Pope Francis leaves Cairo on Saturday after two days of meetings with Egypt’s political and religious leaders. Officials hope the papal visit will jump-start interfaith efforts to curb extremism and sectarianism in the region. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports.
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Month: April 2017
Turkey Fires Nearly 4,000 from Civil Service, Military, Gendarmerie
Turkey has dismissed nearly 4,000 people from its civil service, military, and gendarmerie, in what appears to be a purge related to last year’s attempted coup.
Turkey announced the move on Saturday, saying in the government’s Official Gazette that those let go include 1,127 employees of the justice ministry, made up of prison guards, academics and religious affairs ministry employees.
It appears to be one of the largest such purges since the coup attempt last July.
Since that time some 120,000 people have been suspended from their jobs in civil service and the private sector, and more than 40,000 people were arrested.
Also Saturday, Turkey announced it has banned television dating programs, and access to the Wikipedia online research tool. Ankara says Wikipedia has suggested Turkey is cooperating with terror groups.
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Russians Protest Potential Putin Presidential Bid
The Russian opposition movement founded by exiled Kremlin critic and oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky protested President Vladimir Putin in 32 cities Saturday, despite the fact that authorities have banned the movement and declared it illegal, and police have raided its Moscow offices.
The main rally in Moscow had a few hundred protesters gathering in a park before moving to an administrative building nearby, where they submitted a letter urging Putin not to run for a fourth term in 2018.
In St. Petersburg, though, police arrested a few dozen protesters after about 200 of them gathered for an unsanctioned demonstration.
The demonstrations Saturday come on the heels of a large protest in March – the largest unauthorized rally in recent years – that saw more than 1,000 people arrested, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Russian authorities have not simply warned opposition group Open Russia not to conduct any activities, but have blacklisted the group.
The Russian prosecutor general’s office Wednesday declared Open Russia and two other groups founded by Khodorkovsky to be “undesirable” organizations. The three organizations are the U.K.-registered Open Russia, the U.S.-based Institute of Modern Russia, and a social movement that also uses the Open Russia name.
The “undesirable” designation bans them from operating inside Russia, with any violation punishable by fines and jail time.
Police raided the group’s offices in Moscow Friday, prior to Saturday’s protest.
Maria Galitskaya, a spokeswoman for Open Russia told VOA she thinks the raid was politically motivated.
“One [of the police officers] started breaking open the doors of the rooms and desk drawers, though there was nothing illegitimate in the office,” she said. “It is difficult to talk about the real reasons of the search but we connect that with tomorrow’s action and think that this is an effort at intimidation.”
your ad hereIT Workers, Companies Cautious on H1B Visa Program Review
During a recent visit to Wisconsin, President Donald Trump announced he was signing an Executive Order reviewing the visa program that brings many technical workers to the United States, known as the H1B visa. About 85,000 workers come to the United States annually using an H1B visa. More from VOA’s Kane Farabaugh
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Thousands of Environmentalists to March in Washington
Tens of thousands of environmental activists are expected to march in the U.S. capital city Saturday in an effort to draw support for climate-related causes.
The event, dubbed the People’s Climate March, is meant to coincide with President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office, according to its organizers, who have condemned what they see as the administration’s lack of concern for environmental issues.
“The Trump administration’s policies are a catastrophe for our climate and communities, especially low-income and communities of color who are on the front lines of this crisis,” the People’s Climate Movement, a collection of about 50 liberal activist groups, said in a statement.
The group of partner organizations making up the event’s steering committee consists mainly of environmental groups, but also includes several trade unions, anti-war and minority advocacy groups, like the NAACP.
The presence of so many non-climate-related sponsoring organizations is reflected in the group’s “platform,” which lists issues the activists find important, but don’t feel are being adequately addressed by the Trump administration.
The platform blends the problems organizers say are created by climate change with economic and social justice issues, and calls for changes like increasing the national minimum wage to $15 an hour and fighting back against “the corporate trade-induced global race to the bottom.”
“This is a moment to bring the range of progressive social change movements together,” the group says on its website.
