| Typhoon barrels into N. Korea after causing damage in South Posted: 26 Aug 2020 05:32 PM PDT  A typhoon that grazed South Korea, ripping off roofs and knocking out power to more than 1,600 households, made landfall in North Korea early Thursday. Packing maximum winds of 133 kilometers (83 miles) per hour, Typhoon Bavi was barreling north and just 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, after passing over a western coastal region known for fishing and other industries, South Korea's weather agency said.
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| Red Cross chief: cyber attacks increasing on hospitals Posted: 26 Aug 2020 04:49 PM PDT |
| Global Rear-View Mirror Industry Posted: 26 Aug 2020 03:59 PM PDT |
| UN envoy: Pandemic increased poverty in Iraq by over 10% Posted: 26 Aug 2020 03:05 PM PDT |
| Global Respiratory Diagnostics Industry Posted: 26 Aug 2020 02:59 PM PDT |
| EU trade commissioner resigns after Covid-19 breach claims Posted: 26 Aug 2020 02:41 PM PDT  EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan, a key figure in Brexit talks and one of the bloc's most senior officials, resigned on Wednesday, after a week of pressure over a breach of coronavirus guidelines.
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| Damage from whopper hurricanes rising for many reasons Posted: 26 Aug 2020 02:36 PM PDT  A destructive storm is rising from warm waters. America and the world are getting more frequent and bigger multibillion dollar tropical catastrophes like Hurricane Laura, which is menacing the U.S. Gulf Coast, because of a combination of increased coastal development, natural climate cycles, reductions in air pollution and man-made climate change, experts say. It's a mess at least partially of our own making, said Susan Cutter, director of the Hazards and Vulnerability Institute at the University of South Carolina.
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| Hamas extends Gaza lockdown for 72 hours as virus spreads Posted: 26 Aug 2020 02:26 PM PDT  Gaza's Hamas rulers on Wednesday extended a full lockdown in the Palestinian enclave for three more days as coronavirus cases climbed following the detection this week of the first community transmissions of the virus in the densely populated, blockaded territory. The Health Ministry reported three deaths and at least 22 infections among Gaza's population of 2 million people since Monday, raising fears of a wider outbreak that could overwhelm a health system already battered by years of Israeli-Egyptian blockade, repeated conflicts with Israel and internal Palestinian political division. The militant Hamas group, which seized Gaza by force from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in 2007, had imposed a curfew across the Gaza Strip for 48 hours on Monday.
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| US alleges Russian armoured car rammed American vehicle, injuring soldiers Posted: 26 Aug 2020 02:22 PM PDT  White House said alleged move was 'unprofessional' when patrols from two countries' militaries confronted each other in SyriaThe US has alleged a Russian armoured car rammed a US military vehicle, injuring American soldiers, in what the White House called "unsafe and unprofessional" behaviour when patrols from the two countries' militaries confronted each other in north-eastern Syria.According to the US national security council (NSC), the incident took place on Tuesday morning near a location it described as "Dayrick", a possible reference to Derik, near the Turkish and Iraqi borders."During this interaction, a Russian vehicle struck a Coalition mine-resistant ambush protected all-terrain vehicle (M-ATV) causing injuries to the vehicle's crew," NSC spokesman John Ullyot said."To de-escalate the situation, the Coalition patrol departed the area. Unsafe and unprofessional actions like this represent a breach of de-confliction protocols, committed to by the United States and Russia in December 2019."According to Politico, which first reported the incident, citing a draft military statement, four American soldiers were diagnosed with mild concussion.National Public Radio said six US soldiers had suffered mild concussion but none had been medevacked.NPR said Russian interference with US convoys had been increasing for months with no public statements from the US military.Video of the purported incident on the Russian website RusVesna.su shows a Russian vehicle advancing along a road and the open field alongside it before two US mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles approach them from the other direction. A Russian and US vehicle appear to collide, though it is not clear from the video who is to blame. In another video, two Russian helicopters can be seen hovering low over the scene.Russians troops have been patrolling the area following an agreement with Turkey in November. US troops who were fighting alongside Kurdish forces against the Islamic State were ordered to leave by Donald Trump in October, but he later declared he had allowed some soldiers to remain to guard oil installations in the region. Since then a Delaware-based company, Delta Crescent Energy, agreed with Kurdish authorities in the area to rehabilitate the local oilfields."The Coalition and the United States do not seek escalation with any national military forces, but US forces always retain the inherent right and obligation to defend themselves from hostile acts," Ullyot said in his statement.As US troops pulled out of US bases near the Turkish border, Russian troops moved in and now control a US-built airstrip in the region.Brett McGurk, the former US special envoy to the anti-Isis coalition, said on Twitter: "These incidents have been ongoing for months. Trump has apparently never raised the issue in multiple calls with Putin. He leaves our troops to fend for themselves."Gil Barndollar, a senior fellow at the Center for Defense Priorities, said: "This incident underscores the dangers continually confronting US troops in Syria, who are armed bystanders in the midst of a civil war. Playing bumper cars with Russians in the Levant serves no vital US national interest. As in numerous past incidents, America was lucky not to lose a soldier in a wholly unnecessary confrontation."In February, one man was killed in an exchange of fire after a US armoured convoy approached a checkpoint manned by Syrian forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad. A Syria man was killed in the incident, in which Russian forces became involved when they arrived in an apparent effort to mediate.
