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Voice of America
VOA Newscasts
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.
Voice of America
VOA Newscasts
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.
Retno stressed the group would continue to focus on enforcing the ASEAN leaders' five-point plan.
A draft of a post-meeting communique to be issued by the ASEAN foreign ministers remained blank on Myanmar, reflecting the difficulty of reaching agreement on the issue. Their concerns over other contentious issues, such as the South China Sea disputes, were included in the draft, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
Dewi Fortuna Anwar, director of the Jakarta-based Habibie Center think tank, said the situation in Myanmar could become a long-term problem like the South China Sea disputes given ASEAN's limited capacity to solve it. The bloc, however, should try to convince Myanmar's military government that it has better options, she said.
"It's recalcitrant. Its determination to hang on to power is not going to be sustainable because it's only going to incite conflicts," Anwar told the AP.
Myanmar is scheduled next year to assume the role of coordinating ASEAN's engagements with the European Union. But the E.U., which has imposed sanctions on the military government, has opposed such a role for Myanmar, two Southeast Asian diplomats told the AP on condition of anonymity because they lack authority to discuss the issue publicly.
A call for self-restraint
On the South China Sea conflicts, ASEAN foreign ministers are expected to renew a call for self-restraint "in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability," according to the draft communique, repeating language used in previous statements that does not name China.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam have been embroiled in long-simmering territorial conflicts with China and Taiwan for decades. ASEAN and China have been negotiating a non-aggression pact that aims to prevent an escalation of the disputes, but the talks have faced years of delay.
The disputed waters have emerged as a delicate front in the rivalry between China and the United States.
Washington has challenged Beijing's expansive territorial claims and regularly deploys warships and fighter jets in what it calls freedom of navigation and overflight patrols that have incensed China.
Other Western and European nations have deployed navy ships on occasional patrols in the busy waterway, where a bulk of the world's trade transits, with similar calls for unimpeded commerce and mobility.
China's increasingly aggressive actions have prompted other countries to boost their territorial defenses.
"We expressed concern about the growing arms race and naval power projection in the region, which could lead to miscalculation, increased tensions, and may undermine regional peace, security, and stability," the ASEAN foreign ministers said without elaborating in their draft communique, whose wording is still subject to negotiations and could change.
Anwar said there's no solution in sight for the South China Sea disputes and ASEAN could only take steps to help prevent full-blown conflict.
"We hope that China will give up this claim, but don't hold your breath on that," she said.
Voice of America
Aid to Syria's Rebel-Held Northwest to Continue — But for How Long?
The delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria's rebel-held northwest from neighboring Turkey is virtually certain to get a green light to continue from the United Nations Security Council — but the big question is for how long.
The council's current authorization for aid deliveries through the Bab al-Hawa crossing is set to expire Monday, but the council has two rival extension resolutions before it to vote on.
A Russian resolution would continue aid deliveries for six months and a Brazil-Switzerland resolution backed by most council members and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would authorize a 12-month extension.
The vote had been scheduled for Monday morning but was delayed.
Seeking compromise
Brazil, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates are seeking a compromise with Russia on the time frame and a vote could take place later Monday or Tuesday, diplomats said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because discussions have been private.
The delivery of aid to the area has increased significantly following the devastation caused by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that ravaged southern Turkey and northwestern Syria on February 8.
Syrian President Bashar Assad opened two additional crossing points from Turkey to increase the flow of assistance to quake victims, and he extended their operation for three months in May until mid-August. But those crossings are not mentioned in either resolution.
Syria's northwestern province of Idlib is home to some 4 million people, many of whom have been forced from their homes during the 12-year civil war, which has killed nearly a half million people and displaced half the country's pre-war population of 23 million. Hundreds of thousands of people in Idlib live in tent settlements and rely on aid that comes through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing.
90% pushed into poverty
The earthquake caused more than 4,500 deaths in northwest Syria and about 855,000 people had their homes damaged or destroyed, according to the U.N.
U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told the Security Council on June 29 that the conflict in Syria has pushed 90% of its people into poverty and that millions face cuts in food aid in July because of a funding shortfall.
He said the $5.4 billion U.N. humanitarian appeal for Syria — the world's largest — is only 12% funded, meaning that emergency food aid for millions of Syrians could be cut by 40% this month. On Friday, he said the U.N. World Food Program needs $200 million to avoid the food cuts.
