Closed captions transcript:

00:00:00
And aware by Sergei Skirball and his
daughter Julio were sickened by Nova shock

00:00:06
a Soviet era new nerve agent both survived
but spent weeks in the hospital just

00:00:11
foreign ministry spokesman real Zakk

00:00:13
a rope of said the US was knowingly presenting
demands that are unacceptable to us

00:00:18
we are being threatened with further
escalation of sanctions pressure than anything

00:00:23
and she said the incident in Britain
was a contrived excuse for the U.S.

00:00:27
To impose sanctions Saudi led airstrikes
targeting she hired rebels in Yemen hit

00:00:32
a bus Thursday killing at least forty
three people many of them children.

00:00:42
The International Committee of the Red Cross
said the hospital it supports received

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twenty nine bodies of children under the
age of fifteen and another forty eight

00:00:50
wounded in the attack including thirty
children other accounts and more than sixty

00:00:55
were wounded the attacks occurred in the
WHO three rebel stronghold in northern

00:00:59
Yemen near the border with Saudi Arabia
in the meantime the US China trade war is

00:01:04
heating up China announced late Wednesday
that it will impose an additional twenty

00:01:08
five percent tariffs on sixteen
billion dollars of U.S.

00:01:12
Imports pollo Von Sherak is the president
of the Global Policy Institute President

00:01:18
Trump said in many different instances even
when who he was campaigning that we've

00:01:23
been cheated by everybody that everybody
is cheating that we're going to America

00:01:27
has been taken advantage off but you know
for decades because our trade negotiators

00:01:32
are all essentially incompetent unable
people and that he is the great negotiator

00:01:37
and he's going to get

00:01:38
a better deal for America well we haven't
seen the better deal yet this is video

00:01:43
a new. During

00:01:45
a meeting of the Syria humanitarian
taskforce Russia Iran and Turkey said today

00:01:50
they would do their utmost to avoid

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a battle that would threaten millions
of civilians in the rebel held Syrian

00:01:56
province of Idlib United Nations Humanitarian
advisor Jaan Egeland estimated that

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there were at least four million people in
the potential battleground in northwest

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Syria and he hoped diplomats and military
envoys would reach a deal to prevent

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a bloodbath there is of course only
one way to escape this if you're not

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going to cross front line than into the
government controlled area and that will be

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to Turkey so sort of close our our
appeal is to. What is already the most

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generous nation on earth I think in
receiving refugees which is Turkey

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that they will hold their
border open he said the U.N.

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Was preparing for any possible violence.
Israeli warplanes struck dozens of targets

00:02:47
in the Gaza Strip and three people were
reported killed there while Palestinian

00:02:51
militants from the territory fired
scores of rockets into Israel in

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a fierce burst of violence overnight and
into Thursday morning according to the

00:03:01
Gaza health ministry at least
three Palestinians died

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a pregnant woman her one
year old daughter and

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a Hamas militant on the Israeli side
at least seven people were wounded

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a lot on D.V.D.

00:03:12
As the mayor of the town of
store wrote Can I accept just

00:03:17
a context that the leadership of the world
does to especially the Democrats come to

00:03:23
support easily. Support these ladies don't
need money to the Muslim give money to

00:03:28
build also be toilet school because
they're not going to use the money to buy

00:03:33
weapons they flare up com says
Egypt is trying to broker

00:03:37
a long term ceasefire between the two sides
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau

00:03:42
on Wednesday said he's
seeking to smooth over

00:03:45
a diplomatic dispute with Saudi Arabia
we continue to engage diplomatically

00:03:50
politically with that the kingdom of
Saudi Arabia we have respect for their

00:03:55
importance in the world and recognize
that they have made progress on

00:03:59
a number of important issues but we will
at the same time continue to speak clearly

00:04:05
and firmly on issues of human rights
they dispute arose following Canada's

00:04:10
criticism of the Saudi jailing of women's
rights campaigners Riyadh responded by

00:04:15
expelling the Canadian ambassador and halting
new trade and investment with Ottawa

00:04:20
lawyers for Zimbabwe opposition politician
ten diabetes says he has been deported

00:04:25
to his native land after authorities in.
Neighboring Zambia rejected his bid for

00:04:29
asylum. I'm Joe Palca V.O.A.

00:04:33
News.

00:04:45
Today is Thursday August ninth and this
is real ways international edition I'm

00:04:51
Steve Miller in Washington coming up the
United States has decided to impose new

00:04:55
sanctions on Russia how could this affect
Moscow's economy the rewards. Thank you

00:05:02
driven down there currency I think it in

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a court for one thing Johnny state
media is accusing the United States of

00:05:11
a mobster mentality in its move to implement
additional tariffs and what staring at

00:05:17
all your devices doing to your eyes it's
all ahead on today's international edition

00:05:22
. The United States as decided
to impose new sanctions on

00:05:29
Russia following the nerve agent attack on

00:05:32
a former Russian spy and his daughter in
Britain in March the British government

00:05:36
determined the Tocsin use against Sergei
scriptural and his daughter Yulia in

00:05:40
Salisbury was no overt military grade
agents developed in the then Soviet Union

00:05:46
both were hospitalized for weeks and have
since recovered from the effects of the

00:05:50
attack

00:05:51
a State Department press statement said
the sanctions to take effect on or around

00:05:56
August twenty second are based on Moscow's
violation of the one nine hundred ninety

00:06:00
one chemical and biological weapons control
and warfare Elimination Act shortly

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after the attack the US joined Europe in
ordering dozens of Russian diplomats to

00:06:10
leave and shuttered the Russian consul in
Seattle Washington the decision comes at

00:06:16
a time when the Trump administration is
seeking ways to improve relations with

00:06:20
Moscow Robert Manning

00:06:21
a senior fellow and security expert
at the Atlantic Council told V.O.A.

00:06:26
Victor BEATTIE The sanctions could be serious
and involve technology exports it all

00:06:32
both international institution
lending and been lending from U.S.