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| Editorial Roundup: US Posted: 26 Aug 2020 02:18 PM PDT |
| Iran Agrees to Allow Access to Suspected Nuclear Sites Posted: 26 Aug 2020 01:11 PM PDT  The UN's nuclear watchdog says Iran has agreed to let investigators into two suspected nuclear sites. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday Iran is voluntarily allowing access to the sites — which were allegedly used to store or use undeclared nuclear material. The head of Iran's nuclear agency said the inspections will bring the months-long case between the two sides to an end.
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| Iran Agrees To Allow Access To Suspected Nuclear Sites Posted: 26 Aug 2020 01:11 PM PDT The UN's nuclear watchdog says Iran has agreed to let investigators into two suspected nuclear sites. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday Iran is voluntarily allowing access to the sites — which were allegedly used to store or use undeclared nuclear material. The head of Iran's nuclear agency said the inspections will bring the months-long case between the two sides to an end.
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| Foreign governments are trying to hack the election, but states are better defended, officials say Posted: 26 Aug 2020 01:01 PM PDT  The attempts of foreign governments and others to hack into U.S. election systems have been mostly unsuccessful so far this voting season because states have better defenses and the federal government is sharing threat intelligence more widely, election security officials said Wednesday. U.S. intelligence officials say Russia, China and Iran remain the most active in trying to interfere with US elections, partly by hacking, but also through attempts to influence public opinion through social media. China and Iran prefer to see President Donald Trump defeated, while Russia seeks to denigrate Joe Biden, according to a recent assessment by the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.
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| US officials: No signs of foreign targeting of mail-in vote Posted: 26 Aug 2020 01:00 PM PDT  U.S. officials said Wednesday there has been no intelligence to suggest that foreign countries are working to undermine mail-in voting and no signs of any coordinated effort to commit widespread fraud through the vote-by-mail process, despite numerous claims made by President Donald Trump in recent months. The officials at multiple federal agencies stopped short of directly contradicting Trump, but their comments made it clear they had not seen evidence to support the president's statements that voter fraud will be rampant in the upcoming election and that the expected surge in mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic leaves November's presidential election especially vulnerable to foreign interference.
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| Global Sample Preparation Industry Posted: 26 Aug 2020 12:59 PM PDT |
| Egypt to prosecute some 54 million who boycotted Senate vote Posted: 26 Aug 2020 12:57 PM PDT  Egypt's election commission said Wednesday it would refer to prosecutors about 54 million people who did not vote in elections earlier this month for two-thirds of the Senate, the upper and mainly powerless chamber of the country's Parliament. The development is unlikely to lead to actual trials as Egypt's judiciary does not have the financial means needed to prosecute such a large majority of the voters. Lasheen Ibrahim, the commission's chairman, had vowed to enforce a law penalizing any boycotter with a fine of up to 500 Egyptian pounds ($32).
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| Laura gains strength, could bring 'unsurvivable' storm surge Posted: 26 Aug 2020 12:48 PM PDT  Laura strengthened Wednesday into a menacing Category 4 hurricane, raising fears of a 20-foot storm surge that forecasters said would be "unsurvivable" and capable of sinking entire communities. Authorities implored coastal residents of Texas and Louisiana to evacuate and worried that not enough had fled by the time winds began picking up. The storm grew nearly 87% in power in just 24 hours to a size the National Hurricane Center called "extremely dangerous."
