popular opinion in support of the Palestinians, were largely silent hours after the plan was released, in a sign of a crackdown on dissent in several Arab countries.
Saudi Arabia has detained several prominent clerics in an apparent move to silence potential opponents of the kingdom’s absolute rulers. Egypt’s top Sunni Muslim authority, al-Azhar, has yet to issue a statement.
Amid fears that it would push them to accept a U.S. plan that favors Israel, Riyadh has assured Arab allies it would not endorse anything that fails to meet key Palestinian demands.
Ali Shihabi, who heads the Arabia Foundation which supports Saudi policies, said the Palestinian Authority was wrong to reject the plan out of hand.
“It should accept it and work on delivering the benefits to its people and then move forward aggressively with non-violent work… to seek political rights,” he tweeted.
Emirati businessman Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor also criticized the Palestinians’ refusal to go to Bahrain.
“There is no harm in listening to what will be placed on the table,” he wrote last month.
Yet even in the Gulf, backing for Kushner’s plan is limited.
“The deal of the century is a… one-sided concession, the Arab side, while the occupier wins everything: land, peace and Gulf money,” said Kuwaiti parliamentarian Osama al-Shaheen.
Sources: US Struck Iranian Military Computers This Week
Posted by Worldcrew On 23/06/2019
U.S. military cyber forces launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems Thursday as President Donald Trump backed away from plans for a more conventional military strike in response to Iran’s downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, U.S. officials said Saturday.
Two officials told The Associated Press that the strikes were conducted with approval from Trump. A third official confirmed the broad outlines of the strike. All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the operation.
The cyberattacks, a contingency plan developed over weeks amid escalating tensions, disabled Iranian computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said. Two of the officials said the attacks, which specifically targeted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps computer system, were provided as options after two oil tankers were attacked earlier this month.
Iranian Hackers Wage Cyber Campaign Amid Tensions With US
In recent weeks, hackers believed to be working for the Iranian government have targeted US government agencies, as well as sectors of the economy, with spear-phishing emails, cybersecurity companies say
The IRGC, which was designated a foreign terrorist group by the Trump administration earlier this year, is a branch of the Iranian military.
The action by U.S. Cyber Command was a demonstration of the U.S.’s increasingly mature cyber military capabilities and its more aggressive cyber strategy under the Trump administration. Over the last year, U.S. officials have focused on persistently engaging with adversaries in cyberspace and undertaking more offensive operations.
There was no immediate reaction Sunday morning in Iran to the U.S. claims. Iran has hardened and disconnected much of its infrastructure from the internet after the Stuxnet computer virus, widely believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creation, disrupted thousands of Iranian centrifuges in the late 2000s.
Tensions have escalated between the two countries ever since the U.S. withdrew last year from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and began a policy of “maximum pressure.” Iran has since been hit by multiple rounds of sanctions. Tensions spiked this past week after Iran shot down an unmanned U.S. drone, an incident that nearly led to a U.S. military strike against Iran on Thursday evening.
The cyberattacks are the latest chapter in the U.S. and Iran’s ongoing cyber operations targeting the other. Yahoo News first reported the cyber strike.
7 Workers Dead, 21 Injured in Cambodia Building Collapse
Posted by Worldcrew On 22/06/2019
A seven-story building under construction collapsed in Cambodia’s coastal city of Sihanoukville early Saturday, killing seven workers and injuring 21, authorities said.
Provincial authorities said in a statement that four Chinese nationals involved in the construction have been detained while an investigation into the collapse is carried out.
Rescue work at the site was underway to find out if any more workers were trapped in the rubble, said the city police chief, Maj. Thul Phorsda. Workers could be seen using saws to cut steel beams and excavators to move piles of rubble from the site.
The Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training said that 30 workers were at the site when the building tumbled around 4 a.m. Police and provincial authorities said they were unsure how many people were working on the building.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the collapse.
Yun Min, the governor of Preah Sihanouk province, said the building was owned by a Chinese investor who leased land for a condominium – one of many Chinese projects in the thriving beach resort.
