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. 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