Tensions are flaring in an eastern Syria province after the assassinations of several powerful Arab tribal leaders, with U.S.-backed forces accusing Islamic State (IS) sleeper cells and Syrian government proxies of carrying out such attacks to cause instability in the former IS stronghold.   In the past two weeks, three leaders of the al-Agidat and al-Baggara tribes were killed by unknown gunmen in separate incidents in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zour, local news reported.   The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a major U.S. partner in the fight against IS terrorists, has accused sleeper cells affiliated with IS of the recent killings in the Arab-majority province.“These cells from the remnants of ISIS strive to cause confusion, whether through assassinations, spreading rumors, mining and booby-trapping operations,” the SDF said in a statement Monday, using another acronym for IS.   The SDF also accused the Syrian regime, Turkey and their respective local allies of using certain elements in Deir al-Zour to cause instability.   “Through their plans, these forces have targeted security and civil peace by sabotaging and weakening service and administrative sectors and creating a rift between the tribes and the civil administration,” the SDF said in its statement, noting that their goal “is to turn the tribes against each other and against the Syrian Democratic Forces and the international coalition.”   Following the Turkish-led invasion of parts of northeast Syria in October 2019, the SDF has often accused Ankara of destabilizing other SDF-held areas in eastern Syria. Turkey denies such allegations. The country views the SDF as an extension of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara and Washington. While Turkey has denied the SDF allegations about its involvement in eastern Syria, Turkish officials have often said that SDF fighters are targets for Turkish forces.      IS attacks   In March 2019, the SDF, supported by the U.S.-led coalition against IS, declared the physical collapse of the so-called IS caliphate after defeating the group in its last stronghold in Deir al-Zour province.    But IS militants have since continued to carry out attacks against SDF fighters and civilians in the Syrian province.    In June and July, the SDF launched two major campaigns to hunt down IS remnants in Deir al-Zour, killing and arresting hundreds of militants.US-Backed Forces Renew Campaign Against IS Remnants in Eastern SyriaSDF forces have launched a second phase of their campaign to hunt down remnants of the IS terror group in eastern Syria Col. Myles Caggins, a spokesman for the global coalition against IS, told VOA that “the coalition’s view is that the parties in [Deir al-Zour] should focus on keeping ISIS from causing chaos.”   Regime cells   A senior SDF official, who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that in addition to IS sleeper cells, the Syrian regime and its allies have also been using their networks to “cause chaos” in the SDF-held parts of Deir al-Zour.   “We are facing complex security challenges on many fronts in Deir al-Zour,” the SDF official said, noting that “the Syrian regime is increasingly using some local networks to target our forces and civilians.”    Forces loyal to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian-backed militias control the western part of Deir al-Zour.    Reaction to the oil deal  Some experts say a recent deal between the SDF and a U.S. company to develop and export crude oil in areas under the SDF control in northeastern Syria could be a factor in a growing Syrian government involvement in attacks in eastern Syria.US Firm Secures Oil Deal with US-Backed Forces in Syria An American company has reportedly reached a deal with Kurdish forces in northeast Syria to develop and export crude oil“This deal has infuriated the Syrian regime, because it means the region will never return under its control,” said Omar Abu Layla, director of Deir Ezzor 24, a news and research group focused on developments in eastern Syria.  “Everyone thinks that only Daesh has sleeper cells in the Deir al-Zour region, but the reality is the [Syrian] regime, Iran and even al-Nusra [al-Qaida’s former Syria affiliate] have their own cells in Deir al-Zour,” he told VOA, using an Arabic acronym for IS.  Abu Layla, whose group has a network of researchers in oil-rich Deir al-Zour, said the oil deal “was the last straw for the Syrian regime, who immediately gave the green light to its cells to launch attacks in Deir al-Zour.”     The Syrian government last week condemned the deal between the SDF and the U.S. company, describing it as stealing Syria’s oil.  Mismanagement and corruption   The SDF-held part of Deir al-Zour is run by the group’s local affiliate, the Deir al-Zour Military Council, which has often been accused by locals and experts of corruption and incompetence.   “Since the liberation of Baghouz [IS’s last stronghold in Deir al-Zour] in March 2019, there has been mismanagement by the international coalition and the SDF in the area [through] relying on corrupt civilian elements that were previously linked to IS and the regime,” said Abdullah Al-Ghadhawi, a Syrian researcher with the Washington-based Center for Global Policy whose research focuses on dynamics in Deir al-Zour.   Ghadhawi told VOA that it was a strategic mistake by the SDF and its coalition partners “to expand the Deir al-Zour Military Council with unruly and unprofessional forces.”  “IS is a party to the equation and it carries out activities, but the one who rules the region is responsible for its security,” he added.   Analyst Abu Layla echoed similar views.   “If the SDF wants a sustainable security solution in Deir al-Zour, it needs to be more inclusive by having a better representation of the tribes in the local administration as well as bringing competent individuals to run the region,” he said.    An SDF official admitted that corruption is a major problem for their local partners in Deir al-Zour. He said it would take some time to remove corrupt military and civilian officials from the ranks of the SDF.    
