Feed aggregator

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.

Toronto — Canada’s second largest airline, WestJet, said Sunday that it canceled more than 800 flights affecting tens of thousands of passengers as an unexpected strike by plane mechanics entered its third day. Around 680 workers, whose daily inspections and repairs are essential to airline operations, walked off the job Friday evening, despite a directive for binding arbitration from the federal labor minister. The strike is happening during the Canada Day long weekend, the busiest travel week of the year in the country. Both the airline and the Airplane Mechanics Fraternal Association have accused the other side of refusing to negotiate in good faith. WestJet Airlines President Diederik Pen has stressed what he calls the “continued reckless actions” of a union making “blatant efforts” to disrupt Canadians’ travel plans, while the association claimed the Calgary-Alberta, based company has refused to respond to its latest counterproposal. In an update to members Sunday, it said that mechanics were “the victim of WestJet’s virulent PR campaign that you are scofflaws,” citing “calumnies” against workers around their right to strike. The job action comes after union members voted overwhelmingly to reject a tentative deal from WestJet in mid-June and following two weeks of tense talks between the two   parties. As the clock ticked down toward a Friday strike deadline, the impasse prompted Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan to step in, mandating that WestJet and the union undertake binding arbitration headed by the country’s labor tribunal. That process typically sidesteps a work stoppage. WestJet certainly thought so, stating the union had “confirmed they will abide by the direction.” “Given this, a strike or lockout will not occur, and the airline will no longer proceed in canceling flights,” the airline said Thursday. The mechanics took a different view. The union negotiating committee said it would “comply with the minister’s order and directs its members to refrain from any unlawful job action.” Less than 24 hours later, workers were on the picket lines.

Caracas, Venezuela — A Colombian splinter group of former FARC guerrillas known as Segunda Marquetalia has agreed to a "unilateral cease-fire" and the release of captives following negotiations with the government, according to a joint statement Saturday. The talks, held this week in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, are the latest attempt by Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro to end six decades of conflict between the government and rebel groups. As part of the cease-fire deal, Segunda Marquetalia committed to the "delivery of the people they are holding," according to a document signed by chief government negotiator Armando Novoa and rebel representative Walter Mendoza. "The full implementation of de-escalation will begin as soon as the presidential decree on offensive military operations comes into force," said the text seen by AFP, without specifying a date. A meeting in Tumaco, in western Colombia, will be held between the two parties "no later than July 20" to present the "de-escalation" agreement and to define a timetable for identifying social and economic projects. The accord follows days of negotiations in Caracas, where seven delegates from each side began talks Monday. Segunda Marquetalia is a rebel group that broke away from a historic 2016 cease-fire deal with FARC guerillas. Those present at the Caracas talks include the rebels' leader known under the alias Ivan Marquez, who was thought to be dead until he reappeared in a video in May. Marquez — whose real name is Luciano Marin — was the chief FARC negotiator for the 2016 deal, returned to civilian life and was elected a senator, before launching a new rebellion in 2019. But at the opening of the Caracas talks, he said that he was "fully willing to contribute to the common achievement of peace for Colombia." Rebels to disarm   Saturday's agreement stipulates that the rebel group agreed "not to remain armed or in uniform" in urban centers or "land and river routes." It also asserts that the cease-fire does not restrict the national security forces' "constitutional and legal powers." Colombia's leadership has faced multiple obstacles in their efforts to end the conflict between the country's security forces, guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs. The government and Segunda Marquetalia announced in February plans to hold peace talks. The rebel group is considered second in importance only to the main FARC dissident group, the EMC, with Segunda Marquetalia having around 1,600 members according to military intelligence. Talks between the government and the EMC began in October 2023 but they have been plagued by cease-fire violations and a major split in the group in April, which saw half of its fighters abandon peace negotiations. The Colombian government has been involved since 2022 in stop-start talks with the Marxist National Liberation Army (ELN) — responsible for the kidnapping last October of the father of a Liverpool footballer, Luis Diaz.

