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Wed, 27 Jan 2021 09:00:00 GMT

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Wed, 27 Jan 2021 09:00:00 GMT

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Wed, 27 Jan 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Zimbabwe's Women Making Progress in Fight for Property Rights

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 08:47:26 GMT

Most marriages in Zimbabwe are customary rather than legal unions that, if ended by divorce or death, leave the women empty handed.  But a court ruling last year granted women the right to equal property if the marriage is registered.

Thirty-nine-year-old Juliet Gwenere’s customary marriage of 12 years ended in 2016. She was left with five children to care for and no property or support from her ex-husband.

She was forced to move in with her mother in Chitungwiza town, about 40 kilometers southeast of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.

Gwenere wants her three daughters not to make the same mistake she made when they get married.

Thirty-nine-year-old Juliet Gwenere lives in Chitungwiza, about 40 kilometers southeast of Zimbabwe’s Harare, Jan. 2021. (VOA/Columbus Mavhunga)

“I encourage my children to go to school. Just to empower yourself. At least if you are empowered you can stand on your two feet. That’s what I always tell my kids, that’s what I always encourage other women; to stand on their own two feet,” Gwenere said.

Most marriages in Zimbabwe are customary, unregistered unions that give no legal protection or inheritance rights to women if the union ends. However a Zimbabwe Supreme Court ruling last year granted women the right to equal property - if the marriage is registered.  

Hilda Mahumucha, from Women Lawyers of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe, says that since the ruling her organization is noticing more women becoming aware of their rights.

Hilda Mahumucha, from Women Lawyers of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe, says that since the Supreme Court ruling her organization is noticing more women becoming aware of their rights (VOA/Columbus Mavhunga)

 “This has been a development in the positive direction, especially for women who had been disadvantaged for years. Most of our clients who visited our offices expressed their confidence in the judiciary system, especially with regard to their right to protection, which is a constitutional right. They even expressed that they even have (the) right to equality with their male counterparts unlike in the past when the burden of proof was placed on the woman to indicate how she contributed towards the acquisition of the matrimonial property,”  Mahumucha said.

But rights advocates say women, especially in the countryside, need to be educated on the importance of marriage registration.

Maureen Sibanda, head of governance for U.N. Women in Zimbabwe says gender equality advocates need to continue with advocacy and engage with lawmakers, judges in terms of the promotion of women’s rights.

Maureen Sibanda, head of governance for U.N. Women in Zimbabwe said, “We have a lot of work out for us or civil society. Gender equality advocates need to continue with advocacy. We need to engage with lawmakers, we need to engage with judges in terms of the promotion of women’s rights, on judiciary activism, even interpretation of some of the normative frameworks that are out there that promote women’s rights.”

While Zimbabwe’s wheels of justice turned too slowly for women like Juliet Gwenere, there is at least a more hopeful future for equality and legal protection for her daughters.

VOA Newscasts

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 08:00:00 GMT

VOA Newscasts (2 Minute)

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Colombia Mourns Defense Minister COVID-19 Related Death

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 07:57:45 GMT

Colombia is mourning the COVID-19 related death of Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo, who passed away Tuesday after two weeks in a Bogota hospital.

Government officials joined his relatives at a mass Tuesday in remembrance of Holmes Trujillo.

President Ivan Duque said Holmes Trujillo was a devoted public servant, having served as the nation’s foreign minister and as mayor of Cali.

Holmes Trujillo is the latest serving cabinet minister to succumb to COVID-19 related complications, which have claimed 51,747 lives in Colombia, according to Johns Hopkins University COVID Resource Center.

In recent weeks, the virus has contributed to deaths of four ministers in Zimbabwe, two in Malawi, one in South Africa and two in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland.

Mourners Pay Last Respects to Former Ghana President on Wednesday

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 07:48:32 GMT

Ghanaians will pay their last respects to former President Jerry Rawlings Wednesday in the capital, Accra, where his funeral is being held.

Rawlings, who was 73-years old, died in November of last year, but his cause of death has not been made public.

He was expected to be buried last month, but the delay was partly because Ghana's political leaders disagreed on some logistics of his funeral.

Rawlings was widely viewed as an advocate for the poor, with a checkered past in Ghana, having staged two coups and led a military junta before being democratically elected president in 1992. Rawlings won a second four-year term in office in 1996.

Rawlings held sway for two decades in Ghana, wielding influence even after leaving office, helping President Nana Akufo-Addo get elected for the first time in 2016.

Biden to Target Climate Change

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 07:37:56 GMT

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to sign a series of actions Wednesday to combat climate change.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday that Biden believes climate change is one of the top crises to address during his time in office.

Biden has appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry to serve as his climate envoy.

Kerry was the nation’s top diplomat during the crafting of the Paris climate agreement, a pact Biden recommitted the United States to on his first day in office in a reversal of former President Donald Trump’s policy.

