US will give substantial aid to Lebanon, but declines to give a dollar figure, said Trump

New Jersey: U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. will give "substantial" aid to Lebanon, although he did not specify how much the United States would provide.

An emergency donor conference on Sunday for blast-stricken Lebanon raised pledges worth nearly 253 million euros ($298 million) for immediate humanitarian relief, the French presidency said. World powers promised not to fail the Lebanese people as the capital, Beirut, recovers from the massive explosion that killed 158 people and destroyed swathes of the city last Tuesday. Lebanon was already mired in political and financial crisis before the blast.

But foreign countries demanded transparency over how the aid is used, wary of writing blank checks to a government viewed by its own people as deeply corrupt. Some are concerned about the influence of Iran through the Shi'ite group Hezbollah. 

The explosion gutted entire neighborhoods, leaving 250,000 people homeless, razing businesses and destroying critical grain supplies. Rebuilding Beirut will likely run into the billions of dollars. Economists forecast the blast could wipe up to 25 percent off of the country's GDP.

Clashes in Bolivia as local groups break protester, opposing to delay in presidential election

Cochabamba, Bolivia: Clashes broke out in Cochabamba on Sunday as local groups sought to break road blockades set up by leftist groups protesting a delay in presidential elections.

Firing projectiles, the locals confronted members of the Bolivian Workers Center (COB) and other leftist groups that have set up road blockades across Bolivia in recent days opposing a delay to the country's presidential election as tensions mount over the vote that will decide the country's political future. The vote, a re-run of a fraught election last year that sparked violent protests leading to the downfall of long-term leftist leader Evo Morales, is a tussle between the country's socialist party and a fragmented conservative flank.

Morales, exerting his political influence from exile in Argentina, has called for the election to be held on Sept. 6 as previously planned. The electoral tribunal postponed the date because coronavirus infections are expected to peak in coming months.

The COB said the interim government led by presidential candidate Jeanine Añez had used the pandemic to extend power and persecute supporters of Morales' Movement for Socialism. Bolivia has recorded over 89,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with over 3,500 deaths.

Mahinda Rajapaksa takes oath as Sri Lankan Prime Minister after huge victory

Colombo: Sri Lanka's former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in on Sunday as the country's new prime minister at a historic Buddhist temple, days after his party won a landslide victory in the General Election.

The 74-year-old Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) leader was administered the oath of office for the ninth Parliament by his younger brother and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the sacred Rajamaha Viharaya in Kelaniya, a north Colombo suburb. Mahinda Rajapaksa completed 50 years of parliamentary politics in July this year. He was elected as a Member of Parliament at the young age of 24 in 1970. He has since been elected President twice and has been appointed Prime Minister thrice.

The SLPP, led by Mahinda Rajapaksa, registered a landslide victory in the August 5 general election, securing two-thirds majority in Parliament needed to amend the Constitution to further consolidate the powerful Rajapaksa family's grip on power. Mahinda Rajapaksa polled over 500,000 individual preference votes -- the highest ever recorded by a candidate in the history of elections.

The SLPP won in 145 constituencies, bagging a total of 150 seats with its allies, a two-thirds majority in the 225-member Parliament. The cabinet ministers, state and deputy ministers are expected to be sworn-in on Monday. The Rajapaksa family- including SLPP founder and its National Organiser 69-year-old Basil Rajapaksa, who is the younger brother of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 71, and Mahinda Rajapaksa- has dominated Sri Lankan politics for two decades. Mahinda Rajapaksa previously served as the president for nearly a decade from 2005 to 2015.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had won the November presidential election on the SLPP ticket. In the parliamentary election, he was seeking 150 seats mandatory to execute constitutional changes, including to repeal the 19th Amendment to the Constitution which had curbed the presidential powers while strengthening the role of Parliament. Activists, already alarmed by the diminishing space for dissent and criticism in the island nation, fear such a move could lead to authoritarianism.

The biggest casualty from the election outcome was the United National Party (UNP) of former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe which managed to win only one seat. The country's grand old party failed to win a single seat from any of the 22 districts. UNP leader and four-time prime minister Wikremesinghe was unseated for the first time since he entered Parliament in 1977.

US President Trump walks out of his press conference after reporter presses him on his false claim

Bedminster: US President Donald Trump has abruptly walked out of a press conference after a reporter fact-checked him on his dubious claim about signing a 'Veteran's Choice' bill.

