The flag-draped coffin had arrived, followed by black-clad family members, their heads bowed. Several dozen suited dignitaries marched in, chests puffed out. Military members stood rigid and proud. All of the pomp and circumstance one would expect at the memorial for a man hailed as an African icon was in place Saturday for the final public sendoff for Robert Mugabe.

But there was just one thing missing: A crowd.

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Because, for the man known as the father of his nation, very few of Mugabe’s 16 million “children” showed up for his final public sendoff Saturday at Harare’s National Sports Stadium. The 60,000-capacity stadium was maybe one-third full. It was a poor showing compared to previous events, like the packed-to-the-rafters inauguration of the man who used the military to force Mugabe to resign two years ago.

Mugabe, the first president of independent Zimbabwe, died last week at the age of 95, after ruling for 37 years.

In attendance were a smattering of African heads of state and former heads of state – but no major leaders from outside the continent. Those who came included leaders like Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo – who has ruled Equatorial Guinea with an iron fist since 1979 – and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of independent Kenya’s first president. They praised Mugabe for fighting to liberate his country from the yoke of centuries of colonial rule.

But his own family described Mugabe, who was forced to resign in 2017, as a bitter man. His widow, Grace, draped head-to-toe in black lace, stood on the dais, her head down. The family’s spokesman, Walter Chidakwa, hailed the leader, but also offered some sharp words.

“Towards the end of his life,” he said, “he was a sad man. A sad, sad, sad man.”

So where was everyone on this sunny Saturday?

Many were in one of Harare’s hours-long petrol queues – a consequence of the shattered economy that many blame Mugabe for.

 Teacher Betty Mukombani told VOA she had no interest in driving to the stadium to bid farewell. At the time, she was staring down a four-hour wait in a petrol queue just a five-minute drive from the stadium.

“He’s the one who ruined the economy of Zimbabwe, so I have no interest in burying such a criminal,” she said.
 
And others in the queue, like archeologist Happy Marufu, say they have real relatives they’d rather be with.

“I should be doing something else or sometimes even relaxing with my family,” he said.

Even those who turned out to see off the father of the nation couldn’t resist making a point about this country’s ruined economy.

They sang, hundreds of them: Before, bread cost $1. Now, it costs $10.

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From: MeNeedIt

Congo’s National Ebola Response Committee says confirmed Ebola deaths in the east of the sprawling African nation are nearing 2,000 and confirmed cases of the virus have exceeded 3,000.

The committee released the latest numbers Friday after a discussion in Goma by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church about efforts to help stem the spread of Ebola in communities. A mistrust of health workers and widespread security issues still threaten the fight against the second deadliest outbreak of Ebola in history in a region where armed groups have fought for decades over the mineral-rich land.

The committee reported 3,002 confirmed Ebola cases with 1,974 deaths.
 
The World Health Organization said Friday they recorded the lowest weekly incidence of Ebola since March 2019 with 40 new cases, but said it was unclear if this positive trend would continue.

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From: MeNeedIt

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

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From: MeNeedIt

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Friday that they had arrested a senior intelligence officer for allegedly stealing sensitive documents. 
 
Cameron Ortis faces five charges under Canada’s criminal code and its Security of Information Act, the federal police agency said in a statement. 
 
“The allegations are that he obtained, stored and processed sensitive information, we believe with the intent to communicate it to people that he shouldn’t be communicating it to,” prosecutor John MacFarlane told journalists after Ortis appeared in court Friday. 
 
Canada’s Global News reported that Ortis, who was arrested Thursday, was a top adviser to former RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson and had control over counterintelligence operations. 
 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is campaigning for a second term in office, told reporters at an election rally, “I can assure you that the authorities are taking this extremely seriously,” without commenting further. 
 
His opponent, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, said it was “extremely concerning that a senior RCMP intelligence officer has been arrested for leaking national security information.” 
 
“This is another reminder of the threats we face from foreign actors,” said Scheer, who is tied in the polls with Trudeau. 
 
The RCMP fears Ortis stole “large quantities of information, which could compromise an untold number of investigations,” according to Global News, which first reported the arrest. 
 
Canada is a member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance with Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the United States. 
 
The public broadcaster Radio-Canada said Ortis is a specialist in East Asia, critical infrastructure and online “bots.” 
 
On the LinkedIn social network, the account of a person named Cameron Ortis indicates that he has worked for the Canadian government since 2007 after receiving a doctorate in international relations and political science at The University of British Columbia. 
 
The account also says he speaks Mandarin, the main language of China, with which Canada is in an unprecedented diplomatic crisis. 
 