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said on his official Facebook page that the Cambodian workers were using the unfinished structure as their sleeping quarters. The building was about 70% to 80% completed.
У Конгресі доручили Пентагону відповісти на військову присутність Росії в Арктиці
Posted by UAcrew On 22/06/2019
Комітет у справах збройних сил верхньої палати Конгресу США доручив Пентагону знайти місце для будівництва одного або декількох нових стратегічних портів в Арктиці. Цей крок, заявляють сенатори, послужить відповіддю на російську військову присутність в регіоні.
Міністерство оборони США і Агентство морського і річкового транспорту повинні представити спільний звіт про виконану роботу протягом 90 днів, повідомляє видання Defense News.
Сенатори, серед іншого, звертають увагу на відбудову російської бази «Северный клевер» на острові Котельний в архіпелазі Новосибірські острови, оснащеної радіолокаційними станціями та протикорабельними ракетними комплексами.
Танення льодів відкриває потенційно нові торгові шляхи в Північному Льодовитому океані, і в зв’язку з цим Конгрес вказує на сильне відставання Америки від Росії в плані чисельності криголамного парку, зокрема атомоходу. Для подолання цього відставання Служба берегової охорони США розмістила контракт у розмірі 750 мільйонів доларів на розробку шести сучасних малогабаритних криголамів.
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UN Human Rights Chief Urges Venezuelan Government to Free Jailed Dissidents
Posted by Worldcrew On 22/06/2019
U.N. Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet is urging the Venezuelan government to free hundreds of jailed dissidents who were arrested for participating in peaceful protests.
Her request came at the end of a three-day visit Friday to Venezuela during which she met with President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido.
Top UN Human Rights Chief Meets Venezuelan Opposition Leader Guaido
The UN official is also scheduled to meet with President Maduro
At a Caracas news conference before leaving the country, Bachelet called on the government “to release all those who are detained or deprived of their liberty for exercising their rights in a peaceful manner.”
Rights groups have been pressuring Bachelet to advocate on behalf of more than 700 people they say have been jailed for political reasons, a claim Maduro denies.
‘Serious’ humanitarian crisis
Bachelet, who said Venezuela faced a “serious” humanitarian crisis, also met with activists and victims of human rights violations, many of whom have been accused of conspiracy to overthrow the government.
“It was deeply painful to hear the desire of the victims, of their families, to obtain justice in the face of serious human rights violations,” she sald.
Maduro said that he will take the recommendations of Bachelet seriously. After meeting Bachelet, Maduro said, “There are always going to be different criteria in every country, but I told her that she can count on me, as president, to take her suggestions, her recommendations and her proposals seriously.”
Earlier, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said that Bachelet will leave two delegates in Venezuela to monitor the country’s human rights situation, a development Bachelet confirmed.
Guaido said Bachelet’s team would investigate issues related to the country’s lack of food and medicine. They will also look into allegations President Maduro’s government has violated human rights while cracking down on the opposition.
Some activists released
The trip to Venezuela was Bachelet’s first as chief of the U.N. watchdog. Her predecessor, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, was repeatedly denied access to the country for what he considered the government’s refusal to recognize the humanitarian crisis.
Maduro appears to have taken a more diplomatic approach this time, as he released on the eve of her arrival 28 opposition activists many considered political prisoners.
Bachelet arrived in Venezuela at the invitation of the government. Her visit preceded a three-week U.N. Human Rights Council session that begins on June 24.
The U.S. and other Western states are expected to denounce Maduro’s government for its alleged use of excessive force and mismanagement, which has led to chronic shortages of essentials, such as food and medicine.
The U.N. says the political and economic crisis in the oil-rich country has forced some 4 million people to flee the country since 2015.
Bachelet also has criticized sanctions imposed against Maduro’s government by U.S. President Donald Trump, contending trade restrictions on trade could adversely affect the general population.
Грузинські авіалінії продовжать виконувати рейси в Росію в штатному режимі
Posted by UAcrew On 22/06/2019
Грузинська авіакомпанія Georgian Airwaves в коментарі «РИА Новости» повідомила, що поки продовжить виконувати рейси в Росію в звичайному режимі.
