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The United States says it has re-established a “permanent diplomatic presence” in Somalia for the first time in 27 years.

The State Department on Tuesday said, “This historic event reflects Somalia’s progress in recent years and is another step forward in formalizing U.S. diplomatic engagement in Mogadishu.”

The U.S. closed its Somalia embassy in January 1991 as the country collapsed into civil war, with the military airlifting out the ambassador and others.

The U.S. formally recognized Somalia’s new federal government in 2013 but has based its diplomatic mission in the capital of neighboring Kenya.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry during a surprise 2015 visit to Somalia said the U.S. would begin the process of re-establishing a diplomatic presence.

New Ambassador Donald Yamamoto arrived at the U.S. mission last month.
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White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Monday the Trump administration wants to end subsidies for electric cars and other items, including renewable energy sources.

Asked about plans after General Motors announced U.S. plant closings and layoffs last week, Kudlow pointed to the $2,500-to-$7,500 tax credit for consumers who buy plug-in electric vehicles, including those made by GM, under federal law.

“As a matter of our policy, we want to end all of those subsidies,” Kudlow said. “And by the way, other subsidies that were imposed during the Obama administration, we are ending, whether it’s for renewables and so forth.”

Asked about a timeline, he said: “It’s just all going to end in the near future. I don’t know whether it will end in 2020 or 2021.”

The tax credits are capped by Congress at 200,000 vehicles per manufacturer, after which the subsidy phases out. GM has said it expects to hit the threshold by the end of 2018, which means under the current law, its tax credit scheme would end in 2020. Tesla said in July it had hit the threshold.

Other automakers may not hit the cap for several years.

Experts say the White House cannot change the cap unilaterally. U.S. President Donald Trump last week threatened to eliminate subsidies for GM in retaliation for the company’s decision.

Kudlow made clear any changes in subsidies would not just affect GM.

“I think legally you just can’t,” he said.

Democrats will take control of the U.S. House in January and are unlikely to agree to end subsidies for electric cars and many have been pushing for additional incentives.

Tesla and GM have lobbied Congress for months to lift the cap on electric vehicles or make other changes, but face an uphill battle make changes before the current Congress expires.

In October, Senator Dean Heller proposed lifting the current cap on electric vehicles eligible for tax credits but phase out the credit for the entire industry in 2022. Two other senators in September proposed lifting the per manufacturer credit and extending the benefit for 10 years.

Also in October, Senator John Barrasso a Republican who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, proposed legislation to end the EV tax credit entirely.
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Life was beginning to return to normal Monday in Alaska following the powerful earthquake near Anchorage, but people nervous about aftershocks were still grappling with damage that closed public buildings and schools, clogged roads and knocked homes off foundations.

Some residents went back to work. But state transportation officials again urged people who live north and south of Anchorage to take the day off or work from home to reduce traffic. 

Rockfalls were still occurring along cliff-lined Seward Highway, while major repairs were underway on hard-hit Glenn Highway, the main road leading north of the city, Department of Transportation spokeswoman Meadow Bailey said.

“We don’t want the commute to be frustrating because people will experience delays,” she said.

Residents still jittery from the 7.0 quake on Friday have been rattled even further by more than 1,700 aftershocks. A dozen have had magnitudes of 4.5 or greater.

“Anything that moves, you’re on your last nerve,” said Anchorage resident Lyn Matthews, whose home sustained substantial structural damage, including a sunken foundation. 

Matthews, who was back at work at a chiropractor’s office, and her husband have no earthquake insurance.

“I’m scared to death,” she said.

The earthquake struck 7 miles (11 kilometers) north of Anchorage, swaying buildings, disrupting power and causing heavy damage to Glenn Highway. 

There were no reports of deaths, serious injuries or widespread catastrophic damage in the state with strict building codes implemented after a 1964 earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2 — the second most powerful of any quake ever recorded.

No outbreaks of disease or other major health problems have been reported. 

Still, federal officials declared a public health emergency on Monday, saying the action will ensure that Medicaid funds continue to be issued despite the temporary closure of offices. Mental health aid is also available for people being stressed by the disaster.

