Republican lawmakers on Wednesday confronted former FBI Director James Comey about his oversight of the Trump-Russia investigation during a politically charged hearing that focused attention on problems with the probe that have become a rallying cry for President Donald Trump’s supporters.Comey, making his first appearance before Congress since a harshly critical inspector general report on the investigation, acknowledged under questioning that the FBI’s process for conducting surveillance on a former Trump campaign adviser was “sloppy” and “embarrassing.” He said he would not have certified the surveillance had he known then what he knows now about applications the FBI submitted in 2016 and 2017 to eavesdrop on the aide, Carter Page.The questioning of Comey, conducted with the election just weeks away, underscores the extent to which the FBI’s investigation four years ago into potential coordination between Trump’s campaign and Russia remains front and center in the minds of Republican lawmakers, who see an opening to rally support for the president and cast him as the victim of biased law enforcement. The hearing was part of a review of the Russia probe by the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee.Just a part of investigationThough Comey acknowledged the FBI’s shortcomings in the surveillance of Page, he also described that aspect of the probe as a “slice” of the broader Russia investigation, which he defended as legitimate and valid.But those answers, including Comey’s repeated assertions that he had been unaware at the time of the extent of problems, frustrated Republicans who point to the surveillance flaws to try to discredit the overall Russia investigation.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asks questions to former FBI Director James Comey, during an oversight hearing to examine the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation, Sept. 30, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington.A Justice Department inspector general report identified errors and omissions in each of the four applications that the FBI submitted to obtain warrants to surveil Page, who was never charged with any wrongdoing. The FBI relied in part on Democratic-funded research in applying for those warrants. The inspector general report and documents released in recent months have raised questions about the reliability of that research.The FBI relied on that documentation “over and over and over” again, even though it was “fundamentally unsound,” said the Judiciary Committee chairman, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.’That’s the way it goes'”What do we do? We just say, ‘Well, that was bad, that’s the way it goes’? Does anybody get fired? Does anybody go to jail?” Graham said. “To my Democratic friends, if it happened to us, it can happen to you.”Comey was fired by Trump in May 2017 but has remained a prominent and complicated character for Republicans and Democrats alike. Republicans have joined Trump in heaping scorn on Comey, but Democrats have not embraced him either, angered by his public statements made during the Hillary Clinton email case that they believe contributed to her loss.Democrats lamented the backward-looking nature of Wednesday’s hearing, saying the FBI had good reason to investigate contacts between Trump associates and Russia and that the committee’s time could be better spent on other matters.Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 30, 2020, to examine the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation.”Most people think we should be talking about other things, except maybe President Trump,” said Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.Comey defended the investigation, which was opened after a campaign adviser boasted that he had heard Russia had damaging information about Clinton. The probe examined multiple contacts between Russians and Trump associates during the 2016 campaign. Comey noted that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation resulted in criminal charges against dozens of people.”In the main, it was done by the book. It was appropriate, and it was essential that it be done,” Comey said.He later added: “The overall investigation was very important. The Page slice of it? Far less, given the scope.”But Comey, the latest high-profile former official from the FBI or Justice Department to testify in Graham’s investigation, acknowledged “embarrassing” problems in the handling of surveillance applications. He said had he known then about the problems, he would not have certified the surveillance “without a much fuller discussion” within the FBI.”I’m not looking to shirk responsibility,” Comey said. “The director is responsible.”Legitimate probeA Justice Department inspector general report did not find evidence of partisan bias and concluded the investigation was opened for a legitimate reason. But Republican lawmakers have seized on the critical aspects of the watchdog report to cast broader doubt on the Russia investigation. They have also released documents they say support the conclusion that the probe was flawed.On Tuesday, Graham revealed that he had received declassified information on the probe from national intelligence Director John Ratcliffe, a Trump loyalist, even though Ratcliffe has said he does not know if it is true.In a letter to Graham made public Tuesday, Ratcliffe said that in late July 2016, U.S. intelligence agencies obtained “insight” into Russian spycraft alleging that Clinton had “approved a campaign plan to stir up a scandal against” Trump.But Ratcliffe added that American intelligence agencies do “not know the accuracy of this allegation or the extent to which the Russian intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication.”Comey brushed aside questions about that document, saying, “I don’t understand Mr. Ratcliffe’s letter well enough to comment on it. It’s confusing.”The Senate panel has already heard from Rod Rosenstein and Sally Yates, both former deputy attorneys general, and has scheduled testimony from ex-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
