VOA NEWS - 210807

VOA News

August 7, 2021

This is VOA News. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd.

****

Two Myanmar citizens were arrested Friday on charges alleging that they conspired to oust Myanmar's ambassador to the United Nations, who opposes the military junta [(武力夺取政权的)军政府] that seized power earlier this year by injuring or even killing him.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a release Friday that the two men plotted to seriously injure or kill Myanmar's ambassador in an attack that was to take place on American soil.

According to court documents in White Plains, New York, federal court, a Thailand arms dealer who sells weapons to the Myanmar military hired the pair to hurt the ambassador to try to force him to step down. If that didn't work, the ambassador was to be killed, according to authorities.

Myanmar's military overthrew the country's civilian government in early February.

****

The first Afghan city fell to the Taliban Friday when the militants overran [(尤指坏事)泛滥,蔓延于;占领(领土)] Zaranj, the provincial capital of Nimruz in southwestern Afghanistan. The U.N. Security Council took up the matter on Friday.

U.N. special Envoy for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons told the council that the war has "entered a new and deadlier and more destructive phase."

"The Taliban campaign during June and July to capture rural areas has achieved significant territorial gains. From this strengthened position, they have begun to attack the larger cities."

At the White House, spokesperson Jen Psaki said the path of violence will not bring the Taliban "the legitimacy" it is seeking.

"They do not have to stay on this trajectory. ([物] 轨道，轨线；[航][军] 弹道) They could choose to devote the same energy to the peace process as they are to their military campaign. We strongly urge them to do so."

The council's meeting came hours after the Taliban ambushed and killed the director of Afghanistan's government media center in Kabul, the latest killing of a government official just days after an assassination attempt on the country's acting defense minister.

This is VOA News.

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A New Jersey gym owner and a Washington state man have become the first people charged in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol to plead guilty to assaulting a law enforcement officer during the deadly siege. AP's Ben Thomas has more.

Federal prosecutors identified former mixed martial arts [综合格斗（运动名）] fighter Scott Fairlamb as one of the first people to breach the Capitol after other rioters smashed in windows and kicked out a door. They say he also harassed [骚扰，（使）困扰（或烦恼）；反复袭击] police officers after he left the building.

Fairlamb's attorney says prosecutors are seeking a sentence in a range of three and a half to a little more than four years in prison.

The second man, Devlin Thompson of Washington state, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer with a baton. [指挥棒；接力棒；警棍；司令棒] He's been ordered jailed in Seattle.

More than 30 other defendants (被告) have pleaded guilty though mostly to misdemeanor (轻罪；品行不端) charges.

I'm Ben Thomas.

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An Arkansas judge has temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a law that prevents schools and other governmental agency from requiring masks. AP's Jennifer King reports.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox issued a preliminary injunction (初步禁令) against the law that Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed in April. The ban was being challenged by two lawsuits, including one from the Marion School District, where more than 950 staff and students have had to quarantine since classes began last week. The district says 54 students and 11 staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

Hutchinson had called a special session for lawmakers to consider rolling back the ban for some schools but faced heavy opposition from fellow Republicans.

I'm Jennifer King.

****

Hiring surged in July as American employers added 943,000 jobs and the unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 percent. Even as the U.S. economy shows signs of a surprisingly strong pandemic recovery, there are fears a resurgent virus could set it back. AP's Sagar Meghani reports.

The delta variant is the wild card (通配符;无法预言的人或事物) but the White House says nation shouldn't worry much about its effects on the economy.

"This is not March 2020 or even January 20-21."

Spokeswoman Jen Psaki says the country is in a much better place with vaccines. There will not be lockdowns.

"We are not turning back the clock."

Wells Fargo (美国富国银行集团) senior economist Sarah House says she doesn't expect any widespread restrictions that would badly hurt the economy but the delta spread may have some impact.

"It might lead some people to curb some of their outings (远足；短途旅游；体育比赛) and spending and therefore potentially some hiring (雇用;租用;招聘)."

Sagar Meghani, Washington.

****

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrials rose by four tenths of one percent while the S&P 500 added .2 percent. The NASDAQ dropped, however, by .4 percent.

Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA News.