Protesters are expected to march from the U.S. Capitol building to the White House, where they will hold a rally. Dozens of “sister” marches are expected in cities across the country.
A similar event last weekend saw thousands of activists show up for the March for Science to protest what they claims are denials of science by the Trump administration.
your ad hereEU Votes Unanimously on Brexit Guidelines
The European Union has voted unanimously to adopt guidelines to negotiate Britain’s exit from the bloc, the summit chairman said Saturday.
“Guidelines adopted unanimously. [The] EU-27’s firm and fair political mandate for the Brexit talks is ready,” said EU president Donald Tusk, who tweeted from the summit where EU leaders met in Brussels without British Prime Minister Theresa May.
The 27 leaders voted to approve the guidelines in less than 15 minutes.
Talks with Britain will begin shortly after its general elections on June 8.
These talks will focus on issues such as the welfare of EU citizens and families living in the UK, as well as the question of the country’s financial dues to the bloc, as the EU insists that the UK bear all financial responsibility for its withdrawal from the bloc — a bill that could be as high as $65 billion.
The relatively short summit was held exactly one month after May triggered two years of exit talks following a British referendum vote to leave the EU on June 23, 2016.
your ad herePakistan PM Fires Adviser Over Leaked Report Against Army
Pakistan’s army has rejected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s decision to sack an adviser over his connections to a reporter who wrote an article last year saying there is a rift between civilian and military leaders over efforts to combat militancy.
The army’s strong reaction came after Sharif ordered the firing of Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi, without specifying his role in the DAWN newspaper article about a conflict between the military and his government.
The army said Saturday that Sharif’s action is “incomplete.”
Earlier, Sharif ordered action against another officer – Rao Tehsin.
He also asked Pakistani newspaper owners to consider action against the reporter who wrote the controversial report.
Relations have been strained between Sharif and the army since 2016.
your ad hereFormer Street Boy Jazzing Up Nairobi Streets with His Saxophone
If you’ve been walking through downtown Nairobi lately, you may have seen Moses Odhiambo. The 29-year-old self-taught saxophonist has been drawing crowds and inspiring a love of music in young people who, like himself, are growing up on the streets.
Moses Odhiambo plays his saxophone amid the usual buzz of evening rush hour in Nairobi’s central business district.
He performs here every Tuesday and Thursday.
A small crowd gathers. Today marks one year since he started performing like this. But he is no stranger to the streets.
At 10 years old, he left home with his three brothers. Their mother couldn’t afford to feed them. Odhiambo spent several homeless years in the slums of Nairobi’s Kayole Soweto area. Through sponsorship programs, he was able to complete high school, where he played trumpet.
He showed a knack for music.
“So the director called me and told me, before we get a professional teacher come and try teaching these students,” said Odhiambo. “So when I went there. I saw the saxophone and fell in love with it and I picked it up, taught myself from scratch up to where I am today”.
When he is not performing in the streets, Odhiamdo is teaching music in two public primary schools or giving private lessons. But the streets remain his source of inspiration.
“I could choose to be in the house and do my practice in the house but I saw that being not so productive for me so I wanted to go out and make a difference,” said Odhiambo. “Because of my background having been a street child, I thought of coming out into the streets and make a difference.”
After his performances, Odhiambo sets aside time to talk with street kids he meets.
“They can make a difference in life if indeed they pursue their passion,” he said.
Rafael Mwangi sings a song he composed. The 14-year-old has lived on the streets for over six years now.
He says “when I saw Moses play, it gave me so much hope. I felt it was time to also start singing… I started writing music and when I showed Mose my writings, he told me he could see my future.”
On Thursdays, Odhiambo is joined by another young musician, Steven Muthama, on the guitar.
Muthama says performing on the street creates a powerful connection.
“People just take time to come and listen,” said Muthama. “Tired people from work taking time to just stop in the street, not knowing you, just seeing you there, listening and appreciating, maybe dropping a shilling or two but just the time and the effort to stand there and listen is really amazing.”
Music has been Odhiambo’s ticket to a better life. He hopes to pass that opportunity on to the next generation.