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Month: September 2020
Giant 18-Meter Tall Robot Comes to Life in Japan
A robot from “Gundam” has been undergoing testing in preparation for the opening of a theme park to celebrate the iconic Japanese anime’s 40th anniversary.An accelerated video filmed recently showed the 18-meter tall, 25-ton robot slowly moving its hands and feet and kneeling. The video has been viewed more than 6 million times since it was first published on Twitter on September 21.The robot will be the centerpiece of Gundam Factory Yokohama, a theme park operated by Evolving G, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., a Japanese video game developer and publisher.The park’s opening, scheduled for October, has been postponed due to COVID-19.(Reuters)
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Hundreds in US Charged in $6B Medical Fraud Schemes
The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday announced charges against 345 people for committing over $6 billion in medical fraud. Those charged include more than 100 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who filed fraudulent claims to federal health care programs and private insurers, according to the Justice Department. The bulk of the fraud — $4.5 billion — was connected to telemedicine, which has surged during the pandemic. For example, the Cleveland Clinic went from averaging 5,000 telemedicine visits a month before the pandemic to 200,000 visits just in April, the Associated Press reported. “Telemedicine can foster efficient, high-quality care when practiced appropriately and lawfully. Unfortunately, bad actors attempt to abuse telemedicine services and leverage aggressive marketing techniques to mislead beneficiaries about their health care needs and bill the government for illegitimate services,” U.S. Health and Human Services Deputy Inspector General Gary Cantrell said in a statement. “Unfortunately, audacious schemes such as these are prevalent and often harmful.” FILE – The U.S. Department of Justice headquarters building is seen in Washington, July 13, 2018.According to the Justice Department, some telemedicine company executives allegedly paid doctors and nurse practitioners to order unnecessary medical equipment, medical tests and pain medications without interacting with a patient or with only a brief telephone conversation with a patient they had never seen. “Durable medical equipment companies, genetic testing laboratories, and pharmacies then purchased those orders in exchange for illegal kickbacks and bribes and submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and other government insurers,” according to a statement from the Justice Department. In addition to telemedicine fraud, other defendants were charged with more than $845 million worth of fraud related to substance abuse facilities, and more than $806 million was connected to other health care fraud, including the illegal distribution of opioids. “This nationwide enforcement operation is historic in both its size and scope, alleging billions of dollars in health care fraud across the country,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt said in a statement. “These cases hold accountable those medical professionals and others who have exploited health care benefit programs and patients for personal gain.”
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British PM Receives Rare Rebuke in House of Commons
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson received a rare reprimand Wednesday by the speaker of the House of Commons for treating lawmakers with contempt by rushing through far-reaching COVID-19 restrictions without proper review by lawmakers.Just before the prime minister’s weekly “question time” with members of Parliament, Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the House of Commons, admonished Johnson for making rules in a “totally unsatisfactory” way.Hoyle said that several of the COVID-19-related measures were published and brought before Parliament only hours before they were to take effect, and some after the fact. The speaker said the actions showed total disregard for the House of Commons and called on Johnson and his government to prepare measures more quickly.The speaker did hold back a rebellion within Johnson’s own Conservative Party, where more than 50 members had threatened to join an opposition-led measure demanding more say over future rules to stop the spread of the virus and accusing ministers of governing “by decree.”But they were denied a chance to vote on the proposal after the speaker ruled there was not enough time for a proper debate.Later Wednesday, during a news briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson said the government would not hesitate to put even stricter pandemic restrictions in place if evidence supported such a move.Britain reported 7,143 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest one-day figure to date for the country, which has the highest official death toll in Europe.Areas of Britain, particularly in the northeast where a second wave of COVID-19 infections is surging, are faced with local restrictions designed to slow its spread. Britain has reported more than 42,233 deaths from the virus, the world’s fifth-highest total.
