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An independent body exonerated Wednesday, in a report which angered the family of the victim, six police officers who intervened at the home of a young Black woman when she fell from the 24th floor of her building in Toronto.Regis Korchinski-Paquet, 29, died on May 27 after falling from the balcony of her apartment.The incident occurred during a police response, called by her mother after a family dispute. The young woman, who suffered from mental health problems, was having an epileptic seizure, according to Canadian media.Six Toronto police officers were present at her home at the time of his fall, which had led to the opening of an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) to determine the circumstances of the tragedy.”After reviewing the evidence file, the director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, concluded that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that any of the police officers involved had committed a criminal offense in connection with the death of Ms. Korchinski-Paquet,” said the SIU.The Special Investigations Unit is an independent body responsible for investigating incidents involving police officers causing death or serious injury or involving allegations of sexual assault.”There have been allegations that she was pushed off the balcony by the police. The evidence shows that this did not happen,” Martino said.The family of Regis Korchinski-Paquet said they were “absolutely disgusted” by the results of the investigation and promised to continue their fight to shed light on this affair.”People must be held accountable for their actions, but they are not. And it is a problem, a big problem,” lamented Renee Korchinski, the sister of the victim, during a press conference.Regis Korchinski-Paquet died two days before George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man died while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Floyd’s death had led to numerous protests against police violence and racism in the United States and Canada, as well as around the world.
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A small number of U.S. troops were injured during an incident with Russian forces in Syria, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday. While such interactions between American and Russian forces are not rare, the incident highlights the risks of troops from both countries operating in close proximity in northern Syria and the potential for an escalation in tensions. One of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the injuries were a result of a collision and not any exchange of fire. The other official said the incident took place earlier this week in northeastern Syria and the injuries were mild. FILE – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 4, 2020.The Pentagon and the U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the region, declined to comment. The U.S. military said the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley spoke with his Russian counterpart Wednesday, but provided no details on what was discussed. The U.S. military does not generally comment on injuries. However, last month a paratrooper was killed during a vehicle rollover accident in eastern Syria. Previous encountersVideos on social media showed Russian military vehicles, backed by a pair of helicopters, driving dangerously close to U.S. armored vehicles. The origin of the videos was unclear.  Earlier this year, another video showed a close interaction between troops on a Syrian road. About 500 U.S forces remain in northern Syria after a sharp reduction in troops that were initially there to drive out Islamic State militants from all of their strongholds in the country.Some of the areas also have oil resources, something President Donald Trump has cited as a justification for keeping U.S. troops partnered with Kurdish allies in the region. The injuries were first reported by Politico.  
 
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As Belarusians continue protesting against longtime ruler Alexander Lukashenko, who was reelected to a fourth term in a vote widely viewed as rigged, Chicago’s Belarusian community is also taking to the streets to back the protests. Kulsoom Khan spoke with some of the Chicago protesters and filed this report, narrated by Anna Rice.Producer: Barry Unger. Videographer: Kulsoom Khan.
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The 2021 Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) summit of business leaders and politicians has been called off for January due to the coronavirus pandemic, with organizers planning to reschedule the event to sometime early next summer.
“The advice from experts is that we cannot (host the event) safely in January,” WEF said on Wednesday in a statement.
The confab in the Swiss Alps that has hosted rival heads of state including U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in recent years has been held in the Swiss ski resort of Davos since 1971.
WEF, which takes over the ski resort of Davos for about a week each year, has branded itself as the world’s top venue for the business and political elite to meet and discuss the challenges of globalization.
The group said the decision to delay this year’s edition “was not taken easily, since the need for global leaders to come together to design a common recovery path and shape the ‘Great Reset’ in the post-COVID-19 era is so urgent.”
In lieu of the meeting, it would host virtual ‘high-level’ discussions the week of January 25, WEF said, adding it would share dates and location of the rescheduled meeting once it was assured of health and safety conditions.
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The Italian coast guard Wednesday released dramatic video of a 50-meter yacht burning and sinking in the Mediterranean Sea off Italy’s Sardinia coast.Coast guard officials said they rescued 17 people from the burning Lady MM yacht, which left a huge plume of smoke behind as it disappeared beneath the surface Tuesday.The Italian news agency, ANSA, reports the yacht caught fire about 96 kilometers from Capo Comino, on Sardinia’s northeast coast. The news service reports the coast guard received the ship’s distress signal and dispatched two boats and a helicopter to the scene.The 17 people on board, which included eight tourists from Kazakhstan and nine crew members, had already abandoned the ship and were in a smaller boat when the coast guard arrived. One of the coast guard ships took the crew and tourists to the community of Siniscola on Sardinia. There were no reports of injuries.The coast guard is investigating the cause of the accident. 