Trump, speaking at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, had claimed again that he is the one who got the Veterans Choice program passed- adding, "They've been trying to get that passed for decades and decades and decades and no president's ever been able to do it, and we got it done." In fact, former President Barack Obama signed the Choice program into law in 2014. The law, which allowed eligible veterans to be covered by the government for care provided by doctors outside the VA system, was a bipartisan initiative spearheaded by two senators Trump has repeatedly criticized, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and the late John McCain of Arizona.

What Trump signed was a 2018 law, the VA MISSION Act, that modified and expanded the eligibility criteria from the Choice program. Rather than tout that bill, Trump has claimed over and over that he created Veterans Choice itself -- after others had failed for "50 years."

"Why do you keep saying that you passed Veterans Choice?" CBS News White House correspondent Paula Reid asked Trump at the Saturday news conference, during which Trump announced executive actions on coronavirus relief. As Trump tried to call on another reporter instead, Reid continued, "You said that you passed Veterans Choice. It was passed in 2014...it was a false statement, sir."

Trump paused, then responded: "OK. Thank you very much, everybody." He then walked away as the song "YMCA" played. Trump had either never or almost never been challenged on the Veterans Choice claim before Reid did so.

Russia supported China, Russian foreign ministry said- "US TikTok move unfair"

Russia: U.S. efforts to clamp down on popular short video-sharing app TikTok are an "egregious" example of unfair economic competition for U.S. dominance in the international information space, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Saturday.

"The actions of the U.S. authorities run counter to the basic principles of a free market economy and violate rules of the World Trade Organization," Zakharova said in a commentary posted on the foreign ministry's website. U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday issued an executive order banning any U.S. transactions with Chinese tech firm ByteDance, owner of TikTok, starting 45 days from then.

Washington has also threatened to ban TikTok's business in the United States if it is not sold to a U.S. company before Sept. 15.

These restrictions have violated a wide range of Washington's international obligations to ensure the free and wide distribution of information, the free choice of its sources, and to encourage cooperation in this area, Zakharova said.

She said that Moscow is calling on Washington to reconsider its methods to preserve the monopoly of U.S. IT giants in international social networks and ensure they meet generally accepted values and international legal norms.

"We hope that specialized international structures and human rights organizations will react appropriately and give an impartial assessment of these actions," she added.

Trump said will conference call with other leaders to support Lebanon on Sunday

Bedminster: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he will join a conference call with Lebanon's president and other world leaders on Sunday to discuss aid to Lebanon in the wake of this week's devastating Beirut port explosion.

Trump said he spoke separately with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and French President Emmanuel Macron, who also will join the call. He said he told Aoun that three large U.S. aircraft were en route to Lebanon to deliver medical supplies, food, water and medical personnel. An explosion in the Lebanese capital's port on Tuesday killed 154 people, injured 5,000 and destroyed a swathe of the city.

France and other countries have rushed emergency aid to Lebanon, including doctors, and tons of health equipment and food. The U.S. Agency for International Development on Friday said it would provide more than $15 million in assistance, including food aid for 50,00 people for three months. It said it had also asked the U.S. military to transport enough medical supplies and pharmaceuticals to support up to 60,000 people for three months.

Senior officials from across the Trump administration have been meeting to hammer out additional assistance, a senior administration source said, adding continued concern about the underlying governance issues plaguing Lebanon. On Thursday, Macron visited Beirut and assured angry crowds that aid to rebuild the city would not go to "corrupt hands". The cause of the blast is being investigated.

Initial Lebanese probes have pointed to an ammonium nitrate cargo, which was abandoned in Beirut, as the source of the blast. President Michel Aoun said on Friday that a Lebanese investigation into the blast would examine whether it was caused by a bomb or other external interference or if it was due to negligence or an accident. U.S. agencies are considering both the possibility that it was a total accident and the possibility that it was somehow deliberately triggered, intelligence sources said.

Zimbabwe Accused of Stiffling Press Freedom as Journalist Denied Bail Again

Harare, Zimbabwe: Rights groups in Zimbabwe have denounced the High Court denying bail to journalist Hopewell Chin'ono, who is facing charges of stoking violence in advance of planned anti-government protests.

