A Cambodian court has charged seven top opposition politicians with plotting armed rebellion for planning to return from self-imposed exile to seek a government change through mass peaceful protests.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court also warned that anyone who supported the plans of the Cambodia National Rescue Party to oust the government would also be risking a long prison term.

The court’s announcement is the latest salvo in a political battle that has heated up after opposition leader Sam Rainsy announced plans to return from more than three years of exile on Nov. 9 to seek a “restoration of democracy.”

The opposition party was dissolved by the courts ahead of last year’s general election, ensuring that an increasingly authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Sen continued his four decades in power.

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The UN Human Rights Council on Friday voted to send a team of investigators to probe alleged violations, including extrajudicial executions and torture, in crisis-wracked Venezuela.

A resolution tabled by more than a dozen countries from Latin America and elsewhere was adopted by the 47-member council with 19 votes in favor, seven opposed and 21 abstaining.

It called for the UN’s top rights body to “dispatch urgently an independent international fact-finding mission” to Venezuela.

The mission, the text said, should “investigate extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment”.

“Venezuelans, men and women, cannot wait any longer” for justice, said the representative of Peru, on behalf of the sponsoring nations, who also included Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Israel.

The one-year mission should carry out its investigation “with a view to ensuring full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims,” said the text, which also received the backing of the European Union.

Venezuelan Ambassador Jorge Valero slammed the resolution as a “hostile initiative”, and said his country had no intention of cooperating with the new probe.

“The imposition of an additional monitoring mechanism will never receive the consent of my country,” he told the council.

Even when they are not granted access to a country, UN investigators can nonetheless carry out probes from abroad, as has been the case with investigations into abuses in Syria and Myanmar.

‘Systematic abuse’

The investigative team will be expected to present a report to the council in a year.

Venezuela is caught in an economic crisis and a political standoff between President Nicolas Maduro’s government and National Assembly leader Juan Guaido.

The oil-rich country suffers from hyperinflation and shortages of basic goods from food to medicine, a crisis that has forced some 3.6 million people to flee since 2016.

Friday’s resolution deplored “the systematic abuse of state institutions…, accelerating the erosion of the rule of law and of democratic institutions” in Venezuela.

It also urged Caracas to release all “political prisoners” and voiced “grave concern” over UN rights office findings in July suggesting that many of the more than 6,000 killings in alleged confrontations with state forces since early 2018 may in fact have been “executions”.

“It must be clear to all at this Council that when violations of this gravity and scale are reported to us, we must respond in an equally serious manner,” British Ambassador Julian Braithwaite, whose country backed the resolution, told the council.

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States has concluded that the Syrian government used chemical weapons in an attack in May.

Speaking in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, Pompeo said U.S. officials had determined that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government had used chlorine in the attack on opposition forces in Idlib province on May 19.
 
He said the U.S. would provide an additional $4.5 million to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to fund investigations into other instances of suspected Syrian chemical weapons use.

Pompeo also called on the Assad government to release thousands of unjustly detained prisoners, including American journalist Austin Tice. Tice has been missing and presumed held by the government for seven years.

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Arab leaders have reasserted their rejection of any attempt by Israel to annex Palestinian land in the aftermath of Israel’s election.  Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and President Barham Saleh of Iraq meeting at the United Nations this week say they refuse possible Israel’s annexation designs on the Jordan Valley and the area north of the Dead Sea.  Saudi Arabia and the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council likewise have condemned any such potential move by Israel.
 
Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the only way to ensure peace in the region, the leaders of Jordan, Egypt and Iraq say after a mini summit they held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
In a statement they issued, they are also calling on the international community to put a stop to Israel’s building and expansion of illegal settlements, as well as all unilateral measures.  These include changing the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites. 

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Brexit Likely Topics for UN Speakers

The General Assembly heard Wednesday from Iran’s president who ruled out new talks with the United States unless sanctions are lifted

What has really stoked the anger of Arab leaders, though, is the pledge made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the recent election to annex parts of the West Bank, specifically the Jordan Valley and an area north of the Dead Sea, effectively putting an end to hopes of a future Palestinian state set up there.
King Abdullah already warned Israel that annexing the Jordan Valley will “directly impact” the relationship between Israel and Jordan, and Israel and Egypt, and that “these types of statements are … a disaster to any attempt to move forward to the two-state solution” to achieve peace. This warning from Jordan and Egypt as the only two Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with the Jewish state is meant to be serious.
 
Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace explains to VOA the predicament Jordan could face should Israel try to annex this area bordering the kingdom.
 
When Israel is making moves that cut off the possibility of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, that is a security threat to Jordan and an existential threat to Jordan,” said Friedman. “And it’s not for nothing. A lot of people who support this Greater Israel vision of the future, if you push them, would probably say that Jordan is Palestine. They are already in the Palestinian state.

Friedman says that concerns by Israel and some of Arab Gulf states over Iran’s growing military presence in Middle East edged them closer to forming open ties with Israel in recent years, building something of a united front against Iran.  However, Netanyahu’s annexation pledge drew harsh condemnation from regional leader Saudi Arabia and the rest of its Gulf allies, who called it a “very dangerous escalation.”

Palestinians Fear Netanyahu’s Annexation Plan

Declaring annexation really takes away the pretense. It rips away the fig (leaf) that there could be, or that people want there to be, a political solution on the West Bank and Gaza that resolves the claims of the Palestinians. For Arab neighbors, this has different levels of threat involved,” said Friedman. “For Gulf countries, this is an issue of the symbolism of Jerusalem, the symbolism of the Palestinian struggle which is certainly less of a hot issue than it has been in past years, but for the ‘street,’ based on polling, it appears not to have gone away.

But for Jordan, this is an immediate existential threat on its border. For Lebanon, which has a population of Palestinian refugees that, simply for Lebanese demographic reasons, cannot be accommodated, it is an existential problem. And for Egypt as well. It’s the argument: What do you do with Gaza? Do we make it Egypt’s problem? Egypt doesn’t want Gaza. At the point where Israel starts announcing annexation and ripping away even the pretense of a political process for those three countries in particular, this becomes an immediate and domestic existential issue.

Human rights lawyer Zaha Hassan, a visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says she wonders if Benny Gantz of Israel’s Blue and White party will pull Netanyahu back from his campaign promise to annex the Jordan Valley or if there may be pressure to move ahead with it. If the only Israeli governing coalition that can be formed is a hard-right one that includes the ultra-nationalist and religious parties, she says, then annexation is almost guaranteed.

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The U.N. nuclear monitoring agency says Iran has begun using advanced centrifuges to enrich uranium, a violation of a landmark agreement with world powers.

An International Atomic Energy Agency report, obtained by the French news agency and Reuters, said technologically advanced centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz facility “were accumulating or had been prepared to accumulate enriched uranium.”

The report also says Iran intends to use more of the advanced centrifuges than previously disclosed.

The developments breach a landmark deal world powers reached in 2015 that places limitations on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

The accord only allows Iran to stockpile enriched uranium in its first-generation centrifuges.

The report documents the latest in a series of Iran’s violations of the agreement since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, believing Iran once had a nuclear weapons program that it canceled.

The remaining countries that signed the deal — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — have tried to preserve the pact.

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on state television Wednesday that Tehran is willing to reassure parties to the deal it would not pursue the development of nuclear arms and accept changes to the accord if the U.S. returns to the deal and lifts sanctions.

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A Los Angeles businessman was sentenced Thursday to four months in prison for paying $400,000 to get his son into Georgetown University as a fake tennis recruit.

Stephen Semprevivo, 53, pleaded guilty in May to fraud and conspiracy. He is the third parent to be sentenced in a sweeping college admissions scandal that has ensnared dozens of wealthy mothers and fathers.

Authorities say Semprevivo conspired with admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer to get his son into Georgetown as a tennis recruit, even though he did not play the sport competitively. His son was admitted to Georgetown in 2016 but was expelled over the scheme earlier this year.

Semprevivo was also sentenced to two years of supervised release, 500 hours of community service, a $100,000 fine and possible restitution to Georgetown to be decided later.

Prosecutors had asked for 13 months in prison. Semprevivo’s lawyers said he deserved probation or home confinement, plus 2,000 hours of community service”

In an Aug. 17 letter asking for leniency, Semprevivo said he was driven by “foolish ambition” for his son’s happiness. He said he accepts “total and full” responsibility but also said he was drawn in and manipulated by Singer.