VOA NEWS - 210801

 

VOA NEWS

August 1, 2021

This is VOA News. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd. **** Government forces in Afghanistan battled a major assault Saturday by Taliban insurgents (叛乱分子) on Lashkar Gah, the capital of southern Helmand province as officials said clashes were ongoing inside parts of the city. Both sides reportedly suffered heavy casualties. The fierce fighting forced civilians to flee for safety amid allegations that Afghan air force planes had bombed and destroyed a city hospital. The provincial governor, Mohammad Ali Alizai, told reporters the arrival of reinforcements and airstrikes against insurgent positions had helped contain [控制; 容纳; 牵制(敌军)] Taliban advances. However, security officials confirmed to VOA that clashes were continuing in parts of the provincial capital. Heavy fighting was also reported in the adjoining city of Kandahar, the capital of the province of the same name, and outside the capital city of the western Herat province, next to the country's border with Iran. Security conditions have deteriorated across Afghanistan since May 1st, when the United States and NATO allies began withdrawing their last remaining troops from the country after 20 years. **** Tenants saddled (承受；使负担；跨上马鞍) with months of back rent are facing the end of a federal eviction moratorium (暂停，中止), which expires in a few hours, a move that could lead to millions being forced from their homes just as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus is rapidly spreading. The Biden administration announced Thursday it would allow the ban to expire, saying it wanted to extend it due to rising infections but its hands were tied after the U.S. Supreme Court signaled in June that it wouldn't be extended beyond the end of July without congressional action (国会授权). House lawmakers on Friday attempted, but failed, to pass a bill to extend the moratorium (暂停，中止) even for a few months. This is VOA News. **** There are more protests in France this weekend over a new requirement that a special coronavirus pass be shown to enter restaurants and other public places. AP's Ben Thomas has details. "Liberty" was the slogan of the day at pass protests across France. The marches drew estimates of more than 200,000 people around the country, more than 14,000 in Paris, where tensions flared (向外展开) in front of the Moulin Rouge nightclub [红磨坊（巴黎著名歌舞厅)]. As someone in the crowd hurled objects, police fired tear gas and water cannon. ... say three officers were injured while at least one protester was seen bleeding from the head. With COVID-19 infection spiking in France and hospitalizations rising, lawmakers have passed a bill requiring a special pass in most places as of August 9th. The pass requires a vaccination or a quick negative test or proof of a recent recovery from COVID-19. Polls show a majority of French support the pass. I'm Ben Thomas. **** More than 400,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses from Britain arrived in Kenya on Saturday, the first of two consignments (托运) destined for Kenya as a bilateral donation from the United Kingdom. More will arrive through the international COVAX system. Josephine Gauld, Britain's deputy high commissioner (高级专员) in the country, said it was essential for everyone to get vaccinated if they are able to. "... so please, please, please, if you have the opportunity to get vaccinated, do, because you're not just protecting yourself but protecting your friends and families and those who are around you." Gauld said the delivery was part of Britain's pledge to donate 100 million vaccine doses worldwide, 30 million of them by the end of this year. **** The SOS Mediterranée humanitarian organization rescued almost 200 migrants off the Libyan coast on Saturday. The 196 migrants who mostly came from Syria, Eritrea [厄立特里亚国(东非国家)], Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana were picked up in four different operations. There were 28 women among the rescued, at least two of whom were pregnant, and 33 minors (未成年人) including two children under the age of five. The migrants are now all aboard the Ocean Viking waiting to find out where they'll be able to disembark. **** Police in Beijing have detained Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu on suspicion of rape following an accusation the former member of the Korean boy band EXO lured young women into sexual relationships. The pop star had previously denied the accusations. The news was trending (热门话题) as the number one most searched topic on Weibo on Saturday night. Some users online started commenting on Wu's social media account, telling him to "Get out of China!"

**** Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/iq3mrsnxsho

VOA NEWS - 210722

 

VOA NEWS

July 22, 2021

This is VOA News. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd. **** The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said Wednesday the Taliban appear to have the "strategic momentum" in their sweeping offensives across Afghanistan but their victory is far from assured. Speaking at the Pentagon, Milley said the Taliban fighters have made gains in recent weeks but that Afghan security forces are consolidating their gains in urban areas. "Momentum appears to be, strategic momentum appears to be sort of with the Taliban. The Afghan security forces are consolidating [合并] their forces. So part of this is they're giving up district centers in order to consolidate their forces because they're taking an approach to protect the population." The militants now control about half Afghanistan's roughly 400 districts but none of the country's densely populated main cities. The Taliban are surging across Afghanistan, snapping up (抢购，匆匆吃下，抢先弄到手) territory, seizing border crossings and encircling cities with the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign troops all but complete. **** The United States and Germany have reached a deal that will allow the completion of a controversial Russian pipeline to Europe without the imposition of further U.S. sanctions. The two governments announced the agreement in a joint statement Wednesday and said it was immediately assailed (攻击；质问) by members of Congress opposed to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline (北溪2天然气管道). The deal is intended to address U.S. and eastern and central European concerns about Russia using the pipeline as a political weapon. Both sides committed to imposing sanctions on Russia, including potentially shutting down the pipeline if Moscow does that **** On Wall Street, it was a positive day Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up eight tenths of one percent at the close. The S&P 500 also added eight tenths of one percent while the NASDAQ gained .9 percent. This is VOA News. **** COVID-19 cases tripled in the United States over two weeks amid an onslaught (猛攻；突击) of vaccine misinformation that is straining hospitals, exhausting doctors and even pushing clergy into the fray (推动神职人员加入了战团). AP's Ben Thomas reports. Data from Johns Hopkins University show the 7-day rolling average for daily new cases in the U.S. rose to more than 37,000 Tuesday. That's up from less than 14,000 just two weeks earlier. Health officials blame the delta variant and flattening vaccination rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at this point 56.2 percent of Americans have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine. Doctors report patients are younger than earlier in the pandemic, many in their 20s, 30s and 40s, and overwhelmingly unvaccinated. I'm Ben been Thomas. **** U.S. life expectancy fell by a year and a half in 2020, the largest one-year decline since World War II, according to public health officials. AP's Julie Walker has more. The CDC report blames COVID the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer, accounting for 11 percent of the more than 3.3 million American deaths last year. That's far more deaths than in any other year in U.S. history. For decades, U.S. life expectancy was on the upswing. The CDC says last year it dropped to 77.3 from 78.8 the year before. Julie Walker, New York. **** House Republicans are threatening to boycott a committee investigating the Capitol riot in January. AP's Sagar Meghani has details. House GOP（Grand Old Party）leader Kevin McCarthy tapped (拔出) five Republicans for the panel. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is rejecting two, Trump allies Jim Banks and Jim Jordan, who each voted to overturn the presidential election results. Pelosi wants McCarthy to name replacements. Instead he is accusing her of an "egregious (惊人的；过分的；恶名昭彰的) abuse of power" and threatening to boycott the panel. "Unless Speaker Pelosi reverses course and seats all five Republicans, we will not participate." Democrats have already said the investigation will move ahead with or without McCarthy's choices. Pelosi picked eight members, including Republican Liz Cheney, who says McCarthy's trying to block the probe. "The Minority Leader has attempted to prevent the American people from understanding what happened ...." Sagar Meghani, Washington. **** Four-time Olympic women's basketball gold medalist Sue Bird and baseball player Eddy Alvarez were chosen as U.S. flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday night. Alvarez, who won a silver medal in speedskating in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and Bird were chosen by a vote of fellow U.S. athletes. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA News. **** Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-slZPPlzt7s

VOA NEWS - 210719

 