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UN Chief: $35B Needed to Expand Global Access to COVID-19 Vaccine
The U.N. secretary-general appealed to the international community Wednesday for $35 billion to rapidly fund equitable global access to COVID-19 tests, therapeutics, and when available, vaccines, as deaths from the coronavirus surpass 1 million.“It is in every country’s national and economic self-interest to work together to massively expand access to tests and treatments, and to support a vaccine as a global public good — a ‘people’s vaccine’ available and affordable for everyone, everywhere,” Antonio Guterres told a virtual forum on the ACT-Accelerator, the mechanism through which the U.N. is coordinating its response.The ACT-Accelerator was launched at the end of April as a global collaboration of governments, scientists, private sector and civil society groups to end the pandemic by making sure that not just rich countries get the necessary tools, including vaccines, but that poorer ones do too.The initiative received an initial $3-billion infusion for its start-up phase and the U.N. chief said it needs an additional $35 billion — $15 billion of that immediately — in order to meet its goals of producing 2 billion vaccine doses, 245 million treatments and 500 million diagnostic tests.“These resources are crucial now to avoid losing the window of opportunity for advance purchase and production, to build stocks in parallel with licensing, to boost research, and to help countries prepare to optimize the new vaccines when they arrive,” Guterres said.FILE – U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks about the coronavirus, at World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 24, 2020.The initiative’s vaccine arm, known as the COVAX Facility, is supporting the development of nine vaccines, with several more in the pipeline.“Collaboration is our best hope to bring the pandemic under control and our best hope to keep our economies and our societies open, which can ensure a genuinely collective economic recovery,” event co-host, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, said.His government and several others, including Germany, Sweden and Canada, announced commitments of nearly $1 billion in new financing for the initiative.
Although the U.S. government is not participating, there is private support from American corporations and organizations for the ACT-Accelerator. Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has committed up to 500 million vaccine doses to lower income countries to be delivered by mid-2021.U.S. philanthropist Bill Gates announced in a video message that his foundation had just signed a joint agreement with 16 pharmaceutical companies to scale up the speed and distribution of vaccines once they are approved.“The companies involved in the agreement are committed to using donations, foregoing profits and using tiered pricing to make their products as affordable as possible,” Gates said.The World Bank president said his institution will make vaccine funding available to low- and middle-income developing countries.“I have proposed to our board to make available up to $12 billion of fast track financing to countries for the purchase and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, once the vaccines have been approved by several highly respected, stringent regulatory agencies,” David Malpass said.U.N. agencies including the World Health Organization and the children’s agency, UNICEF, also will use their vast networks and supply chains to speed COVID-19 vaccines to all parts of the world. UNICEF says it is working to secure more than 2 billion doses by 2021.More than 150 countries are now committed to or eligible to receive vaccines through the ACT-Accelerator.
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Zimbabwe Officials Blame Bacterial Disease for Elephant Deaths
Zimbabwe parks authority officials say they suspect a bacterial disease called hemorrhagic septicemia is behind the recent deaths of at least 34 elephants in the northwestern part of the country.The elephant deaths, which began in late August, come soon after hundreds of elephants died in neighboring Botswana in mysterious circumstances. Authorities subsequently blamed the deaths on toxins produced by another type of bacterium.FILE – A combination photo shows dead elephants in Okavango Delta, Botswana, May-June, 2020. (Photographs obtained by Reuters)Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority Director-General Fulton Mangwanya said Tuesday they have discovered 34 dead elephants, but suspect more may be found. The elephants were found lying on their stomachs, suggesting a sudden death.Mangwanya said the dead elephants were discovered in an area between the Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls in west-central Zimbabwe, suggesting to him the outbreak has been isolated.Mangwanya said postmortems on some of the elephants showed inflamed livers and other organs. Samples have been sent to the UK and South Africa to confirm the type of disease.Experts say that Zimbabwe’s current elephant population could be close to 90,000.Elephants in Botswana and parts of Zimbabwe are at historically high levels — roughly half of the continent’s 400,000 elephants, according to estimates — but elsewhere on the continent, especially in forested areas, many populations are severely depleted, researchers say.