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The United States and Taiwan are making a public show of strengthening ties this week, signing a memorandum of understanding to improve cooperation in public health as part of a high-level U.S. visit to the island.In the absence of formal diplomatic ties, the MOU was signed on Monday by W. Brent Christensen, director the American Institute in Taiwan, and Yang Jen-ni, chairwoman of the Taiwan Council for U.S. Affairs on behalf of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States.Visiting U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Taiwanese Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung witnessed the signing ceremony at the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei.Three Taiwanese industry experts who spoke to VOA say the memorandum will bring business opportunities to Taiwan, especially if the U.S. provides technology transfers in advanced medical material to support Taiwan’s public health industry. That will enable Taiwan to begin shifting its medical supply lines away from China and towards the United States.U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, left, and Taiwanese Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung pose during a signing of a memorandum of understanding at the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei, Aug. 10, 2020.Shifting away from ChinaDarson Chiu, a research fellow at the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, told VOA that the coronavirus pandemic has prompted Taiwan’s policy makers to reassess Taiwan’s reliance on raw materials from China.“The Trump administration wants to reduce its reliance on China from its medical supply chain, and the trend is the same in Taiwan,” he said. “The past model is Taiwan will use China as a supplier for materials before sending goods to the U.S. In the future, we are moving to get rid of this ‘middleman’.”He said, as an example, that China has used masks made in Taiwan since the COVID-19 pandemic that were produced without elements produced in China. Previously, Taiwanese companies either imported raw materials from China for low-cost products, or sent high value semi-finished medical equipment or other public health products to China for assembly, before exporting these goods to other markets.He added that if there’s strong demand from the U.S. for these public health products, some Taiwanese companies might consider shifting part of their supply chains to Mexico, “where they can enjoy low labor costs, zero tariff from USMCA [the United States, Mexico and Canada trade agreement], and lower transportation costs.”Aaron Chen, the chief operating officer of TCI, said collaboration with Taiwan is consistent with America’s public health policy needs. TCI is a leading contract research manufacturing organization based in Taiwan.“President (Donald) Trump wants to move the medical supply chain back to the U.S., but he has to consider costs,” said Chen. “For things like masks, which have low profit margins, it’s hard to shift the supply chain back to the U.S. For high value-added products, it also depends on if the U.S. government can roll out supporting policies for companies to shift their supply chain across the Pacific.”He said an option is for the U.S. to shift part of this supply chain to Taiwan.“Let’s do a simple comparison of production costs. Generally speaking, if the manufacturing cost to produce in China is 1, then in Taiwan it’s around 1.25. If made in Japan, it will be 1.75; and in the U.S., the cost will double,” Chen said. “So made in Taiwan products have cost advantage, they can also enjoy tariff preference.”A pool of talentsChan Chang-chuan, former dean of National Taiwan University College of Public Health, told VOA that there’s another important playing card in Taiwan’s public health industry.“Taiwan has great biotech R&D talents, and more than 70% of them are trained in the United States.,” said Chan.He hopes the new memorandum of understanding will facilitate collaboration and investment in biotech firms between the U.S. and the island.Taiwan Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung called this week’s signing of the MOU a “historic moment,” adding that it marked a breakthrough in health and medical cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S.Azar, the U.S. health chief, described the MOU as a “landmark achievement,” as it formalized more than 20 years of collaboration between his department and Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare on a wide range of issues.Azar also praised Taiwan for its response to COVID-19, saying it has been “among the most successful in the world.” 