“Looking back, I can see that Rick Singer worked me over and got me to do and believe things I am ashamed of and deeply regret,” he wrote. “I wanted the future for my son that he had worked so hard for. This was the main factor in my bad judgment.”

He was accused of paying $400,000 to a sham charity operated by Singer in 2016. Authorities say Singer then bribed Georgetown tennis coach Gordon Ernst to label Semprevivo’s son and the children of other Singer clients as recruited athletes. Singer has pleaded guilty to federal charges. Ernst, who was fired by Georgetown, pleaded not guilty.

Days after Semprevivo pleaded guilty, his son sued Georgetown in an attempt to block his expulsion, saying the school was unfairly trying to discipline him for a scheme that it “knew or should have known about” for two years. The lawsuit was withdrawn in July.

Prosecutors said Semprevivo deserved prison time because he failed to take full responsibility, and because he paid one of the largest bribes and enlisted his son in the scheme. They argued that Semprevivo orchestrated his son’s lawsuit against Georgetown to avoid the consequences of his actions.

“Semprevivo defrauded Georgetown, and then sought to hold Georgetown accountable (with damages) for not discovering his fraud,” prosecutors wrote in a Sept. 19 court document.

An entrepreneur who has spent much of career at technology companies, Semprevivo said he lost his job over the scandal and has been unable to find new work. Most recently he was executive vice president of Cydcor, a California company that helps companies outsource their sales teams.

Fifteen parents have pleaded guilty in the scheme, while 19 are contesting the charges, including “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, who are accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into USC as fake athletes.

“Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman became the first parent sentenced after admitting to paying $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT score. She was sentenced to 14 days in prison.

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British car production increased by an annual 3.3% in August, the first rise in 15 months, helped by several factories having moved their summertime shutdowns to April in preparation for the original Brexit date, an industry body said Thursday.

MW, Peugeot, Honda and Jaguar Land Rover all closed factories ranging from a few days to four weeks in April over concerns that Britain’s scheduled departure from the European Union in March could lead to disruption, including delays to the arrival of parts.

The move led to a 44.5% decline in output in April, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and ended up being in vain as Brexit was eventually pushed back to the end of October.

August saw a small bounce back with output rising 3.3% to 92,158 cars, helped by a 15.2% increase in domestic demand, data showed.

“Today’s figures mask the underlying downward trend and strengthening global headwinds facing the sector, including international trade tensions, massive technological upheaval and, in the UK, political and economic uncertainty,” said SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes.

“We now need parliament and government to redouble efforts to get a deal that maintains free and frictionless trade.”
 

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Commercial fisheries in seven U.S. states have suffered from catastrophic failures and disasters over the past two years, making them eligible for federal aid, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. 
 
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross blamed the problems in part on extreme flooding in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi from the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
Other fishing operations in Alaska, California, Georgia and South Carolina have also been affected by natural disasters and other conditions. 
 
“Fishing is the cornerstone of countless coastal economies and has been a way of life for generations of Americans,” Ross said. 
 
Ross said fisheries that have suffered since 2017 were eligible receive up to $165 million in federal relief. 

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Amazon on Wednesday unveiled a cornucopia of new gadgets as it extended the reach of Alexa from automobiles and homes essentially into people’s heads. 
 
Amazon digital aide Alexa vies with Google Assistant software to be at the heart of smart homes where lights, security systems, televisions and more are controlled with spoken commands. 
 
While the Seattle-based technology titan has worked with partners to get Alexa built into 85,000 devices, it also expanded the lineup of hardware it creates itself:

Echo Frames are eyeglass frames with microphones built in to listen for commands, plus speakers that channel audio directly into the ears for just wearers to hear. The frames, which can be used for prescription lenses, have no camera or display capabilities. 
 
Echo Frames are available on an invitation-only basis and are priced at $180. 

The Echo Loop is a ring worn on a finger that can be used to interact with Alexa digital assistant using taps or swipes. The smart ring is available by invitation only and priced at $130. 

Echo Buds are wireless earbuds infused with Alexa digital assistant smarts but that synch to smartphones, where they can work with Google Assistant or Apple Siri software. Echo Buds are priced at $130. 

Echo Studio is a smart speaker with five directional speakers and sophisticated software for premium sound quality and Alexa digital assistant controls built in. It’s priced at $200. 

Additions to the Echo smart speaker lineup included an improved basic model for $100, a plug-in Echo Flex device for $25, and an Echo Dot with an illuminated clock for $60 because users so often ask the time. 

