Monthly: March 2018

СБУ: вислані зі США дипломати Росії на 5 років є небажаними особами в Україні

Служба безпеки України закрила в’їзд в Україну видвореним зі США 60 громадянам Росії «за причетність до діяльності спецслужб країни-агресора», повідомила 31 березня прес-служба СБУ.

«Їхня діяльність визнана несумісною зі статусом дипломата. Заборона на п’ять років стосується 48 дипломатів посольства Росії та 12 осіб з Організації Об’єднаних Націй у Нью-Йорку, яких було вислано з США 26 березня», – ідеться в повідомленні.

Українська спецслужба нагадує, що 27 березня закрила в’їзд 23 громадянам Росії, причетним до розвідувальних служб РФ, яких видворено з Великої Британії у зв’язку з отруєнням Сергія Скрипаля та його дочки.

Президент США Дональд Трамп наказав вислати «десятки» російських офіцерів розвідки через отруєння в Британії колишнього подвійного шпигуна з Росії Сергія Скрипаля, повідомила прес-служба Білого дому 26 березня.

Екс-розвідника Сергія Скрипаля та його дочку Юлію виявили 4 березня непритомними на лавці в парку Солсбері на півдні Великої Британії. Пізніше британські слідчі встановили, що їх отруїли нервово-паралітичною речовиною з серії «Новачок», яку розробили в Росії (СРСР).

14 березня прем’єр-міністр Великої Британії Тереза Мей звинуватила Росію в отруєнні Скрипаля і його дочки й оголосила про вислання 23 російських дипломатів.

Згодом до вислання дипломатів або відкликання з Росії послів вдалися понад 30 країн, які таким чином висловили солідарність із Лондоном. Україна, яка оголосила небажаними особами 13 дипломатів, є на третьому місці за кількістю таких осіб – слідом за США та Великою Британією.

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Пожежа в російському Кемерові: суд арештував двох людей

Суд в російському Кемерові заарештував на два місяці генерального директора компанії, яка є власником торгового центру «Зимова вишня, де напередодні сталася пожежа.

Юлію Богданову звинувачують в порушенні вимог пожежної безпеки, що спричинило загибель людей. 

За даними слідства, директора компанії «Кемеровський кондитерський комбінат» Богданову неодноразово попереджали про недоліки системи безпеки будівлі, яке переробили в торговий центр. Слідчі вважають, що Богданова не вдалася до жодних заходів.

31 березня суд також заарештував керівника інспекції російського Держбуднагляду Танзілію Комкову за звинуваченням у зловживанні посадовими повноваженнями. Слідство вважає, що вона не припинила діяльність торгового центру, побудованого без дозволу.

28 березня російський суд заочно арештував українського пранкера, якого в Росії звинувачують у поширенні даних про «сотні загиблих» у пожежі в російському Кемерові, також його оголосили в міжнародний розшук.

Внаслідок пожежі, що сталася 25 березня у торгово-розважальному центрі Кемерова, загинули, за офіційними даними, щонайменше 64 людини, серед них багато дітей. Ще 76 людей були поранені. Повідомлялося, що через дії охорони і неспрацювання пожежної сигналізації люди опинилися заблокованими в кінозалах і інших приміщеннях. Очевидці стверджують, що жертв набагато більше.

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Керівник МОК: Північна Корея візьме участь у наступних двох Олімпійських іграх

Президент Міжнародного олімпійського комітету (МОК) Томас Бах заявляє, що Північна Корея візьме участь у наступних двох олімпійських іграх, які відбудуться в Японії і Китаї. Про це Бах заявив після зустрічі з лідером Північної Кореї Кім Чен Ином у Пхеньяні.

Після його повернення Бах у Пекіні заявив журналістам, що Північна Корея візьме участь у Літніх Іграх 2020 року в Токіо і на Зимових Іграх 2020 року, які відбудуться у Пекіні.

«Це повністю підтримав керівник КНДР у дуже відкритій і плідній дискусії, яку я мав з ним вчора», – сказав Бах, використовуючи абревіатуру для офіційної назви країни – Корейської Народно-Демократичної Республіки.

Спортсмени з Північної та Південної Кореї, які мають намір провести саміт 27 квітня, разом пройшли під час церемонії відкриття зимових Олімпійських ігор минулого місяця в Пхеньяні, Південна Корея. 

Напруженість між двома країнами суттєво зменшилась після Олімпійських ігор в Пхеньяні. 

Запланований самміт між Кім Чен Ином і президентом Південної Кореї Мун Дже Іном буде лише третім з часів корейської війни 1950-53 років.

Також очікується, що зустріч між Кім Чен Ином і президентом США Дональдом Трампом відбудеться до кінця травня на тлі глобальних дипломатичних зусиль, спрямованих на врегулювання протистояння через ядерну програму КНДР. 

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These Burgers Are Better for the Planet, but You’d Never Know It

As the world’s population heads toward 10 billion by midcentury, experts are wrestling with how to feed the world without wrecking the planet. It’s not easy to find foods with lower environmental impact that still taste as good as the ones they are intended to replace. But chefs and environmentalists are both cheering one new menu item: the mushroom-blended burger. VOA’s Steve Baragona has more.

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Court: Trump Administration Can’t Block Immigrant Teens From Abortions

A federal court in Washington told the Trump administration Friday that the government can’t interfere with the ability of pregnant immigrant teens being held in federal custody to obtain abortions.

A judge issued an order Friday evening barring the government from “interfering with or obstructing” pregnant minors’ access to abortion counseling or abortions, among other things, while a lawsuit proceeds. The order covers pregnant minors being held in federal custody after entering the country illegally.

Lawyers for the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for sheltering children who illegally enter the country unaccompanied by a parent, have said the department has a policy of “refusing to facilitate” abortions. And the director of the office that oversees the shelters has said he believes teens in his agency’s care have no constitutional right to abortion.

ACLU lawsuit

The American Civil Liberties Union brought a lawsuit on behalf of the minors, which the judge overseeing the case also Friday allowed to go forward as a class action lawsuit.

“We have been able to secure justice for these young pregnant women in government custody who will no longer be subject to the government’s policy of coercion and obstruction while the case continues,” said ACLU attorney Brigitte Amiri after the judge’s order became public.

