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US President Joe Biden hosted German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House on Thursday. The two leaders highlighted a stronger transatlantic relationship and cooperation on a range of issues, but differences remain on the Nord Stream 2 Russian natural gas pipeline. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
Producer: Barry Unger
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U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday that Washington would review whether it could help restore the internet in Cuba, which has suffered blackouts since protests erupted over the weekend.

“They’ve cut off access to the internet. We’re considering whether we have the technological ability to reinstate that access,” Biden told reporters at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

A number of U.S. lawmakers have urged the president in recent days to address connectivity issues on the island, as protests over food and medicine shortages have rocked Havana, leaving at least one person dead and hundreds arrested.

Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn told VOA Thursday the Biden administration must support the Cuban people in concrete ways.

“They’ve been very hesitant to step forward. And it appears that what they’re trying to do is not take sides in a fight,” Blackburn said.

“Time is of the essence here,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said, according to Reuters. “Every day that the regime has to black out the truth is a day they can get the upper hand on this,” he said of the Cuban government.

Global internet watchdog NetBlocks has confirmed restrictions to multiple social media and messaging platforms across Cuba over the past week.

“The targeted restrictions are likely to limit the flow of information from Cuba following widespread protests on Sunday as thousands rallied against the socialist government’s policies and rising prices,” the organization said in a statement. 

Earlier Thursday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced a 16-member Cuba advisory group to develop policies to support the Cuban protesters and hold the Cuban government accountable for human rights abuses.

“I know this team, many of whom are Cuban American and in one way or another have borne witness to the brutality of communism, will work diligently for the cause of freedom,” McCarthy said in a statement.

European leaders have also expressed their support for the Cuban people. On Monday, the foreign minister for the European Union, Josep Borrell, urged the Cuban government “to listen to these protests of discontent.” 

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other officials have blamed the unrest on social media postings by Cuban Americans and the U.S. government’s decades-long embargo on Cuba. Sanctions and restrictions imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump and a drop in tourism related to the pandemic have put extra pressure on the Cuban economy in recent years.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expressed his government’s support for Díaz-Canel on Monday and said, “If the U.S. really wants to help Cuba, let it immediately lift the sanctions and the blockade against its people.”

The protests were the largest anti-government demonstrations in Cuba in decades.

Some information for this report came from Reuters.
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Spain has experienced a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the past month which have prompted authorities to impose fresh restrictions in many parts of the country.The 14-day coronavirus contagion rate was 469.50 per 100,000 of population, according to Spanish health ministry data released on Wednesday, making Spain’s one of the highest levels in Europe.Barcelona and the surrounding region of Catalonia plan to impose a curfew to curb the delta variant of the coronavirus, which is running rampant among younger, unvaccinated Spaniards.The Catalan regional authorities on Thursday were waiting for a judge to approve a nightly curfew after the two-week contagion level surpassed 1,000 cases per 100,000 people.Hospital staff treat a patient suffering from COVID-19 at Hospital del Mar, where an additional ward has been opened to deal with an increase in coronavirus patients in Barcelona, Spain, July 15, 2021.Possible paybackFor the Spanish state it also means a potential financial headache because 1.1 million fines imposed for breaking the state of emergency can now be appealed in court, meaning the government could be forced to refund the fines it imposed on some people. After the court ruling on Wednesday, Spain’s Justice Minister Pilar Llop told a press conference that said the original state of emergency “saved 450,000 lives.””The duty of the government was to take immediate, urgent measures when faced with the rapid propagation of the virus,” she added.Pablo Simón, a political analyst at the Carlos III University in Madrid, said the ruling had important implications for how Spain can control the pandemic. “All fines imposed can now be appealed which will cause financial implications for the government,” he told VOA.”According to the constitution, the state of exception can only be applied for 30 days. It was designed for public disturbances, not for pandemics.””Spain is left in a situation where it lacks a judicial instrument to impose limitations on personal liberties which are suited to a pandemic.” Delta variantRafael Bengoa, a former World Health Organization health systems director who is now the director of the Institute for Health and Strategy in Bilbao, said he believed Spain has been overwhelmed by the spread of the delta variant.“I said three weeks ago we would not control the delta variant. That variant is faster in everything; more transmissible, more virulent, when infected you reach higher viral loads sooner,” he told VOA.“Hospitals are beginning to fill up like they did in the UK with younger people. Vaccination is proving insufficient when there is community transmission and that can only be controlled with much tougher measures,” he said. “At present regional authorities must ask judges if they can bring in curfews, close bars etc but this is a sign of helplessness. Re-centralization of decisions would help to save the end of the summer,” Bengoa added. 
 
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A well-known Dutch crime reporter who was shot last week in Amsterdam has died.A statement from the family of Peter R. de Vries said the journalist “fought to the end but was unable to win the battle.””Peter has lived by his conviction: ‘On bended knee is no way to be free,'” the statement said. “We are unbelievably proud of him, and at the same time, inconsolable.””Peter R. de Vries was always dedicated, tenacious, afraid of nothing and no one. Always seeking the truth and standing up for justice,” Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a tweet. “And that makes it all the more dramatic that he himself has now become the victim of a great injustice.”De Vries, 64, was struck in the head by one of five rounds fired as he left a television studio on July 6. Police arrested two suspects in connection with the shooting — a 21-year-old Dutchman suspected of being the shooter, and a 35-year-old Polish man accused of driving the getaway car.De Vries is a household name in the Netherlands, known for confronting gangsters and drug kingpins, and helping police disentangle high-profile homicides and solving cold cases like that of 11-year-old Nicky Verstappen, whose 1998 murder went unsolved for over 20 years. De Vries is also famed for his coverage of the abduction of brewing magnate Freddy Heineken in the 1980s. The reporter has long lived with death threats. Earlier this year, he told a magazine he wasn’t afraid, saying, “That’s part of the job.”  Local media say De Vries recently had been counseling a gangster-turned-witness identified as Nabil B., in the murder and racketeering trial of suspected drug kingpin Ridouan Taghi. One of Nabil B.’s lawyers was killed 18 months ago, and some Dutch media questioned whether the murder is linked to Taghi’s trial.The attack on De Vries came just months after TV crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz was fatally shot outside his home in Athens. He was struck by at least half-a-dozen shots in April fired by a passenger on a motorbike.In February 2018, Slovak investigative reporter Ján Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová, were found shot to death in their home in Veľká Mača, western Slovakia. The 27-year-old reporter had been probing economic crimes involving high-profile Slovak businessmen with ties to politicians.  
 
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Some of the Colombian nationals detained by the Haitian National police in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise took part in “U.S. military training and education programs,” a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed in a statement emailed to VOA.  The information came to light during a review of training databases, Lt. Col Ken Hoffman said, without specifying when or where the training took place.  “Our review is ongoing, so we do not have additional details at this time,” Hoffman said. The development was first reported by The Washington Post. According to the Pentagon, the U.S. Defense Department trains thousands of military people from South America, Central America and the Caribbean each year.  Hoffman said the training is focused on “respect for human rights, compliance with the rule of law, and militaries subordinate to democratically elected civilian leadership.”Haitian National Police Chief Leon Charles said police have arrested 18 Colombians in connection with the assassination.  Moise was shot and killed during an attack inside his private residence, located in a wealthy suburb of Port-au Prince, in the pre-dawn hours of July 7. His wife, Martine, who was injured in the attack, is recovering after undergoing surgery at a Miami, Florida, hospital. Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph told reporters he has spoken to Mrs. Moise multiple times and that she is doing well. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, meets with Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister, Marta Lucia Ramirez, at the US State Department in Washington on May 28, 2021.Colombian government on ‘mercenaries’  
 
