April 25 marks the global observance of World Malaria Day. Pakistan saw the world’s largest increase in malaria cases in 2022 following that year’s catastrophic flooding, according to the latest World Health Organization data. Experts say climate change was a factor. VOA’s Nazr Ul Islam’s visited a hospital in Islamabad and filed this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.
Camera: Nazr Ul Islam
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Russia blocks UN resolution on peaceful use of outer space
new york — Russia blocked a U.N. Security Council resolution Wednesday reaffirming the need to prevent a nuclear arms race in outer space.
The measure was proposed jointly by the United States, a nuclear power, and Japan, the only nation ever to be attacked with nuclear bombs.
“We have only begun to understand the catastrophic ramifications of a nuclear explosion in space,” said U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “How it could destroy thousands of satellites operated by countries and companies around the world — and wipe out the vital communications, scientific, meteorological, agricultural, commercial and national security services we all depend on.”
The failed text recalled the responsibility of states to comply with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which is the basic framework on international space law. It says outer space is to be shared among nations and shall be free of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction. The treaty also says the moon and other celestial bodies “shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes,” and astronauts shall be “regarded as the envoys of mankind.”
The proposed resolution also called on states “not to develop nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction specifically designed to be placed in orbit around the Earth, or to be installed on celestial bodies, or to be stationed in outer space in any other manner.”
Thomas-Greenfield noted that President Vladimir Putin has said publicly that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space.
“And so, today’s veto begs the question: Why? Why, if you are following the rules, would you not support a resolution that reaffirms them?” she asked. “What could you possibly be hiding? It’s baffling, and it’s a shame.”
Thomas-Greenfield just returned from Japan, where she visited Nagasaki, a city on which the United States dropped one of two atomic bombs at the end of World War II.
“It was a reminder of our profound responsibility to prevent the scourge of war and ensure that no place experiences the horror of nuclear weaponry ever again,” she said.
“Adopting this draft resolution would have been a positive and practical contribution to the promotion of the peaceful use and exploration of outer space,” said Japanese Ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki. “If adopted, we could have demonstrated our unity in reaffirming the principle of no placement of any weapons of mass destruction in outer space and in opposing the development of such capabilities.”
The proposed resolution, which had more than 60 co-sponsors, created no new international obligations, but reaffirmed existing ones. It was supported by 13 of the 15 council members. After failing to get an amendment added to it, Russia vetoed it and China abstained.
“Today, our council is once again being involved in a dirty spectacle prepared by the U.S. and Japan,” Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. “This is a cynical ploy. We are being tricked.”
He said Moscow wanted a text that would have gone further, banning weapons of any kind in outer space.
China’s new U.N. ambassador, Fu Cong, echoed that, saying the draft needed “other substantive elements.”
US concerns
In February, U.S. officials said Russia is developing a space-based weapon to attack satellites. They do not believe it would target people or cause destruction on Earth.
Analysts at the Washington-based Safe World Foundation think tank say on their website that Russia is most likely developing a system “that would use a nuclear explosion to create weapons effects, most likely an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), that would in turn disable or destroy satellites.”
There are thousands of satellites in space that run the gamut from sophisticated military purposes to running a car’s GPS or providing television programming.
Although the U.S. resolution was not adopted, Thomas-Greenfield said Washington would continue to pursue bilateral arms control discussions with Russia in good faith.
The U.S. also has concerns about China’s work in space, where officials say they are rapidly developing a range of counterspace weapons and using outer space to strengthen the capabilities of their military forces on Earth.
“Over the last six years they have tripled the number of intelligent surveillance and reconnaissance satellites in orbit, and they have used their space capabilities to improve the lethality, the precision and the range of their terrestrial forces,” said General Stephen Whiting, commander of the U.S. Space Command.
He spoke by phone to regional journalists Wednesday from Tokyo, where he is meeting with allies.
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Kenyan government threatens to halt salaries of striking doctors
Nairobi, Kenya — The Kenyan government is threatening to withhold the salaries and union remittances of striking doctors after failing to reach an agreement with doctors’ union.
“We will be asking our counsel to appeal to the court to review the orders that had been issued initially so that we are allowed to take the necessary action to ensure that Kenyans continue to enjoy health care services,” said Susan Nakhumicha, Kenya’s is cabinet secretary for health, after three days of negotiations.
Led by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, the doctors went on strike on March 15 to demand a commitment from the government to fulfill collective bargaining agreements signed in 2017. The work stoppage has paralyzed medical services in public hospitals across the country.
The government said it has addressed all issues raised by the medics — except for the salary of intern doctors — which union officials say is the deal breaker.
“We are not at any point going to support exploitation of workers, we are not at any point going to support wage-slavery,” said Davji Atellah, the secretary-general of KMPDU. “Because we know that our vulnerable members, the intern doctors, once they are touched, once they are exploited, the next step would be the doctors working in the hospital; the next step will be the consultants. If you violate a document that is legal, like collective bargaining agreement, the part of doctor interns, which part of it is safe?”
Lucianne Odiero, a final year medical student at the University of Nairobi, said the government’s move to reduce intern doctors’ salary is demoralizing.