The steps Biden is expected to take include a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on U.S. lands and waters, and regulatory actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It will also include directing officials to set aside more area for conservation and establishing a White House office to serve low-income and minority communities that disproportionately suffer from air and water pollution.

Biden is also expected to direct federal agencies to use science-based decision-making for federal rules, and to announce the United States will host a climate leaders summit in April.

Peru President Announces Two-Week Lockdown to Curb a Rise in COVID-19 Infections

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 07:28:36 GMT

Peru begins a 15-day lockdown Sunday in nine regions and the capital, Lima, to curb a second surge in COVID-19 cases.

On Tuesday night, President Francisco Sagasti announced that metropolitan Lima and the regions of Lima, Callao, Ancash, Pasco, Huanuco, Junin, Huancavelica, Ica, and Apurimac will be under restrictions from January 31 to February 14.

During the lockdown, people can leave home only to purchase necessities and are urged to work from home. Restaurants will only accommodate takeout orders and non-essential businesses will close.

A curfew will be in effect between 8:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. with restrictions on personal vehicular use on Saturday and Sunday.

President Sagasti says Peru will keep restrictions for international flights from Europe, as well as Brazil, where more easily spread strains of the virus have been detected.

So far, Peru has more than 1,093,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections and 39,608 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University COVID Resource Center.

VOA Newscasts (2 Minute)

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 01:00:00 GMT

VOA Newscasts

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 01:00:00 GMT

US Senate Confirms Biden Nominee as Secretary of State

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 00:06:54 GMT

The U.S. Senate confirmed President Joe Biden's nominee Antony Blinken to lead the U.S. State Department on Tuesday. As VOA's Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, Blinken faces numerous challenges worldwide as the nation's top diplomat.
Camera: Adam Greenbaum Produced by: Katherine Gypson

VOA Newscasts (2 Minute)

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT

VOA Newscasts

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Biden, Putin Hold First Phone Discussions

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 23:22:58 GMT

For the first time since his inauguration, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke Tuesday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, expressing concerns about the arrest of dissident Alexei Navalny, Moscow’s cyber-espionage campaign and bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, two senior Biden administration officials said.

Biden’s stance appeared to mark another sharp break with that of former President Donald Trump, who often voiced delight at his warm relations with the Kremlin leader. At the same time, according to U.S. accounts of the call, Biden told Putin that Russia and the United States should complete a five-year extension of their nuclear arms control treaty before it expires in early February.

There was no immediate readout of the call from Moscow, but Russia reached out to Biden in the first days of his four-year term in the White House. The U.S. leader agreed but only after he had prepared with his staff and had a chance for phone calls with three close Western allies of the U.S. — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

People gather in Pushkin Square during a protest against the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow, Jan. 23, 2021. Russian police arrested hundreds of protesters.

It was not immediately known how Putin responded to Biden raising contentious issues between the two countries.

Biden told reporters Monday that despite disagreements with Moscow, “I find that we can both operate in the mutual self-interest of our countries as a New START agreement and make it clear to Russia that we are very concerned about their behavior, whether it’s Navalny, whether it’s SolarWinds or reports of bounties on heads of Americans in Afghanistan.”

Shortly before his call with Putin, Biden spoke to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, reassuring him of the United States’s commitment to the West’s post-World War II military pact that was formed as an alliance against the threat of Russian aggression.

During his White House tenure, Trump often quarreled with NATO allies, complaining they were not contributing enough money for their mutual defense.

FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at the beginning of a their bilateral meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018.

The former president was often deferential to Putin, rejecting claims in the U.S. from opposition Democrats that Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help him win — a years-long saga that Trump derisively dismissed as “the Russia hoax.”

Last year, Trump also questioned whether Russia was involved in the hack of software manufactured by the U.S. company SolarWinds that breached files at the departments of Commerce, Treasury and Energy.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Russia was “pretty clearly” behind the cyberattack, but Trump claimed the attack was being overplayed by the U.S. media and that perhaps China was responsible.

Before taking office, Biden said, "I will not stand idly by in the face of cyber assaults on our nation."

Trump had also dismissed claims that Russia offered the Taliban bounties to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, another issue Biden pressed Putin on.

Despite his conciliatory approach to Russia, Trump imposed sanctions on the country, Russian companies and business leaders over various issues, including Moscow’s involvement in Ukraine and attacks on dissidents.

The Biden-Putin call followed pro-Navalny protests in more than 100 Russian cities last weekend, with more than 3,700 people arrested across Russia.

Navalny is an anti-corruption campaigner and Putin’s fiercest critic. He was arrested January 17 as he returned to Russia from Germany, where he had been recovering for nearly five months after a nerve-agent poisoning he claims was carried out by Russian agents, an accusation the Kremlin has rejected.

