What if refilling a prescription was as easy as withdrawing money from an ATM? A South African tech company wants to make that possible. Its innovation, the Pharmacy Dispensing Unit, is being tested in Johannesburg, and health experts say it could provide a strong boost for the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa, and potentially the region. Zaheer Cassim reports for VOA from Alexandra township of Johannesburg.
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Month: April 2018
South Africa Tests Potential Game-Changer in HIV Treatment
What if refilling a prescription was as easy as withdrawing money from an ATM? A South African tech company wants to make that possible. Its innovation, the Pharmacy Dispensing Unit, is being tested in Johannesburg, and health experts say it could provide a strong boost for the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa, and potentially the region. Zaheer Cassim reports for VOA from Alexandra township of Johannesburg.
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US-Cuba Relations to Remain Unchanged Under New Cuban President
The United States and Cuba say their relations remain the same following the inauguration of the country’s new president. Miguel Díaz-Canel was sworn in Thursday to replace Raúl Castro, who took over from his brother Fidel in 2006. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports the new president has vowed to uphold the Castro legacy.
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US-Cuba Relations to Remain Unchanged Under New Cuban President
The United States and Cuba say their relations remain the same following the inauguration of the country’s new president. Miguel Díaz-Canel was sworn in Thursday to replace Raúl Castro, who took over from his brother Fidel in 2006. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports the new president has vowed to uphold the Castro legacy.
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US Students Plan Mass Walkout on Anniversary of Columbine Massacre
Students across the United States will march Friday to honor the memory of the victims of 1999’s Columbine shooting. Energized by the momentum for stricter gun control since February’s mass shooting at a Florida high school, young people have led the charge for change. Friday will mark the latest salvo in their nationwide calls for change. Arash Arabasadi and Jill Craig contributed to this report.
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US Students Plan Mass Walkout on Anniversary of Columbine Massacre
Students across the United States will march Friday to honor the memory of the victims of 1999’s Columbine shooting. Energized by the momentum for stricter gun control since February’s mass shooting at a Florida high school, young people have led the charge for change. Friday will mark the latest salvo in their nationwide calls for change. Arash Arabasadi and Jill Craig contributed to this report.
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Commonwealth Leaders Ponder Future as Britain Prepares to Exit Europe
Heads of state from across the world are gathered in London this week for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The organization emerged from the breakdown of the British Empire in the last century, and critics say it has failed to shake off its colonial legacy. But as Henry Ridgwell reports, the Commonwealth is under renewed focus in London, as Britain looks for new global partnerships after it leaves the European Union next year.
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Commonwealth Leaders Ponder Future as Britain Prepares to Exit Europe
Heads of state from across the world are gathered in London this week for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The organization emerged from the breakdown of the British Empire in the last century, and critics say it has failed to shake off its colonial legacy. But as Henry Ridgwell reports, the Commonwealth is under renewed focus in London, as Britain looks for new global partnerships after it leaves the European Union next year.
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US Lawmakers Express Hope, Concern Over Trump-Kim Summit
South Korean President Moon Jae-in says he has encouraging news from Pyongyang about planned summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. U.S. lawmakers and experts are also weighing in on the flurry of diplomatic initiatives, as VOA Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from the State Department.
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US Lawmakers Express Hope, Concern Over Trump-Kim Summit
South Korean President Moon Jae-in says he has encouraging news from Pyongyang about planned summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. U.S. lawmakers and experts are also weighing in on the flurry of diplomatic initiatives, as VOA Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from the State Department.
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US Tells Russia to Address Election Concerns, Chemical Weapons
White House national security adviser John Bolton told Russia’s ambassador on Thursday that better relations between the two countries required addressing U.S. concerns on election meddling, a chemical attack in Britain, and the situations in Ukraine and Syria, the White House said.
It was the first meeting between Bolton, who started at the White House this month, and Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, the administration said in a statement.
Bolton told Antonov it was in the interest of both countries to have better relations, but Russia must address allegations that Moscow interfered in the 2016 U.S. election and poisoned a former Russian spy in Britain, the statement said. Moscow has denied both allegations.
The statement said the United States also had concerns about the situations in Ukraine, where Russia backs separatists, and in Syria, where Moscow’s military support has tipped the balance in favor of the Damascus government in a seven-year-old civil war.
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US Tells Russia to Address Election Concerns, Chemical Weapons
White House national security adviser John Bolton told Russia’s ambassador on Thursday that better relations between the two countries required addressing U.S. concerns on election meddling, a chemical attack in Britain, and the situations in Ukraine and Syria, the White House said.
It was the first meeting between Bolton, who started at the White House this month, and Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, the administration said in a statement.
Bolton told Antonov it was in the interest of both countries to have better relations, but Russia must address allegations that Moscow interfered in the 2016 U.S. election and poisoned a former Russian spy in Britain, the statement said. Moscow has denied both allegations.
The statement said the United States also had concerns about the situations in Ukraine, where Russia backs separatists, and in Syria, where Moscow’s military support has tipped the balance in favor of the Damascus government in a seven-year-old civil war.