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German Chancellor Imposes New COVID-19 Restrictions
After consulting with Germany’s 16 regional governors, German Chancellor Angela Merkel Wednesday announced new restrictions on the size of gatherings to prevent the country’s coronavirus infection figures from accelerating.At a Berlin news briefing following her virtual meeting with the governors, Merkel said she wants to act regionally and address the virus where it is surging rather than shut down the whole country, which she said should be avoided at all costs. “In order to achieve this, we must have minimum standards for certain frequencies of infections,” said Merkel.The German chancellor said in places where there are more than 35 new infections per 100,000 residents recorded in a week, the number of people attending gatherings at public or rented facilities should be limited to 50 and no more than 25 should attend events in private homes.She said that where infections hit at least 50 per 100,000 residents, those figures should be cut to 25 and 10 respectively.Merkel said she expects the rate of infection to rise as the change in weather means more people will spend time inside in the coming months. She said the number of daily infections could rise to 19,200 in three months if the rate of infection continues as it has over the past three months. “This underlines the urgency for us to act,” said Merkel.The chancellor also discouraged travel to high risk areas in Europe in the coming months, saying staying in Germany was a good option. She said low risk European nations such as Italy might be a good option, noting the number of COVID-19 cases are very low there now and “they are acting very carefully.”Johns Hopkins University reports Germany has over 289,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and just over 9,450 deaths.
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Pompeo Calls on Vatican to Reconsider Deal With Beijing
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed to advocate for persecuted religious minorities in China while calling on the Vatican to reconsider renewing a deal with Beijing.”Nowhere is religious freedom under assault more than it is inside of China today,” Pompeo said Wednesday in Rome, Italy. ”Nor of course have Catholics been spared this wave of repression.” Pompeo’s latest remarks come as the Vatican and China are negotiating to renew a controversial 2018 agreement on the nomination of bishops. The terms of that deal have not been publicly revealed. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, and U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich greet Cardinal Raymond Burke, right, during a symposium in Rome, Sept. 30, 2020.While admitting nation-states’ efforts to protect religious freedom are “constrained by the realities of world politics,” Pompeo made a subtle appeal to the Vatican to reverse the planned renewal under way. “The Church is in a different position. Earthly considerations shouldn’t discourage principled stances based on eternal truths.” Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See hosted a symposium on “Advancing and Defending International Religious Freedom through Diplomacy.” Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Holy See Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher also participated. A senior State Department official confirmed the top U.S. diplomat is not scheduled to have an audience with Pope Francis during this visit. Pompeo met with the pontiff last October. State Department: Pompeo, Pope Francis Urge Religious Freedom in Mideast, ElsewhereSecretary of state, whose trip to Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Greece has been overshadowed by an impeachment inquiry at home targeting President Donald Trump, met the pope for about a half an hourThe Pope’s office reportedly told American diplomats he would not personally receive Pompeo due to concerns of being seen as influencing the November U.S. election. The U.S. secretary of state also met Wednesday with the Italian foreign minister.
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Washington Mural Pays Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Many Americans are mourning the death of Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Makeshift memorials to the popular liberal justice have sprung up all over the country. One of them at the site of a large mural dedicated to the justice in September 2019. Anush Avetisyan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.VIDEOGRAPHER: Andrey Degtyarev
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Robot Arms Perform Tests to Detect COVID-19
The world recently reached a tragic milestone of one million known deaths linked to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Experts say more testing is key to combating the virus’s spread. A biotech company in Taiwan has developed a robot capable of conducting thousands of COVID tests each day, making it possible to safely revive the economy. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.Camera: Reuters
Producer: Arash Arabasadi
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Ghanaian Cancer Experts Want More Focus on Colon Cancer