Beijing last December detained two Canadian nationals in apparent retaliation for Canada’s arrest of a Chinese tech executive on a U.S. warrant. 
 
China has also blocked Canadian agricultural shipments worth billions of dollars. 

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From: MeNeedIt

An international press freedom monitor has awarded Vietnamese journalist and blogger Pham Doan Trang a 2019 Press Freedom Prize for Impact.

“Pham Doan Trang is a true heroine given the situation of press freedom in Vietnam, where journalists and bloggers who do not toe the line of the current direction of the Communist Party face extremely severe repercussions,” said Daniel Bastard, who heads the Asia-Pacific Desk of Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Trang, who has no fixed address, reports on civil rights issues in Vietnam, where she has been beaten and imprisoned twice.

Two other women received awards from the group Thursday night in Berlin. Saudi journalist Eman al Nafjan received the award for Courage and Maltese journalist Caroline Muscat received the prize for Independence.

Founder of Luât Khoa

Trang’s prize is awarded to journalists whose work has led to concrete improvements in journalistic freedom, independence and pluralism, or to an increase in awareness of these matters, according to an RSF statement.

Trang founded Luât Khoa, an online magazine that specializes in providing information about legal issues, and she edits another, The Vietnamese, which helps citizens defend their rights and resist the Communist Party’s rule, RSF said.

Independent journalists and bloggers who report critically on sensitive issues face harassment or detention on anti-state charges, and at least 11 were behind bars as of Dec. 1, 2018, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which ranks Vietnam sixth among the 10 countries where it deems journalists are most censored. Like Saudi Arabia, China and Iran, Vietnam is “especially adept at practicing these two brands of censorship: jailing and harassing journalists and their families, while also engaging in digital monitoring and censorship of the internet and social media,” according to a CPJ report.

Colleague accepted award

Because Vietnamese authorities wanted to set conditions on Trang for her to leave the country to accept the award, which she said she would not consent to, her friend and colleague, Trinh Huu Long, editor-in-chief for Luât Khoa magazine, accepted the award on Trang’s behalf.

“I hope this award will encourage the Vietnamese people to engage more in press freedom and to push Hanoi to improve the citizens’ basic rights,” Trang told VOA Vietnamese.

“I really wish it [will] encourage other journalists, including freelance journalists, to become more committed to pursuing truth, justice and human rights in Vietnam,” said Trang, who was born in 1978.

“I hope this award can help gain more international recognition of the hidden wave under the so-called political stability in the country. Below that surface is a layer of waves of repression and silence,” she added.

Grateful for RSF

RSF said that the Vietnamese government tries to stifle Trang’s voice through police intimidation, because she exposes its inconsistencies and its failure to guarantee civil and political rights.

Despite the major crackdown that began in 2016, Trang plays a crucial role in helping her fellow citizens gain access to independent information and enabling them to use the rule of law, as guaranteed by the Vietnamese constitution, against the arbitrary practices of the authorities, Bastard said.

“I believe that RSF’s goals for giving the award are to let journalists around the world, especially journalists who are victims of persecution, harassment, abuse and persecution, [know they] are not alone in their fights,” Trang said. “RSF has really helped people like me to feel I’m not alone.”

Her books, such as Politics for the Common People, A Handbook for Families of Prisoners and Politics of a Police State, were all published outside Vietnam. They “received much more readership than I expected,” Trang said.

Trang has been beaten by the police because of her work and was detained arbitrarily twice for several days in 2018, according to an RSF statement.

Two more women win

Muscat dedicated her award to assassinated Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb just meters from her home in October 2017. The Council of Europe has given Malta a deadline to hold an independent public inquiry into the journalist’s assassination, but with just days remaining, there is no sign that this will take place, according to The Shift News, which Muscat co-founded. The independent investigative news website focuses on combating corruption and defending press freedom.

Al Nafjan founded the blog Saudi Woman, which “features her reporting and opinions on the campaign to end the ban on women driving in the kingdom, as well as coverage of women’s rights issues, local elections, the Saudi anti-terror law and profiles of Saudi human rights activists,” according to CPJ.

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From: MeNeedIt

Government experts Friday backed an experimental treatment for children with peanut allergies that could become the first federally approved option for preventing life-threatening reactions.

The treatment is daily capsules of peanut powder that gradually help children build up a tolerance.

The outside panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted overwhelmingly in favor of the treatment from Aimmune Therapeutics. The nonbinding vote amounts to an endorsement for approval.

The FDA is expected to make its final decision by January.