“The 70,000 shillings does not reflect the significant investment and research that interns have put in in their training and practice,” said Odiero. “And that just goes to show that the government does not really value and does not prioritize health care in the country.”
Seventy thousand shillings equals about $520 per month.
The ongoing strike has severely disrupted health services in public hospitals. The situation has been compounded by a strike by clinical and laboratory workers.
The strikes haver left patients such as Conceptor Oginga in Nakuru County struggling to access care from expensive private hospitals, leading to worsening chronic illnesses and even death.
“The doctors’ strike is really bad because it has really affected a lot of people, especially people who are not able to support themselves financially,” said Oginga. “Like currently I’m sick and I’m unable to go to the hospital…the only thing I have managed to do is buy medicine over the counter.”
Oginga said her friend lost a baby during birth because of the walkout. She appealed to the government to end the stalemate.
“My message to the government is to just try to have a dialogue with the doctors so that they can have a common ground and they can go back to doing their job so that not so many people will be suffering the way they are suffering right now,” she said.
Kenya’s health sector, which medical experts say is underfunded and understaffed, has seen a number of strikes over the years. A previous walkout in 2017 lasted 100 days.
Patients such as Oginga said they hope a lasting solution is found soon.
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Popular Indian payment system faces restrictions due to China connections
Paytm, a popular payment app in India, faces government restrictions on business because of its Chinese connections, local media say. India is ramping up scrutiny and restrictions on other Chinese tech companies, too, amid concerns about security and geopolitics. Henry Wilkins has the story from Mumbai.
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Biden signs $95 billion foreign aid package
U.S. President Joe Biden signed legislation Wednesday providing $95 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan after months of tense negotiations in Congress. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports on what’s next.
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No longer a US priority, is Afghanistan a Central Asia problem now?
Washington — Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbors are holding out hope that America, based on its pledges at September’s C5+1 summit, will expand its role in this neighborhood. The wish list includes delivering more humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, facilitating the expansion of trade, and combating the threats of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.
Officials speaking with VOA suggest that more aid could be channeled into Afghanistan via Uzbekistan. Additionally, Washington could offer more military assistance to Central Asian states and tangibly support their regional connectivity initiatives.
While no country has formally announced diplomatic recognition of the Taliban government, Central Asian nations have been engaging with the Taliban based on mutual interests, such as security, trade, and water sharing. Uzbekistan, which has extensive political and economic ties with Kabul, has been urging the West and the larger international community not to isolate Afghanistan.
Nearly three years since the withdrawal of American forces, U.S. officials insist that they have not abandoned Afghanistan, pointing to ongoing efforts and consultations with Central Asian counterparts. However, they admit Washington’s priorities have shifted to other issues, such as Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“It will take the U.S. a decade or two to recover from the fact that we lost the war,” said David Sedney, a veteran diplomat and former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia. “It took us 20 years before we were able to engage in Vietnam in a productive way,” he told VOA.
Scott Worden, who heads the Afghanistan and Central Asia programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace, thinks that Central Asian governments overestimate Washington’s leverage.
“There are a lot of issues in the world that have to be addressed simultaneously,” he noted in an interview with VOA. “They [the U.S.] are balancing the leverage that they have against issues that are manageable and maybe achievable versus ones like women’s rights, which I think the administration cares strongly about.”
“It’s just a really tough situation,” Worden added. “In my view, you should not condition humanitarian assistance. Any economic sanctions wind up hurting the Afghans that we want to support. It’s a difficult balance, and so I don’t think there is any obvious additional tool or leverage that could be deployed that they’re withholding.”
Some Western nations including the United States, however, have filtered humanitarian aid programs through partner organizations that circumvent Taliban officials and deliver aid directly to Afghan civilians.
According to USAID, the U.S. supplied nearly $81 million in Afghan humanitarian aid in fiscal year 2024, and has supplied total funding for Afghanistan of “more than $2 billion since August 2021 … including more than $1.5 billion in [USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance] funding and nearly $550 million in [the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration] funding.”
“Provided through international partners on the ground,” says USAID, this assistance helps “meet the needs of the most vulnerable through food and cash support, nutrition, health care, protection for women and children, and agricultural inputs to support Afghans in meeting their immediate food needs.”
Like Sedney, Worden suggests being realistic. “There is ample opportunity for the U.S. and other international partners to talk to the Taliban when they want to.”
“This is all part of a very difficult global conversation,” he said.
But for Frederick Starr, chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, known for advocating closer ties with the region, Afghanistan is “utterly ignored right now.”
Starr emphasizes that this country is critical for regional integration and stability, two goals the U.S. has long vowed to support.
Sedney observes that “not many people want to talk about Afghanistan,” not just in Washington but in other Western capitals as well.
Speaking last week at the American Foreign Policy Council, these experts stressed that America’s two decades of involvement in Afghanistan left it with an obligation to go beyond the status quo.
Starr approves of the steps Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have taken with Afghanistan, particularly regarding commerce, energy supply and water resources.
Other observers, however, warn about tensions between the Taliban and Tajikistan, which officially supports the National Resistance Front, an armed alliance of anti-Taliban forces that is loyal to the previous regime and carries out guerrilla attacks in Afghanistan. Dushanbe continues to host the previous government’s ambassador.
