Tensions between Greece and Turkey reached a new high this week when the two countries’ foreign ministers traded accusations during a live, televised news conference. The two NATO allies have been trying to rebuild relations after a dispute over a Turkish drilling ship pushed them to the brink of war last year.
At first, the talks looked like they were going well and the chances of re-booting relations between Greece and Turkey appeared positive.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, in fact, got a surprise invite to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during Dendias’ trip to Ankara, and at a later news conference, said his country was keen to support Turkey’s bid to join the European Union.
But then, the climate instantly turned sour, when Dendias said Greece’s position was clear in that Turkey was violating international law and maritime rules in the Aegean Sea, adding that Ankara had to finally lift its threat to go to war with Athens if it moved to extend its territorial waters beyond the current six-mile range in the sea that divides them.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu shot down the remarks, calling them unacceptable and a provocation. He said Turkey had never infringed on Greek sovereignty in its search and drilling work in the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. And then he lashed out at Athens for allegedly pushing back more than 80,000 migrants in the Aegean over the past year.
In addition, Cavusoglou warned that if Greece wanted to continue lodging accusations and fanning tension, Turkey was ready to reciprocate.
Greece and Turkey have been at odds for decades over a wide range of issues, ranging from competing claims in the Mediterranean, air space, energy resources, and the status of some uninhabited islands in the Aegean Sea.
Tensions flared dangerously high last year when Turkey dispatched a drilling ship in contested waters in the Mediterranean – a move that brought the navies of the two countries to the brink of war.
The European Union and the United States have since pushed both sides to the negotiating table, but the talks have made little progress.
Dendias’ trip to Ankara was intended to give the talks a boost.
But as sparks flew at the heated news conference Thursday, analysts in Athens, like Alexis Papachelas of the Kathimerini daily, wondered, “now what?”
Two scenarios, he said, can play out. Either both sides find a way to keep the talks moving, to show the West they are committed to the process without making any substantial concession. Or, Papachelas said, things can get ugly.
Greek intelligence officials contacted by VOA say they are already picking up chatter through social media that Turkey is mobilizing migrants and refugees to push into Greece – a move that strained relations between the two countries last year when President Erdogan lifted border controls for millions of refugees trapped in his country and seeking refuge in Europe.
Whether a new wave of migration materializes remains to be seen. Until then, Greece says it hopes to see Cavusoglu in Athens in the coming weeks for a second round of high-level talks.
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Month: April 2021
Keep Your Distance, Kashmir Police Tell Media
When word gets out of a gunfight between security forces and separatists in Indian-controlled Kashmir, the media are quick to respond. “All it takes is a call from sources,” said Qisar Mir, a photojournalist in the state’s Pulwama district. “The moment I get a confirmation, be it any time and weather, I have to immediately rush to the spot and cover the gunfight.” But that could change after the police chief in India-controlled Kashmir told media to stay clear of clashes, citing safety and national security risks. Police are seen in India-controlled Kashmir, in this undated photo by photojournalist Qisar Mir.The ban centers on coverage of what is known as a “police encounter” — a gunfight between regional police or armed forces and separatist militants. Some FILE – An Indian police officer detains a demonstrator during a protest after Friday prayers in Srinagar, March 5, 2021.Several restrictions and media laws have been introduced in the India-controlled region since Prime Minister Narendra Modi rescinded Article 370 in 2019, which granted autonomy to the disputed territory. Reporters risk arbitrary arrest, fines, harassment or beatings. Authorities cite national security risks or inciting of militant groups as the reason for the laws, internet bans, or arrests. The region is often the site of clashes between Indian forces and militants, who want a separate state for the Muslim-majority region. But media rights groups say authorities should not be trying to control coverage. Gunfights in a conflict zone are a matter of public interest and police should not dictate what reporters can or cannot report on, said Aliya Iftikhar, senior Asia research at the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. The police chief’s remarks are “yet another attempt to control the narrative around Kashmir and the press,” Iftikhar told VOA. Mohammad, of the Kashmir Press Club, said that covering the news live is important in helping stem the flow of false rumors and unverified information, which has potential to trigger chaos in Kashmir. “The government has been insisting that Kashmir is being projected falsely by media and this new advisory will further aggravate that position in the face of lack of credible and authentic information,” Mohammad said. His point has been echoed by other prominent journalists in the region, including Anuradha Bhasin, executive editor of the Kashmir Times. “Journalists cover encounters for facts, information (vital in a democracy). It is a call to duty. Stop ‘interfering’ in that!” Bhasin tweeted.Journalists cover encounters for facts, information (vital in a democracy). It is a call to duty. Stop ‘interfering’ in that! (Is there one incident where live coverage jeopardised security? Encounters: Jammu and Kashmir police ban live coverage https://t.co/pZWbb15Qd5— Anuradha Bhasin (@AnuradhaBhasin_) April 8, 2021Journalists covering unrest or police responses in many Kashmiri districts already face obstacles, with many saying they are harassed regularly by security forces. In some cases, police order them to hand over footage or confiscate equipment. In March, photojournalist Mir, who contributes to the regional network TV9 Bharatvarsh, was harassed while covering a clash in Kakapora, Pulwama. Police pointed a pellet gun at the journalist and another kicked and chased Mir.One pointed a pellet gun and another kicked a local photographer @QisarMirafter chasing us away while covering clashes near the gunfight site in Pulwama today. Everyday story of a journalist in #Kashmir.@CPJAsia@RSF_inter#JournalismIsNotACrimeVideo:Syed shahriyar pic.twitter.com/nt1w84GuZX— Syed Shahriyar (@shahriyarsyed1) April 2, 2021The police announcement has prompted 12 journalism organizations to issue a statement asking Inspector General Kumar to clarify his comments. “If this is a part of the official policy of police, then it appears to be a tactic to coerce journalists into not reporting facts on the ground,” read the statement signed by the Kashmir’s editor’s guild, press club and other groups. “It also seems to be a part of the string of measures taken by the authorities to suppress freedom of press in the region.”