“Remember, whatever you’re feeling right now is valid,” Anchorage Health and Human Services director Natasha Pineda said at a weekend briefing. 

Earthquake forecasts cited a 4 percent chance of another earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 or greater in the first week after the first quake.

“The chance is very small, but it’s not impossible,” U.S. Geological Survey Geophysicist Paul Caruso said.

The federal courthouse in Anchorage was among structures that remained closed. Officials said the U.S. District Court and the attached federal building in Anchorage will be closed at least through Thursday following a preliminary evaluation by the General Services Administration.

GSA spokesman Chad Hutson said boilers in the federal building were leaking, leaving it without heat.

The nearby Historic Federal Building, where the bankruptcy court is located, also remained closed. Officials said it will be ready to reopen once minor cleanup is complete.

Schools have been closed until Dec. 10, which should also reduce traffic. An elementary school in the Anchorage suburb of Eagle River has been deemed unsafe to occupy, while multiple other campuses in the region are undergoing repairs and cleanup, according to the Anchorage School District. 

A middle school in the small town of Houston north of Anchorage likely will remain closed through the year.

The supply chain of food and other goods delivered to the Port of Anchorage from the Lower 48 has not been disrupted.

About 90 percent of all the goods sold in Alaska are delivered to the Port of Anchorage, where officials have completed a preliminary damage assessment. There were some structural issues with some trestles, but nothing that should impede operations, according to Municipal Manager Bill Falsey.
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Eight-year-old Bella Maloney woke up next to her little brother in a queen-size bed at a Best Western hotel and for breakfast ate a bagel and cream cheese that her mother brought up from the lobby.

And then she was off to school for the first time in nearly a month.

For Bella, brother Vance and thousands of other youngsters in Northern California who lost their homes or their classrooms in last month’s deadly wildfire, life crept a little closer to normal Monday when school finally resumed in most of Butte County.

“They’re ready to get back,” Bella’s mother, Erica Hail, said of her children. “I think they’re sick of Mom and Dad.” At school, “they get to have time alone in their own space and their own grade and they get to just be by themselves.”

​Schools in the county had been closed since Nov. 8, when the blaze swept through the town of Paradise and surrounding areas, destroying nearly 14,000 homes and killing at least 88 people in the nation’s deadliest wildfire in a century. About two dozen people remain unaccounted for, down from a staggering high of 1,300 a few weeks ago.

About 31,000 students in all have been away from school since the disaster. On Monday, nearly all of them went back, though some of them attended class in other buildings because their schools were damaged or destroyed, or inaccessible inside evacuation zones.

Bella was shy and not very talkative but agreed she was excited to be going back. She wanted to see her friends.

The small, tidy hotel room with two queen beds has been home to the family of five for some two weeks. Since they lost nearly everything to the fire, there was little to clutter up the space. The Hails are booked there until February.

“Bella, what time is it?” Hail asked her daughter, waking her up in their hotel room.

“Seven dot dot three five,” came the 8-year-old’s sing-song reply. 7:35. It was time to brush her teeth, comb her hair and hit the road for a nearly hourlong drive to school in the family SUV.

A few minutes later, at seven-dot-dot-four-seven, they were out the door.

Some families driven out by the inferno have left the state or are staying with friends or relatives too far away for the children to go back to school in Butte County.

The Hails — whose five-bedroom, two-bath home in Paradise was destroyed — are staying in Yuba City, a long drive from their new school in Durham.

It was shortly before the 9 a.m. start of the school day when they pulled up to Durham Elementary School, where Bella is in third grade and Vance is in half-day kindergarten.

Across the county, nearly all of the teachers are returning to provide a familiar and comforting face to the children.

“It’s important that the kids are able to stay together and have some sort of normalcy in the crazy devastation that we’re having now,” said Jodi Seaholm, whose daughter Mallory is a third-grader.

Mallory underwent radiation in October to treat a recurrence of brain cancer and showed no fear, Seaholm said, but “this situation with her house burning down has absolutely devastated her.”