Worden identifies several key interests and objectives for Washington, most of which align with those of the region. The first and most important objective is counterterrorism, ensuring that Afghan territory is never again used to launch attacks on the U.S. or its allies.
Others include negotiations on American hostages; the evacuation of Afghans that the U.S. promised to help following its withdrawal; women’s rights and other human rights; humanitarian assistance; and economic development.
Perhaps the most abstract interest, according to Worden, “is trying to maintain an international diplomatic consensus on the broad conditions and expectations that we have for the Taliban, which include in the endgame a more inclusive society that is not a threat to itself and for its neighbors as well as these U.S. interests.”
“It’s remarkable that no country in the world has recognized the Taliban,” he said, adding, however, that he sees a divergence between Western-allied emphasis on human rights and women’s rights and the neighboring countries’ economic and security concerns.
In Worden’s view, the U.S. is pursuing a policy of “quiet engagement” on humanitarian assistance and counterterrorism. At the same time, there is a firm position of non-recognition and not wanting to legitimize the Taliban.
“Can this dualism sustain over time?” asked Worden, who also sees a cleavage developing, where countries in the region will over time increase engagement with those in power in Afghanistan to achieve their economic and security interests. “Not that they like the Taliban, but they feel like talking to them is better than not.”
Regardless of who inhabits the White House next January, Worden doubts that U.S. attention toward Afghanistan will increase unless there is an “acute crisis.”
Republicans tend to “prefer coercion to engagement when you’re talking about regimes that we don’t have much in common with,” he said. “So yes, there is the wild card of potentially making a great deal, but I think the odds of support for armed opposition would increase.”
U.S.-based Afghan journalist Samy Mahdi, who runs Amu Television out of Virginia, points out that the Taliban enjoy close relations with America’s adversaries, such as Iran, Russia and China. He argues that U.S. assistance has brought about minimum results, and that the Taliban is as radical and dangerous as it was in the 1990s.
Mahdi recommends a full review of U.S. policy.
“More communication and transparency are needed on Afghanistan,” he said at the American Foreign Policy Council forum. “We don’t hear much from the U.S. administration about Afghanistan.”
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Amnesty International voices concern about repression, abuse in Zimbabwe
Harare, Zimbabwe — The annual report released Wednesday by Amnesty International paints a dismal picture of human rights repression and international rule-breaking worldwide, all in the midst of deepening global inequality and an escalating climate crisis.
In the report, Amnesty had a rare note of commendation for Zimbabwe, praising the government for enacting the Children’s Amendment Act of 2023, which criminalizes marriages of people under the age of 18.
But Lucia Masuka, head of Amnesty International in Zimbabwe, still had many critical things to say about President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government.
“We are mainly concerned with the issue of repression of dissent, which we noted, which was characterized by the severe restrictions in freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, particularly during the election period,” said Masuka. “We are also concerned with the cases that are lost after the (2023) elections, cases of abductions, torture and in some cases, you know, killings where the perpetrators are not apprehended or brought to account.”
Rights groups have harshly criticized Zimbabwe for human rights abuses for decades, going back at least to the early 2000s, when the government of then-President Robert Mugabe engaged in alleged election rigging and forced thousands of white commercial farmers off their land.
Farai Muroiwa Marapira, spokesman for the ruling ZANU-PF party, disputes Amnesty International’s conclusions about Zimbabwe, saying the agency releases its reports “not based on facts, not based on merit, but based on agendaism.
“We really do not have much respect for what they have to say, because they do not speak from a point of impartiality, they do not speak from a point of objectivity, and we cannot serve our people and our nation at the same time and attend to agendarists,” said Marapira. “So, they are free to say what they want as usual, we will tell them what to do of it.”
President Mnangagwa’s government has rejected all criticism of the way the 2023 elections were conducted, despite critical reports from organizations such as the Southern African Development Community.
In a presentation of Amnesty’s report, Deprose Muchena, a senior director in the rights group, touched on several other African crises.
Muchena noted that the conflict in Sudan has led to a major displacement internally. According to the United Nations, more than 9 million people have been internally displaced since April 2023, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world.
“Up to 1.8 million people are now refugees in neighboring countries, such as Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt,” said Muchena. “The catastrophic humanitarian crisis is now approaching famine proportions as many people watch.”
He also noted the chronic human rights crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where violence has forced millions of people from their homes, and the effects of conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. War broke out in the Tigray region in November 2020 between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the party that dominated the region. The war lasted two years.
“Survivors and victims of this war in Ethiopia have faced horrendous human rights violations and neglect by Ethiopian authorities despite their persistent calls for justice,” said Muchena. “After the guns were silenced in the Tigray region in 2022, two other armed conflicts in Oromia and Amara region continue to rage.”
Women in Ethiopia, he said, “continue to bear the ultimate brunt of this conflict in violation. In addition to conflict-related sexual violence faced by tens of thousands of women, we are seeing harmful practices such as abduction for marriage, which are putting Ethiopia at risk. Ethiopia remains another forgotten crisis.”
The report also warned that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence worldwide — and the disinformation that AI helps spread — could lead to further breakdowns in the international rule of law.
