Search efforts have resumed in eastern Turkey, following two avalanches that killed dozens and left at least two people missing, Turkish news agencies reported.
    
The private DHA news agency said one body was recovered Thursday, bringing the death toll from the two avalanches to 39.
    
Rescue workers, aided by dogs, were conducting scans in the eastern Van province Thursday to find the missing, according to the official Anadolu news agency.
    
Five people were killed and two people went missing in an avalanche that struck late Tuesday. Some 300 emergency service workers were called to a highway near the mountain-surrounded town of Bahcesaray in Van province, which borders Iran. Around noon Wednesday, the team was struck by a second avalanche.
    
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said early Thursday that 47 people remained hospitalized with six in intensive care, but they weren’t in critical condition.
    
A ceremony was held for 11 military police officers, nine government-paid village guards and two firefighters in Van. Their coffins were sent to their hometowns for burial.

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Only two of the 20 actors and actresses nominated for an Oscar this year are minorities, and no women were nominated in the Best Director category. Upon announcing the Oscar nominations, actress Issa Rae made a point of that by remarking, “Congratulations to those men.” But why is there lack of female and minority representation four years after the Academy announced it would strive for greater diversity? VOA’s Penelope Poulou spoke with experts about the Oscars.
 

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In Leesburg, Virginia, near Washington DC, it’s well above freezing but that has not stopped scores of artists and carvers who come each year during the winter to turn ice into magic.  Maxim Moskalkov visited the city’s annual ice festival and talked to the sculptors about their evanescent masterpieces

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A travel ban on non-U.S. citizens who have been to China within the past 14 days is the latest reaction to the coronavirus outbreak as fear of the disease continues to spread. Another symptom of that fear is face masks worn in airports and in crowded places by some people in the U.S. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee reports from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where more than 13% of the student population are foreign students from China. 

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Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido meets with U.S. President Donald Trump Wednesday at the White House as Guaido tries to rekindle his campaign to depose President Nicolas Maduro.

In a statement announcing Guaido’s visit, the White House said, “We will continue to work with our partners in the region to confront the illegitimate dictatorship in Venezuela, and will stand alongside the Venezuelan people to ensure a future that is democratic and prosperous.”

Guaido’s visit to Washington comes at the end of a world tour that included visits with European and Canadian leaders in an attempt to revive his campaign after an unsuccessful uprising against Maduro last year.

The United States and dozens of other countries recognize Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate interim president. Guaido was a guest at President Trump’s State of the Union speech in Washington Tuesday night.

Maduro called for direct talks with the U.S. last month, describing them as a “win-win.” Maduro also suggested U.S. oil companies could benefit financially if the U.S. lifted sanctions against Venezuela, including the OPEC member’s state oil company, PDVSA.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet with Maduro Friday in Caracas in a show of support for the socialist leader.

Russia has criticized the U.S. sanctions as illegal and harmful, while the Guaido-led opposition has urged Washington to increase pressure on Moscow for supporting Venezuela diplomatically, economically and militarily.

Maduro won a second term in office in May 2018, and Guaido declared himself interim president eight months later.

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A plane skidded off the runway Wednesday at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Passengers were seen evacuating through cracks in the plane and authorities said at least 21 people were injured.

Television footage showed serious damage to the plane, with the fuselage appearing to be broken into three pieces. NTV television reported that the plane caught fire after skidding but said the blaze had been extinguished.

The Istanbul Governor’s office says at least 21 people were injured in the accident and have been hospitalized.

The plane, belonging to the low-cost airline Pegasus, arrived from the city of Izmir, private NTV television reported. The Transportation Ministry said 177 people were on board and there had been no deaths in what it called a “rough landing.”

According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, the plane is a Boeing 737.

The Istanbul Governor’s office said at least 21 people were injured in the accident and had been hospitalized. The office said the 177 people on board included six crew members.

The airport was shut down and flights were being diverted to Istanbul’s main airport, he said.

The accident comes a month after another Pegasus plane skidded off the runway in Istanbul at the same airport. There were no deaths or injuries in that incident on Jan. 7.

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Amid the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday the outbreak is a “global health emergency” and “an epidemic with multiple locations” but not yet a pandemic. 

Where is the virus spreading? 

As of Feb. 4, WHO says as of Tuesday there are 20,630 confirmed cases in 24 countries, and the virus has claimed 426 lives. Most of the infections were reported in China with 20,471 cases, and 13,522 cases from the Hubei province. So far, no confirmation has been made across Africa or Latin America. China’s National Health Commission says about 80% of those who died from the virus were over the age of 60 and 75% of them had pre-existing health conditions.

Why does WHO say the outbreak is not yet a pandemic?