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Switzerland or Swaziland? Be Confused No More
Breathe easy, Switzerland: The tiny African kingdom of Swaziland is changing its name.
King Mswati III announced it during celebrations of the 50th anniversary of independence and his 50th birthday. It appears to be as easy as that, as the king is an absolute monarch.
Many African countries upon independence “reverted to their ancient, native names,” he said. “We no longer shall be called Swaziland from today forward.”
The kingdom will be known by its historic name of eSwatini. The king has used that name in the past at openings of Parliament and other events.
Some Swiss have responded with relief as the countries often are confused on online forms.
It is not immediately clear how much it will cost the landlocked African country to make the name change.
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Switzerland or Swaziland? Be Confused No More
Breathe easy, Switzerland: The tiny African kingdom of Swaziland is changing its name.
King Mswati III announced it during celebrations of the 50th anniversary of independence and his 50th birthday. It appears to be as easy as that, as the king is an absolute monarch.
Many African countries upon independence “reverted to their ancient, native names,” he said. “We no longer shall be called Swaziland from today forward.”
The kingdom will be known by its historic name of eSwatini. The king has used that name in the past at openings of Parliament and other events.
Some Swiss have responded with relief as the countries often are confused on online forms.
It is not immediately clear how much it will cost the landlocked African country to make the name change.
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Citing Rohingya Massacre, Myanmar Army Chief Urges Soldiers to Obey Law
Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing has told military personnel in the country that they must obey the law, citing as an example the sentencing of seven soldiers for a massacre of Rohingya Muslim men that was the subject of a Reuters investigation.
In a speech at a military school in the country’s north, Min Aung Hlaing told soldiers they “must abide by the military codes of conduct and international laws and conventions”, according to a translation posted on his official Facebook page on Thursday.
“No one is above the law. Actions will be taken if someone breaks the law. The problems in Inn Din village … were solved in line with the Geneva Convention and legal action was taken against military officers and other ranks who failed to respect the law,” said Min Aung Hlaing, in his first direct comment on the killings.
Seven soldiers were sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour this month for taking part in the massacre of 10 Rohingya men in the village of Inn Din, in northwestern Rakhine state, last September.
The massacre was being investigated by two Reuters journalists – Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28 – who were arrested in December and remain in custody accused of violating the country’s Official Secrets Act.
The authorities told Reuters in February the military opened an internal investigation into the killings independently and that it was unrelated to the Reuters reporters, who they said were accused of obtaining unrelated secret government papers.
The Rohingya men were buried in a mass grave in early September after being hacked to death or shot by Buddhist civilian neighbours and soldiers. Reuters published its story on the murders in February.
The killings were part of a larger army crackdown on the Rohingya, beset by allegations of murder, rape, arson and looting, unleashed in response to Rohingya militant attacks on security forces in late August.
Nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar as a result, according to United Nations agencies. The U.N. and the United States described it as ethnic cleansing – an accusation that Myanmar denies.
Min Aung Hlaing, one of the most powerful people in a country where the constitution requires the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi to share power with the military, reiterated in his speech the army’s position that the Rakhine operation was a legitimate counteroffensive against “Bengali terrorists”.
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Citing Rohingya Massacre, Myanmar Army Chief Urges Soldiers to Obey Law
Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing has told military personnel in the country that they must obey the law, citing as an example the sentencing of seven soldiers for a massacre of Rohingya Muslim men that was the subject of a Reuters investigation.
In a speech at a military school in the country’s north, Min Aung Hlaing told soldiers they “must abide by the military codes of conduct and international laws and conventions”, according to a translation posted on his official Facebook page on Thursday.
“No one is above the law. Actions will be taken if someone breaks the law. The problems in Inn Din village … were solved in line with the Geneva Convention and legal action was taken against military officers and other ranks who failed to respect the law,” said Min Aung Hlaing, in his first direct comment on the killings.
Seven soldiers were sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour this month for taking part in the massacre of 10 Rohingya men in the village of Inn Din, in northwestern Rakhine state, last September.
The massacre was being investigated by two Reuters journalists – Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28 – who were arrested in December and remain in custody accused of violating the country’s Official Secrets Act.
The authorities told Reuters in February the military opened an internal investigation into the killings independently and that it was unrelated to the Reuters reporters, who they said were accused of obtaining unrelated secret government papers.
The Rohingya men were buried in a mass grave in early September after being hacked to death or shot by Buddhist civilian neighbours and soldiers. Reuters published its story on the murders in February.
The killings were part of a larger army crackdown on the Rohingya, beset by allegations of murder, rape, arson and looting, unleashed in response to Rohingya militant attacks on security forces in late August.
Nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar as a result, according to United Nations agencies. The U.N. and the United States described it as ethnic cleansing – an accusation that Myanmar denies.
Min Aung Hlaing, one of the most powerful people in a country where the constitution requires the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi to share power with the military, reiterated in his speech the army’s position that the Rakhine operation was a legitimate counteroffensive against “Bengali terrorists”.
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