«Нова заборона діє на російські авіакомпанії і польоти з Росії в Грузію, тому ми продовжуємо літати за розписаним графіком. Квитки можна придбати без обмежень. Якщо будуть які-небудь новини, ми повідомимо про це в заяві, але поки змін немає», – мовиться в заяві.
Аналогічну інформацію агентству ТАСС передало анонімне джерело в авіакомпанії.
На сайті Georgian Airwaves доступна покупка квитків в Росію і з неї після 8 липня.
У столиці Грузії Тбілісі 20 червня почалися протести після того, як депутат Держдуми Росії Сергій Гаврилов вів засідання Міжпарламентської асамблеї православ’я, сидячи у кріслі спікера грузинського парламенту.
Багатьох громадян Грузії обурило це, бо перед приїздом до Тбілісі Гаврилов підтвердив, що вважає незворотнім визнання Росією як незалежних держав сепаратистських регіонів Грузії – Абхазії і Південної Осетії.
20 червня протести переросли в сутички протестувальників із поліцією. 21 червня через ці події у відставку подав спікер парламенту Грузії Іраклій Кобахідзе – задовольнивши одну з вимог мітингувальників.
Учасники протестів також вимагають відставки міністра внутрішніх справ і призначення дострокових парламентських виборів.
21 червня президент Росії заборонив російським авіакомпаніям здійснювати рейси до Грузії з 8 липня цього року, а туроператорам рекомендував не продавати росіянам тури у цю країну.
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Новинський піде на вибори не за списком «Опозиційного блоку», а як мажоритарник
Posted by UAcrew On 22/06/2019
Глава фракції «Опозиційний блок» Вадим Новинський не піде на вибори за партійним списком. Про це повідомив Євгеній Мураєв, який очолює список «Опозиційного блоку».
За його словами, на одномандатних округах від партії балотуватимуться «дуже достойні представники», зокрема Борис Колесніков та Вадим Новинський.
Раніше повідомлялося, що Новинський ввійшов до першої десятки «Опозиційного блоку».
Позачергові вибори до парламенту призначені на 21 липня.
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Iran Warns of Firm Response to any US Threat
Posted by Worldcrew On 22/06/2019
VOA congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson and VOA Persian’s Katherine Ahn contributed to this report from Washington.
WASHINGTON — Iran warned Saturday that it would react sharply to any perceived aggression against it.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told the semi-official Tasnim news agency that Iran would not allow any of its borders to be violated. He said “Iran will firmly confront any aggression or threat by America.”
Britain’s Middle East minister travels to Tehran Sunday for talks with Iranian officials. Britain’s Foreign Office said Andrew Murrison will call for “urgent de-escalation in the region.” Murrison will also discuss Iran’s threat to cease complying with the nuclear deal that the United States pulled out of last year.
Friday U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that the United States was “cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it,” Trump tweeted, saying the action would have been disproportionate.
“I am in no hurry,” Trump added.
President Obama made a desperate and terrible deal with Iran – Gave them 150 Billion Dollars plus I.8 Billion Dollars in CASH! Iran was in big trouble and he bailed them out. Gave them a free path to Nuclear Weapons, and SOON. Instead of saying thank you, Iran yelled…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2019
The president also said that he authorized additional “biting” sanctions against Iran late Thursday night as part of his administration’s maximum pressure campaign to force Iran to restart negotiations over its nuclear program.
Hesameddin Ashena – an adviser to #Iran President @HassanRouhani – with a blunt message to the US on avoiding war w/#Tehran: if you don’t want war, ease the sanctions… pic.twitter.com/eBgXZnAbAG
— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) June 21, 2019
“Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!” Trump tweeted.
The move appears to pull Washington and Tehran back from the brink of armed conflict that could engulf the Middle East. President Trump spoke Friday with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“The two leaders discussed Saudi Arabia’s critical role in ensuring stability in the Middle East and in the global oil market,” said White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley. “They also discussed the threat posed by the Iranian regime’s escalatory behavior.”
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday, “We are in an extremely dangerous and sensitive situation with Iran. We must calibrate a response that de-escalates and advances American interests, and we must be clear as to what those interests are.” She added that any hostilities against Iran must first be approved by Congress.