Athens, Greece — Firefighters were battling a series of wildfires near the Greek capital, Athens, on Sunday evening, as the country braces for another scorching summer. Greece faces a tough wildfire season after its warmest winter and earliest heat wave on record, with temperatures hitting 44°C (111°F).   "Today in Attica two extremely dangerous fires that broke out in residential areas and spread rapidly due to strong winds in Keratea and Stamata were tackled," Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias said late on Sunday.   He said there was no longer an active front in Stamata, north of Athens, though there were some minor reignitions in the eastern area of Keratea.   He said, "Ground forces will remain in the field throughout the night." Since Sunday midday, the authorities have called for the evacuation of at least eight areas near the capital, with flames destroying cars and houses.   Ert channel reported that a 45-year-old-man died from cardiac arrest while trying to flee fires in suburban Athens.   According to the police, the man was found unconscious in the yard of a house in Rodopoli and taken to the hospital, where he died.   "Today is the hardest that the fire brigade has faced in this year's firefighting season," fire department spokesperson Vasilis Vathrakogiannis said on Sunday afternoon, during an emergency press briefing. "The situation is very difficult, as strong winds continue to blow; they have not subsided and the outbreaks are many," the mayor of Lavreotiki, Dimitris Loukas, told Athens News Agency Sunday afternoon. He said a nearby military air base was not currently in danger from the flames. A fire brigade spokesman noted that wind speeds had exceeded 60 km per hour in Keratea, while in Stamata, the blaze was fanned by strong northerly winds exceeding 70 km an hour. Island fires A fire also broke out Sunday in an industrial zone in Ritsona, near the island of Evia.   Black smoke filled the sky above Ritsona after the fire started in a recycling factory, burning various flammable materials that were in the grounds around it, including tires and mattresses.   Firefighters are fighting to prevent the flames from spreading beyond the recycling plant to other factories in the area. The fire also approached a refugee center, but the Athens News Agency reported that this was not believed to be in danger. Separately, a large wildfire broke out on Serifos island on Saturday afternoon but was also brought under control by firefighters early Sunday. "All of southwestern Serifos has burned. We are talking about an area where the fire stopped at the sea," Serifos Mayor Konstantinos Revintis told MEGA TV.   The fire caused damage to houses, cottages, warehouses and chapels, according to the mayor. The Fire Danger Forecast Map issued for Sunday by the Civil Protection Ministry predicted a very high category 4 risk of fire for Attica, the Peloponnese, Crete, the North and South Aegean Regions, and central Greece.   A wildfire ignited Saturday afternoon in the area of Mount Parnitha — known as "the lungs of Athens" — was controlled Saturday evening with the help of reinforcements from other regions as well as volunteer firefighters. More than 40 wildfires erupted across Saturday in Greece with wind speeds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour, according to fire brigade sources. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on Greeks to brace for a difficult wildfire season in his weekly Facebook post on Sunday. "The difficult times are still ahead of us. Our effort is continuous. In this effort, our allies are new tools that build a new culture of prevention and responsibility," he said.

Seoul, South Korea — North Korea launched at least one short-range ballistic missile off its east coast Monday, South Korea's military said, a day after the North vowed "offensive and overwhelming" responses to a new U.S. military drill with South Korea and Japan. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from North Korea's southeastern town of Jangyon at 5:05 a.m. It said an additional, unidentified ballistic missile launch trajectory was detected 10 minutes later, a suggestion that North Korea might have performed two missile launches. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korea's military has boosted its surveillance posture and is closely exchanging related information with the United States and Japan. The launch came two days after South Korea, the U.S. and Japan ended their new multidomain trilateral drills in the region. In recent years, the three countries have been expanding their trilateral security partnership to better cope with North Korea's evolving nuclear threats and China's increasing assertiveness in the region. The "Freedom Edge" drill was meant to increase the sophistication of previous exercises with simultaneous air and naval drills geared toward improving joint ballistic-missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, surveillance and other skills and capabilities. The three-day drill involved a U.S. aircraft carrier as well as destroyers, fighter jets and helicopters from the three countries. On Sunday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued a lengthy statement strongly denouncing the "Freedom Edge" drill, calling it an Asian version of NATO. It said the drill openly destroyed the security environment on the Korean Peninsula and contained a U.S. intention to lay siege to China and exert pressure on Russia. The statement said North Korea will "firmly defend the sovereignty, security and interests of the state and peace in the region through offensive and overwhelming countermeasures." Monday's launch was the North's first weapons firing in five days. On Wednesday, North Korea launched what it called a multiwarhead missile in the first known launch of a developmental, advanced weapon meant to defeat U.S. and South Korean missile defenses. North Korea said the launch was successful, but South Korea dismissed the North's claim as deception to cover up a failed launch. In recent weeks, North Korea has also floated numerous trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea in what it has described as a tit-for-tat response to South Korean activists sending political leaflets via their own balloons. South Korea responded by briefly resuming its anti-Pyongyang front-line propaganda broadcasts for the first time in years. In mid-June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin struck a deal vowing mutual defense assistance if either is attacked. Observers say the pact could embolden Kim to launch more provocations at South Korea. The U.S., South Korea and others believe Pyongyang has been supplying conventional weapons to Russia for its war against Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance. Meanwhile, North Korea opened a key ruling party meeting Friday to determine what it called "important, immediate issues" related to works to further enhance Korean-style socialism. On the meeting's second day, North Korea's leader spoke about "some deviations obstructing" efforts to improve the country's economic status and unspecified important tasks for resolving immediate policy issues, North Korea's state media reported Sunday.