Some information for this report was provided by the Reuters news agency.
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Blinken looks to boost people-to-people ties during second visit to China
State Department — While Washington and Beijing are divided over a range of thorny issues, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his second visit to China this week focusing first on the importance of direct engagement. It is something, he says, that is essential for addressing key issues affecting people from both countries and the world.
People-to-people ties
In a relaxed setting Wednesday, amid efforts to strengthen people-to-people ties, Blinken attended a playoff game between the Chinese Basketball Association’s Shanghai Sharks and Zhejiang Golden Bulls.
Earlier, a crowd of people gathered to watch as the motorcade of the U.S. delegation left its hotel for a local eatery, the Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant. There were more onlookers who gathered when Blinken sat at a table in the restaurant’s gallery, which overlooks a courtyard.
Blinken said on social media that his “intensive face-to-face diplomacy” with officials from the People’s Republic of China is part of an “ongoing, direct engagement” that is “vital for making progress on issues that matter most to the American people and the world.”
In Beijing, Chinese officials said Blinken’s visit is part of the ongoing efforts of both nations to maintain dialogue, manage differences, promote cooperation, and enhance coordination in international affairs.
Potential sanctions on Chinese banks
The United States has warned China against its support for Russia in its war on Ukraine, as Chinese firms directly supply crucial components to Russia’s defense industry. This month, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven jointly called on China to cease transferring dual-use materials and weapons components aiding Russia’s military production.
A senior State Department official told VOA that the United States is “prepared to take steps” when necessary against Chinese firms that “severely undermine security in both Ukraine and Europe.” But he declined to give any details about those potential further U.S. sanctions.
What is clear is that the United States is considering sanctioning Chinese banks that facilitate the transfer of those materials.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said Washington stands ready to impose sanctions on Chinese banks and companies and Beijing’s leadership if they assist Russia’s military in its invasion of Ukraine.
Officials in China have dismissed Washington’s concerns.
“We firmly oppose the U.S.’s hypocritical moves of fanning the flames while deflecting the blame on China. China’s right to normal trade and economic cooperation with Russia and all other countries should not be violated. We will firmly safeguard our lawful rights and interests,” said Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a briefing this week.
Counternarcotics
China-based companies remain the largest source of precursor chemicals used to manufacture illicit fentanyl that affects the United States.
Immediately after U.S. President Joe Biden’s face-to-face talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Woodsides, California, in November, the Beijing government started to take action to curtail the flow of fentanyl precursors and equipment.
For the first time in nearly three years, China submitted information related to 145 incidents to the International Narcotics Control Board’s global IONICS database, which supports global law enforcement coordination efforts to disrupt illicit synthetic drug supply chains, according to the State Department.
While the initial Chinese actions were a positive step, Washington underscored the need for continued and sustained progress.
China can strengthen coordination with the U.S. and other international partners with law enforcement information sharing, regular contributions to international databases tracking synthetic drug threats, and monitoring emerging trends, said the U.S. State Department.
Level 3: Reconsider travel to China
Despite the increase of commercial flights between the United States and China, the U.S. government has advised Americans to reconsider travel to China due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans, and the risk of wrongful detentions.
The State Department also advised Americans to exercise increased caution when traveling to Hong Kong and Macao due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
A senior State Department official downplayed the possibility of immediately easing warnings by lowering the travel advisory from level 3 to level 2 for China.
“We’ll, of course, re-evaluate and, as appropriate, adjust. But really, this is a pretty rigorous process,” said the official during a recent briefing.
The senior official said Washington has raised concerns with Chinese counterparts regarding specific cases of detentions and exit bans, as well as the opaque and arbitrary application of certain national security laws.
To “ensure the safety and security of American citizens” traveling abroad is among the most important responsibilities of the U.S. government, said the official.
In Beijing, Chinese officials criticized the U.S. State Department’s travel warning, calling it “unwarranted” and the “stumbling block” in people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. They urged the U.S. to revise the advisory level “as soon as possible.”
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UN: Conflict, climate change driving hundreds of millions into hunger
Geneva — A new analysis of the state of global hunger finds conflict, climate change, and economic shocks are driving an increasing number of people into acute hunger, jeopardizing gains made over previous years in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development goal of ending hunger by 2030.
Published Wednesday, the 2024 Global Report on Food Crisis finds 281.6 million people, or 21.5% of populations analyzed in 2023, faced high levels of acute insecurity in 59 food-crisis countries and territories.
“When we talk about acute food insecurity, we are talking about hunger so severe that it poses an immediate threat to people’s livelihoods and lives,” said Dominique Burgeon, director of the Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, in Geneva.
“This is hunger that threatens to slide into famine and cause widespread death,” he said. “The report also tells us that 60% of children experiencing acute malnutrition live in the 10 countries facing the highest levels of acute food insecurity.”
Gaza
The report says, “Food crises escalated alarmingly in conflict hotspots” in 2023, notably in Gaza and Sudan. It says at the end of the year, the Gaza Strip became the severest food crisis in its reporting history.
“The situation in Gaza is extremely worrying. We all know that we are getting closer by the day to a famine situation,” said Gian Carlo Cirri, World Food Program director in Geneva.
