VOA responds to Russian government plans to block VOA Russian website
March 2, 2022
Today the Russian government warned the Voice of America of its intention to block the VOA Russian language service’s news website, www.golosameriki.com, unless it removes coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Russian government’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, claims the news site “contains false messages about terrorist attacks or other kind (sic) of information of public concern.”
The media regulator demands that the VOA Russian service remove a news story from its site that provided factual reporting on the second day of the Russian invasion. The article included widely reported facts regarding Russian bombardment of cities, a Russian claim to have captured an airport close to Kyiv, and statements from witnesses as well as reporters inside Ukraine.
“Any attempts to interfere with the free flow of news and information are deeply troubling. We find this order to be in direct opposition to the values of all democratic societies,” says Acting VOA Director Yolanda López.
The warning to VOA follows a broader crackdown on the press by the Russian government. The same regulators also moved to shut down two Russian news organizations that reach large audiences, Ekho Moskvy and Dozhd, as well as Current Time’s website, a joint production of Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
“The Russian people deserve unfettered access to a free press and, therefore, we cannot comply with the Roskomnadzor’s request,” said Acting Director López.
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China has condemned Australia’s plans to boost its scientific and strategic presence in Antarctica. The government in Canberra on Tuesday announced plans to fly a fleet of surveillance drones and long-range helicopters over the icy continent.
Australia’s $570 million Antarctic plan has environmental and strategic ambitions. It aims to chart unexplored parts of the continent’s interior with drones and long-range helicopters to boost research into glaciers, marine science and rising sea levels.
Australia also has concerns about China’s expansion in the increasingly contested region.
At a media conference Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not mention specific countries by name, but he said some were eager to “exploit its resources.”
“We are stewards of some of the most important and most sensitive environments anywhere in the world,” he said. “We need to keep eyes on Antarctica because there are others who have different objectives to us.”
Australia lays claim to more than 42% of the continent, a territorial ambition that is recognized by few other nations.
The Australian government wants to uphold the 1961 Antarctic Treaty, which bans military and mining activity. About 30 countries maintain dozens of research bases on the world’s coldest, driest, and windiest continent.
Professor Donald Rothwell is from the Australian National University’s College of Law. He said some countries have ambitions to use the continent for defense purposes.
“Antarctica was demilitarized under the provisions of the Antarctic Treaty and also de-nuclearized,” he said. “Antarctic is a nuclear-free zone but that does not mean to say that issues have not been raised from time to time about dual-use capacity, and also, dual-use technology.”
China’s state media outlet Global Times said Beijing had “always abided by the provisions of the Antarctic Treaty System in carrying out scientific expeditions in the Antarctic region.”
It claimed Australia’s multimillion-dollar plan was part of the “Morrison government’s anti-China agenda” and was driven by “their hostility toward China.”
Relations between Australia and China — its biggest trading partner — have soured in recent years. There have been various diplomatic flashpoints, including allegations of Chinese interference in Australia’s domestic affairs.
The China state-owned Global Times said Canberra was “driving the bilateral relations toward a dead end.”
A Chinese rocket, according to astronomers, is expected to crash into the moon on March 4. It is the latest example of China’s presence in space. News of the predicted crash comes after Beijing released a development blueprint for satellite improvements, deep-space exploration and putting more people in orbit.
Analysts expect Beijing to reach many of the goals outlined in its five-year plan for the development of outer space despite the odd mishap, according to experts.
China’s space program stands to rival those of Russia and the United States, especially in terms of commercializing space technology, they add.
“China is something to look at seriously in terms of increasing competitiveness,” said Marco Caceres, director of space studies at the Teal Group market analysis firm. “Part of that is that the U.S. was ahead by so much that countries like China, where their economies are growing faster, they’re simply catching up.”
Past meets future
China launched its first satellite in 1970 and put its first human in space in 2003, becoming the world’s third nation, after Russia and the United States, to reach that milestone. In 2019, China’s spacecraft made a historic landing on the far side of the moon. Beijing is in the process of adding onto its Tiangong space station later this year.
China is excluded from the International Space Station, a cooperative operation among Europe, the United States, Russia, Canada and Japan, due to U.S. national security concerns.
Over the next five years, Beijing’s space program will place people in space on “long-term assignments” for scientific research, complete findings on Mars and explore the Jupiter system, according to China’s Space Program: A 2021 Perspective.