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COVID Vaccine Will Likely Be Annual Shot
The COVID-19 vaccine could become an annual injection, like the flu shot, according to the head of a pharmaceutical giant and the chief science officer of the U.S. pandemic response.Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said during a pre-recorded conversation hosted by CVS Heath Corporation that “The Covid virus looks more like the influenza virus than the polio virus.” The polio shot is generally a childhood inoculation, while the flu shot is administered every year.More research is needed, Bourla said, but the “likely scenario” will be a third dose of the current shots “somewhere between six and 12 months, and from there it would be an annual re-vaccination.”Similarly, David Kessler, working with the White House COVID response, told lawmakers Thursday at a House subcommittee hearing the U.S. should plan for COVID booster shots.Kessler said the Biden administration is still “studying the durability of the antibody response,” following vaccinations, but “I think we should expect that we may have to boost.” A healthcare worker in personal protective equipment collects a swab sample from a woman, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease, at a railway station in Mumbai, India, April 16, 2021.Health officials in India said they counted more than 200,000 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, an all-time daily high for the South Asian nation.The surge in cases has India scrambling to find hospital beds and oxygen. The escalating tally has also forced India, a major vaccine producer, to delay global shipments of COVID vaccines and instead redirect them for use at home.New Delhi health official S.K. Sarin, told the Associated Press that the case surge is “alarming.”Some public health officials also say they believe a Hindu festival at which hundreds of worshippers bathed in the Ganges, as well as recent political rallies, may have contributed to the landmark surge.Over 30% of US Adults Fully Vaccinated, CDC Says 64% of seniors are fully vaccinated for COVID-19More than 30% of U.S. adults, about 78.5 million, are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, according to new data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The CDC said 48% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, as have 80% of seniors, who are the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of the virus. Sixty-four percent of seniors are fully vaccinated.The CDC also reported about 5,800 so-called breakthrough cases of people who have been vaccinated but still contracted the virus.”All of the available vaccines have been proven effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths,” the agency said in a statement. “However, [as] with other vaccines, we expect thousands of vaccine breakthrough cases will occur, even though the vaccine is working as expected.”The CDC data come amid a temporary halt in administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.An independent panel of U.S. health experts is delaying a final decision about Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine as they get more information about the vaccine and possible links to a rare but dangerous blood clot.The CDC’s immunization advisory committee held an emergency meeting Wednesday, one day after the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration issued a joint statement recommending a pause after six women between 18 and 48 years of age developed blood clots known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis within six to 13 days after being inoculated. One of the women died, while another has been hospitalized in critical condition.The six cases are among more than 7 million Johnson & Johnson inoculations nationwide.Decision on Fate of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Delayed by US Advisory Panel Use of single-shot vaccine halted after reports of possible link to rare but potentially dangerous blood clotsDr. Beth Bell, a global health expert at the University of Washington, was one of the members who argued in favor of gaining more information. But Bell called the blood-clotting incidents “a very rare event” and insisted she didn’t want to send a message “that there is something fundamentally wrong with this vaccine.”But the reports prompted the U.S. pharmaceutical giant Tuesday to announce it was delaying rollout of the vaccine in Europe, where vaccination efforts have been plagued by a shortage of vaccines and logistical problems, as well as the troubled rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has also been linked to cases of rare blood clots.Both the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were developed by using so-called adenoviruses to carry DNA into human cells that generates the body’s immune system to ward off the coronavirus.The issues with the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines led the European Union to announce Wednesday that 50 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine that it was initially slated to receive by the end of the year will be delivered by June, adding to the 200 million doses it was already expecting to receive by then.Despite the problems, there was some good news in Europe.COVID-19 cases are declining among Europeans 80 and older, and death rates in the age group are at the lowest level since the pandemic began, according to a World Health Organization official.Speaking Thursday during a virtual news briefing in Athens, WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge credited the improving trend to vaccination programs across the continent, which prioritized the elderly.But Kluge said that was the only silver lining to the otherwise serious COVID-19 situation facing Europe. He said the region is averaging 1.6 million new cases a week and more than 9,500 new cases per hour. Last week, Europe surpassed 1 million deaths since the pandemic began.The world is nearing 3 million deaths from COVID-19 out of 138.8 million confirmed total cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Many nations are seeing a new surge of the virus, which is throwing doubt and confusion over numerous planned events, including the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Thursday during a televised interview the Olympics should be canceled if the current wave of new infections grows out of control. His remarks came 99 days before the July 23 opening ceremony.With Tokyo and other parts of Japan under a state of emergency to quell a surge of new infections, public opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of Japanese believe the games should be postponed again or canceled.