The government can appeal the judge’s order. A Department of Justice spokesman didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Friday evening.

The ACLU and Trump administration have been sparring for months over the government’s policy. 

Texas case

In a high profile case last year, the ACLU represented a teen who entered the U.S. illegally in September and learned while in federal custody in Texas that she was pregnant. She obtained a state court order permitting her to have an abortion, but federal officials refused to transport her or temporarily release her so that others could take her to get the procedure. The teen was ultimately able to get an abortion in October as a result of the lawsuit, but the Trump administration has accused the ACLU of misleading the government during the case, a charge the ACLU has denied.

The ACLU has since represented several other teens who have sought abortions while in custody, but the organization doesn’t know of any others actively seeking abortions, Amiri said Friday night. The judge’s order now covers any teens currently in custody or who come in to custody while the lawsuit goes forward.

Policy isn’t law

In a deposition taken in December as part of the litigation, Scott Lloyd, the director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees shelters for unaccompanied immigrant minors, said that pregnant teens in his agency’s care have no right to abortion under the Constitution. Lloyd, who has written about his own opposition to abortion, said he had not approved any abortions since becoming director in March 2017. That included refusing the abortion request of a teen who had been impregnated as a result of rape.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said in ruling Friday that Lloyd and his office are “certainly entitled to maintain an interest in fetal life, and even to prefer that pregnant” minors in their custody “choose one course over the other,” but the government can’t create or implement a policy that strips minors “of their right to make their own reproductive choices.”

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Traditional Pakistani Bamboo Curtains Gaining Popularity

Traditional handicrafts from Pakistan are exported to many countries around the world. One item that appears to be gaining in popularity are the country’s hand-made bamboo curtains. VOA’s Saman Khan has more in this report from Lahore, Pakistan, narrated by Sarah Zaman.

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NY’s Immigrant Taxi Drivers Despair as Taxi Industry Slumps

A financially distraught yellow cab driver from Romania recently hanged himself in his New York garage, marking the fourth suicide among city taxi drivers in as many months. In the tragedy’s aftermath, members of New York’s taxicab drivers union are renewing their calls for a cap on the number of app-based for-hire vehicles, such as Uber and Lyft, which they say are driving workers of a once-thriving industry into the ground. VOA’s Ramon Taylor reports.

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Kentucky Teachers Latest to Protest Public Worker Pay, Benefits

Hundreds of Kentucky teachers called in sick Friday to protest last-minute changes to their pension system, forcing nearly two dozen districts to close while angry educators rallied outside the governor’s office to demand he not sign the bill.

With thunderous chants of “shut it down” echoing throughout the Capitol Rotunda, Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear used a megaphone to announce he would sue to block the bill’s implementation if Republican Gov. Matt Bevin signs it into law.

Bevin had not signed the bill as of Friday afternoon. Thursday night, he tweeted public employees owe lawmakers a “debt of gratitude” for passing the bill.

​Growing educator unrest

The show of force comes amid growing unrest among public educators nationwide, led by thousands of West Virginia teachers who walked off the job for nine days earlier this year to secure a 5 percent pay raise. Teacher unrest spread to another deep red state in Oklahoma, where the GOP-led legislature approved money for teacher raises and more school funding. Teachers are mulling whether the current offer from lawmakers is enough to avert a work stoppage.

Kentucky Education Association President Stephanie Winkler said the union did not organize Friday’s school closures, saying “I can’t control what teachers do.”

“I support their right to call in sick if they are ill, and they are sick,” Winkler said during a news conference at KEA headquarters, prompting some teachers in the crowd to begin coughing.

Schools close for the day

Jefferson County officials in Louisville, one of the largest school districts in the country, said they couldn’t get enough substitutes to cover all their classes Friday. In Fayette County, officials said more than a third of school employees in the Lexington district were staying home.

North of Lexington, the Scott County school district called off classes. It said on Facebook that since the bill’s passage, dozens of teachers requested substitutes to fill in for them Friday.

“We can currently only fill 54 of the nearly 150 that we need,” the statement said. “That leaves too many classes not covered, which causes a situation that is unsafe and unproductive for students and staff.”

Winkler said a statewide work stoppage is still an option. The union is planning a rally Monday at the state capitol when much of the state is on spring break and lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene to possibly vote on a two-year operating budget.

“If this budget is not in the best interest of public education students and public service then we will react,” Winkler said.

​Pension funding among the worst

Kentucky’s pension system is among the worst-funded in the country. The state is at least $41 billion short of the money it needs to pay retirement benefits over the next 30 years, placing a strain on state and local government finances.

On Thursday night, the state legislature passed a bill that preserves most benefits for current public workers. But it would require all new teachers to use a hybrid plan that does not guarantee them a set pension amount when they retire. Instead, they would live off the money accumulated in their accounts from contributions and investment returns, which would be guaranteed not to lose money.

“Why would anybody go into teaching now in the state of Kentucky,” asked Whitney Walker, a government teacher at Lafayette High School in Fayette County, the state’s second-largest district that was forced to close Friday. “We need good teachers, not just anybody who would walk in the door.”

Beshear, a potential candidate for governor in 2019, said the bill violates the state’s inviolable contract by freezing the accumulation of sick days to boost retirement benefits. Winkler said the KEA supports Beshear and will join him in any potential lawsuit. But Republicans who support the bill noted a proposal the KEA supported included similar language.

Another option would be to challenge the way lawmakers passed the bill. A state law requires the bill to have a financial analysis before passing. But acting House Speaker David Osborne said the Supreme Court has interpreted that law as a House rule, which lawmakers can suspend at any time.

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Pippa Middleton’s Father-in-Law Is Subject of Rape Probe in France, Court Source Says

The father-in-law of Pippa Middleton, whose sister Kate is married to Britain’s Prince William, has been placed under formal investigation over suspected rape of a minor, a court source told Reuters on Friday.

David Matthews, who is the father of Pippa Middleton’s husband, James Matthews, was arrested Tuesday by the Juvenile Protection Brigade (BPM) and formally put under investigation for suspected rape of a minor under his authority, said the source, confirming a report on Europe 1 radio.