00:06:37
Banks there are some potential way were
some of the think Knology export for

00:06:43
example spare parts for the space station
which we still have all the riches and

00:06:47
that sort of thing and I think there is
another wave or possibility that I think

00:06:53
it's pretty expensive and it's coming at

00:06:55
a time when there was hit new lows the
sanctions have driven down their currency so

00:07:01
I think it's in a car

00:07:02
a fair amount of pain with us up and the
president's effort to improve relations

00:07:07
with Moscow it's

00:07:08
a complicated relationship we have two
nuclear weapon states that build in fairly

00:07:13
had some ideas for our control to get ready
and I would argue that the extending we

00:07:18
start and perhaps even going to lower the
level of nuclear weapons is in both the

00:07:23
U.S.

00:07:24
And Russian interests so I don't see any.
Why we should proceed on that it depends

00:07:29
on on that front and it really is sort of

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a case by case we have to push them to get

00:07:34
a settlement in Ukraine for example and
Syria is really. A huge issue that has

00:07:40
fundamentally destabilized Europe but the
rest so if we can get any cooperation

00:07:46
from them on that I think that's worth
pursuing but I think we can walk and chew

00:07:50
gum at the same time which means which
means there are components of the

00:07:55
relationship where I think we can move
forward I think we have to keep the

00:07:59
sanctions on WANT TO there have to be
some standards in the world and we can't

00:08:03
allow governments to go around poisoning
people the way that Putin has done on

00:08:09
several occasions and there have to be
costs and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky is

00:08:15
in Moscow and apparently handed

00:08:18
a letter from the president trying
to his Russian counterpart the

00:08:24
contents are not exactly clear but there
apparently was an offer of cooperation in

00:08:30
various areas like terrorism legislative
dialogue and resuming cultural exchanges I

00:08:37
think that there's

00:08:38
a case to be made for that I think you want
to keep communications channels open I

00:08:42
think there are controlled managed this
what they call managed democracy but

00:08:46
they're not it's not the
Soviet Union and I don't see

00:08:49
a downside to that and I think on issues
like terrorism car narcotics activities

00:08:55
crossing we Afghanistan North Korea that
we need to work with Russia to get the

00:09:00
results that we want on number of issues
Russia said it plans to retaliate against

00:09:05
the United States were imposing sanctions
against it in connection with the

00:09:09
poisoning in Britain Russia's U.S.

00:09:11
Embassy dismiss what it called the
farfetched accusations in the US decision

00:09:16
insisting it has been presented no facts
or evidence and demanded an open and

00:09:21
transparent investigation of the crime
committed in solitary the Russian currency

00:09:26
there. Google on Thursday trade at

00:09:27
a near two year low
against the dollar. Other

00:09:37
top stories Yemeni tribal leaders say
an airstrike by the Saudi led coalition

00:09:42
fighting Shiite rebels hit a bus in

00:09:44
a market in northern Yemen killing at
least fifty people including children and

00:09:48
wounding as many as seventy seven border
Rico has conceded that Hurricane Maria

00:09:53
killed more than fourteen hundred people
on the island last year and not just the

00:09:57
sixty four in the official death toll the
government acknowledged the higher death

00:10:01
toll with no fanfare in

00:10:02
a report submitted to Congress this week
North Korea cues the United States there

00:10:07
is

00:10:07
a pushing for international sanctions despite
goodwill moves by Pyongyang and said

00:10:13
progress on denuclearization promises cannot
be expected if Washington continues to

00:10:18
follow an outdated acting script expanded
coverage of these stories and more is at

00:10:23
our website this is international edition.

00:10:32
This is. An international team of
astronomers have confirmed the existence

00:10:39
of forty four new extrasolar planets the
planets were first spotted by the use

00:10:44
strong numbers through data
gathered from Nasa's Kepler K.

00:10:47
Two mission to verify their fundings the
astronomers compare the key to information

00:10:52
with similar data gathered by the European
Space Agency's Gaia Space Telescope and

00:10:58
the number of ground based telescopes in
the US four of the new planets are said to

00:11:03
circle their host stars in less
than twenty four hours meaning

00:11:07
a year on these planets is less than

00:11:09
a day on Earth sixteen of the planets are
in the same size class as Earth but one

00:11:15
of the planets they found is really small
the astronomers say that using the

00:11:20
validation techniques they developed
could help speed up confirmation of more

00:11:24
extrasolar planet candidates I'm
view ways repentantly zero.

00:11:36
This is view A's international edition
journeys state media is accusing the United

00:11:41
States of

00:11:42
a mobster mentality in its move to implement
additional tariffs on Chinese goods

00:11:47
and warns Beijing has all the necessary
means to fight back Reuters graciously

00:11:52
reports. Beijing sent another warning shot
to Washington on Thursday with its state

00:11:59
media accusing the US of mobster mentality
in an editorial state newspaper China

00:12:05
Daily said that China is
still trying to avoid

00:12:08
a trade war but in the face of America's
quote ever greater demand for protection

00:12:13
money it has no choice but to fight back
this comes after blowback on Wednesday

00:12:18
when China vowed to slap
additional tariffs on U.S.

00:12:21
Imports twenty five percent on sixteen
billion dollars in goods and retaliation to

00:12:26
U.S.

00:12:26
Plans of collecting the same in July both
countries have duties on thirty four billion

00:12:32
dollars of each other's imports with
Washington firing first now the U.S.

00:12:37
Says it's considering hiking proposed
tariffs on additional two hundred billion

00:12:42
dollars worth of Chinese goods the trade
dispute between the two are already

00:12:46
impacting

00:12:47
a range of industries from steel cars and
causing tensions over which products

00:12:52
could be targeted next China says it can
weather the storm and official data on

00:12:57
Wednesday backed up that claim it showed
the country's exports rose more than

00:13:01
expected and import growth accelerated
to its fastest since January.