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Nigeria Worries About Meeting Vaccination Targets
Nigerian authorities are stepping up efforts to vaccinate more people against COVID-19 after a slow rollout blamed on misinformation. Authorities aim to vaccinate over 80 million Nigerians by year’s end but are running far behind schedule.
An Abuja vaccination center, which opened March 16, one week after Nigeria’s official vaccine rollout, vaccinates between 50 and 100 people daily. It is one of many vaccination locations in the Nigerian capital. Abuja resident Olu Agunbiade visited the center to get his first shot and says receiving the vaccine makes him feel safer. “I can venture out into the world with a form of protection,” he told VOA. “I know that doesn’t mean I can’t still contract COVID, but at least I have antibodies, I can fight it.” Nigeria received about 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine early last month. Authorities say they will vaccine around 80 million people by the end of the year, but so far, only about 1 million have received shots. Although authorities say more Nigerians are now getting vaccinated, Abuja Primary Healthcare Board Executive Secretary Ndeyo Iwot says vaccine hesitancy and misinformation about the coronavirus are to blame for the low numbers. “There’s a very big problem. Now start from the beginning, how many people even believed that we have the pandemic here? And now you want to bring vaccine for what they did not believe in the first instance? We have a lot of work to do,” Iwot says. Dr Ngong Cyprian receives his first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine from Dr Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, in Abuja.As workaround, authorities are trying to increase vaccine awareness in communities, villages, and marketplaces. Despite this, though, citizens like Richard Uka insist they will not get the vaccine. “To be sincere, I don’t think this is necessary, to me it’s not necessary,” Uka told VOA. “And I believe that in Nigeria nothing works. How do you think that that vaccine works or how do we know that it works?” Nigeria needs to vaccinate about 150 million citizens by next year to attain herd immunity. Iwot, though, says getting adequate doses of vaccines may prove difficult. “Looking at the pandemic situation in Europe, India and the U.S.A. and the U.K., some of them are experiencing the third and fourth spikes now and India that was giving us is also having spikes now. So many of the dosages they have will be consumed there,” Iwot told VOA.Very few African countries are able to manufacture the coronavirus vaccines, creating heavy dependence on foreign manufacturers. The World Health Organization says the continent has so far received less than 2% of the global 690 million doses of the coronavirus vaccines.
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Pakistan Blocks Social Media Amid Crackdown on Islamists
Pakistan temporarily blocked access to all social media platforms Friday amid a crackdown on a radical Islamist party leading recent nationwide violent demonstrations against France over the publication of anti-Islam cartoons in a French magazine. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority confirmed blocking Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Telegram on orders from Pakistan’s Interior Ministry. The suspension lasted four hours, with the PTA saying the action was taken. “to maintain public order and safety.” The media shut down came as police in the eastern city of Lahore prepared to clear a large ongoing demonstration by the radical Islamist party Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan, a day after the government declared the party a banned group under the country’s anti-terrorism laws.Thousands of TLP activists had taken to the streets across major Pakistani cities Monday to protest the arrest of their leader, Saad Rizvi. The protesters blocked key highways, causing traffic jams, paralyzing business and routine life for three days in Pakistan. Supporters of Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan, a radical Islamist political party, chant slogans during a protest against the arrest of their party leader, Saad Rizvi, in Lahore, Pakistan, April 15, 2021.The extremist Islamist party has been demanding that Islamabad expel the French ambassador over the publishing of cartoons in France depicting Islam’s Prophet Mohammad, an act condemned as blasphemous. Police attempted to disperse the protesters, prompting violent clashes. Officials said assaults on law enforcement personnel killed two officers and wounded 580 others, many of them seriously. Three demonstrations also died in the clashes. Angry protesters in other parts of the country inflicted damage on private and public property and disrupted the much-need supply of oxygen to hospitals at a time when Pakistan is in the grip of a third COVID-19 wave and thousands of patients contracting the pandemic are admitted in intensive care units. Pakistan Islamists Clash With Police, Killing 4 Members of radical Tehrik-i-Labaik Pakistan, or TLP, were in the streets of major cities Monday after authorities in Lahore detained their leader, Saad Rizvi The unprecedented attacks against police prompted the Pakistani government to swiftly outlaw TLP for indulging in terrorist attacks again the state. Pakistani authorities said Thursday police and paramilitary forces had dispersed the demonstrators in all areas, but not in Lahore, where the TLP is headquartered.The violence prompted France to advise hundreds of its citizens and companies on Thursday to temporarily leave Pakistan, citing “serious threats to French interests” in the South Asian nation.France Advises Citizens to Leave Pakistan for Security ReasonsMove follows violent protests by activists of radical Islamist party, which has been demanding that Islamabad expel French ambassador over publishing of anti-Islam cartoons in FrancePakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, responding to the French advisory told VOA the government was taking steps to improve the situation.“We are aware of the advice, which appears to be based on their own assessment of the situation. For its part, the government is taking enhanced measures for the maintenance of law and order and preventing any damage to life and property,” Chaudhri said.Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed defended the arrest of the TLP chief, saying Rizvi was planning to lead a march on Islamabad to besiege the capital in connection with the TLP’s demand for the expulsion of the French ambassador.Ahmed dismissed the demand as illegitimate, saying entities like the TLP cannot be allowed to dictate terms to the Pakistani state. The TLP has risen to prominence in Pakistan in recent years. Along with demonstrations against France, the party has pressured the Pakistani government into not repealing or reforming the country’s harsh blasphemy laws, which critics say often are used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal disputes.
