Indaba zesiNdebele Ekuseni - Voice of America
Indaba zesiNdebele Ekuseni - September 04, 2024
This is the U.N. News. I'm Tommy McPheal. The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges against Hamas, leader Yaya Sinwar, and other militants in connection with the October 7th rampage in Israel. For financing and directing a decades-long campaign to murder American citizens and endanger the security of the United States. The U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday the charges are just one part of the effort to target every aspect of Hamas operations and he said the actions would not be the last. The World Health Organization said Tuesday after its first two days it was ahead of its target for polio vaccinations in Gaza and had inoculated about a quarter of children under the age of 10 in the enclave. Be a waste chef custard with more. The polio campaign, which had been sped up after the discovery of the first polio case in a Gaza baby last week, relies on daily eight-hour pauses in fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in specific areas of the besieged enclave. Speaking to reporters in Geneva remotely, W.H.O. representative for the occupied Palestinian territories, Rick Peepercorn, said the campaign's first two days were excellent. The total number of the first two days, children under 10, reached 1/60/1000, 30 children. We had an estimate that would be like 156,500 children in this central zone. Peepercorn said health teams will move into southern Gaza later this week, where they are seeking to reach some 340,000 children. Jeff Tuster, BOI News. Officials say that a boat carrying migrants has ripped apart in the English channel as they tried to reach Britain from northern France in 12 or dead. Dozens of people were plunged into the treacherous waterway and many did not have life preservers. The interior minister Gerald D'Arminian says that most were believed to be women some under the age of 18. One official calls it the deadliest migrant accident in the channel this year. More at voanews.com. This is voanews. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said two ballistic missiles blasted a military academy nearby hospital on Tuesday in Ukraine, killing more than 50 people wounding more than 200 others. Details from AP correspondent Charles Dilla Desmond. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says two Russian ballistic missiles struck an educational facility and nearby hospital in central eastern Ukraine, killing over 40 people and wounding around 180 others. The strike occurred in the city of Poltava, the capital of the region of the same name. It lies 70 miles from the Russian border. In a video Zelensky says one of the buildings of the Institute of Communications was partially destroyed. People found themselves under the rubble. But many were saved. The strike appears to be one of the deadliest variants of the Russian forces since the war began. I'm Charles Dilla Desmond. A bus crashed into a group of students and the parents at a school in eastern China early Tuesday, killing 11 people entering 13 according to police. Students and parents were at the gate of the middle school in the eastern province of Shendong just before 730 in the morning. That's according to the Dong Pink County Police Department. Six parents and five kids were killed. One of the injured was in serious condition while the others were listed in stable. The driver was in police custody and incident was under investigation. A former New York Governor's aid has been arrested and accused of secretly working for China. Reuters correspondent Freddy Joyner, Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochl, was charged with secretly acting as an agent of the Chinese government in exchange for millions of dollars in compensation and gifts. Both son and her husband, Chris, who were arrested Tuesday morning, each pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said that while working in state government, sunblock representatives of the Taiwanese government from meeting with officials and sought to arrange for a high-level New York state official to visit China. In exchange, Chinese government representatives allegedly arranged for millions of dollars in transactions for son's husband who had business activities in China. That is Reuters correspondent Freddy Joyner reporting. Pope Francis is opening his visit to Indonesia with a packed first-day meeting, political and religious leaders. His first order of business Wednesday was a meeting at the presidential palace with the Indonesian presidential COVIDodo. He then followed that with opening remarks before government authorities in the diplomatic corps. There, Francis was expected to press his hopes or continue interfaith harmony in the country with a new tiny Catholic minority and world's largest Muslim population. More at VUENews.com. I'm Tom McNeal, VUENews. The U.S. charges Hamas leaders with crime. In its attacks over the past three decades, Hamas has murdered or injured thousands of civilians, including