Counselors brought in from around the country were in nearly every classroom Monday to help children who were distressed by their escape through a burning town and the loss of their homes, Paradise school Superintendent Michelle John said at a celebratory news conference. Many of the teachers lost their homes as well.

“Our kids are traumatized,” John said. “Their families are traumatized.”

Most of Paradise High School survived but is inaccessible.

The district doesn’t have space yet for intermediate and high school students whose classrooms were rendered unusable, so for the 13 days before the holiday break begins, they will learn through independent study. They will have access to online assignments and a drop-in center at a mall in Chico where they can get help from teachers or see classmates.

Schoolwork will probably be secondary to dealing with trauma and reconnecting with friends, said Paradise High Principal Loren Lighthall.

“They don’t have their church, they don’t have their school, they don’t have their work, they don’t have their friends. They don’t have any of that stuff, and we’re asking them to write five-paragraph essays?” Lighthall said. “It’s just unreasonable at this point. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to be super flexible with what we require.”
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China and the United States have agreed to put tariffs on hold and give negotiations a chance. But the short 90-day period the two have to finish negotiations, which includes major holidays both in Washington and Beijing, will require quick steps, analysts say.

China’s pledges to purchase what the White House calls “substantial” amounts of agricultural, energy, industrial and other products are relatively straightforward. What will be more difficult are the other items that Washington said the two agreed on.

Those include the pledge to immediately begin negotiations on structural changes such as forced technology transfers, intellectual property protection, non-tariff barriers, cyber theft, services and agriculture.

Raymond Yeung, a senior economist of Greater China at the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group said that despite the tariff truce, resolving the differences between the two countries and making progress would not be easy.

“Markets should not be too happy too early,” he said. “If you look at the White House statement there is still a lot of structural issues that the Chinese have to fulfill for the U.S. not to increase the tariffs.”

Even so, Asian stocks rallied on Monday on news that the U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to not impose any new tariffs for the time being. Soybeans climbed to their highest price a bushel in nearly six months.

Liao Qun, chief economist at China Citic Bank International said it was clear that both governments want to talk and work out their differences and that is a positive thing.

“But this is merely a cease-fire,” he said. “There’s still uncertainty that the trade war could be back on in three months.”

Both Yeung and Liao said the key lies in what Beijing may be able to do to turn around its Made in China 2025 Initiative. Both analysts do not believe that the industrial policy, which aims to close up huge gaps between the Chinese economy and advanced industrial nations and cut the country’s reliance on foreign technology, will be reversed.

But some tweaks are possible, Liao said.

“In principle, China won’t back down [on its Made in China 2025 plan]. But there is still room for negotiation on some aspects. Or maybe China can make concessions in other areas in exchange for keeping the plan intact,” Liao said.

Made in China 2025 is a 10-year campaign that Beijing has launched to help vault itself up the technology value chain. Many foreign countries and investors worry the plan will only exacerbate existing problems such as forced technology transfers in exchange for market access, alleged intellectual property theft and market protectionism.

The Made in China 2025 plan outlines 10 key sectors in which China seeks advances, including information technology; robotics; medicine and medical devices; and high-tech ships and ocean engineering equipment.

Clearly, the message that both countries were trying to convey in the wake of the meeting was different. To get a sense of those differences, one only needs to look at the statements made by both sides in the wake of the meetings

“Despite that both sides are claiming that it was a success if you look at the White House statement they don’t even put trade up as the first item,” Yeung said. China’s Xinhua news agency did not even mention the 90-day period. That tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods could still be raised from 10 percent to 25 percent in 90 days if the two fail to reach a deal.

Not only that, but Chinese state media has been largely silent about other details, such as those touching on Made in China 2025 or the specifics of the trade dispute outlined in the White House statement.

An opinion piece in the communist party-backed Global Times said the meeting had given both sides an opportunity to make concrete strides.

The article mentioned the agricultural products that China had agreed to purchase, citing the White House statement, but said little about the other agreements made.