VOA NEWS

July 19, 2021

This is VOA News. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton. The Washington Post and 16 other media organizations are reporting that military-grade spyware licensed to governments by the Israeli firm NSO group [an...] may have been used in the hacks of 37 [spar...] smartphones used by journalists, human rights activists, business executives and two women close to the murdered Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. The phones were on a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers and countries known to engage in surveillance of their citizens. The findings suggest that the NSO group has allowed spyware meant to be used on criminals and terror suspects, to be used to hack into the cell phone accounts of journalists, activists and politicians in nations, such as Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Hungary. A Paris-based journalism nonprofit group and Amnesty International shared the list with the media organizations who then did further research. NSO has called the findings exaggerated and baseless. It says it has no insight into how its clients use its spyware for intelligence activities. ----- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday the recent flooding in Europe is "terrifying" and promised swift financial assistance for one of the hardest-hit regions in her country. As the death toll reached 184 across Europe, including 157 in Germany, Merkel said "the [der...] German language could barely describe the devastation" that had taken place. As rescue workers continued their search for missing people, a district in Bavaria in southern Germany was hit by flash flooding that killed at least one person. In the worst-hit Ahrweiler district south of Cologne, about 110 people have been killed, with more bodies expected to be found there as flood waters recede, according to police. You can find more on this and all the stories we're covering at our website voanews.com. This is VOA News. ---- The death toll in the landslide that hit the Japanese resort town of [atan...] Atami on July 3rd has risen to 15. Hundreds of rescuers are continuing to search for 14 missing residents. Dozens of homes were swept away when a landslide descended on the resort town in several violent waves on July 3rd. It came after days of intense downpours in and around Atami, which lies about 90 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. Japan was in its rainy season when the floods struck, with many parts of the country vulnerable to landslide(s). Homes are built on slopes where ground loosen and collapse suddenly after heavy downpours. Scientists say climate change is also intensifying the country's rainy seasons because a warmer atmosphere holds more water. Rescue and recovery efforts involving about 1,300 police officers, firefighters, soldiers and coast guard members are continuing. ---- Afghanistan said Sunday it has asked all of its diplomats in Pakistan to return to Kabul until Islamabad addresses all security risks to them and brings to justice those behind last week's abduction of the Afghan ambassador's daughter. The announcement came a day after the Afghan government said the daughter of the Afghan envoy who was briefly taken hostage for several hours and, quote, "severely tortured" by unknown assailants in the Pakistani capital on Friday afternoon before being set free. Islamabad said a high-level, thorough investigation was launched into what it called the "disturbing incident" immediately after the Afghan embassy reported to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry that the woman was "assaulted." A hospital medical [*refort] report confirmed that the victim was physically assaulted. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack which has dealt a fresh blow to the fragile relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. ---- Protesters against coronavirus measures and vaccines attacked a Cypriot television station and torched cars outside the building in Nicosia on Sunday evening. Police confirmed the incident at Sigma TV and said around 2,500 protesters went to the network after a larger protest outside the presidential palace. They were protesting what they called forced vaccinations against COVID-19. An AFP reporter saw thousands of people in the area near Sigma TV carrying posters protesting the "safepass" - a certificate showing proof of coronavirus vaccine - that became effective earlier this week in the Republic of Cyprus. Sigma is seen as having a hardline stance against anti-vaccination activists. It's been targeted and several previous protests against anti-COVID measures. Cyprus has recorded over 90,000 cases of coronavirus and 384 deaths. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton, VOA News.

VOA NEWS - 210717

 