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Missions Help Tell Dramatic History of Lone Star State
San Antonio, Texas, is home to the greatest concentration of Catholic missions in North America, including The Alamo, the state’s first mission dating to 1718. The most visited historic landmark in Texas was also a fort and the site of a battle that played a pivotal role in the state’s dramatic history.
San Antonio Missions
In the 18th century, the government of Spain established Catholic missions in the American southwest, in an attempt to exert control and expand its influence in the region. The Spanish Crown looked upon the natives as potential subjects and saw the missions as a way to convert as many of them as possible to Catholicism.
But the native tribes in what is now east Texas showed little interest in what Spain had to offer. So in 1731, the missions there were relocated westward to the San Antonio River, where, according to the U.S. National Park Service, the hunter-gatherer tribes proved “more receptive” to the Spanish message. Upon entering a mission, tribal members were expected to give up their traditional life, accept a new religion and pledge loyalty to a distant and unseen king.
Most of the missions lasted as fully functional religious sites for six decades.
A perfect union
National parks traveler Mikah Meyer, who’s on a quest to visit all of the more than 400 sites within the U.S. National Park Service, described the relationship between the Spanish government and its Catholic priests as “a perfect marriage.”
“The Crown of Spain wanted to expand the territory and the Catholic priests wanted to help spread [Catholicism], so within that, it was kind of a magical partnership,” he said. “So these mission sites preserve a lot of that heritage.”
Today the National Park Service operates the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, which helps preserve four of the five missions — San José, Concepción, San Juan and Espada. They were added to the list of national parks in 1978 under then-President Jimmy Carter.
Meyer traveled on the scenic Mission Hike and Bike Trail that follows the San Antonio River and links all five sites. “Each of these mission sites tells part of the story in a different way, depending on how much of the site has been preserved,” he remarked.
“The outlying walls and buildings showcase where the religious figures would have lived, where the students would have lived who were being taught by the missionaries, and a lot of what the daily life would have looked like for these early Spanish colonizers,” he added.
And what life must have been like for Native Americans under Spanish rule, he noted.
“Some people would say they stole their culture from them. Other people would say they provided a means for survival in a changing world that was no longer nomadic and that was becoming agricultural,” he said.
“What’s really incredible about these sites are how well intact and preserved the churches are,” he said. “Most at least have their chapel still maintained.” In fact, all four of the churches remain active parishes, which means services are held in them every week.
The heart of San Antonio
Mission San Antonio de Valero, more commonly known as The Alamo, was established by the Franciscans in 1718. It is not a unit of the National Park Service but owned by the state of Texas and is a National Historic Landmark. The 3-century-old compound was a mission from 1718-1793, a fort from 1803-1835 and a battlefield from 1835-1836.
Many consider The Alamo the most enduring symbol of independence in Texas.
Remember The Alamo!
The historic compound is best known as the site of a 1836 battle that marked a turning point in the state’s history. At the time, Texas was a province of Mexico, and colonists (primarily from the United States) grew resentful of increasingly centralized Mexican government. On October 2, 1835, they launched a revolution for independence.
On February 23 the next year, Mexican President Santa Anna’s army began a siege of the Alamo Mission and overran it 13 days later, killing all of the defenders — known at the time as Texians. Among the dead were well-known men such as garrison commander William Travis, American pioneer Jim Bowie and Tennessee Congressman Davy Crockett.
The deadly siege motivated many Texians to join the Texian Army. They defeated the Mexican forces the following month at the Battle of San Jacinto, on April 21, 1836, ending the revolution, and starting Texas’ decade-long status as an independent republic, until it joined the United States as the 28th state.
Mission accomplished
Today, the Alamo compound is the state’s most visited landmark — two centuries after Spain lost most of its influence throughout the Americas.
Meyer noted that considering the historic, life-altering events that took place at The Alamo compound, “it’s not that big of a building … but it’s impressive that it’s become such a well-known part of our culture.”
“It really seems like the town has embraced this part of their history and built a lot of their current day infrastructure around it,” he added.