dozens of American citizens. The deadliest attack in Ukraine so far this year. Dozens have been killed and over 200 others were injured. And women in South Korea putting off having kids opting instead to freeze their eggs. Children are now a rarity across South Korea, which has the world's lowest birth rate. Today's Wednesday, September 4th. And this is the OA's Intern National Edition. I'm Scott Walterman. Today, the Justice Department unsealed charges against Yaya Senoir and other senior leaders of Hamas for financing and directing a decades-long campaign to murder American citizens and endanger the security of the United States. U.S. Attorney General Maric Garland announcing the criminal charges on Tuesday in Washington. As outlined in our complaint, those defendants armed with weapons, political support and funding from the government of Iran and support from Hezbollah have led Hamas's efforts to destroy the state of Israel and murder civilians in support of that aim. In its attacks over the past three decades, Hamas has murdered or injured thousands of civilians, including dozens of American citizens. The charges against Yaya Senoir, the militant group's chief and at least five others, accuse them of orchestrating the October 7th attack, which killed about 1,200 people, including more than 40 Americans. The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas's operations. These actions will not be our last. The Justice Department has a long memory. We will pursue the terrorists responsible for murdering Americans and those who illegally provide them with material support for the rest of their lives. Hamas is a U.S. designated terrorist group. Israel continues an almost week-long assault on the northern West Bank to root out what it says is Hamas and Islamic Jihad infrastructure. Palestinians say at least 20 people have been killed and the Israeli operation is ripped up roads in Janine. Israeli analysts say tensions are rising in the West Bank. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. Palestinians say it is the largest IDF military operation they have seen in the West Bank in more than two decades. The assault is focused on the northern West Bank, including the cities of Janine and Tulkarim. Israeli officials say the operation targets West Bank terrorist leaders and their forces have killed at least 29 of them. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have said most were members of their organizations. Israeli analysts say Hamas has started focusing on the West Bank after being weakened in Gaza. Kobe Michael is a senior researcher at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies. In the Gaza street where Hamas is almost totally dismantled and Iran and the Hamas leadership abroad understand pretty well that they lost a very crucial and essential asset, which is part of the resistance axis or so-called resistance axis led by Iran and they are trying to compensate for this loss by identifying the terror infrastructure in the West Bank, smuggling weapons and standard explosives and money from Syria and Lebanon and Iraq through Jordan and then the Jordan Valley to the northern districts of the West Bank. Israeli political and military officials say terrorist activity in the West Bank has increased, including the local production of weapons. Amit Halavi is a member of the Likud Party and the Israeli Parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. We discovered that in Janin in Ramallah there is a serious military industry that actually produced for many years those it's not only missiles like you mentioned it's also bombs it's also it's different various of of weapons and I think this is our targets. But Palestinians say the operation in the West Bank is also hurting civilians, especially in the Janin refugee camp. They say the army has dug up many roads searching for explosive devices, which has made the camp impassable. Water and electricity have been cut off in some areas. Palestinian analysts say public opinion in the West Bank is growing angrier. Mohammed Daralma is a Palestinian journalist at Asharq, a pan Arab news service. Recently, a new phenomenon emerged in West Bank. The people who are willing to fight and they are collecting weapons, guns, driven by the kind of revenge feeling towards what's going on in Gaza and the daily practices of the Israeli commission. The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers or Jewish settlers in the West Bank has been rising with the United Nations reporting 680 dead since the war against Hamas began last October. Israel says 22 soldiers and Israeli civilians have also been killed in the West Bank during the same period. Linda Gradstein, VOA News, Jerusalem. The deadliest single attack in Ukraine this year has killed at least 51 people and injured hundreds to tales now from Reuters correspondent Sean Hogan. Two ballistic missiles struck the central city of Poltava on Tuesday, hitting a hospital, an educational institution and damaging the military institute of communications building, according