“Malnutrition among children is spreading. We estimate 30% of children below the age of two are acutely malnourished or wasted [underweight for height] and 70% of the population in the North is facing catastrophic hunger.
“There is reasonable evidence that all three famine thresholds — food insecurity, malnutrition, and mortality — will be passed in the next six weeks,” he said, noting that people in Gaza cannot meet their most basic food needs, having exhausted all coping strategies and largely reduced to selling belongings to buy food.
“They are most of the time destitute and clearly some of them are dying of hunger,” he said, adding that “when we declare a famine, it is too late. We have already lost a huge number of people.”
Courtney Blake, senior humanitarian adviser for the U.S. Mission in Geneva, told journalists that senior government officials in Washington have clearly stated that more needs to be done to mitigate this situation.
“Israel needs to provide unimpeded access to both northern and southern Gaza in order to reverse the fast-paced deterioration of the food situation and prevent the loss of life due to starvation, acute malnutrition and disease outbreaks,” she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied people are starving in Gaza and has blamed Hamas for the lack of humanitarian aid entering the occupied territory.
Sudan
The FAO’s Burgeon said Sudan is facing a hunger crisis and requires immediate action to stop the rapid deterioration of the food security situation in the country.
“We have about 18 million people who are in acute food insecurity … and we have about 5 million people who are in IPC 4 [Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which means] one step away from famine, and nine out of 10 of these people … are in the current hotspots of Darfur, Kordofan, Al Jazirah, and Khartoum.
“What is very concerning for us is that the bulk of those people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods,” said Burgeon. “We are a couple of weeks away from the planting season; it is absolutely critical that wherever it will be possible to access people, we provide them with agriculture input on time so they can plant their fields.”
Children worldwide
Stefano Fedele, global nutrition cluster coordinator at UNICEF Geneva, notes 36.4 million children under age 5 in 32 countries in crisis are acutely malnourished and 9.8 million are severely acutely malnourished and in urgent need of treatment.
“These children are at increased risk of dying,” he said. “And even if they recover from malnutrition, they are likely to not meet their full cognitive or developmental potential, which obviously has a critical impact on the individual level, but also in terms of potential development of a country.”
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Modi accused of hate speech by opposition as India’s phased elections roll on
new delhi — India’s main opposition Congress Party has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “hate speech” following remarks at recent election rallies in which he said the rival party would favor the minority Muslim community if voted to power.
Modi’s controversial comments came amid hectic campaigning by political parties as India holds phased elections that began this month and continue until June 1.
Political analysts said the remarks by Modi, who is leading his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s bid to win a third term in power, are an effort to shore up support among his Hindu voter base.
The prime minister told a rally held in the northwestern state of Rajasthan on Sunday that if the opposition Congress Party is voted into power, it will gather “all your wealth and distribute it to those who have more children” and to “infiltrators.” The remarks were widely seen as a reference to Muslims.
Modi cited a two-decade old comment by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, from when the Congress Party led a coalition government, in which Singh had said that India’s lower castes, tribes, women and “in particular the Muslim community” deserved a share in the country’s development. Singh’s government had clarified that he was referring to all disadvantaged groups.
The remarks prompted an outcry from the Congress Party, which denied making any promise of taking away and redistributing wealth and said that the party’s manifesto only talks about equality and justice for all.
The party said the prime minister’s remarks were a “blatant and direct violation” of electoral laws, which ban canvassing on “caste” and “communal feelings.”
In a complaint to the Election Commission, the Congress Party called the comments “divisive and malicious” and said they were targeted at “a particular religious community.” It has petitioned the body that oversees India’s mammoth election, to act against Modi.
“What Modiji said was hate speech and also a well-thought-out ploy to divert attention,” Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X.
Several other opposition parties, which accuse Modi’s BJP of polarizing voters for electoral gains, have also joined the chorus of protest against the prime minister’s remarks.
Modi continued his attack on the Congress Party at election rallies this week, saying they wanted to implement reservations based on religion. That remark was a reference to a decades-long affirmative action program under which India sets aside quotas in government jobs and educational institutes for lower castes.
The BJP has defended the prime minister’s remarks. Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told reporters on Monday that he only “echoed the sentiment of every citizen of the country who believes in equality.”
On the campaign trail, Modi has sought votes largely on his pledge of making India a developed nation, expanding the economy and increasing welfare programs for the poor.
However, analysts say the prime minister’s comments represent a change in tactics as the party seeks to energize its cadres and voters from the Hindu majority community.
“It is communal politics and a concerted attempt to otherize minorities and Muslims in particular and instill a sense of insecurity among the majority Hindu community by pushing the opposition into the bracket of those who work for welfare of the minorities,” said political analyst Rasheed Kidwai. “And because the relationship between the majority Hindus and minority Muslims has a lot of historical baggage and there is a trust deficit, it is very easy to reap electoral dividends.”
In an editorial, the Indian Express newspaper called the prime minister’s speech “divisive that does grave disservice to his high office,” and said that Modi had framed “politics as a zero-sum game and communities as adversaries.”
The BJP’s Hindu nationalist agenda has won huge support for Modi and the party in the Hindu majority nation and opinion polls have predicted an easy victory for him.