Security forces thwarted the July 31 protests against corruption and poverty, arresting Chin’ono and an opposition leader.  South Africa is sending envoys to Zimbabwe to investigate reports of escalating rights abuses, which the government denies. Supporters of Chin’ono fear his continued detention is a way for authorities to silence critical reporting against corruption. “It’s a clear indication that Zimbabwean authorities are not prepared to have journalists who will expose government corruption and speaking truth to power," Robert Shivambu, Amnesty International’s spokesman in Southern Africa told. 

"The government of Zimbabwe should stop intimidating journalists like Hopewell Chin'ono and allow them to be able to do their job to expose corruption because this is good for the country, in fact, so that law enforcement agencies can be able to follow up what journalists like Hopewell are reporting - not criminalizing for exposing that.”

Zimbabwe’s High Court Thursday afternoon ruled against Chin’ono’s appeal for bail. He’s been detained for three weeks on charges of stoking violence ahead of a planned protest last week that security forces stopped before it could begin. Chin’ono is an outspoken critic of corruption, which the protest was to be against – along with the government’s handling of Zimbabwe’s imploding economy.  

Speaking to reporters after Chin’ono was denied bail, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights’ Beatrice Mtetwa said it was clear that authorities want to silence critical voices. “I think everybody knows what happens in Zimbabwe: those who say they are fighting for corruption are walking in the streets with their corrupt loot in the pocket and those saying you should be seen to be fighting corruption are getting more and more persecuted," she said.

Opposition politician Jacob Ngarivhume was arrested on the same charges as Chin’ono and also remains in prison. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe authorities have released a “wanted list” of activists, and more than a dozen have gone into hiding. Government spokesman Nick Mangwana rejected the idea that authorities are targeting activists or journalists.  

“There is a journalist who happens to be an activist, whose actions may cross the boundaries of the law.  They are not immune from prosecution, if they do that," he said.  "If they incite and there is a law against incitement, the fact that they are a journalist does not give them immunity from that prosecution.  That’s the difference.  So, every other journalist who goes doing their business there is no problem.  There is even no problem being an activist itself.  But within the contest of breaking the law, the law will take its course.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the current chairperson of the Africa Union, has appointed special envoys to Zimbabwe to investigate the accusations. Head of Human Rights Watch in Southern Africa Dewa Mavhinga says more is needed.

“We are calling for the Southern African Development Community and the African Union to urgently speak out on the abuses in Zimbabwe and urge President Mnangagwa to end repression and to promote human rights respect.  Human rights in Zimbabwe should be guaranteed and should be respected," Mavhinga said.

Critics accuse Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa of ruling the country with an iron fist, much like former President Robert Mugabe. After Mugabe was removed in a 2017 coup, Mnangagwa vowed Zimbabwe would no longer be the dictatorship of his predecessor. (courtesy-voanews)

Belarus: Media on police target, arrest DW correspondent Alexander Burakov before vote

Belarus: Freelance journalist Alexander Burakov, who reports from Belarus for DW's Russian-language service, was preparing to :celebrate his 46th birthday with his family on Thursday. Instead, he ended up in a temporary detention cell after being arrested twice by the police in his hometown, Mogilyov, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) east of the capital, Minsk.

Burakov was stopped by the police Wednesday evening on suspicion of "transporting counterfeit alcohol," he told the nongovernmental human rights center Viasna. After police inspected Burakov's car without finding anything, officers suggested that the vehicle, which he has owned since 2013, had been stolen and the car's identification number might have been faked. As a result, the journalist was taken to the local police station.


A few hours later, Burakov was released — only to be arrested again a few steps from the police station. Boris Vyrvich, the head of the local branch of the Belarusian Association of Journalists in Mogilyov, told DW that, according to witnesses, Burakov had argued with an unidentified woman in front of the police station and screamed out: "It's a provocation." After that, he was seized.

It was Burakov's second arrest in the past two months. He was previously seized on May 8 and sentenced to 10 days in a temporary detention facility. DW attempted to contact Burakov several times in vain on Thursday: His mobile phone had been switched off.

Burakov had expected that he would be detained. A few days before his arrest, he told DW that he was worried about possible efforts by the authorities to prevent independent journalists from covering the presidential election.


DW condemned Burakov's arrest and called on the authorities to ensure the freedom of press in Belarus. "The intimidation efforts against our correspondent Burakov demonstrate in all clarity the difficult situation for journalists in Belarus," Manuela Kasper-Claridge, DW's editor-in-chief, said in a statement released Thursday.