Cancer experts in Ghana lament that little attention is paid to screening for colorectal cancers, leading to a high death rate, despite the disease’s relatively low occurrence. The death from colon cancer of American actor Chadwick Boseman, who played the lead role in the Hollywood film Black Panther, might bring fresh awareness of the disease. Stacey Knott reports from Accra
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Judge Blocks Increase in US Immigration Fees
A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday blocked an increase in immigration fees that was due to go into effect this week. The fees were set to go up Friday by an average of about 20% depending on the type of entry being sought. The halted hikes include a $50 fee for asylum applications, the first time the United States would have charged such a fee. The cost for applying to be a naturalized citizen was due to increase from $640 to $1,170. Applicants from lower-income households have been able to ask that their fees be waived, but the new rules that were due to go into effect eliminated certain categories of waiver eligibility, such as showing extreme financial hardship. Some applicants would no longer have been eligible under tighter household income thresholds. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that processes visas, asylum requests, naturalizations and other applications, reported a sharp decline in revenues earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and at one point considered furloughing more than half its staff. Unlike most federal agencies, a significant portion of USCIS’s funding comes from fees collected.In this June 26, 2020 photo, Vida Kazemi is sworn in as a U.S. citizen by Allen Chrysler, immigration services officer, during a drive-up naturalization ceremony in Laguna Niguel, Calif.U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White wrote he based his injunction on several factors. He said the Trump administration did not adequately follow procedures for making new rules, including failing to consider the impact of the higher fees on low-income applicants. White also agreed with arguments presented by the plaintiffs, a group of eight non-profit groups that work with low-income immigration applicants, who said the acting heads of the Department of Homeland Security had been improperly elevated to their roles at the time the new rules were issued. Plaintiffs in other federal immigration cases have made the same argument about Kevin McAleenan, who was named acting head of the Department of Homeland Security last year before resigning in November, and Chad Wolf, who succeeded him as acting chief. The defendants argued the appointments were valid. But Judge White ruled the plaintiffs are “likely to succeed” on the claim that neither McAleenan nor Wolf were validly serving as acting Homeland Security secretary.
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Asian Markets Mixed Wednesday
Asian markets are mixed Wednesday after the chaotic U.S. presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. The Nikkei index in Tokyo lost 1.5%. Sydney’s S&P/ASX index closed 2.2% lower. The KOSPI index in Seoul gained 0.8%, and Taipei’s TSEC index earned 0.3%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index is up 0.8% in late afternoon trading. Shanghai’s Composite index is down 0.2%, while the Sensex in Mumbai is 0.2% higher. In commodities trading, gold is trading at $1,893.30 an ounce, down 0.5%. U.S. crude oil is trading at $39.09 per barrel, down 0.5%, and Brent crude is trading at $40.49 per barrel, down 1.3%. All three major U.S. indices are trending lower in futures trading.
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Syrian Amputee Therapist Designs Prosthetics, Helping Others
Abdelmawla Ibrahim was only 16 when a stray bullet pierced his left leg, shattering his bones and forcing doctors to amputate it above the knee. “I was very upset, I hated myself, hated my life, I was very depressed,” said Ibrahim, now 24 years old. But the Syrian man, who lives in the city of al-Bab near Aleppo, said his outlook on life changed after getting fitted with a prosthetic. This inspired him to get certified as a physiotherapist specialized in prosthetics. Ibrahim now works at the al-Bab Centre for prosthetics, which is funded by a UK-registered charity Hand in Hand for Aid and Development, that provides medical aid across Syria. He designs and develops the prosthetics, drawing on his experience from wearing them. He also provides physiotherapy, and pep talks, to other amputees who visit the center. According to the United Nations over 1.5 million Syrians are now living with permanent impairments caused by the conflict, including 86,000 who have lost limbs. The recently married Ibrahim said his dream now is to continue his education abroad to gain more knowledge to help others who have lost their limbs. (Reuters)
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Concerns Raised Over Nigerian Measure to Punish Rapists with Castration
Nigerian lawmakers in the northwestern state of Kaduna have approved a measure to castrate men convicted of raping children under the age of 14. The controversial law comes in the wake of public outrage over the rising number of rape cases in recent months. But while supporters praise the new law as a move to defend women and children, some human rights activists say it is too harsh and may even fail to deter perpetrators. Timothy Obiezu has more from Kaduna State.Camera: Emeka Gibson
