Month: September 2019

Congo’s National Ebola Response Committee says confirmed Ebola deaths in the east of the sprawling African nation are nearing 2,000 and confirmed cases of the virus have exceeded 3,000. The committee released the latest numbers Friday after a discussion in Goma by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church about efforts to help stem the spread of Ebola in communities. A mistrust of health workers and widespread security issues still threaten the fight against the second deadliest outbreak of Ebola in history in a region where armed groups have fought for decades over the mineral-rich land. The committee reported 3,002 …

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While the political and economic crisis worsens in Venezuela, countries in the Western Hemisphere continue to be economically impacted by migrants seeking refuge and asylum. To help alleviate some of the burden, the United States Navy has deployed the Comfort hospital ship to assist countries like Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica. VOA’s Cristina Caicedo Smit visited the ship on one of its last stops, Trinidad and Tobago. …

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The White House said Saturday that the son of al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden has been killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. The White House said in a statement, “The loss of Hamza bin Ladin (Laden) not only deprives al-Qaida of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father, but undermines important operational activities of the group.” The younger bin Laden was described by the White House as “the high-ranking al-Qaida member” who was “responsible for planning and dealing with various terrorist groups.” Some media organizations previously reported earlier this summer Hamza bin Laden …

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Italy has agreed to allow rescue ship Ocean Viking to disembark 82 migrants in the southern port of Lampedusa, the SOS Mediterranee charity which runs the vessel said Saturday. “The Ocean Viking just received instructions from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of Rome to proceed to Lampedusa,” SOS Mediterranee tweeted. “An ad hoc European agreement between Italy, France, Germany, Portugal and Luxembourg has been reached to allow the landing,” said French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, referring to the division of the migrants between the five countries. “We now need to agree on a genuine temporary European mechanism.” Castaner added. The …

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An international press freedom monitor has awarded Vietnamese journalist and blogger Pham Doan Trang a 2019 Press Freedom Prize for Impact. “Pham Doan Trang is a true heroine given the situation of press freedom in Vietnam, where journalists and bloggers who do not toe the line of the current direction of the Communist Party face extremely severe repercussions,” said Daniel Bastard, who heads the Asia-Pacific Desk of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Trang, who has no fixed address, reports on civil rights issues in Vietnam, where she has been beaten and imprisoned twice. Two other women received awards from the group …

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Government experts Friday backed an experimental treatment for children with peanut allergies that could become the first federally approved option for preventing life-threatening reactions. The treatment is daily capsules of peanut powder that gradually help children build up a tolerance. The outside panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted overwhelmingly in favor of the treatment from Aimmune Therapeutics. The nonbinding vote amounts to an endorsement for approval. The FDA is expected to make its final decision by January. Important option The panelists said the medication was an important option for parents and children dealing with peanut allergies. …

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They scan social media, peer under rubble, or try to follow the smell of death to try to find family and friends.    They search amid alarming reports that 1,300 people remain listed as missing nearly two weeks after Hurricane Dorian hit the northern Bahamas.    The government, which has put the official death toll at 50, has cautioned that the list is preliminary and many could be staying in shelters and just haven’t been able to connect with loved ones.    But fears are growing that many more died when the Category 5 storm slammed into the archipelago’s northern region with winds in …

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A woman accused of trying to help al-Qaida has pleaded guilty in Alabama to a charge of concealing terrorism financing. Federal prosecutors say Alaa Mohd Abusaad entered the plea Friday during a hearing in federal court in Tuscaloosa. Authorities arrested the one-time University of Alabama student last year. Court documents show Abusaad communicated over messaging programs with a person she didn’t know was an undercover FBI employee. A statement from prosecutors shows she gave instructions on how to send money to the mujahedeen and included the comment: “You can’t have war without weapons.” Authorities say she also put the FBI …

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Pacific Gas & Electric and a group of insurers announced Friday they reached an $11 billion settlement to cover most of the claims from wildfires in California in 2017 and 2018.   The utility said in a statement the tentative agreement covers 85% of the insurance claims from fires that included the one that decimated the town of Paradise and killed 86 people. A group of insurers said in a separate statement the settlement is well below the $20 billion the insurance companies had sought in bankruptcy court. FILE – A Pacific Gas & Electric truck enters their customer center …

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Turkish, Iranian and Russian presidents will meet in Ankara Monday under the Astana process, where the three countries regularly meet to try and resolve the Syrian conflict. The fate of the last rebel enclave in Idlib is expected top the agenda. With Syrian regime forces threatening to overrun Idlib, Ankara is warning of a humanitarian disaster. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.   …

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U.S. Democrats held their third presidential primary debate Thursday in Houston, Texas.  The debate was a spirited encounter that included clashes over health care, immigration and foreign policy involving the top 10 Democratic contenders vying for the right to take on President Donald Trump next year.  VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.   …

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For many new students, the biggest life lessons come from living on campus with other young people. “They may be doing their own laundry for the first time. They may be sharing space with another person for the first time. They may be, in some cases, responsible for making their own meals,” said Nick Lander, associate director of residence life at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. New students share sleeping quarters, kitchens, study spaces and bathrooms with many students while they may have come from a family home where they had their own room and spaces. “So those things …

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