Important option

The panelists said the medication was an important option for parents and children dealing with peanut allergies. However, several also said they had concerns because the pill has to be taken continuously to maintain its effect.

An estimated 1.6 million children and teenagers in the U.S. would be eligible for the medication, to be sold as Palforzia, which is intended for ages 4 to 17.

Peanut allergy is the most common food allergy in the country and the standard treatment involves strictly monitoring what children eat. That approach doesn’t always work and accidental exposure is common, sending 1 in 4 children with peanut allergies to the emergency room every year.

‘Peace of mind … invaluable’

Parents at Friday’s meeting urged approval of the drug, describing the anxiety of watching their children’s diet and daily routine, even avoiding public places and transportation because of possible peanut residues.

“These are constant and real fears with extreme consequences,” said Cathy Heald of Dallas, whose 12-year-old son Charlie took part in a study of the treatment.

Heald said her son’s improved tolerance allowed him to travel overseas by himself for the first time.

“The peace of mind this treatment brings is invaluable,” said Hill, whose trip to the meeting was paid by Aimmune.

Risks of treatment

After one year, about 66% of study participants who took the pills could tolerate the equivalent of three to four peanuts, compared to just 4% of patients who received a dummy treatment. At the beginning of the study, most participants could not tolerate even a minuscule amount of peanuts.

But the benefits of the treatment came with risks. More than 9% of patients taking the pills reported severe allergic reactions, more than twice the number in the placebo group. And 11% of patients dropped out of the company’s study because of side effects.

“The effectiveness of the treatment has, in fact, not been demonstrated,” said Dr. John Kelso, of Scripps Clinic in San Diego, who voted against the treatment.

The California-based company has previously said it expects the first six months of treatment to cost $5,000 to $10,000 and $300 to $400 a month after that. The company declined to elaborate on price earlier this week.

Aimmune is pursuing other treatments for common food allergies, including eggs. The company does not yet have any products on the market.
 

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From: MeNeedIt

One week after Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, leaving some islands in total ruin, relief operations are in full swing. The official death toll stands at 50, but with a reported 2,500 people still missing, that number is likely to climb. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi spoke via Skype with the Salvation Army and International Medical Corps, both on the island of Grand Bahama.
 

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From: MeNeedIt

A month after the nuclear explosion in the White Sea in Russia, almost no information has been offered by the Russian authorities on what happened and whether the danger of the nuclear fallout still persists. Activists and scientists are struggling to get answers. VOA’s Yulia Savchenko reports from Moscow on the concerns that are being fueled by the secrecy.

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From: MeNeedIt

Israeli settlers in the West Bank are celebrating the announcement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex one-third of the Palestinian territory in the West Bank if he is re-elected. Netanyahu wants to declare sovereignty over the Jordan River Valley and Israeli settlements in the West Bank. His plan has sparked condemnation by the Palestinians and has been declared illegal by the international community. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports.

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From: MeNeedIt

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

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From: MeNeedIt

Yahoo Japan Corp. announced on Thursday a tender offer worth an estimated 400 billion yen ($3.7 billion) for Zozo Inc., a Japanese online retailer started by a celebrity tycoon.

Zozo Chief Executive Yusaku Maezawa told reporters at a Tokyo hotel that he was stepping down to devote more time to training for a trip to the moon in 2023. He has plans to ride on Elon Musk’s Space X rocket.

Maezawa owns nearly 37% of the company and will sell nearly 93 million of his more than 112 million shares, according to the plan. Yahoo Japan will own up to 50.1% under the tender offer, set for early October, it said.

Maezawa, known for lavish spending on artworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat and a Stradivarius violin, said he also intends to announce later plans for another business.

“I was so moved by that feeling of building something from scratch,” he said of starting his company 21 years ago when he still lived with his parents.

“I want to thank all the employees for supporting and following someone who is so lacking like me. We laughed and we cried together. We had fun,” he said, choked with emotion.

Maezawa, 43, started out running an import CD business and played in a rock band before he founding his online fashion business with a shopping site called Zozotown when online retailing was still new in Japan.

Recently he drew attention for his Zozosuit, a so-called wearable technology that takes body measures with a software application so that clothes are made to fit.

He never graduated college and is known for a free-wheeling managerial style and corporate culture that are rare in Japan’s staid business world.

Zozo’s tagline is: “Be unique. Be equal.” It said in a statement that becoming a subsidiary of Yahoo Japan will bring stability and a solid partner.

