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Climate Change Destroys Coastal Mexican Town

Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 19:10
EL BOSQUE, Mexico — People moved to El Bosque on the Gulf of Mexico in the 1980s to fish and build a community. Then climate change set the sea against the town. Flooding, driven by rapid sea-level rise and increasingly brutal winter storms, has all but destroyed El Bosque, leaving twisted piles of concrete where houses used to line the sand. Forced to flee the homes they built, locals are waiting for government aid in rentals they can scarcely afford. The United Nations climate summit known as COP28 finally agreed this month on a multimillion-dollar loss-and-damage fund to help developing countries cope with global warming. It will come too late for the people of El Bosque, but by 2050, millions more Mexicans will be displaced by climate change, according to the Mayors Migration Council, a coalition researching internal migration. Just two years ago, more than 700 people lived in El Bosque; barely a dozen remain. Between those numbers lie the relics of a lost community. At one of the few solid buildings left — the old concrete fishing cooperative — enormous, vaultlike refrigerators have become makeshift storage units for belongings left behind. Guadalupe Cobos is one of the few still living in El Bosque. Residents' relationship with the sea is "like a toxic marriage," Cobos said, facing the waves on a recent afternoon. "I love you when I'm happy, right? And when I'm angry, I take away everything that I gave you," she said. Along with rapidly rising water levels, winter storms called "nortes" have eaten more than 500 meters (one-third of a mile) inland since 2005, according to Lilia Gama, coastal vulnerability researcher at Tabasco Juarez State University. "Before, if a norte came in, it lasted one or two days," Gama said. "The tide would come in. It would go up a little bit and it would go away." Now, fueled by warming air that can hold more moisture, winter storms stay for several days at a time. End could be near Local scientists say one more powerful storm could destroy El Bosque for good. Relocation, slowed by bureaucracy and a lack of funding, is still months away. As the sun sets over the beach, Cobos, known as Dona Lupe to neighbors, points to a dozen small orange stars on the line of the horizon — oil platforms burning off gas. "There is money here," she said, "but not for us." As El Bosque was settled, state oil company Pemex went on an exploration spree in the Gulf — tripling crude oil production and turning Mexico into a major international exporter. Now Mexico plans to open a new refinery in Tabasco, just 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of El Bosque. Gulf of Mexico sea levels are already rising three times faster than the global average, according to a study co-authored by researchers from the United Kingdom, New Orleans, Florida and California this March. The stark difference is partly caused by changing circulation patterns in the Atlantic as the ocean warms and expands. Swaths of the coast known as the Emerald Coast in the state of Veracruz are storm-battered, flooded and falling into the sea, and a quarter of neighboring Tabasco state will be inundated by 2050, according to one study. Around the world, facing similar slow-motion battles with the water, coastal communities from Quebec to New Zealand have begun beating a "managed retreat." Very little, however, seems managed about the retreat from El Bosque. When the Xolo family fled their home November 21, they left in the middle of the night, all 10 children under a tarpaulin in pouring rain. When The Associated Press visited El Bosque during a storm at the end of November, the community was accessible only by foot or motorbike. That same day, the shelter was closed, with papered-over windows and a government sign advertising "8 steps to protect your health in the event of a flood." Sustainability candidate Meanwhile, new houses will not be ready before fall 2024, according to Raul Garcia, head of Tabasco's urban development department, who said himself that the process is too slow. While advocates call for specific climate adaptation laws, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, born just inland, has made oil development a key part of his platform. That might change if former Mexico City mayor and accomplished scientist Claudia Sheinbaum is elected president next year. Despite being Lopez Obrador's protegee, she pledges to commit Mexico to sustainability, a promise more urgent than ever. Eglisa Arias Arias, a grandmother of two, was forced to flee her home in El Bosque on November 3. "I would go to sleep listening to the sea's noise," she said. "I would tell him I know I'm going to miss you because with that noise you taught me how to love you." When the flood came for Arias' house, she only asked the sea for enough time to collect her things, and it gave her that. "And so, when I left there, I said goodbye to the sea. I gave him thanks for the time he was there for me."