00:13:08
A magnitude six point two quake rocked
Indonesia's Lombok Island and the

00:13:13
neighboring island of Bali Thursday may
cause instant panic after Sunday's quake in

00:13:18
the region killed more than three hundred
people people Bali's International

00:13:23
Airport were seen shouting in running down
escalators streaming out of the exits

00:13:27
and across the Main Hall officials said the
epicenter of the aftershock was on land

00:13:33
and there was no risk of

00:13:34
a tsunami in state media reports the death
toll in Sunday's devastating earthquake

00:13:39
on Indonesia's Lombok Island has
risen to three hundred forty seven

00:13:43
a spokesman for the country's national
disaster mitigation agency said on Wednesday

00:13:48
that another fourteen hundred people were
injured and more than one hundred sixty

00:13:52
five thousand have been displaced the
numbers have increased as reports come in

00:13:57
from areas isolated by the six point nine
magnitude quake which was struck off the

00:14:02
waters on the northern part of Lombok
Island the quake was also felt in the

00:14:07
neighboring dealy Islands as well as
Bali Sumbawa and parts of East Java the

00:14:12
International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies is appealing for

00:14:17
nine million dollars to provide emergency
aid these are shrine has more from Red

00:14:22
Horse Red Cross headquarters in Geneva the
Red Cross describes the damage in north

00:14:27
Lombok as exceptionally destructive with
seventy five percent of the buildings in

00:14:32
some villages damaged or turned into
rubble Red Cross Federation's spokesman

00:14:38
Matthew Cochrane says some of the more
remote areas of the island are cut off and

00:14:43
have not yet been visited he says it will
take many days for the full impact of the

00:14:48
disaster to him or it's one of the interesting
things coming in from out tames is

00:14:53
the psychological toll of the earthquake
team speak of coming across those towns of

00:14:57
villages that are thing but essentially
abandoned people have left their homes that

00:15:01
fearful of living off staying inside or
perhaps fi full of another major earthquake

00:15:06
and

00:15:06
a possible US An army. The current says
these emotional scars and the concerns of

00:15:11
the remote communities will have to be
addressed in addition to providing survivors

00:15:16
with emergency shelter and other basic
relief the Red Cross reports some of the

00:15:22
thousands of families forced to flee their
homes or staying in evacuation centers

00:15:27
or in makeshift camps in open areas the
agency says its appeal will provide

00:15:32
emergency shelter supplies as well as
materials for repairing and rebuilding

00:15:37
damaged houses over the coming eighteen
months the Red Cross says its emergency

00:15:43
operation will focus on creating livelihood
opportunities for the survivors it also

00:15:49
will provide health water and sanitation
protection and information on Disaster

00:15:54
Risk Reduction Lisa shrine for V.O.A.

00:15:57
News Geneva on Tuesday the government
estimated that eighty percent of the

00:16:02
buildings in northern Lombok have been
destroyed thousands of tourists have been

00:16:06
evacuated from Lombok and the Q.E.

00:16:08
Islands the Indonesian government says the
death toll is expected to rise as search

00:16:13
and rescue crews reach more affected areas
and begin to search the rubble for more

00:16:18
victims. United Nations Secretary General
Antonio good today as called for the

00:16:23
complete elimination of nuclear weapons
on Thursday he was speaking at

00:16:27
a ceremony marking the seventy third
anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki

00:16:31
Japan via ways Jeff cusser has that story.

00:16:40
United Nations Secretary General Antonio
Gutierrez on Thursday called for the

00:16:44
complete elimination of nuclear weapons at

00:16:46
a ceremony marking the seventy third
anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki

00:16:50
it was the first time a U.N.

00:16:51
Secretary general attended the Nagasaki
peace memorial ceremony held every year his

00:16:56
predecessor Bondy moon was the first to
attend the anniversary event commemorating

00:17:00
the Hiroshima atomic bombing
in two thousand and ten during

00:17:04
a speech good read said fears of

00:17:05
a nuclear war still exist today in remains
the highest priority for the United

00:17:09
Nations the Tuscany it's making Nagasaki
the last place on those who saw nuclear

00:17:16
devastation. The total elimination of
nuclear weapons remains the highest

00:17:21
disarmament priority of United Nations. Yes
the Nagasaki I call on all countries to

00:17:27
commit to nuclear disarmament and
to start making visible progress as

00:17:32
a method of urgency and
nuclear weapon states have

00:17:36
a special responsibility to meet the
mayor of Nagasaki called on the Japanese

00:17:41
government to join the prohibition of
nuclear weapons treaty in order to lead

00:17:44
a nuclear free world Japan is the only
country to suffer atomic bombings but at the

00:17:49
dawn of mega target by atom
bomb the goal is film from

00:17:53
a puppet just many miles away. From.

00:18:04
Tokyo did not take part in the UN
negotiations on the treaty saying such talks

00:18:08
without nuclear countries participating
would not contribute to bringing about

00:18:12
a world without nuclear weapons Jeff Custer
the way news and this is international

00:18:18
edition. Hello I'm Carol Castiel
posted via ways encounter this

00:18:25
week African elections fallout from a narrow
and disputed victory for its Zanu P.F.

00:18:31
In Zimbabwe and we preview what's at stake
for the runoff election in Mali with

00:18:37
Peter Pham director of the Africa Center
at the Atlantic Council and John Thomas

00:18:41
F.Q.

00:18:42
Africa director at the International Republican
Institute that's encounter this Saturday

00:18:47
and Sunday on The Voice of America.

00:18:54
Hello this is sugar Foley most of the
Straight Talk for on the next straight talk

00:18:58
Africa

00:19:00
a two nation Africa visit to Zimbabwe and
Malawi shot the sunny talks about the

00:19:05
fascinating people he met and the challenges
he encountered reporting on democracy

00:19:10
in Africa on the road with Shaka on the
next day to Africa tune in to one of the

00:19:15
day that they declare to you
the great here. Africa.

00:19:24
From. Voice of America this is international
edition New York City is moving to

00:19:29
rein in Hooper and lift with the cap
on all right hail vehicles A.P.