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| DOJ seeks data on care home deaths in 4 Democrat-led states Posted: 26 Aug 2020 12:34 PM PDT  The Justice Department on Wednesday sent letters to the governors of New York and three other Democratic-led states, seeking data on whether they violated federal law by ordering public nursing homes to accept recovering COVID-19 patients from hospitals — actions that have been criticized for potentially fueling the spread of the virus. Prosecutors said the fact-finding letters also sent to New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan were aimed at determining whether the orders "may have resulted in the deaths of thousands of elderly nursing home residents." "We must ensure they are adequately cared for with dignity and respect and not unnecessarily put at risk," Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Division Eric Dreiband said.
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| Global Security Paper Industry Posted: 26 Aug 2020 12:19 PM PDT |
| Ex-Minnesota college student pleads guilty in terror case Posted: 26 Aug 2020 12:11 PM PDT |
| AP PHOTOS: Unrest grips Wisconsin city after police shooting Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:33 AM PDT  Unrest has gripped Kenosha for three nights after Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot by police in the southeastern Wisconsin city. Protesters, who have taken to the streets each night since Sunday, have repeatedly clashed with law enforcement in Kenosha, throwing bottles and shooting fireworks at officers. On Wednesday, following the violence of the night before, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers authorized 500 National Guard members to support local law enforcement around Kenosha, doubling the number of troops sent in.
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| The Latest: Meteorologist says storm may become Category 5 Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:30 AM PDT  A meteorologist in western Louisiana said there are increasing signs Hurricane Laura could reach Category 5 strength. "There's been a lot of question about whether this storm would make it to Category 5 strength before landfall -- I think that is becoming increasingly likely," said meteorologist Donald Jones, of the National Weather Service's regional office that covers parts of the Louisiana and Texas coastlines that are in the bullseye of Laura's path.
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| Testing traps to control lovely but destructive lionfish Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:21 AM PDT  The quest is on for a better way to kill beautiful but brutally destructive lionfish than shooting them one by one with spearguns. One is a lobster trap with an entry too skinny for legal lobsters. "We don't think we'll ever eliminate them but if we can get them under control maybe we can get our ecosystem back," said Thomas R. Matthews, research administrator for Florida's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
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| Global Shelf-life Testing Industry Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:19 AM PDT |
| Germany scraps plans for Brexit talks at EU ambassadors summit- The Guardian Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:18 AM PDT |
| North Korean hackers ramp up bank heists: U.S. government cyber alert Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:11 AM PDT  A technical cybersecurity alert jointly written by four different federal agencies, including the Treasury Department and FBI, said there had been a resurgence in financially motivated hacking efforts by the North Korean regime this year after a lull in activity. "Since February 2020, North Korea has resumed targeting banks in multiple countries to initiate fraudulent international money transfers and ATM cash outs," the warning reads. U.S. law enforcement titled the hacking campaign "Fast Cash" and blamed North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau, a spy agency, for it.
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| U.N. Security Council Dismisses Iran Snapback Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:06 AM PDT  The United Nations Security Council is dismissing the United States' push to restore all U.N. sanctions on Iran. Thirteen council members have voiced opposition to the U.S.'s move. "Let me just make it really really clear: The Trump Administration has no fear in standing in limited company on this matter in light of the unmistakable truth guiding our actions," said Craft.
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| U.N. Security Council Dismisses Iran Snapback Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:06 AM PDT The United Nations Security Council is dismissing the United States' push to restore all U.N. sanctions on Iran. Thirteen council members have voiced opposition to the U.S.'s move. "Let me just make it really really clear: The Trump Administration has no fear in standing in limited company on this matter in light of the unmistakable truth guiding our actions," said Craft.
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| North Korean hackers ramp up bank heists -U.S. government cyber alert Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:02 AM PDT |
| Air bridge between London and New York possible with top level talks held Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:02 AM PDT  An "air bridge" between London and New York to enable travellers to sidestep quarantine is being discussed in top-level UK-US Government talks, The Telegraph understands. Ministers are studying plans for regional "air bridges" which would enable business and other travellers to come to the UK from "low-risk" areas like New York city within countries like the US which are "red listed" because of their continued overall high coronavirus rates. New York, which introduced one of the toughest lockdowns, has brought its seven-day infection rate down to just 7.2 cases per 100,000, which is below England's 11.3 yet remains "red listed" forcing any American visitors to the UK to automatically quarantine for 14 days. "There are discussions going on at a very senior level around opening up London and New York. They are at a very early stage but it is vital to get business going with a major trading partner especially as we near Brexit," said a source. Last week Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, confirmed ministers were examining the possibility of "regional travel corridors" which could allow quarantine-free flights from "low risk" areas within countries with high coronavirus rates.