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COVID-19 Deaths Surpass 1 Million
The COVID-19 death toll has climbed to more than one million people worldwide. And because of a recent surge of infections in many countries including in Europe and the United States, more coronavirus deaths are expected in the coming months. But there are also signs that death rates are dropping and people who contract the virus now are faring better than those infected early on. VOA correspondent Mariama Diallo has more.Produced by: Bakhtiyar Zamanov
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Monitor: Turkey Sending Syrian Fighters to Azerbaijan
Several hundred Syrian fighters have been sent by Turkey to support Azerbaijan in its ongoing conflict with Armenia, according to a war monitor and a Syrian rebel commander. The Armenia and AzerbaijanTwo Syrian fighters interviewed by the Reuters news agency said they had been told by their Syrian brigade commanders they would earn around $1,500 a month. VOA could not independently verify this information. Clashes over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which started Sunday, have left dozens of people dead and hundreds wounded. Observers say the latest fighting over the largely ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan is the worst since the 1990s. Denied claims News about this development first came from Armenia’s ambassador to Russia on Monday, who said Turkey had sent around 4,000 fighters from northern Syria to Azerbaijan.FILE – In this photo provided by the Azerbaijan’s Presidential Press Office provided on Sept. 27, 2020, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev gestures as he addresses the nation in Baku, Azerbaijan.Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev denied such claims, telling Russian-1 TV, a state-owned Russian news channel, that it was “fake news.” Hami Aksoy, the spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, has reportedly called the allegations “baseless.” An official with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has denied the allegations. In a tweet on Monday, Omer Celik, spokesperson for the AKP, described the claims as lies and a provocation against Turkey. Turkish support Turkey said it will support Azerbaijan with all means necessary, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his country’s support for Azerbaijan, calling Armenia “the biggest threat to peace in the region.” FILE – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, Sept. 1, 2020.The Armenian government on Monday said Turkish military “experts” were “fighting side by side with Azerbaijan.” Turkey has denied those accusations. Fariz Ismailzade, a vice-rector of ADA University in Baku, said Azerbaijan doesn’t need mercenaries “because we have a professionally trained army.” “Turkey provides moral and political support but is not a party to the conflict and doesn’t send any military units,” he told VOA. “So far, Azerbaijan has used only official army units (and) announced partial mobilization of the reservists,” Ismailzade added. Role of Syrian fighters Ankara has previously used Syrian militias in the Libyan conflict. Turkey sent between 3,500 and 3,800 paid Syrian fighters to Libya in early 2020, according to a July report by the U.S. Defense Department’s inspector general. The deployment was part of Turkey’s efforts to support the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) against forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar. Despite an arms embargo imposed on Libya by the United Nations, Turkey has also supplied drones and an air defense system to the U.N.-recognized GNA. The deployment of Syrian militias by Turkey reportedly played a role in changing the course of Libya’s war, but experts don’t believe that would be the case in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.This image taken from a video released by Armenian Defense Ministry on Sept. 28, 2020, allegedly shows fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces at the contact line of the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan.“Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region, and fighting in the mountains is not the same as on the streets,” said Yeghia Tashjian, a Beirut-based expert on the Caucasus region. “Many (Syrian) fighters aren’t prepared for this,” he told VOA. “Some of them fought in Libya where the weather is hot or even in (Syria’s) Idlib, where it’s not very cold compared to Nagorno-Karabakh.” Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory said given the small number of Syrian fighters sent to Azerbaijan, their deployment is merely a symbolic move by Ankara. Matthew Bryza, a former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan and now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, could not confirm if reports about the presence of Syrian fighters were accurate, but noted that the “mercenary situation” in Syria is a “tragic reflection of economic desperation.” “Because these are individual decisions (to fight), they are not political decisions,” he told VOA. “I don’t think there will be a political impact of those decisions unless for some reason Turkey was able to force people to go from Syria to Azerbaijan to fight.”