In New York, Colombia’s Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Marta Lucia Ramirez denounced the involvement of Colombian nationals in the Moise assassination after a United Nations Security Council meeting Tuesday. “Let me say that the Colombian government, but also the judiciary system, is working with the Judiciary and intelligence from other countries in order to help the Haitian state to identify all the responsibilities in this crime — in this major crime,” Ramirez told reporters, adding that her country also is working with the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol. “And of course, we are helping Interpol in order to have all the information, the track record about the time when they lived in Colombia, all the information about their communications, everything in order to clarify this horrible crime,” Ramirez said. “Everybody who is involved, everybody who was a physical or intellectual actor of this crime must be punished, and must be punished with an extreme and very high capacity of international justice and the Colombian justice and others.” New arrests  
 
In Port-au-Prince Thursday, Haiti’s national police announced the arrest of two additional suspects in connection with the assassination of President Moise. Police identified them as Haitians Reynaldo Corvington and Gilbert Dragon. Police say they found a cache of weapons at the homes of both suspects that included AR-15 rifles, automatic weapons, pistols and hunting rifles. Three hand grenades were found at Corvington’s residence, a police statement says.  Additionally, national police issued a new arrest warrant for Désir Gordon Phenil. A statement posted on PNH’s official Facebook page says Phenil was responsible for renting cars, coordinating meetings with the “mercenaries” and buying equipment.  On Wednesday, Dimitri Herard, head of security at the national palace, was taken into custody. VOA Creole reporters say Herard was scheduled to appear before a court inquiry in Port-au-Prince earlier Wednesday but failed to do so.  U.S. President Joe Biden meets with his Attorney General Merrick Garland, law enforcement officials, and community leaders to discuss gun violence reduction strategies at the White House in Washington, July 12, 2021.U.S. President Joe Biden has condemned the assassination. The president dispatched a special delegation to Haiti to assist with the investigation. The delegation includes officials from the State Department, Homeland Security, the Justice Department and the National Security Council.   Matiado Vilme in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report
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Haiti, reeling from the assassination of its president and the coronavirus pandemic, has received its first half-million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund said Thursday. UNICEF said in a statement the doses were donated by the U.S. and delivered Wednesday through COVAX, an initiative for the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. “Until yesterday, Haiti was the only country in the Americas without a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine,” Haiti was the only country in the Americas without a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. On July 14, 500,000 doses of vaccine donated by the U.S government through COVAX landed in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. (Photo: © UNICEF/UN0489198/Fils Guillau)The initial batch of vaccines came after the July 7 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise by an armed hit-squad in his heavily guarded private home. Moise’s death occurred amid a period of heightened political instability and gang violence in the country. His assassination has raised fears of another surge in COVID-19 cases, according to the Pan American Health Organization. U.S. President Joe Biden promised in June to deliver 80 million doses worldwide by the end of the month. His administration plans to donate an additional 500 million doses globally in the next year, and 200 million by the end of 2021. COVAX is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Margaret Besheer at the United Nations contributed to this report. Some information also came from Agence France-Presse and Associated Press.  
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U.S. President Joe Biden meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House Thursday in what will probably be her last official visit.
 
After 16 years as chancellor, Merkel plans to leave the government following national elections in September.
 
“This visit will affirm the deep and enduring bilateral ties between the United States and Germany,” the White House said Wednesday.
 
Biden and Merkel will discuss a variety of issues that include “countering the threat of climate change, ending the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing security and regional challenges, and shoring up democracy around the world,” according to the White House.
 
The two leaders are also expected to discuss a Russian gas pipeline that Washington opposes. The Nord Stream 2 project transports natural gas from Russia to Germany.
 
The U.S. has argued that the project will put European energy security at risk by increasing Europe’s reliance on Russian gas and allowing the Kremlin to pressure vulnerable countries in Eastern and Central Europe.
 
Merkel’s spokesperson, Steffen Seibert, told reporters the leaders will also discuss China, which has strong trade relations with Germany. Some political observers say Merkel, who has criticized China’s human rights record, hopes to avoid having to choose between the U.S. and China.
 
Merkel’s agenda Thursday also includes dinner at the White House with President Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglass Emhoff.  
 