All five missions were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites on July 5, 2015
As he prepared to depart Texas and head west, Meyer remarked how impressed he was by the Lone Star state’s vast landscape and diverse culture.
“It’s so huge that you got a very rich diversity of natural landscapes, and with that comes a rich diversity of history,” he said.
The national parks traveler invites you to join him as he continues his journey across the American southwest by visiting his website, Facebook and Instagram.
your ad hereLe Pen Takes Heat for Father; Macron Courts Rural Votes
French presidential hopeful Emmanuel Macron’s party on Saturday called for the resignation of Marine Le Pen’s father from the National Front after comments he made about a ceremony for the policeman killed in an attack in Paris.
The policeman was shot dead and two others were wounded April 20, three days before the first round of the presidential election that saw Macron and Le Pen go through to the May 7 second round. The Islamic State militant group claimed the attack.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the National Front (FN) party’s founder from whom his daughter has sought to distance herself because of his controversial views, criticized a speech made at the remembrance service by the policeman’s partner.
“The long speech he made in some way institutionalized homosexual marriage, exalted it in a public way, and that shocked me,” Le Pen senior, 88, said in an interview on his website.
“Marine Le Pen has still not firmly condemned these comments,” a statement released by Macron’s En Marche! (On the Move!) movement said Saturday.
“I am asking the candidate to put an end immediately to the duties Jean-Marie Le Pen still carries at the FN,” Benjamin Grivaux, Macron’s spokesman, was quoted as saying in the statement.
Jean-Marie Le Pen was expelled from the party’s management in 2015 after he said World War II Nazi gas chambers were a “detail” of history, but he remains an honorary president of the National Front.
Conservative to back Le Pen
Le Pen did receive some welcome news Saturday: Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, a conservative who was eliminated in the first round of voting, has decided to back her campaign.
Florian Philippot, a FN vice president, told BFM television Saturday that the new alliance is “excellent news” and “a turning point in this campaign.”
Dupont-Aignan got nearly 1.7 million votes in the April 23 first-round ballot, 4.7 percent of the total. But his switch to Le Pen split his party, “Stand up France,” prompting the departure of a vice president, Dominique Jamet.
Macron courts rural votes
Macron is hunting for votes in rural areas of France where Le Pen has made inroads among people who feel left behind, with difficult access to public services, mobile phone connections and other modern conveniences.
In a radio interview Saturday, the centrist Macron said that if elected, his government would intervene directly if mobile operators fail within 18 months to install high-speed fiber optic and phone networks everywhere.
Later, at the farmers market in the central town of Poitiers, Macron defending the European Union and free trade with farmers complaining of low-price competition and the difficulty of getting loans to upgrade farming technology.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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South Africa’s Zuma Signs Anti-Money-Laundering Bill
South African President Jacob Zuma has signed the anti-money laundering bill FICA, which allows increased scrutiny of the bank accounts of “prominent individuals,” including himself, into law, his office said Saturday.
The country risked being kicked out of global fraud monitor, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), if the Financial Intelligence Centre Amendment (FICA) bill was not signed by June.
Fight against global financial crime
The bill, intended to bolster the fight against global financial crime by making it easier to identify the ultimate owners of companies and accounts, including those of “domestic prominent influential persons,” was passed by parliament in May.
But Zuma sent in it back to the legislature saying he was concerned about the legality of provisions allowing searches without warrants.
“The President is now satisfied that the Act addresses the constitutional concerns he had raised about warrantless searches,” said the statement from the presidency.
Gupta suspicions
Opposition parties and civil society groups speculated that the stance was related to a fight between the Treasury, which sponsored the legislation, and the Guptas, a family of businessmen close to Zuma.
In December, former Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan asked the High Court to rule he was not allowed to interfere with decisions by South Africa’s major banks to close business accounts of Oakbay Investments, owned by brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta.
Gordhan, axed by Zuma as finance minister in March, said in court papers the Gupta family was waging an “organized campaign” to smear him and the Treasury. The Gupta family in turn accused Gordhan of leading a conspiracy to ruin their business interests.
The court has yet to rule on the matter.