Paris prosecutors arrested Matthews during a visit to France, and later released him and placed him under judicial control, the source said. The source did not say when he was released. French police can hold suspects 24 or 48 hours in such cases.

The source said the alleged rape took place in 1998 or 1999. Europe 1 reported that a complaint was filed in 2017.

Reuters could not immediately reach Matthews nor any spokespeople or lawyers for him.

Being placed under judicial control means that prosecutors have attached certain conditions to his release or imposed certain limits on whom he can meet or where he can go. The source did not say what conditions had been attached in Matthews’ case.

Pippa Middleton came to national attention in Britain as the maid of honor at her sister’s royal wedding to William in 2011. Her own lavish wedding to James Matthews last May was one of the most widely reported social events of the year, attended by William and his brother Harry, grandsons of Queen Elizabeth.

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Could Enemies Target Undersea Cables That Link the World?

Russian ships are skulking around underwater communications cables, causing the U.S. and its allies to worry the Kremlin might be taking information warfare to new depths.

Is Moscow interested in cutting or tapping the cables? Does it want the West to worry it might? Is there a more innocent explanation? Unsurprisingly, Russia isn’t saying.

But whatever Moscow’s intentions, U.S. and Western officials are increasingly troubled by their rival’s interest in the 400 fiber-optic cables that carry most of world’s calls, emails and texts, as well as $10 trillion worth of daily financial transactions.

“We’ve seen activity in the Russian navy, and particularly undersea in their submarine activity, that we haven’t seen since the ’80s,” General Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of the U.S. European Command, told Congress this month.

Without undersea cables, a bank in Asian countries couldn’t send money to Saudi Arabia to pay for oil. U.S. military leaders would struggle to communicate with troops fighting extremists in Afghanistan and the Middle East. A student in Europe wouldn’t be able to Skype his parents in the United States.

Small passageways

All this information is transmitted along tiny glass fibers encased in undersea cables that, in some cases, are little bigger than a garden hose. All told, there are 620,000 miles of fiber-optic cable running under the sea, enough to loop around Earth nearly 25 times.

Most lines are owned by private telecommunications companies, including giants like Google and Microsoft. Their locations are easily identified on public maps, with swirling lines that look like spaghetti. While cutting one cable might have limited impact, severing several simultaneously or at choke points could cause a major outage.

The Russians “are doing their homework and, in the event of a crisis or conflict with them, they might do rotten things to us,” said Michael Kofman, a Russian military expert at nonprofit research group CNA Corp.

It’s not Moscow’s warships and submarines that are making NATO and U.S. officials uneasy. It’s Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research, whose specialized surface ships, submarines, underwater drones and minisubs conduct reconnaissance, underwater salvage and other work.

One ship run by the directorate is the Yantar. It’s a modest, 354-foot oceanographic vessel that holds a crew of about 60. It most recently was off South America’s coast helping Argentina search for a lost submarine.

Parlamentskaya Gazeta, the Russian parliament’s publication, last October said the Yantar has equipment “designed for deep-sea tracking” and “connecting to top-secret communication cables.” The publication said that in September 2015, the Yantar was near Kings Bay, Georgia, home to a U.S. submarine base, “collecting information about the equipment on American submarines, including underwater sensors and the unified [U.S. military] information network.” Rossiya, a Russian state TV network, has said the Yantar not only can connect to top-secret cables but also can cut them and “jam underwater sensors with a special system.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Preparing for sabotage

There is no hard evidence that the ship is engaged in nefarious activity, said Steffan Watkins, an information technology security consultant in Canada tracking the ship. But he wonders what the ship is doing when it’s stopped over critical cables or when its Automatic Identification System tracking transponder isn’t on.

Of the Yantar’s crew, he said: “I don’t think these are the actual guys who are doing any sabotage. I think they’re laying the groundwork for future operations.”

Members of Congress are wondering, too. 

Representative Joe Courtney, a Connecticut Democrat on a House subcommittee on sea power, said of the Russians, “The mere fact that they are clearly tracking the cables and prowling around the cables shows that they are doing something.”

Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, an Armed Services Committee member, said Moscow’s goal appears to be to “disrupt the normal channels of communication and create an environment of misinformation and distrust.”

The Yantar’s movements have previously raised eyebrows.

On October 18, 2016, a Syrian telecom company ordered emergency maintenance to repair a cable in the Mediterranean that provides internet connectivity to several countries, including Syria, Libya and Lebanon. The Yantar arrived in the area the day before the four-day maintenance began. It left two days before the maintenance ended. It’s unknown what work it did while there.

Watkins described another episode on November 5, 2016, when a submarine cable linking Persian Gulf nations experienced outages in Iran. Hours later, the Yantar left Oman and headed to an area about 60 miles west of the Iranian port city of Bushehr, where the cable runs ashore. Connectivity was restored just hours before the Yantar arrived on November 9. The boat stayed stationary over the site for several more days.

Undersea cables have been targets before.

At the beginning of World War I, Britain cut a handful of German underwater communications cables and tapped the rerouted traffic for intelligence. In the Cold War, the U.S. Navy sent American divers deep into the Sea of Okhotsk off the Russian coast to install a device to record Soviet communications, hoping to learn more about the U.S.S.R.’s submarine-launched nuclear capability.

Eavesdropping by spies

More recently, British and American intelligence agencies have eavesdropped on fiber-optic cables, according to documents released by Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor.

In 2007, Vietnamese authorities confiscated ships carrying miles of fiber-optic cable that thieves salvaged from the sea for profit. The heist disrupted service for several months. And in 2013, Egyptian officials arrested three scuba divers off Alexandria for attempting to cut a cable stretching from France to Singapore. Five years on, questions remain about the attack on a cable responsible for about a third of all internet traffic between Egypt and Europe.

Despite the relatively few publicly known incidents of sabotage, most outages are due to accidents.

Two hundred or so cable-related outages take place each year. Most occur when ship anchors snap cables or commercial fishing equipment snags the lines. Others break during tsunamis, earthquakes and other natural disasters.

But even accidental cuts can harm U.S. military operations. 

In 2008 in Iraq, unmanned U.S. surveillance flights nearly screeched to a halt one day at Balad Air Base, not because of enemy mortar attacks or dusty winds. An anchor had snagged a cable hundreds of miles away from the base, situated in the “Sunni Triangle” northwest of Baghdad.