Merkel will also make remarks after receiving an honorary degree at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
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Five years ago this week, tanks rolled into the streets of Ankara and Istanbul, and soldiers ordered a news anchor at Turkey’s state broadcaster, TRT, to read a statement announcing the military had seized power.  The coup attempt was shut down quickly. But for the country’s media and voices of opposition, July 15, 2016, spurred an era of accusations and arrests, including the arrests of journalists who had covered events that night.One of those was Ilhan Tanir, then Washington correspondent for Turkey’s oldest newspaper, Cumhuriyet. Tanir recalls watching the coup unfold from the U.S., with TV stations interrupting regular programming to show military vehicles on Istanbul’s iconic Bosporus Bridge.Ilhan Tanir, pictured in July, is a Turkish journalist based in Washington, D.C. In 2016, he reported on the failed attempted July 15 coup for Turkey’s oldest newspaper, Cumhuriyet.”At the time, there were a lot of ISIS attacks in Turkey,” the journalist told VOA, referring to the Islamic State terror group. “The rumors and the tweets were talking about how it could be some kind of ISIS attack.”  But, Tanir said quickly, “we understood there was a coup.”  In the hours that followed, Tanir used Twitter to convey information from Turkish sources to his English-speaking audience.  Months later, Turkish prosecutors claimed his earlier social media posts and news reporting were evidence that Tanir belonged to the Gulen movement, the group accused of orchestrating the coup.  It was an accusation leveled at other journalists too. In the past five years, record numbers were arrested, often on accusations of supporting or producing propaganda for a terrorist organization. Authorities tightened control over digital and social media and forced some news outlets to close or come under new ownership.  At Tanir’s outlet alone, at least a dozen journalists, including former Editor-in-Chief Can Dundar, were accused of being part of the Gulen movement, a grassroots religious organization led by Fethullah Gulen.The 80-year-old cleric, who lives in self-imposed exile in the U.S., denies any involvement. Addressing his party’s provincial heads on July 8 of this year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the failed coup as “one of the most treacherous attempts in our history.”  The attempt to thwart democracy left around 250 people dead and more than 2,000 injured. Erdogan said that it had been carried out by Gulenists but had “a much wider network behind it.” FILE – The names of civilians and police killed while resisting a failed coup attempt are displayed on a banner in Taksim Square, Istanbul, Turkey, July 20, 2016. The slogan reads: ‘Sovereignty belongs to the nation.’Turkey has also dismissed international criticism of the arrests of critics and reporters. In a 2017 BBC interview, FILE – Banners and flags are waved at a solidarity rally nearly two weeks after a failed attempted coup in Ankara, Turkey, July 27, 2016.”It wasn’t just members of the Gulen movement that were targeted at the stage,” said Merve Tahiroglu, the Turkey program coordinator at Project on Middle East Democracy, or POMED, a Washington-based research and advocacy group.  “It was also people who had nothing to do with this movement. Many Kurdish outlets were among the first media outlets that were shut down by decree in the state of emergency,” she said. “And we saw a lot of journalists, particularly Kurdish journalists but also liberal voices, progressive voices, get detained or sacked from their jobs.” For some, the accusations appeared to stem from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  On the day of the coup, Henri Barkey, a Middle East expert and professor of international relations at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania,  was on Istanbul’s Buyukada Island, speaking at a workshop on Iran’s relations with its neighbors.  But Ankara saw the American analyst’s presence in Istanbul differently. It issued an arrest warrant for Barkey, and pro-government newspapers described him as a CIA operative working inside the country to topple Erdogan. “It has been very costly to me, this Turkish accusation,” said Barkey, who denies the allegations. “I can’t go to Turkey, obviously, to do my research there. People avoid me. Friends of mine have stopped talking to me because they are afraid, because any association with me is problematic and can be used against them,” he told VOA.  FILE – An unidentified solider accused of attempting to assassinate Turkey’s president during the failed attempted coup is escorted to a court hearing, Oct. 4, 2017.Analysts say those numbers are higher today and include prominent politicians such as Selahattin Demirtas, the co-leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, or HDP, who has been behind bars since November 2016.  Last month, the Turkish Constitutional Court ordered HDP to go on trial for alleged links to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. If connections are proven, the HDP will shut down like all the other pro-Kurdish parties preceding it.  Ankara’s actions have resulted in media watchdogs labeling Turkey as the worst jailer of journalists. By the end of 2016, at least 86 journalists were jailed in Turkey, according to the New York City-based Committee to Protect Journalists, which tracks arrests linked directly to working as a journalist.  CPJ’s annual prison census, which reflects the number of detained journalists, continued to show high figures in the years following the coup: 74 in 2017, 68 in 2018 and 37 at the last count, in late 2020. Alongside its snapshot of arrests, the press freedom organization flagged Turkey’s “revolving door” approach of detentions, releases, and rearrests.The European Union has also warned Turkey that its aspirations for membership hang on the country ending its authoritarian practices.  “Human rights, the rule of law, democracy, fundamental freedoms — including media freedom — are all basic imperative requirements for any progress towards the European Union,” Johannes Hahn, the EU’s membership commissioner, said after talks with Turkey in 2017.’Abusing Interpol’ Journalist Tanir says he considered himself lucky to be outside of Turkey in 2016 and therefore able to avoid arrest.  Court documents accused him and his colleagues of additional crimes: undermining the Turkish state and supporting the PKK. The armed Kurdish group, which is seeking autonomy, has been designated a terrorist organization by both Ankara and Washington.  Tanir denies any association with either the PKK or the Gulen movement. But he is still wanted internationally because of a “red notice” arrest warrant that a Turkish court issued to Interpol in 2018.”This has made my international travel impossible,” he said. Experts, including analyst and former lawmaker Aykan Erdemir, have said Veysel Ok, vice president of Turkey’s Media and Law Studies Association, works in Istanbul in July. The media rights lawyer estimates that over 400 journalists have been detained in Turkey since 2016.”These were always the Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of journalists, intellectuals, and writers,” he told VOA, adding that before 2016, “in general, this pressure mainly was on Kurdish journalists, Armenian journalists, or journalists and media outlets with left or liberal views.”  But after July 15, 2016, “this pressure has begun to be applied to everyone,” Ok said.  “From the mainstream media to the (Gulen-affiliated) media, from the left media to the right media, everyone who thinks differently from the government, writes differently, and expresses an opinion other than the official view of the government has become a victim of the government,” he said.Reporting equipment lies on the ground outside the offices of Ankara’s government, and protesters hold a banner that reads “We can’t breathe. Journalism cannot be drowned” during a rally for journalists to be protected from police, June 29, 2021.Effect on Turkey’s media The arrests and harassment have had far-reaching impact on Turkey’s media scene.Media lawyer Ok said that prominent media outlets, including pro-Kurdish or those deemed close to the Gulen movement, had been closed and mainstream media put under new ownership.  Journalists looked to new avenues for independent reporting, including social media platforms. But changes to regulations regarding digital news and social media have led to further obstacles.  Ankara enacted social media regulations requiring that Twitter, YouTube and Facebook have offices in Turkey and respond to takedown requests quickly or risk fines.Erdogan Seeks to Tame Social Media, Again New Turkish legislation seeks to tighten controls on social media with novel approach that analysts say could succeed this time The Radio and Television Supreme Council, which provides licenses and serves as a watchdog for the country’s broadcasters, has been accused by Human Rights Watch of imposing “punitive and disproportionate sanctions against independent television and radio channels that broadcast commentary and news coverage critical of the Turkish government.”  Turkey more recently issued a directive banning police from being photographed at protests, a measure it said was to protect the officers’ privacy. Lawyer Ok described the ban as “unconstitutional.” Changes in the application process for the press cards that give journalists access to official briefings have also proved challenging, with several journalism organizations saying the Directorate of Communications no longer issues accreditation for those at independent or critical outlets. “When the process is not treating journalists equally, this hurts people’s right to be informed. Because if you separate certain journalists, critical journalists, critical outlets from others and make the fieldwork harder for them, this is censorship from whichever angle you look at it,” said Ozgur Ogret, the Turkish representative for CPJ.  With Cumhuriyet under different leadership, former Editor-in-Chief Dundar has started a new website from Germany, where he lives in exile.  The website, called Ozguruz, which means “we are free” in Turkish, covers events in Turkey and Germany, but access to the site is blocked in Dundar’s home country.  Last year, the veteran journalist was sentenced in absentia to more than 27 years in prison for espionage and aiding a terrorist organization.  Turkish Court Convicts Journalist Dundar on Terror Charges Dundar, the former editor-in-chief of opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet, was on trial for a 2015 story accusing Turkey’s intelligence service of illegally sending weapons to SyriaTanir also no longer works for Cumhuriyet.  But even his employer — Ahval, a news website that covers Turkish politics and economics — has faced accusations of Gulen links. Something that Tanir and the media outlet deny.Tanir said that while covering the U.S. State Department, he had been one of the first journalists to question the so-called Gulenists’ alleged involvement in human rights abuses and pressure on the media in the early 2000s.  “Anyone can go and look at the archives of the State Department and see who asked most questions about the human rights and press issues (in Turkey) when the Gulenists were powerful and ruling the country indirectly with their allies in the government,” he said. “The record is out there, but once the Turkish government wants to punish a critical journalist, they always find a way.” Umut Colak contributed to this report from Istanbul.  
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The head of security at the Haitian presidential palace has been taken into custody as part of the investigation of July 7 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.A close associate of Dimitri Herard said Herard was detained Wednesday. CNN said Martin failed to appear before a court inquiry ordered by the public prosecutor of Port-au-Prince because he had been summoned by police for questioning.Moise was killed during a predawn attack on his private residence in a wealthy suburb of the Haitian capital that also left his wife, Martine, seriously wounded. National Police Chief Leon Charles said 18 Colombians and three Haitians have been arrested in connection with the attack, including 63-year-old Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian-born man based in the U.S. state of Florida who police believe is the mastermind behind the plot to kill Moise. Charles said Sanon arrived in Haiti on a private plane in early June with some of the Colombians.An official with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration told VOA in an emailed statement that one of the suspects in custody was a confidential source to the agency.A manhunt continues for several more suspects, including a man identified by The Associated Press as John Joel Joseph, a former senator in opposition to Moise’s Tet Kale party.U.S. President Joe Biden has dispatched a special delegation to Haiti to assist with the investigation.Moise’s killing has created a leadership vacuum in the troubled Caribbean nation. He had named neurosurgeon Ariel Henry to the post of prime minister to replace Claude Joseph, who was serving in the post on an interim basis while also serving as foreign minister. But Henry was not sworn in before the assassination, and Joseph has declared himself acting prime minister.A commission made up of representatives of all sectors of Haitian civil society plans to meet Thursday to sign a political accord that will name a new president.Joseph, as acting prime minister, had requested the United States deploy troops to Haiti to protect key infrastructure.Meanwhile, Haiti received 500,000 doses of the two-shot Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday. The doses were donated by the U.S. through the United Nations-led COVAX global vaccine sharing initiative. Through the initiative, vaccines are distributed to low- and middle-income countries.Haiti has reported 19,374 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 487 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.Some information for this report came from Reuters and The Associated Press.