Concern about a potential armed confrontation between the U.S. and Iran has been growing since U.S. officials recently blamed Tehran for mine attacks on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, allegations Tehran denies, and Iran’s downing of an unmanned U.S. drone this week.
James Phillips, a senior researcher at the conservative Washington-based Heritage Foundation, said he believes the immediate risk of a U.S.-Iran conflict has passed. “It’s probably over as far as the incident goes with the shoot down of the drone. But, I think if there are further provocations, the president will respond in a strong and effective manner,” he said.
Phillips also said he does not expect Tehran to accept U.S. calls for negotiations while Trump continues a “maximum pressure campaign” of sanctions on Iran. “I doubt that Tehran will be serious until it sees who wins the next presidential election,” he said.
The U.S. announced this week it was authorizing another 1,000 troops — including a Patriot missile battery and additional manned and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft to bolster defenses at U.S. positions in Iraq and Syria.
Trump earlier said the unmanned surveillance drone that was shot down was flying over international waters in the Strait of Hormuz when it was hit by an Iranian missile, and said the incident was a “very bad mistake.”
Iran says the drone flew into its air space, a “blatant violation of International law.”
Iran’s letter to @antonioguterres & #UNSC: While Iran does not seek war, it reserves its inherent right, under the UN Charter,to take all appropriate necessary measures against any hostile act violating its territory & is determined to vigorously defend its land, sea & air. pic.twitter.com/LDQBOZPCi5
— Alireza Miryousefi (@miryousefi) June 20, 2019
Friday, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, showed off pieces of wreckage he said Iran had recovered after shooting down the U.S. drone.
He also said Iran itself had shown restraint, opting not take shoot down another U.S. plane, sparing American lives.
“Another spy aircraft called P8 was flying close to this drone,” Hajizadeh said. “That aircraft is manned, and has around 35 crew members, well we could have targeted that plane.”
“It was our right to do so, and yes it was American, but we didn’t do it,” he said.
At 00:14 US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode & violated Iranian airspace. It was targeted at 04:05 at the coordinates (25°59’43″N 57°02’25″E) near Kouh-e Mobarak.
We’ve retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down. pic.twitter.com/pJ34Tysmsg
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 20, 2019
U.S. Air Forces Central Command, which oversees U.S. military activity in the region, has called many of the Iranian claims “categorically false.”
Central Command spokesman Lt. Col. Earl Brown rejected Iran’s claims that a surveillance plane was flying alongside the drone, saying, “At no point in time did any U.S. aircraft enter Iranian airspace on June 19.”
US, Other Nations Agree to Toughen Supervision of Iran’s Banks
Financial Action Task Force announces more focus on money laundering, terror financing concerns in Iran
The U.S. Defense Department has also released images to bolster its assertion the drone did not enter Iranian airspace. But a news report said the department erroneously labeled the drone’s fight path the location where it was shot down. An image apparently showing the airborne drone exploding provided little context.
“It’s a really dangerous game and if I was flying in that region – which I have before – I’d be a little more nervous,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a U.S. Air Force Veteran who flew missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, told reporters Friday.
Kinzinger said Iran has moved the situation “this time – and multiple times prior – into the kinetic military realm. This is not the president doing it. I think a military response, even a small one is appropriate but if there’s a strong economic cost then I think that could work, too.”
But in recent days, Democrats have expressed concern Trump has not adequately consulted with the U.S. Congress on a military response they say could have grave consequences.
“I think every president would probably say initial, retaliatory strikes are ok but let’s de-escalate this, let’s look for a diplomatic solution,” Rep. Ami Bera, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told VOA. “He (Trump) may be walking right into the hands of what the Revolutionary Guards want.”
Nine Dead as Plane Crashes in Hawaii, Believed During Skydiving Trip
Posted by Worldcrew On 22/06/2019
Nine passengers and crew were killed on Friday evening when their plane crashed near an airfield in Hawaii, authorities said, during what broadcaster CNN said was a
skydiving trip.