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| Global Shotcrete/Sprayed Concrete Industry Posted: 26 Aug 2020 10:59 AM PDT |
| Vehicle collision with Russians injures 4 US troops in Syria Posted: 26 Aug 2020 10:27 AM PDT  In the most violent skirmish in months between U.S. and Russian forces in Syria, a vehicle collision in the eastern part of the war-torn country left American troops with concussions, U.S. officials said Wednesday. One official said Russian vehicles sideswiped an light-armored U.S. military vehicle, injuring four Americans. National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement that a Russian vehicle struck the American vehicle near Dayrick, in northeast Syria.
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| The global market for Audible & Visual Signaling Devices is projected to reach US$1.9 billion by 2025 Posted: 26 Aug 2020 10:19 AM PDT |
| Global Silage Inoculants & Enzymes Industry Posted: 26 Aug 2020 09:59 AM PDT |
| Mauritius: Anger and questions as 17 dead dolphins wash ashore Posted: 26 Aug 2020 09:50 AM PDT  The discovery of 17 of the mammals raises questions and causes sadness and anger among locals.
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| Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award recipients announced Posted: 26 Aug 2020 09:50 AM PDT  2020 Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence Recipients (Individual photos of recipients can be found at: https://www.highquestgroup.com/post/women-in-agribusiness-demeter-award-recipients-announcedBOSTON, Aug. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Three women have been recognized with the Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence for their outstanding achievements in ag. They are: Priscila Vansetti Machado of Corteva Agriscience, Ponsi Trivisvavet of Inari and Amy Wu of From Farms to Incubators. Each recipient will be recognized at the 9th annual Women in Agribusiness (WIA) Summit, which will be held virtually this year on September 16-18."We have a saying here at Women in Agribusiness, and it's 'lift while you climb'," said Joy O'Shaughnessy, WIA event director and chief operating officer for HighQuest Group, the company that hosts the WIA Summit. "And these three women embody this philosophy, not to mention excel at our goal of building a growing community of trailblazers. We are delighted to recognize them with the Demeter Award of Excellence for their dedication, team-spirit and incredible accomplishments."The annual award, so named for Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture, showcases women who have achieved excellence in their field and/or who have exhibited an outstanding contribution to the agribusiness industry, along with demonstrating a positive impact on her clients, her company, her colleagues or the agribusiness sector as a whole. Ponsi Trivisvavet CEO of Inari AgriculturePonsi Trivisvavet is CEO for Inari Agriculture, a company that uses gene-editing technologies and data science to develop next-generation seeds that reduce the environmental footprint of farming.A lifetime of international travel had Trivisvavet witness hunger and starvation on several continents, which instilled a devotion in her to improve agriculture through science and technology. Armed with an MBA from Cornell, she went on to become one of the few female executives in the agtech field – from working at McKinsey to being president of Syngenta Seeds North America. "In a male-dominated field of ranch hands and tractor drivers, I became one of the few females who had not only joined the cause for creating a sustainable food system, but who was also changing the dynamics of agriculture and science, particularly in leadership positions," said Trivisvavet."I'm proud to say that at Inari, 50 percent of our employees, including those in leadership positions, are women. We have a diverse, international team of industry experts and young innovators who have developed the Inari solution, which will cut plant breeding time by two-thirds – sometimes 10 to 15 years – and reduce costs by as much as 90 percent!"Attendees to the WIA Summit will have the opportunity to hear Trivisvavet speak when she joins the Executive Profiles panel on September 17.Priscila Vansetti Machado Corteva AgrisciencePriscila Vansetti Machado is director of global strategy and business development for Corteva Agriscience's more than $6 billion crop protection business. During her decades-long career, Vansetti Machado has blazed a trail of "firsts": the first woman to hold the title of valedictorian of her class at Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil where she obtained an agriculture engineering degree; the first female scientist hired by Dupont in its agriculture business, and the first female business director at its Latin American operations, and ultimately the first female president of DuPont do Brasil; and in her current position, Vansetti Machado is the first woman to lead the cross-functional, executive level Corporate Strategy Steering Team.Most importantly, Vansetti Machado has remained strong in her passion for people development and diversity and inclusion, advocating for the advancement of women, minorities