Burakov has become the latest reporter arrested in the government's clampdown on journalists and bloggers. Rights observers contacted by DW said the targeting of journalists was closely connected to Sunday's presidential election.

"Journalists are being prosecuted, hindered from their work and even arrested," Kasper-Claridge said. "This is not acceptable and is to be condemned in the strongest terms. I appeal to the officials in Belarus to finally pay attention to press freedom and let journalists work unhindered."


The Belarusian Association of Journalists has counted more than 100 cases of prosecution of members of the press across the country since January. Eighty percent of them happened after the start of the presidential campaign in early May, association head Andrey Bastunets told reporters on Thursday. He said authorities clearly wanted to prevent independent observers and journalists from covering the election.

The international media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders called on authorities in Belarus to ensure that independent coverage would remain permitted, and to address the persecution of journalists by the police. Foreign journalists have also been prevented from working freely, the group reports, "at the order of President Alexander Lukashenko." (courtesy:dw)

Guinea's President Conde to stand for controversial third term

Conakry: Guinea's ruling Rassemblement du Peuple de Guinee (RPG) party on Thursday nominated President Alpha Conde to run for a third term in October's presidential election despite months of protests.

The nomination was announced at a two-day national convention at which Conde was due to speak. The 81-year-old leader won a 2010 election in the country's first democratic transition of power and following political instability after a 2008 military coup. His victory raised hopes for democratic progress after two years of military rule and nearly a quarter of a century of the authoritarian leadership of President Lansana Conte who died in 2008.

But his tenure has been marred by a series of protests against the government and corruption and the prospect of him staying longer in office led to months of sometimes violent demonstrations. More than half the population lives under the poverty line with 20% in extreme poverty despite being a country rich in natural resources. 

Guinea has the world's largest bauxite reserves plus iron, gold, diamonds and oil.The former French colony still has strong ties with France but has recently deepened relations with China which has interests in Guinea's mining sector. In 2017 China agreed to loan Guinea 20 billion US dollars in exchange for concessions on bauxite. 

China is also building the 450 megawatt Souapiti dam which should significantly increase access to electricity in Guinea but which critics have said will force an estimated 16,000 people from their homes. Conde, who as an opposition leader was sentenced to death in absentia under one president and imprisoned under another, was expected to also confirm the election date of October 18 at the convention. 

His first election victory was contested by the opposition. Then in 2013 there was a wave of protests over delayed legislative elections that were due to be held in 2011 and were meant to bring the country under full civilian rule. Violent protests over elections, the constitution, bad governance and poor wages have been frequent throughout Conde's leadership.

Opposition floods Belarus capital as president hits out at foreign 'dirty tricks'

Minsk, Belarus: Thousands of opposition supporters clapped, cheered and chanted at a rally in Minsk on Thursday evening, defying a crackdown by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko's government ahead of a presidential election this weekend.

Lukashenko, a 65-year-old former Soviet collective farm manager, is facing the biggest challenge in years to his rule and accuses protesters of being in cahoots with foreign backers to destabilize the country. Protests have swelled in support of his main challenger Svetlana Tikhanouskaya, a former English teacher who launched her bid after her husband, who planned to run, was jailed. Her campaign was forbidden from staging a planned rally on Thursday evening, so her supporters gathered at a government-sanctioned outdoor concert at a separate venue.

Riot police arrested DJs after they played a song called "Changes" favored by the opposition. "This is an amazing atmosphere, amazing people, I want to be with them. And I want changes," said Irina, a 47-year-old teacher who gave only her first name. Lukashenko earlier announced that a number of U.S. nationals had been detained but did not say when or why.

Belarus has sought to mend fences with Washington as ties fray with traditional ally Moscow, and in February hosted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the most senior U.S. official to visit in more than two decades. "Some people were detained with American passports, married to Americans, working in the State Department," the Belta news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying.

The U.S. embassy in the capital Minsk did not reply to a request for comment. Belarus and Russia also traded barbs again over a group of suspected Russian mercenaries who were detained in Belarus in July and accused of plotting to foment unrest. 

Russia has said the men were employees of a private security firm and were passing through Belarus on their way to Latin America. Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman said the men should be returned to Russia. Lukashenko said they had broken the law. "A hybrid war is going on against Belarus and we should expect dirty tricks from any side," he said.