The twin-engine King Air plane went down near the Dillingham Airfield, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) said. The fire service said the aircraft was engulfed in flames when
fire crews arrived and there appeared to be no survivors. “We are still gathering information as to the intent of the flight and what they were doing,” Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel Neves told a news conference.
CNN said the plane was on a skydiving excursion and that Federal Aviation Administration would investigate the crash. Dillingham is a joint-use airfield operated by the HDOT
under a 25-year lease from the U.S. army, according to its website.
Ecuador Ends ‘Arbitrary’ Detention of Swede Linked to Assange
Posted by Worldcrew On 22/06/2019
An Ecuador court ordered the release Thursday of a Swedish national who has ties to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and who was accused of computer hacking, because his detention was deemed “arbitrary.”
Ola Bini had been arrested while trying to travel to Japan April 11, the same day Ecuador rescinded Assange’s seven-year claim to asylum in their London embassy.
“There was effectively a violation to (Bini’s) right to freedom,” and his detention was “illegitimate and arbitrary,” Judge Patricio Vaca said in his ruling, ordering his immediate release.
The court will require Bini to periodically appear before authorities and banned him from leaving the country as investigations continue over his alleged hacking attacks.
“Today we have shown my innocence for the first time and we will continue to demonstrate my innocence,” Bini told reporters after being released a few hours after the hearing.
“I am not free as long this illegitimate investigation is going on,” Bini said earlier, and his lawyers insisted the entire case against him was baseless.
Ecuador has linked Bini to WikiLeaks’s Assange, a damaging charge because Quito has declared that any person close to the Australian was therefore involved in a plot to destabilize President Lenin Moreno.
Assange’s case, which has upset defenders of press freedoms and human rights, revolves around WikiLeaks publishing thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents in 2010.
He is currently spending a year in prison in Britain for violating bail when he fled to the Ecuadoran embassy in 2012 to avoid sexual assault accusations in Sweden.
And Assange could face 175 years in prison under U.S. charges of violating the Espionage Act. An extradition hearing is set for February.
Africa 54
Posted by Worldcrew On 21/06/2019
If you want to know what’s trending in news, health, sports and lifestyle, then tune in to Africa 54. Airing Monday through Friday, this 30-minute program takes a closer look at the stories Africans are talking about, with reports from VOA correspondents, and interviews with top experts and analysts. Africa 54 also serves viewers with timely information about health, education, business and technology. And for the young and young at heart, Africa 54 provides a daily dose of pop culture, including music, fashion and entertainment.
On our Programs:
Watch for more political, health, sports, and feature stories on YouTube.
Meet the Team:
Vincent Makori is the Managing Editor of Africa 54, Voice of America’s daily TV program for Africa. He also serves as a producer and writer for Africa 54. Vincent is a versatile journalist with 20 years of experience, working in Africa, Europe and the U.S. He has been at VOA for more than 11 years.
Vincent has covered a wide range of stories including the Africa Union Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, The U.N. General Assembly in New York, International Trade and Technology Fairs in Berlin and Hanover Germany. The International AIDS Conference, in Mexico City, Mexico, and the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
He has interviewed people of all walks of life, including high ranking officials and presidents, among them, former U.S. President George W. Bush, President Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi, former President of Ghana John Kufuor, President Ifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia ; Noble Laureate Wangari Maathai and academic luminaries like Professor Ali Mazrui.
He holds a post-graduate degree in mass communication from the School of Journalism of the University of Nairobi and a Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in English Literature from Moi University, Kenya. He has attended numerous training programs in journalism, in Kenya, Germany and the U.S.
Linord Moudou is the producer & host of the Africa Health Network on Africa 54. She also produces and hosts Health Chat on the Voice of America radio, a live call-in program that addresses health issues of interest to Africa.
She started her career with Voice of America television as the producer & host of Healthy Living, a weekly health news magazine covering African health issues including malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS. She also shared new discoveries and medical breakthroughs, and provided tips and advice on how to prevent diseases and live a healthier life.