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Afghan Women, Experts Worry About Future
Experts are warning that the announced U.S. departure from Afghanistan will lead to intensified conflict in the South Asian nation, while Afghan women say they are worried about their rights. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s efforts to reassure Afghan leaders during an unannounced visit Thursday.
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India Records More Than 200,000 New COVID Cases Thursday
Health officials in India said they counted more than 200,000 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, an all-time daily high for the South Asian nation.The surge in cases has India scrambling to find hospital beds and oxygen. The escalating tally has also forced India, a major vaccine producer, to delay global shipments of COVID vaccines and instead redirect them for use at home.New Delhi health official S.K. Sarin, told the Associated Press that the case surge is “alarming.”Some public health officials also say they believe a Hindu festival at which hundreds of worshippers bathed in the Ganges, as well as recent political rallies, may have contributed to the landmark surge.More than 30% of U.S. adults, about 78.5 million, are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, according to new data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The CDC said 48% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, as have 80% of seniors, who are the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of the virus. Sixty-four percent of seniors are fully vaccinated.The CDC also reported about 5,800 so-called breakthrough cases of people who have been vaccinated but still contracted the virus.”All of the available vaccines have been proven effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths,” the agency said in a statement. “However, [as] with other vaccines, we expect thousands of vaccine breakthrough cases will occur, even though the vaccine is working as expected.”The CDC data come amid a temporary halt in administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.An independent panel of U.S. health experts is delaying a final decision about Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine as they get more information about the vaccine and possible links to a rare but dangerous blood clot.The CDC’s immunization advisory committee held an emergency meeting Wednesday, one day after the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration issued a joint statement recommending a pause after six women between 18 and 48 years of age developed blood clots known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis within six to 13 days after being inoculated. One of the women died, while another has been hospitalized in critical condition.The six cases are among more than 7 million Johnson & Johnson inoculations nationwide.Dr. Beth Bell, a global health expert at the University of Washington, was one of the members who argued in favor of gaining more information. But Bell called the blood-clotting incidents “a very rare event” and insisted she didn’t want to send a message “that there is something fundamentally wrong with this vaccine.”But the reports prompted the U.S. pharmaceutical giant Tuesday to announce it was delaying rollout of the vaccine in Europe, where vaccination efforts have been plagued by a shortage of vaccines and logistical problems, as well as the troubled rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has also been linked to cases of rare blood clots.Both the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were developed by using so-called adenoviruses to carry DNA into human cells that generates the body’s immune system to ward off the coronavirus.The issues with the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines led the European Union to announce Wednesday that 50 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine that it was initially slated to receive by the end of the year will be delivered by June, adding to the 200 million doses it was already expecting to receive by then.Despite the problems, there was some good news in Europe.COVID-19 cases are declining among Europeans 80 and older, and death rates in the age group are at the lowest level since the pandemic began, according to a World Health Organization official.Speaking Thursday during a virtual news briefing in Athens, WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge credited the improving trend to vaccination programs across the continent, which prioritized the elderly.But Kluge said that was the only silver lining to the otherwise serious COVID-19 situation facing Europe. He said the region is averaging 1.6 million new cases a week and more than 9,500 new cases per hour. Last week, Europe surpassed 1 million deaths since the pandemic began.The world is nearing 3 million deaths from COVID-19 out of 138.8 million confirmed total cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Many nations are seeing a new surge of the virus, which is throwing doubt and confusion over numerous planned events, including the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Thursday during a televised interview the Olympics should be canceled if the current wave of new infections grows out of control. His remarks came 99 days before the July 23 opening ceremony.With Tokyo and other parts of Japan under a state of emergency to quell a surge of new infections, public opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of Japanese believe the games should be postponed again or canceled.