 
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Greece and Turkey say they are ready for talks to settle rival claims to an energy-rich section of the Mediterranean, but the hostility was clear when the foreign ministers of both countries called for dialogue Tuesday.  After talks in Ankara with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Greece must drop what he called its “maximalist demands.” “We are open to talks without pre-conditions. But, when one side starts imposing pre-conditions, then there are many things we will put forth too,” he said. Maas also met in Athens with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who also said Greece wants talks with Turkey but will not go if it is “under threats.” He said Greece is ready to defend its rights and said the dispute with Turkey is a matter for the security of the entire European Union.  Maas said a military conflict between Greece and Turkey would be “absolute insanity.” “The situation is very risky, because in the end, whoever moves closer and closer to the abyss, can at some point fall down. That’s a development which we want to avoid,” he said in Ankara. Both Greece and Turkey say they will hold military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean.  Germany is the current EU president and has been trying to mediate talks between Greece, which belongs to the EU, and Turkey, which does not but would like to join. Greece and Turkey are locked in a dispute over boundaries in the Mediterranean and the rights to drill for offshore gas and oil deposits. Greece claims a Turkish research ship is in its waters, in which it has exclusive rights to whatever is under the sea floor.  Turkey insists the Exclusive Economic Zones of Greek islands in the Agean near the Turkish coast should be greatly reduced. 
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The Trump administration says it strongly objects to Turkey’s recent hosting of two leaders of Hamas, which the United States regards as a terrorist group. “President Erdogan’s continued outreach to this terrorist organization only serves to isolate Turkey from the international community, harms the interests of the Palestinian people, and undercuts global efforts to prevent terrorist attacks launched from Gaza,” a State Department statement said Tuesday.  It pointed out that one of the Hamas members who was in Istanbul is alleged to have been involved in multiple terrorist attacks, hijackings, and kidnappings.  “We continue to raise our concerns about the Turkish government’s relationship with Hamas at the highest levels,” it adds.  Turkey is dismissing the U.S. criticism.  “Declaring the legitimate representative of Hamas, who came to power after winning democratic elections in Gaza and is an important reality of the region, as a terrorist will not be of any contribution to efforts for peace and stability in the region,” its foreign ministry said. This is the second time since February Turkey has played host to Hamas leaders, the United States says. Hamas rules Palestinian Gaza and has fought three wars with Israel. Palestinian militants occasionally launch rockets into Israel from Gaza, sparking a harsh response from Israel. 
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged Tuesday to beat the latest surge in COVID-19 cases that has hit the nation, and he urged the Spanish people to remain “alert but serene” as the country works to flatten the increase.In a televised speech, Sanchez told the nation that Spain’s total number of infections hit 405,436 during a surge last week, which the Health Ministry reports was the worst week for infections since the pandemic’s peak in late March.Sanchez said the trend is “worrying” but urged people to remain calm, because the COVID-19 rate is “far from the situation in mid-March,” when the government imposed a state of emergency.Insufficient tracking of the outbreaks has been identified by experts as one of Spain’s main failures in dealing with the aftermath of the first virus wave. To address that situation, Sanchez announced 2,000 military personal trained to carry out contact tracing will be made available to the country’s 17 regions to help stem the tide of the virus.Sanchez said his government would work with the governments of the autonomous regions to get children back to school safely in September. He also urged citizens to download a government-sponsored contact-tracing phone application, which also can help them with getting tested or quarantined.The prime minister pledged he will not allow COVID-19 to take over the lives of the nation again, saying, “We will beat the curve again, and we have to do it united because there is no other way. We have done it before. We know how to do it, and I am convinced we will do it again.” 
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Russia announced this month it had won the global race to develop the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus. But that self-proclaimed victory – and plans to ramp up production – come amid lingering questions about the safety and effectiveness of the Russian drug. From Moscow, Charles Maynes reports.Video editor: Henry Hernandez
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The storm system known as Laura became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to intensify as it hits warmer water, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its Paul Humphrey, of New Orleans, loads plywood into his truck, to board a friend’s home in preparation for the arrival of hurricanes Marco and Laura, at Lowe’s in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., Aug. 23, 2020.Hurricane and storm surge warnings are in effect for the northwestern Gulf coast.The storm could also bring up to 30 centimeters of rain to some parts of Louisiana and Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center. Laura is blamed for at least 11 deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it caused flooding Monday evening and knocked out power. The storm also took out power to hundreds of thousands of customers in Puerto Rico.  Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency on Friday, August 21, in anticipation of Laura and Tropical Storm Marco, which made landfall in Texas Monday, while Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a state disaster declaration on Sunday. Both states receive federal funding to help with evacuations, search and rescue and mass sheltering. After making landfall, Marco began weakening almost immediately. It is now a post-tropical system and forecast to dissipate by early Wednesday. 
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 The Russian government has dismissed accusations that it was involved in an alleged attack on opposition leader Alexi Navalny after doctors said tests showed he was poisoned. Navalny is in a coma in a German hospital after becoming sick Thursday while on a flight to Moscow from Siberia. He was transferred last Saturday to the Charité hospital in Berlin, where doctors said Monday the tests revealed signs of “cholinesterase inhibitors” in his system. 