Before joining VOA, Linord worked as a broadcast and print journalist, traveling between Africa, Europe and the United States. In 2000, she created, produced, and hosted “Spotlight on Africa,” a bilingual (French-English) television and radio program on Public Access Television and New World Radio in Washington, D.C. With “Spotlight on Africa,” Linord dedicated herself to promote a more positive image of Africa internationally, through information and entertainment.
Her print experience includes “Africa Journal,” a Corporate Council on Africa publication, and AMINA Magazine, a Paris-based magazine about women of Africa and the Diaspora.
Linord Moudou was born and raised in Côte d’Ivoire. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and media productions from George Mason University, and a certificate in television and radio productions from the Columbia School of Broadcasting. The veteran broadcaster is fluent in French, English and conversational in Spanish and Creole.
Internship Opportunities
In the competitive and changing television industry, nothing is more valuable for job-seekers than “real world” experience. The Straight Talk Africa internship program offers motivated and outstanding students exciting opportunities to experience practical journalism. In addition to helping to get our weekly studio programs on-the-air, interns also produce a final project for their portfolios. Projects include writing and producing promos, stories, and even full-length documentary or magazine shows.
For more information and/or send your resume to:
africatv@voanews.com,
Attention to Clara Frenk.
Straight Talk Africa
Posted by Worldcrew On 21/06/2019
Join us every Wednesday as Shaka and his guests discuss topics of special interest to Africans, including politics, economic development, press freedom, health, social issues and conflict resolution.
Broadcast Schedule
Straight Talk Africa is broadcast live every Wednesday from 1830-1930 UTC/GMT simultaneously on radio, television and the Internet.
Join the Discussion
Contact Us:
E-mail africatv@voanews.com
Postal Mail
Voice of America
TV to Africa – Suite 1613
330 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20237
USA
Internship Opportunities
In the competitive and changing television industry, nothing is more valuable for job-seekers than “real world” experience. The Straight Talk Africa internship program offers motivated and outstanding students exciting opportunities to experience practical journalism. In addition to helping to get our weekly studio programs on-the-air, interns also produce a final project for their portfolios. Projects include writing and producing promos, stories, and even full-length documentary or magazine shows.
For more information and/or send your resume to:
africatv@voanews.com
Attention to Roblyn Hymes.
51 депутат звернувся до КСУ щодо закону про українську мову
Posted by UAcrew On 21/06/2019
До Конституційного суду України надійшло подання 51 народного депутата, які просять перевірити на відповідність Конституції закону «Про забезпечення функціонування української мови як державної». Про це йдеться в повідомленні на сайті КСУ.
У вказаному поданні, оприлюдненому на сайті суду, депутати просять визнати закон «таким, що не відповідає Конституції України».
«Суб’єкт права на конституційне подання вважає, що положеннями низки статей закону №2704-VIII порушуються права громадян на використання рідної мови, обмежується доступ громадян, наприклад, до культурної продукції рідною мовою, створюється атмосфера нетерпимості до мовного різноманіття, історично притаманного єдиному багатонаціональному народу України, не врегульовується порядок застосування мов національних меншин в Україні…», – йдеться в поданні.
Згідно з документом, уповноваженими авторів подання є депутати від «Опозиційного блоку» Олександр Долженков і співголова фракції «Опозиційний блок» парламенті Вадим Новинський.
Верховна Рада України 25 квітня 278 голосами ухвалила закон «Про забезпечення функціонування української мови як державної». Перед тим депутати кілька тижнів розглядали понад дві тисячі правок, внесених до закону.
15 травня на той час президент України Петро Порошенко підписав закон про функціонування української мови як державної. Наступного дня закон був опублікований в офіційній пресі.
Ухвалення документа критикувала Росія, яка ініціювала засідання Ради безпеки ООН з приводу українського мовного закону. 20 травня Рада безпеки відмовилася розглядати цей закон.
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Зеленський вніс у Раду законопроект про покарання депутатів за «кнопкодавство»
Posted by UAcrew On 21/06/2019
Президент України Володимир Зеленський вніс до Верховної Ради законопроект щодо забезпечення особистого голосування народними депутатами.