to President Vladimir Zelensky. In a video he said people found themselves under the rubble of the Institute of Communications Building. Many were saved but dozens have been killed and over 200 others were injured in the attack. Zelensky ordered a full investigation. Moscow has intensified its missile and drone attacks on Ukraine two and a half years into the full-scale war. Ukraine was pummeled by the heaviest bombardment to date last week, while on Monday ballistic and cruise missiles targeted Kyiv. Ukraine has fought back launching more than 158 drones at Russia at the weekend, damaging an oil refinery near Moscow and a power station. Zelensky repeated his calls for more Western air defences and urged allies to allow their long-range weapons to be used for strikes deeper into Russian territory. Kyiv's troops have mounted their first large-scale cross-border assault into Russia's Kursk region, for which Moscow has vowed to retaliate. Russia did not immediately comment on Tuesday's attack. Reuters correspondent Sean Hogan. Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv and a drone attack on a Western city not far from the border with NATO member Poland, according to Ukraine military officials on Wednesday, with air defence units engaged in repelling the attacks. Reuters' witnesses heard several blasts on the outskirts of Kyiv in what sounded like an air defence system in operation, the whole of Ukraine under air raid alerts. Venezuela's attorney general's office said on Monday a court has issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Edmondo Gonzalez accusing him of conspiracy and other crimes amid a dispute over whether he or President Nicolas Maduro won a July election. Let's get more on this now from Reuters correspondent Gabe Singer. News of the warrant came from the country's attorney general's office on Monday, which shared a photo of the document with Reuters. The warrant accuses Gonzalez of conspiracy and other crimes. Maduro spoke on state television after news of the warrant broke, calling Gonzalez a quote cowardly man. An arrest warrant against Gonzalez would amount to a major escalation in Maduro's government's crackdown against the opposition following the disputed July 28 election, which has included detentions of opposition figures and protesters. Venezuela's national electoral authority and its top court have said Maduro won with just over half of the votes. Vitalies shared by the opposition show a resounding victory for Gonzalez. The opposition, along with some western countries and international bodies like United Nations panel of experts, have said the vote was not transparent and demanded publication of full tallies with some outright decrying fraud. A Gonzalez spokesperson said they were awaiting any notification of a warrant, but made no further comment. The opposition has denied any wrongdoing. The warrant request came hours after the Biden administration said an aircraft used by Maduro had been confiscated in the Dominican Republic. Washington determined that its purchase violated U.S. sanctions while the Venezuelan government slammed the move as an act of piracy. Reuters correspondent Gabe Singer. We're following these other stories from around the world. Pope Francis has arrived in Indonesia to start the longest trip of his pontificate. He's hoping to encourage the Catholic communities in the country with the world's largest Muslim population. The Vatican said Francis met with a group of refugees, migrants, and sick people up the Vatican residence in Jakarta. The U.S. Department of Justice has sent a subpoena to Nevada as it deepens its probe into the artificial intelligence heavyweights antitrust practices. This was reported by Bloomberg News on Tuesday citing people familiar with the investigation. Elon Musk's satellite broadband firm Starlink on Tuesday said it is complying with an order from Brazil's top court to block access to the social media platform X in the country. The day after informing the country's regulator it would not obey that order. In our continuing coverage of the 2024 U.S. presidential election with just more than two months to go before election day in the United States, presidential nominees Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are preparing for their first debate in campaigning on the economy. The way correspondence got sterns looks at the state of the race. Donald Trump is campaigning hard on the economy and on Kamala Harris. Here's what we know about Kamala Harris. She just doesn't care about the American people, especially hard-working people or middle-class Americans. She just doesn't give a damn about you. The Harris campaign says it's Trump who her working families with tax cuts for corporations. Building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. She'll make groceries more affordable by cracking down on price gouging and she'll cut housing costs by taking on corporate speculators. The economy is voters top issue in this election. That's a problem. Harris needs to fix quickly, says political consultant Hank Shinekopf. She's going to explain why people pay what they think is warrant the gas pump and why they're breadcrust as much as it does and why the manufacturers of those products are giving the rest for their dollar. Trump running mate J.D. Vance says voting for Harris means losing more U.S. jobs. Think of all the powerful interests, the broken bureaucracy in this country, the people who've gotten rich shipping your jobs to China, they want Kamala Harris. The only way to beat him and the only way to fight back is at the ballot box this November. Harris's running mate Tim Walz says it's Democrats who are committed to U.S. workers. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, they have something a little different in mind. The only thing these guys know about working people is how to take advantage of them, how to not pay them. Every single chance they've got, they've waged a war on workers and the ability to collectively bargain. With just over two months to go, this is a close race. Most public opinion polls show Harris with a slight lead over Trump nationally. Michigan voter David Martinez backs Trump. He's true American patriot. I think that he thinks more about people that live in this country than he does himself. Everything that he does is to try to help somebody. Georgia voter Becca Rush backs Harris. You know it's 2024 and we need some fresh blood and we need a new, we need a new brighter future. While continuing to campaign, Trump and Harris will spend much of the next week preparing for their first presidential debate next Tuesday. Scott Stearns, VOA News. On his trip to Mongolia Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russian Mongolia have the potential for gas and energy cooperation. Putin news on a two-day state visit to Mongolia said that Russia is considering supplying Mongolian customers with gas as part of the Soyuz-Vostok pipeline construction. Soyuz-Vostok is part of the power of Siberia to project a major pipeline connecting Russia and China. Mongolia is a signatory on the international criminal court but did not arrest Putin, who has an outstanding arrest warrant from the court. Well, ICC member nations are supposed to enforce these warrants. But Thomas Graham, a distinguished fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations and Yale University is Russian, East European and Eurasian studies, says there's nothing binding those nations to take such an action. There are a lot of things I figure in the Putin's calculations. Among them is the fact that he's making a point that he's not being isolated, that he can travel. This was a good choice for him because Mongolia stuck between Russia and China. Needs to maintain good relations with Russia. There are some investment plans, energy transit plans that involve Mongolia. So I think Putin's calculation was that this will be a place you go to a country that is a party to the ICC and reach an agreement that he wouldn't be arrested. So it is defined on the part of Putin. And I think that's an important part of his calculation. Ukraine criticized Mongolia for not arresting Putin under the ICC warrant. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke at the 9th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China. Africa cooperation on Tuesday. In his speech, he stated that the theme of the summit is to jointly promote modernization between China and Africa amid turbulence and change. It's the 9th conference and will open officially on Thursday in Beijing. A former aide to New York Governor Kathy Holgel was charged on Tuesday with secretly acting as an agent of the Chinese government in exchange for millions of dollars in compensation and gifts, including meals of gourmet duck. Linda Sun, who's 41 and her husband, Chris Hu, 40, pleaded not guilty to criminal charges before US magistrate in Brooklyn after being arrested on Tuesday morning. [Music] The AOA's international edition continues. I'm Scott Walterman. Egyptian President Abdel Fathal-Sisi's visit to Turkey on Wednesday signals an end to years of animosity with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We have more now from Dorian Jones in Istanbul. Israel's warring Gaza tops the agenda for Egyptian President Abdel Fathal-Sisi in Ankara Wednesday. LCC's visit follows Erdogan's trip to Cairo in February, the result of years of efforts to mend damage relations. Mess with Joshon is a Turkish presidential advisor and professor at Istanbul's Yidditapair University. This could be the beginning of a new era in commercial, political and military relations. But the most important video we'll talk about, how can we start? It's ongoing bloody coffin in the Middle East and decreased attention within Hamas and Islam. Relations between Turkey and Egypt suffered when Erdogan's close ally, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, was ousted in a coup and because of Ankara's hosting of Egyptian opposition groups. But let's say shared concerns over Israel's war on Hamas have given the two countries enough common