and the Latin community, and leading teams to develop a hiring framework to ensure unbiased and equitable development of candidate pools. She also established a formal mentorship and advancement program for women leaders across the globe, establishing – at DuPont – the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan for the company's global agriculture business. And during her time in Brazil, Vansetti Machado formed several employee empowerment networks including Women's Leadership, Young Talent, LGBT & Allies, People with Disability & Allies, and Afro Networks. She currently sponsors the Indianapolis chapter of the Corteva Latin Network of employees to foster education, advancement and outreach.Rajan Gajaria, executive VP of Global Business Platforms who nominated Vansetti Machado for the award, said of her, "Each day she demonstrates success while maintaining a positive attitude and an unsurpassed motivation to support others. She brings people of diverse backgrounds together, soliciting their input, and ensuring they feel valued, included, motivated and inspired to deliver." Amy Wu Journalist & Founder of From Farms to Incubators Amy Wu, an award-winning writer for the women's ag and agtech movement, is founder and chief content director of From Farms to Incubators, a multimedia platform that uses documentary, video, photography and the written word to tell the stories of women leaders and innovators in agtech. After decades of reporting on business for outlets such as the USA Today Network and Time magazine, and contributing to The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, an assignment brought Wu to report on agriculture in Salinas, Calif., where she was inspired by the women who were steadily introducing their technological savvy to the deeply male, $9 billion agriculture industry in Salinas Valley. Wu became a fierce advocate for their success, penning the upcoming book From Farms to Incubators: Telling the Stories of Women Innovators in Agtech, and creating a 27-minute film that documents the stories of some of these women (From Farms to Incubators: Telling the Stories of Minority Women Entrepreneurs in the Salinas Valley and Beyond), which has been chosen to screen at the 2020 United Nations Association Film Festival this October, and will be shown at the WIA Summit.Said Wu, "There's the hope that by documenting these women's stories, struggles, and successes, it will inspire and encourage the next generation of young people — especially women — to understand that agriculture is much more than tractors and overalls. It's research, data, science, and marketing. It's AI, drones, blockchain, sensors, and vertical farming." Learn more about the Demeter Award and the Women in Agribusiness Summit – which has fostered an international community of women who are passionate about agribusiness and sharing industry knowledge year-round to help professional women know their business better– at womeninag.com, and follow us @Womeninagri, (WIAS20), like us on Facebook, or join our Linkedin Group. About Women in AgribusinessWomen in Agribusiness is a business unit of HighQuest Group, a global agribusiness consulting, events and media firm. The Women in Agribusiness initiative took root in 2012, with the first conference held in Minneapolis. WIA initiatives have grown to include the WIA Membership, WIA Demeter Award of Excellence, Student Scholarships, and the WIA Today blog. Learn more at womeninag.com. Attachment * DemeterRecipients2020(3) CONTACT: Michelle Pelletier Marshall HighQuest Group 9787900565 PR@highquestgroup.com
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| New federal virus testing advice sparks criticism, confusion Posted: 26 Aug 2020 09:42 AM PDT  U.S. health officials sparked criticism and confusion after posting guidelines on coronavirus testing from the White House task force that run counter to what scientists say is necessary to control the pandemic. It was posted earlier this week on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC previously had advised local health departments to test people who have been within 6 feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes.
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| 14 Secrets from Countries with the Lowest Heart Disease Rates Posted: 26 Aug 2020 09:25 AM PDT |
| Iran allows UN access to alleged nuclear sites Posted: 26 Aug 2020 08:45 AM PDT  Iran agreed Wednesday to allow a UN watchdog the access it has requested to two alleged nuclear sites, as the head of the agency ended his first visit to Tehran.
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| Rights group urges release of abducted Libyan protesters Posted: 26 Aug 2020 08:25 AM PDT  Amnesty International on Wednesday urged for the release of at least six protesters abducted when armed men, apparently allied with Libya's U.N.-supported government, fired live ammunition to disperse a demonstration in the capital. The incident took place on Sunday when protesters rallied in Tripoli and elsewhere in western Libya against deteriorating economic conditions and corruption. Amnesty said armed men in military uniform opened fire on the crowd without warning, using AK-style rifles and truck-mounted guns.