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At least seven people have died and several people are missing in Germany after heavy flooding turned streams and streets into raging torrents, sweeping away cars and causing some buildings to collapse.Police in the western city of Koblenz said Thursday that four people had died in Ahrweiler county, and about 50 were trapped on the roofs of their houses awaiting rescue.Six houses had collapsed overnight in the village of Schuld. “Many people have been reported missing to us,” police said.Schuld is located in the Eifel, a volcanic region of rolling hills and small valleys southwest of Cologne.The full extent of the damage in the region was still unclear after many villages were cut off by floodwater and landslides that made roads impassable. Videos posted on social media showed cars floating down streets and houses partly collapsed in some places.Authorities have declared an emergency in the region after days of heavy rainfall that also affected large parts of western and central Germany, as well as neighboring countries, causing widespread damage.Police said an 82-year-old man died after a fall in his flooded basement in the western city of Wuppertal, which was among the hardest-hit.A fireman drowned Wednesday during rescue work in the western German town of Altena and another collapsed during rescue operations at a power plant in Werdohl-Elverlingsen. One man was missing in the eastern town of Joehstadt after disappearing while trying to secure his property from rising waters, authorities said.Rail connections were suspended in large parts of North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state. Governor Armin Laschet, who is running to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor in this fall’s German election, was expected to visit the flood-hit city of Hagen later Thursday.A photo taken with a drone shows the devastation caused by the flooding of the Ahr River in the Eifel village of Schuld, western Germany, July 15, 2021.German weather service DWD predicted the rainfall would ease Thursday.Relentless rains through the night worsened the flooding conditions in eastern Belgium, where one person was reported drowned and at least another was missing.Some towns saw water levels rise to unprecedented levels and had their centers turned into gushing rivers.Major highways were inundated and in the south and east of the nation, the railway service said all traffic was stopped, adding that “alternative transport is highly unlikely.”In eastern Eupen, on the German border, one man was reported dead after he was swept away by a torrent, a local governor told RTBf network.In Liege, the main city in eastern Belgium, the Meuse River could break its banks by early afternoon and spill into the heart of the city. Police warned the citizens to take precautionary measures.Authorities in the southern Dutch town of Valkenburg, close to the German and Belgian borders, evacuated a care home and a hospice overnight amid flooding that turned the tourist town’s main street into a river, Dutch media reported.The Dutch government sent some 70 troops to the southern province of Limburg late Wednesday to help with tasks including transporting evacuees and filling sandbags as rivers burst their banks. There were no reports of injuries linked to flooding in the Netherlands.Unusually intense rains have also inundated a swath of northeast France this week, downing trees and forcing the closure of dozens of roads. A train route to Luxembourg was disrupted, and firefighters evacuated dozens of people from homes near the Luxembourg and German border and in the Marne region, according to local broadcaster France Bleu.The equivalent of two months of rain has fallen on some areas in the last one or two days, according to the French national weather service. With the ground already saturated, the service forecast more downpours Thursday and issued flood warnings for 10 regions. 
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Cuba announced on Wednesday it was temporarily lifting restrictions on the amount of food and medicine travelers could bring into the country in an apparent small concession to demands by protesters who took to the street last weekend.Thousands joined a wave of nationwide protests over shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the government’s handling of a surge in COVID-19 infections on Sunday, in the most significant unrest in decades in the Communist-run country.The government blamed the unrest on U.S.-financed “counter-revolutionaries” exploiting hardship caused by the decades-old U.S. trade embargo that Washington tightened in the midst of the pandemic, pushing the Cuban economy to the brink.Several countries and the United Nations have called on the government to respect citizens’ right to express themselves. Others like Mexico have said A demonstrator holds up a bead necklace in the colors of the Cuban flag, July 14, 2021, in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, as people rallied in support of antigovernment demonstrations in Cuba.And Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said on Wednesday the government would do precisely that from next Monday, lifting restrictions until the year-end.“It was a demand made by many travelers and it was necessary to take this decision,” he said on a roundtable on state television, alongside President Miguel Diaz-Canel.It was not immediately clear how much difference the move would make given that there are very few flights at the moment into the Caribbean island nation which is going through its worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic.Government critic Yoani Sanchez, who runs news website 14ymedio, was quick to tweet that such concessions would not be enough to appease those who had protested on Sunday.“We do not want crumbs, we want freedom, and we want it nowwwww,” she wrote. “The streets have spoken: we are not afraid.”Cubans say they have been frustrated by outages in mobile internet and restricted access to social media and messaging platforms since Sunday.“It’s been a bunch of days that no one has been able to connect,” said Havana resident Andrea Lopez. “My husband is in Mexico and I haven’t been able to speak with him.”More than 200 people were detained during or following the protests, according to exiled rights group Cubalex, and only a handful have been released so far.Diaz-Canel said there were three kinds of protesters; counterrevolutionaries, criminals and those with legitimate frustrations. State-run television showed images of a crowd looting a store and another attacking an empty police car.Interior ministry officials said in a program televised later that some of the detained would be pursued for crimes like incitement to violence, contempt, robbery and damage to public property, which carry lengthy prison sentences.  
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The United States will support an inclusive, credible Haitian government, Laura Lochman, the State Department’s acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, told VOA on Wednesday.Lochman was part of a U.S. delegation President Joe Biden dispatched to Haiti on July 11 in response to a request from the government of Haiti for assistance after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise last week.The U.S. delegation met with Haitian acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph, Prime Minister-designate Ariel Henry and Senator Joseph Lambert.The senator posted a message on Twitter, saying he had met with the U.S. delegation and that they “appreciate” the Haitian Senate resolution naming him as provisional president of Haiti.“It’s up to the Haitians to come up with the solution to this political process at this point so we rely on them and give them all the support that we can to work conclusively, to work together to form a consensus government. And the United States will definitely, along with our international partners, support an inclusive, credible government,” Lochman told VOA in response to a question about who the United States will support as Haiti’s leader.Haitian politicians float their own plansIn Port-au-Prince, a commission comprised of representatives of all sectors of Haitian civil society plans to meet Thursday to sign a political accord that will name a new president.Ted Saint Dic, one of the organizers of the upcoming meeting, told reporters the group plans to meet with the 10 Haitian senators whose terms have not expired.“We will present a plan based on discussions we have already had, that we will make public during the meeting. With regards to the proposal to name Senator Lambert president of the republic, we believe that before making such a decision, there must be consultations. That’s where we are right now,” Saint Dic said.He described the effort as a “society effort” that would not be rushed.“We’re not in a hurry. We want to allow the country to find a way to enter into dialogue and agree on solutions that fundamentally address the biggest preoccupations of the Haitian people,” Saint Dic said. “The people have what it takes to decide who their leader will be.”Elsewhere in the capital, several political leaders held press conferences Tuesday to discuss their efforts to solve the current political void.Former Senator Steven Benoit discussed his plan during a press conference.“I told Senator Lambert that we need to organize as soon as possible a national dialogue with representatives of all sectors of society, including the religious sector, to decide what we are going to do,” Benoit said. “The constitution has been ignored (by President Moise) since January 2020, so today we need a political accord. And I’ve asked Senator Lambert to meet with the different political parties, which he has begun to do, as well as members of civil society, to discuss the issues and come up with a Haitian solution.”Political leader Dieudonne Lherisson of the PLANSPA (Platfom Nasyonal Sekte Popile Ayisyen) Party also held a press conference Tuesday to call for a national dialogue.“Everyone knows there were (only) 11 elected officials in the country — President Moise and the 10 senators. President Moise is dead now, so 10 elected officials remain, who were elected by the people. It is time for them to take responsibility and organize a national dialogue — not to mess around — but rather to find the best formula to reestablish order, fight insecurity and organize elections to allow the people to choose their leader in a democratic fashion,” Lherisson said.“We’re very happy to hear that they’re moving in that direction,” said Lochman told VOA.ElectionsFormer Senator Benoit is pushing for an 18-month transition period, ending with presidential and legislative elections in September or October 2022. But Lochman said the United States would like to see elections held this year.“We have always believed and in fact continue to believe very strongly, that it’s imperative to hold elections for both president and the legislature this year and that is because there has been a vacuum in democratic governance in Haiti that is not serving the needs of the Haitian people,” Lochman said.In fact, the parliament has been out of session since January 2020 when the terms of most of the legislature expired. Elections have not been held to elect new members due to mass protests, the coronavirus pandemic and uncontrolled gang violence.Lochman stressed the need for Haiti’s executive, legislative and judicial branches of government to be fully operational.“You need to have all branches of government in place and working together and working in the pursuit of providing services to the Haitian people that they deserve. And we the U.S. government as well as our international partners have been working with them and will continue to stand with them to improve their democratic governance and institutions,” she told VOA.Troop requestThe question of whether the U.S. will send troops to Haiti has been a hot topic both inside Haiti and in the U.S. since President Moise’s assassination.“The Haitian acting prime minister did send a letter both to the United Nations and the United States prior to last weekend, asking for asking for assistance in maintaining some of their critical infrastructure as well as helping in election security and with the investigation of the assassination,” Lochman told VOA.Pressed about whether the U.S. has decided to send troops to Haiti, she said the conversation is ongoing.“To be clear we are working with them now to get a very clear idea of exactly what their needs are and how we can best respond to those. And while nothing is being taken off the table at this point, we are trying to understand better the fundamental issues they are grappling with,” Lochman said.Renan Toussaint and Matiado Vilme in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to this story. 
