Indaba zesiNdebele Ekuseni - Voice of America
Indaba zesiNdebele Ekuseni - September 02, 2024
This is the feeling news. I'm Tommy McNeil. Tens of thousands of Israelis have surged into the streets in an outpouring of grief and anger after six more hostages were found dead in Gaza. It appears we belong to such demonstration in the 11 months of war. Demonstrators urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal to bring the remaining captives home. Israel's largest trade union has called the general strike from Monday to further pressure the government. It's the first such strike since the war began and it's expected to disrupt major sectors of the economy, including banking, health care and the country's main airport. Palestinian health authorities and United Nations agencies have begun a large-scale campaign of vaccinations against polio in the Gaza Strip. They hope to prevent an outbreak in the territory that has been ravaged by the Israel Moss War. Authorities plan to vaccinate children in central Gaza until Wednesday before moving on to the more devastated north and south. Campaign aims to reach about 640,000 children. Israel has agreed to limit pauses and fighting to facilitate the campaign. Gaza recently reported its first polio case in 25 years. A 10-month-old boy now paralyzed in the lake. Russia says air defenses have intercepted and destroyed 158 Ukrainian drones, including two over Moscow and nine over the surrounding region. In total, 46 drones were shot down over the Kyrgyz region, where Ukraine assented forces in recent weeks in the largest incursion on Russian soil since World War II. Ukrainian drone strikes have brought the fight far from the front line into the heart of Russia. Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has stepped up aerial salts in Russian soil, targeting the refineries and oil terminals to slow down the Kremlin's assault. This is viewing news. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are collecting evidence at the scene of commercial bus crash in the U.S. state of Mississippi that killed seven people and injured dozens of others. The National Transportation Safety Board says that the 2018 Volvo Busters traveling westbound on Interstate 20 in Bovina after Saturday or early Saturday when a left front had failed and the vehicle veered into an embankment overturned. It says six. Before right party has won a state election for the first time and post World War II Germany in the country's east, while it looks set to finish a very close second to mainstream conservatives and a second vote. A new party founded by prominent leftists also made a strong impact in Sunday's elections, while the parties enchanted all of Scholz's unpopular national government obtained extremely weak results. The party say they will not put the far right alternative for Germany in power by joining it in the coalition. Even so, its strength will make forming new state governments extremely difficult, forcing them into exotic coalitions. Pope Francis is now making the longest farthest and most challenging trip of his pontificate. When he goes to Asia and Oceana this week, he will clock 32,814 kilometers by air during his September 2nd through 13th visit into Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, his team more in Singapore than far surpasses any of his previous 44 trips and not as one of the longest people trips ever. In terms of days on the road and distances traveled, that's no small feat for a pope who turns 88 in December and uses a wheelchair and lost part of a lung to a respiratory infection as a young man. US immigration policy has shifted the migrant landscape in Mexico City far from the shared border, the teaming capital that was merely a transit point for some migrants has now become a temporary destination. Migrants have increasingly established informal settlements over the past year where they wait to receive US asylum appointments from the relative security of the capital. I'm Tommy McNeil, tens of thousands of Israelis take to the streets after 6 hostages are found dead in Gaza. They should have come back alive. They could have come back alive. We need a deal now. Giving children polio vaccines in Gaza. We are seeing a lot of enthusiasm from the community. There's a lot of turnover from the families and children are coming and they're really excited. And George Clooney and Brad Pitt's new movie is coming out to very few theaters, but it's going to streaming almost immediately. You know, streaming is we need it. Our industry needs this, right? This is part of what we're doing. Today is Monday, September 2nd, and this is VIOA's International Edition. I'm Scott Walterman. Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets across the nation after it was announced that the bodies of six hostages being held in Gaza have been found, and Israeli's military said it appeared they had been killed recently. Every week we get the best terrible horrifying news about another hostage that died that's murdered. We're now from Reuters correspondent Fran Chaska Huina. Israel has recovered the bodies of six hostages from an underground tunnel in southern Gaza, the military said on Sunday, sparking protests in Jerusalem and calls for an immediate deal with Hamas to release further hostages. They should have come back alive. They could have come back alive. We need a deal now. They need to come back alive. An Israeli military spokesperson listed the names of the six hostages for reporters on Sunday. The military said the six were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th, but killed not long before Israeli troops reached them, less than a mile from the tunnel from which another hostage, Kayid Farhan al-Kadi, was rescued a few days ago. Among the group was 23-year-old Israeli-American Persia Goldberg Pollan. A video of his kidnap from a music festival near Gaza was released by Hamas in late April. He was one of about 250 hostages taken in Hamas's killing spree through southern Israel on October 7th that sparked the war in Gaza. According to Israeli tallies, about 1,200 people were killed in that assault. Since then, at least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military offensive in Gaza, the enclave's health ministry says. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not rest until it catches those responsible for the killings, adding that his government is committed to achieving a deal to release the remaining hostages. Senior Hamas officials said that Israel in its refusal to sign a ceasefire agreement was to blame for the deaths. In a statement issued by the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden said he was devastated and outraged by the news. Reuters correspondent Francesca Lina. In addition to the protests, which are expected to continue, labor leaders have called a one-day general strike on Monday. This is the most pressure on the Israeli coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the start of the war last October. Joining us now to talk about this is Costanza Mosu, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. So let's talk about what's happened in Israel in the last 24 hours. This discovery of the six hostages has really riled the population. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the street. How do you read the situation? The resentment towards Netanyahu has always emerged and has exploded periodically. But the realization that hostages were survived until now, where only now killed and died as a result of an agreement of a deal. It's really uncorbed of outrage. I know we keep asking this question. We've been asking it for a long time, but I'm going to ask it again. How much can Netanyahu and his coalition withstand? Can they survive this? For the past over 330 days, it seemed that they've been almost impermeable, almost continued ahead and forged ahead with the strategy that has not worked in the hope of keeping the coalition together and also in a way showing politically some kind of victory, that standing firm on certain things are not withdrawing or not leaving the philosophical or et cetera would in a way simplify some kind of victory on the part of Israel and not being defeated by the blackmail of Hamas. But the Israelis care about the hostages. They want the hostages back. That is priority number one. There is a complete separation between what the 100,000 people in the street want and what the prime minister wants for himself and for his coalition. What does it take to dislodge this coalition from power? Well, this has been, you could say, a question that has vexed people even before October 7, with all the demonstrations that were political in nature over the judicial reform and before that, all the corruption scandals that have plagued Netanyahu in the past years and he seemed to have gone through each and every possible challenge, including the horror of October 7 and always found a way to continue. Now, what is happening now is also a general strike that is aimed at stopping the economy essentially. So, basically, the whole country coming to a standstill to push Netanyahu out. It is difficult to comment on what goes to the mind of Netanyahu, but one has to wonder what goes to his mind is at this point ever about Israel and not just about himself and if the country at this point just has had enough of that. Again, one of the big questions when you have this kind of pressure and upheaval is what would be taking the place of the current coalition. You know, is there enough, are there enough political figures ready and able to put together a coalition that would last? And one of the great challenges in any kind of configuration of the Israeli political life is the instability of the coalition. So, one thing is to say that, you know, many are, you know, adverse to Netanyahu, but apart from having a common enemy, you could say, political enemy Netanyahu, is there enough common ground among the other political forces to bring about a coalition that is stable and that lasts more than the next crisis? How does that happen technically? I mean, a vote is called for. Can someone outside the current coalition call for that vote? How does that? How does that work? Well, I mean, if the coalition, you know, if you were to, if you were to resign, which you know, certainly has never seemed to be something that it would ever consider. But if that would be one way that the government falls or some of the coalition members would have to withdraw their support to the current coalition, which would then cause a need for either a new coalition with existing forces or even a new election. And we've seen, you know, before October 7, one after the other multiple elections, because there was never enough of a stable government. The proportional electoral system of Israel basically gives it imperative for any party to have a broad coalition that supports its goals. So there is no majority premium that would give enough seats to one party to govern or make the government really stable without a broad coalition. He has put together a coalition as has been, you know, seen from before October 7, that is one of the furthest to the right that the country has ever seen. Without that coalition, his government falls. And if he's no longer in power, of course, he has very, very personal interests, which are related to his own trials and his own corruption scandals and the possibility that it might be prosecuted. Here, despite all that, it hasn't, there hasn't been enough of