The coming half-decade will see improvements as well in the capacity of space transport systems, and China will “continue to improve its space infrastructure” through integration of remote sensing, communications, navigation and satellite positioning technologies, the document says.
China will probably realize its five-year goals because it has been working on them for a decade or more, with plenty of government funding, analysts say.
The January report effectively “bundles” together what’s already taking shape, said Richard Bitzinger, defense analyst with the Defense Budget Project, a research nonprofit in Washington. It’s technically possible that China could mine ore on an asteroid, Bitzinger said, though the job would require complex anchoring and drilling work.
A lot of the blueprint goals are meant to exude peaceful intent and a positive international image, he added. “Most manned space programs are symbolic,” Bitzinger said. “From an economic sense, they’re a loss leader, but from a sense of demonstrating power, they’re perfect for that.”
The blueprint says future Chinese space missions will remain “peaceful,” despite suspicion in Washington that the Chinese space program will be directed toward military purposes.
Commercial momentum
Progress in the Chinese space program has allowed China to become what Caceres describes as more “aggressive” than the United States in marketing satellites and modern launch services. Its budget probably grows faster than NASA’s, he added. Chinese space-related gear can be found in Africa, Asia and Latin America, the analyst said.
Countries such as Australia and Japan already use Chinese space-based remote sensing data after natural disasters. Russia and China tentatively agreed in September to open a joint lunar research base.
“China calls on all countries to work together to build a global community of (a) shared future and carry out in-depth exchanges and cooperation in outer space on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, peaceful utilization, and inclusive development,” the Chinese Embassy in Washington told VOA on Wednesday.
Some of the countries closest to China geographically may still hold out for U.S. space technology despite China’s willingness to engage, said Alan Chong, associate professor at the Singapore-based S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
“I think the situation is fluid, and I wouldn’t say that Southeast Asia will be comfortably in the Chinese orbit yet,” Chong said. “It has of course never been friendlier with China, over the past 15 years or so, but I think the game is not over for the United States.”
A billionaire who led an all-private space crew into orbit last year has announced plans for up to three new missions in conjunction with SpaceX, including one with a spacewalk.
Jared Isaacman, who founded payment processing company Shift4, will lead the first of the new flights with a launch potentially coming by the end of this year.
FILE – Jared Isaacman at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. (Photo by SpaceX.)
In addition to a mission featuring the first spacewalk attempted by non-professional astronauts, the planned flight also includes achieving a record altitude in Earth orbit.
As part of the partnership with SpaceX, the flights are set to utilize SpaceX spacecrafts.
Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Unnamed U.S. intelligence officials say Washington is ready to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv in anticipation of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to an Associated Press report.
The AP story says the State Department will announce the plans early Saturday that would require all American embassy staff to leave Ukraine because of the anticipated invasion.
A few U.S. diplomats may be relocated to far western Ukraine, near Poland, a NATO ally, the anonymous government officials, who are not authorized to speak, told AP. That move would allow the U.S. to maintain a “diplomatic presence” in Ukraine.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said a Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin “during the Olympics.”
Sullivan, speaking at a White House briefing Friday, said “we are in the window when an invasion could begin at any time should (Russian President) Vladimir Putin decide to order it.”
Many analysts have said that Russia is unlikely to carry out any invasion before the Winter Olympics in China end Feb. 20.
Russia now has enough forces on Ukraine’s border to conduct a major military operation, Sullivan said, and Russia could seize “significant territory” in Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv, in an attack.
He urged Americans in Ukraine to leave in the next 24-48 hours, saying a Russian invasion could begin with an air assault that would make departures difficult.
“The risk is high enough and the threat is now immediate enough that prudence demands that it is the time to leave now,” Sullivan said.
Also Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden took part in a secure video call with world leaders to discuss Ukraine.
“The leaders agreed on the importance of coordinated efforts to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine, including their readiness to impose massive consequences and severe economic costs on Russia should it choose military escalation,” according to a White House statement. In addition to Biden, the call included the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Britain, NATO, the European Union and the European Council.
A senior U.S. defense official told reporters that Biden has ordered an additional 3,000 soldiers to Poland in addition to the 1,700 already headed there. The Pentagon said the troops are being deployed to reassure NATO allies and deter any potential aggression against NATO’s eastern flank.
The Pentagon announced last week the deployment of the previous 1,700 troops to Poland along with 300 troops who were to be moved from the United States to Germany. It also announced at that time that 1,000 troops already based in Germany were to be redeployed to Romania.