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| Israeli police say Palestinian has stabbed Israeli to death Posted: 26 Aug 2020 08:14 AM PDT |
| Afghanistan's peace process is stalled. Can the Taliban be trusted to hold up their end of the deal? Posted: 26 Aug 2020 07:50 AM PDT  Five months after the United States signed an historic accord with the Taliban – the Islamic militant group that sheltered al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks – Afghanistan's peace process is faltering.Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban were a condition of the U.S.-Taliban deal, which ended America's deadly and costly 19-year war there but did not resolve the Taliban's organized military campaign to unseat the Afghan government and rule the country under strict Islamic law. The two sides are supposed to debate a comprehensive ceasefire and discuss what the Taliban's role in governing Afghanistan should be, among other topics.Talks were originally expected to begin in Doha, Qatar, in March. But the Taliban's continued attacks on Afghan forces made that impossible. After a brief ceasefire and the release of 5,000 Taliban detainees from Afghan prisons, talks were rescheduled for Aug. 17. But then the Afghan government refused to release its last 320 Taliban prisoners unless the Taliban released more Afghan soldiers from its prisons. The delayed talks are the latest hurdle in the effort to bring peace to Afghanistan after decades of war. I've been tracking the progress of the U.S.-Taliban accord, in my capacity as director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. My analysis finds that implementation of the Trump administration's agreement has largely stalled. What's in the US-Taliban accord?The four-part agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban committed the U.S. to withdraw most of its soldiers from Afghanistan, which it is doing. In exchange, the Taliban provided assurances that Afghanistan would no longer be used as a base from which to wage attacks against the U.S. and its allies. It also agreed to engage with the Afghan government. But the promises made by the Taliban to meet those goals were vague and very difficult to verify. Based on publicly available information, I find the Taliban has met only one of the seven conditions stipulated in its peace accord with the U.S.: releasing 1,000 Afghan prisoners. Of those, only 261 were Afghan soldiers; the government is now saying the Taliban must release more soldiers before it will enter talks.The remaining six conditions in the U.S.-Taliban deal essentially demand, in various ways, that the Taliban sever all ties with militant organizations, especially al-Qaida. Al-Qaida has long provided funds for the Taliban's insurgency in Afghanistan. In September 2001, just before the 9/11 attacks, it helped the Taliban assassinate a strong Afghan resistance leader, Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. Broken promisesSo far, international and domestic observers of the Afghan peace process have not been able to confirm that the Taliban has severed its relationship with al-Qaida. Nor has the Taliban provided any proof of doing so. According to a May 2020 United Nations report, the Taliban met with al-Qaida repeatedly in 2019 and early 2020 to coordinate "operational planning, training and the provision by the Taliban of safe havens for al-Qaida members inside Afghanistan." Since the U.S.-Taliban accord, violence levels in Afghanistan have actually increased. Some Taliban fighters have insisted they will continue their jihad "until an Islamic system is established," leading to concerns that the organization is not actually committed to peace. Peace deals generally have enforcement mechanisms that hold each side accountable for their pledges. That is not the case with the U.S.-Taliban deal. No enforcement mechanisms are outlined in the deal. It contains no provisions for what will happen if the Taliban breaks their promises, beyond the U.S. pausing its troop withdrawal. The Qataris, who hosted the U.S.-Taliban talks and are now hosting the Afghanistan peace negotiations, have no official power to pressure the Taliban into compliance. Mutual distrust means the delayed talks could collapse entirely. However, stabilizing Afghanistan is important to the United States, where President Donald Trump promised to "bring our troops home." Russia and neighboring countries like China, India and Taliban's long-time and strongest supporter Pakistan, too, support the peace process. As such, the Taliban and Afghan government will likely meet – eventually. Hope and doubtThe Taliban does not accept Afghanistan's internationally recognized government, which took power after the Taliban's regime was toppled by the 2001 U.S. invasion and has since stood for three elections. That's why the Afghan government was not a party to the U.S.-Taliban agreement. Instead, the February 2020 deal merely committed the Taliban to engaging in direct negotiations with the Afghans. Some U.S. government officials and former diplomats sharply criticized the concession to exclude Afghanistan's government from talks with the U.S. and the Taliban about the future of the country. "This deal is a surrender," wrote the longtime U.S. diplomat and ambassador to Afghanistan under President Obama, Ryan Crocker, in The Washington Post. [Insight, in your inbox each day. You can get it with The Conversation's email newsletter.]Polling shows the Afghan people were willing to make some compromises for peace. But many question whether the Taliban can be held accountable for what they've promised. They also fear losing the meaningful achievements that came out of international engagement in Afghanistan, such as women's empowerment, increased freedom of speech and a more vibrant press.Those rights – hard-won with American and Afghan blood – will be among the issues negotiated if and when the Taliban and Afghan government meet. Since 2001, 2,219 U.S. troops and exponentially more Afghan civilians and soldiers lost their lives battling the Taliban. For Afghans, the fight continues to this day. The stakes of Afghanistan's delayed peace talks are extremely high. Failure, said President Ashraf Ghani recently, is "not an option."This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * Biden's long foreign-policy record signals how he'll reverse Trump, rebuild old alliances and lead the pandemic response * 'Historic' Israel deal won't likely bring peace to the Middle EastSher Jan Ahmadzai worked in the Afghan government from 2002 to 2007 in different capacities. His last position was as scheduling manager for then-President Hamid Karzai.