Biden Orders End of Federally Run Private Prisons

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 23:03:56 GMT

President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Justice on Tuesday to end its reliance on private prisons and acknowledge the central role government has played in implementing discriminatory housing policies.

In remarks before signing the order, Biden said the U.S. government needs to change "its whole approach" on the issue of racial equity. He added that the nation is less prosperous and secure because of the scourge of systemic racism.

"We must change now," the president said. "I know it's going to take time, but I know we can do it. And I firmly believe the nation is ready to change. But government has to change as well."

Biden rose to the presidency during a year of intense reckoning on institutional racism in the U.S. The moves announced on Tuesday reflect his efforts to follow through with campaign pledges to combat racial injustice.

Housing policies

Beyond calling on the Justice Department to curb the use of private prisons and address housing discrimination, the new orders will recommit the federal government to respect tribal sovereignty and disavow discrimination against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community over the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden directed the Department of Housing and Urban Development in a memorandum to take steps to promote equitable housing policy. The memorandum calls for HUD to examine the effects of Trump regulatory actions that may have undermined fair housing policies and laws.

Months before the November election, the Trump administration rolled back an Obama-era rule that required communities that wanted to receive HUD funding to document and report patterns of racial bias.

Stop 'profiting off of incarceration'

The order to end the reliance on privately-run prisons directs the attorney general not to renew Justice Department contracts with privately operated criminal detention facilities. The move will effectively revert the Justice Department to the same posture it held at the end of the Obama administration.

"This is a first step to stop corporations from profiting off of incarceration," Biden said.

The more than 14,000 federal inmates housed at privately-managed facilities represent a small fraction of the nearly 152,000 federal inmates currently incarcerated.

The federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) had already opted not to renew some private prison contracts in recent months as the number of inmates dwindled and thousands were released to home confinement because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Criticism of Biden move

GEO Group, a private company that operates federal prisons, called the Biden order "a solution in search of a problem."

"Given the steps the BOP had already announced, today's Executive Order merely represents a political statement, which could carry serious negative unintended consequences, including the loss of hundreds of jobs and negative economic impact for the communities where our facilities are located, which are already struggling economically due to the COVID pandemic," a GEO Group spokesperson said in a statement.

David Fathi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project, noted that the order does not end the federal government's reliance on privately-run immigration detention centers.

"The order signed today is an important first step toward acknowledging the harm that has been caused and taking actions to repair it, but President Biden has an obligation to do more, especially given his history and promises," Fathi said.

The memorandum highlighting xenophobia against Asian Americans is in large part a reaction to what White House officials say was offensive and dangerous rhetoric from the Trump administration. Trump, throughout the pandemic, repeatedly used xenophobic language in public comments when referring to the coronavirus.

This memorandum will direct Health and Human Services officials to consider issuing guidance describing best practices to advance cultural competency and sensitivity toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the federal government's COVID-19 response. It also directs the Justice Department to partner with AAPI communities to prevent hate crimes and harassment.

VOA Newscasts

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 23:00:00 GMT

VOA Newscasts (2 Minute)

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 23:00:00 GMT

US Attorney Expects Indictments in US Capitol Breach as Soon as This Week

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 22:37:33 GMT

The top federal prosecutor investigating the violent breach of the U.S. Capitol said on Tuesday he expects indictments will be handed down as soon as this week, as the FBI works to track down more than 400 suspects in the sprawling investigation.

More than 135 people have been arrested in connection with the January 6 breach, which left five people dead and sent members of Congress rushing to safety, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin told a news briefing.

The vast majority of the suspects to date were arrested on criminal complaints, which serve as a placeholder that allows the government to build a criminal case until it can be presented to a grand jury. A person cannot be convicted solely on a criminal complaint in federal court.

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, photo, supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington.

To date, only a handful of indictments have been returned against the more than 100 people charged with a range of crimes, from minor trespassing offenses to more serious allegations such as assault on police officers and conspiracy charges.

"We're continuing to build the evidence related to these charges," Sherwin said. "The individuals that were charged via the federal criminal complaints will then be indicted in the very near future to include this week."

The FBI is investigating whether groups of people may have plotted in advance to storm the Capitol, and Sherwin said on Tuesday he expects some will be facing seditious conspiracy charges.

Earlier this month, his office charged three members of the far-right anti-government militia known as Oath Keepers with conspiring ahead of the Capitol siege.

No indictment has been made public yet in that case.

Sherwin said the investigation is starting to turn towards more deep-dive investigations given that the FBI has already managed to track down many of the "internet stars" who bragged about their actions on social media.

"We are going to reach a plateau," he said. "The plateau will involve ... looking at the more complicated conspiracy cases."

Federal officials also said on Tuesday the investigation into the death of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and the planting of two pipe bombs at the Democratic and Republican headquarters offices is still going on.