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US Intelligence Reports Warn of Extremist Threat Around Election
U.S. security officials are warning that violent domestic extremists pose a threat to the presidential election next month, amid what one official called a “witch’s brew” of rising political tensions, civil unrest and foreign disinformation campaigns.FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memos say threats by domestic extremists to election-related targets will likely increase in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election.Those warnings so far have largely remained internal. But New Jersey’s homeland security office took the unusual step of publicly highlighting the threat in a little-noticed report on its website last week.”You have this witch’s brew that really hasn’t happened in America’s history. And if it has, it’s been decades if not centuries,” said Jared Maples, director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, which published the threat assessment.Nationwide protests in recent months over racial justice and police brutality have been largely peaceful, but some have led to violent confrontations, including between extremist factions from left and right.The United States is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, high unemployment and a contentious presidential election in a polarized political climate.President Donald Trump last week declined to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election to Democratic rival Joe Biden. Trump has sought to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election because of his concerns about mail-in voting, which Democrats have encouraged during the coronavirus pandemic.Stickers that read “I Voted By Mail” sit on a table waiting to be stuffed into envelopes by absentee ballot election workers at the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections office in Charlotte, NC on Sept.4, 2020.Documented cases of mail-ballot fraud are extremely rare and election experts say it would be nearly impossible for foreign actors to disrupt an election by mailing out fake ballots.A recent internal FBI bulletin warned that domestic extremists with varying ideologies would likely pose an increasing threat to government and election-related targets in the run-up to the election, according to a person familiar with it. The bulletin was first reported by Yahoo News.An FBI spokeswoman said the agency “routinely shares information with our law enforcement partners in order to assist in protecting the communities they serve,” but declined to comment on the specific document.A DHS memo dated to Aug. 17 said ideologically driven extremists and other actors “could quickly mobilize” to engage in violence related to the election. The document, also first reported by Yahoo News, was confirmed to Reuters by a person familiar with it.The memo said that lone offender white supremacists and other lone offenders with “personalized ideologies” pose the greatest threat of deadly violence.A DHS spokesperson directed Reuters to early September remarks by acting Secretary Chad Wolf, in which he said that the department “has taken unprecedented actions to address all forms of violent extremism, to specifically include threats posed by lone offenders and small cells of individuals.”Acting-Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, center, arrives to join President Donald Trump at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Aug. 18, 2020.In the spotlightTrump and his top officials have not so far publicly highlighted any threat by violent extremist groups to the election.Trump officials have pointed the finger at left-wing anarchists and anti-fascists during protests against police brutality and racism over the summer, but federal court records provide little evidence showing those arrested for violent acts had affiliations to far-left groups.Last week, the top two DHS officials acknowledged in congressional hearings, however, that white supremacists have posed the most lethal domestic threat to the United States in recent years.FBI Director Christopher Wray takes his seat to testify during an oversight hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill, Feb. 5, 2020 in Washington.FBI Director Christopher Wray said during congressional hearings earlier this month that his agency was conducting investigations into violent domestic extremists, include white supremacists and anti-fascist groups. He said the largest “chunk” of investigations were into white supremacist groups.White supremacist, anti-Semitic, anti-government, and related ideologies were tied to 77 percent of 454 alleged domestic extremist murders in the past decade, according to data compiled by the Anti-Defamation League, a New York City-based anti-hate advocacy organization, and presented at one of the congressional hearings last week.National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot told Reuters that Trump’s highest priority is “protecting the U.S. from all threats, both foreign and domestic” when asked if the president had addressed the election threat publicly.Maples, the New Jersey homeland director, said his agency did not issue a pre-election threat assessment in 2016, but that it was necessary this time around.”We want our allies and folks across the state to recognize that we need to be thinking about this,” he said.The New Jersey report outlines three possible scenarios for the November election: a quick election outcome; a protracted process where determining a winner takes months; and a legal battle that eventually goes to the Supreme Court.Each of the scenarios could lead to extremist violence, with the possibility of deadly confrontations between protesters and targeted violence toward police officers, the assessment concludes.The agency’s report says the extremists will likely be “anarchist, anti-government, and racially motivated,” but does not say which groups pose the greater threat.The domestic extremist threat has always been present, but is getting more attention this year, according to Mike Sena, president of the National Fusion Center Association, which represents state-run “fusion centers” staffed by federal, state and local public safety personnel who monitor threats and facilitate information sharing.”We have always had threats during the national election cycles from violent extremists, including terrorist organizations,” he said. “With current events, it is more in the spotlight than ever.”The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan think tank, said in a June report that the outcome of the election could incite violence by the far-right or far-left.”If President Trump loses the election, some extremists may use violence because they believe — however incorrectly — that there was fraud or that the election of Democratic candidate Joe Biden will undermine their extremist objectives,” the report reads. “Alternatively, some on the far-left could resort to terrorism if President Trump is re-elected.”