Map: Russian troop locations near Ukraine
Speaking Friday with several of his counterparts in NATO countries, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States stands “united with our NATO Allies to deter and defend against any aggression,” according to a Pentagon statement.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Friday “to reaffirm the United States’ robust support for Ukraine.”
Blinken “underscored that any and all aggression against Ukraine by Russia will be met with swift, severe and united consequences,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
The comments by the U.S. led to the biggest drop in Russia’s ruble in nearly two years. The ruble was down 2.8% Friday, set for its largest daily percentage drop against the dollar since March 2020.
Earlier Friday, Blinken warned of a possible Russian attack on Ukraine at “any time” and urged U.S. citizens to leave the Eastern European country immediately.
He made his comments after meeting in Australia with leaders of the so-called Quad countries — the United States, Australia, Japan and India.
Blinken’s warning also came one day after Biden urged Americans to leave the country immediately and warned in an interview with NBC News of a potential major conflict with Russia should a clash erupt between U.S. and Russian troops.
On Thursday, Biden said, “We’re dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. This is a very different situation, and things could go crazy quickly.”
The U.S. president said he would not send troops to Ukraine, even to rescue Americans in case of a Russian invasion.
“That’s a world war. When Americans and Russians start shooting one another, we’re in a very different world,” he said.
Russia opened 10 days of massive military drills in Belarus on Thursday and docked six of its ships at a strategic Black Sea port, drawing a sharp rebuke from Ukrainian officials, who characterized Moscow’s actions as further escalating tensions in the region.
The Russian maneuvers in Belarus involved thousands of troops and sophisticated weapons systems, such as S-400 surface-to-air missiles, Pantsir air defense systems and Su-35 fighter jets, with some of the training just 210 kilometers north of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
Officials in Moscow and Minsk have said Russian troops will withdraw from Belarus sometime after the drills end Feb. 20. But Western officials remain fearful they could be deployed in a Russian invasion of Ukraine, a onetime Soviet republic, along with 100,000 troops Moscow has amassed along Ukraine’s eastern flank.
Ukrainian officials, who launched their own drills on Thursday, assailed the impending Black Sea naval drills, characterizing them as “destructive activity to destabilize the security situation.” Kyiv accused Russia of violating international law by restricting wide swaths of open water to conduct missile and artillery fire training.
Russian officials have denied they plan to invade Ukraine, but diplomatic talks with Western officials have led to a standoff. Russia has demanded that the United States and its allies reject Ukraine’s bid for membership in NATO.
The West has rejected that as a nonstarter but has said it is willing to negotiate with Moscow over missile deployment and troop exercises in Eastern European countries closest to Russia.
Western governments have been calling on Russia to take steps to de-escalate the crisis and have vowed to impose swift and severe economic sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine.
Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Several senior members of President Joe Biden’s administration led the charge Thursday for a significant practical expansion of the nationwide use of electric vehicles.
The federal government is “teaming up with states and the private sector to build a nationwide network of EV chargers by 2030 to help create jobs, fight the climate change crisis, and ensure that this game-changing technology is affordable and accessible for every American,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg outside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
In the largest investment of its kind, the Biden administration is to distribute $5 billion to begin building up to a half million roadside rapid charging stations across the country for electric cars and trucks.
To rid EV drivers of “range anxiety,” there will be a “seamless network” of charging stations along the nation’s highways, said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
“Most of them will have more than one [charging] port associated with them,” Granholm added.
“The future is electric, and this administration is moving toward it at lightning speed,” she said.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm speaks during an event at the Transportation Department in Washington, Feb. 10, 2022.
“Soon we’ll be rolling out an additional two and a half billion [dollars] for a new grant program with even more funding for chargers at the community level across the country,” Buttigieg announced.
Most EVs are hampered from driving long distances by the gap between charging stations and the time it takes to recharge their batteries, which have limited range. Most new electric cars can travel about 500 kilometers or less between charging stops, although some models with ranges beyond 800 kilometers are set to come on the market in the next several years.
The federal money being distributed will “help states create a network of EV charging stations along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors, particularly along the Interstate Highway System,” according to the Transportation Department.
It is estimated that nearly $40 billion will need to be spent to build public charging stations to reach the goal of 100% EV sales in the United States by 2035.