During his 10 years in power. Modi has fulfilled some of the party’s Hindu-right agenda such as revoking Muslim majority Kashmir’s special status and enacting a citizenship law that grants nationality to Hindus and people of some other faiths fleeing neighboring countries but excludes Muslims.
Critics and opposition parties accuse Modi of undermining the country’s secular ethos and rights groups say that Muslims have been targeted during his decade-long rule. The BJP strongly denies the allegations. It points out that welfare programs such as free rations and aid to build houses and toilets include all communities and says that the government’s policies benefit all Indians equally.
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Pakistan and Iran see Afghanistan-based terror groups ‘serious threat’ to global security
Islamabad — Pakistan and Iran pledged Wednesday they would increase joint efforts against Afghanistan’s terrorism threat and urged Afghanistan’s hardline Taliban government to involve all Afghans in “basic decision-making.”
The two neighboring countries, which share long, porous borders with Afghanistan, made the promise in a joint statement released at the culmination of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s three-day visit to Pakistan.
Both Tehran and Islamabad complain that transnational militant groups have increased cross-border terrorist attacks from Afghan sanctuaries since the Taliban reclaimed power in Kabul in 2021.
“Noting that the existence of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan poses a serious threat to regional and global security, the two sides reaffirmed their willingness to enhance cooperation on counterterrorism and security and to develop a united front against terrorism,” the statement reads.
Islamabad alleges militants tied to the globally designated terrorist outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, are being sheltered on Afghan soil and even facilitated by the Taliban administration to conduct deadly cross-border attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians.
Iranian authorities have blamed an Afghan-based regional Islamic State affiliate known as Islamic State-Khorasan for recent high-profile terrorist attacks inside Iran.
In their joint statement, Pakistan and Iran again emphasized the need for the Taliban to rule their crisis-hit nation through a politically inclusive government.
“While respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, the two sides recognized that increasing participation of all strata of Afghans in basic decision-making will lead to the strengthening of peace and stability in this country,” the joint announcement noted Wednesday.
The Taliban deny allegations they shelter or allow foreign militants to operate and threaten neighboring countries from Afghan soil. The fundamentalist de facto rulers defend their leadership as an inclusive setup, and they reject calls for any reforms in it as interference in the domestic affairs of Afghanistan.
Pak-Iran pipeline
In meetings, Raisi and his delegation held with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other top officials, the two sides agreed to expand bilateral trade and economic ties and boost bilateral trade to $10 billion over the next five years.
The joint statement reiterated the importance of cooperation in the energy sector, including trade in electricity, power transmission lines, and the import of Iranian natural gas through a long-delayed pipeline project linking Pakistan and Iran, without sharing further details.
The United States has repeatedly warned Islamabad against joining the pipeline project with Tehran, citing sweeping sanctions on Iran’s energy sector over its nuclear program.
“We advise anyone considering business deals with Iran to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions,” said Vedant Patel, the U.S. State Department principal deputy spokesperson, on Tuesday. He was asked for comments on the deals Pakistan and Iran signed during Raisi’s trip.
Tehran claims it has completed constructing 1,100 kilometers of the pipeline on its side of the border and is waiting for Islamabad to build its part of the project. Pakistan has not started the work despite repeated public pledges, fearing it would trigger U.S. sanctions for importing Iranian gas.
Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to sue Islamabad in international arbitration and impose a penalty of around $18 billion for breach of contract.
“Pakistan must take a long-term view of this problem. While ties with the U.S. are important, should Pakistan seek American approval for all key economic and strategic decisions?” asked the prestigious English-language DAWN newspaper in a Wednesday editorial.
“Today, the U.S. does not want the Iran pipeline to proceed. Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the U.S. asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC or our defense cooperation with China, will we comply?” the editorial read.
The newspaper referred to the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, which has built Pakistani road networks, power plants, and other infrastructure with Chinese investment. The mega project is an extension of Beijing’s global Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure development program.
Middle East crisis
Raisi’s meetings with Pakistani leaders also focused on Iran’s military stand-off with Israel.
Tehran and Islamabad demanded through their Wednesday statement an “immediate and unconditional” cease-fire in Gaza and unimpeded humanitarian access to its besieged residents.
“Both sides expressed their strong and unequivocal condemnation of the ongoing Israeli regime’s aggression and atrocities against the Palestinian people, along with the inhumane blockade of Gaza that has resulted in widespread death and destruction, as well as displacement of millions of Palestinians,” the statement said.
Israel declared war on Gaza-based Hamas after the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and leading to the capture of about 250 hostages.
Hamas has been designated as a terror organization by the United States.
Inside Gaza, Israel’s counteroffensive has killed nearly 34,000 people, two-thirds of them women and children, Gaza health officials say Israel says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas fighters.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has no direct channels of communication with the Jewish state over the issue of Palestinian statehood.
On Wednesday, Pakistan and Iran also condemned Israel’s alleged April 1 attack on the Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus, calling it an “unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of Syria” and of international laws.
The two countries, in their joint statement, declared the attack as an “irresponsible act of the Israeli regime forces” and blamed it for “a major escalation in an already volatile region.” The suspected Israeli strike killed seven members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.