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The United States is encouraging Haitian political leaders, civil society and the private sector to find a political solution that will lead to presidential and legislative elections in the Caribbean island nation later this year, following last week’s assassination of President Jovenel Moise.A commission made up of representatives of all sectors of Haitian civil society plans to meet Thursday to sign a political accord that will name a new president.“We’re very happy to hear that they’re moving in that direction,” said Laura Lochman, the State Department’s acting deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.Lochman on Wednesday sat down with VOA to discuss the crisis in Haiti and how the United States is planning to help with the investigation of Moise’s assassination, gang violence, and COVID-19 cases.Lochman was a member of the U.S. delegation that traveled to Port-au-Prince on Sunday in response to a Haitian government request for security and investigative assistance following the July 7 killing.The following are excerpts from the interview, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.VOA: Various groups of Haitian political leaders plan to meet this week to discuss a solution for the political crisis and name a new leader. Will the U.S. recognize their decision?Lochman: The United States, in conjunction with our international partners, have been in constant contact with Haitian political leaders, encouraging them to come together and have an inclusive, open process and form a unity government that includes the private sector, civil society, as well as the various political parties. So, we’re very happy to hear that they’re moving in that direction.VOA: Haitian Senator Joseph Lambert posted a message on Twitter, saying he had met with the U.S. delegation and that they “appreciate” the Haitian Senate resolution naming him as provisional president of Haiti. Can you confirm or deny that statement?Lochman: We did, in fact — when we were on the ground in Port-au-Prince on Sunday — we did meet with Senator Lambert. We also met with the acting prime minister, Claude Joseph, and Prime Minister-Designate Dr. Ariel Henry. And we have the exact same message to all three gentlemen, which is to encourage them to work together, to take their time, have an inclusive process, draw in other political parties and the civil society actors to come up with a consensus government that could help restore stability to Haiti and lead them to presidential and legislative elections this year.VOA: Would the U.S. recognize Lambert as a leader if that’s the conclusion?Lochman: Again, it’s up to the Haitians to come up with the solution to this political process at this point. So, we rely on them and give them all of the support that we can to work conclusively, to work together, to form a consensus government. And the United States will definitely, along with our international partners, support an inclusive, credible government.VOA: Will the U.S. continue pushing for elections in 2021?Lochman: We have always believed … and continue to believe very strongly that it’s imperative to hold elections for both the president and the legislature this year, and that is because there has been, really, a vacuum in democratic governance in Haiti that is not serving the needs of the Haitian people. There are many significant problems — on the economic front, security front, political front, health front — that need to be dealt with in Haiti, and you need three functioning, fully staffed branches of government responsible to the Haitian people to take on those challenges.VOA: If I may ask, elections have never solved Haiti’s problems. What is the U.S. thinking these elections will settle?Lochman: Well certainly, again, a power vacuum or a lack of democratic governance would never be the solution in our minds. You need to have all branches of government in place and working together in the pursuit of providing services to the Haitian people that they deserve. And the U.S. government, as well as other international partners, have been working with them and will continue to stand with them to improve their democratic governance and institutions.VOA: When does the U.S. expect to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to Haiti?Lochman: The delivery of vaccines is quite imminent — at least the first tranche of vaccines should be arriving very soon. And then, there will be provision of more as conditions allow, in terms of cold storage, etc., but we are committed to providing them as soon as possible.VOA: Has there been consular access to the three Americans who have been accused in the assassination? Is there a determination whether they are culpable?Lochman: We have been informed that there are three American citizens detained by the Haitian National Police (HNP) in connection with the horrible assassination. Our embassy in Port-au-Prince is providing the normal and appropriate consular services to those U.S. citizens.VOA: Has the U.S. said no to any request from Haiti for assistance?Lochman: We have not. We are, again, working very closely — it’s on a constant basis — with Haitian officials to determine what their needs are, to kind of drill down on the specifics and determine how we can best support them from the U.S. government perspective.VOA: Has the U.S. received a request from the Haitian government for U.S. troops to protect infrastructure sites like its ports and the airport?Lochman: Prior to last weekend, Haiti’s acting prime minister did send a letter, both to the United Nations and the United States, asking for assistance in maintaining the safety of some of their critical infrastructure, as well as helping on election security, and with the investigation of the assassination. So again, we’re working internally within the U.S. government, as well as with our international partners, to coordinate with the Haitians on how best to respond to their requests.VOA: The U.S. is saying yes to the request to send U.S. troops to protect Haiti’s infrastructure sites?Lochman: To reiterate, we are working with them now to get a very clear idea of exactly what their needs are and how we can best respond to those needs. And while nothing is being taken off the table at this point, we are trying to understand better the fundamental issues they’re grappling with. And one of the things that we may ramp up, for instance, is our provision of advisers to the HNP to help them combat the gangs that are such a problem there right now. But again, this conversation is going on daily.VOA: Ambassador Michele Sison has been named to a new post at the State Department. When can we expect this administration to name her replacement?Lochman: Ambassador Sison remains the ambassador to Haiti. At this point, she is awaiting Senate confirmation for her new role, and she is on the ground in Port-au-Prince working way too many hours per day and putting her full experience into helping solve the issues on the ground in Haiti.VOA: Is there anything else you would like to add?Lochman: Just that, again, the United States has had a long relationship with the Haitian people, and we are fully committed to doing everything that we can to assist them in this very difficult time that they are experiencing. 
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European Union leaders on Wednesday introduced the bloc’s most comprehensive plans yet to combat climate change, with a new goal of reducing carbon emissions to 55% below 1990 levels by 2030.Unveiled by the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, the legislation would make the bloc’s goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050 legally binding and completely overhaul its energy system.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a press conference that the “Fit for 55” plan would act as a road map of concrete actions necessary to achieve the bloc’s climate goals.“Our package aims to combine the reduction of emissions with measures to preserve nature, and to put jobs and social balance at the heart of this transformation,” von der Leyen said.The sweeping proposal would involve every sector of the EU’s economy in its Emissions Trading System, which incentivizes companies to lower their emissions by taxing the carbon they produce.New taxes on previously exempt sectors are proposed for aviation and shipping fuels. The plan also calls for increasing existing carbon taxes to the transportation, manufacturing and power sectors.FILE – Cars sit at a standstill during morning rush hour on a main artery in the European Quarter of Brussels, Dec. 12, 2019. The European Union on July 14, 2021, unveiled new legislation to help meet its pledge to cut climate-changing emissions.Border taxOne of the package’s most noteworthy aspects is a first-of-its-kind tax on the carbon produced by foreign imports, which in turn likely would raise prices for consumers.This border tax — known officially as the carbon border adjustment mechanism — would ensure the EU is reducing emissions across the board, and it would protect domestic companies against price competition from foreign companies without the same environmental restrictions.In April, environmental leaders from China, India, South Africa and Brazil spoke out against such a tax, asserting that a carbon border adjustment would be discriminatory against developing countries that lack the resources to focus on cutting emissions.The commission also is planning to completely phase out the sale of combustion-engine cars by 2035, effectively bringing new car emissions to zero.Other proposals include shifting millions of buildings in the EU toward renewable energy by 2030 via renovation and implementation of a carbon tax on road transport.“Emission of CO2 must have a price, and we know that carbon pricing works,” von der Leyen said. “Our existing emission trading system has already helped significantly to reduce emissions in industry and in power generation.”European Commissioner for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans speaks during a media conference at EU headquarters in Brussels, July 14, 2021.Fairness, accessibilityThe commission emphasized a focus on making the transition to renewable energy fair and accessible to everyone, particularly low-income individuals and member states whose economies are more reliant on polluting industries.Environmental taxes that target the individual have caused controversy in the past, as seen with the massive yellow vest movement in opposition to the French government’s raising fuel taxes.Since energy prices are expected to rise, the commission proposed creating a $85.2 billion fund that citizens of member states could access to help mitigate the costs of switching to energy-efficient housing and transportation.The commission’s plan comes six years after the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement signaled a worldwide commitment to mitigating the impact of climate change and keeping global temperatures from increasing significantly.Additionally, since the EU produces only 8% of the world’s carbon emissions, the plan is intended to push other world powers to follow suit and produce more concrete plans for reaching climate neutrality.In coming years, the commission’s plan will be the subject of scrutiny and negotiation as the leaders from the 27 member states convene in the European Parliament and Council to implement the laws across the EU.
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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was being evaluated Wednesday for possible emergency surgery for an intestinal obstruction, his office said. Bolsonaro, 66, was admitted to the Armed Forces Hospital in Brasilia early in the morning and was “feeling well,” according to an initial statement that said doctors were examining his persistent hiccups. But hours later, the president’s office said Dr. Antonio Luiz Macedo, the surgeon who operated on Bolsonaro after he was stabbed in the abdomen during the 2018 presidential campaign, decided to transfer him to Sao Paulo, where he will undergo additional tests to evaluate the need for an emergency surgery. FILE – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro reacts during a ceremony in Brasilia, Brazil, March 10, 2021.The stabbing caused intestinal damage and serious internal bleeding and the president has gone through several surgeries since, some unrelated to the attack. In recent weeks, Bolsonaro has appeared to struggle with speaking on various occasions and said that he suffers from recurring hiccups. “I apologize to everyone who is listening to me, because I’ve been hiccuping for five days now,” Bolsonaro said in an interview with Radio Guaiba on July 7. He suggested that some medications prescribed after dental surgery might be the cause. “I have the hiccups 24 hours a day.” The following day, during his weekly Facebook Live session, Bolsonaro apologized again for not being able to express himself well due to weeklong hiccups. Bolsonaro has been under growing pressure from a congressional inquiry into his administration’s handling of the pandemic and alleged corruption in the acquisition of vaccines against COVID-19, and recent polls have indicated that he could lose in the next 2022 election. On Tuesday night, in a 20-minute encounter with the president in Brasilia, supporters repeatedly asked him to look after his health. 
 