00:19:34
Correspondent Mike RASIAH has this update
with Wednesday's city council vote New

00:19:39
York has become the first major U.S.

00:19:41
City to impose

00:19:42
a cap on and other app based right hailing
services the city council voted to

00:19:47
impose

00:19:47
a one year moratorium on new licenses for
for higher vehicles the council also set

00:19:52
a minimum driver wage for at base drivers
on par with the yellow cab wage the

00:19:57
actions were taken amid concerns that the
flood of app based ride services in New

00:20:01
York assert business for all ride services
in the city opponents of the action

00:20:05
argued that labor and lift provide service
to neighborhoods outside Manhattan that

00:20:09
are poorly served by yellow cabs I'm like
Rossiya substance abuse in the United

00:20:15
States is getting worse new data from the
Centers for the disease for Centers for

00:20:19
Disease Control's shows more than four forty
thousand Americans died from overdoses

00:20:25
in two thousand and sixteen that's more
than twenty five percent increase from the

00:20:29
year before Washington Post
reporter Katie. Told V.O.A.

00:20:35
Opioid first use came under
scrutiny a little over

00:20:38
a decade ago people getting addicted to
these painkillers that that came out you

00:20:43
know from the late one
nine hundred ninety S.

00:20:45
Up and up through the two thousand and
people really start to pay attention and you

00:20:49
know them into thousands and there were
crackdowns on these pills law enforcement

00:20:53
started to cry to get these pills off the
street they crack down on them and they

00:20:57
became much much harder to use but
at that in the same time you had

00:21:00
a lot of people who were addicted so what
they did was they then turned to heroin

00:21:03
which the cartels came in and put

00:21:05
a lot of heroin on the street and it was
readily available so as people cannot get

00:21:10
pills they turn to heroin. Trump has
promised to fight back declaring the opioid

00:21:16
crisis a public health emergency
and this week's plugged in V.O.A.

00:21:20
Contributor great event
suster and her guests take

00:21:23
a hard look at the ongoing battle against
addiction in the United States v always

00:21:28
just assume the Oni has more

00:21:36
the pair have

00:21:37
a problem with that audio we'll bring that
story to you if we have time if you've

00:21:43
ever spent a lot of time in front of

00:21:45
a computer you've probably also become
bleary died well that's because you don't

00:21:50
blink as much when you are working on

00:21:52
a computer which could lead to dry eyes
with the popularity of video games and

00:21:57
online activities dry eyes becoming
increasingly common in children and teens glued

00:22:03
to their screens the condition can cause
permanent eye damage via ways Carol

00:22:08
Pearson reports that Aston University
Professor James Wolfensohn has developed an

00:22:13
app to combat that problem.

00:22:31
Kids are addicted to cell phones tablets
anything with electronic screens the

00:22:36
problem is it's bad for their eyes what
we're beginning to say is now with the use

00:22:41
particularly old screens like digital screens
hapless small fires but actually even

00:22:47
children are reporting trial ice tears
contain oil in this You Tube video the

00:22:52
doctor is pointing out the oil glands
that are in the eyelid but it's

00:22:57
a film on the front of your eyes at one
time not just when you cry it's less than

00:23:01
a tenth of the fitness of a human
hair but without it you wouldn't see

00:23:05
a toll with kids spending
more time in front of

00:23:08
a screen for pleasure and for school many
may be at risk without knowing it when

00:23:14
you concentrate very appalled on

00:23:15
a tall such as on the computer screen you
blink less and also instead of fully

00:23:20
blinking you partially playing and so
what's happening is damage is being done to

00:23:25
the front of the on my tears aren't being
produced they evaporate and leave behind

00:23:30
the salty content of the tear which can
do further damage to your eyes but now

00:23:36
there's an app to diagnose dry eyes at
this demonstration in London the app asks

00:23:42
users to answer simple questions to determine
how long they can comfortably stare

00:23:48
at

00:23:48
a computer screen without blinking and we're
actually using the technology the fancy

00:23:53
could cause problems if you use

00:23:54
a lot of it to actually help us with the
diagnosis those who tried the app are then

00:23:59
tested for dry eyes but doctors say even
if you don't have the make sure to blink

00:24:06
fully and blink often
whenever you're in front of

00:24:09
a tablet or computer screen and remind
your children to do the same Carol Pearson

00:24:16
V.O.A.

00:24:16
News all right now we have fixed our audio
problem and we do have our story from

00:24:21
V.O.A.

00:24:22
Is just assume the oney on our plugged
in segment with contributor great events

00:24:27
a stream. Opiate addiction is an epidemic
that's sweeping the nation every day an

00:24:32
average of one hundred fifteen Americans
that from opiate related overdoses the

00:24:37
class of drugs includes illegal drugs such
as heroin but also legally prescribed

00:24:42
pain relievers such as oxy coating Travis
reader experience the horrors of opiate

00:24:48
withdrawal as he struggled to recover from

00:24:51
a motorcycle accident he says opioids are
not necessarily the issue I had my foot

00:24:57
blown apart in

00:24:58
a motorcycle accident I had genuine acute
severe post-traumatic pain I needed

00:25:04
medication I needed pain management but I
didn't have it managed well over the long

00:25:09
term and that was the problem Pam Bondi
who sits on the President's Commission on

00:25:13
Drug addiction and the opioid crisis
says the problem needs to be tackled on

00:25:18
multiple fronts in

00:25:20
a career prosecutor so enforcement crackdown
get these things off the street that's

00:25:24
so important but we've got to start at the
very front such as the post office such

00:25:29
as education to kids because these drugs
are taking these crazy new forms Now

00:25:35
experts say even the ongoing crackdown on
legal and illicit opioids hasn't had the

00:25:40
desired effect because opiate users will
often turn to synthetic and sometimes more

00:25:46
deadly options when they aren't able to
get their fix Jason seventy the only news

00:25:51
Washington and that's going to do it for
today's international edition Jacksonville

00:25:56
directed the program envoy to engineer
the broadcast think it's here both but

00:26:01
before I go I do want to thank you for
taking some of the time out of your day to

00:26:05
join us be sure to keep up with the Voice
of America with the latest pictures

00:26:09
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00:26:14
and Instagram is where you'll find us
I'm Steve Miller in Washington have

00:26:18
a wonderful Wednesday.