 
Cholinesterase is an enzyme that is critical for the normal function of the nervous system in humans, other vertebrates, and in insects. Inhibitors block a chemical, acetylcholine, that transmits signals between nerve cells. Cholinesterase inhibitors are compounds used to alleviate symptoms of dementia, but they also have been found in chemical weapons and pesticides used to kill bugs.FILE – Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, center, his wife Yulia, right of him, and opposition activist Lyubov Sobol, second from left, take part in a march in memory of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in Moscow, Feb. 29, 2020.Allies of Navalny contend the Kremlin is responsible for his illness, and some are calling for an investigation into whether President Vladimir Putin was involved. 
 
“These accusations absolutely cannot be true and are rather an empty noise,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday in Moscow. Peskov said there is no evidence to warrant an investigation into Navalny’s illness and suggested there could have been various causes.  “If a substance is found, and if it is determined that it is poisoning, then there will be a reason for an investigation,” Peskov said. Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, tweeted Tuesday it is not surprising the Russian government is not willing to launch a probe at this time. “It was obvious that the crime would not be properly investigated, and a culprit found. However, we all know perfectly well who that is,” Yarmysh wrote. Experts have said it is premature to conclude how the agent may have entered Navalny’s system.FILE – A police officer stands guard as a scaffolder works at the site of former spy Sergei Skripal’s house, in Salisbury, Britain, Jan. 9, 2019.Some experts have noted that Novichok, the Soviet-era nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain more than two years ago, was a cholinesterase inhibitor. Navalny is a politician and corruption investigator who is one of Putin’s harshest critics. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European officials have requested that Russia conduct a full investigation. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun was expected to raise the issue during a visit to Russia that began Tuesday. 
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Businesses in El Salvador are operating without restrictions for the first time in nearly six months, since measures were put in place to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. The total reopening is the result of the Salvadoran Supreme Court of Justice ruling a government decree regulating the reopening in five stages was unconstitutional, concluding it was a decision left to the Legislative Assembly. Still, without the government oversight, businesses and people are urged to act responsibly and continue to try and contain the spread of the virus.  Following Monday’s announcement of the reopening, public transit companies said they will operate at between 50 to 80 per cent of their services. The reopening will not include public and private schools and universities because in person classes are suspended. The airport will restart operations for connecting international flights next Friday and flights to and from El Salvador on September 19. El Salvador has reported more than 24,800 coronavirus cases and more than 660 deaths. 
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Ten people arrested last week in an investigation of the militant Irish nationalist New IRA group have been charged on a range of offenses from directing terrorism to conspiracy to possess explosives, Northern Ireland police said on Monday. The New IRA, one of a small number of active militant groups opposed to Northern Ireland’s 1998 peace deal, have been behind some of the sporadic attacks that have continued, including the murder of journalist Lyra McKee last year. The 10 people, eight men and two women – were charged with a total of 39 offenses as a result of a coordinated investigation with police in Scotland, Ireland and Britain that was also assisted by Britain’s MI5 domestic intelligence agency. The New IRA is far smaller than the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which disarmed after the peace accord mostly ended three decades of conflict between mainly Protestant supporters of continued British rule of the province and largely Catholic proponents of unification with the Irish Republic. The group was formed in 2012 after three of the four main militant nationalist groups merged, the first time since the peace deal that most of the disparate nationalist groups still intent on violence came together under one leadership. It has also been responsible for the separate killings of two prison officers since then. 
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Millions of public-school students in Mexico are taking classes by way of a television broadcast after being idled for months because of the coronavirus outbreak. Both parents and teachers said, Monday’s return to class got off to a bumpy start.  Still, Reuters said nearly two million students from private schools are expected to join the public-school enrollment because of the crisis. In an effort to keep its students, private schools are offering discounts and other benefits, but it’s unclear if the incentives are changing the minds of parents concerned about paying tuition without in person classes.  The pandemic has eased some in Mexico, but the government said that infections are still too high to resume in person classes.  Mexico has confirmed more than 560,000 COVID-19 infections and more than 60,800 deaths. 