Succeeding Maezawa at Zozo’s helm is Kotaro Sawada, who joined the company about 10 years ago after working at Japanese telecommunications giant NTT Data Corp.

Sawada told reporters that after 21 years it was time for Zozo to grow up. But he promised Zozo will remain creative, and not become boring.

Kawabe said Yahoo, whose revenue comes mostly from advertising, will be able to expand its e-commerce business by adding Zozo. Yahoo aims to be No. 1 in online retail in Japan, he said.

Also appearing at the event was Masayoshi Son, chief executive and founder of SoftBank and a top shareholder of Yahoo Japan. Son acknowledged he had urged Maezawa to stay on as Zozo’s chief.

Son and Maezawa appeared on stage wearing matching T-shirts designed by Maezawa that said “Let’s Start Today” with a peace sign. Zozo originally was named Start Today.

“I guess he wants to live the life of a rocker so I understand,” Son said with a laugh. “I envy him.”

Hiroko Sato, an analyst for Jeffries, said the deal will likely benefit both sides. Yahoo may gain more online shoppers by acquiring Zozo, with its younger customer base.

But Yahoo faces formidable competition from Rakuten in Japan, she said. Amazon is another powerful rival.

“Our initial impression is positive for both companies,” she said.

Zozo’s stock price jumped 13% in Tokyo trading Thursday, while Yahoo Japan Corp. rose 2.3% and SoftBank Group Corp. edged up 0.2%.

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From: MeNeedIt

In the world of agriculture, there is often a dividing line marked by color — red and green — which on a farm, doesn’t mean “stop” or “go.”

“Just like you might be accustomed to Ford or Chevy, on the farm, it’s either Case or John Deere,” said farmer Megan Dwyer of Colona, Illinois, whose family falls firmly in the red camp and uses Case tractors, even though they farm near the Moline headquarters of John Deere, manufacturer of the iconic green equipment.

“We bleed red and have red on the farm,” Dwyer said. “It’s all I’ve ever known.”

Some of the Case machinery Dwyer’s family purchased in the 1970s is older than she is and still in use today. She admits they could use new equipment, but being able to afford it is another matter.

“There’s not really money there to do it. We’re operating at a loss right now,” she said.

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Farmers in America face their fifth consecutive year of below-average income, a situation compounded by the ongoing trade dispute with China.

Tariffs

U.S. tariffs have raised prices on imported aluminum and steel, increasing the cost to manufacture farm equipment in the United States, such as tractors and combines. Retaliatory tariffs by China have decreased demand and overall prices for crops like soybeans, ultimately affecting a farmer’s bottom line, forcing many to hold off purchasing large, expensive equipment.

“They are luxuries today,” Dwyer said. “Lenders, bankers, they want to see something that’s profitable and makes sense, and these big equipment purchases don’t do that.”

CNH Industrial, the Europe-based parent company of Case IH (International Harvester), is the second-largest manufacturer of machinery in the United States behind John Deere. Both companies face withering demand from farmers for their new products, with sales of large tractors down nearly 50% from 2013, the year after a major drought.

John Deere has cut its earnings forecast several times this year. The company says it is looking to cut costs and will decrease production at its Illinois and Iowa facilities, mostly of large tractors, by 20%.

“I think we’ve weathered storms that are worse than this, and we’ve also been in times that are better than this,” said Laurel Caes, public relations manager with John Deere. “It just all ebbs and flows with agriculture, and it’s just managing what we can and hearing that feedback from the customer on what we can do to enable them to be better farmers, better stewards of the land and be as profitable as they can be whether the times are good or bad.

“We’re always taking a pulse in what the customers are feeling, their pinch points, and we’re trying to address that as best we can with our equipment and technology,” she added.

Upgrades over new equipment

Case said there are other options for farmers reluctant to make big equipment purchases as the trade war marches on.

“We also offer a lot of performance upgrades. So, if you can’t or don’t want to get a new piece of equipment, we have that opportunity to upgrade what you have to use that new technology. I think that technology is where customers show interest as we weather the times, good and bad,” she said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports the nation’s farm sector is more than $426 billion in debt. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, farm bankruptcies are on the rise in most parts of the U.S., with delinquencies on commercial agricultural loans at six-year highs.

While technology upgrades might not be as expensive as new equipment purchases, it is also a cost investment, and many farmers might need to finance such purchases.

“I think there are more important things to put my money to on the farm today,” Dwyer said.

She added that she’ll stick with repairing her old Case tractors, regardless of their age, until she sees a break in the trade storm that continues to cast clouds of doubt on her profits, and the overall farm economy.

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From: MeNeedIt