NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 “Trust deficit disorder”: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres painted a grim picture of the state of the world as leaders opened their annual meeting on Tuesday, spotlighting the breakdown of trust around the globe and the need to counter unilateralism and reinvigorate the international cooperation that is the foundation of the United Nations. Guterres said that it “is suffering from a bad case of ‘trust deficit disorder,’ ” and pointed to rising polarization and populism within nations, ebbing cooperation among them and “fragile” trust in international institutions.
2 Senator arrested: A Philippine senator who defied President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested Tuesday, ending a dramatic, weekslong standoff with authorities after the president revoked an amnesty the senator had received over his role in two military rebellions. Antonio Trillanes, 47, has been one of the Senate’s most prominent critics of Duterte’s antidrug crackdown, which has left thousands of dealers, users and, rights advocates say, innocent people dead. He is the second opposition senator to be jailed by the Duterte government. Several opposition senators called the police action an abuse of presidential power.
3 Israeli boycott: A German appeals court upheld a ruling Tuesday that Kuwait’s national airline did not have to transport an Israeli citizen because of Kuwait’s boycott of Israel. The Israeli man, identified in court papers as Adar M., a student living in Germany, had sued the airline after he booked a flight in 2016 from Frankfurt to Bangkok with a stopover in Kuwait City. Kuwait Airways canceled his booking when he revealed he had an Israeli passport and offered to book him on another airline. The man refused the offer and filed the lawsuit, seeking compensation for alleged discrimination. The Frankfurt state court called the boycott of Israel “unacceptable” but said it meant the Israeli man would not have been able to enter the transit area of Kuwait City airport anyway, so the airline could not have fulfilled its contract.
4 Irate China: China on Tuesday demanded the U.S. cancel a $330 million sale of military equipment to Taiwan, warning of “severe damage” to bilateral relations and mutual cooperation if Washington fails to comply. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular briefing that the sale violated international law and the “basic norms governing international relations.” It was unclear what aspect of international law Geng was referring to. Washington has no official relations with Taiwan’s democratically elected government but is obliged by U.S. law to see that it has the means to defend itself. The Trump administration said Monday that it had approved the sale of spare parts and related support for Taiwan’s U.S.-made F-16 fighters and other military aircraft.
5 Egypt discovery: Archaeologists say they have discovered a “massive” ancient building in the town of Mit Rahina, 12 miles, south of Cairo. The Antiquities Ministry says Tuesday archaeologists also uncovered an attached building that includes a large Roman bath and a chamber likely for religious rituals. Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, says the building is likely part of the residential block of the area, which was the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. Memphis, founded around 3,100 B.C., was home to Menes, the king who united Upper and Lower Egypt. Egypt hopes such discoveries will spur tourism.