VOA NEWS

July 17, 2021

- 00:04 -

This is VOA News. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd. A chorus of U.S. officials are warning about the spread of misinformation about coronavirus vaccines. AP's Jennifer King reports. Departing the White House, President Joe Biden spoke to reporters about social media platform's responsibility to curb the spread of misinformation contributing to vaccine hesitance. "... the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated." He echoed comments by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky: "If you are not vaccinated you remain at risk." White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki: "This is really becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated." Just four U.S. states with low vaccination rates made up 40 percent of new cases last week and the rising numbers are being driven by large pockets of infection among more than 90 million Americans who have yet to get shots. Officials say cases of COVID-19 have tripled over the past three weeks and are expected to rise. Jennifer King, Washington. - 01:22 - The Biden administration issued a blanket warning Friday to U.S. firms about the risks of doing business in Hong Kong as China continues to clamp down on political and economic freedoms in the territory. Speaking at the White House briefing, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that businesses should be aware their security and reputations could be compromised. "The situation in Hong Kong is continuing to deteriorate, and we continue to see Beijing assault Hong Kong's autonomy and democratic institutions. We've seen authorities use the National Security Law to make politically motivated arrests." Four cabinet agencies - the Departments of State, Treasury, Commerce and Homeland Security - release the nine-page advisory that alerts companies about the shifting legal landscape in Hong Kong and the possibility that engaging with Hong Kong business could incur [招致，遭受] reputational and legal damages. For more on these stories and the rest of the day's news, visit our website. This is VOA News. - 02:55 - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday those behind a week-long spree of violence and pillaging [（尤指在战争中）掠夺，掠夺] that has shocked South Africa sought a "popular insurrection [暴动；叛乱]" as the unrest death toll reached 212. Ramaphosa also acknowledged in a television address Friday night that "we were poorly prepared" for the disorder but vowed that "we will find those who have instigated the violence." "Over 2,550 people have been arrested in connection with the unrest, and special arrangements are being put in place to ensure that these cases are prioritized." Looters ransacked [洗劫，掠夺] shopping malls and warehouses in KwaZulu-Natal province and Johannesburg, stoking [拨旺火;煽起] fears of shortages and inflicting [造成；使遭受] a devastating [毁灭性的] blow to the already battered economy. The unrest followed protests triggered by the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma, who is serving a 15-month jail term for snubbing [冷落；使突然停止] a corruption investigation. - 04:26 - Rescuers in Germany and Belgium fear more deaths after catastrophic floods swept through the western regions, crushing homes and businesses, sweeping away villages and leaving hundreds of people dead, missing or homeless. In Germany at least 106 people have died, including 12 residents of a home for disabled people swept away by the rising waters. The death toll was the highest since a North Sea flood in 1962 killed 340 people. In Belgium, officials said there were at least twenty dead and another twenty missing. Belgium has declared an official day of mourning on Tuesday. By Friday evening, waters were receding across many of the affected regions but officials fear that more bodies might be found in cars and trucks that were swept away - 05:37  - An Associated Press investigation found that there were few voter fraud cases during the 2020 election in Arizona. AP's Ed Donahue reports. Donald Trump visited Arizona before Election Day and said, "The biggest problem we have is if they cheat with the ballots," and after the former president claimed the election was stolen. The AP investigation found fewer than 200 cases of potential voter fraud. More than 3 million ballots were cast in Arizona. So far only four cases have led to charges. No one has been convicted. Joe Biden won in Arizona by more than 10,000 votes. The AP findings go along with previous studies showing voter fraud is rare. But Arizona's GOP-led state Senate has for months been conducting what it describes as a "forensic audit [法务审计]" of results in Phoenix's Maricopa County. I'm Ed Donahue. Be sure to log on to our website voanews.com. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA News. - Thanks to - 新闻来源：https://www.voanews.com/node/4733266 语音文本：https://gandalf.ddo.jp/ 视频生成：Shotcut https://shotcut.org/

VOA NEWS - 210716

 

VOA NEWS

July 16, 2021

- 00:03 - 

This is VOA News. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd. The death toll continues to climb and dozens are reported missing as severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging torrents that swept away cars and caused houses to collapse. Recent storms across parts of Western Europe made rivers and reservoirs burst their banks, triggering flash floods [骤发洪水] after the saturated soil could not absorb any more water. Speaking at an afternoon news conference at the White House after meeting with President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "My empathy and my heart goes to all of those who in this catastrophe lost their loved ones or who are still worrying about the fate of people still missing and I include Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands who have also suffered from flooding." The death toll is expected to rise as dozens of people are reported missing. - 01:31- President Joe Biden said Thursday the United States will bolster security at its embassy in Haiti following last week's assassination of that country's president but sending American troops to stabilize the country was not on the agenda. "We're only sending American Marines to our embassy to make sure that they are secure and nothing is out of whack 运转失常at all. But the idea of sending American forces into Haiti is not on the agenda at this moment." Haiti's interim government last week asked the United States and the U.N. to deploy troops to protect key infrastructure following President Jovenel Moïse's assassination. Biden signaled he was not open to the request, which comes as he is drawing down U.S. forces in Afghanistan this summer. There is more news on our website voanews.com. This is VOA News. - 02:54 - The head of the World Health Organization said Thursday he is asking China to be more transparent as scientists search for the origins of the coronavirus and acknowledged it was premature to rule out the pandemic might have been linked to a laboratory leak. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said getting access to raw data had been a challenge for an international team that traveled to China earlier this year to investigate the source of COVID-19 where the first human cases were identified in Wuhan. "... and we need information, direct information on what the situation of these labs was before and at the start of the pandemic." In recent months, the idea that the pandemic somehow started in a laboratory and perhaps involved an engineered virus has gained traction, especially with President Joe Biden ordering a review of U.S. intelligence to assess that possibility in May. - 04:27 -  The U.S. surgeon general is calling on Americans to fight misinformation about the coronavirus. AP's Ed Donahue reports. Vivek Murthy says health information has led to people resisting wearing masks, to turn down proven treatments and to choose not to get vaccinated. "Simply put, health information has cost us lives." Virus cases have been going up in many states while the pace of vaccinations has slowed. "Every week, I talk to doctors and nurses across our country who are burning out as they care for more and more patients with COVID-19 who never got vaccinated - all too often because they were misled by misinformation." Murthy says many people don't intend to spread wrong virus information. "... if you are not sure, don't share." The World Health Organization is calling it an "infodemic[信息疫情]." Ed Donahue, Washington. - 05:38 - Los Angeles County's public health officer says a rapid and sustained increase in COVID-19 cases in the nation's largest county requires a return to mandatory mask-wearing indoors even when people are vaccinated. Dr. Muntu Davis told a virtual press conference Thursday that a public health order requiring masks indoors will go into effect on Saturday. He didn't detail what he said would be some exceptions. David said the county has been recording more than 1,000 new cases each day for a week and that there is now "substantial community transmission." - 06:34 -  The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits has reached its lowest level since the pandemic struck last year. The Labor Department said that jobless claims fell by 26,000 last week to 360,000. Visit voanews.com for more. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA News. - Thanks to - 新闻来源：https://www.voanews.com/node/4733266 语音文本：https://gandalf.ddo.jp/ 字幕生成：剪映 https://lv.ulikecam.com/ 视频生成：Shotcut https://shotcut.org/