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A glacier in the Swiss Pennine Alps collapsed, Thursday, August 6, causing a dramatic ice avalanche.Footage of the break was captured by a climbing instructor who was teaching children nearby.The collapse occurred about 2,650 meters above sea level, in an ice layer that has become thinner in recent years due to climate change. (REUTERS) 
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The Taliban reaffirmed Tuesday its commitment to ending violence in Afghanistan, while emphasizing that a comprehensive cease-fire has to be discussed during intra-Afghan peace negotiations due to begin later this month.The proposed talks are an outcome of the agreement the United States sealed with the Taliban in February to end the nearly 19-year-old Afghan war, America’s longest.FILE – In this May 28, 2019 file photo, Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha, speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia.Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told VOA the Islamist insurgency is determined to move the Afghan peace process forward in line with the pact, dismissing suggestions the start of the talks would mark an end to insurgent violence.
“It is clearly written in the agreement that cease-fire will be one of the topics to be debated and agreed upon during intra-Afghan negotiations,” Shaheen said by phone from the Taliban’s political office in Doha, Qatar.
The text of the landmark U.S.-Taliban pact states that participants of the intra-Afghan negotiations will discuss the date and modalities of a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire, including joint implementation mechanisms, which will be announced along with the completion and agreement over the future political roadmap of Afghanistan.
Shaheen emphasized that the Taliban will enter the negotiations with the intention of finding a solution to the conflict but the other side must also demonstrate “flexibility” for the talks’ eventual success.“This conflict cannot be solved unilaterally. If they want a solution, then we too are looking for same and God willing we will hopefully find a solution,” he said.No exact date has been announced for the opening round of intra-Afghan negotiations that are expected to begin as early as next week in the Qatari capital, Doha, where the U.S.-Taliban deal was negotiated and signed on Feb. 29.The way to the long-delayed peace negotiations between Afghan warring sides was cleared on Monday when the country’s president, Ashraf Ghani, signed a decree to release a last group of 400 Taliban prisoners to complete a controversy-marred prisoner swap with the insurgents as stipulated in the U.S.-Taliban deal.The Afghan government was required to free 5,000 insurgent prisoners in exchange for 1,000 national security personnel the Taliban was holding captive. The insurgents freed all the detainees but Ghani had refused to release the 400 Taliban men, citing their involvement in serious crimes. A traditional Afghan Loya Jirga on Sunday advised the president to free the insurgents so intra-Afghan talks could begin immediately.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani holds up the resolution on the last day of an Afghan Loya Jirga or traditional council, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 9, 2020. The council concluded Sunday with hundreds of delegates agreeing to free 400 Taliban members.The agreement requires all American and coalition forces to leave Afghanistan by July 2021 in exchange for the Taliban’s anti-terrorism commitments and a pledge to negotiate peace with other Afghan factions.
But skeptics continue to question insurgent commitments, fearing the Taliban may want to grab power by force after the foreign military withdrawal.
“The atmosphere for intra-Afghan negotiations is tense and, with the U.S. seemingly determined to downgrade its involvement in Afghanistan, an already fragile process is fraught with high stakes,” said the International Crisis Group in its report released Tuesday.
The Brussels-based monitor group noted the Taliban’s positions remain “ambiguous or undefined” on issues such as the existing Afghan constitution and political system, as well as protection of the rights of women and minorities in Afghanistan.
The insurgents reject the constitution as un-Islamic and a product of the U.S. occupation of the country.
“Many in the Afghan government and civil society worry that talks may presage the unravelling of legal, social and economic achievements made since 2001. Widespread uncertainty as to the Taliban’s aims deepens these fears,” the ICG report said.
The U.S. military’s size has been reduced to 8,600 troops from around 13,000 at the time of the singing of the agreement with the Taliban. U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this month that there will be “between 4,000 to 5,000” troops left in Afghanistan by the time of the U.S. November elections.
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U.S. and European troops carried out annual training operations in Bavaria, Monday, August 10, weeks after the U.S. military announced their intention to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany.
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The U.S. space agency, NASA says that says it believes it has discovered salty water beneath the surface of the dwarf planet, Ceres, in orbit around the sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.The space agency’s Dawn spacecraft gathered up-close views of the dwarf planet – smaller than the earth’s moon – before ending its mission in October 2018.  At one point, Dawn dipped down to just 35 kilometers above Ceres’s surface.  Those up-close views revealed “mysterious bright regions”, which scientists later concluded to be deposits of sodium carbonate from liquid that likely filtered up to the surface and evaporated, leaving behind a reflective salty crust.In a study published Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy, NASA Scientists said, after studying the images and data sent back from the probe, they concluded the liquid came from a deep reservoir of salt-enriched water, about 40 kilometers deep and hundreds of kilometers wide.The Dawn spacecraft was launched in September 2007 with a mission to shed light on the early solar system.It explored the two largest bodies. After studying giant asteroid “Vesta”, Dawn arrived at dwarf planet “Ceres” in 2015. The scientists’ research focused on the 92-kilometer-wide “Occator Crater”.In October 2018, NASA called time on the Dawn mission, after the spacecraft ran out of its key fuel, hydrazine. NASA says it will remain in orbit of Ceres for decades.Dawn remains the only spacecraft to ever orbit two extraterrestrial destinations.