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Sundays for the Barysevich family are usually a time to catch up on chores and take their two young children to nearby parks and playgrounds. But just weeks after a disputed election in Yauheni Barysevich’s Belarusian homeland, this past Sunday was a time to protest.“The last two weeks have been very different for our family and every Belarusian around the world,” he told VOA.Shortly after breakfast, he set out on foot with his 5-year-old daughter, Lauren, pedaling her bicycle alongside, a big red-and-white Belarusian flag streaming from the back of it.“My wife sewed this flag back in 2006,” Barysevich said, recalling that the now-familiar symbol of protest could not be purchased in the United States at that time. “I have taken it to every Belarusian event in the U.S. It has traveled with me to different states. And now my children know about it and what it signifies.”Many families brought their children (even a pet) to take part in the demonstration in Washington on Aug. 23, 2020. (Natalie Liu/VOA)Barysevich came to the United States from Belarus in 2004 and met his Russian-born wife a year later. The pair, now in their 30s, both work in the IT industry in the Washington area.Barysevich said the march was much more than just a Sunday outing for young Lauren.“This is an important time for Belarus, and I want my daughter to remember it and feel that she was a part of it,” he said.It took Barysevich and Lauren an hour to walk and bike the 3 miles from their home to the Lithuanian embassy, where several hundred people had gathered.Washingtonians marched on Aug. 23, 2020 in support of protesters in Belarus. (Natalie Liu/VOA)After brief remarks, the crowd formed a line in the manner of the “human chain” created by residents of the Baltic states to protest Soviet rule in 1989. They then set off through the midday August heat along 16th Street NW toward the embassy of Belarus.The marchers carried banners saying, “Free Belarus” and “Baltic Way 1989; Freedom Way 2020.” Many passing drivers honked their horns in support.Among the marchers was Roman Vasiliuk, who said he was 18 when he took part in demonstrations in his native Belarus in 2006. Since coming to the United States 14 years ago as a student, he has continued demonstrating for Belarus’ freedom.“Americans do what they can,” but ultimately it is the job of the Belarusian people to bring about change back home, he said, adding that continuous demonstrations and continuous pressure will be crucial.Aleksas Radzius, who drove from Baltimore to Washington to join the protest, said he makes a point of participating in all of the protests aimed at overthrowing dictators.“I was here when [the Baltic states] gained their independence,” said Radzius, who was born in Lithuania and came to America as a 6-year-old in 1950.Roman Vasiliuk, center, Aleksas Radzius, right, and Vytas Pakalniskis came from Virginia and Maryland to take part in the demonstration in support of protesters in Belarus held in Washington, Aug. 23, 2020. (Natalie Liu/VOA)History in the makingThe mostly Eastern European marchers were joined by a number of Americans, including Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO who also served as a special representative on Ukraine negotiations.Explaining that he was there as a private citizen, Volker told VOA that years from now, all the families that had brought their children to the event would remember the day.Volker said he was there, along with other Washingtonians, to let the protesting people of Belarus know that “they’re not alone,” and that there should be no use of force against the peaceful protesters as events unfold there.Dovydas Spokauskas, the deputy chief of mission at the embassy of Lithuania, explained the significance of the human chain formed at the start of Sunday’s protest.“Thirty-one years ago, tens of thousands of Lithuanians, Estonians and Latvians went from Vilnius to Tallinn and formed a life chain. That was our way of saying to the Soviet Union that it’s enough, freedom is important for us, nobody was to tell us what to do any more.“We feel that today, it’s the Belarusians who’re telling us the same thing. That’s why no Lithuanian can stay silent or stay idle.”Spokauskas was 8 years old in 1989 when he and his parents took their positions in the line.
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Many of China’s Uighur minority have sought sanctuary in Turkey following China’s crackdown on the largely Muslim Turkic-speaking minority. Observers describe conditions of those detained by the Chinese government as akin to concentration camps.  With Beijing stepping up pressure on Ankara, some Uighur refugees fear for their future in Turkey. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. Produced by: Rod James
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Chants of “Long Live Belarus” echoed through a busy intersection in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, as people dressed in red and white — the colors of the Belarusian flag — proudly waved their home country’s banner and sang patriotic songs. Local Belarusians, part of Chicago’s large Eastern European community, have been rallying in solidarity with the people of Belarus since that nation’s August 9 election in which President Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term over opposition leader Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya with what officials declared was 80% of the vote. Since then, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of the Belarussian capital, Minsk, charging that the election outcome was rigged and demanding the resignation of Lukashenko, whom critics have characterized as “Europe’s last dictator.” “All the power is in the hands of just one person. And what’s on his mind? No one knows,” said Stas Pivavarau, who held red and white balloons. “Against his people, he is prepared to go as far as he can, simply to remain in the seat.” Pivavarau, who moved to Chicago a year ago to be with his parents and brother, had been studying in New Zealand and supported Tsikhanouskaya in the recent election. The Belarusian community in the Chicago area supports protestors in Belarus who have faced violence in the past few weeks at the hands of police, August 22, 2020. (Kulsoom Khan/VOA)“This woman has become a symbol of changes — positive changes,” he said. In Belarus, protests over the election results have been met with violence at the hands of police, including beatings, torture, arrests and detentions. “It’s painful to even watch the pictures of the people, so that’s basically why I’m here,” said Marat Dzekevich, who wore a Belarusian flag on his back. “Even though I’ve lived in the U.S. for 16 years, my heart is still with Belarus.”  Zhanna Charniauskaya, an organizer with a nonprofit cultural organization called Belarusians in Chicago, said the Belarusian people lack basic rights such as freedom of speech, assembly and to protest. The high school chemistry teacher immigrated to the U.S. in 1997 after the breakup of the Soviet Union. She lived in Wisconsin with her husband and children for two years before settling in the Chicago suburbs. “People are politically intimidated,” she said. “If we have a political opinion, and if it’s more or less a public person, they lose their jobs and are put in jail.” BelarusSafety for families back home is a major concern for the Belarusian community in the U.S. Many of Charniauskaya’s relatives, including her brother, sisters-in-law and nephews, have taken part in the protests. Pivavarau said his sister in Belarus is frightened to leave her home. Dzekevich’s nephew in Belarus was walking home with his friends when he was detained by police, jailed and beaten, even though he did not take part in the demonstrations. Dzekevich said the authorities confiscated his nephew’s phone, which left him unable to contact his parents. “Until the morning when he was let out, no one knew where he was, so it was very stressful for my family,” he said. “The police brutality is all over the place. They just lost the sense of humanity in them.” Belarusians in Chicago recently submitted a petition to U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. Charniauskaya also plans to send another petition to Senator Tammy Duckworth on behalf of the group. “We will try to reach every representative to create pressure that Congress takes serious steps against the authoritative regime of Lukashenko,” she said. “I hope we have enough strength for the protest not to die down. So, I’m sending the message to our people in Belarus that we’ll be doing whatever is possible here to keep your spirits up. And I want you to know that the world is watching, and the world is giving you a helping hand.” 