WHO officials say the virus is currently considered to be an epidemic in multiple locations, and they are hopeful the transmission of the virus can be contained. Dr. Sylvie Briand, director of the World Health Organization’s Infectious Hazards Management Department said at a press conference Tuesday an estimated 78% of cases are coming from the Hubei province in China. She said cases outside of Hubei are “spillover cases” with people infected in Hubei moving to other places with the disease. “We believe it (stopping transmission) can be done, so that’s why we’re not in a pandemic,” said Briand.

Coronavirus Has Not Reached Pandemic Status, Says WHO

UN health agency’s assessment comes as death toll soars above 400, including first reported death in Hong Kong

What does it mean to be a ‘global health emergency’?

On January 30, the WHO declared the outbreak of a novel coronavirus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The decision was taken primarily because of the signs of human-to-human transmission outside China, and what might happen if the virus were to spread in a country with a weaker health system. The decision was an acknowledgment the risk is “serous, unusual or unexpected.” This is only the fifth time the WHO has declared a global health emergency. Previous emergencies have included Ebola, Zika and H1N1.

When is a pandemic declared?

Calling the virus a pandemic refers to a more global outbreak than an epidemic. The WHO defines a pandemic as “the worldwide spread of a new disease.” This description is reserved for an infectious disease that can greatly increase morbidity and mortality over a wide geographic area. The last pandemic declared was the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009.

How likely is it that a pandemic will be declared?

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the spread outside of China so far appears to be “minimal and slow.” But Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, believes we could be heading toward a pandemic. Dr. Fauci told The New York Times that “It’s very, very transmissible, and it almost certainly is going to be a pandemic.”

What would a pandemic declaration mean for global travel?

Already, 19 countries had formally notified the U.N. of measures or restrictions taken in connection with the outbreak and the declaration of a pandemic may further fuel anxiety. The U.S. also has suspended entry for foreigners who have visited China in the 14 days before arriving in the U.S. In the past, several countries also imposed travel restrictions during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003 and the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009. 

What are WHO’s next moves?

The WHO will hold a meeting Wednesday with travel and tourism industry representatives to draw up further recommendations to protect their crews so they can resume flights to China. WHO is against travel bans. “There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade,” said WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus. 

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Friday that the Trump administration would not waver in its support for Ukraine and denied charges at the heart of President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.

Pompeo met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday and denied allegations that vital military aid and a White House visit were conditioned on a probe into former Vice President Joe Biden’s family.

“It’s just simply not the case. We will find the right time, we will find the appropriate opportunity (for the visit),” Pompeo said at a press conference after a meeting with Zelenskiy.

Pompeo is the highest-ranking American official to visit Ukraine since the impeachment process began last year. That process started with revelations about a July 25 phone call between Zelenskiy and Trump.

Zelenskiy said the impeachment had not had a negative effect on U.S.-Ukraine relations and thanked the Trump administration for its financial and military support that impeachment prosecutors say the president withheld in order to extract a personal favor from Ukraine.

Pompeo’s meetings in Kyiv come as t he GOP-majority Senate prepared to vote  on whether to hear witnesses who could shed further light on Trump’s actions toward Ukraine. The vote appeared likely to fail, however, as a key Republican said he would vote against allowing new testimony, boosting odds the Senate will vote to acquit in a matter of days.

A senior U.S. official in the meeting said Pompeo and Zelenskiy mainly discussed investment and infrastructure and that there was no talk of impeachment or corruption investigations. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

At a press conference after the meeting, Pompeo assured Zelenskiy of Washington’s unwavering support.

“The United States understands that Ukraine is an important country. It’s not just the geographic heart of Europe, it’s a bulwark between freedom and authoritarianism in eastern Europe. It’s fields feed the European continent and its pipelines keep Europe warm in the winter,” he said.

Zelenskiy, in turn, expressed hope that the U.S. would more actively participate in resolving a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 14,000 people in the past five years. Zelenskiy also said he still wanted to meet Trump in DC as long it would be productive. “I am ready to go tomorrow,” he said.

In addition to Zelenskiy, Pompeo is meeting Ukraine’s prime, foreign and defense ministers as well as civic leaders, and touring several Ukrainian Orthodox churches.

Trump is accused of obstructing Congress and abuse of office for withholding a White House meeting with Zelenskiy and critical military aid to the country in exchange for an investigation into Biden, a political rival, and his son, Hunter.