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2 NFL Teams Suspend Activities After 8 Test Positive for Coronavirus
The U.S. National Football League announced Tuesday that two of its teams, the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings, have suspended team activities after three Tennessee players and five staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. NFL sources say Tennessee reported the positive tests Tuesday. The Vikings had not reported a positive test, but as they hosted the Titans team at their stadium Sunday in Minneapolis, they said in statement posted to their Twitter account, they were suspending in-person activities as a precautionary measure until further notice. The Vikings say they will work closely with the league and the NFL Players Association – the players’ union – to monitor the situation. In a joint statement Tuesday, the NFL and the association said, “Both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA, including our infectious disease experts, to evaluate close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments. All decisions will be made with health and safety as our primary consideration.” While two cases had been reported since the NFL season began early this month, this is the first “outbreak” in the league on a single team since training camps opened in early July. The NFL has been holding its games in empty or nearly empty stadiums. The league has not said whether the affected teams’ games this week, the fourth week of the NFL season, will proceed as scheduled. FILE – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a news conference in Miami, Feb. 3, 2020.That determination will be reached by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in consultation with an eight-member group comprising coaches, executives and former players from various team affiliations. It was established to prevent members of the league’s competition committee from making self-interested decisions on which teams might have to cancel or postpone games. The Titans are scheduled to host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, while the Vikings play at the Houston Texans.
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Ghanaian Oncologists Want More Focus on Colon Cancer
By the time a patient comes to Dr. Clement Edusa with colon cancer, it is often too late.The medical director of the Sweden Ghana Medical Center will see cancer that has been misdiagnosed and spread, as the patient has sought out other treatments, including some from ill-equipped small clinics or herbalists.Edusa said while Ghana does not see many cases of colon cancer, as lifestyles change, he expects to see an increase, and there need to be systems in place to provide detection and affordable treatment.“Definitely, there is going to be an increase,” Edusa said. “But don’t forget that apart from that, you need to have a structure in place to do the screening. So, if you don’t have a national program which sort of pulls in the people to do the screening, you won’t get it early. So, you will have an increase in numbers and people coming late, and of course, more fatalities.”FILE – Chadwick Boseman poses in the press room at the American Music Awards on Nov. 24, 2019, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.While fans have been mourning the loss of American actor Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer a month ago, a beloved actor and preacher in Ghana also met this fate this year.Bernard Nyarko’s son Gideon said his dad’s illness was gradual. By the time he got his colon cancer diagnosis, doctors could do little, as it had spread.“He went to the hospital, but they were not able to diagnose the main source of his illness,” Nyarko said. “They were linking it to other sorts of illnesses. It was later that we discovered it was colon cancer. That was 2019.”When Gideon saw images of Boseman’s weight loss, he saw the similarities of how his own father looked toward the end.Gideon Kankam Nyarko with his late father, Ghanaian actor Bernard Nyarko who died this year of colon cancer. (Courtesy of Gideon Kankam Nyarko)He hopes both his father’s case and that of Boseman will create awareness of the need for early detection and better training in health services.Some organizations in Ghana have taken up this mantle.Cancer Support Network Ghana tries to get cancer survivors to speak out to encourage others to go for screenings, to ultimately lower fatality rates in Ghana, said oncology nurse Eric Brobbey.“People think that when you have this cancer you’re going to die, but there are people who have lived for many years, Brobbey said. “So, when they come out to share their stories, it encourages others to also seek treatment.”Ibrahim Rauf of the Zurak Cancer Foundation works to increase cancer awareness in low-income communities, in Accra, Ghana, Sept. 26, 2020. (Stacey Knott/VOA)Ibrahim Rauf from the Zurak Cancer Foundation focuses on low-income communities, advocating prevention, education and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.“The lifestyles that expose people to cancers kind of run through, regardless of which cancer you are referring to,” Rauf said. “So, we might not be heavily focused on colon cancer now, but then we believe the awareness we are creating is giving people the opportunities to adopt lifestyles that save them from it.”The ultimate hope is that more people will be aware of the signs and risks of cancers, including colon cancer, and that eventually all screenings, diagnoses and treatments will be funded by the government.
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