VOA News - 210713

 

VOA NEWS

July 13, 2021

00:04 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is VOA News. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton. Venezuelan prosecutors on Monday said they charged opposition politician Freddy Guevara with terrorism and treason, among other allegations, after the country's intelligence service arrested him from his car on a Caracas [加拉加斯(委内瑞拉首都)] highway. In a statement, the chief prosecutor's office said it had sought an arrest warrant for Guevara due to [his quote] his alleged, quote, "ties with extremist groups and paramilitary(准军事部队)(paramilitaries) associated with the Colombian government." Guevara is a close ally of opposition leader Juan Guaidó, whom the United States recognizes as Venezuela's legitimate president. Guaidó said unidentified [m...] armed men threatened him with arrest earlier on Monday as he left his apartment in an effort to assist Guevara. A representative at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Julie Chung wrote on Twitter, quote, "We strongly condemn the arrest of Venezuelan Congressman Freddy Guevara and threats against Interim President Juan Guaidó in Venezuela." She urged the international community to join in condemning the acts and called for the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela. These incidents took place as the government of President Nicholás Maduro and opposition movement headed by Guaidó prepare for negotiations planned for next month aimed at resolving the political crisis. In an appearance on state television Monday, Maduro said the opposition should renounce(宣布放弃) violent tactics ahead of the talks. Without naming Guevara or Guaidó, he said he had proof that some actors were plotting coups and that prosecutors acted on the basis of that proof. Maduro also said the United States and the European Union should lift sanctions [on the Vene...] on Venezuela before the negotiations begin. More on that and all the stories we're covering is available at our website voanews.com. This is VOA News. 02:16  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. health officials after meeting with vaccine maker Pfizer reiterated on Monday that Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need to get a booster shot for COVID-19, this according to a spokesperson for the [humans] Health and Human Services Department. Pfizer said last week it planned to ask U.S. regulators to authorize a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine based on evidence of greater risk of infection six months after inoculation and the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. 02:50  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. President Joe Biden is calling on Haiti's political leaders to come together for the good of their country. Biden said Monday during a White House meeting that the people of Haiti, quote, "deserve peace and security." The president told reporters he is closely following developments in the Caribbean nation since President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated last Wednesday. Moïse was shot to death in his home in Port-au-Prince in the early morning hours of July 7th. His wife Martine Moïse was seriously wounded in the attack. She [is] has been taken to Miami, Florida, for treatment. The White House says it has responded to Haiti's quest for help in the investigation by sending a team of officials from several U.S. agencies, including the National Security Council and the State Department. They arrived in Haiti on Sunday. A spokeswoman for the National Security Council told VOA that the delegation has reviewed the security of critical infrastructure and met with the Haitian National Police who are leading the investigation. Three Haitian Americans have been arrested in action with the assassination plot and the FBI has told VOA in an emailed statement that it "is currently engaging with the U.S. Embassy in Haiti" to determine how best to support the investigation effort. 04:15  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At least 35 people have died in a fire in a COVID ward of a hospital in the southern a Iraqi city of [naza...] Nasiriya on Monday. A spokesman for local health authorities told the French news agency that five people have been wounded, including two in critical condition. He said there are fears that more people are trapped inside the burning building and that the search for victims continues. This is Iraq's second fire in a COVID ward this year. In April, a fire at a Baghdad COVID-19 hospital killed 82 people and injured 110. That fire was sparked by the explosion of a couple of oxygen tanks. Iraq's health minister resigned after the April fire. 04:59  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And the United States has called out genocide and atrocities happening in six countries as part of a State Department report highlighting the U.S. government's response to such atrocities. The countries in the report are Myanmar, China, Ethiopia, Iraq, Syria and South Sudan. That report was released today. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton. This is VOA News. The End  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 新闻来源：VOA Newscasts 语音文本：Listening to VOA News 字幕识别：剪映 视频生成：Shotcut