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Despite protests from Italy’s central government, the governor of Sicily has ordered all migrant centers on the island be shut down Monday and all migrants be transferred to shelters on the mainland, citing concerns about a new surge of COVID-19 cases. The governor is drawing fire from officials in Italy’s central government, who say he has no authority to do so. The governor of Sicily, Nello Musumeci, issued an order for all migrants to be transferred out of reception centers on the island to others on the mainland, saying it is not possible to guarantee the health measures necessary to prevent COVID-19 infections.Musumeci’s order effectively closed ports on the island to the arrival of migrants vessels of all kinds, including ones operated by charities. Italy’s Interior Ministry reacted saying Musumeci’s order has no value because migration is an issue for the central government.Number of Migrants Landing in Italy More Than Doubles in Past YearIn the 12-month period, more than 5,000 people were rescued in the Mediterranean, according to official data; most came from Tunisia and Libya Musumeci justified his action alleging that neither the Italian government nor Europe has done anything about the increasing arrival of migrants. Sicily, he said, cannot allow what he described as “this invasion” to continue.Musumeci said that every day Sicilians are called to make sacrifices to contain new infections and asked to wear masks, ensure social distancing and adopt all other measures of caution and prevention and then the state amasses migrants in halls (shelters) that become areas of outbreaks.Musumeci said that for two months he has been calling on the government, responsible for migrant policies, to declare a state of emergency on the tiny island of Lampedusa, where for weeks a migrant center has been holding many more migrants than it should be.Some have called the governor of the Sicily region to quit, saying he should resign if he is unable to manage his territory. Other politicians on the right say Musumeci is acting appropriately and blame the migrants’ presence for a rise in the number of infections.    Reports from health officials point to Italian vacationers returning home.On Sunday for the second straight day, Italy registered more than 1,000 new coronavirus infections, the highest number since May 12.  The numbers until recently had dropped to around 200 daily new cases. With the approach of the start to the school year on September 14, authorities are concerned the infection rate will climb further.Health minister Roberto Speranza has made clear the government is not planning new lockdowns. 
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Belarusian authorities arrested two leading opposition activists allegedly helping to spearhead protests in the country, demanding the resignation of longtime President Alexander Lukashenko following a disputed election.The opposition’s Coordination Council said police in the capital, Minsk detained its members Olga Kovalkova and Sergei Dylevsky on Monday. City police confirmed their detention. People carry a large historical white-red-white flag of Belarus during an opposition demonstration to protest against presidential election results, in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 23, 2020.Tens of thousands of people rallied in the Belarus capital Sunday, despite army warnings, with calls for Lukashenko to resign after the disputed election results, a post-election crackdown, and a heavy military presence in the city.     “Today, we can’t sit back and watch how protests are being held by these sacred places under the flags that fascists organized the mass killings of Belarusians, Russians, Jewish people and other nationalities,” said Defense Minister Victor Khrenin. “We cannot allow this. We categorically warn: any violation of peace and order in such places — you will have the army to deal with now, not the police.”    Protesters, many wearing and waving the opposition’s colors of red and white, chanted “freedom” and “we will not forget, we will not forgive” as they walked in the Minsk city center.     Politician and representative of the Coordination Council for members of the Belarusian opposition Maria Kolesnikova attends a news conference in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 24, 2020.”Our resistance is a marathon, the regime cannot deal with this marathon, but we can. We have the will, strength and support of each other. We should all write, go out, speak out, stand up, complain, be uncooperative, boycott, not agree and keep it up!” said opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova.   The protests have been the biggest challenge yet to Lukashenko’s 26 year rule.  He was declared winner with of the August 9 election that was marred by allegations of fraud. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition candidate who fled to Lithuania after the election and claimed to have won from 60 to 70% of the vote, said Saturday that Belarusians must “struggle for their rights” and not be distracted by Lukashenko’s claims that the country was under military threat.   Protesters briefly gathered near the president’s residence, before dispersing peacefully.    Belarusian state television showed Lukashenko flying over the protesters in a helicopter before landing at his residence and getting out in body armor with a rifle in his hand.    While state media reported about 20,000 protesters took part, opposition-leaning media put the estimate at nearly 100,000 protesters.      Lukashenko has called demonstrators “rats.”      Previously, he has used riot police to disperse rallies, but Reuters witnessed no clashes between police and protesters Sunday.      However, in the 15 days of protests, more than 7,000 people have been detained and hundreds beaten by police. Two people have been killed in the post-election protests in Belarus, it has been confirmed.FILE – Protesters carry a man wounded during clashes with police after the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 10.The EU and United States have criticized the vote and condemned the crackdown.      Thirty-one years ago, on August 23, 1989, an estimated two million people joined arms across the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in a protest against Soviet rule that became known as the “Baltic Way.” Protesters formed a 600-kilometer-long human chain from Vilnius, Lithuania, to the Belarusian border. Two years later, the Baltic states would achieve their freedom.      On Sunday, mass protests were held in Lithuania and Latvia, and were scheduled to occur in Estonia and Prague, as a show of support for Belarus across the Baltics.     People form a human chain to show support to protesters in Belarus in Medininkai, Lithuania, Aug. 23, 2020.Organizers in Lithuania Sunday estimated up to 50,000 people took part in their rally. In Latvia, hundreds marched along the Belarus border, the French news agency reported. Elsewhere, human chains were planned in Estonia and Prague.      Also, it was announced Saturday that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will visit Lithuania and Russia for talks on the Belarusian post-election crisis.     Tsikhanouskaya’s team said Saturday that Biegun would meet the opposition candidate in Lithuania.       RFE/RL contributed to this report.     