Tehran responded to the suspected Israeli strike by firing more than 300 drones and missiles directly at Israel more than a week ago, fueling concerns about a wider conflict in the Middle East.
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Facing repression in China, Muslims seek freedom in NYC
In a dramatic surge, U.S. border patrol authorities detained more than 24,000 Chinese citizens crossing the southern border in fiscal year 2023, a 12-fold increase from the previous year. Many come seeking asylum, and among those that do, a small group of China’s ethnic Hui Muslims stands out. Aron Ranen brings us the story from the Big Apple.
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Prabowo vows to fight for all Indonesians, calls for unity among political elites
JAKARTA — Indonesia president-elect Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday vowed to fight for all Indonesians and called for unity among political elites to take the country forward, as he seeks to strengthen his parliamentary clout ahead of taking office in October.
Speaking at a ceremony where he was being confirmed as the winner of the Feb. 14 election, Prabowo, who won by a huge margin, said he was talking to elites in the country and it was vital parties could get along together for the common good.
Prabowo, who was tacitly backed by popular incumbent Joko Widodo, is seeking to broaden his coalition in the new parliament and is in talks with parties who backed his election rivals.
“I will prove that I will fight for all Indonesians, including those who did not vote for me,” Prabowo said.
“If Indonesia wants to survive, becoming a prosperous country, all elites must work together. If we dare to leave our differences aside, let’s leave our feelings, let’s find our love for the country, let’s sacrifice together for our people.”
The confirmation comes two days after the Constitutional Court rejected challenges from both losing candidates seeking a re-run of the presidential election and the disqualification of Prabowo and his running mate, ending all election disputes.
In his speech, Prabowo vowed to end poverty and corruption, adding he intends to bring improvement to all Indonesians.
He also said a free press was vital in Indonesia, describing it as “the absolute requirement for democracy.”
Defense Minister’s Prabowo’s current alliance comprises 48% of seats in the parliament but his senior aides have said that he aims to expand his coalition to secure a majority of seats.
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Botswana rejects controversial UK proposal on asylum-seekers
Gaborone, Botswana — Botswana says it has rejected a proposal to accept asylum-seekers from the United Kingdom, an arrangement similar to the one Rwanda has agreed to.
The UK’s House of Lords on Monday passed a bill that will see migrants deported to Rwanda in a move condemned by human rights activists and the United Nations.
In Botswana this week, an umbrella of civil society organizations urged the government to reject proposals from the U.K. to send thousands of migrants to the African nation.
Botswana’s minister for foreign affairs, Lemogang Kwape, told VOA that U.K. officials had reached out, but authorities in Gaborone would not commit to “hosting people not knowing what the end game would be.”
Kutlwano Relontle, is the program manager for the Botswana coalition, the Universal Periodic Review NGO Working Group.
Relontle said the groups called on the government of Botswana “and other countries to distance themselves from this controversial U.K. program, which appears to be aimed at protecting only some of those who are fleeing their countries on the basis of fear of persecution, and not others.”
“We noted that in the case of the conflict in Ukraine, those seeking asylum were fast-tracked into the system, and citizens even encouraged to host them in their homes,” Relontle said.
Relontle said the group also wants the U.K. government to respect international conventions on the treatment of asylum-seekers.
Officials in the U.K. said they want to put an end to asylum-seekers arriving in small boats, mostly from Asia and Africa.
Jonathan Portes, a professor of economics and public policy in the U.K., said under the Rwanda arrangement, some deserving asylum-seekers will be turned away.
“There is a general view that the small boats crisis needs to be resolved, [as] that it is very dangerous and unacceptable for people to be arriving in such numbers across the channel, but that does not mean that the majority of the population want to send people, particularly people who would have a claim to refugee status, to Rwanda.”
Portes says it is not surprising that countries such as Botswana are turning down the controversial policy after it came under heavy criticism from the United Nations and activists.
“Frankly it will be highly unlikely for any other country to participate in this, both from a reputational and practical point of view,” Portes said. “I think frankly even the Rwandans, despite being offered really quite remarkably large sums of money by the U.K. government, are regretting or at the very least, having second thoughts about whether this policy is sensible.”
The policy was first initiated two years ago, but the U.K. Supreme Court ruled it unlawful, which halted deportation.
Following Monday’s passage of the bill, the U.K. is expected to start deporting asylum-seekers to Rwanda by mid-July.
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North Korea officials visit Iran in rare public trip
SEOUL, South Korea — A North Korean delegation led by the cabinet minister for international trade is visiting Iran, the North’s official media said on Wednesday in a rare public report of an exchange between the two countries believed to have secret military ties.
The minister for external economic relations, Yun Jong Ho, left Pyongyang on Tuesday by air leading a ministry delegation to visit Iran, the North’s KCNA news agency said. It gave no other details.
North Korea and Iran have long been suspected of cooperating on ballistic missile programs, possibly exchanging technical expertise and components for their manufacture.
Iran has provided ballistic missiles to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine, Reuters reported in February.
North Korea is also suspected of supplying Russia with missiles and artillery, although both countries have denied the allegation.
Yun has previously worked on the country’s ties with Syria, according to South Korean government database.