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Biden Nominates US Haiti Ambassador to State Department Position
U.S. President Joe Biden has nominated U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison for the position of assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs.Sison, a career ambassador, the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign Service, has served in Haiti since 2018. She is a respected diplomat in Port-au-Prince, where she has been outspoken about democratic governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights.”We are very concerned about any action that risks undermining democratic institutions in Haiti,” Sison told VOA during an exclusive interview in February.Before arriving in Port-au-Prince, she served as U.S. deputy representative to the United Nations with the rank of ambassador from 2014 to 2018.She is experienced in global coalition building, transnational threats, peacekeeping, international development and humanitarian relief.Among Sison’s prior posts are U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates; assistant chief of mission in Iraq; and deputy chief of mission in Pakistan.At the State Department, she held the position of principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs.Sison has been recognized with multiple awards, notably the Distinguished Service Award and the Presidential Meritorious Rank Award.The U.S. Senate must confirm her nomination before it becomes effective.
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US Slaps Tough Sanctions on Russia for Election Meddling
The Biden administration on Thursday imposed tough sanctions targeting the Russian economy to punish the Kremlin for the SolarWinds cyberespionage campaign against the United States and efforts to influence the 2020 presidential election. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the story.
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UN Releases $1M in Emergency Funding for St. Vincent
The United Nations on Thursday released $1 million from its emergency fund to provide aid to the Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines following a series of devastating volcanic eruptions, the body’s spokesman said.The funds will provide for “urgent humanitarian assistance to impacted people, especially those who have been evacuated,” Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.U.N. agencies will be able to distribute drinking water and hygiene kits, as well as money for the most vulnerable to buy food, he said.About 20,000 people were evacuated from the vicinity of the La Soufriere volcano on St. Vincent, which began erupting last Friday for the first time since 1979.About 4,500 people are in shelters, and the country’s airspace is closed.”Most homes in St. Vincent are without water, and most of the country’s 110,000 people have been impacted by ash fall,” Dujarric said.Eruptions have continued to occur daily, with ash clouds covering the country and reaching surrounding islands.The U.N. said Wednesday that depending on winds, the volcanic eruptions could have an environmental and economic impact on Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Martinique, and Guadeloupe.St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the smallest state to ever sit on the U.N. Security Council, where its two-year term as a nonpermanent member ends in December.
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Nigerian Authorities Worry About Meeting Vaccination Targets
Nigerian authorities are stepping up efforts to vaccinate more people against COVID-19 after a slow rollout blamed on misinformation. Authorities aim to vaccinate over 80 million Nigerians by year’s end but are running far behind schedule. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja.
Camera: Emekas Gibson
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Zimbabwe Reports Major Rise in Teen Pregnancies During Pandemic
Zimbabwe’s government this month reported nearly 5,000 teenage pregnancies in January and February — a major jump from previous years. Advocates are blaming the rise on coronavirus lockdowns and poverty. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare, Zimbabwe. Camera: Blessing Chigwenhembe
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Serbia’s Government ‘Has to Respect Media,’ Investigative Journalist Says
The head of a Serbian investigative news outlet being attacked for its work uncovering corruption says his country needs to do more to protect media. During a visit to the U.S., Stevan Dojcinovic, editor in chief of the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network (KRIK), met with journalist rights organizations and investigative outlets to discuss recent attacks on his news website and the overall situation for press freedom in Serbia. KRIK has been subject to a smear campaign by pro-government media as well as some politicians in recent months, who falsely accuse it of having links to the head of an organized crime group.FILE – Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic addresses the media in Belgrade, Serbia, June 21, 2020.Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his culture minister have both called for an end to the harassment, with Vucic saying “no one has the right to threaten journalists.” The attacks reflect a wider decline in Serbia’s press freedom rankings. Reporters Without Borders ranks the country at 93 out of 180 countries, where 1 is the most free, in its annual press freedom index. In its 2020 Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House said the government has “steadily eroded political rights and civil liberties, putting pressure on independent media, the political opposition and civil society organizations.” The “abusive language, intimidation and slandering campaigns” that seek to portray KRIK and others as being associated with criminal groups were also condemned by the European Parliament. In an interview with VOA Serbian, the award-winning Dojcinovic discussed the challenges for Serbia’s media and what he believes can be done to protect media freedoms in his country. “It seems to me that, for the first time, clear and powerful messages have been sent that this must stop. The government has to respect the media,” Dojčinović