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.

Beijing — Beijing Tianbing Technology Company said Sunday that the first stage of its Tianlong-3 rocket under development had detached from its launch pad during a test due to structural failure and landed in a hilly area of the city of Gongyi in central China. There were no reports of casualties after an initial investigation, Beijing Tianbing, also known as Space Pioneer, said in a statement on its official WeChat account. Parts of the rocket stage were scattered within a "safe area" but caused a local fire, according to a separate statement by the Gongyi emergency management bureau. The fire has since been extinguished and no one has been hurt, the bureau said. The two-stage Tianlong-3 ("Sky Dragon 3") is a partly reusable rocket under development by Space Pioneer, one of a small group of private-sector rocket makers that have grown rapidly over the past five years. Falling rocket debris in China after launches is not unheard of, but it is very rare for part of a rocket under development to make an unplanned flight out of its test site and crash. According to Space Pioneer, the first stage of the Tianlong-3 ignited normally during a hot test but later detached from the test bench due to structural failure and landed in hilly areas 1.5 km (0.9 mile) away. A rocket can consist of several stages, with the first, or lowest, stage igniting and propelling the rocket upward upon its launch. When the fuel is exhausted, the first stage falls off, and the second stage ignites, keeping the rocket in propulsion. Some rockets have third stages. Space Pioneer says the performance of Tianlong-3 is comparable to SpaceX's Falcon 9, which is also a two-stage rocket. In April 2023, Space Pioneer launched a kerosene-oxygen rocket, the Tianlong-2, becoming the first private Chinese firm to send a liquid-propellant rocket into space. Chinese commercial space companies have rushed into the sector since 2014 when private investment in the industry was allowed by the state. Many started making satellites while others including Space Pioneer, focused on developing reusable rockets that can significantly cut mission costs. The test sites of such companies can be found along China's coastal areas, located by the sea due to safety reasons. But some are also sited deep in the country's interior such as Space Pioneer's test center in Gongyi, a city of 800,000 people in the central province of Henan.