«Проектом закону пропонується встановити кримінальну відповідальність за здійснення народним депутатом України будь-яким способом голосування у Верховній Раді України та/або її органах замість іншого народного депутата України (неособисте голосування). Таке діяння каратиметься штрафом від трьох тисяч до п’яти тисяч неоподатковуваних мінімумів доходів громадян», – йдеться в пояснювальний записці до документа.
Як повідомляється на сайті парламенту, законопроект зареєстрований 21 червня.
Минулого тижня про те, що президент України Володимир Зеленський внесе законопроект про кримінальну відповідальність за «кнопкодавство», повідомляв представник президента у Верховній Раді Руслан Стефанчук.
У парламенті вже реєстрували законопроекти, які передбачали відповідальність за неособисте голосування. Зокрема, у червні 2015 року депутати підтримали у першому читанні законопроект, який передбачає відповідальність за неособисте голосування. Документ, який не був ухвалений у цілому, передбачав, що «кнопкодавів» каратимуть позбавленням права брати участь у засіданнях парламенту, втратою керівних посад у комітетах чи невключенням до офіційних парламентських делегацій.
У червні 2018 року законопроект про кримінальну відповідальність за «кнопкодавство» вніс до Ради депутат «Народного фронту» Леонід Ємець. Сесійна зала його пропозицію не розглядала.
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Гройсман доручив забезпечити водопостачання Донбасу – Кабмін
Posted by UAcrew On 21/06/2019
Прем’єр розпорядився закріпити за КП «Вода Донбасу» статус захищеного споживача. Це унеможливлює вимкнення електрики
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US States Tackle Emissions, as White House Rolls Back Environmental Legislation
Posted by Worldcrew On 21/06/2019
This week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a new rule that rolls back the ambitious Obama Era regulations designed to cut planet warming emissions. The Trump Administration says this will result in cleaner air and cheaper energy. But critics say the United States should be cutting emissions more not less, and some U.S. states are doing just that. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports.
Trump Reportedly Approved Military Retaliation after Iran Shootdown of US Drone
Posted by Worldcrew On 21/06/2019
Steve Herman, Carla Babb, Katherine Gypson, Ken Bredemeier contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON — National security officials in Washington are declining comment on media reports that U.S. President Donald Trump approved military strikes against in Iran Thursday but then pulled back from launching them for unknown reasons.
Trump initially authorized attacks on a handful of Iranian targets, such as radar and missile batteries, as first reported by The New York Times.
The Washington Post and other media subsequently also reported that administration officials said the president approved the counterstrikes.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the Iranian government told the news agency that it had received a message from President Trump via Oman overnight, warning of an imminent attack on Iran.
Reuters said that Tehran’s immediate response to Trump’s message was a stark warning over “regional and international” consequences if U.S. undertakes any military action.
FAA emergency order
The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday evening issued an emergency order prohibiting all U.S. aircraft operators from entering airspace above parts of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, the region where a U.S. Navy drone was shot down by Iran. Several international airlines, including Dutch carrier KLM and Australia’s Qantas say they will also not fly over the Strait of Hormuz.
The Global Hawk surveillance drone was flying over the Strait of Hormuz when it was hit by an Iranian missile, an incident Trump terms a “very bad mistake.”
“This is a new fly in the ointment,” Trump said Thursday while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House.
“This drone was in international waters, clearly. We have it all documented. It’s documented scientifically, not just words,” Trump told reporters.
When asked if the action could lead to war with Iran, the president replied, “You’ll find out.”
Trump, answering questions from reporters, suggested the downing of the American drone could have been an accident, rather than a deliberate provocative action ordered by Iran’s leaders.
“I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it.”
Iran: Drone in our air space
Iran contends the drone flew into its air space, which was a “blatant violation of International law.”
Iran’s letter to @antonioguterres & #UNSC: While Iran does not seek war, it reserves its inherent right, under the UN Charter,to take all appropriate necessary measures against any hostile act violating its territory & is determined to vigorously defend its land, sea & air. pic.twitter.com/LDQBOZPCi5
— Alireza Miryousefi (@miryousefi) June 20, 2019
The U.S. drone “conducted an overflight through the Strait of Hormuz to Chabahar port in full stealth mode as it had turned off its identification equipment and engaged in a clear spying operation,” Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Ravanchi wrote in a letter to the U.N.