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Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 19:00
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Turkey Expects Somali President's Son to Return, Face Trial Over Fatal Traffic Accident

Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 18:30
washington/istanbul — Turkey’s justice minister announced Thursday that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s son is expected to return to Turkey to face trial over a fatal traffic accident in Istanbul. Yilmaz Tunc, Turkey’s justice minister, told reporters that Ankara held talks with Somali judicial authorities over extraditing Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. “In the coming days, the defendant will come to Turkey, and the trial process will take place,” Tunc said. Accident On November 30, Mohamud hit Yunus Emre Gocer, a motorcycle courier in the Fatih district of Istanbul, while driving a vehicle with a diplomatic license plate. The 38-year-old victim was immediately taken to the hospital, where he died on December 6. According to police documents that VOA Turkish obtained, after providing testimony, Mohamud was released on the same day of the accident per an Istanbul prosecutor’s instructions. In a press statement last Friday, the Istanbul prosecutor’s office announced that following Gocer’s death, it issued a detention order for Mohamud accusing him of involuntary manslaughter, but he had already left the country on December 2. The prosecutor’s office said an arrest warrant for Mohamud was issued on December 8. Iyaz Cimen, the lawyer for Gocer’s family, says the Somali president’s son was allowed to leave Turkey due to “a chain of negligence.” “We went to the police station on the evening of the accident day where [the police] ignored us. We requested detention at the prosecutor’s office for eight days from November 30 to December 7. [Mohamud] was not arrested, and in fact, any judicial control, including a travel ban, was not placed,” Cimen told VOA. On the other hand, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his son did not flee Turkey and stayed in Istanbul for several days after the crash. “It was an accident. He did not run away, and he hired a lawyer for this purpose,” the Somali president said. “And there was no arrest warrant. … So, he has a business, and he came out of the country.” Mohamud added that he is advising his son to present himself to the Turkish court, noting that his son is an adult and “the decision is his — but I am giving that advice.” The Somali president also extended his condolences to Gocer’s family. Investigation Ankara has launched an investigation of the police officers who conducted the crime scene investigation and wrote the initial police report, Tunc posted on social media on Monday. Also on Monday, a Somali diplomat in Turkey, who requested anonymity, told The Associated Press that Mohamud has since traveled to Dubai. He added that the Somali president’s family travels with diplomatic passports and previously lived in Turkey. On Tuesday, a Turkish official told Reuters that Ankara sought information from Somali authorities on the incident and the use of a diplomatic car. “Someone who does not have diplomatic status has no right to use these vehicles,” the official told Reuters. According to the official, as the Somali president’s son does not enjoy “immunity or diplomatic exceptionality,” and it makes no difference that he was driving a vehicle with a diplomatic plate. VOA contacted Turkey’s justice and foreign ministries but did not receive a response. Tunc has not disclosed Mohamud’s whereabouts but has noted that there is no mutual legal assistance treaty between Somalia and Turkey. “However, these are issues that can be achieved within the framework of bilateral relations,” Tunc said. “We expect that the suspect will actively participate in the trial process amid its return to Turkey and that the family’s damage here will be remedied,” Cimen, the Gocer family’s lawyer, told VOA. The accident has stirred controversy in Turkey over the police and judicial system. Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, visited Gocer’s family on Tuesday and said, “If any citizen committed this crime or were involved in this accident, that person would be detained, interrogated, arrested, and if that person were not arrested, a travel ban would be imposed. Everyone knows this. “But when [that person] is the son of a foreign statesman, what kind of privilege is this? What kind of public administration is this? What kind of justice is this?” Ozel added. Ankara has built close ties with Mogadishu, as it is part of the Somalia “Quint” group alongside the United States, United Kingdom, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, which was formed to ensure security and counterterrorism support for the African country. The last Quint meeting was held in Ankara in October. Turkey has its largest overseas military base in Somalia, where it trains Somali forces. In 2016, Erdogan opened the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu, which he called “the largest Turkish embassy in the world.” Turkish companies are active in the country for many development projects as Turkish state-run Ziraat bank opened a branch in Mogadishu in October 2023 and became the first foreign bank to operate in Somalia in over a half-century. Some information came from The Associated Press and Reuters. This story originated in VOA’s Turkish Service, and VOA Somali contributed to this report.