The severed cable had linked controllers based in the United States with unmanned aircraft flying intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for coalition forces in the skies over Iraq, said retired Air Force Colonel Dave Lujan of Hampton, Virginia.

“Say you’re operating a remote-controlled car and all of a sudden you can’t control it,” said Lujan, who was deputy commander of the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group at the base when the little-publicized outage lasted for two to three days. “That’s a big impact,” he said, describing how U.S. pilots had to fly the missions instead.

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«Схеми» відкидають закиди з боку ВМС України щодо «перекручування відомостей» у розслідуванні

«Чому з 2014 року американський презент досі стоїть в порту Балтимора, а не служить українським Військово-морським силам в акваторії Чорного моря?»

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Американський штат оголосив березень місяцем пам’яті Голодомору в Україні – посольство

Американський штат Массачусетс визнав геноцидом Голодомор 1932-1933 років на теренах України, повідомило українське посольство в США 29 березня.

У прокламації, яку оприлюднило дипломатичне представництво України, йдеться: «Я, Чарльз Бейкер, губернатор штату Массачусетс, проголошую березень 2018 року місяцем пам’яті геноциду в Україні».

У посольстві зазначили, що Массачусетс став дев’ятим американським штатом, який визнав Голодомор геноцидом. Раніше це зробили у Вашингтоні, Вісконсині, Іллінойсі, Мічигані, Нью-Джерсі, Нью-Йорку, Орегоні та Пенсильванії.

У листопаді 2006 року Верховна Рада України визнала Голодомор 1932–1933 років геноцидом українського народу. Наразі Голодомор визнали геноцидом 24 країни світу, а ще в низці країн – органи влади їхніх окремих територіальних одиниць.

Україна з посиланням на дані науково-демографічної експертизи стверджує, що загальна кількість людських втрат від Голодомору 1932–33 років становить майже 4 мільйони осіб, а втрати українців у частині ненароджених становлять понад 6 мільйонів.

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Turkey Slams France’s Offer of Mediation Over Syrian Kurd Militia

Paris’s offer to mediate between Ankara and the YPG Syrian Kurdish militia has provoked outrage from the Turkish government.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said the move amounted to supporting terrorism, and could make France “a target of Turkey.”  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Paris’s move, as a “show of hostility against Turkey.”

French President Emmanuel Macron made the mediation offer after meeting a delegation of the Syrian Defense Force (SDF), which included prominent members of the YPG militia and its political wing, PYD. Ankara accuses the YPG of being affiliated to the PKK which is waging an insurgency inside Turkey. Friday the PKK was blamed for an attack on Turkish security forces that killed at least 5.

“We do not need a mediator. Since when has Turkey been sitting at a table with terrorist organizations? Where did you get this from? You can sit at the table with terrorist organizations. But Turkey fights against terrorist organizations in places like Afrin [in Syria],” said Erdogan Friday at a meeting of his supporters.

 

“France no longer has the right to complain about the actions of any terror organization on its soil after meeting with the representatives of the PYD and its armed wing, the People Protection Units (YPG),” Erdogan added.

In a statement, the French presidency said along with mediation, it was prepared to support the creation of a stabilization region to facilitate the SDF fight against Islamic State. The statement “paid tribute to the sacrifices and the determining role” of the SDF in fighting against the jihadist group. Ankara accuses the SDF of being a front for the YPG Kurdish militia.

Symbolic victory for YPG

Ankara’s fury appears to be exacerbated by claims by those attending the Paris meeting that France was ready to deploy forces to northern Syria as part of efforts to protect Kurdish forces. Paris has not confirmed those claims. France, like the United States, has provided arms to the SDF, including members of the YPG, as well as deploying special forces in the fight against Islamic State, much to Ankara’s anger.

But analysts suggest even if claims of a French military deployment prove unfounded, the symbolism of President Macron for the first time hosting members of the YPG at the Elysse Palace, is a significant victory for the militia.

“Well, it legitimizes people that Turkey calls terrorists,” points out political columnist Semih Idiz, of the al-Monitor website.  “And we may expect these same people now to appear in other European countries, Germany, Austria and other places. This has potential to add new higher-level tensions between Turkish European relations.”

Ankara’s strong pushback against Paris could also be a sign that Europe could be considering taking a more assertive stance towards Turkey.

“If you look at the way the European Union has closed ranks against Russia, we could end up with a similar situation with Turkey.  A block could be developing against Turkey centered on not so much the YPG but the Kurdish issue,” warns columnist Idiz.

European leaders, including Macron are facing growing domestic disapproval of what critics claim is the abandoning of Kurdish fighters, who had successfully fought Islamic State.

Ankara pushing ahead

Erdogan Friday announced preparations were underway for a new offensive in Syria against the Kurdish militia, promising to sweep across northern Syria to the Iraqi border. The next declared target of Turkish-led forces is the Syrian town of Manbij, where U.S. forces are deployed with the YPG.

Analysts suggests Erdogan will likely be emboldened by U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement Thursday he would pull U.S. forces from Syria. The U.S. State Department, however, said there was no change in Syrian policy, while the Pentagon reaffirmed support for the SDF in its fight against the Islamic State.

But Ankara’s strong pushback against Paris is indicative of what observers claim is Erdogan’s belief that none of its Western allies are ready to confront it over its Syrian intervention.

“This is what President Erdogan’s brinkmanship is based on, having had his way in Afrin, he is feeling rather bullish about this and he is going to press on,” warns columnist Idiz.

“We are heading for some confrontation, especially over Manbij. But it is true there seems to be very little that Europe and the West generally can do. Erdogan is set to continue on his path because he believes he can get what he wants.”

 

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До 10 зросла кількість загиблих у протестах у Смузі Гази палестинців

Десятеро палестинців загинули, сотні постраждали внаслідок сутичок з ізраїльськими солдатами на кордоні Смуги Гази, такі оновлені дані повідомило ввечері 30 березня палестинське Міністерство охорони здоров’я.

Палестинці в Смузі Гази 30 березня розпочали шеститижневий протест поблизу кордону з Ізраїлем.

