NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Belarus protests: Police cracked down Saturday on opposition protesters who tried to hold a banned demonstration in the capital of Minsk. The human rights group Vesna said more than 400 people were arrested, and many were beaten. The demonstrators had hoped to build on a rising wave of defiance of the former Soviet republic’s authoritarian government, led by President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled since 1994. About 700 people tried to march along Minsk’s main avenue, but were blocked by a cordon of riot police wielding clubs and holding shields. Police declined to comment on the arrests or the beatings. Antigovernment rallies also attracted hundreds of people Saturday in the cities of Brest and Grodno.
2 Travel warning: Large protests have spread throughout French Guiana, blocking roads to neighboring Brazil and Suriname and prompting the U.S. government to issue a travel warning for the French territory in South America. Hundreds of people have taken part in protests over high crime, the cost of living and anger at the quality of social services such as health care. The demonstrations have paralyzed French Guiana in recent days as protesters blocked roads and many businesses and schools have closed. The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning because of the potential for the protests to turn violent.
3 Driving tolls: The European Union’s transport commissioner is calling for a car toll system that would enable motorists to use all European roads without having to stop at borders. Many countries in the 28-nation EU have highway toll systems, but they are independent and work in different ways. Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc told Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper in comments published Saturday that she will make proposals for a Europe-wide system in May.
4 Egypt violence: A pair of attacks by suspected Islamic militants Saturday killed four police officers and injured six others in the turbulent north of the Sinai Peninsula, according to officials, bringing to 16 the number of police officers and soldiers killed in the area in recent days. Three officers were killed when their armored vehicle hit a roadside bomb south of Sinai’s coastal city of el-Arish. Another officer manning a checkpoint was killed by a sniper’s bullet. Northern Sinai, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip, has long been home to an insurgency by militants, now led by a local affiliate of the Islamic State group.
5 Brexit demonstration: Thousands of demonstrators gathered Saturday in London to protest plans for Britain to withdraw from the European Union. The Unite for Europe march included many carrying EU flags just days before Britain is expected to begin its formal divorce from the EU. Prime Minister Theresa May plans to activate Article 50 on Wednesday, setting the process in motion. Negotiations are expected to take at least two years. Britain voted in a June 23 referendum to leave the EU.
6 Medical aid: Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has asked the United Nations for help boosting supplies of medicine as he struggles to combat crippling shortages. In a televised appearance Friday, Maduro didn’t provide any details about the request except to say that the U.N. has the expertise to normalize the supply and distribution of pharmaceutical drugs in the country. Venezuelans have been suffering from widespread shortages and triple-digit inflation since Maduro was elected in 2013 after the death from cancer of former President Hugo Chavez.