An Echo Show 8 will offer a smart display with an eight-inch screen for $130. 

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An Army veteran who was deported to Mexico in 2018 arrived back in Chicago Tuesday for a final chance at becoming a U.S. citizen and living in the city he has called home since boyhood.

Federal immigration authorities granted Miguel Perez Jr. a two-week parole into the U.S. for an immigration hearing, according to his attorney. The 41-year-old Perez has a green card as a permanent U.S. resident, but after serving time for a 2008 non-violent drug conviction was deported last year. Then last month, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a pardon , erasing the conviction and reviving Perez’s chances to become a citizen.

“I’m speechless. I wish I could say a lot more but it’s just, I’m choked up,” a teary-eyed Perez said outside a church, hours after landing in Chicago. “I’m so blessed to be here.”

His immigration hearing was set for Wednesday, but it’s unknown when immigration officials will decide the case.

Perez’s attorney, Chris Bergin, hoped for a speedy decision so Perez wouldn’t have to return to Mexico after the 14 days are up.

Officials with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to comment, citing privacy laws.

Perez is among several deported military members who have been recently pardoned by Democratic governors. His case has received wide support, including from including from Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a veteran who said Tuesday that Perez should never been deported in the first place.

Perez was born in Mexico, but his family immigrated when he was a young child. His parents are naturalized U.S. citizens and his two children were born in the U.S.

He joined the Army in 2002 and served in Afghanistan where he suffered a brain injury and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

It was the disorder, which caused crippling anxiety, that led him to the drug charge, according to Bergin. Perez wasn’t able to immediately get medical care through a federal Veterans Administration hospital, so he turned to drugs.

In 2008, he was accused of giving cocaine to an undercover police officer. He pleaded guilty and spent seven years in prison and was then turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who detained him for two years. Perez was deported last year after failing to persuade a federal appeals court to block his removal.

Perez said he faced “dangerous” conditions while living in Tijuana, Mexico, after his deportation, but he didn’t want to talk about it.

He also declined to discuss about how he was managing PTSD, saying it was too personal.

His doctor was among those who came to welcome him home at the church.

“Miguel was failed on multiple occasions by our immigration service, for sure, and our treatment service for veterans,” said Dr. David Ansell of Rush University Medical Center, who started treating Perez while he was in ICE custody. “People need treatment, not deportation.”

Family members and friends from the church stood by Perez’s side Tuesday, many of them offering warm hugs and prayers.

His father, Miguel Angel Perez, said the military was an important part of their family, with a grandfather and uncle who served during wars. He said having his son back with him Chicago was priceless.
“Now, I have a big heart,” he said in Spanish.

Perez said the decision for him to come to the U.S. happened so quickly that he was still dazed. He said he was most looking forward to seeing his children and eating some Chicago-style pizza and popcorn.
‘”We’ll see what happens,” he said. “But I have faith in God that I am going to be able to stay home.”
 

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Long lines of drivers at gas stations in Cuba and hours of wait for public transport are signs of the impact of sanctions imposed by the United States this year on the Caribbean island and its main ally, oil producer Venezuela.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel this month warned Cubans of difficult times ahead due to limited fuel imports. He exhorted citizens to show solidarity and do their utmost to improve energy efficiency.

After sanctioning Cuba’s state-run Cubametales in July and a group of shipping firms and vessels, the U.S. Treasury on Tuesday targeted four additional maritime companies and tankers they own or operate for transporting Venezuelan oil to Cuba in violation of sanctions.

When Did the Fuel Shortage Start?

Cuba has relied for decades on crude purchases from allies to feed its refineries. It also imports fuel to help satisfy consumption of about 145,000 barrels per day by power plants,
industrial complexes, gas stations, airports and homes.

Fuel shortages have gradually grown worse since Cuba’s main ally, Venezuela, started reducing oil shipments as far back as 2016 after its own production declined and its economy slipped into a deep recession.

A bilateral pact signed in 2000 allows Cuba to pay for Venezuelan oil imports by offering services to the South American country ranging from doctors to advisers.

Venezuela had until 2015 supplied Cuba with about 90,000 bpd of crude and fuel. But a first round of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela in 2017 limited PDVSA’s access to financing, aggravating its output decline and curtailing investment in the industry.