Ukraine has been an unwilling star in the impeachment proceedings, eager for good relations with Trump as it depends heavily on U.S. support to defend itself from Russian-backed separatists. Trump, who has still not granted Zelenskiy the White House meeting he craves, has offered that support to some degree. Although the military assistance was put on hold, it was eventually released after a whistleblower complaint brought the July 25 call to light. The Trump administration has also supplied Ukraine with lethal defense equipment, including Javelin anti-tank weapons.

Pompeo has stressed the importance of the U.S.-Ukraine relationship, a sentiment long shared by Republicans and Democrats who see the former Soviet republic as a bulwark against Russian ambitions. But it’s a view that now has partisan overtones, with Democrats arguing that withholding aid from such a critical ally for political purposes is an impeachable offense.

The Senate is to vote on hearing impeachment witnesses later Friday. Democrats want to hear from former national security adviser John Bolton, whose forthcoming book reportedly says that Trump withheld the aid in exchange for a public pledge of a probe into the Bidens. That would back witnesses who testified before the House impeachment inquiry.

Ukraine has been a delicate subject for Pompeo, who last weekend  lashed out at a National Public Radio reporter for asking why he has not publicly defended the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. She was removed from her post after unsubstantiated allegations were made against her by Trump’s personal attorney, Rudolph Giuliani.

Pompeo has been criticized for not publicly supporting Yovanovitch, her now-departed successor as chief of the Kyiv embassy, William Taylor, and other diplomats who testified before House impeachment investigators. Yovanovitch and Taylor have been attacked by Trump supporters and, in some cases, have been accused of disloyalty.

In the NPR interview, Pompeo took umbrage when asked if he owed Yovanovitch an apology, and maintained that he had defended all of his employees. In an angry encounter after the interview, he also questioned if Americans actually cared about Ukraine, according to NPR.

That comment prompted Taylor and Pompeo’s former special envoy for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, who also testified to the impeachment panel, to write opinion pieces discussing the importance of the country to U.S. national security and why Pompeo should be explaining its role to Americans as their top diplomat.

Pompeo brushed aside his reported comment, telling reporters aboard his plane that “of course, the American people care about the people of Ukraine” and said his message to American diplomats in Ukraine would be the same he gives to those at other embassies.

“The message is very similar to every embassy that I get a chance to talk to when I travel,” he said. “I almost always meet with the team and tell them how much we love them, appreciate them, appreciate their family members and their sacrifice.”

He said he would “talk about the important work that the United States and Ukraine will continue to do together to fight corruption inside of that country and to ensure that America provides the support that the Ukrainian people need to ensure that they have a free and independent nation.”

Pompeo twice postponed earlier planned trips to Ukraine, most recently in early January when developments with Iran forced him to cancel. Pompeo said he plans to discuss the issue of corruption but demurred when asked if he would specifically raise the Bidens or the energy company Burisma, for which Hunter Biden worked.

“I don’t want to talk about particular individuals. It’s not worth it,” he told reporters. “It’s a long list in Ukraine of corrupt individuals and a long history there. And President Zelenskiy has told us he’s committed to it. The actions he’s taken so far demonstrate that, and I look forward to having a conversation about that with him as well.”

Pompeo traveled to Kyiv  from London, which was the first stop on a trip to Europe and Central Asia that will also take him to Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

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Democrats in Iowa are grappling with many issues as they weigh who to support in the Feb. 3 Iowa Caucuses, meetings where party voters choose their preferred candidate. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, it’s the first test for Democratic presidential hopefuls seeking to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in the November election, and comes during a time of low unemployment and a strong economy.
 

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There were questions about quid pro quos and whisteblowers, the Constitution and an unpublished book.

Senators in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial posed dozens of questions to White House lawyers and to House Democrats prosecuting the case. The questions, written on paper and read aloud by Chief Justice John Roberts, provided a window into the thinking of senators who until now had been silent inside the chamber.

A look at some of the more notable exchanges:

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, D-N.Y.: “Is there any way for the Senate to render a fully informed verdict in this case without hearing the testimony of Bolton, Mulvaney and the other key eyewitnesses, or without seeing the relevant documentary evidence?”

This was the first Democratic question of the evening and it encapsulated the principal unresolved issue of the impeachment trial: Will there be enough votes to allow witnesses?

Democrats are clamoring to hear from John Bolton, the former Trump administration national security adviser who writes in a forthcoming book that Trump wanted to withhold military aid from Ukraine until it helped with investigations into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. They also asked multiple questions about White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who bluntly acknowledged a quid pro quo with Ukraine at a news conference last year.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the chief House prosecutor, said there was no way to have a complete trial without documents or witnesses. Referring back to an earlier question about the president’s motives, Schiff told senators they had a chance to hear from a witness who could provide first-hand testimony on motive. He told them they didn’t need to wait for the book’s March release.