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A lot of eyebrows were raised when Russia announced it was the first to approve a vaccine for the coronavirus, and even more so when Vietnam said it would buy up to 150 million doses.  Not many were expecting the news, but if it comes to pass, a few factors would explain how Vietnam and Russia got here. The two sides have a long history, from founding father Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary years in Moscow, to their membership in a modern trade deal. Vietnam has also been more aggressive than most other nations in tackling COVID-19, and it needs an affordable vaccine as the World Health Organization (WHO) warns rich nations against “vaccine nationalism” and hoarding.  The U.S., a key partner of Vietnam, has expressed doubt that Russia developed a vaccine so quickly. Other nations reportedly interested in the vaccine include the Philippines, Indonesia, India and South Korea. Cold War history Several nations have already put in pre-orders for other future vaccines, and there are more than 150 programs to research possible vaccines around the world, from silkworm cells in Japan, to new use of RNA instead of DNA in research. Russia announced this month it is in Phase 2 trial of a vaccine, which involves testing on hundreds of people, as opposed to tens of thousands in Phase 3. Vietnam could buy 50 million to 150 million doses by 2021, according to the state-run newspaper Tuoi Tre.  “A vaccine that has been used in a foreign country may not require any more tests when it’s imported to Vietnam,” Dr. Tran Dac Phu, an associate professor at the Vietnam Ministry of Health’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center, said on the national VTV station. “However, its trials must still be applied on humans to test its safety and effectiveness.” Russia’s relations have frayed elsewhere, from interference in the U.S. presidential election, to its annexation of Ukraine territory which prompted European Union sanctions. By contrast, feathers are mostly unruffled in Asia, especially in Vietnam, one of the world’s last remaining communist nations, which had strong ties to the old Soviet Union. In addition to Ho Chi Minh’s studies of Lenin, many prominent Vietnamese spent their formative years in Cold-War-era Russia before coming home to found companies, such as Vietjet Air. ‘Negligent’ behavior The Southeast Asian nation was already conducting its own vaccine research before the Russia announcement, one of many trials globally because scientists need to test on a diverse array of volunteers. However, the first viable vaccine is likely to come from a nation with many resources, leading to fears at the WHO and elsewhere that instead of cooperating, developed nations could put themselves first when a vaccine emerges.  Vietnam was also taking COVID-19 seriously before its peers, but the fight intensified in July when it reported its first ever death from the disease. It has now jumped on the possibility of a vaccine, following a pattern of attacking the pandemic aggressively. Still people need to keep taking safety measures and not pin all their hopes on a vaccine, said Vu Duc Dam, the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam who has been leading the pandemic efforts. “Because we controlled the disease well for a long time, people have become more negligent,” he said this month. “It’s time to remind ourselves that the pandemic is still going on and the vaccine will only be available to everyone in at least one year. We must strengthen measures to safely live together with the disease.” 
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Brazil’s president threatened Sunday to punch a reporter in the face for asking about his wife’s bank deposits, allegedly linked to a corruption scheme involving an aide to their senator son. “I want to punch you in the face, OK?” the right-wing Bolsonaro was heard replying to the reporter from O Globo newspaper in an audio recording released by the daily. The president did not take any follow-up questions from other journalists after the exchange and left without making further comments. The O Globo reporter was referring to an article published earlier this month in the magazine Crusoe that linked First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro to retired police officer Fabrício Queiroz, a friend of the president, and former adviser to their now senator son Flavio Bolsonaro. According to the magazine, Queiroz deposited about $13,000 in checks from government employees in the first lady’s account between 2011 and 2016. Queiroz was an aide to younger Bolsonaro when he was a Rio de Janeiro state legislator, before his father became president in January 2019. During and after the campaign Jair Bolsonaro has promised not to tolerate corruption. While both Queiroz and Flavio Bolsonaro are being investigated, Queiroz is under arrest in connection with bank deposits of $213,500 made at the time. 