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Supporters of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise gathered Wednesday near the National Palace in Port-au-Prince to honor him, placing multiple floral wreaths near the palace gates.  
 
“We will never forget you,” a man said as he placed a wreath on the ground.  
 
“I have no strength left. I can’t deal anymore. When I think about how he was killed, I just start crying. They massacred the father of the nation,” a female supporter who did not wish to give her name, told VOA.  
 
Another female supporter said she believes the president’s assassination was political.  
 
“Everyone knows why he was killed. He was assassinated just like the emperor (Jean-Jacques Dessalines). For over 50 years, we have dealt with these types of actions — that’s why this country is in such a sorry state. If we don’t change the system, we will never make any progress,” she told VOA.
 
Mackenson Cange, spokesman for the Alliance Democratique Contre la Transition en Haiti Party, said supporters want to send a clear signal to everyone who is watching events unfold in Haiti.  
 
“The president’s blood will not be shed in vain,” he told VOA. “We need to know in what context the president was killed. We need to know the motive behind the killing. We are asking for justice for President Moise, and we are ready to risk our lives to ensure that happens.”
 
Cange appealed to anyone involved in the assassination to surrender to police.  
 
“Don’t let the people be the ones to find you,” Cange said.People place a portrait of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise with a quote from him that reads in Creole “I try, you don’t give up. Continue fighting,” at a memorial outside the National Palace, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 14, 2021.Former Moise campaign colleague Pierre Garry Bernadotte, who is the Haitian delegate for the West Department, said he felt compelled to participate in Wednesday’s event.
“I spent six years and five months with Jovenel Moise. I started out with him on the first day of his campaign, and we stayed with him until his last day. In fact, we continue to serve him (in the government),” Pierre told VOA.
 
“All Haitians must reflect on what happened — regardless of whether you liked Jovenel or not. We must admit that things must change in this country. We need to learn the lesson of this tragedy so that the president does not die in vain,” he said.
 UN tribute  
 
At the United Nations, countries paid tribute Wednesday to the slain president and expressed solidarity and support for the Haitian people.  
 
Flanked by a portrait of Moise and a bouquet of white lilies and hydrangeas, Deputy U.N. Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the U.N. was joining the people of Haiti in their mourning.  
 
“We say goodbye not only to a head of state, but to a friend, a father and a husband,” she said.
 
“Nothing can justify this act of inhumanity that took place on Haitian soil against President Moise,” the St. Kitts and Nevis’s envoy said, on behalf of the Caribbean Community of states (CARICOM). “It must, therefore, be condemned, and its perpetrators must be brought to justice if we are going to avoid the collapse of civilization in Haiti.”
 
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., expressed support for the people of Haiti. 
“We urge all political parties, civil society groups, and other stakeholders to work together to prioritize calm and stability,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “At this challenging and most difficult time, I want to assure the Haitian people that our partnership with you will continue.”A picture of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise hangs on a wall before a news conference by acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 13, 2021.Funeral planning committee  
 
Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph said Tuesday funeral planning was being handled in consultation with first lady Martine Moise and the Moise family. An official government announcement was issued ahead of a press conference to introduce members of the official planning committee.
 
“The council of ministers will oversee the committee’s work. The institutions and public administration will provide all necessary resources in completing this mission. The government should provide members of the committee with everything they need while being respectful of the task at hand,” Joseph said.
 