Pat Philbin, the deputy White House counsel, said inviting new witnesses into the trial would create a dangerous precedent and leave the Senate “effectively paralyzed for months on end” because it would have to do investigative work the House never did.

SEN. PATRICK LEAHY, D-VT.: “The president’s counsel argues that there was no harm done, that the aid was ultimately released to Ukraine, the president met with Zelenskiy at the U.N. in September and that this president has treated Ukraine more favorably than his predecessors. What is your response?”

This question to House managers sought to tee up a rebuttal to a White House defense that Democrats have derisively referred to as the “no harm/no foul” argument but that has clearly resonated with Republican senators.

Since the aid was released without Ukraine ever announcing an investigation into the Bidens, was there anything really improper about the whole affair?

The answer is yes, at least according to Democratic Rep. Val Demings, who pointed out that it took the work of Congress to ensure that Ukraine “didn’t miss out on” the aid to which it was entitled.
 “There was harm and there was foul, and let us not forget that Ukraine is not an enemy,” Demings said. “They’re not an adversary, they are our friends.”

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS, R-MAINE, and SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI, R-ALASKA: “Before Vice President Biden formally entered the 2020 presidential race in April 2019, did President Trump ever mention Joe or Hunter Biden in connection with corruption in Ukraine to former Ukrainian President [Petro] Poroshenko or other Ukrainian officials, President Trump’s Cabinet members or top aides, or others. If so, what did the president say, to whom, and when?”

This question was important not only for the content but for the questioners.

Both Republicans are being closely watched for their views on witnesses and acquittal, though they’ve been reluctant to publicly telegraph much.

But in this question, they’re testing one of the Trump legal team’s most persistent defenses — that Trump’s request for Ukraine to conduct investigations wasn’t limited to Biden, but reflected his broader concerns about corruption in the former Soviet republic.

Philbin said he was limited to what was in the record put forward by the House.

“I can’t point to something in the record that shows President Trump at an earlier time mentioning specifically something related to Joe or Hunter Biden,” he added. “It is in the record that he spoke to President Poroshenko twice about corruption in the Ukraine, both in June of 2017 and again in September of 2017.”

Hours later, a Democrat, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, re-upped the question, as if to press the point.

SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TEXAS: “As a matter of law, does it matter if there was a quid pro quo? Is it true quid pro quos are often used in foreign policy?”

This question was important because it appeared to say “so what?” to the central allegation of the impeachment case — that Trump had made military aid contingent on Ukraine investigating Biden.

Cruz’s question suggested that people could accept Bolton’s reported account — that Trump wanted to tie up the money until Ukraine announced the investigations — and nonetheless reject it as irrelevant.

It also set off a compelling back-and-forth between Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz and Schiff. Dershowitz said many elected officials equate their election with public good, and so long as they’re not motivated solely by personal financial gain, they shouldn’t be challenged on their motive.

“That’s why it’s so dangerous to try to psychoanalyze a president,” Dershowitz said.

Schiff appeared stunned, invoking a hypothetical in which Democratic President Barack Obama asked Russia to dig up dirt on 2012 opponent Mitt Romney in exchange for the U.S. withholding aid to Ukraine.

“All quid pro quos are not the same,” Schiff retorted. Some might be acceptable, some not. “And you don’t need to be a mind reader to figure out which is which. For one thing, you can ask John Bolton.” 

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U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Thursday defended President Donald Trump’s response to American troops being diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries from Iran’s missile strike, saying he cared about the service members.

Last week, Trump appeared to play down the injuries, saying he “heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things,” prompting criticism from lawmakers and a U.S. veterans group.

The Pentagon has said that 50 U.S. service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and that number could rise.

“I’ve had the chance to speak with the president; he is very concerned about the health and welfare of all of our service members, particularly those who were involved in the operations in Iraq, and he understands the nature of these injuries,” Esper said during a news conference.

Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the service members suffering from traumatic brain injuries had been diagnosed with mild cases. He added that the diagnosis could change as time went on.

Pentagon officials have said there had been no effort to minimize or delay information on concussive injuries, but its handling of the injuries following Tehran’s attack has renewed questions over the U.S. military’s policy regarding how it deals with suspected brain injuries.

“[Traumatic brain injury] manifests itself over time. … I still believe that morning there were no casualties reported,” Esper said.

Since 2000, about 408,000 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, according to Pentagon data.

Iran fired missiles at the Ain al-Asad base in Iraq in retaliation for the U.S. killing of a top Revolutionary Guard general, Qassem Soleimani, in a drone strike at Baghdad airport on Jan. 3.

The missile attacks capped a spiral of violence that had started in late December. Both sides have refrained from further military escalation.

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