At least 12 civilians were wounded Thursday in a car bomb explosion that occurred near a church in Qamishli in northeast Syria. The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for the attack. VOA’s Zana Omar was at the scene.

The U.S. State Department is making the advancement of religious freedom a foreign policy priority, with survivors of religious persecution representing North Koreans, Rohingyas, Uighurs and Yazidis invited to highlight the urgency of the problem at a conference next week in Washington.

“This is a major foreign policy initiative of the United States,” said Sam Brownback, the U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom. During a telephone briefing, he said it was an issue that has not received enough attention around the world as religious persecution has grown in recent years.

More than 1,000 representatives from religious groups and civil society, as well as foreign ministers, are expected to gather at the State Department July 16-18 to discuss the status of religious freedom around the world.

Victims of recent attacks at a synagogue in San Diego, mosques in New Zealand and an Easter bombing in Sri Lanka are also expected to attend.

Speakers at the ministerial will include Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, an Iraqi Yazidi woman who has been advocating for the group in northern Iraq, and American evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson, who was freed after two years of detention in Turkey.

“Our effort is to stir action. We want to see, really, a global grass-roots movement around religious freedom,” said Brownback.

The U.S. special envoy said governments of nations that have been designated by the U.S. as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for severe violations of religious freedom, including China and Myanmar, are not invited to the conference as it is centered on like-minded countries and governments that aspire to move toward religious freedom.

The mixed economic outcomes of increased jobs but lower wages has divided working class support for President Donald Trump.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is telling congressional leaders that Congress should raise the debt ceiling before leaving for its August recess. He says he could run out of maneuvering room to avoid an unprecedented default on the national debt before lawmakers return.
 
In a letter Friday to House and Senate leaders, Mnuchin says that based on updated projections, “there is a scenario in which we run out of cash in early September, before Congress reconvenes.”
 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that she would like to complete a deal with President Donald Trump this month to raise the borrowing limit and set spending levels for the coming budget year.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump has abandoned efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. Census and decided to get the information on people residing in the United States through other federal agencies. Speaking outside the White House Thursday, Trump blamed Democrats and “unfriendly” courts for creating obstacles to what he called a legitimate question. Opponents say the question would deter many non-citizens, legal or illegal, from participating in the census and that the skewed results would give Republicans more seats in the House of Representatives and other advantages. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke has more.

The thriving U.S. economy is creating new manufacturing jobs in northeast Ohio, part of the country’s once vibrant industrial heartland, but these new jobs pay about half what workers who belonged to unions made in the past. As VOA’s Brian Padden reports from Youngstown, Ohio, the mixed economic result of more jobs but at lower wages has divided working class support for President Donald Trump, who won this key battleground state in the 2016 presidential election with a promise to revive American manufacturing.

Anthropologists know that humans migrated to Europe out of Africa thousands of years ago. But it’s been hard to get a firm date on when and how or even why. Now, thanks to new technology, some old bones may help scientists narrow down the “when” of human migration. Faith Lapidus narrates this report from VOA’s Kevin Enochs.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday he had invited his son Eduardo to become ambassador to the United States, underscoring his family’s influential role in the country’s diplomacy and domestic politics.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, currently a federal congressman, told reporters separately he would accept the role if nominated. His father said earlier that the appointment would hinge on his son’s acceptance.

“If it is a mission given by the president, I would accept,” Eduardo Bolsonaro told reporters, adding he was prepared to resign from Congress if the president appoints him. He added the ultimate nomination still depended on conversations with his father and Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo.

The appointment would need to be approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before passing to the full upper house for confirmation.

Brazil’s previous ambassador to Washington retired in April. The far-right Brazilian president, who said his campaign last year was inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump, has made friendly overtures to the American leader and made similar use of family members as official advisers.

Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Flavio, is advancing his conservative social agenda as a senator.

Carlos Bolsonaro, another son of the president and a Rio de Janeiro city councilman, has taken a role in his father’s social media communications and stirred controversy by attacking members of the Brazilian Cabinet.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, the third of the president’s four sons and a daughter from three marriages, has counseled his father on foreign affairs.