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Five people are dead in Haiti’s southeast and west departments, presidential press secretary Eddy Jackson Alexis announced Sunday after Tropical Storm Laura hit the country with an estimated 200 mm (8 inches) rain and maximum sustained winds of up to 85 kph. The president and all the members of his government presented their condolences to the victims’ families, Alexis tweeted.5 moun deja mouri pandan pasaj tanpèt twopikal #TTLaura nan depatman Sidès ak Lwès peyi a. Chèf Leta a ansanm ak tout Gouvènman an prezante senpati yo a fanmi viktim yo. Alèt wouj la toujou kenbe sou tout peyi a. @Pwoteksyonsivilpic.twitter.com/O5LTQ16m64— Communication Haïti (@MCHaiti) August 23, 2020 The press secretary said the death toll is still being assessed and that among the victims were a 10-year-old girl, a woman who was swept away by flood waters and a man who was found dead in the Bicentenaire neighborhood of the capital, Port-au-Prince, near the national palace.In an earlier tweet Sunday, the press secretary said the Peligre Dam, a flood-controlling and energy generating hydroelectric plant in the Artibonite River valley in Haiti’s lush agricultural sector, had flooded and was subsequently opened.5 moun deja mouri pandan pasaj tanpet twopikal #Laura nan depatman Sidès ak Lwès peyi a. Baraj Pelig la ranpli. Otorite yo blije lage dlo a. Moun nan Latibonit atansyon pral gen anpil dlo nan vale a. ALÈT WOUJ la toujou kenbe sou tout teritwa nasyonal la.@Pwoteksyonsivil#COUN— Eddy Jackson Alexis (@Eddyjalexis) August 23, 2020″Residents of the Artibonite region, stay alert, there will be flooding in the valley. The Red Alert is still in effect for the entire country,” Alexis warned.  
 
In Riviere Froide, in the southeastern Nippes Department, residents told VOA Creole they fear for their lives as the river threatens homes and businesses near its banks.  “We are in grave danger because when this river overflows it causes major problems. There are people who have children who need to evacuate but they don’t have the resources to do that,” a man who stood on the bank of the overflowing, muddy river told VOA. He urged the government to send help immediately.   Another male resident told VOA many of the homes on the bank of the river have multiple people living in them and that the river also swept away livestock.”The river is a big threat to the people living near it (now),” he said.  Video recorded by VOA Creole shows river waters sweeping away parts of makeshift, tin-roof homes. Some people are seen standing seemingly helpless on the front porch of their homes as the river creeps closer and closer. Other residents attempt to salvage property as people standing on the opposite side of the riverbank shout at them to watch out. In the background a woman screams.Raging floodwaters of the Riviere Froide in Haiti’s southwest theatens homes, Aug. 23, 2020. (Photo: Matiado Vilme / VOA)Residents said some people regularly wade or swim across the river because there is no passible road they can take.   The latest weather forecast Sunday predicts wind and thunderstorms continuing through Tuesday as Laura still threaten lives in Haiti and the Dominican Republic with flash flooding. According to the U.S.  National Hurricane Center, the tropical storm is now heading east toward Cuba.  Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File352p | 1 MB352p | 2 MBOriginal | 5 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioTropical Storm Laura lashed Haiti with torrential rains, high winds and flash flooding. In the Riviere Froide region in the southeast, residents lives and homes are threatened by raging river waters. (Video by Matiado Vilme/VOA Creole)Haiti’s ministry for the protection of civilians (Homeland Security) announced on Twitter that a press conference is planned for later Sunday to inform the public about the storm damage. The ministry says the prime minister, interior minister, homeland security minister and other government officials will be on hand to answer reporters’ questions.   Tropical Storm Laura hits Haiti at a time when the Caribbean nation is still struggling with the coronavirus. The latest public health ministry figures published this week indicate 8,082 infections and 196 deaths.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File352p | 4 MB352p | 5 MB352p | 6 MBOriginal | 12 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioTropical Storm Laura caused major flooding in the Riviere Froide region of Haiti’s southeast where the raging river swept away homes and livestock, Aug. 23, 2020. (Video by Matiado Vilme/VOA Creole)
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Tens of thousands of people rallied in the Belarus capital Sunday and called for President Alexander Lukashenko to resign after disputed election results, a postelection crackdown, and a heavy military presence in the city.Protesters, many wearing and waving the opposition’s colors of red and white, chanted “freedom” and “we will not forget, we will not forgive” as they walked in the Minsk city center. They briefly gathered near the president’s residence before dispersing peacefully.People take photos sitting on the roof as Belarusian opposition supporters with a huge old Belarusian national flag march to Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 23, 2020.Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition candidate who fled to Lithuania after the election and claimed to have won from 60 to 70% of the vote, said Saturday that Belarusians must “struggle for their rights” and not be distracted by Lukashenko’s claims that the country was under military threat.Also, it was announced Saturday that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will visit Lithuania and Russia next week for talks on the Belarusian postelection crisis.Tsikhanouskaya’s team said Saturday that Biegun would meet the opposition candidate in Lithuania.RFE/RL contribute to this report.