00:26:31
The next an editorial reflecting the views
of the United States government the

00:26:37
White House issued

00:26:38
a statement strongly condemning the ongoing
violence in Nicaragua and human rights

00:26:42
abuses committed by the Daniel Ortega regime
in response to protests after years of

00:26:48
fraudulent elections and the regime's
manipulation of Nicaraguan law as well as the

00:26:53
suppression of civil society opposition
parties and independent media the

00:26:58
Nicaraguan people have taken to the streets
to call for democratic reforms these

00:27:02
demands have been met with indiscriminate
violence with reports of more than three

00:27:06
hundred fifty dead thousands injured and
hundreds of citizens labeled coup mongrels

00:27:11
and terrorists who have been arbitrarily
detained tortured or who have gone missing

00:27:17
the White House noted that President Ortega
and vice president Rosario Mario are

00:27:22
ultimately responsible for the actions of
the pro-government power police who have

00:27:27
brutalized their own people the United
States stands with the people of Nicaragua

00:27:32
including members of the Sandinista party
who are calling for democratic reforms

00:27:36
and an end to the violence free fair and
transparent early elections are the only

00:27:41
avenue toward restoring
democracy in Nicaragua the U.S.

00:27:46
Supports the Catholic Church led
national dialogue process for good faith

00:27:50
negotiations toward that end. The U.S.

00:27:53
Is promoting accountability of our taker
government officials responsible for human

00:27:58
rights abuse and corruption three Nicaraguan
officials Francisco Diaz Fidel Marino

00:28:04
and Francisco Lopez have been sanctioned
under executive order one three eight one

00:28:09
eight issued by the president of the
United States to build upon the global

00:28:13
Magnitsky human rights accountability act
these steps the White House says are

00:28:18
a start not an end of potential sanctions
in response to continued serious human

00:28:23
rights abuses and corruption the United
States is revoking or restricting visas of

00:28:29
Nicaraguan officials and their families
when those officials have been responsible

00:28:33
for police violence against protesters
and municipal authorities the U.S.

00:28:38
Has also cut off further sales and donations
of equipment that are TAKE A security

00:28:43
forces might misuse the United States has
announced an additional one point five

00:28:48
million dollars in aid to continue support
for freedom and democracy in Nicaragua

00:28:54
providing

00:28:54
a critical lifeline for civil society human
rights organizations and independent

00:29:00
media currently under threat from the Ortega
regime the United States calls on the

00:29:06
regime to immediately end the state
sanctioned violence perpetrated by police and

00:29:11
para police forces the United States will
continue to closely monitor the situation

00:29:16
in Nicaragua and work with the international
community to hold those responsible

00:29:21
for the violence to account. That was an
editorial reflecting the views of the

00:29:27
United States government.

00:29:47
But even Inc and welcome to another edition
of reported on table we have time in to

00:29:52
Live from V.O.A.

00:29:53
Studios here in Washington Douglas

00:29:55
a simple guy in the city will talk about
the role of election observers in Africa

00:30:00
that we've asked tonight is slim and
I'm going to who's joining us now from

00:30:05
Davenport Africa he's an independent
political analyst David inclement So welcome

00:30:10
to the show thank you very much for Also
joining us tonight is Dr I'm one minimal

00:30:15
Aram he's

00:30:16
a doctor right time columnist he joins
us from Toronto Canada Good afternoon Dr

00:30:21
later it would afternoon my dear brother
how are you I'm good thank you welcome to

00:30:25
the show thank you you very much welcome
now as I said what about the role of

00:30:31
election observers in Africa ever since
the late one nine hundred ninety S.

00:30:35
International was of ation of elections has
become more so widespread that refusing

00:30:39
tried to meet money is almost an outright
admission of fraud international election

00:30:45
observer mission has become

00:30:46
a No Almost eighty five percent of elections
in new democracies not absolved even

00:30:51
in the same democratic countries they see
invite election observers observe us so

00:30:56
let's start from that point I looked around
how important are these there are all

00:31:02
of these subs of us. Very
important in the sense that first

00:31:09
of all they provide the
hopefully independent impartial

00:31:17
on the process is to ensure
that truly there is freedom. To

00:31:23
choose that it is transparent or that all
the usual shenanigans do not take place

00:31:30
to influence the outcome but secondly
they also provide an opportunity for

00:31:36
people to look at your processes and give
you feedback that would help improve the

00:31:43
situation that did not go quite
well and incidentally election

00:31:50
observers are not just vital to the
emerging democracies are invited to

00:31:57
countries like here in Canada election
observers to come outside their actions that

00:32:03
will do you know they are holding elections
in Norway I believe very shortly and

00:32:08
there are already election observers that.
I see them on according to the time

00:32:15
when America the UK of the crucial role
of them is providing an independent

00:32:20
impartial right to the whole process but
something some people have absolve the now

00:32:24
free card almost every election despite
how flawed it is this is observers

00:32:30
especially in the international ones seem
to inform all observation that everything

00:32:37
is going fine even were things I would
want gone so well observation of elections

00:32:42
been going on the Continent for

00:32:44
a long. So if it was. Beginning to

00:32:51
have doubts of what. The impact has been
that has really gone for quite some

00:32:57
time now the continual good sufficient
time to assess the impact of that

00:33:03
observation so much as idealistic
intentions are good but given the time

00:33:10
which we have been taking the vision of
elections I think by and large and they

00:33:15
continue to have restriction where we
feel that it is very difficult to to to

00:33:22
pinpoint. The intentions of this observation
as far as the continent is concerned.