After his father’s election in October, Eduardo Bolsonaro was one of his first envoys to Washington, where he met with Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, and was spotted wearing a “Trump 2020” cap.

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon named the younger Bolsonaro the Latin American leader of his right-wing nationalist organization, “The Movement.”

During the Brazilian leader’s White House visit in March, Trump heaped praise on Eduardo Bolsonaro, who sat by his father during an Oval Office chat while Brazil’s foreign minister and ambassador in Washington were nowhere to be seen.

Two senior human rights officials say they want the 5,600 refugees and migrants in Libyan detention centers freed and their protection guaranteed.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and International Organization for Migration Director Antonio Vitorino issued a joint statement Thursday. They said if Libya cannot guarantee safety for the migrants, they need to be evacuated to other countries “where accelerated settlement is needed.”

The two officials described Libya as a place where “suffering and risk of human rights abuses continue” for refugees. “A safe, managed process of release with proper information on available assistance is essential for all.”

Grandi and Vitorino also said migrants picked up in the Mediterranean Sea must no longer be sent back to Libya, as it cannot be considered a safe port.

They pointed to last week’s airstrike on a detention center near Tripoli, which killed more than 50, as one of the perils faced by refugees returned to Libya.

They called on European Union nations to resume search-and-rescue operations in the dangerous waters and said all member states should share this responsibility, along with halting penalties for charity-run rescue ships.

The two said more help was needed for the 800,000 migrants in Libya so that “living conditions are improved, human rights are better protected, and fewer people end up being driven into the hands of smugglers and human traffickers.”

Refugees from North Africa and elsewhere trying to escape poverty, war and terrorism usually depart from Libyan shores to try to reach European ports.

A judge will rule on whether a 9-year-old Guatemalan boy who was separated from his father at the border can stay in this country, and whether his father will be allowed to return to the United States.

After spending nearly a year in federal facilities, Byron Xol (Shol) has been living with a Texas family in recent months. His father, David, was deported to Guatemala.

He says he and his son left that country because they had been threatened by gangsters. He is an evangelical Christian, and says he refused to join the gang because his faith forbids violence.

David is one of 21 parents included in an American Civil Liberties Union motion that they be allowed to re-enter the country and seek asylum.

China on Thursday attacked a statement by 22 Western countries at the United Nations urging it to stop holding members of its Muslim population in detention centers, calling the measure necessary for national security and accusing the countries of trampling on its sovereignty.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily briefing that the letter “disregarded the facts, slandered and attacked China with unwarranted accusations, flagrantly politicized human rights issues and grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs.”

“The Chinese side expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition,” Geng said, adding that China had registered “solemn complaints” with the countries involved.

“We urge these countries to respect the facts, discard prejudice, abide by the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, and stop politicizing human rights issues and intervening in China’s internal affairs with the Xinjiang issue,” he said.

In addition to travel restrictions and a massive surveillance network, China is estimated to have arbitrarily detained up to 1 million Muslims in prison-like detention centers in Xinjiang, with reports of harsh treatment and poor living conditions inside.

China denies committing abuses in the centers and calls them training schools aimed at providing employable skills and combating extremism.

Geng said Xinjiang has not suffered any new violent incidents for more than two years, proving the effectiveness of the government’s approach.

“The happiness … and sense of security of the people of all ethnic groups have substantially improved, and they sincerely support the government’s policies,” he said.

While China restricts access and reporting in Xinjiang, Geng said it would welcome a visit by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“We welcome those who truly uphold the objective and fair principle to go to Xinjiang and look around, but we resolutely oppose any external forces using the Xinjiang issue to interfere in China’s internal affairs and undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Geng said.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday accused China of backsliding on promises to increase purchases of American farm exports.

The president’s latest salvo on Twitter comes the same week that US and Chinese trade officials had their first contact in months in an effort to revive negotiations that nearly collapsed in May.

Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met last month on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan, agreeing to cease further hostilities while the talks resumed.