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| Alleged rapists arrested in Iran and Egypt after MeToo-inspired social media movement Posted: 26 Aug 2020 07:35 AM PDT  Campaigners have hailed a rare victory against sexual violence in the Middle East after prosecutors in Iran and Egypt announced the arrest of alleged rapists who were named online by women. Victims of sexual assault in conservative Muslim societies have taken to social media to identify their alleged tormentors in a series of high-profile cases inspired by the "Me Too" movement. In Tehran, Police Chief Hossein Rahimi announced the arrest of Keyvan Emamverdi, a former art student of Tehran University, who stands accused of multiple counts of rape. Dozens of women had launched an online campaign to accuse Mr Emamverdi, who owns a bookshop close to the university, of luring them to his house and getting them intoxicated before allegedly raping them. After one alleged victim named Mr Emamverdi on Twitter with the "rape" hashtag, at least 20 others joined in to expose him as their assailant. One of his cousins also came forward to testify that she had feared being "molested" by him. Mr Emamverdi's arrest became a trending story on Iranian social media on Wednesday morning, with women applauding the fact that the case had been investigated. "The achievement in this story is not his arrest, but the situation will be created afterwards so victims of rape cases can talk about [their experiences]," one user said. There were also posts in support of the former student. One wrote: "Keyvan Emam (sic) was one of my close friends when I was in Tehran. He was the most moral and best friend. Why do you judge him one-sided? Why do not you want to hear his voice...? Shame on you." The case comes after Egypt's public prosecutor this week issued arrest warrants and a travel ban for six men accused of an alleged gang rape of an 18-year-old woman at a luxury hotel six years ago. The suspects were also "outed" on social media last month. The lack of any previous action against the men -- said to be from powerful families -- caused a public outcry after details of the woman's alleged 2014 ordeal were posted on an Egyptian Instagram account with more than 180,000 followers. Earlier this month prosecutors questioned the alleged victim, who was reportedly drugged before the men raped her, after several people came forward to give statements about the incident. The attack was said to have occurred after a party at Cairo's five-star Fairmont Nile City Hotel. The so-called "Assault Police" Instagram account, which revealed the case, previously accused Ahmed Bassam Zaki, 24, a university student from a wealthy family, of raping and blackmailing multiple women. He was subsequently arrested and remains under investigation. Egyptian prosecutors claim that Mr Zaki has admitted to using indecent photographs to threaten women. He has denied further allegations. The Assault Police account was temporarily taken offline after its administrators received repeated death threats, although it has since been reactivated. Egypt's state-run National Council for Women (NCW) said in a statement that the prosecutor's decision sent a message of reassurance and comfort to women who have long felt disadvantaged in the conservative, Muslim-majority nation. Meanwhile in Tehran, Brigadier General Rahimi urged other abuse victims to come forward, pledging that their identities would be safeguarded to protect them from stigma. Rotna Begum, a spokesman on women's rights in the Middle East and North Africa for Human Rights Watch, said that campaigners across the region were now "coalescing around specific cases and naming people online", with police starting to pay attention to cases that could otherwise go unheard. "Although there are concerns about this naming and shaming, in most cases all these women seek is for the authorities to listen to them and investigate, as they still mainly face a culture of impunity for sexual harassment and abuse," she added. "In many countries for women to speak out is taboo, not just due to pressure from their families and society, but from a criminal justice system that they believe won't take them seriously or might even prosecute them for coming forward." Last week Egypt's parliament voted to approve a new law to protect the anonymity of victims of sexual harassment or assault, in a move described by activists as the "beginning of a feminist revolution". But Egyptian prosecutors have also recently charged several women for "inciting debauchery" after they posted videos of themselves singing and dancing on apps such as Instagram and TikTok, in a move that campaigners say could undermine the reforms. Also charged was a 17-year-old girl who shared a live video on Instagram in May showing bruises on her face and alleging she had been beaten and raped. Although the six men she accused were subsequently detained by police, the girl was arrested along with them and she was charged with inciting debauchery and "violating family principles and values" on the basis of the men's statements. She remains under investigation in a government-run shelter for abuse victims, and Amnesty International has condemned the case as "a shocking injustice that risks discouraging other women from speaking out". But Reda Eldanoubki, a lawyer and executive director of the Women's Center for Guidance and Legal Awareness, said if convicted, men accused of rape or sexual assault could also expect to receive hefty jail sentences in Iran and Egypt. "We hope that women amid this momentum will make more gains in their endeavours to be legally protected against sexual violence in all its forms," he said.