00:33:29
To know whether they are
observing the elections. For the

00:33:36
fall of. The observation is for the
interest of the observations or

00:33:43
it is for the interests of the nations in
which they observe their actions for it

00:33:49
is for the interests of their individual
partners in the nations we observe

00:33:54
elections because number one you find that
in some countries they have been there

00:34:00
several times and they have given
recommendations and recommendations and

00:34:06
recommendation sometimes very commanding
the same same same things and it is

00:34:10
repeated and repeated and repeated and
repeated and you wonder why they continue to

00:34:15
observe election whereas they change.
The camera. That there are those women

00:34:22
who say that some of
those of us already have

00:34:25
a friendship or they are known to the
incumbents especially saw they come there

00:34:30
just to provide some authenticity to
the whole exercise there is no doubt

00:34:37
about that certainly when
people come in and they.

00:34:45
We will use

00:34:45
a specific example like we just
had the king we had the John

00:34:52
Kerry from the United States
leading a delegation from

00:34:57
a group of election observers from
here and the United States enjoys

00:35:02
a very. Comfortable relationship with
the Kenyans as they would Mr Kerry was

00:35:08
secretary of state we enjoyed

00:35:10
a very healthy relationship with the
incumbent president of Kenya now without

00:35:17
any I'm not labeling any leveling in

00:35:20
a charge against Mr Kerry but I
must wonder to what extent he would

00:35:27
be looking at the Kenyan situation with

00:35:30
a completely impartial I Now
having said that. It is probably

00:35:37
difficult to find individuals who are cope
legally and by and I think that is where

00:35:43
you need enough variation in

00:35:45
a broad spectrum of people representing
different countries different interests so

00:35:51
that they can. Counsel out
any individual biases that

00:35:58
might exist the other problem is of course
that some of these countries where the

00:36:04
elections are taking place I lead by
very very crafty people who know that

00:36:11
they can offer

00:36:12
a red carpet work among the great comfort
and the various tourist attraction

00:36:19
is alive to election observers who are
human beings of the role and those

00:36:23
individuals that means that he be boat.
Perhaps unintentionally they may find

00:36:30
themselves selling their souls and so
that the the ten to rubber stamp in

00:36:36
a situation that teasing has not been
that others but I think the move that

00:36:44
the real difficulty is this
election observers are coming in at

00:36:50
the end of a process that has been
ongoing for years where every G.M.

00:36:56
Has the means of controlling the
electoral process there for

00:37:00
a commission the security. The distribution
of the erect for material the campaign

00:37:07
process in the financing all those things
election of level coming in and there are

00:37:12
a few of them we come in and they're
looking for the growth abuses no to the

00:37:19
micro abuses which make the
difference I see absolutely not but.

00:37:26
I wanted to add on working while I am
guided by what I wanted to say that in

00:37:31
addition to what Doc says. It is
even quite difficult in some cases

00:37:38
to point out to appreciate
what we are coming to the well

00:37:45
because when you look at the continent
some of the region have been have been in

00:37:51
power for

00:37:53
a long time we some of them
even illegitimate with

00:37:58
a system that skewed the legal framework
they didn't really because they literally

00:38:04
go film works as you would be if missions
are skewed the whole playing field is

00:38:10
skewed and then they come and go bizarre
to tell you exactly when the whole process

00:38:16
there is no system toll roads are
one example Uganda flew manky

00:38:23
ninety six. I don't think there has been

00:38:26
a free and fair election in Uganda nineteen
ninety six two zero one two or C two

00:38:33
twenty one of them and you find the electoral
commission appointed to prevent the

00:38:39
judiciary appointed by the
president security forces all.

00:38:46
Pointed by the printer and so. The legal
framework of the Public Order Act.

00:38:54
We can implement that will by the those.
Security forces so these irregularities

00:39:00
that observe the nine hundred fifty observed
in two into two or one of the going to

00:39:06
war six recommendations are made recommendations
are made by two going to sixteen

00:39:13
the whole system is routine that still the
old lovers come on the exact What are

00:39:18
they going to observe the same income
room the same center for going public the

00:39:22
same in. The same center good they didn't
agree weren't the same in Ethiopia back

00:39:27
they continue so as a
continent citizens of

00:39:31
a come to doubt the nations of the of those
of us I see about house in German we

00:39:37
should make

00:39:38
a distinction there are several types of
those of us those domestic observers was

00:39:43
go to check and irregularities in the
election in retirement. Then there was

00:39:48
a part on observers by political parties
then they are there so much. Claim of

00:39:54
international observers who are there
not fix the US by just putting the fire

00:39:59
weather action meets international
standards and they will issue

00:40:02
a report on their findings
now how does someone or

00:40:06
a number of the local bazaar of
the of US domestic ones did have

00:40:11
a different report than the international
ones you that surprising. No it doesn't

00:40:17
surprise me because the the domestic
observers tend to have an ear or

00:40:24
ears more to. The ground and the
National what they have the longer

00:40:30
presence and therefore they know the nuances
the tricks that. Have been played but

00:40:37
even there they really may not I T
What would desire them to do in your

00:40:44
example the situation that we just saw
him Kenya if it is true that there was

00:40:50
a tempering with the. Results transmission
process tampering with the computers

00:40:58
then the best local observers would
be no better than the international

00:41:04
ones in there identifying

00:41:08
a problem that clearly must have been
carried out by someone we did in the

00:41:15
electoral commission the same
thing in Uganda last year where.

00:41:23
There was an allegation by the one of the
opposition candidates Dr Chee there is

00:41:29
a good that there was

00:41:33
a separate. Elections returning

00:41:37
a unit housed in the house in

00:41:40
a place in the Google one of the suburbs
of Kampala where in fact results were

00:41:47
allegedly being transmitted from that house
to be of crucial electoral commission

00:41:52
now that is the kind of thing that would
involve high security operations by the

00:42:00
supporters of the the president and where
internal and external election observers

00:42:06
would not be able to identify that that
is where cheating is taking place yeah in

00:42:13
the end you know I think that it takes us
really takes us back to the source tired

00:42:19
is themselves that people are the
citizens do the citizens have the.