Interestingly, the article did note that White House trade policy adviser Peter Navarro’s attendance at the meeting in Buenos Aries “was not necessarily a bad thing.”

The article suggested that Navarro’s attendance perhaps shows the deal had the support from what the article said was “trade hawks.” Navarro is seen as one of the more hardline members of President Trump’s team when it comes to economic issues with China.

An editorial in the China Daily, which has had very little detail on what the two presidents agreed on, said that while the “positive and constructive consensus” had helped to clear the air and create some breathing space for more “rational thinking,” “lasting improvement is still dependent on the sincerity of the U.S. to engage in equal-footed consultations with China.”

 
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U.S. President Donald Trump in a letter to Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, has sought Islamabad’s cooperation in bringing the Taliban to the table for negotiating peace in Afghanistan.

Khan revealed to a group of local journalists that he received the letter Monday morning and promised Pakistan will make “all possible efforts” to help with the Afghan peace process.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal later issued a formal statement giving further details.

“U.S. President Donald Trump, in his letter addressed to Prime Minister Imran Khan, has stated that his most important regional priority was achieving a negotiated settlement of the Afghan war. In this regard, he has sought Pakistan’s support and facilitation,”

Faisal said that President Trump in his letter also acknowledged that the war had cost both the U.S. and Pakistan. The American leader went on to emphasize that the two countries “should explore opportunities to work together and renew partnership,” the spokesman added.

“Since Pakistan has always advocated a political settlement to end war in Afghanistan, the U.S. decision is welcomed. Pakistan reiterates its commitment to play a facilitation role in good faith. Peace and stability in Afghanistan remains a shared responsibility,” Faisal concluded.

An American Embassy spokesman in Islamabad when contacted for a confirmation declined to comment.

The rare contact between the two countries at the highest level comes as a Pakistan’s traditionally tumultuous relationship with the United States has deteriorated over allegations the Taliban continues to use sanctuaries on Pakistani soil for attacks inside Afghanistan.

President Trump reiterated those allegations in a television interview and subsequent tweets last month, justifying his suspension of military assistance to Pakistan. The allegations prompted Khan to also take to Twitter and denounce the U.S. president for questioning Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts. The Pakistani leader insisted his country was being made “a scapegoat” for U.S. military “failures” in Afghanistan.

The 17-year Afghan war has intensified in recent months, with the Taliban inflicting heavy casualties on U.S.-backed Afghans security forces and bringing more territory under insurgent control. The U.S. military has lost more than 2,400 service members and spent nearly a trillion dollars since the war started in 2001.

U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan peace, Zalmay Khalilzad, is due to arrive in Islamabad this week to further his mission of encouraging the insurgents to engage in an intra-Afghan peace dialogue to find a negotiating end to the conflict that has also caused record civilian casualties this year.

Khalilzad has recently engaged the Taliban in direct talks to try to initiate Afghan peace negotiations.

The State Department said Khalilzad will also travel to Kabul, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where the Taliban has stationed its political negotiators in a so-called “political office”.

“The United States remains committed to supporting the Afghan people’s desire for peace, and to facilitating a political settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban that ensures Afghanistan never serves as a platform for international terrorism again,” it added.
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A report by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) says thousands of unaccompanied children and children who have been separated from their families run the daily risk of sexual and gender-based violence as they travel along the world’s migratory trails. 

“A child who is migrating alone, without the love and protection of a parent, family member or guardian, is arguably one of the most vulnerable people in the world,” said Francesco Rocca, IFRC president.

The report entitled “Alone and Unsafe,” is being released ahead of next week’s meeting in Marrakech where governments are expected to adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. 

The compact, according to Rocca, “is a chance for governments to make life safer for tens of thousands – perhaps hundreds of thousands – of incredibly vulnerable children.” He said the agreement is “an opportunity that governments simply cannot afford to miss.”

The Alone and Unsafe report said when children travel alone, they are at high risk for being assaulted, sexually abused, raped, trafficked into sexual exploitation, or forced into “survival sex.” The children’s exposure to these threats is unrelenting and follows them from their countries of origin, through countries of transit and into countries of destination. 