Zuma has said he is close to the family but denies being under their influence.
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Monitors: Turkey Blocks Access to Wikipedia
Turkish authorities Saturday blocked access to online encyclopedia Wikipedia, an internet monitoring group said, the latest in what government critics say is a crackdown on free speech on the internet.
A block on all language editions of the Wikipedia website was detected at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) Saturday, monitoring group Turkey Blocks said on its website.
“The loss of availability is consistent with internet filters used to censor content in the country,” it said.
When attempting to access the webpage using Turkish internet providers, users received a notice the site could not be reached and a “connection timed out” error.
Social media
Monitoring groups have accused Turkey of blocking access to social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook, particularly in the aftermath of militant attacks.
The government has in the past denied that it blocks the internet, blaming outages on spikes in usage after major events.
There is no official statement on why the site has been blocked but Turkish media is reporting the cause as “terror-related content.”
Media reports
Daily Hurriyet newspaper said Turkey has been in communication with Wikipedia for the removal of content supporting terror and presenting Turkey as a “supporter of terror.”
NTV reported that Turkey demanded Wikipedia to open an office in the country, act in line with international law and abide by court decisions and “not be part of the blackout operation against Turkey.”
If these demands are met and the content removed, the site would be reopened, according to Turkish media.
When attempting to access the site without the use of a virtual private network (VPN), connections time out and browsers alert “this site can’t be reached.”
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Duterte to ASEAN Leaders: Be ‘Resolute in Realizing a Drug-Free ASEAN’
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte opened the last day of a four-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit with a warning that they all are facing a massive “illegal drug trade apparatus.” He quickly added Saturday that the drug trade is not “impregnable” and can be dismantled “with political will and cooperation.”
He urged the leaders from the 10 ASEAN countries gathered in Manila to be “resolute in realizing a drug-free ASEAN.”
Duterte also took an oblique swipe at Western governments, asking them not to meddle in the affairs of regional countries.
Duterte has often lashed out at Western criticism of his brutal anti-drug crackdown. Although couched in diplomatic tone, the president’s remarks at the opening ceremony of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila reflect his combative character.
Ties between ASEAN and the West could become stronger and more productive “if we learn to respect each other’s independence and treat each other as sovereign equals,” Duterte said. “Relations bear fruit when they are based on mutual respect and benefit.”
No criticism of China
The summit has not yielded any criticism from the leaders about China over its expansion in the contested South China Sea, a sign, some analysts say, of Beijing’s economic and diplomatic influence.
Analysts and media reports earlier in the week expected a mildly worded closing statement without naming any one country as a troublemaker.
Any slight against China, such as a reminder that it lost a world court arbitration ruling July 12 over the legal basis for its claim to 95 percent of the sea, would be “unnecessarily provocative,” said Collin Koh, maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
“Most of those statements related to such sensitive issues like the South China Sea tend to be very general and wouldn’t go down to specifics, even including highlighting any particular country as singled out for some kind of reprimand in the statement,” Koh said.
Hesitation to criticize China shows the impact of Beijing’s aggressive negotiations with individual Southeast Asian countries and offers of economic benefits since the arbitration ruling. China’s coast guard activity, land reclamation work and construction of military bases in the 3.5 million-square-kilometer have previously caused alarm.
Duterte anti-drug campaign
Duterte has been fanatical about making the Philippines drug-free.
Philippine police report killing 2,724 people in the president’s drug campaign. Human Rights Watch, however, says since Duterte came into office in June 2016, police and unidentified gunmen have killed more than 7,000 suspected drug users and dealers.
Earlier in this week, a Philippine lawyer filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court, accusing Duterte of “mass murder” in his drug campaign.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Climate Change Science Removed from EPA Website
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is updating its website to reflect the views of the Trump administration. The agency has removed several pages from the Obama administration explaining the science behind climate change.
The EPA said in a statement the website is “undergoing changes that reflect the agency’s new direction under President Donald Trump and Administrator Scott Pruitt.”