a strong coalition to substitute for him. And so he has been given the mandate by the president to form a government. So basically, what we would have to witness now is coalition members living, parties living the coalition and the government falling in order for this government to dismantle. That's the only trigger that there could be. Well, I mean, you could have a kind of emergency coalition on emergency government with the participation from outside from from unknown members of the government. But this has not like without on feeding him. And some of his supporter is not clear that this would bring a change to the strategy that the country has adopted. Because there have been, you know, in this post October 7, you know, there has been a broader coalition that however, ultimately has not necessarily tempered or changed the way that this government has operated. Thank you so much for your time and your perspective and helping us understand. Well, thank you for the phone call. Mr. Stansamosu, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. Palestinian health authorities and United Nations agencies have begun a large scale campaign of vaccinations against polio in the Gaza Strip. They hope to prevent an outbreak in the territory that has been ravaged by the Israel Hamas War. We are here in No Saira to prepare to restore, which is a shelter which accommodates thousands of population. We saw the high commitment and excitement of population here to get the polio vaccine. That's Dr. Dalia Wahadi, a public health officer with the World Health Organization. In this first phase of vaccinations, 156,000 children under the age of 10 are targeted to get the vaccine. The campaign is being implemented by 513 teams across 138 different sites, including hospitals, medical points, schools, and community points, such as water and food distribution points. Russian missile strikes injured dozens in Ukraine. The news comes as Moscow claims to have intercepted 158 Ukraine launch to drones. The latest now from the OA's Arash Arbasati. Social media video captures the moment a missile strikes the Ukrainian city of Harkiv. The local government there says several Russian missiles hit Harkiv, injuring at least 40 people, including five children. Officials warned that number could climb. The news follows a busy weekend of cross-border attacks in which Russia says it intercepted and destroyed 158 drones launched from Ukraine. But some of the drone attacks appear to have caused damage, with Russian officials saying falling debris caused a fire at an oil refinery near Moscow. Damage was reported at a power station serving as one of the largest energy producers in central Russia. All this comes just days after U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart to the Pentagon, pledging continued assistance. The United States will not waver in our support for a free, secure, and sovereignty break. Alongside its own 50-year allies and partners, the United States will continue to provide the critical capabilities that you need to fight the Kremlin's aggression. European Union High Representative Joseph Burrell urged Ukraine's international backers to lift restrictions preventing use of their weapons systems on Russian soil. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry says it struck a Ukrainian weapon storage facility in the Sumi region. Ukrainian authorities there said overnight attacks killed two women and injured at least 11 people as first responders worked to extinguish fires in the area. That attack followed a major shake-up of Ukraine's military. I have decided to replace the commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We must strengthen ourselves, take care of our people, take care of our personnel, take care of all the warriors. Glory to Ukraine. The high-level firing followed news of a fatal crash of an F-16 war plane during a Russian bombardment. Ukraine received the jet from its western partners. With attacks from above an ever-present threat, Ukrainian women volunteered to shoot them down. The so-called witches of Buka aim to keep the skies clear from the types of attacks that filled this past weekend. Arash Arabasadi, the OA News. We're following these other stories from around the world. China urged the European Union to be objective and fair and careful with words and actions on issues in the South China Sea. After the EU remarked on an incident that occurred over the weekend, the EU said in a Sunday statement it condemns the dangerous actions by the China Coast Guard vessels against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the South China Sea. Bolivians took to the streets of La Paz and El Alto on Sunday for the annual pedestrian day celebration. Despite thick wildfire smoke blanketing the cities, the event which temporarily bans all moto vehicles from the roads, soft families and cyclists and runners fill the avenue with sports activities. Law students from several Mexican universities rallied on Sunday against the government's plan to reform the judiciary a controversial measure that would involve electing justices of the federal system by popular vote among other changes. The alternative for Germany AFD was on track to become the first far right party to win a regional election in Germany since World War II. Projections are showing the win, giving it unprecedented power even as other parties aim to exclude it from office. More now from Reuters correspondent Angela Johnston. The party was set to win 33.2% of the vote in the state of Turingia according to projections from broadcaster ZDF which could potentially allow the AFD to block decisions requiring a two-thirds majority such as the appointment of judges. Celebrations were not open to the media but were