The Security Council initially authorized aid deliveries in 2014 from Turkey, Iraq and Jordan through four crossing points into opposition-held areas in Syria. But over the years, Syria's close ally Russia, backed by China, has reduced the authorized crossings to just Bab al-Hawa from Turkey — and the mandate from a year to six months.
Russia has pushed for more aid to be delivered across front lines within Syria, which would give the Syrian government control over the shipments. It has also pushed for early recovery projects to provide jobs and help the country's economy.
The Russian draft resolution "underscores the imperative of maintaining unimpeded and sustainable cross-line access from Damascus to all parts of Syria." It urges stepped up efforts to broaden humanitarian activities to include providing water, sanitation, health, education, electricity, demining and shelter. It also calls for "non-interference of unilateral sanctions in the humanitarian operations in Syria."
The Brazil-Switzerland draft makes no mention of sanctions. It calls for expanding humanitarian activities but would limit electricity provision to places "essential to restore access to basic services." On the issue of aid shipments within Syria, it calls on parties to enable deliveries to all parts of the country, "including by providing timely security guarantees to ensure the safe passage of cross-line convoys and humanitarian personnel."
Newsweek
Russia's Grip on Bakhmut May Be Slipping to Ukraine's Counteroffensive: ISW
"Ukrainian counteroffensive actions ... may be credibly threatening the Russian hold on Bakhmut," ISW said on Monday.
Newsweek
Tommy Tuberville Says the Definition of White Nationalism Is an 'Opinion'
The senator from Alabama stated that he was "totally against" racism but that the term white nationalist was a "cover word" used by Democrats to create anger.
Newsweek
Man Drowns His Family Dog in Apartment Complex Pool After Argument: Police
A Florida man has been charged in the death of a pit bull terrier.
Newsweek
Ron DeSantis Defends Kim Reynolds After Trump Attacks Her Neutrality
"[Reynolds] is a strong leader who knows how to ignore the chirping and get it done," DeSantis said after the ex-president attacked her "neutral" 2024 stance.
Punch Newspapers
Health workers demand salary structure adjustment
The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals has called on the Federal Government to implement the high-level body technical committee’s report on the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure to avert a resumption of the recently suspended industrial action by Joint Health Sector Unions. This was contained in a communique issued at the end
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Punch Newspapers
Osimhen not easy to replace – Garcia
New Napoli manager Rudi Garcia has openly acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead if they have to find a suitable replacement for Nigerian sensation Victor Osimhen, should he depart during the summer transfer window, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. With only a month remaining before the start of the Serie A season, club president Aurelio De
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Punch Newspapers
Family demands justice as power-drunk vigilantes shoot Abuja orphans
The family of two brothers, Abdulmalik Abubakar and Ibrahim Abdullahi, have demanded justice after members of a vigilance group shot them in the Bobota/Dabi Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory. PUNCH Metro gathered that the brothers were sleeping in their room on Sunday, July 9 when members of the vigilance group invaded the
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Punch Newspapers
Binani asks court to stop Adamawa REC prosecution
The All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Aisha Dahiru, alias Binani, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to stop the prosecution of the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari. The Independent National Electoral Commission had last week announced that it was set to prosecute the REC for declaring
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Punch Newspapers
Nigeria now accounts for 33% of Africa’s gas reserves – FG
Nigeria currently accounts for 33 per cent of the total gas reserves in Africa, the Federal Government said on Monday. While disclosing this through the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, it added that the gas reserves in Nigeria could last for about 94 years. The Chief Executive Officer, NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, disclosed this in Abuja
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Punch Newspapers
Elebuibon chides Emir for stopping Isese festival
Renowned Ifa priest, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon, has urged federal and state governments to caution the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, and Islamic clerics in the town against action that could breach freedom of association in the town. Elebuibon was reacting to the cancellation of Isese festival in Ilorin after a traditionalist, Ajesikemi Omolara, was
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Punch Newspapers
It’s illegal for National Assembly to fix members pay – Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, lamented that most of the people who are supposed to operationalise the Nigerian Constitution are the ones undermining the country’s democracy. According to Obasanjo, an example of constitutional abuse is a situation where members of the National Assembly fix their own salaries in clear usurpation of the duty of
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Voice of America
US Charges Think Tank Leader With Working on Behalf of China
U.S. federal prosecutors on Monday announced charges against a U.S.-Israeli man, saying he acted as an unregistered foreign agent on behalf of China and tried to broker weapons and Iranian oil sales.