The statement was released late Friday, just hours before thousands of people descend Saturday on Washington’s National Mall for the People’s Climate March, where scientists and activists are expected to condemn the president for what they call his disdain for the dangers of climate change.
Trump has stated he does not believe the science behind climate change.
Until now, content from the Obama administration had been available on the agency’s site.
“As EPA renews its commitment to human health and clean air, land and water, our website needs to reflect the views of the leadership of the agency,” said J.P. Freire, associate administrator for EPA public affairs. “We want to eliminate confusion by removing outdated language first and making room to discuss how we’re protecting the environment and human health by partnering with states and working within the law.”
Last Saturday, science marches were staged around the world. With Trump in the White House and populist and eurosceptic movements gaining popularity in Europe, scientists say their budgets are being reduced and their work is being taken less seriously.
The vast majority of scientists who study the climate say the planet is unequivocally warming, and that it is extremely likely the change is predominantly caused by humans.
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US Will Not Rule Out Military Response to North Korea
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday that Washington would not rule out a military response to future North Korean aggression and that it would seek to increase the rogue nation’s financial and international isolation. VOA’s Margaret Besheer has more from the United Nations, where the secretary chaired a meeting of the Security Council on the North Korean issue.
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Macedonian Politicians Turn Parliament Violence in War of Words
Macedonia’s rival parties are trading blame for violence in parliament, while world powers are giving opposing reactions to the events.
The European Union and the United States condemned Thursday’s attack, in which protesters stormed the Macedonian parliament in Skopje, attacking opposition lawmakers after they elected an ethnic Albanian speaker.
Russia blamed the events on the West, saying it had meddled in the Balkan nation’s internal affairs.
Pointing fingers
In Macedonia, the previous night’s violence turned into a war of words between rival politicians on Friday.
Zoran Zaev, the head of the opposition Social Democrats, who were targeted in the attack, accused the attackers of attempted murder.
Former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, whose supporters were among the mob that stormed the parliament, said he deplored the violence, but he accused the opposition of instigating it with an attempted power grab.
Interior Minister Agim Nuhiu announced his resignation Friday over the night’s events. He told reporters that 10 lawmakers and an unspecified number of journalists were among those hurt.
The interior ministry said 102 people were treated at city hospitals.
Speaker election
The violence began Thursday after lawmakers from the Social Democrats and ethnic Albanian parties elected former Defense Minister Talat Xhaferi speaker, even though the country has no functioning government.
Demonstrators stormed the parliament and began throwing chairs and attacking opposition lawmakers.
Demonstrators blocked the door of the chamber, refusing to let lawmakers leave as demonstrators waved flags in lawmakers’ faces and shouted “traitors.” Police outside the building fired stun grenades to break up the crowd.
Zaev’s Social Democrats and the ethnic Albanians would have enough seats to form a coalition government, but President Gjorge Ivanov has refused to give him a mandate.
The conservatives won December’s parliamentary election, but without enough seats to form a government. Coalition talks with other parties collapsed over ethnic Albanian demands to make Albanian an official language.
International reaction
The United States condemned Thursday’s violence “in the strongest terms.” In a statement posted on its State Department website, the U.S. Embassy in Skopje said the violence “is not consistent with democracy and is not an acceptable way to resolve differences.”
The U.S. called on all parties to “refrain from violent actions which exacerbate the situation.”
The European Union also condemned Thursday’s violence.
“I condemn the attacks on MPs in Skopje in the strongest terms. Violence has no place in parliament,” enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said. “Democracy must run its course.”
However, Russia blamed the events on the West, saying the Macedonian opposition had “foreign patrons.”
A Foreign Ministry statement said Xhaferi’s election was an “unceremonious manipulation of the will of citizens” and said EU and U.S. representatives were quick to recognize the speaker, indicating the vote was planned in advance.
The United Nations said in a statement by the U.N. secretary-general’s spokesman that it is “following developments unfolding in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia with great concern and call for restraint and calm. Violence directed at democratic institutions and elected representatives of the people is unacceptable.”
Macedonia has a Slavic majority, but about a third of the population is ethnic Albanian. The Balkan country aspires to join the European Union and NATO.
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