China: Junta, Armed Groups Agree on Cease-fire in North Myanmar 

Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 18:10
beijing — Beijing said on Thursday it had mediated a temporary cease-fire in fighting between the Myanmar junta and ethnic minority armed groups in the north of the country close to the Chinese border. Recent talks between Myanmar's military and the groups, facilitated by China, resulted in several agreements, "including the temporary cease-fire and maintaining the momentum of dialogue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a statement. Clashes have raged across Myanmar's northern Shan state after the Arakan Army (AA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) launched an offensive in late October. The groups have seized military positions and border hubs vital for trade with China in what analysts say is the biggest military challenge to the junta since it seized power in 2021. AFP has contacted the AA and the MNDAA for comment, while the TNLA could not be reached immediately. A spokesman for the Myanmar junta was also contacted for comment. Beijing said on Monday that peace talks had been held and had yielded "positive results" but made no mention of a cease-fire. "The conflict in northern Myanmar is undergoing a clear de-escalation," Mao said in Thursday's statement. "This not only serves the interests of all parties concerned in Myanmar, but also helps to guarantee peace and tranquility on the Sino-Myanmar border." Beijing is a major arms supplier and ally of the junta, but ties have been strained in recent months over the junta's failure to crack down on online scam compounds in Myanmar that Beijing says target Chinese citizens. Analysts say China maintains ties with ethnic armed groups in northern Myanmar, some of whom share close kinship and cultural ties with China and use Chinese currency and phone networks in the territory they control. Protesters gathered at a rare demonstration in Yangon last month to accuse China of backing the ethnic minority alliance, in what analysts say was a move sanctioned by junta authorities. Beijing has expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with the clashes in northern Shan state, home to oil and gas pipelines that supply China and a planned billion-dollar railway link. The offensive by the alliance of ethnic minority armed groups has galvanized other opponents of the junta. Clashes have spread to the east and the west of Myanmar and have forced more than half a million people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations. China announced in mid-November that it had taken in an unspecified number of Myanmar refugees fleeing the fighting in a spirit of "humanitarianism and friendship.” Myanmar is home to more than a dozen armed ethnic minority groups, some of which have seized territory in the border regions with China and fought against the army since independence from Britain in 1948. 

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Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 18:00
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

US Launch of New Vulcan Centaur Rocket Delayed Until January

Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 17:58
washington — The maiden liftoff of a new American rocket called Vulcan Centaur has been delayed from December 24 to January 8, the company that developed it said Thursday. The postponement stems from last-minute technical snags, but United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno said on X, formerly Twitter, that a recent dress rehearsal on the launch pad went well. The rocket will carry a private lunar lander, developed by the startup Astrobotic, which could become the first such private craft to touch down on the moon and the first American robot to land on the surface since the Apollo program ended in 1972. "This is sort of, in a way, the first giant step in the campaign for the U.S., and for all of our friends, to go back to the moon, eventually with people," Bruno told AFP in an interview last week. "It's a pretty big deal to have a payload at all, let alone one that goes to the surface of the moon," he added. "We wanted to do something really important, and we have a lot of confidence, obviously, in the design of our rocket," Bruno said. Liftoff for this mission called Cert-1 will take place at the U.S. Space Force launch base at Cape Canaveral, Florida. In dress rehearsals in recent days, some "routine" issues emerged in the ground system so a Christmas Eve flight is now out, and the new window opens January 8, Bruno wrote on X. Besides the lunar lander, this rocket will carry the cremated remains of several people associated with the original "Star Trek" series, including creator Gene Roddenberry and cast member Nichelle Nichols, who played the character Uhura. Roddenberry's ashes have been launched into orbit previously. A sample of Bruno's own DNA will also be taken into space. "Who wouldn't want to go to space with five 'Star Trek' people?" he mused in the interview with AFP. Vulcan Centaur is meant to replace ULA's Atlas V and Delta IV rockets and is designed to carry a payload of up to 27.2 metric tons into low orbit, comparable to what the SpaceX Falcon 9 can do.

The Inside Story - Fighting on Two Fronts | Episode 122

Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 17:57
This week on "The Inside Story: Fighting on Two Fronts," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington, lobbying for additional aid to strengthen his country's defense against Russian aggression.

Iranian Female Football Fans Allowed in Stadium for Men's Game; FIFA Praises Progress

Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 17:45
TEHRAN, Iran — Female football fans in Iran claimed a small win Thursday in their long campaign to be allowed into stadiums to watch men's games after decades of exclusion.  A photograph was posted on social media by the campaign group Open Stadiums of three female fans inside the Azadi Stadium in Tehran for the game between city rivals Persepolis and Esteghlal. Up to 3,000 tickets were set to be made available for women.  "Historical day for women's rights activists and the fight for equal access to public spaces will continue," the activist group posted.  FIFA president Gianni Infantino later cited his own role in the campaign and his meeting with state president Ebrahim Raisi in September.  "Thanks to the ongoing dialogue between FIFA and the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation, progress is being made," Infantino wrote in a post on his Instagram account.  The FIFA leader said he and Raisi had discussed in New York three months ago "the development of women's football in the country and the progress made regarding the presence of women in football stadiums."  FIFA statutes prohibit discrimination by member federations. 

Why Chinese Families Are Worried Sending Children to US Universities

Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 17:44
There are more students from China studying in the U.S. than from any other country. But that number has slightly decreased. VOA's Elizabeth Lee has more on some reasons behind this drop and what some Chinese students say it's like studying in the U.S.