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| Decades later, Sharpton still insists: No justice, no peace Posted: 26 Aug 2020 07:18 AM PDT  The Rev. Al Sharpton sat quietly in his office in late July, watching the final funeral service for Rep. John Lewis on a wall-mounted television. Instead of flying down to the memorial in Atlanta, Sharpton had remained in New York; he had work to do. Preaching at the funeral of a year-old boy who was shot in the stomach at a Brooklyn cookout -- a boy not much younger than his first and only grandson -- Sharpton demanded gun control, an issue close to Lewis' heart.
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| Mali profile - Timeline Posted: 26 Aug 2020 07:10 AM PDT  A chronology of key events in the history of Mali from the 11th Century to the present
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| Mali country profile Posted: 26 Aug 2020 07:10 AM PDT  Concise information about Mali and its people, including figures for area, population, main languages, religions, exports, and more.
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| UN watchdog: Iran to allow access to 2 suspected nuke sites Posted: 26 Aug 2020 06:57 AM PDT  Iran has agreed to allow inspectors in to two sites where the country is suspected of having stored or used undeclared nuclear material, the U.N. atomic watchdog agency said Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran was "voluntarily providing the IAEA with access to the two locations specified by the IAEA and facilitating the IAEA verification activities to resolve the issues." It said in a joint statement with Iran that the dates for the inspections had been agreed, but did not elaborate.
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| Iran, IAEA strike deal on nuclear inspectors' access to sites Posted: 26 Aug 2020 06:35 AM PDT |
| ‘Putin’s Chef’ Threatens to Destroy Alexei Navalny in the Courts if He Survives Poisoning Posted: 26 Aug 2020 06:31 AM PDT  A notorious ally of Vladimir Putin says he will use Russia's corrupt courts to destroy Alexei Navalny financially if the stricken opposition leader ever recovers from a chemical agent believed to have been slipped into his tea.Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was sanctioned by the U.S. for financing online efforts to distort the 2016 presidential election, used a company to buy out debts owed by Navalny so that he could increase the financial pressure on the anti-corruption campaigner.He chose the moment that Navalny was at his weakest—unconscious in a hospital bed—to make the announcement. "I intend to strip this group of unscrupulous people of their clothes and shoes," Prigozhin said.Navalny, the leading opponent of President Putin's government, is in a coma in a Berlin hospital, where German doctors say they found evidence of cholinesterase inhibitors in his body, which could indicate the use of weapons-grade nerve agents.Prigozhin got the nickname "Putin's chef" because of the success of his catering company, but his empire, which includes billions of dollars in Russian government contracts, stretches well beyond food preparation. The U.S. government accuses him of funding the Internet Research Agency, an online troll farm that helped to get Donald Trump elected president. Prigozhin is also accused of financing Wagner, a private army used by the Kremlin for some of its most nefarious overseas missions, but he denies any involvement.On Tuesday night, his company Concord announced that it would do everything it could to collect a court-ordered fine of 88 million rubles (around $1.2 million) that he bought from Moskovsky Shkolnik (Moscow Schoolboy), a company Navalny was found guilty of defaming in a video report, according to the Moscow Times. Prigozhin was quoted as saying on Concord's social-media accounts Wednesday, "If comrade Navalny kicks the bucket, I personally don't intend to persecute him in this world. I'll put this off for an indefinite time and then I'll compensate myself to my pleasure." He added that if Navalny survives, he would be liable "according to the full severity of Russian law" to pay off his court-ordered debt.Navalny was rushed to a hospital in Omsk last week after losing consciousness on a flight back to Moscow, after campaigning against Putin in local elections.Ivan Zhdanov, a key ally of Navalny and director of his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), has claimed that Putin must have authorized the suspected poisoning. "He hates what the FBK does too much, exposing him and his entourage."The Kremlin brushed off the accusation as "hot air" and stood by earlier reports from a Siberian hospital where Navalny was first treated that said no evidence of poisoning had been found. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Global Stadium Lighting Industry Posted: 26 Aug 2020 05:59 AM PDT |