In addition to himself, Joseph said the committee members include the ministers of defense, culture and communication, and interior; the director of the cabinet (chief of staff); the secretary-general of the presidency; and the director-general of the MUPANAH (Musée du Panthéon National Haitien).
 
According to a Moise family member, the president wanted to be laid to rest in the north, where his father is buried.
 
The prime minister called on Haitian citizens to participate in the funeral ceremony and events honoring Moise’s life.
 
“We must bid him farewell with honor and dignity,” Joseph said.
 
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed Wednesday to enact measures to protect British professional soccer players from online abuse. Punishment for someone found guilty of such abuse could include banishment from games. The move comes after online abuse, some of it racist, was directed at three Black players for the English national team who missed their penalty shots in the Euro 2020 final shootout on Sunday, leading to an Italian win. According to the Guardian newspaper, an analysis of 585,000 social media posts directed at the English team during the entire Euro 2020 tournament found that 44 messages were explicitly racist. More than 2,000 were “abusive.” “I do think that racism is a problem in the United Kingdom, and I believe it needs to be tackled. And it needs to be stamped out with some of the means that I’ve described this morning,” Johnson told Parliament as he announced his plan. “I repeat that I utterly condemn and abhor the racist outpourings that we saw on Sunday night. And so, what we’re doing today is taking practical steps to ensure that the football banning order regime is changed, so that if you are guilty of racist abuse online of footballers, then you will not be going to the match — no ifs, no buts, no exemptions and no excuses,” he added. But it’s unclear how much of the online abuse actually comes from the U.K. The Daily Mail reported that the Premier League, the top division of professional soccer in England, found that roughly 70% of online abuse directed at British professional soccer players comes from outside the U.K. According to Yahoo News, the Greater Manchester Police said they had arrested a man Wednesday for social media posts directed at players for England’s national team. Johnson added that in addition to going after internet trolls, his government would potentially fine social media companies if they failed to quickly remove offensive content. “Last night, I met representatives of Facebook, of Twitter, of TikTok, of Snapchat, of Instagram, and I made it absolutely clear to them that we will legislate to address this problem in the Online Harms Bill. And unless they get hate and racism off their platforms, they will face fines amounting to 10% of their global revenues,” Johnson said. Some information in this report comes from Reuters. 
 
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The International Organization for Migration said Wednesday that deaths among maritime migration routes to Europe have more than doubled in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2020.The organization said Wednesday that at least 1,146 people died attempting to reach Europe in the first six months of 2021. Most of those who died were attempting to cross the Mediterranean.The total number of attempted crossings is also on the rise. More than 31,500 people were intercepted or rescued by North African authorities in the first half of 2021, compared to just over 23,000 in the same period last year.  FILE – Migrants queue to embark on a ferry to the mainland, in the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, June 23, 2021.Many of the migrants departed from Tunisia, headed for Italy. Italy’s interior minister, Luciana Lamorgese, said on Italian national television that arrivals from Tunisia multiplied in July due to that country’s deep economic crisis. Because they are economic migrants, she added, they cannot stay in Italy and will be repatriated, likely in early August.Lamorgese added that areas have been identified where the migrants can be tested for COVID-19 and placed in quarantine, including on a large ship.The IOM data shows that the migrant deaths occurred because of insufficient search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean and on the Atlantic Route to the Canary Islands, even though interceptions off the North African coast have increased for the second consecutive year. IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino called on countries to take urgent measures to prevent loss of life, such as increasing search and rescue efforts and ensuring access to safe and legal migration pathways.The IOM also said over 15,300 people were returned to Libya in the first six months of 2021, almost three times higher than the same period last year. However, the organization said, migrants who are returned to Libya are subjected to arbitrary detention, extortion, disappearance and torture. 
 
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Pope Francis returned to the Vatican Wednesday, after more than 11 days in the hospital where he underwent intestinal surgery.
 
The Pope Francis arrived at the Vatican via automobile and stepped out slowly but unassisted. He shook hands and chatted with military personnel and police officers before entering the Vatican gates.
 
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, in a statement, said Francis stopped to pray at the Rome Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore before returning to the Vatican. Francis normally does this at the end of each foreign trip to give thanks to the Madonna.
 
From his Twitter account Wednesday, Pope Francis wrote to thank “all those who have been close to me with prayer and affection during my hospital stay. Let us not forget to pray for the sick and for those who assist them.”
 I thank all those who have been close to me with prayer and affection during my hospital stay. Let us not forget to pray for the sick and for those who assist them.— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) July 14, 2021Francis underwent three hours of planned surgery July 4 to treat “severe diverticular stenosis with signs of sclerosing diverticulitis,” or a hardening of the sacs that can sometimes form in the lining of the intestine. The surgery required the removal of a large section of the pope’s colon.  
 
Francis had been considered healthy overall, and this is the first time he has been admitted to the hospital since he became pope in 2013, though he lost the upper part of one lung in his youth because of an infection. He also suffers from sciatica, or nerve pain, that makes him walk with a pronounced limp.
 