said, adding that it was a good sign that the “world is aware and wants to react” to what has been happening. Following are excerpts from a VOA interview with Dojčinović. Questions and answers have been translated and edited for length and clarity. VOA: On several occasions, President Vucic has called on members of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) to stop attacking KRIK in public. Have Vucic’s calls helped stop the attacks? Stevan Dojcinovic: I think that he can stop the pro-government media and members of the National Assembly from attacking us. The attacks continued, even after his calls, so it doesn’t seem to really work. Immediately after the president’s address, [Aleksandar] Martinović, [the head of SNS in Serbia’s National Assembly] accused us of laundering money. They just keep going. VOA: Why do you think that is the case? SD: I don’t think the pro-government media, tabloids and [members of Parliament] do anything that isn’t approved from the top — by the president or the people close to him. That’s how things work in Serbia. I think they are allowed to attack us. The reason for it is because of our job. Because we are engaged in investigative journalism. We investigate corruption, alleged links by state officials to crime and corruption, which the authorities do not like. That’s why they use pro-government media to incriminate us. It is not how things should work. VOA: You have said those behind the campaign against KRIK are being allowed to attack the outlet. Who do you believe provides that approval? SD: I think it is clear that pro-government media in Serbia is releasing content that the government orders them to publish. I suppose that the president does not have to do it personally. Influential associates around him have the power to delegate topics that pro-government media and tabloid press may or may not publish. And I think this is very clear. VOA: In 2020, KRIK’s fact-checking portal Raskrinkavanje found that five of Serbia’s daily papers published 1,172 headlines containing false news. The majority of Serbians consume media from these sources. What can be done to prevent the spread of false news? SD: The audience should not be held responsible. The problem is in the establishing and financing of tabloid newspapers and magazines. These papers are cheap to buy, which is why they can reach a huge number of people. The papers can sell for low prices because they receive large amounts of money through the state financing media projects. Raskrinkavanje has found that the tabloid newspapers producing the most fake news get the most money through financing by the state, or advertising from state-owned companies. In my opinion, this is what needs to be changed about Serbia’s media scene. VOA: How can this issue be resolved? SD: The government is the only party capable of doing that. But it won’t because the pro-government media are in its service. The European Union, which is interested in resolving issues around Serbia’s judiciary and media scene, could have influence. I hope that more pressure will be put on it. One of the major concerns is media ownership: the significant presence of the government in the ownership structure of many media, and the influence ruling parties have on both state and private-owned media outlets. Political influence and concentration distort the media market. The lack of plurality can be detected in television and radio, but also with the printed press. An investigative project by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and Reporters Without Borders reached the same conclusion. This article originated in VOA’s Serbian Service.
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US Further Punishes Russia for Cyberattacks, Election Meddling
The United States cannot allow a foreign power to intervene with impunity in American elections, President Joe Biden said Thursday, after he took action to punish Russia for that and a major cyberattack. “Today I’ve approved several steps, including expulsion of several Russian officials, as a consequence of their actions,” Biden said at the White House. “I’ve also signed an executive order authorizing new measures, including sanctions to address specific harmful actions that Russia has taken against U.S. interests.” Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during a meeting via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, April 15, 2021.Biden said he told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call earlier this week that he could have gone further but chose to be proportionate and does not seek to escalate tensions between Washington and Moscow. “If Russia continues to interfere with our democracy, I’m prepared to take further actions to respond,” he added. Thirty-two entities and individuals linked to Moscow are being sanctioned for disinformation efforts and interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Ten personnel from Russia’s diplomatic mission in Washington were expelled, including ”representatives of Russian intelligence services,” according to the White House. The Biden administration is formally blaming the SVR, the external intelligence agency of Russia, for the massive cybersecurity breach discovered last year involving SolarWinds, a Texas-based software management company that allowed access to the systems of thousands of companies and multiple federal agencies. The Russian flag flutters on the Consulate-General of the Russian Federation in New York City, April 15, 2021.The Russian spy agency reacted by calling the accusation “nonsense” and “windbaggery.” The Russian Foreign Ministry said it told U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan that the new sanctions are a serious blow to bilateral relations and that Moscow’s response to them will follow soon. The Foreign Ministry, in a statement, added that it was entirely inappropriate for Washington to warn Moscow against further escalation. Besides Thursday’s widely anticipated moves by the Biden administration, ”there will be elements of these actions that will remain unseen,” said a senior U.S. official speaking to reporters on condition of not being named. Biden, during his seven minutes of remarks in the East Room on Thursday afternoon, said he believed he and Putin would meet for a summit this summer somewhere in Europe. At that meeting, the president said, the two countries “could launch a strategic stability dialogue, to pursue cooperation in arms control and security,” as well as address such issues as reining in nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea, the coronavirus pandemic and “the existential crisis of climate change.” Congressional reaction U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, who heads the House Intelligence Committee, said the president’s actions demonstrate the United States ”will no longer turn a blind eye to Russian malign activity.” But Schiff, in a statement, predicted sanctions alone will not be enough to deter Russia’s misbehavior. Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., looks on before a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 15, 2021.”We must strengthen our own cyber defenses, take further action to condemn Russia’s human rights abuses, and, working in concert with our allies and partners in Europe, deter further Russian military aggression,” Schiff said. “I am glad to see the Biden administration formally attributing the SolarWinds hack to Russian intelligence services and taking steps to sanction some of the individuals and entities involved,” said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner. “The scale and scope of this hack are beyond any that we’ve seen before and should make clear that we will hold Russia and other adversaries accountable for committing this kind of malicious cyber activity against American targets.” Numerous Republican members of Congress, while praising the president’s action, are calling for more measures — particularly to halt the controversial Nord Stream 2 project. “If the Biden administration is serious about imposing real costs on the Putin regime’s efforts to undermine U.S. democratic institutions and weaken our allies and partners, then it must ensure the Russian malign influence Nord Stream 2 pipeline project is never completed,” House Foreign Affairs Committee lead Republican Michael McCaul said in a statement. FILE – Workers are seen at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, near the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad region, Russia, June 5, 2019.Nord Stream 2 is a multibillion-dollar underwater gas pipeline project linking Russia to Germany. Work on the pipeline was suspended in December 2019 after it became a source of contention between Russia and the West. Nord Stream officials said Russia resumed construction on the gas pipeline in December. The United States has opposed the joint international project because of possible threats to Europe’s energy security. Nord Stream 2 is intended to double the annual gas capacity of an existing Nord Stream pipeline. “Nord Stream 2 is a complicated issue affecting our allies in Europe,” Biden replied to a reporter following his speech. He said that he has been opposed to the project for a long time and it is “still is an issue that is in play.” US sanctions Biden’s administration had already sanctioned seven Russian officials and more than a dozen government entities last month in response to Russia’s treatment of opposition leader Alexey Navalny. The U.S. actions taken Thursday expanded prohibitions on primary market purchases of ruble-dominated Russian sovereign debt, effective June 14. “There’s no credible reason why the American people should directly fund Russia’s government when the Putin regime has repeatedly attempted to undermine our sovereignty,” said a senior administration official in explaining the move. ”We’re also delivering a clear signal that the president has maximum flexibility to expand the sovereign debt prohibitions if Russia’s malign activities continue or escalate.” Russia has largely ignored previous U.S. sanctions, which were narrower and primarily targeted individuals. “These are ’unfinished business’ sanctions that telegraph the Biden administration’s more forceful approach to dealing with Russia. The measures are dialed to make good on Biden’s promise to significantly impose costs on Russia without provoking a downward spiral in relations,” said Cyrus Newlin, associate fellow with the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A street sign marking Boris Nemstov Plaza is seen at the entrance of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington, April 15, 2021.”I think we could continue to see targeting against the Russian intelligence agencies, potentially against Russian government figures and their families, which is something that many sanctions experts have been pushing for,” according to Nina Jankowicz, a Wilson Center disinformation fellow. ”This is only the tip of the iceberg of the full range of responses available to the U.S. government, both public and nonpublic, that we can take in response to Russia’s malicious cyberactivity.” “The economic consequences for Russia will be fairly minor: The Russian financial system is much more insulated from sanctions than it was in 2014, and new restrictions on sovereign debt don’t extend to secondary markets. I suspect Moscow will respond reciprocally with diplomatic expulsions, but preserve political space for a bilateral summit, which the Kremlin places high value on,” said Newlin, of CSIS. “The Biden administration has reserved more punishing sanctions options in the event of further Russian aggression in Ukraine,” Newlin added. ”These could be an expansion of sovereign debt restrictions to secondary markets or measures targeting Russian state-owned companies and banks. Against the backdrop of Ukraine, today’s measures also serve as a warning shot.” Jankowicz said she agreed with that assessment, noting ”the timing of this is pretty significant, because we’ve seen a buildup of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border, the most significant buildup since 2014.” According to Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, this package of sanctions does not really relate to what is going on with Ukraine. She terms it the Biden administration’s way of wrapping up unfinished business with other issues, allowing a pivot ”to a more proactive, future-oriented relationship with Russia.” VOA’s Katherine Gypson and Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report.