00:42:26
Political Education the socialization
the willingness the awareness

00:42:33
of their rights and for them to
protect their democratic rights to

00:42:40
protect the results being
announced of the tallying process

00:42:47
taking place to protect all the aspects
of an election is so that even the end of

00:42:53
their will is not supported by very
clever operators who are going to be very

00:43:00
very difficult afraid to be.
Affected by the international

00:43:06
or local I say I saw them on.
That the communities however have

00:43:13
a sense of what's going on like in the
mission Uganda people knew about this

00:43:19
so-called independent talking center
because one of the previous officials had

00:43:23
mentioned that had happened before
but I think what they lack is

00:43:27
a voice don't you think. Because somebody
has their back Professor Douglas was

00:43:32
sitting in

00:43:33
a very my question very much I was
very much ready that is why the word

00:43:40
doctor said the leading opposition
leader. And I in turn sixteen

00:43:47
was informed by the citizens and they
went to the house. Where they will

00:43:54
be hacking was taking place but what was
the result the opposition leader was

00:44:00
arrested he was incarcerated.
After the the.

00:44:09
Day of the incoming president so
what do you expect is. International

00:44:16
community including the form we
were on the ground apart from that.

00:44:25
Is where. The. M.P.'s.

00:44:32
Contesting. The critic. For both
presidential and members of

00:44:39
parliament they displayed them to use
they should to the people even I remember

00:44:44
very very very well.
Informed on this. One of the

00:44:51
putting the delegation

00:44:53
a serious thing instead the very
country which was after such

00:45:00
a great. Integrity to prevention
has been tampered with. In Kenya

00:45:07
the first. We had to. Nonsense in

00:45:14
whatsoever that is why we are very good
we thought. You would think that OK if we

00:45:20
think there is an impasse or if. You
let go maybe something can happen

00:45:27
but over years and years and yet they are
shown this irregularity that there is

00:45:33
nothing which is done that from
the requirement recommendation

00:45:37
a commission recommendation I see what
gentlemen hold your thoughts let's take

00:45:41
a short break we're back again to no
discussion of the role of election observer in

00:45:46
Africa. What's up Africa
I'm just watching and I'm

00:45:53
not yes Tommy thanks for joining us we
love to have you on board this up front on

00:45:58
the Voice of America listen
let's be upfront there's

00:46:00
a lot to talk about we need to discuss
what's going on in your communities the

00:46:05
issues that are you involved.
Today right now this is your

00:46:12
part of us know what you've been up
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00:46:16
a line up front of the show where we've got
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00:46:20
giving you an opportunity to express yourself
as you connect with others around the

00:46:25
continent in the world and destiny so let
us yeah with the Lucian's to issues like

00:46:32
unemployment education reform elections
free speech and many other Nothing nothing

00:46:39
nothing. Nothing is on the table it's
up front Wednesdays at seventeen thirty

00:46:46
right here on V.O.A.

00:46:48
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00:46:56
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00:47:24
Africa Welcome back and yes yes tuning
in you're listening to reporters on tape

00:47:29
want to comment you live from Rio is
studios here in Washington tonight we're

00:47:33
discussing the role of election observers
in Africa on top on this sort of mine I'm

00:47:37
going to an independent political analyst
and doctor I'm going into malaria Dr

00:47:41
right wrist and I host. Here
in studio night in Washington.

00:47:49
Talking of all of these absolve people
getting. Saying that maybe they're not

00:47:56
good enough in there you mentioned

00:47:58
a recent case of Kenya where the Supreme
Court has put out every round of the

00:48:02
election it took the courage of an independent
court to put in question they need

00:48:08
to STOP of approval of these international
especially to nationals of us.

00:48:14
You know what because of that that I give
the populace that I mean if you because

00:48:19
if they had been less prim Court ruling
today a president who would have had

00:48:23
a second top. That's right.
Because no doubt that the

00:48:30
supreme court of King has. Passed

00:48:35
a vote of no confidence in the election
observers because many many of

00:48:41
us depended on the old reports
of election observers. To

00:48:48
interpret the outcome of that election
and indeed I sympathize with the

00:48:54
governments that congregated
Mr Kenyatta and

00:49:02
recognizes election because the internal
and the external election observers

00:49:09
were fairly unanimous in the report that
the election had been named free and

00:49:16
fair and there was an electoral commission
that had reported that these results

00:49:22
were free and fair so what do we
expect these governments to do on the

00:49:29
off issue level now in the realistic level
the government should recognise that

00:49:36
in countries like ours in Africa
the IT EASY rare situation

00:49:43
where you have contested elections where
you have truly free and fair elections so

00:49:49
perhaps they should. Take

00:49:52
a step back and question the legitimacy
of these processes just their reach more

00:49:59
democracy

00:50:00
a question of holding some sort of elections
every four to five years. Letting

00:50:07
ourselves that we have
democratically we chose

00:50:11
a government the reality is
no I would actually like to.

00:50:18
Have. Come to

00:50:19
a point over. Giving up on the short term

00:50:26
ability of our Electoral Commission
to conduct really and fair election

00:50:33
and doesn't even matter how
they are chosen because out to

00:50:38
a truly the government of the day QUANTRILL
them and out literally the government

00:50:43
of the day or so has means of controlling
processes even outside of their

00:50:50
electoral commission so that less I would
like to propose for consideration that

00:50:58
where it comes to elections in most African
countries now there may have to be

00:51:04
exceptions based on their track record
but that the United Nations controls the

00:51:10
process. We find the time being for
the Electoral Commission that our

00:51:16
United Nations run entities
where you've got international

00:51:23
staff that the leaders of these
organizations are from the. Atlantic

00:51:30
or section of countries that we've been
in state Korea stands in Kenya you would

00:51:36
have no members of the do believe and the
members of the math as part of the staff

00:51:42
but they're not running the process they're
not running the computer them so one so

00:51:47
that in the end we have at least a better

00:51:51
a better provision of democratic
opportunities to the voters.