Some analysts see a bumpy road toward Biden’s clean energy destination.
“EVs do not necessarily generate lower carbon emissions than gasoline-powered vehicles,” said Jeff Miron, vice president of research at the Cato Institute, a public policy think tank. “The energy needed to charge batteries comes from somewhere, and in some parts of the country, that source tends to be coal, which generates even more carbon than gasoline,” he told VOA.
“Building charging stations will lower the cost of using EVs, which might encourage more driving,” added Miron, who is also a senior lecturer in economics at Harvard University. “More generally, unless an anti-carbon policy raises the price of using carbon-based fuels, it is unlikely to be the most efficient way to reduce carbon emissions.”
To tap the funds, the 50 states must submit an EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan by August 1, with approvals from the federal government to come by the end of the following month.
The federal guidance requests that states explain how they will deliver projects with at least 40% of the benefits going to disadvantaged communities.
The Biden White House has an initiative named “Justice40,” which calls for a minimum of 40% of the federal funds for climate mitigation and clean energy to go to disadvantaged areas.
The initial $5 billion in funds for the public charging stations comes from the $1 trillion infrastructure law. The investment is seen as a significant contribution toward the president’s stated goal of cutting carbon emissions caused by transportation and ensuring half of new cars are electric by 2030.
“We will have to expand both the transmission grid as well as the sources of clean energy that we add to it in order to get to the president’s goal,” acknowledged Granholm.
From February 1 to 15, the Tayrona Natural Parkthe main tourist attraction for nature lovers, will remain closed to the public due to the oxygenation and spiritual cleansing campaign scheduled throughout the year.
(Also read: Álvaro Lemmon, from famous comedian to selling backpacks in Santa Marta)
The Mayor’s Office of Santa Marta, through its tourism office, has been promoting a varied offer of plans for those national and foreign visitors who visit the capital of Magdalena these days.
For those who are looking to live experiences beyond sun and beach tourism and connect with nature and the charm of the flora and fauna of this sector, the city has options from the top of the mountains to the river bank.
San Lorenzo
It is perhaps one of the highest points in the Sierra and is equipped with all the hospitality to receive visitors. It is located on the Cerro Kennedy mountain, 3,000 meters above sea level.
In addition to having a panoramic view that makes you lose your breath, San Lorenzo is the best place for lovers of bird watching, since the El Dorado Nature Reserve is located in the area, which develops projects for the protection and conservation of bird species. that are on the verge of extinction.
Sisiguaca
Although it is small, it is an almost obligatory visit to taste the exquisiteness of the local gastronomy. Attended by native fishermen, this beach ensures totally fresh delicacies from the sea, as well as white sand and warm water that promises a dream bath. Its access is very easy: you leave from Taganga by boat or through a natural path.
Being a destination with few visitors, it is perfect to rest, contemplating the Caribbean Sea. For many others, this is the ideal place to get away from the routine and take advantage of the time to read, enjoy the sun and spend quality time with family, friends or partner. In addition, on this beach you have the possibility of snorkeling to discover the marine wealth that is hidden in the depths of the sea.
Don Diego River
This river is quite an experience, a mixture of calm waters and strong currents. Located in the vicinity of Palomino, this river is the ideal place for bird watching or to live with howler monkeys and exotic species that have as their home the strong vegetation that borders the river.
However, a few meters further on, it is common to find tourists and locals tubing, which consists of descending the course of the river aboard a tire.
Touring the different bodies of water is another of the desired plans.
Photo:
Press Office of the Mayor of Santa Marta
Valencia Ravine
Located on the road that leads to the main entrance of the Tayrona National Natural Park, after a walk of only 30 minutes you will reach a unique setting sheltered among the ancient trees of the area.
Quebrada Valencia is a stepped fall with wells of pure and crystalline water, where you can enjoy relaxing baths in the middle of a lush jungle landscape with huge trees and accompanied by the sound produced by the rattle of the water breaking against the rocks of the bed. from the river. A visual effect is generated by creating a waterfall of turquoise water between the huge rocks that make up the waterfall.
The Tagua
located at three hours from Minca, this idyllic place, a haven of peace and connection with nature, collects the cold of the Sierra, so a jacket and good mountain boots are necessary. Its atmospheric conditions allow you to see parts of the Ciénaga Grande, and even Barranquilla!
Indigenous people of the Wiwa ethnic group live in La Tagua, as well as peasant communities.