New York — The monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride reached its exuberant grand finale on Sunday, bringing rainbow-laden revelers to the streets for marquee parades in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and elsewhere across the globe. The wide-ranging festivities functioned as both jubilant parties and political protests, as participants recognize the community's gains while also calling attention to recent anti-LGBTQ+ laws, such as bans on transgender health care, passed by Republican-led states. "We're at a time where there's a ton of legislation, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation," Zach Overton, 47, said at the New York parade. "It feels like we're taking a step backwards in the fight for equality and so it's a great moment to come out and be with our community and see all the different colors of the spectrum of our community and remind ourselves what we're all fighting for." Thousands of people gathered along New York's Fifth Avenue to celebrate Pride. Floats cruised the street as Diane Ross' "I'm Coming Out" played from loudspeakers. Pride flags filled the horizon, and signs in support of Puerto Rico, Ukraine and Gaza were visible in the crowd. This year, tensions over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza are also seeped into the celebrations, exposing divisions within a community that is often aligned on political issues. Protesters temporarily blocked the New York parade on Sunday, chanting: "Free, free, free Palestine!" Police eventually took some of them away. Pro-Palestinian activists disrupted pride parades earlier in June in Boston, Denver, and Philadelphia. Several groups participating in marches Sunday said they would seek to center the victims of the war in Gaza, spurring pushback from supporters of Israel. "It is certainly a more active presence this year in terms of protest at Pride events," said Sandra Perez, the executive director of NYC Pride. "But we were born out of a protest." The first pride march was held in New York City in 1970 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Inn uprising, a riot that began with a police raid on a Manhattan gay bar. Nick Taricco, 47, who was at the New York parade with Overton, said he attended Friday's opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, where President Joe Biden spoke. Taricco said he has concerns about politics in the U.S., including the presidential election. "Even given how old he is, I still think that's the direction we need to go in," Taricco said of Biden. "But it's a very uncertain time in general in this country." Ireland Fernandez-Cosgrove, 23, celebrated at the New York parade. "New York City is a great place to live, but this is one of the only days where you can come out and be openly queer and you know you're going to be OK and safe about it," she said. "I came out here today with my partner to be able to be ourselves in public and know that other people are going to be supporting us." In addition to the NYC Pride March, the nation's largest, the city also played host Sunday to the Queer Liberation March, an activism-centered event launched five years ago amid concerns that the more mainstream parade had become too corporate. Another one of the world's largest Pride celebrations also took place Sunday in San Francisco. Tens of thousands of revelers packed sidewalks along Chicago's parade, a scaled-back event from previous years. City officials shortened the North Side route and the number of floats this year from 199 to about 150 over safety and logistical concerns, including to better deploy police into evening hours as post-parade parties have become more disruptive in recent years. Chicago's parade, one of the largest in the U.S., routinely draws about 1 million people, according to the city. Sunday's crowd estimates were not immediately available. Additional parades were scheduled in Minneapolis and Seattle. On top of concerns about protests, federal agencies have warned that foreign terrorist organizations and their supporters could target the parades and adjacent venues. A heavy security presence was expected at all of the events.

Jerusalem — Thousands of Jewish ultra-Orthodox men clashed with Israeli police in central Jerusalem on Sunday during a protest of a Supreme Court order for them to begin enlisting for military service. The landmark decision last week ordering the government to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition as Israel wages war in Gaza. Tens of thousands of men rallied in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood to protest the order. But after nightfall, the crowd made its way toward central Jerusalem and turned violent. Israeli police said protesters threw rocks and attacked the car of an ultra-Orthodox Cabinet minister, pelting it with stones. Water cannons filled with skunk-scented water and police mounted on horses were used to disperse the crowd. But the demonstration was still not under control late Sunday. Military service is compulsory for most Jewish men and women in Israel. But politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties have won exemptions for their followers to skip military service and instead study in religious seminaries. The long-standing arrangement has bred resentment among the broader public, a sentiment that has grown stronger during the eight-month war against Hamas. Over 600 soldiers have been killed in fighting, and tens of thousands of reservists have been activated, upending careers, businesses and lives. Ultra-Orthodox parties and their followers say forcing their men to serve in the army will destroy their generations-old way of life. Earlier Sunday, thousands of men crowded a square and joined in mass prayers. Many held signs criticizing the government, with one saying “not even one male” should be drafted. The ultra-Orthodox parties are key members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition and could potentially force new elections if they decide to leave the government in protest. Party leaders have not said whether they will leave the government. Doing so could be risky, with Netanyahu's coalition's popularity lagging since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war.

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.