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UN: Hunger, Rape Rising in Ethiopia’s Tigray
The U.N. humanitarian chief warned Thursday that an already dire situation in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region is getting worse five months into the conflict, with hunger and sexual violence rising and no sign of an Eritrean troop withdrawal.Mark Lowcock told a closed-door meeting of the U.N. Security Council that his office is starting to receive reports of people starving to death, according to a copy of his remarks seen by VOA.Ofla woreda, in Tigray”We received the first report this week of four internally displaced people dying from hunger. I then received a report just this morning of 150 people dying from hunger in Ofla woreda [district] — just south of Mekelle,” Lowcock told council members. “This should alarm us all. It is a sign of what lies ahead if more action is not taken. Starvation as a weapon of war is a violation.”Mekelle is the capital of Tigray. The region has been the epicenter of hostilities since November, when fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) attacked federal government army bases in the region, prompting Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to launch a military offensive to push the group out. Since then, thousands of civilians in the region have been killed.Abandoned villagesLowcock said that as of the end of March, Ethiopia’s Bureau of Labor and Social Affairs estimates that 1.7 million people in Tigray have been displaced from their homes.FILE – A woman leans on the wall of a damaged house that was shelled as federal-aligned forces entered the city, in Wukro, north of Mekelle, capital of Tigray. The region has been beset by hostilities since November.”Since then, hundreds of thousands have been fleeing from Western Tigray — and still are — with many villages having been abandoned entirely,” he said.Lowcock said aid workers are having difficulty reaching the needy and vulnerable, as “the vast majority” of Tigray is completely or partially inaccessible to aid workers, either because of fighting or denial of access.The outbreak of hostilities began around harvest season, and it follows a severe locust infestation. Food insecurity is growing, and next season’s food supply is also under threat if fighting does not stop in time for farmers to plant.The United Nations estimates that at least 4.5 million of Tigray’s nearly 6 million people need humanitarian aid. The Ethiopian government has put the figure even higher — at 91% of the population.Despite obstacles and danger, humanitarians have been able to reach more than 1.7 million with some form of emergency assistance.Next week, the U.N. will appeal for $1.5 billion to assist 16 million people in Ethiopia this year.No sign of withdrawalOn March 26, Abiy said Eritrea had agreed to withdraw its forces from Tigray, but Lowcock told council members there is no evidence this has happened.”Unfortunately, I must say that neither the U.N. nor any of the humanitarian agencies we work with have seen proof of Eritrean withdrawal,” he said. “We have, however, heard some reports of Eritrean soldiers now wearing Ethiopian Defense Force uniforms.”The U.S. ambassador issued a statement following the closed-door meeting, noting credible reports that Eritrean forces are changing into Ethiopian military uniforms “in order to remain in Tigray indefinitely.””The Eritrean government must withdraw its forces from Ethiopia immediately,” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.FILE – A Tigrayan woman who says she was gang-raped by Amhara fighters speaks to doctor-turned-refugee Tewodros Tefera at the Sudanese Red Crescent clinic in Hamdayet near the Sudan-Ethiopia border, eastern Sudan, March 23, 2021.Reports of atrocitiesLowcock said humanitarian workers continue to report new atrocities committed by Eritrean forces. Most alarming, he said, are the widespread reports of rapes and gang rapes against civilians.Diplomats said the U.N. humanitarian chief recounted the horrific story of one survivor, who hid in the forest with her family for six days. During that time, she gave birth to a baby who died a few days later. Her husband was killed. And while she tried to get her remaining children to safety, she encountered four Eritrean soldiers who raped her in front of her children all night and into the following day.”The majority of rapes are committed by men in uniform,” Lowcock told council members. “Cases reported have involved the Ethiopian National Defense Force, Eritrean Defense Forces, Amhara Special Forces, and other irregular armed groups or aligned militia.”During a Wednesday meeting of the Security Council that focused on the issue of sexual violence in conflict, many council members expressed concern about reports coming from Tigray and called for independent, credible investigations to be conducted to hold perpetrators accountable.The U.N. official whose office monitors and works to prevent sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, told that meeting that more than 100 allegations of rape have been recorded since November.”It may be many months before we know the full scale and magnitude — the extent and impact — of these atrocities,” she said.Patten noted health care workers are documenting new cases of rape and gang rape daily, “despite their fear of reprisals and attacks on the limited shelters and clinics still in operation.”
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Kidnap Victims Need Aid Beyond Rescue, Experts Say
In Nigeria’s restive northern region, kidnappings have become all too common, with schoolchildren among the primary targets.Federal and state governments say they focus on ensuring abductees’ safe release and return, but a chorus of health experts and others say support for those abductees shouldn’t end there.Victims need specialized physical and psychological rehabilitation to reintegrate into their communities and to overcome stigma, independent experts working with the Yetunde Odugbesan-Omede, a political scientist who has studied corruption, discourages paying ransom to kidnappers.The possibility of payment has created “a conducive environment for this [kidnapping] to fester,” Yetunde A. Odugbesan-Omede, professor of global affairs and politics at Farmingdale State College in New York, told VOA.Odugbesan-Omede, a native Nigerian who also does research on corruption, said some young people have resorted to kidnapping for money because they can’t find legitimate work.“Some of these abductors, unfortunately, go into these trades out of greed,” she said. “Many of them go out of just simple need of survival.”Nigeria’s jobless rate reached 33.3% in the fourth quarter of last year, Bloomberg News reported in March, citing National Bureau of Statistics figures. The oil-rich country’s economy — Africa’s largest — reeled as global oil prices plunged last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.Both state and federal governments allegedly have paid ransoms to secure hostages’ release.Buhari warned against ransom payments in a tweet February 26, saying that “state governments must review their policy of rewarding bandits with money and vehicles.”State Governments must review their policy of rewarding bandits with money and vehicles. Such a policy has the potential to backfire with disastrous consequences. States and Local Governments must also play their part by being proactive in improving security in & around schools.— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) February 26, 2021 That same day, armed men kidnapped the 279 female students from a boarding school in Zamfara state’s Jangebe village. The schoolgirls were freed by their captors several days later, and authorities denied paying a ransom.In addition to discouraging payments, Odugbesan-Omede urged increasing security around schools and providing 24-hour surveillance to deter kidnappings.This report originated in VOA’s English to Africa Service.
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