NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
_1 Ukraine standoff: Dozens of armed men occupied the center of the city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, blocking the entrances to several government buildings during a standoff between two top officials in the Russian-backed separatist enclave. The menacing deadlock in the socalled Luhansk People’s Republic began on Monday, after the interior minister refused to step down after being dismissed by the prime minister for what was called illegal activity. Separatist leadership has been plagued by infighting.
_2 “Ethnic cleansing”: The United States declared the ongoing violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar to be “ethnic cleansing” on Wednesday, threatening penalties for military officials engaged in a brutal crackdown that has sent more than 600,000 refugees flooding over the border to Bangladesh. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson blamed Myanmar’s security forces and “local vigilantes” for what he called “intolerable suffering” by the Rohingya. Although the military has accused Rohingya insurgents of triggering the crisis, Tillerson said that “no provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued.”
_3 Mining ban: Jamaica’s government says it will protect nearly 185,000 acres in a northwest region dotted by mines that features forests, rivers and cultural sites. Prime Minister Andrew Holness says all mining will be banned in the area known as Cockpit Country. The area is home to a critically endangered frog species, a large population of the black-billed Amazon parrot and the largest butterfly in the Western hemisphere. Holness said Tuesday that the government also will work with descendants of escaped slaves who live in the area and are known as Maroons to help manage resources.
_4 Virginity tests: Indonesia’s military and police continue to perform abusive virginity tests on female recruits three years after the World Health Organization declared they had no scientific validity, an international human rights group said Wednesday. Human Rights Watch said senior Indonesian police and military officers have told the group that security forces still impose “cruel and discriminatory tests,” which are carried out under the guise of psychological examinations for mental health and morality reasons. The testing includes the invasive “two-finger test” to determine whether female applicants’ hymens are intact, which WHO in its 2014 clinical guidelines for health care of sexually abused women said lacks any scientific basis. Indonesia’s military did not respond to a request for comment. Three years ago it defended the practice as safeguarding morality. _5 Yemen conflict: The Saudi-led military coalition fighting Shiite rebels in Yemen has announced it will reopen the war-torn country’s main international airport in the capital of Sanaa and a vital Red Sea port to give access to humanitarian aid. Wednesday’s announcement says the Sanaa airport and the port of Hodeida will reopen, starting Thursday. It’s been over two weeks since the Saudi-led coalition imposed the closure of all sea, air, and land ports in the Arab world’s poorest country, in response to a missile assault by the Shiite rebels that targeted the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Of a population of 26 million, some 17 million Yemenis do not know where their next meal is coming from and 7 million are totally dependent on food assistance, according to the World Food Program.