Mexico is doing great at the Border, but China is letting us down in that they have not been buying the agricultural products from our great Farmers that they said they would. Hopefully they will start soon!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 11, 2019

Following the Osaka summit, Trump announced that, in return for suspending a planned tariff increase on $300 billion in Chinese imports, Beijing had offered to buy “a tremendous amount of food and agriculture product.”

Reducing America’s soaring trade deficit with China has long been a principal aim in Trump’s trade battle with Beijing, which he also accuses of stealing American technology and unfairly intervening in markets.

Since last year, the two countries have traded tariffs on more than $360 billion in two-way trade.

South Korea’s foreign minister told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Japan’s export curbs against South Korea are “undesirable” for trilateral cooperation, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Japan tightened curbs last week on exports of three materials crucial for smartphone displays and chips, saying trust with South Korea had been broken over a dispute with Seoul over South Koreans forced to work for Japanese firms during World War II

The restrictions will affect companies such as Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd and SK Hynix Inc., which supply chips to companies such as Apple Inc., and South Korea is stepping up diplomatic overtures to their mutual ally the United States to step in.

Widespread damage

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told Pompeo in a phone call late Wednesday that Japan’s trade restrictions may not only cause damage to South Korean companies but could also disrupt the global supply chain and hurt U.S. companies.

Kang “expressed concern that this is undesirable in terms of friendly relations between South Korea and Japan and trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan,” the ministry said. Seoul hoped Tokyo would withdraw the curbs and that the situation would not deteriorate further, it said.

Pompeo “expressed understanding” and both agreed to continue to cooperate and to strengthen communication between the three sides, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Kim Hyun-chong, deputy chief of South Korea’s National Security Office, arrived in Washington Wednesday in an unannounced visit and told reporters he was there to meet officials from the White House and Congress to discuss issues that included Japan’s export curbs.
 

The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria is reporting “solid progress” following talks with officials in the Syrian capital and says they are “very close to an agreement” on establishing a constitutional committee.

Geir Pedersen spoke to reporters Wednesday following two meetings with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem in Damascus. He did not elaborate or offer details about the committee’s formation and whether a breakthrough had been reached.

Formation of the committee, which would rewrite Syria’s constitution, is key to any political process to end Syria’s long-running civil war.

The more than yearlong effort to form the 150-member committee has been dogged by objections from Syria’s government over the 50-member list representing experts, independents, tribal leaders and women. There is already agreement on 50-member lists from the government and the opposition.

New York state has expanded a state law prohibiting gender pay discrimination, making it illegal to pay someone less based on factors such as race, religion or gender identity. 
 
The new law also changes a legal standard for pay equity to make it easier for employees to prove discrimination in court. 
 
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the changes into law Wednesday in Manhattan, just before joining the U.S. women’s soccer team for a parade honoring its World Cup victory. Cuomo says he supports female players in their quest for pay equal to that of male players. 
 
Democratic state Senate leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins says the women’s team’s lesser pay highlights a fundamental economic problem facing women throughout society. 
 
Cuomo also signed legislation Wednesday barring employers from demanding prospective workers’ salary histories. 
 

Aftershocks of last week’s big earthquakes are still rumbling beneath the California desert, but seismologists say the probability of large quakes continues to decline.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the chance of a quake larger than Friday’s 7.1 temblor is less than 1% and the chance of a magnitude 6 or higher is down to 6%.  

Residents of the little community of Trona gathered at a town hall Wednesday to hear officials give updates on the recovery.

KCBS-TV reports the most common concern expressed by residents is the lack of running water.

Truckloads of drinking water have been delivered. But there’s no water for household uses, including supplying swamp coolers, a necessity in the triple-digit desert heat.

Critically-acclaimed singer songwriter Joel Rafael, who is known for his  5-decade folk career of original folk music, has released his 9th studio album, “Baladista..”  He has been writing and performing since 1974 and has released a stunning collection of nine Americana albums.

Iran’s president said Wednesday that Britain will face “repercussions” over the seizure of an Iranian supertanker last week that authorities in Gibraltar suspect was breaching European sanctions on oil shipments to Syria.
 