The U.N. estimated in 2017 that there were at least 300,000 children traveling alone, but exact figures are not available. The IFRC said it believes the figure is much higher. 

“The number of children migrating alone or without their families has grown substantially and alarmingly in the past decade,” Rocca said. “Tragically, unacceptably, these children are easy prey for abusers, exploiters and traffickers.” 
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U.S. President Donald Trump has returned home from the Group of 20 meeting of the world’s top economies. After the curtain came down on the summit, the spotlight lingered on the leaders of the two top economies. As VOA’s White House bureau chief Steve Herman reports from Buenos Aires, in the end a truce was achieved in the escalating battle of tariffs between the United States and China.
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Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda starting Monday evening as Americans honor the life of the country’s 41st president.

The Capitol will be open for dignitaries and the public to pay their respects through early Wednesday, with visitors allowed to walk past Bush’s casket. He died in Texas, his home state, late Friday at the age of 94 after several years of failing health.

Bush, who served a single term in the White House 1989 to 1993, will receive a state funeral Wednesday at the National Cathedral in Washington, followed by burial Thursday at his presidential library in Texas.

The White House announced Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump would attend the funeral.

In a Twitter comment, the U.S. leader said, “President George H.W. Bush led a long, successful and beautiful life. Whenever I was with him I saw his absolute joy for life and true pride in his family. His accomplishments were great from beginning to end. He was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all!”

James Baker, Bush’s former secretary of state and his friend of 60 years, told CNN on Sunday he considered Bush as “the most kind and considerate person I ever knew.”

He said Bush’s “quality of life had deteriorated a lot” in recent months, but that near the end he was able to talk by phone with his adult children, including former President George W. Bush.

Baker said the elder Bush’s last words were, “I love you, too,” spoken to the younger President Bush, the country’s 43rd president.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Wednesday has been designated as a national day of mourning, and that the White House flags have already been lowered to half staff to honor Bush.

“The president and first lady were notified late last night of President George H.W. Bush’s passing,” the statement said. “President Trump is scheduled to speak with President George W. Bush this morning and offer his condolences on behalf of himself, the first lady, and the entire country. A state funeral is being arranged with all of the accompanying support and honors. The president will designate Wednesday, December 5th as a National Day Of Mourning. He and the first lady will attend the funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.”

The New York Stock Exchange said it would be closed on Wednesday in honor of Bush.

State funerals are traditionally held for current or former presidents and other officials designated by the president.

According to the website, a state funeral is a seven- to 10-day event and consists of three stages: ceremonies within the state in which the official was in residence, ceremonies within Washington, D.C., and then ceremonies in the state in which the individual has chosen to be interred.
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Beyonce will lead an all-star line-up that includes Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Usher in Johannesburg on Sunday when she performs at a concert to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela.

The concert is the climax of a year of events celebrating the centennial of Mandela’s birth in 1918, and is part of a campaign to tackle poverty, child malnutrition and boost gender equality.

This year’s Global Citizen Festival will be held at Johannesburg’s 94,736-capacity FNB stadium with the concert due to begin at 1200 GMT.

Thousands of music fans, many of whom had been given free tickets in return for activism and campaigning work, began to flock to the stadium hours before the gig was due to kick off.

“I’m quite excited to have Beyonce and a bunch of these top-flight artists coming to South Africa to perform. It’s nice to get this obvious reminder of Mandela’s values,” said concert-goer Ano Shonhiwa, 23, as he made his way into the venue.

Ahead of the concert Oprah Winfrey, who will co-host the event, hailed Mandela’s “goodness and integrity”, describing him as her “favorite mentor”.

Mandela was jailed under South Africa’s apartheid regime. After being released in 1990, he led the country’s transformation into a multi-racial democracy. He died on December 5, 2013 aged 95.

Event organizers paid tribute to a rigger who died following a fall while helping to prepare the stage on Saturday.

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated,” Global Citizen said in a statement.

 
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