VOA News - 210627

 

VOA NEWS

June 27, 2021

This is VOA News. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd. Rescue crews have found another body in the rubble of a collapsed 12-story condominium tower near Miami on Saturday, raising the death toll to five as they raced to recover any survivors while fighting back fire and smoke deep inside the concrete and metal remains. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the heightened toll at an evening news briefing, saying the identification of three bodies had dropped the number of unaccounted-for down to 156. "... and today our search and rescue teams found another body in the rubble and as well our search has revealed some human remains." Earlier, a report released by the city of Surfside said the ground floor pool deck of the oceanfront condominium was resting on a concrete slab that had major structural damage and needed to be extensively repaired. The 2018 engineering report also uncovered abundant cracking and spalling of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage. Britain's Health Minister Matt Hancock quit on Saturday after he was caught breaking COVID-19 rules by kissing and embracing an aide in his office, enraging colleagues and the public who have been living under lockdown. The 42-year-old Hancock said he resigned after The Sun newspaper published photos Friday of the married minister embracing a woman whom he had appointed to a taxpayer-funded role to scrutinize the performance of his department. "... those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that's why I've got to resign." Britain was meant to have lifted all restrictions June 21st, but a rise in cases due to the emergence of the Delta variant first identified in India has pushed back those plans by at least four weeks. This is VOA News. Officials in Columbia say they have found two guns that were used to fire at the presidential helicopter on Friday night. We get more from Reuters Libby Hogan. The incident took place while the president's helicopter was flying through Colombia's Catatumbo region. No one was injured in the incident, a spokesman for the presidency said. The troubled Catatumbo region on Columbia's border with Venezuela is home to extensive coca crops - the main ingredient of cocaine. It is where gorillas of the leftist National Liberation Army operate. Former FARC fighters who reject a 2016 peace deal with the government along with armed criminal groups involved in drug trafficking. That's Reuters Libby Hogan. Sydney and surrounding areas have entered a hard two-week coronavirus lockdown as authorities struggled to control a fast-spreading outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant. Reuters Maha Albadrawi reports. Authorities say the city and surrounding areas have about 80 confirmed cases of the Delta variant of the virus, and it's spreading rapidly. The country also remains largely unvaccinated. Parts of Sydney, Australia's biggest city, were already under lockdown due to the outbreak. Gladys Berejiklian is the premiere of New South Wales: "If we are going to do this, we need to do it properly. There's no point doing a three-day lockdown and then having the virus continue to bubble away in the community." Under the rules in place through July 9th, people can leave home for only essential work, medical care, education, or shopping like groceries. The government says 28 percent of people aged 16 or older have received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot. That's Maha Albadrawi. Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $230 million to settle claims that the pharmaceutical giant helped fuel the opioid crisis. AP's Julie Walker reports. The deal announced Saturday requires Johnson & Johnson to make a series of payments over nine years that will cover the total. The drugmaker also agreed to end the manufacturing and distribution of opioids across the nation. New York Attorney General Letitia James who sued the drugmaker and was about to go to trial said in a statement the company "helped fuel this fire but today they're committing to leaving the opioid business." J&J said in a statement the settlement is "not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the company" and its actions "relating to the marketing and promotion of importing prescription pain medications were appropriate and responsible." I'm Julie Walker. You can find more on these stories and the rest of the day's news at voanews.com. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA News. ------------------------------------------------------- From:  Listening to VOA News