За словами організаторів акції, вони хочуть привернути увагу до долі палестинців, які не можуть повернутися до своїх домівок на території Ізраїлю. За кілометр від кордону з Ізраїлем протестувальники розбили намети.

Ізраїльські війська перебувають у стані підвищеної готовності вздовж кордону, побоюючись спроб масового порушення кордону.

Протест скликало палестинське угруповання «Хамас», яке керує Смугою Гази.

У Міністерстві закордонних справ Ізраїлю заявили, що протест є навмисною спробою спровокувати конфронтацію. Міністерство поклало відповідальність за будь-які можливі сутички на «Хамас».

Міністр оборони Ізраїлю Авігдор Ліберман розмістив у Twitter повідомлення арабською мовою. Він написав, що «Хамас» «грається з людськими життями», і закликав палестинців не піддаватися на провокації.

«Хамас» звинуватив владу Ізраїлю в спробах залякати палестинців.

За даними ООН, приблизно 1,3 мільйона із двох мільйонів жителів Гази є біженцями або нащадками біженців, які не можуть повернутися на територію, яка зараз є Ізраїлем.

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Павлоградський суд викликав на засідання бойовика «Гіві», якого вважають загиблим

Павлоградський міськрайонний суд Дніпропетровської області викликає на засідання обвинуваченого у справі про теракт Михайла Толстих (командира угруповання бойовиків «Сомалі» на прізвисько «Гіві»). 30 березня суд опублікував відповідне повідомлення в офіційній газеті «Урядовий кур’єр».

За повідомленням суду, після публікації в пресі обвинувачений вважається повідомленим про час і місце суду. У разі неявки суд розгляне справу без нього, йдеться у повідомленні.

Як підтвердили в суді, справу має розглянути колегія із трьох суддів на чолі з головою суду Наталією Самоткан. Михайла Толстих обвинувачують у скоєнні терористичного акту. Судове засідання призначене на 9:00 5 квітня.

Радіо Свобода підготувало інформаційний запит до суду з приводу виклику Толстих на засідання.

Правозахисниця, директорка програми USAID «Права людини в дії» Української Гельсінської спілки з прав людини Надія Волкова повідомила Радіо Свобода, що справа проти «Гіві» перебуває в Павлоградському суді з грудня 2016 року. Вона зазначила, що причин для закриття провадження немає, поки факт смерті обвинуваченого не встановлений офіційно.

«Підставою для закриття кримінального провадження є смерть людини. Якщо суд не виніс постанови, що людина є померлою, то вона вважається живою. Але йде інформація, у тому числі від СБУ про те, що «Гіві» вважається загиблою особою. Та СБУ не може це 100-відсотково підтвердити, адже це сталось на непідконтрольній Україні території. Тому суд не може закрити провадження. Наскільки я розумію, відбуватиметься заочне засудження, так само, як і в «справі Плотницького», – сказала Волкова.

За словами правозахисниці, щоб підтвердити смерть «Гіві, Україна мала б звернутися з офіційним запитом до Слідчого комітету Росії. Надія Волкова також вважає, що судовий процес проти «Гіві» наразі треба тимчасово припинити.

«Мені здається, було б доречним призупинити цей судовий процес. Зараз не встановлено, хто є відповідальним за ці (неконтрольовані Україною – ред.) території. Росія не визнає себе стороною конфлікту. Навіть якщо зараз суд винесе вирок, то які наслідки?» – додала Надія Волкова.

8 лютого 2017 року в угрупованні «ДНР» заявили про загибель у результаті вибуху Михайла Толстих, ватажка бойовиків на прізвисько «Гіві». У Міноборони України тоді підтвердили смерть.

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Голова Миколаївської ОДА Савченко відсторонений – АП

Голова Миколаївської облдержадміністрації Олексій Савченко відсторонений від роботи, повідомив Радіо Свобода керівник головного департаменту інформаційної політики Адміністрації президента Андрій Жигулін.

«Зараз голова Миколаївської ОДА відсторонений. Якщо слідство доведе його провину, він буде звільнений», – сказав Жигулін.

30 березня Савченко розповів, що подав президентові заяву про складання повноважень на період розслідування справи про самогубство колишнього льотчика, екс-директора комунального підприємства «Миколаївський міжнародний аеропорт» Владислава Волошина.

29 березня Миколаївська обласна рада перенесла розгляд питання про оголошення недовіри голові облдержадміністрації Олексію Савченку. Депутати вирішили у перші два тижні квітня на позачерговій сесії заслухати звіт голови ОДА, а після цього ухвалювати рішення про оголошення недовіри, повідомляли місцеві ЗМІ.

Начальник Головного управління національної поліції в Миколаївській області Юрій Мороз попросив 29 березня керівництво поліції змінити підслідність справи загиблого героя-льотчика Владислава Волошина. Він вважає, що для об’єктивного та неупередженого розгляду справи провадження могли б розслідувати Головне слідче управління Національної поліції або інші територіальні підрозділи.

Про те, що 29-річний Волошин скоїв самогубство в своїй квартирі в Миколаєві, стало відомо 18 березня. Волошин раніше був пілотом у Збройних силах України, брав участь в українській воєнній операції на Донбасі.

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South Sudan Dispute With Mobile Firm Disrupts Service

Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese remained without mobile phone service Friday, as network operator Vivacell continued a standoff with the government over a licensing dispute.

The government cut the network’s signal to its roughly 900,000 subscribers just after midnight Tuesday, alleging that Vivacell owed tens of millions of dollars in licensing fees.

The government’s information minister, Michael Makuei, told VOA earlier this week that Vivacell previously had been exempted from taxes and licensing fees. “We want them to pay a sum of up to $66 million for their license, and up to now they are dragging their feet,” he said.

The licensing fee dispute underscores the mounting financial pressures facing the government in a country ravaged by civil war since late 2013.

Ruling party holds Vivacell stake

Pagan Amum – the former secretary general of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the country’s ruling party – said Vivacell already pays for a valid license it has held for years. “There is no way Vivacell can be required to pay for another license,” he told VOA’s “South Sudan in Focus” radio program on Thursday.

Amum said that, as secretary general, he had helped negotiate the original deal with Lebanon’s Fattouch Investment Group – Vivacell’s majority owner – giving the SPLM party a minority share in the telecom firm. 