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is launching a weeklong trip to central Europe with a stop Tuesday in the Czech Republic where he is scheduled to give a speech and have a dinner meeting with Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek. Pompeo is also set to visit a museum commemorating the U.S. role in liberating the region during World War 2. The top U.S. diplomat’s trip comes as the Trump administration looks to confront Russian and Chinese economic and geopolitical competition in Europe.    Pompeo is traveling to Prague and Pilsen in the Czech Republic; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Vienna, Austria; and Warsaw, Poland, from Aug. 11 to Aug. 15.    He will become the first secretary of state since 2011 to visit Slovenia, where he will sign a Joint Declaration on 5G technology as Washington is countering risks posed by communist China’s “infiltration into high-tech networks” in the region.  The trip comes as the Pentagon prepares to move forward with a plan to pull almost 12,000 troops from Germany and redeploy part of the U.S. forces to Poland and other NATO nations, raising concerns at home and in Europe even as senior officials defend it as a strategic necessity.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 9 MB480p | 13 MB540p | 16 MB720p | 34 MB1080p | 67 MBOriginal | 81 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioThumbnailThu, 07/30/2020 – 00:32Mary MooneyMedia Duration00:02:50SummaryThe United States is pulling almost 12,000 troops from Germany, following through on President Donald Trump’s call to reduce the U.S. military footprint overseas. While defense department officials say the move will boost American security, critics see the move as punishment for a country Trump has criticized as “delinquent” in NATO defense spending. VOA’s diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.
Produced by: Bronwyn BenitoRights RestrictedOffUS Pulling Almost 12,000 Troops From Germany US military leaders describe the move as ‘strategic,’ but President Trump says he wants the troops out of Germany because ‘we don’t want to be the suckers anymore’ Ambassador Philip Reeker, the State Department’s acting assistant secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, said Pompeo will discuss with his counterparts the just-completed U.S.-Poland Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that “provides a framework” to further strengthen “the broad transatlantic security.”      The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, top left, arrives with his wife Susan Pompeo, top right, at the airport in Prague, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020.”We have been very dedicated to helping those countries find alternate sources so that they can diversify from Russia,” said Reeker.  Russia has previously defended the project as economically feasible.   The U.S. has been warning about the security risks of Russian energy export pipelines, in particular Nord Stream 2. U.S. officials said if completed, these projects would undermine European security and strengthen Russia’s ability to use its energy resources to coerce the U.S.’s European partners and allies.Czech Republic      In Prague, Pompeo will meet with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis to discuss nuclear energy cooperation and the Three Seas Initiative, a political platform to promote connectivity among nations in central and eastern Europe by supporting infrastructure, energy and digital interconnectivity projects.      The initiative gets its name from the three seas that border the region: the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas.  On Wednesday, Pompeo is set to deliver a speech at the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic on bilateral ties and foreign policy.Americký ministr zahraničních věcí @SecPompeo ve středu 12. 8. v českém Senátu přednese veřejný projev a bude s předsedou @Vystrcil_Milos jednat o společných zájmech v zahraničně-politických otázkách. pic.twitter.com/ySOKmD9ftd— Senát Parlamentu ČR (@SenatCZ) August 7, 2020SloveniaIn Ljubljana, Pompeo will sign a Joint Declaration on 5G technology with Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar.  Over the past year, European countries, including Poland, Estonia and the Czech Republic, have signed agreements with the U.S., pledging that 5G suppliers would not be subject to control by a foreign government without independent judicial review, which effectively excludes Chinese firms.    Slovenia will join those countries in the so-called “5G Clean Networks” to use only trusted vendors to secure critical telecommunications, cloud, data analytics, and mobile apps.      Reeker told VOA it is “a reflection of the shared dedication to protecting privacy” and cybersecurity.    AustriaIn Vienna, the U.S.-Austria Strategic Partnership and growing trade relationship will be high on the agenda in Pompeo’s meetings with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.    Austria hosts the International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations in charge of monitoring Iran’s adherence to the 2015 nuclear deal from which the U.S. has withdrawn.    