ground to repair relations. John Al-Hajawi at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies. The way the reality of the region has been evolving, those two nations, I would say, even if they didn't have this explicit need for Kashmir, happened to be more and more in agreement anyway. The economies of both Egypt and Turkey are suffering, and analysts say the need to increase bilateral trade is a powerful impetus to our Prashmam. They say it is also a driving force for cooperation in oil-rich Libya, where Cairo and Ankara back rival governments. Libyan security analyst Aya Buwela. Libya has been a very important arena in which Turkey and Egypt duked it out. And now, because the lines in the sand are so set, and each country has its sphere of influence, this is how both countries realize that it's much more lucrative if they cooperate rather than fight each other. Somalia, Ethiopian tensions over the breakaway state of Samaliland are likely to also be on the agenda of LCC and Erdogan's talks, following reports that Egypt has started deploying weapons to Somalia. Ankara has invested heavily in Somalia and is currently mediating between Somalia and Ethiopia. LM Irish Air Tepekjalu is an African Studies Professor at the Social Sciences University of Ankara. Both Egypt and Turkey can cooperate in Somalia, especially in particular sectors in the security domain. They can implement joint anti-terrorism initiatives, they can combine their efforts in the government projects, they can involve in political stabilization initiatives, etc. But they can also compete with each other for a larger role in influence in Somalia. With Israel's war on Hamas continuing to rage and the wider region facing the risks of a wider conflict, analysts say Erdogan and LCC will be aware when they meet Wednesday the cooperation rather than rivalry is in both their interests. During Jones, VOA news is Sambal. Bottle caps, food packaging, utensils and scrap toys, just some of the plastic items that have been given a new lease of life in a zero waste workshop in Taipei. Customers gained hands-on experience in the recycling process, including scrapping plastic waste that they brought from home, melting and molding it into a pair of trendy sunglasses within two hours. What we're trying to show in the trash kitchen is to let you see, feel and touch with the minutes how this process can actually work without secondary pollution and you can actually turn something of value directly in front of you rather than going through this infrastructure and never really happen. The company also produces tiles, bricks, hangers and other daily necessities from plastic and organic waste. And finally, in South Korea, a growing number of women are opting out of having children driven by financial challenges and career demands, but egg freezing is emerging as a trend that allows women to delay parenthood while keeping their options open. Be always Bill Gallo explains from Seoul. In Tsongsu, a trendy district of Seoul, there are almost no strollers. Children are now a rarity across South Korea, which has the world's lowest birth rate, but this pop-up store run by a fertility clinic is offering a new choice. Egg freezing is for those who may want children, just not right now. I don't have a boyfriend now and I don't know when I'm going to get married, but I can't turn back the clock on aging, so I invested money for the future to freeze my eggs. Each having now works at Seoul's Maria Hospital to convince other women of the benefits of egg freezing. A move the 31-year-old says has given her more freedom. Maybe it's just because I really enjoy my life right now, but I think people naturally want to follow their passions, whether it's studying, working more, or pursuing hobbies. For me, it's surfing. Others cite financial standing work hours as barriers to starting a family. Each young gun is a 30th office worker. And women also experience problems such as career breaks. If people can't solve these issues, they just give up on having a child. Those pressures are understandable, says Maria Hospital's Limte Wan. In the end, people deprioritize marriage and childbirth. And later, when they do want to have children, they've become less fertile. Instead, younger women can choose to freeze higher-quality eggs for later use in Envitro fertilization, or IVF. At Maria Hospital, Limte says egg-freezing procedures have more than tripled since 2019, partly due to government subsidies. The Seoul city government pays for about half of egg-freezing expenses. Again, Limte Wan. No one knows how much this will actually improve South Korea's demographic crisis, but it may allow more women to feel in control of their future. The Gallo Fuei News, Seoul, South Korea. This has been international edition on the Voice of America. On behalf of everyone here at FUEi, thank you so much for being with us. For pictures, stories, videos, and more, follow FUEi News on your favorite social media platform and online at FUEiNews.com. In Washington, I'm Scott Wolferman. (upbeat music)