“While the Islamic Republic of Iran does not seek war, it reserves its inherent right … to take all appropriate necessary measures,” he wrote.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also defended Tehran’s actions, sharing Iran’s version of the coordinates of the drone’s flight on Twitter.
At 00:14 US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode & violated Iranian airspace. It was targeted at 04:05 at the coordinates (25°59’43″N 57°02’25″E) near Kouh-e Mobarak.
We’ve retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down. pic.twitter.com/pJ34Tysmsg
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 20, 2019
“We’ve retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down,” he said.
US military response
U.S. Air Forces Central Command, which oversees U.S. military activity in the region, calls the Iranian claims “categorically false.”
“This attack is an attempt to disrupt our ability to monitor the area following recent threats to international shipping and free flow of commerce,” Lt. Gen Joseph Guastella said in a statement he read to reporters at the Pentagon, adding the drone was 34 kilometers from the Iranian coastline when it was shot down.
Guastella also said the Iranian attack risked harming civilians using established air corridors between the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
U.S. officials said several naval ships have been dispatched to recover pieces of the drone from a debris field in international waters.
The RQ-4 drone costs more than $222 million and can surveil about 100,000 square kilometers a day, an area about the size of South Korea or Iceland.
Congressional concern
Concern about a potential armed confrontation between the U.S. and Iran has been growing since U.S. officials last week accused Iran of being responsible for mine attacks on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, allegations Tehran denies.
Earlier this week, top defense officials warned of a growing risk of miscalculation. And U.S. lawmakers briefed by top intelligence and defense officials at the White House late Thursday also expressed concern.
“I told the president that these conflicts have a way of escalating,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. “We’re worried that he and the administration may bumble into war.”
The situation in Iran requires a “strong, smart and strategic, not reckless approach,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said following the White House meeting.
The U.S. announced this week it was authorizing another 1,000 troops, including a Patriot missile battery and additional manned and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, to bolster defenses at U.S. positions in Iraq and Syria, citing numerous “threat streams” that “link back to the Iranian regime.”
Earlier Thursday, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned if Iran kept pushing for a fight with the U.S., it may very well get its wish.
“He believes that we’re getting into a bad space, that his options are running out,” Graham told reporters after speaking with President Trump.
But while talking with reporters at the White House, Trump seemed to allow room for some diplomatic maneuvering.
“It could have been somebody that was loose and stupid,” he said of whoever ordered the attack.
He also said, “It would have made a big, big difference” had Iran shot down a manned U.S. aircraft.
International concern
International concern about the prospects of armed conflict between the U.S. and Iran is also growing.
“Obviously the facts need to be established,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters in New York.
“He has warned against any escalation. Warned, stressed that the world cannot afford a major conflict in that area,” Dujarric said. “I think it’s important that all parties exercise maximum restraint and avoid any action that could inflame the situation.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin also warned the U.S. against retaliating for the incident, saying U.S. use of force against Iran “would be a disaster for the region.”
The U.S. military said Iran first tried to shoot down a U.S. drone last week.
Iran nuclear deal
Relations have deteriorated since Trump withdrew last year from the international agreement that limited Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Since then, the U.S. has levied a variety of sanctions against Iran as part of what the a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, aimed at bringing Tehran back to negotiations in order to secure what White House officials have described as a more comprehensive nuclear deal that also addresses Iran’s missile program and its support for terrorist groups.
U.S. officials believe the Iranian government is feeling the pressure from the renewed sanctions. But in response, Iran announced increased production of low-enriched uranium as it seeks help from European nations to circumvent the U.S. measures.
Lack of Internet Access Hobbling West Virginians
Posted by Worldcrew On 21/06/2019
It may be hard to believe that in modern-day America, not everybody has access to high-speed internet. But that is the reality for many Americans, especially those in rural areas of the country. VOA’s Julie Taboh traveled to the Southern region of the state of West Virginia to learn how lack of connectivity is affecting members of a farming community.