broadcast on the party's YouTube channel. "I think the mood is very clear. People want change," said Björn Hooker, who leads the AFD in the state. He's the party's most extreme and controversial figure. He was fined this year for using a banned Nazi paramilitary slogan. Turingia Premier Bodo Ramalo's party was battered despite his own personal popularity. He said all Democratic parties now had to work together. "I am fighting against the normalization of fascism," he said. In neighboring Saxony, conservatives have run the state since 1990. Projections put them just 1.1 percentage points ahead of the AFD. The AFD, known for their anti-immigration stances, may have drawn momentum in the final week of the election from a deadly knife attack at a festival. It was allegedly carried out by an illegally resident Syrian national that authorities had failed to deport. But with a year to go before a national election in Europe's largest economy, the results appeared punishing for Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Shultz's coalition. All three parties in the federal government looked to have lost votes in both states according to the projections. The results could increase pressure on Shultz to be tougher on immigration and intensify the debate over support for Ukraine, as they were issues that dominated campaigning. Reuters correspondent Angela Johnston, the host of one of the biggest morning shows in Ghana, has been the subject of scammers using artificial intelligence to clone his voice to endorse a product. Analysts warn the same technology could be used to spread disinformation ahead of Ghana's elections in December. Senu Torred reports. From the studios of CTFM in Accra, Bernard Affler's voice reaches tens of thousands of guardians, every weekday. Along with his team, the radio and TV host engages the nation on the award-winning citybreak ratio. And on his TV show, a point of view. I use a talk program platform to raise important development issues, but I also use the path of good interviews to question our duty barriers to actually demand for accountability. But that voice of accountability has been hijacked. Somebody called me and said, Bernard, I'm calling to check on the sex enhancement medicine that you discussed on your TV show last week. What are you talking about? Affler says perpetrators use artificial intelligence tools to clone his voice and show, then broadcast it on Facebook. Computer scientists and researcher Kuwando Yamuan notes a surge in different cloning technologies since 2022, with tools now easily accessible. They charge you a dollar, which gives you access to train your voice in like three steps. You repeat three phrases, and then you have a cloned version of your voice saying anything. In an election year, the easy access to AI poses a zero threat to Ghana's peace and security. Analysts say, during the 2020 election, fake news and misinformation led to unrest, and at least eight states linked to political violence were recorded. Some worried that cloning technologies could make the situation worse this year. City of Amis introduces security features to flag fake news and clone content in their widely circulated photos and stories. It is also piloted in a fact-checking project funded by the Danish embassy, St. Arnutov de Owenus, Accra Ghana. B.O.A.'s International Edition continues. I'm Scott Walterman. African leaders are arriving in Beijing to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Here's the South African Ambassador to China. You know, through B.R.I. and forecast, we've really had a lot of successes, whether you talk of infrastructure, whether you talk of ICT. People's people's changes are really excellent, whether it's hard, tourism, arts, and culture. We exchange students a lot, our scientists are cooperating, we're reforming our business system so that you can also be friendly to our Chinese tourists who are continuing to increase. The forum will be held in the Chinese capital from September 4th to the 6th. And finally, this is a revolution in our industry. Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney and Brad Pitt admit they're disappointed that their latest comedy, Wolves, is not getting a broad cinematic release and instead heading almost straight onto Apple TV+ streaming. You know, streaming is, we need it. Our industry needs this, right? This is part of what we're doing. But they also benefit from having films released. That's why Brad and I were working so hard to try and get these released. But Clooney says it's a work in progress. And we're figuring it out. We haven't got it all figured out yet. And this is a revolution in our industry. And Clooney said there was a huge, he thinks, upside to streaming. What I do think I see is a lot more work for actors. We're having to curate it differently and we're going to figure that out and we haven't quite got it yet. And this, you know, we'll feel this for a period of time. COVID really complicated things. But we're getting there. A lot of work. But I'm actually very excited for young actors because I feel like there's a lot more opportunity than there has been. There was when I was young. It's something that Peter agreed with. I think we'll always be romantic about theatrical experience. At the same time, I love the existence of the streamers because we get to see more story. We get to see more talent. It gets more eyes. So it's a delicate balance right now. And I mean, it'll write itself. This has been international edition of The Voice of America. On behalf of everyone here at VOA, thank you so much for joining us for pictures, stories, videos and more. Follow VOA News on your favorite social media platform and online at VOANews.com In Washington, I'm Scott Wolterman. (upbeat music)