Pompeo will also hold talks with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, as Washington is calling on other members of the U.N. Security Council to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Iran that is set to expire on Oct. 18. Poland In Warsaw, the chief U.S. diplomat will have talks with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz on deepening defense ties, recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, securing 5G networks, and improving regional energy and infrastructure through the Three Seas Initiative. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus.      Pompeo will also meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who visited the White House in late June.    Poland sees Nord Stream 2, which would double Russia’s gas export capacity via the Baltic Sea, as a threat to Europe’s energy security.  “In our view, it is paying with European money for Mr. (Vladimir) Putin’s weapons, and we don’t like it,” Morawiecki said during a recent webinar hosted by the Atlantic Council.    Morawiecki said Poland, as “the most pro-European and most pro-American country” in Europe, is strengthening the transatlantic alliance.    Last month, the State Department said people making investments or engaging in activities related to Nord Stream 2, including pipe-laying vessels and engineering service in the deployment of the pipelines, could face U.S. sanctions.     “It’s a clear warning to companies: aiding and abetting Russia’s malign influence projects will not be tolerated,” said Pompeo during a July 15 press conference.    “Let me be clear. These aren’t commercial projects. They are the Kremlin’s key tools to exploit and expand European dependence on Russian energy supplies,” Pompeo said. 
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Asian markets are posting gains for a second consecutive day Tuesday on hopes that  lawmakers in the United States will end a standoff over a new coronavirus relief package.   Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index earned 1.8% as it returned to trading after a public holiday. Australia’s S&P/ASX index gained 0.4% and South Korea’s KOSPI index was up 1.4%, while Taiwan’s TSEC index was down 0.8%. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong was up 1.8% in late afternoon trading, with Shanghai’s Composite down 0.8% and Mumbai’s Sensex up 0.5%. In commodities trading, gold is selling at $2,006.40 an ounce, down 1.6%. U.S. crude oil is selling at $42.04 per barrel, up 0.2%, and Brent crude is selling at $44.98 per barrel, virtually unchanged percentage-wise. All three major U.S. indexes are trending positively in futures trading. 
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Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree Monday to release the 400 Taliban prisoners that the Afghan government considered ‘dangerous.’ This comes after the Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, on Sunday endorsed the release of the remaining Taliban. VOA’s Hikmat Sorosh reports from Kabul. 
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Hong Kong’s Apple Daily tabloid responded with defiance Tuesday to the arrest of owner Jimmy Lai under a new national security law imposed by Beijing, promising to “fight on” in a front-page headline above an image of Lai in handcuffs. Readers queued from the early hours to get a copy of the pro-democracy tabloid a day after police raided its offices and took Lai into detention, the highest-profile arrest so far under the national security law. The front-page headline read: “Apple Daily must fight on.” More than 500,000 copies were printed, up from the usual 100,000, the paper said on its website. Dozens of people lineup for the paper in the working-class neighborhood of Mong Kok as early as 2 a.m. (1800 GMT). Some vendors said they sold out during the morning rush-hour. “What the police did yesterday interfered with press freedom brutally,” said 45-year-old Kim Yau as she bought a copy. “All Hong Kongers with a conscience have to support Hong Kong today, support Apple Daily.” Lai was detained over suspected collusion with foreign forces as about 200 police searched the newspaper’s offices, collecting 25 boxes of evidence. Shares in Lai’s media company, Next Digital, which publishes Apple Daily, soared on Monday as online pro-democracy forums called on investors to buy shares to show support. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday he was “deeply troubled” by reports of Lai’s arrest. He called Lai a “patriot” and said his arrest showed that Beijing had “eviscerated” Hong Kong’s freedoms and eroded the rights of its people. Beijing has in the past labeled Lai a “traitor.”  Separately, White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said the arrest of Lai and others was an effort to intimidate pro-democracy and opposition figures and suppress independent media. Mainland-born Lai, who was smuggled into Hong Kong on a fishing boat when he was a penniless 12-year-old, has been one of the most prominent democracy activists in the Chinese-ruled city and an ardent critic of Communist Party rule in Beijing. His arrest comes amid a crackdown against pro-democracy opposition in Hong Kong, which has drawn international condemnation and raised fears for the freedoms promised by Beijing when the former British colony returned to China in 1997. The sweeping new security law imposed on June 30 punishes anything Beijing considers secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. 
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