Vivacell has operated in South Sudan since 2008 under a license issued to the SPLM, Amum said. He added that, since 2012, the ruling SPLM has received $100,000 a month from Vivacell for licensing fees.

Vivacell officials went to Makuei’s office earlier this week in an attempt to negotiate, but he refused a meeting, the firm’s managing director, Jesus Antonio Ortiz Olivo, told Reuters on Wednesday. 

Makuei, in media interviews this week, has expressed a desire “to reorganize the telecommunications sector.” 

Low cellphone penetration rate

Mobile phone subscription rates have been falling in South Sudan, and telecom-sector operators “are placing themselves in survival mode and are hoping for a political settlement and a return to some degree of social stability,” the telecommunications research site BuddeComm reported in February.

BuddeCom said South Sudan has one of Africa’s lowest rates of cellphone penetration, at 21 percent, noting that recovery could bring “potentially many years of strong growth” to the sector.

South Sudan’s regulatory Communications Authority estimates the country’s entire telecom market – also served by South Africa’s MTN and Kuwait’s Zain – has fewer than 3 million subscribers, according to Reuters.

Complications for customers, clients

On Wednesday in the capital city, Juba, long lines formed at mobile phone stores where people waited to buy new subscriber identification module (SIM) cards from Vivacell competitors.

Vivacell subscriber Ever Fanusto said the sudden shutdown cut her off from friends and relatives, including those living overseas.

“I used to call my elder brother who is in America and now we have been disconnected with him,” Fanusto said. She added that it would be a challenge to retrieve her contacts’ information and load it onto a new SIM card.

In a notice published Wednesday, Vivacell informed its subscribers that the company was working with national authorities to resolve the matter and that it hoped to resume business soon in South Sudan. Otherwise, the company said it would set up “a clear mechanism” for reimbursing dealers, retailers and agents for their SIM card stocks.

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State Dept: US Visa Applicants to be Asked for Social Media History

The U.S. government plans to collect social media history from nearly everyone who seeks entry into the United States, State Department proposals showed on Friday as part of President Donald Trump’s policy of “extreme vetting.”

Most immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants – about 14.7 million people – will be asked to list on a federal application form all of the social media identities that they have used in the past five years – information that will be used

to vet and identify them, according to the proposals.

The State Department will publish the proposals in a notice in the Federal Register on Friday seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget. The public has 60 days to comment on the requests.

The proposals support President Donald Trump’s campaign pledge in 2016 to crack down on illegal immigration for security reasons and his call for “extreme vetting” of foreigners entering the United States.

The department said it intends not to routinely ask most diplomatic and official visa applicants for the social media information.

If approved, applicants also will be required to submit five years of previously used telephone numbers, email addresses and their international travel history. They will be asked if they have been deported or removed from any country and whether family members have been involved in terrorist activities, the

department said.

Courts have struck down the first two versions of Trump’s travel ban and the current one is narrower in scope than its predecessors. The Supreme Court will consider its legality this spring and a decision is expected in June.

 

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A Century After WWI, Munitions Still Make Their Way Onto Beaches

A century after World War I ended, discarded munitions from that and other wars continue to make their way onto beaches around the country.

Items ranging from tiny fuses to full-scale mines are displaced by beach replenishment projects, sucked from the ocean floor and pumped ashore, or by strong storms that uncover them.

The most recent discovery came earlier this month when seven WWI rifle grenades were found on the beach in Mantoloking, New Jersey, which is undergoing a beach replenishment project to undo damage from Superstorm Sandy more than five years ago.

Many of the items were simply dumped overboard at the end of World Wars I and II; others remain from military drills or target practice. They’ve been discovered in at least 16 states from New Jersey to Hawaii.

“Surprisingly or not, this stuff continues to turn up,” said Niall Slowey, an oceanography professor at Texas A&M University, who has studied the phenomenon extensively. “They disposed of millions of tons of this stuff.”

No one knows how many pieces of munitions remain offshore, partly because the military’s own records as to how much was disposed of aren’t great. A Defense Department report to Congress in 2009 said more than half of sea disposals of munitions was done in the Atlantic Ocean; the Pacific got another 35 percent, and lesser amounts were dumped off Hawaii, Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The material was dumped as near as 5 miles from shore, in water as shallow as 50 feet.

Slowey and a colleague released a 2012 study estimating there are millions of pounds of undersea bombs in the Gulf of Mexico alone.

Disposal of unneeded munitions at sea was commonly accepted practice until 1970.

“They thought it was beyond harm’s reach,” Slowey said. “People could not envision that there would be any interaction with material that deep on the ocean floor. But there is a lot more on the sea floor than anyone could have envisioned.”

New Jersey has been home to some well-publicized discoveries, including more than 1,100 pieces of munitions pumped ashore during beach replenishment work on a mile and a half of sand in Surf City and Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island in 2007. The items, mostly fuses, prompted temporary bans on the use of metal detectors and the digging of holes in the sand more than a foot deep. It also created a cottage industry in T-shirts with slogans like “Our beaches will blow you away!” and “I got bombed on L.B.I.!”

Similar material surfaced on the Jersey shore towns of Loch Arbour, Allenhurst and Deal in 2016 as part of another post-Sandy beach restoration project.

In May 2008, a bomb squad from the Massachusetts State Police detonated several pieces of unexploded ordnance left over from World War II on Chappaquiddick, including practice bombs.

In June 2013, a beachgoer discovered a partially buried German mine in the surf about 10 feet from shore in Bay Head, New Jersey, on the same day that the Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland did a controlled explosion of a World War II bomb that had washed ashore.

In July 2015, a photoflash bomb, designed to illuminate the night sky over WWII battlefields, was discovered on a beach near Tampa, Florida, where authorities blew it up on the sand.

Military and civilian experts say they don’t know of anyone in the United States being injured by munitions found on a beach, but agree the potential for injury is real.

“The problem is you just don’t know,” said Master Sgt. Brad Kline, an explosives disposal expert at New Jersey’s Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. “There could be explosive residue left behind. It’s definitely not worth the risk” of handling it. Military personnel use explosives to blow up munitions that are discovered on the beach and brought to the base.