Yun has been active in the country’s increasing exchanges with Russia, earlier this month leading a delegation to visit Moscow, according to KCNA.
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Report of the Independent Task Force on the Application of National Security Memorandum-20 to Israel
The Independent Task Force on the Application of National Security Memorandum-20 to Israel submitted this report on April 18, 2024.
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US Senate passes bill to force TikTok divestment or ban
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate voted late Tuesday to send legislation to President Joe Biden that would require Chinese owner ByteDance to divest the popular short video app’s U.S. assets within about nine months or face a
Ban.
The measure, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday, has been driven by concerns that China could access Americans’ data or surveil them with the app and Biden has said he will sign it into law.
“For years we’ve allowed the Chinese Communist party to control one of the most popular apps in America that was dangerously shortsighted,” said Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee. “A new law is going to require its Chinese owner to sell the app. This is a good move for America.”
TikTok, which says it has not shared and would not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government, has argued the law amounts to a ban that would violate the U.S. free speech rights of its users.
The company did not immediately comment but over the weekend, it told its employees that it would quickly go to court to try to block the legislation.
“We’ll continue to fight, as this legislation is a clear violation of the First Amendment rights of the 170 million Americans on TikTok… This is the beginning, not the end of this long process,” TikTok told employees on Saturday in an email seen by Reuters.
The Senate voted 79 to 18 in favor of the bill.
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UN: Guns fueling rape of children, women in war zones
UNited Nations — Actor and U.N. Goodwill Ambassador Danai Gurira told diplomats Tuesday that finding a child to sexually abuse in a conflict zone can cost less than one dollar. She urged policymakers to curb the illicit flow of weapons as one way to prevent these crimes.
“Eighty cents. When was the last time you handled 80 cents?” the Zimbabwean American actor and playwright asked Security Council members.
“Paid for something that was all that it cost? It is not even enough to buy a packet of gum in this day and age, but it can buy you a child to rape at a so-called maison de tolérance in a camp for internally displaced people in Eastern DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo].”
The United Nations recorded 3,688 verified cases of rape, gang rape and abductions in conflict zones in 2023 — an increase of 50% over 2022. About 70% to 90% of such incidents involved small arms and light weapons. Nearly all the victims were women and girls. Many survivors of sexual violence do not come forward, so the U.N. says this is just a fraction of the real numbers.
“The actors committing sexual violence at such high rates in Sudan, the DRC, Ethiopia or Haiti are armed to the teeth, flagrantly violating arms embargoes,” an angry Gurira said. “We hear so much about disruptions to the global supply chain, but the weapons keep flowing.”
Women and young girls suffered from rape and sexual violence at the hands of at least 58 state and nonstate armed groups in 21 conflict areas around the world last year, Pramila Patten, the U.N. Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, told the council.
“We cannot condemn the perpetrators of sexual violence in our speeches while continuing to fund and arm them through our supply chains,” she said of the ease of access to weapons.
She said her office’s latest report highlights an “unprecedented level of lethal violence” used to silence rape survivors.
“In 2023, reports of rape victims being subsequently killed by their assailants surfaced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar, demonstrating the need to strengthen forensic capabilities, investigations and accountability processes that ensure the protection of victims and witnesses,” Patten said.
She said those who assisted survivors often suffered retaliation.
“Armed actors threatened health care workers in Sudan, and reprisals against human rights defenders were reported in South Sudan, the DRC and elsewhere,” Patten said.
Niemat Ahmadi, founder and president of the Darfur Women Action Group, told the council that the year-old war between rival generals in Sudan has unleashed devastating suffering on women.
“Women and girls have been raped multiple times, sometimes in front of their fathers, husbands and sons in an effort to break their will and destroy their dignity,” she said. “These women and girls have no protection, no access to humanitarian or medical assistance, and nowhere to turn for help.”
She said with health care in a state of collapse and humanitarian aid obstructed, it is very difficult for survivors to access reproductive health and other critical services.
“We hear that there are less than a dozen obstetricians and gynecologists left working in Khartoum,” Ahmadi said. “Further, the fear of retaliation for speaking up has made it impossible for many survivors to come forward.”
Fears are growing of a new battle in Sudan’s war, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly either close to El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur where their rival Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are positioned, or already inside its eastern and northeastern neighborhoods. More than 800,000 civilians are in the city.
After the council meeting, Ahmadi told VOA that if an attack happens, the result will be “devastating atrocities,” because the people have nowhere to escape.
“I hope that policymakers, member states of the Security Council, the United States government, will take a step to exercise pressure over the warring parties to stop the attack on El Fasher and stop the attack in Sudan and Darfur everywhere, so vulnerable people can receive humanitarian assistance,” she said.
In the early 2000s, Darfur saw large-scale ethnic violence, crimes against humanity and genocide when Arab “Janjaweed” militias targeted the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic African groups. The Janjaweed fighters are part of the RSF.
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Generative AI threatens voter confidence in what’s real
Artificial intelligence surrounds U.S. political life, from fundraising to campaign advertising. Some lawmakers are looking to better police the use of generative content in this year’s presidential election as they say it threatens voter confidence in what is real. VOA correspondent Scott Stearns reports.
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