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A former Soviet republic on the fault line between Russia and Europe is boiling with revolt this summer. Sounds familiar — but Belarus 2020 isn’t Ukraine 2014, and that’s why it’s hard to predict what will happen next. Here is a look at what’s different this time, and why it matters: No real leader The uprising in Belarus erupted last week in a democratic vacuum, in a country where challengers to President Alexander Lukashenko are jailed or exiled and where there is no experienced parliamentary opposition. So those at the forefront of Minsk protest marches have been ordinary Belarusians, instead of established political leaders like those who helped galvanize crowds and funding for Ukraine’s 2014 protest movement, centered around the Maidan independence square in Kyiv. In Belarus, “the absence of bright leaders undoubtedly weakens the protests … Leaders bring awareness,” independent political analyst Valery Karbalevich said. So Belarusian protesters formed a new Advisory Council this week to try to “offer the street a clear plan and agenda,” he said. However, opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova argues that the mass protests this month in Minsk, which came together in decentralized clusters via messaging app Telegram, show that Belarusians no longer need a vertical hierarchy telling them what to do. And a leaderless protest has one key advantage, she said: “It cannot be beheaded.” Orderly protests When unprecedented crowds of 200,000 people marched through the tidy, broad avenues of Minsk on Sunday, they came to a halt at red traffic lights, waiting obediently until they turned green. In Ukraine, by contrast, “protesters burned tires and threw Molotov cocktails,” said Syarzhuk Chyslau, leader of the Belarusian White Legion organization. That’s in part because the Minsk marches lack the kind of far-right and neo-Nazi militant groups that joined Ukraine’s uprising and fanned the violence. It’s also because Belarusians aren’t driven by the deep-seated anger at Russian influence that fueled Ukraine’s uprisings in 2004 and 2014, or Georgia’s ground-breaking Rose Revolution in 2003. While Ukraine has been geopolitically split between pro-West and pro-Russian camps since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Belarusians are broadly Moscow-friendly. Not a single European Union flag has appeared at the Minsk rallies, and the protesters aren’t pursuing NATO membership at the Kremlin’s expense; they just want to freely choose their own leader after an election they believe was stolen from them. Pavel Latushko, a former Lukashenko loyalist now on the protesters’ Advisory Council, hopes this could allow Belarusians to count on help from both Brussels and Moscow to settle the current tensions. “If the EU and Russia together acted as a mediator in resolving the Belarusian crisis, this would be an ideal option,” Latushko told The Associated Press. Economics While Ukraine’s protest movement built a huge tent camp in the center of Kyiv, complete with food delivery and security forces, the only perks for protesters in Belarus so far are bottles of water. “There are no oligarchs in Belarus who would give money for hot meals, medical treatment and tents. Even to pay police fines, Belarusian protesters collect money themselves,” analyst Alexander Klaskouski said. Unlike Ukraine’s largely privatized economy, Belarus’ economy remains 80% state-run, and little has evolved since the Soviet era. That makes it even more remarkable that workers at state-run factories have joined this week’s protests and strikes. “The structure of the economy allowed Ukrainians not to be afraid of the state, which in Belarus could throw any person out on the street with nothing at all,” said Klaskouski. The EU and U.S. also had economic interests in Ukraine before its 2014 uprising, but have only a marginal role in the largely closed-off Belarusian economy. Moscow’s role Given that, the Kremlin can’t easily portray Belarus’ protests as a Western-backed effort to sow chaos in its backyard the way it could in Ukraine. Russia used that argument to justify its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and backing for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine in a war that still simmers, six years on. But Russia’s role in Belarus is pivotal, as the country’s top trade partner and main military ally. So far, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear to Germany and France that they should steer clear of any interference, but hasn’t revealed how he wants to deal with the protesters or with Lukashenko, the only leader in the former Soviet space who’s been in power longer than Putin himself. Potential parallels Ukraine has been a cacophonous democracy for much of the 29 years since winning independence from the USSR, and Belarus is dubbed Europe’s last dictatorship — but they share some similarities. “Lukashenko made the same mistake as [former Ukrainian President Viktor] Yanukovych — he began to brutally beat peaceful protesters, which sparked a tsunami of popular protest, insulted dignity and triggered a revolution,” said analyst Vladimir Fesenko, director of the Penta Center in Kyiv. Belarusian economist Dmitry Rusakevich, 46, participated in the Kyiv protests on the Maidan, and now goes out to Minsk’s Independence Square every evening. “Maidan woke up Belarusians and showed that we need to fight for freedom,” he said. “It took the calm Belarusians a long time to muster the courage to say no to the dictator.” 
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