In Europe, there have been injuries and deaths from unexploded munitions, including the 2005 deaths of three Dutch fishermen whose nets brought a WWII bomb to the surface, and other fishermen burned by chemical weapons they unwittingly dredged up.

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Росія оголосила про вислання дипломатів 23 країн

Міністерство закордонних справ Росії оголосило про «дзеркальні заходи» щодо 23 держав, які вислали російських дипломатів у відповідь на отруєння у Великій Британії колишнього російського розвідника Сергія Скрипаля і його дочки Юлії.

Представники дипмісій Албанії, Німеччини, Данії, Ірландії, Іспанії, Італії, Канади, Латвії, Литви, Македонії, Молдови, Нідерландів, Норвегії, Польщі, Румунії, України, Фінляндії, Франції, Хорватії, Чехії, Швеції та Естонії повинні залишити Росію до 7 квітня.

Читайте також: Клімкін назвав «нонсенсом» реакцію Росії на висилку дипломатів

30 березня керівників дипмісій викликали до російського МЗС. «Їм вручили ноти протесту і заявили, що у відповідь на необґрунтовані вимоги зазначених держав про висилку російських дипломатичних співробітників… російська сторона оголошує «persona non grata» відповідну кількість співробітників дипустанов цих країн в Російській Федерації», – йдеться в заяві.

У МЗС Росії додали, що схожі заходи можуть ухвалити і щодо дипломатів із Бельгії, Угорщини, Грузії і Чорногорії, які «в останній момент» долучилися до вислання російських диппрацівників.

Раніше російська влада вже оголосила про висилання 60 американських дипломатів і закриття генерального консульства США в Санкт-Петербурзі у відповідь на дії Вашингтона. Від Великої Британії Кремль зажадав вирівняти чисельність співробітників британських дипмісій в Росії і російських у Лондоні.

Щонайменше 28 країн вирішили вислати загалом понад 150 російських дипломатів у відповідь на отруєння 4 березня нервово-паралітичною речовиною колишнього російського подвійного агента Сергія Скрипаля і його дочки у британському Солсбері. Лондон і його союзники звинуватили Москву в отруєнні, але Кремль неодноразово заперечував причетність Росії.​

США вислали 60, Велика Британія – 23, Україна – 13 російських дипломатів. Решта країн, що висловили таким чином солідарність із Лондоном, обмежилися висилкою від одного до чотирьох дипломатів.

Сергія Скрипаля і його дочку Юлію отруїли нервово-паралітичною речовиною в британському Солсбері. Лондон звинуватив Москву в замаху на Скрипаля і вислав 23 російських дипломатів. Росія у відповідь вислала 23 співробітників британської дипмісії з закрила Британську раду.

Москва усі звинувачення у справі Скрипаля на свою адресу відкидає.

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Kremlin Criticizes Decision to Take RT TV off Air in Washington

The Kremlin said on Friday it was studying a move by cable and digital TV providers in the United States to take Russia’s RT TV channel off the air in Washington, saying the move looked like it was illegal and discriminatory.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters lawyers were closely studying the grounds for the decision, but said that at first glance it looked illegal and discriminatory.

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Amid Flood of Chinese Products, India Wants Fairness

Sampad Yadav, who sells electrical goods in a shop in the business hub of Gurugram on the outskirts of New Delhi, says Chinese goods such as LED lamps are popular with customers. “When people make a price comparison, and want to move towards the cheapest goods, those are usually Chinese products.”

 

As in many other countries, Chinese products such as lamps, electronics, smartphones and engineering goods from the manufacturing giant have flooded Indian markets.

 

However India has long fretted that areas in which it is strong such as generic drugs and Information Technology services, which make up some of its main exports to Western markets, remain shut out of China. That has made it difficult to bridge a ballooning trade deficit of about $50 billion between the two countries.

 

But there is optimism this could change following a meeting this week between the commerce ministers of the two countries in New Delhi.

 

“The Chinese side have agreed to work on the issue, prepare a road map to bring the trade to balanced level over a period of time,” Indian Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu said after discussions with his Chinese counterpart, Zhong Shan.

 

Trade experts hope the growing tensions on trade issues between the United States and China will prompt Beijing to open up its markets more to Indian exports. “I think China is definitely under pressure now, looking into the kind of initiation which has happened against China,” says Ajay Sahai, who heads the Federation of Indian Exports Organization.

 

The meeting between the Indian and Chinese commerce ministers this week came amid efforts to deescalate tensions between the Asian neighbors following a period of rocky ties and a tense 70-day face-off between their troops in the Himalayas last year.

Despite a long-lingering boundary dispute and an often-fraught diplomatic relationship, trade ties between the Asian giants have gained significant momentum and China is now India’s largest trading partner. Bilateral trade in 2017 topped $80 billion rising by more than 20 percent over the previous yea.

 

But worryingly for New Delhi, the trade deficit remains high despite a marginal growth in Indian exports – they add up to about $16 billion versus Chinese imports into India of about $68 billion.

 

Market access a key issue

India exports mainly raw materials like iron ore, copper and cotton yarn to China. “In whatever value added exports where we are competitive, unfortunately the market is not open for us,” says Sahai.

 

However China has promised to give greater market access to Indian goods, particularly pharmaceuticals and agricultural goods such as rice, as well as service exports, according to the Indian commerce minister. “They have decided to work in a way that will address security issues from their side as well as introduce Indian companies to those who can buy these products in China,” says Prabhu.

 

New Delhi, which is trying to ramp up domestic manufacturing, is also urging China to manufacture more goods exported to India within the country.

Whether the promised actions translate into concrete outcomes remains to be seen. But exporters are hopeful. Sahai points out that China has invited Indian traders to what is being billed as the country’s first importers fair to be held in Shanghai later this year – it is being showcased as a measure to further open up China’s market.

 

The positive tenor of talks between the two countries comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to impose tariffs on Chinese imports valued at $60 billion.

 

New Delhi could also face U.S. ire on trade issues – although its exports to the United States are comparatively small, it has a high trade deficit in its favor and Washington has often complained of protectionist barriers in India. In February, Trump called out India for imposing higher duties on Harley-Davidson motorcycles than the U.S. does on Indian motorbikes.