00:51:58
It sounds desperate but really we are
dealing with this Rick situation because

00:52:03
every four years you have people being.
With their ordinary action when in

00:52:10
fact the election is being managed by the
people who count the votes not who those

00:52:17
who cast I see I actually I got sort of
seen some images and that are in that

00:52:22
connection that big that help is needed
but again somebody pointed out that those

00:52:27
even if that arrangement was in

00:52:28
a place you need the Supreme Court like
stations like this one court of Kenya to

00:52:33
help because you see if it wasn't folk
expression court if it if I did stations on

00:52:39
the continent that sort of the ground that
way independent for instance it would be

00:52:43
different it's now it's not by accident
that this is the first time that an

00:52:47
election has been allowed in Africa so.
If if there are strong institutions for

00:52:53
instance what's happening across the cold
West Africa where they are outing and

00:52:58
protest against any of the Constitution
these things would be happening. Precisely

00:53:04
on the issue of the results or did. They

00:53:11
deliver the result the lives of the attitude
of the election and one of not taking

00:53:17
things seriously but only is jumping or
rushing on conclusions but yes you have

00:53:24
some irregularities that are not but you
are not enough to affect an election how

00:53:30
do you see the why not enough when BALLOT
retake both papers are being discovered

00:53:36
when and when I will punch in the
that has been Aristide's before

00:53:43
the votes are cast so then from there again
you make conclusion and say they should

00:53:50
go to the courts if there is any problem
how are you sure that the courts that pass

00:53:56
so I think all these lines of affected us
leading us to be with traditional cities

00:54:02
in the way of saying you know people are
protesting I'm told will come in when

00:54:07
people want to break away. Recently they
want to break away because to continue I

00:54:12
see that. Both the internal.
Tenor is to show him and then

00:54:19
the people like you extend

00:54:21
a level if I'm able to connect briefly for
example in Kenya it will get very clear

00:54:27
from A to B.

00:54:28
The point of view it was just very clear
and given the history of Kenya but there

00:54:33
was something wrong even before the cost
for. That plus the security or in turn of

00:54:39
the I mean if I was killed. With If you did
this before. The elections were carried

00:54:45
and number two hundred there was killed not
only being killed but he was set which

00:54:52
means some information was picked
from him Number three when not

00:54:58
telling the party retiring center was
raided and destroyed. Number and the

00:55:05
external experts the international experts
who are going to help them to money we

00:55:11
are telling Center they were deported
immediately another two going in your experts

00:55:17
who are coming to help the they really
they did not have group they were arrested

00:55:24
from the airport also deported before
the elections were here you could see

00:55:31
that there is something wrong how can the
international just the Russians the the

00:55:36
elections were free and fair before even
considering if it was any international

00:55:41
country if you kill and money and you have
tortured him before the elections were

00:55:47
held Kenya was supposed to have an
international community committee is security

00:55:54
security experts possible to
determine missing from Scotland be

00:55:58
a big help by by. Plus the internal security
institutions to find out what was the

00:56:04
cause of this why was he killed and how
to that effect be elections because this

00:56:11
was

00:56:11
a festive office so how could you Carol
diminish the person dies and then the offices

00:56:18
of these other people raided so the
whole security environment was toxic

00:56:25
I would be believed if it was an international
country things would have been done

00:56:29
better I see a lot of them are running at

00:56:31
a time of time where are they from caught
the classroom caught for to the electoral

00:56:35
commission for the what happened the same
commission supposed to program as another

00:56:40
election in less than two months do you
have hope that they will pull it off this

00:56:44
time in

00:56:45
a free and fair way.
Free and Fair. I am very

00:56:51
pessimistic the only insurance is that
they know they are being watched they

00:56:58
know the Supreme Court is very
serious and they hopefully. The

00:57:05
two contending parties your
body and NASA will have

00:57:09
a stronger presence with you know and
really watching everything over the step of

00:57:14
the way may I quickly say that the Supreme
Court or Kenya is one of the greatness

00:57:20
is the way the the judges are elected the
president constitutionally appoints them

00:57:27
but he really appoints
those that have been

00:57:30
a pre-selected by the Judicial Commission
they have been thoroughly interviewed

00:57:36
they are not people who have been handpicked
by the president rubber stamp him

00:57:42
unlike say Uganda where pretty much the
chief justice and the Supreme Court

00:57:47
justices are ex parte of he shows who
have now been transferred to the Supreme

00:57:53
Court and therefore we are not surprised
that the always find in favor of the state

00:57:58
awesome on ten seconds are you optimistic
about the comp approving the election.

00:58:04
Douglas setting. For me some of them
which was currently there are not

00:58:11
signed some of them did not have this year
or show in the secretariat some people

00:58:17
tampered with the system which if we
lose people are not in the out we don't

00:58:24
expect they really are free and fair election
number two the president and his vice

00:58:30
their statement have not been statesmanship
but I see these statements which we

00:58:36
have acted. The the three
thousand. Post election

00:58:43
environment unless they retreat to the US
and the movie the inflammatory statements

00:58:49
explicitly given that they
were coming from the I.C.C.

00:58:54
Coming to us even violence.
Should be gutted me so.

00:59:01
We're out of time but. Yes the ground in
an election that's all the time we have

00:59:06
for this edition of a
report on tape thanks to

00:59:09
a sort of independent economist bestand
up in South Africa and book time with.

00:59:14
Total best position to rate on the phone
list Gentlemen thanks very much for being

00:59:18
on the show. Thank you and everybody
evening thank you OPERATOR You said it was

00:59:23
forty and you know it was packed with you
there next week with another edition of

00:59:27
reporters on table once again thanks very
much for tuning. In Washington Wishing

00:59:33
you all the best. This

00:59:40
is feet away doom so I'm Joe
Palca airstrikes blamed on

00:59:45
a Saudi led coalition fighting she high
gravels in Yemen hit a busy market in

00:59:49
a box on Thursday in the country's north
killing at least forty three people

00:59:53
including children yet.

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