As of 2017, Cuba produced just 51,000 bpd of crude, according to the most recent available data from the country’s National Office of Statistic and Information.

Analysts say it is hard for Cuba to cover the shortfall with its fuel consumption by importing at market prices, given it is strapped for cash.

Faced with fuel shortages, the country has implemented a series of austerity measures in recent years like cutting public street lighting and air conditioning usage in state institutions.

Why Did the Situation Suddenly Get So Much Worse?

The Trump administration imposed sanctions in January banning U.S. firms or U.S. subsidiaries of foreign firms from selling fuel to Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA both for domestic consumption and for re-exports. The measures also ban any trade in dollars with PDVSA or its units.

Washington in July also sanctioned specific vessel operators covering the Venezuela-Cuba route and the entity receiving the barrels, Cubametales. The nations have since struggled to find tankers to transport the oil.

Cuba imports not only crude from Venezuela but also gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, lubricants and cooking gas, according to internal PDVSA data.

Is Venezuela Supplying Cuba Amid Sanctions?

Yes. But volumes have decreased. Venezuela has sent this year some 55,300 bpd of crude and fuel to Cuba, below the average of the last decade, according to internal PDVSA data and Refinitiv Eikon data.

In 2018, PDVSA supplied Cubametales with some 89,000 bpd of crude and products, according to PDVSA’s internal data.

PDVSA in turn has increasingly had to import refined fuel for its own domestic market, according to company data.

How is Venezuela Transporting Oil to Cuba?

PDVSA is now using a large portion of its own fleet to transport Venezuelan crude and fuel to Cuba, including tankers Manuela Saenz, Icaro, Terepaima and Yare.

Vessels owned by a joint Venezuela-Cuba company, Transalba, also are covering the route, but the number of vessels operators and maritime crew willing to touch Venezuelan or Cuban ports has decreased in recent months due to the sanctions, according to shippers.

Is Cuba Importing From Other Countries?

Yes, but the island still overwhelmingly relies on oil supplies from Venezuela.

From July through mid-September, Cuba imported 50,000-100,000 bpd, mostly from PDVSA. Vessels loaded with imports coming from Russian ports, Caribbean terminals and oil hubs such as Rotterdam also arrived at Cuban ports in recent weeks, according to the Refinitiv data.

Reuters was unable to identify all the companies chartering vessels to the island.

Will There Be a Prompt Recovery?

Cuba’s president has said the situation should normalize in October as shipments have already been guaranteed for that month.

Analysts are not so confident. Cuba does not have a large number of oil suppliers since the U.S. government imposed an embargo on the island nearly 60 years ago and growing problems to find vessels are creating new obstacles to imports.

The country is also strapped for cash.

Other than Venezuela, Algeria historically has supplied up to 5,000 bpd as barter, mostly for ophthalmology services received from Cuba, said Jorge Pinon from the University of Austin in Texas.

What is Cuba Doing to Palliate the Crisis?

Cuba this month reduced the frequency of public transport and cut industrial production in order to save energy so it can ensure basic services like hospitals and food distribution.

Government officials have been encouraging citizens to make the most of natural daylight to save electricity and have urged the use of more animal power to save on diesel.

So far, there have been no major blackouts. The president has warned there could be but, if so, said they will be planned and announced beforehand.

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Honda said on Monday it would phase out all diesel cars by 2021 in favor of models with electric propulsion systems, as the Japanese automaker moves to electrify all of its European cars by 2025.

Honda is the latest automaker cutting production of diesel cars to meet stringent global emissions regulations. The plan is part of its long-term goal to make electric cars, including all battery-electric vehicles, to account for two-thirds of its line ups by 2030 from less than 10% now.

By next year, according to European Union emission targets, CO2 must be cut to 95 gram per km for 95% of cars from the current 120.5 gram average, a figure that has increased of late as consumers spurn fuel-efficient diesels and embrace SUVs. All new cars in the EU must be compliant in 2021.

For Honda, declining demand for diesel vehicles and tougher emissions regulations have clouded its manufacturing prospects in Europe.

Honda said in February it would close its only British car plant in 2021 with the loss of up to 3,500 jobs.

Japan’s No. 3 automaker has said it would cut the number of car model variations to a third of current offerings by 2025, reducing global production costs by 10% and redirecting those savings toward advanced research and development.

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