 

Amid growing fears that global trade faces uncertain times, analysts have called on countries like India to focus on increasing trade within the region.   

 

India and China also said they will strengthen cooperation in the World Trade Organization and other multilateral and regional frameworks to maintain their common interests.

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Vietnam Stands to See Modest Wins if China, U.S. Start Trade War

A wider Sino-U.S. trade dispute would help export-reliant Vietnam compete against Chinese companies but put the country at risk of any global fallout, analysts say.

The numerous exporters in Vietnam that ship manufactured goods to the United States would save money compared with Chinese peers if not subject to American tariffs, said Dustin Daugherty, senior associate with business consultancy Dezan Shira & Associates in Ho Chi Minh City.

The U.S. government said this month it would develop a list of tariffs on up to $60 billion in Chinese imports. China has threatened to impose its own in response.

“Let’s say (the United States) went the more traditional route, tensions kept escalating and more tariffs are slapped on Chinese products,” Daugherty said. “In that case Vietnam’s export sector definitely benefits. We’re already seeing the U.S. being very warm to Vietnam and U.S. businesses keen on doing business with Vietnam.”

But Chinese firms hit by tariffs might flood Vietnam with raw materials for local manufacturing, while overall world market volatility caused by a Sino-U.S. trade dispute could hamper the country’s trade, said Carl Thayer, emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

​A tariff-free Vietnam scenario

Vietnamese exporters would save money compared to their Chinese peers if the U.S. government placed tariffs on Chinese firms alone without touching their cross-border supply chains, Daugherty said.

The government of U.S. President Donald Trump calls China unfair in its trade practices, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative says on its website. China enjoys a $375 billion trade surplus with the United States.

Vietnam counts the United States as its top single-country export destination and it shipped $46.484 billion worth of goods to that market last year.

Vietnamese officials have carved out an investment environment since the 1980s that hinges on low costs for manufacturers. American-invested factories such as a Ford Motor plant and an Intel chip factory are among those active in Vietnam today.

Foreign investment contributed to exports worth $155.24 billion in 2017, financial services firm SSI Research in Hanoi says. Vietnam’s economy grew about 7 percent in the first quarter this year, it says.

Attractive investment

Vietnam would be a more attractive investment compared with China under higher U.S. tariffs, analysts say.

Some new investors might be formerly China-based firms hoping to flee the tariffs, said Song Seng Wun, an economist in the private banking unit of CIMB in Singapore.

China itself might offer Vietnam, along with other countries, preferential trade policies or infrastructure help to shore up trade ties, some believe. Stronger trade relations outside the United States would help China offset any tariff damage, Daugherty said.

This week China’s commerce minister pledged to relax trade rules affecting India.

​Specter of a broader trade war

U.S. import tariffs that hit China’s extensive cross-border supply chain would hurt Vietnam as a place that finishes Chinese goods for final export, Thayer said. It’s unclear whether Washington would tax Chinese firms alone or their wider supply networks.

Chinese firms already co-invest with Vietnamese partners, Song said, and supply chains for goods such as consumer electronics can net multiple countries, not just China.

More co-investment might follow if Vietnam can offer shelter from tariffs. But Sino-Vietnamese political tension over a maritime dispute risks giving Vietnamese firms a bad name at home if they work too extensively with Chinese partners.

“I would say there will be all kinds of repercussions and implications just because of the very integrated supply chain in the world these days,” Song said. “Take an Apple phone as an example. Parts from here and there are assembled in China.”

Steel, aluminum tariffs

U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs that took effect last week cover much of the world including China and Vietnam. Vietnam exported 380,000 tons of steel, worth $303 million, to the United States in 2017, domestic news website VnExpress International says.

Chinese firms hit by the range of tariffs being mulled now in Washington might boost sales to Vietnam, Thayer said. Chinese sellers of raw materials for Vietnamese exports could dump goods into Vietnam to keep up their own balance sheets as U.S. tariffs hurt them, he added.

Chinese sellers often have an economy of scale that lets them sell for less in Vietnam than local vendors do. Vietnam counts China as its top trading partner.

An escalation of Sino-U.S. trade tensions could also chill global markets or trade as a whole, some analysts fear. That fallout could slow global growth, he said.

“Disruption to trade shouldn’t affect Vietnam overall, but it’s the way the entire globe is reacting to this that I think could affect Vietnam,” he said. “Vietnam is overall heavily committed to global integration with a number of partners, so disruption along that way would have an effect.”

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UK Lawmakers Publish Evidence from Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower

A committee of British lawmakers published written evidence on Thursday provided by a whistleblower who says information about 50 million Facebook users ended up in the hands of political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

Cambridge Analytica said the documents did not support whistleblower Christopher Wylie’s testimony to the committee this week.

Wylie, who formerly worked for Cambridge Analytica (CA), alleges the data was used to help to build profiles on American voters and raise support for Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Wylie also alleges that CA was linked to Canadian firm AggregateIQ (AIQ), which he says was involved in the development of the software used to target voters. AggregateIQ, he says, received payment from a pro-Brexit campaign group before the 2016 referendum when Britain voted to quit the European Union.

This was co-ordinated with the lead “Vote Leave” group in a breach of British electoral funding rules, Wylie alleged.  Vote Leave denies any wrongdoing.

Wylie appeared before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the British parliament on Tuesday. The committee said Wylie provided it with documents including a services agreement between AIQ and SCL Elections, an affiliate of Cambridge Analytica, dated September 2014.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the documents made public by the committee.

“None of these documents support the false allegations made in Tuesday’s hearing,” Cambridge Analytica said in a statement, adding that Wylie had left the company in July 2014 and would have no direct knowledge of its work or practices since then.

“It is wrong to suggest that Cambridge Analytica’s earlier relationship with Aggregate IQ implies that we were involved with their work for Vote Leave. Cambridge Analytica did no work in any capacity in the 2016 EU referendum.”

AIQ did not respond to a Reuters request for comment after Tuesday’s committee hearing, but in an earlier statement said it had never entered into a contract with Cambridge Analytica and had never been part of the firm.

The parliamentary committee’s chairman has said it was “astonishing” that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg decided not to answer lawmakers’ questions, given the claims that Wylie had made about how data was used.

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