Islamabad — Pakistan said Sunday that discussions with the International Monetary Fund to secure a new multibillion-dollar loan program are progressing well and the program “is on track." Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb confirmed during a news conference that Islamabad is negotiating a three-year loan program valued at $6 - $8 billion to avoid a debt default.  He stated that the government is pursuing the loan facility to sustain macroeconomic and currency stability, increase foreign exchange reserves, and attract foreign direct investment to cash-strapped Pakistan. "The IMF program is our assurance in terms of macroeconomic stability. We are taking it forward certainly; it is inevitable… without this program, we cannot move forward,” he said. “We are making positive progress. We are very optimistic that we will be able to take it through the finishing line for an Extended Fund Program, which is going to be larger and longer in nature,” the minister said of his ongoing talks with the U.S.-based global lender.  Aurangzeb underlined the importance of the IMF loan, saying it would help unlock investments from other international financial institutions and countries that are friendly toward Pakistan, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. “They want a backstop for investment, which is the Fund program.” Last week, Pakistan’s parliament passed the government’s tax-laden budget for the coming fiscal year. Officials claimed the budget would guide the country towards an era of sustainable and inclusive growth. Opposition parties rejected the budget, saying it would be highly inflationary. Pakistan is facing $25 billion in external debt payments in the coming fiscal year starting in July, a significantly higher amount than its current level of foreign exchange reserves. US support crucial Aurangzeb, speaking Sunday, dismissed concerns that a recent resolution in the U.S. Congress calling for a probe into fraud allegations in Pakistan’s February elections would undermine the ongoing talks with the IMF. Washington’s support is crucial for Islamabad to negotiate the bailout package successfully. On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 368-7, urging “the full and independent investigation of claims of interference or irregularities” in the February 8 vote. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration promptly rejected the resolution on Wednesday, saying it “stems from an incomplete understanding of the political situation and electoral process” in Pakistan.  On Friday, ruling coalition lawmakers passed a counter-resolution in the legislative lower house of parliament, decrying the congressional move as an “interference” in Pakistan’s internal affairs.  The opposition party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and independent observers have persistently alleged that the powerful military was behind widespread rigging, including mobile phone and internet shutdowns on polling day, and unusually delayed results to help its favored political parties to win the elections, charges Pakistan’s election commission denied.    The contentious election has fueled political turmoil in the country of about 250 million people, making it harder for the Sharif administration to tackle the economic crisis and attract much-needed foreign investment. Since gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan has received 23 bailout packages from the IMF, the most of any country in the world. Critics blame repeated military-led dictatorial rules, financial mismanagement, and corruption by elected governments for hindering democratic and economic progress.

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.

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.

The United States continues pushing for an Israel-Hamas peace plan involving regional intermediaries Egypt and Qatar. Meanwhile, both Israel and Hamas say there’s been no progress as fighting in Gaza intensifies. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Long-serving Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte urged his country to support Ukraine and international cooperation in his final address to his compatriots Sunday, as an inward-looking new government is set to take over the Netherlands in two days. “It is crucial that our country is embedded in the European Union and NATO. Together we are stronger than alone. Especially now,” the 57-year-old Rutte said from his office in The Hague. After leading the country for 14 years, he will take his experience with consensus-building to Brussels, where he will take over as NATO’s new secretary-general later this year. He stressed the need to continue support for Ukraine, “for peace there and security here.” The new government, expected to take office on Tuesday, has pledged to maintain assistance. But far-right populist Geert Wilders, whose party won the largest block of seats in last year’s election, has expressed pro-Russia views and Kremlin backers cheered his victory at the polls. Rutte described the MH17 tragedy in 2014 as “perhaps the most drastic and emotional event” during his tenure. The passenger jet was shot down over eastern Ukraine as it traveled from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, killing all 298 passengers and crew, including 196 Dutch citizens. A Dutch court convicted two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian in 2022 of involvement in the downing of the Boeing 777. Known for cycling to meetings and his dedication to politics, Rutte highlighted his country’s positive attributes. “There is no war here, you can be who you are, we are prosperous,” he said in the 12-minute speech. He acknowledged that there had been low points during his tenure, including a child benefits scandal that wrongly labeled thousands of parents as fraudsters. Wearing a white shirt with several of the top buttons undone, Rutte said that his time in office had added some “gray hairs and wrinkles” to his appearance. 

ISTANBUL — Turkish police detained at least 15 protesters in Istanbul on Sunday for participating at a banned LGBTQ+ Pride rally, after searching the streets having arrived at the scene after participants had dispersed, a Reuters witness said.  Police declined to comment.  The Istanbul Governor's Office said earlier Sunday that the Pride March would not be permitted. Turkish police blocked central Istanbul to prevent the march from taking place, shutting down metro stations and blocking traffic on the main streets.  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-rooted AK Party has toughened its rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community over the past decade and banned Pride marches since 2015, citing “security reasons.”  The Istanbul Governor's Office labelled the organizations calling for the Pride March as illegal.  Following the ban, LGBTQ+ groups gathered in another part of Istanbul on the Asian side, with a representative reading a statement that said: "We never get tired of deceiving the police and forcing them to deal with us."  "You have closed all the streets and squares, you have stopped the life of a whole city, but you have forgotten that we will pierce the stone and find each other if necessary."  Police officers searched the streets for protesters and detained at least 15 people, the Reuters witness said.   

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.