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Enchanted Lagoon
Located 37 kilometers from the city of Santa Marta, about 2 kilometers from the entrance of Parque Tayrona, its name refers to the magic, beauty and charm of the place that captivates visitors, according to the locals.
the trail is easy access and it will take about 40 minutes to reach a calm lagoon fed by a small waterfall.
The landscape that surrounds Laguna Encantada could help you connect with nature and with yourself, to find calm away from the routine and daily life of the city, and at the same time enjoy the best ecotourism.
Roger Urieles For THE WEATHER Santa Marta @rogeruv
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The Thai company Minor International, owner of the Spanish hotel chain NH, plans to open 100 hotels in China over the next 5 years, revealed the group’s president, William Heinecke, in an interview with Nikkei Asia.
Heinecke indicated, during an interview published this Thursday with the Japanese weekly, that the project in China aims to diversify growth, in a context where the pandemic has affected the company’s operations.
The Ministry of Health plans to change the current model of epidemiological surveillance, of control of the pandemic in Spain, once the sixth wave is overcome, which this week has entered a “gentle decline”. This has been stated by the head of the department, Carolina Darias, who has indicated that home quarantines due to covid will continue to be, for the time being, seven days.
The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias (l), together with the director of the Center for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies of the Ministry of Health, Fernando Simón (2l), during the meeting of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System. EFE / Borja Puig De La Bellacasa / Pool Moncloa
After the meeting this afternoon of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System, the Minister of Health highlighted at a press conference that a transition is opening towards “a new surveillance model” of the pandemic but “not before the end of the sixth wave Calmly and cautiously.”
The progressive change in the epidemiological situation, with more infections but mild in most cases due to both the characteristics of the omicron variant and the high vaccination rate, lead to the proposal of a new counting system in line with the experts and in national and international co-governance.
Darias has specified that the probability of hospitalization has been reduced 7 times in this wave compared to the third just a year ago, going from 6.5% to 0.9%, while ICU occupancy has dropped from 40 % to 22% current.
Asked about the approach of Castilla-La Mancha, Madrid, the Valencian Community and Galicia to reduce home quarantines due to covid from 7 to 4 or 5 days, the minister indicated that at the meeting only one counselor raised it as a possibility to study .
“This is an issue that is still immature, we must be very aware of the situation we are in,” he pointed out.
The current maximum capacity for sporting events is also maintained: 75% outdoors and 50% indoors.
New drop in incidence
The cumulative incidence at 14 days has dropped for the third day in a row, 73 points from yesterday to 3,194 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
“A slight decline in the last week after eleven consecutive weeks of growth,” the minister pointed out.
By age groups, the incidence is low in all groups except in those under 11 years of age, in the process of being vaccinated, with an incidence of 5,666 cases/100,000.
The Ministry of Health It has notified 133,553 more cases this Wednesday (114,877 yesterday), of which 52,034 have a diagnosis date of Tuesday and a cumulative of 9,529,320.
The positivity rate of diagnostic tests, 37.75%, continues to decline this week.
Deaths, 215 more
After the maximum of 382 deaths reported yesterday, a figure that had not been reached since February 2021 in the fall of the third wave, 215 more were added this Wednesday.
With a date of death in the last 7 days there are 757 deaths and 92,591 since there are records of deaths certified by tests in the pandemic in Spain. The global lethality is 1%.
decline in hospitals
The total number of patients admitted to hospitals (ward and ICU) is 18,805, 329 less than yesterday, 15.06% bed occupancy (15.47% yesterday).
In the ucis there are 2,152 covid patients, 52 less than yesterday, who occupy 22.74% of the beds after more than two weeks above 23%.
Catalonia continues to lead the occupation with 41%, while Aragon and Melilla are above 30%.
Spain has a notification of an omicron sublineage
Ómicron continues to gain space and occupies 86% of the sequenced samples; in our country and in the rest of the world, the minister explained; BA.1 is the dominant sublineage.
Spain has only one notification of the BA.1 sublineage, which is currently of concern in Denmark, Sweden and India and which the WHO has asked to monitor, counting on the time lag of between 2 and 3 weeks that exists and the sequencing that confirms it.
Regarding this sublineage, “the information we have from Denmark is that it does not seem, said with all caution, that it behaves very differently from BA.1”, although Health will be “very attentive” to its evolution, Darias has guaranteed. .