Authorities accused Gal Luft of recruiting and paying a former U.S. government official who worked as an adviser to then president-elect Donald Trump and of trying to get the official to support policies favorable to China.
Prosecutors also said Luft arranged meetings between Iranian officials and a Chinese energy company to talk about deals involving Iran’s sanctioned oil program.
Luft serves as the co-director of a U.S. think tank focused on energy, security and economic trends and was arrested in Cyprus in February on U.S. charges. He fled after being released on bail and remains at large.
Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Voice of America
VOA Newscasts
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.
Voice of America
Myanmar Violence, Sea Disputes to Dominate ASEAN Talks Joined by Envoys from US, Russia and China
Myanmar's prolonged civil strife, tensions in the disputed South China Sea, and concern over an arms buildup in the region are expected to dominate the agenda when Southeast Asia's top diplomats gather for talks this week in Indonesia.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the U.S.-China rivalry will also be under the spotlight as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang participate as dialogue partners of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers meeting in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui will not attend the ASEAN Regional Forum, an annual security meeting, Indonesian Foreign Ministry official Sidharto Suryodipuro told a news conference on Monday, without elaborating.
It's also unclear who among the key figures in the world's most intractable conflicts will meet on the sidelines of the group's ministerial meetings.
The top diplomats of ASEAN, which consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, will meet Tuesday and Wednesday before their Asian and Western counterparts join them in discussions on Thursday and Friday.
Group's principles tested
Founded in 1967, the often-unwieldy collective of democracies, autocracies and monarchies has been held together for decades by bedrock principles of non-interference in each other's domestic affairs and consensus-based decision-making. But that approach has also prevented the 10-nation bloc from dealing swiftly with crises that spill across borders.
ASEAN's principles have been tested since Myanmar's army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and plunged the country into deadly chaos.
More than 3,750 civilians, including pro-democracy activists, have been killed by security forces and nearly 24,000 arrested since the military takeover, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights group that keeps tallies of such arrests and casualties.
Myanmar's military government has largely ignored a five-point plan by ASEAN heads of state that includes an immediate end to the violence and dialogue among all contending parties. That prompted the regional group to take an unprecedented punitive step by barring Myanmar's military leaders from its top-level gatherings, including the ministerial meetings, that Indonesia will host.
Since assuming ASEAN's rotating chairmanship this year, Indonesia has initiated some 110 meetings with groups in Myanmar and provided humanitarian aid to build trust, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said, adding that continuing violence would hurt efforts to return the nation to normalcy within ASEAN.
"ASEAN is still very concerned about the increasing use of violence in Myanmar which has resulted in civilian casualties and the destruction of public facilities," Retno told a news conference on Friday. "This must stop immediately."
Two months ago, an aid convoy with Indonesian and Singaporean embassy representatives on an ASEAN mission to provide help to displaced people came under fire from unknown attackers in a road ambush in Myanmar's eastern Shan State. A security team returned fire and a security vehicle was damaged, but no one in the convoy was injured, state-run television MRTV reported.
ASEAN is under international pressure to effectively address the crisis in Myanmar. But ASEAN members appear divided over how to proceed, with some recommending an easing of punitive actions aimed at isolating Myanmar's generals and inviting its top diplomat and officials back to the high-profile summit meetings.
[...]
Voice of America
Armed Group Kills Peacekeeper in Central African Republic, UN Says
An unidentified armed group attacked a United Nations peacekeeping patrol Monday in the Central African Republic, killing a peacekeeper from Rwanda, the U.N. said.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said initial reports indicated the U.N. patrol returned fire and killed three of the assailants.
The attack happened as the peacekeepers were providing a protective presence around the town of Sam-Ouandja, in the Haute Kotto prefecture in the Central African Republic's east, Dujarric said.
Peacekeepers were deployed to Sam-Ouandja last week in response to an attack on the town by an armed group, which fled after the peacekeepers intervened, he said. He said the U.N. mission had expanded the security perimeter around the town over the past five days to protect the community and support aid deliveries.
Valentine Rugwabiza, head of the U.N. mission, strongly condemned the attack. She said the peacekeepers will remain in Sam-Ouandja and the mission is engaging with authorities to deploy national forces to the area, according to Dujarric.