Report: Iran Lifts Visa Rules for 33 Countries, Including Gulf States

Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 17:27
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Iran said it was lifting visa requirements for 33 countries, including Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, with which Tehran had frosty relations for years until a recent rapprochement, the Iranian Students News Agency said on Thursday. "The ministry of tourism believes that an open-door policy will showcase Iran's determination to engage with different countries of the world," the semiofficial ISNA reported. The decision will increase to 45 the number of countries or territories whose citizens can visit Iran without needing to obtain a visa, it said. The move is another step toward thawing relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, in particular, after years of tension between the two oil-producing Gulf rivals. Riyadh and Tehran have aligned themselves with warring parties in Syria, Iraq and Yemen in the past decade. Attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure, which Western officials blame on Iran and its Arab proxy forces, threatened in recent years to send the Middle East into further conflict. Iran denied involvement in those attacks. Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore full diplomatic relations, severed in 2016, under a Chinese-mediated agreement in March. Nationals of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are included in the decision to waive visa requirements, in addition to Bahrain, with which Tehran has not yet reestablished full ties. ISNA gave a full list of the countries, which included Lebanon, Tunisia, India and several Central Asian and African nations. Croatia, a small member of the European Union and NATO, was the only Western-allied European nation on the list. "Russians will only profit from this visa exemption if they are visiting the country in groups," ISNA said. Omani nationals had been able to travel to Iran visa-free prior to this announcement. Iranian pilgrims will for the first time in eight years begin regular travel to Saudi Arabia from December 19, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.

VOA Newscasts

Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 17:00
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

VOA Newscasts

Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 17:00
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

ECOWAS Tries Negotiations With Niger's Coup Leaders but Analysts Skeptical

Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 16:33
Abuja, Nigeria — The West African bloc ECOWAS is seeking to hold talks with Niger’s military government and chart a course forward following the country’s July coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. The bloc is pushing for Bazoum’s release and a shorter path back to democratic rule, but analysts worry they may not succeed. Niger is one of several African countries that have experienced coups or attempted coups in recent years. At a recent summit in Abuja, Nigeria, West African leaders from regional bloc ECOWAS agreed to negotiate with Niger for a “short transition” period to democratic rule – promising to progressively ease economic and political bans upon successful dialogue. Niger's military has proposed a three-year transition period. ECOWAS wants a shorter transition and has set up a three-person committee, composed of the presidents of Togo, Sierra Leone and Benin, to negotiate with Niger's military government. During this week’s summit, the fourth in six months, West African leaders also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of ousted Nigerien President Mohammed Bazoum. Kop'ep Dabugat, the general secretary of the West African Civil Society Forum, questions ECOWAS’ approach. "When you're having a negotiation, the difficult issues are the ones that come in last,” Dabugat said. “The insistence on the release of the ousted president first, we think it is not very prudent. We're calling on ECOWAS to first of all ease economic sanctions as an act of faith which will perhaps convince the junta to come back to the table.” This week’s summit marked the first time the regional bloc has recognized the coup administration in Niger – dashing hopes of an immediate reinstatement of Bazoum. Senior military men in Niger in July overthrew Bazoum and have detained him for alleged treason. In response, ECOWAS imposed heavy sanctions on Niger. ECOWAS ordered border closures, freezing of assets, trade restrictions and threatened a military invasion of Niger. ECOWAS said it would ease sanctions against Niger if the junta agreed to the bloc’s demands. West and Central Africa have recorded eight coups d'etat since 2020. Political analyst Chukwudi Odoeme said bad governance is the reason coups are receiving popular support in the region. "From the steps the military administration in Niger has taken, I don't see them backing down,” Odoeme said. “Then again, ECOWAS has lost its beauty in the sense that the heads of state that populate them have questionable hold onto power. Where the issue of legitimacy is lacking in the people who compose an organization, it becomes a difficult thing to hold onto any resolution that they have made, so I don't see change coming from whatever ECOWAS is doing." This week, Niger's transitional leader, Abdourahamane Tiani, said his government is forging a security and economic bloc known as the Alliance of the Sahel States, with Mali and Burkina Faso – countries also ruled by their respective militaries. Dabugat said ECOWAS was too slow to begin dialogue and that the new alliance would make negotiations more difficult. "Sometimes when you do not negotiate within the window available, things move further down the line and it continues to get difficult,” Dabugat said. Odoeme said if this alliance of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso becomes successful, it could encourage more coups in the region. "If you have a good relationship with your immediate neighbor, you can survive any sanctions,” Odoeme said. “I am seeing a situation where other countries will toe the line of Niger." It's not clear when the ECOWAS team will meet with Niger's junta.

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Voice of America’s immigration news - December 14, 2023 - 16:00
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