The Vatican has continued normal operations in his absence, though July is traditionally a month when the pope cancels public and private audiences.
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When widespread protests broke out in Cuba Sunday, hundreds of Cuban Americans in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood took to the streets in support. Those street demonstrations in Miami have continued.  Liliya Anisimova has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.Camera: Liliya Anisimova  
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Pope Francis was seen leaving the hospital Wednesday, 10 days after undergoing planned surgery to remove half of his colon. Witnesses said a car carrying Francis, 84, was seen leaving Rome’s Gemelli Polytechnic hospital Wednesday morning. Doctors removed half of the pontiff’s colon on July 4 because of a severe narrowing of his large intestine, his first major surgery since he became pope in 2013. It was a planned procedure, scheduled for early July when the pope’s audiences are suspended anyway and Francis would normally take some time off. Francis will have several more weeks to recover before beginning to travel again in September. There are plans for him to visit Hungary and Slovakia in a September 12-15 trip, and then make a quick stop in Glasgow, Scotland, in November to participate in the COP26 climate conference. Other possible trips are also under review. The Vatican had originally said Francis could be discharged last weekend, but later said he would stay a few more days for further recovery and rehabilitation therapy. The pope appeared Sunday for the first time in public since the surgery, looking in good form as he delivered his weekly prayer from the 10th floor hospital balcony, surrounded by young cancer patients. He used the occasion to call for free health care for all.  On Tuesday afternoon, the eve of his release, he visited the pediatric cancer ward, which is on the same floor as the papal hospital suite. The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed when he was a young man but has otherwise enjoyed relatively robust health. 
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Spain called on Cuba Tuesday to release a journalist who was detained in Havana while covering the biggest demonstrations in the communist country for decades. Camila Acosta, 28, who works for the right-leaning Spanish daily ABC, was held by police Monday night.  Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares implored Cuba to immediately release Acosta and respect the rights of demonstrators. “Spain defends the right to demonstrate freely and peacefully and asks the Cuban authorities to respect it,” Albares tweeted. “We demand the immediate release of Camila Acosta.”  Cuba’s government cracked down on activists Monday night after mass protests drew thousands over the weekend. Acosta, who describes herself on Twitter as an independent Cuban journalist, has reported for ABC for six months. She was uploading photos of the unrest to social media when she was detained. Her arrest prompted international condemnation among politicians and media organizations, as her newspaper said she played no part in the protests and was only documenting them.Demonstrators clash during protests against and in support of the government, in Havana, July 12, 2021.ABC learned that Acosta had been arrested around 8 p.m. Spanish time (2 p.m. in Cuba) on Monday. “She had gone to report on, not to join in, the demonstrations,” Alexis Rodriguez, ABC’s foreign editor, told VOA on Tuesday. “We were told that she has been arrested for crimes against state security.” Cuban authorities later changed the charges to contempt and public disorder, which can carry a jail sentence of three to six years. Rodriguez said the newspaper was “highly concerned” that one of its journalists had been detained and called on the Spanish government to do all it can to help with Acosta’s release. Acosta’s father, Orlando Acosta, lives in Florida and was visiting his daughter in Cuba when she was arrested. “We went out to do a PCR (COVID-19) test so that I could return to the U.S. this Friday when the unrest happened,” Orlando Acosta told ABC Tuesday night.  “I have been told by the Cuban authorities that they are going to charge her with contempt and public disorder,” he added. “They are going to leave her at the police station for another 72 hours before she comes before a prosecutor. I have not been able to see my daughter. They say it is because of the risk of COVID-19.”Orlando Acosta said about 15 police officers raided his daughter’s rented flat with dogs and seized her work computers. He was told she must vacate the premises immediately. Camila Acosta previously had been forced to leave other rented accommodations because she has criticized the Cuban government when she was abroad, her father said. Orlando Acosta said he was told by the Cuban government that his daughter should leave the island forever. “But that would stop her from doing her job as a journalist, which she is content with, and I am not going to interfere in that,” he told ABC. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a socialist who in 2018 paid the first official visit by a Spanish leader to Cuba in three decades, said the country was “not a democracy.” “Without interference, the country has to find its own way,” Sanchez told broadcaster Telecinco on Tuesday. The Spanish prime minister demanded Acosta’s release, adding that Cubans should be able to protest freely and enjoy the “same rights and freedoms as in Spain.” Media associations in Spain called for her swift release. In a statement, the Spanish Federation of Journalists Associations demanded the removal of “all charges against Acosta” and called on the Spanish government to “do everything necessary so she is released without charges.” The organization condemned all arrests and attacks on journalists in Cuba over the weekend, including against Ramón Espinosa, a photographer for The Associated Press. About 100 protesters, activists and independent journalists have been detained nationwide since Sunday, according to exiled rights group, Cubalex. VOA contacted the Cuban Embassy in Madrid for comment Tuesday but did not receive a reply.  
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Cuba’s government said Tuesday one person has died after anti-government protests, while rights groups said authorities have arrested more than 100 people. The government said a 36-year-old man died Monday during a clash between protesters and police in Arroyo Naranjo, on the outskirts of Havana. The Cuban capital had a heavy police presence Tuesday, two days after demonstrators there and in other parts of the country conducted the largest anti-government protests in decades. Protesters expressed their frustration with food shortages, high prices, electricity outages and the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Cuban state media said Tuesday that former leader Raul Castro had met Sunday with President Miguel Díaz-Canel and the rest of the ruling Communist Party’s leadership to discuss the protests. Díaz-Canel and other officials have blamed the unrest on the Cuban Americans on social media and the United States government’s decades-long embargo on Cuba.  Sanctions and restrictions imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump and a drop in tourism related to the pandemic have put extra pressure on the Cuban economy in recent years.People gather in Martyrs Park where wifi connections are working in Havana, Cuba, July 13, 2021. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel is accusing Cuban Americans of using social media to spur Sunday’s nationwide antigovernment protests.U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a briefing Tuesday that the protesters are “standing up to Cuba’s authoritarian regime.” “Their basic needs are not being met and they are understandably exhausted,” Price said. Internet monitoring firm NetBlocks said Tuesday that the Cuban government had restricted access to a number of mobile messaging and social media services, including Facebook and WhatsApp. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denied the government was shutting off access. “We have had electricity problems. We have communication problems; connectivity problems,” Rodriguez said Tuesday. “And it is true that we are in a complex situation, and it is true that there has been a lack of electricity these days, which also affects the functioning of the networks of the telecommunications server nodes.” Price said the United States is calling on Cuba to open “all means of communication.” “Shutting down technology, shutting down information pathways, that does nothing to address the legitimate needs and aspirations of the Cuban people,” he said. The United States is also discouraging any potential attempts by people in Cuba to try to leave the island nation by boat and reach U.S. shores. “Any migrant intercepted at sea, regardless of their nationality, will not be permitted to enter the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Tuesday. “This risk is not worth taking.” Mayorkas said at this point there has been no indication of an increase in migration attempts by sea. Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters. 
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China’s bid to expand its influence in Eastern Europe could hit a snag if Hungary’s controversial Prime Minister Viktor Orban is defeated in what is shaping up to be an unexpectedly close election next year.Hungary under Orban has fostered ever-closer ties with China, which sees the country as a linchpin of its efforts to reach deep into Europe with elements of its global Belt and Road initiative involving infrastructure and cultural projects on several continents.Among those projects is a new railroad running from the Hungarian capital, Budapest, to Belgrade, Serbia. Hungary is also the proposed site of the first overseas campus of Fudan University, one of China’s top educational institutions.FILE – Demonstrators protest against the planned Chinese Fudan University campus in Budapest, Hungary, June 5, 2021.In a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping late last month which has since been made public, the mayor of Budapest and several other prominent Hungarian politicians pledged to terminate both projects if a new opposition coalition comes to power in next year’s parliamentary election.Until recently, that prospect would have seemed remote, given that Orban has retained power in three successive landslide elections and has steadily increased his control over the nation’s media.FILE – On June 11, 2021, leaders of six opposition parties in Hungary — DK, Jobbik, LMP, Momentum, MSZP, and Dialogue — announce the coalition has established common ground and will lay out a governing program in the fall.(Photo courtesy Dialogue for Hungary)But six opposition parties joined forces in an anti-Orban coalition late last year and have been running neck and neck with the prime minister’s Fidesz party FILE – Budapest’s mayor candidate of the center left opposition party Gergely Karacsony addresses the audience after his victory on Oct. 13, 2019.Gergely Karacsony, who defeated a Fidesz-backed candidate to become mayor of Budapest in 2019, was already an outspoken critic of Orban’s outreach to China, which has included a move to block the European Union from criticizing Beijing’s crackdown on individual rights in Hong Kong.”EU cohesion on foreign policy is key to protecting our values and sustaining the EU as a global player. Time and again Viktor Orban sabotages that unity and protects in our Union the interest of autocracies,” Karacsony said in a statement. Hungary’s “next government will break with all that!”Karacsony has already named streets in Budapest after the democracy movement in Hong Kong and in solidarity with victims of the Chinese Communist Party’s oppression in Tibet and Xinjiang.The Budapest mayor has also taken aim at plans for a Fudan University campus in his city, saying it “would put in doubt many of the values that Hungary committed itself to 30 years ago” after the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe.Since Orban took office in 2010, Hungary has been widely accused of moving away from democratic principles. Even so, its membership in Western alliances, including the European Union and NATO, and the efforts of opposition parties have kept the Beijing-backed railroad and university project from advancing unchallenged.During a conversation with Orban in April, Xi described the Budapest-Belgrade railroad as the “leading force” for closer ties between the two countries. But critics say the project, first proposed in 2013, is nowhere near completion.The plan for a Fudan campus has also sparked public protests in Budapest, prompting the Orban government to suggest there could be a referendum on the project in the future. Mareike Ohlberg, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and an expert on China’s effort to influence foreign governments, told VOA that an opposition victory in Hungary next year would present a setback for Beijing at the EU.”The Hungarian government has been the Chinese government’s most reliable country to draw on repeatedly to prevent statements at the EU level, most recently a criticism of the National Security Law in Hong Kong,” she said in a written interview.Ohlberg added: “Even if the opposition does not do a 180-degree turn on China policy, it will probably be a less ready ally of Beijing’s in Brussels.”
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