Hassan Rouhani was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as calling the seizure “mean and wrong” during a Cabinet meeting. “You are an initiator of insecurity and you will understand its repercussions,” he warned the British government, calling for the “full security” of international shipping lanes.
 
The tanker’s detention comes at a particularly sensitive time as tensions between the U.S. and Iran grow over the unraveling of the 2015 nuclear deal, from which President Donald Trump withdrew last year. In recent weeks, Iran has begun to openly breach limits on uranium enrichment set by the deal in order to pressure European signatories to salvage it.
 
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif meanwhile denied the supertanker belonged to Iran, saying whoever owned the oil shipment and the vessel could pursue the case through legal avenues. Iran had earlier summoned the British ambassador over what it called the “illegal interception” of the ship.
 
The latest U.S.-Iranian tensions date back to last year, when Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord and restored heavy sanctions on Iran, including its oil industry, exacerbating an economic crisis that has sent the currency plummeting.
 
In the nuclear deal with world powers negotiated by the Obama administration, Iran had agreed to curb its nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief. It has offered to return to the agreement, but Trump has long rejected the deal, saying it was too generous to Tehran and did not address its involvement in regional conflicts.
 
In May, the United States dispatched a carrier group, bombers and fighter jets to the Persian Gulf region in response to alleged Iranian threats. The U.S. has accused Iran of involvement in the bombing of oil tankers in the Gulf and says it shot down an American drone in international airspace. Iran denies any involvement in the attacks on the tankers and says the drone had veered into its airspace.
 
Iran is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, which is under Western sanctions linked to attacks on civilians during the country’s civil war.

 

A tropical weather system was expected Wednesday to develop into a storm that could push the already swollen Mississippi River precariously close to the tops of levees that protect New Orleans.

The low pressure area was over water, south of the Florida Panhandle early Wednesday and was expected to strengthen into a storm as it moved west through the Gulf’s warm waters.

Forecasters say parts of Louisiana could see up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain by Monday, with heavier amounts possible in some spots.

Mississippi and Texas were also at risk of torrential rains.

The National Weather Service said New Orleans is protected to a river level of 20 feet (6.1 meters), but it was forecast to rise above flood stage to 19 feet (5.8 meters) by Friday.

Though much of the heaviest rain isn’t expected until the weekend, the broad area of disturbed weather in the Gulf was already producing strong thunderstorms over Louisiana on Wednesday. Those storms prompted tornado and flash flood warnings Wednesday morning in the New Orleans area. The weather service said up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain had fallen in the area.

 

A sprawling Navy base in the Southern California desert is still closed to nonessential personnel Tuesday as the military works to determine the damage from two powerful earthquakes last week. 

Teams have so far surveyed just 10% of the 1,200 facilities at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, spokeswoman Margo Allen said. It’s unclear when personnel and their families will be able to return.

Two strong quakes — a magnitude 6.4 and a 7.1, respectively — struck Thursday and Friday near the small town of Ridgecrest, just outside the 1.2 million-acre base in the Mojave Desert. 

Water and gas service have been restored at the base, but engineers are ensuring buildings are safe to enter. The shaking cracked walls in a chapel and school and brought down commissary shelves, Allen said. 

“Everything came off the walls. There’s a lot of cleaning up that still has to happen,” she said. 

One person suffered a minor foot injury.

Officials said most employees live off base, mainly in Ridgecrest. Some personnel were evacuated to the naval base in Ventura County. 

The quakes buckled highways and ruptured gas lines that sparked several house fires. No one was killed or seriously injured, which authorities attributed to the remote desert location.

Officials are still reviewing damage Tuesday in communities outside the base. 

It could be several more days before water service is restored to the tiny town of Trona, where officials trucked in portable toilets and showers. 

President Donald Trump on Monday declared an emergency in California because of the quakes, paving the way for federal aid. The declaration authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts.

The large quakes were followed by thousands of smaller aftershocks. The U.S. Geological Survey said the aftershocks will taper off, and the probability of another large quake — magnitude 4 or higher — also will decrease.