Fighting for a decade
The mineral-rich but impoverished Central African Republic has faced deadly intercommunal fighting since 2013, when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power and forced President Francois Bozize from office. Mostly Christian militias later fought back, also targeting civilians in the streets. Untold thousands were killed, and most of the capital's Muslims fled in fear.
Peacekeepers deployed in 2014
A U.N. peacekeeping mission known as MINUSCA was deployed in 2014 and now has nearly 17,500 uniformed personnel in the country. Its mandate was extended for 12 months until November.
After the constitutional court rejected Bozize's candidacy to run for president in December 2020, President Faustin-Archange Touadera won a second term with 53% of the vote. But he continues to face opposition from a rebel coalition linked to Bozize.
Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, whose leader led a short-lived mutiny in Russia last month, have helped keep Touadera in power. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the state-run RT television network after the mutiny that hundreds of Russian fighters would remain in Central African Republic.
Newsweek
QAnon Shaman Threatens to Expose 'False Prophet' at Republican Event
"I was not aware that I'd be sharing the stage with someone who wants a 16 year old wife," Jacob Chansley said, lashing out at Nick Fuentes.
Newsweek
Putin 'Can't Afford to Lose' Prigozhin: Ret. U.S. General
Mark Hertling says the Prigozhin allyship is still valuable to Putin even after the Wagner leader attempted a mutiny against the Kremlin.
Newsweek
Cheryl Hines Frets for Family as Husband RFK Jr. Runs for President
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is polling at around 20 percent in his bid to supplant Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Punch Newspapers
Students no longer believe they can pass without cheating – LUTH psychologist
A Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, and a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Dr Charles Umeh, speaks with LARA ADEJORO on how to deal with forgery in the country Is there any psychological issue with forgery? Forgery could be age falsification or
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Punch Newspapers
Where are the middle men?
In the report JOHNNY EDWARD x-rays one of the weakest links in the Super Eagles squad lately and what must be done to improve it The Super Eagles have been caught short of class, guile and quality in the midfield in recent games and the worrying signs are that this may not change any time
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Punch Newspapers
Investors gain N851bn in one day
Nigeria’s equities market witnessed one of the highest one-day gains in 2023 as investors consolidated on the recent market rally to gain N851bn. The market went up on Monday by 2.48 per cent as the All-Share Index and equities capitalisation rose from 63,040.41 points and N34.326tn respectively to 64,603.69 points and N35.177tn. The NGX ASI-
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Punch Newspapers
Montreal Olympics boycott, my most shattering experience — Odegbami
Forty-seven years after Nigeria boycotted the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games and evacuated its athletes from the event, a member of Team Nigeria to the Games, Segun Odegbami, says “it was the most shattering experience of our lives,” The PUNCH reports. Twenty-nine countries — mostly African and including Nigeria — boycotted the Montreal Games after the
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Punch Newspapers
Five suspects nabbed during cult initiation in Lagos hotel
Policemen attached to the Tolu Division of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested five suspected cult members during initiation in the Ajegunle area of the state. The suspects include Peter Odumola, 19, Promise Benjamin, 20, Emmanuel Ikechuckwu, 19, Richards Adu, 18, and Abdullahi Nasiru, 20. PUNCH Metro gathered that the arrest followed a distress
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Punch Newspapers
Tony Elumelu to join King Charles, Biden at climate forum
The Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, will join King Charles III of the United Kingdom, and United States President, Joe Biden, at the Climate Finance Mobilisation Forum. The forum holding in London would help to attract a new generation of capital to combat climate change. A statement said, in achieving the goals of the
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Punch Newspapers
Clearing agents dump land borders over rising charges, forex
Many clearing agents that were operating at the borders have dumped land borders after former President, Muhammadu Buhari ordered the reopening of land borders for businesses, findings have revealed. Recall that Buhari had in December 2020, ordered the reopening of some of the land borders for businesses after shutting the borders since 2019. However, in
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Punch Newspapers
Fuel smuggling persists in borders despite subsidy removal – Customs boss
•Customs CG rejigs border patrol, orders crackdown on fuel smuggling cartels •NNPCL intercepts Cameroon-bound vessel laden with 800,000 litres stolen crude oil The Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, on Monday, vowed a heavy clampdown on oil thieves, insisting that the nation cannot “afford to let saboteurs take over our economy.” Adeniyi,
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