NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Deadly stampede: Twenty people died and a dozen others were injured in a stampede during a church meeting in the northern Tanzanian city of Moshi, the government said Sunday. The stampede was caused by church faithful being ushered to pass through one exit at the meeting venue so they could walk on “anointed oil,” according to a government statement. Hundreds of worshipers attended the prayer meeting Saturday led by Boniface Mwamposa, a popular preacher who heads the Arise and Shine Ministry Tanzania. Interior Minister George Simbachawene said Mwamposa was arrested. He accused the church of violating the terms of its permit for the meeting.
2 Sahel threat: France will deploy 600 additional soldiers in the African Sahel region to combat extremists, raising the amount of troops there to 5,100, Defense Minister Florence Parly said Sunday. Most of the reinforcements will be deployed in the border zone between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The region is the epicenter of a fight against jihadist groups, including Islamic State in the Grand Sahara. “The reinforcement … should allow us to increase the pressure against the ISISGS,” she added. French President Emmanuel Macron and regional leaders opened a new military campaign to fight jihadists on Jan. 13.
3 Mideast tensions: More than 200 Lebanese and Palestinians protested Sunday near the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon against a White House plan for ending the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. Protesters waving Palestinian flags gathered on a road leading to the embassy northeast of Beirut amid tight security by Lebanese troops and riot police. The U.S. plan heavily favored Israel, granting the Palestinians limited selfrule in parts of the occupied West Bank while allowing Israel to annex all its settlements there and keep nearly all of east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as the capital of a future Palestinian state. On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threatened to cut security ties with both Israel and the U.S. in response to the U.S. plan.
4 Brexit talks: Two days after Brexit, British officials pushed the European Union on Sunday for a Canadastyle free trade arrangement as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson geared up for a key speech to spell out his government’s negotiating stance. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News that Britain will seek a deal that imposes very few tariffs. EU officials, despite offering friendly words to the British public over the weekend after the divorce that took effect Friday night, warn that Canada only achieved largely tarifffree trade status by bringing many of its rules into line with EU regulations. EU officials fear that the U.K. could water down its environment or health and safety precautions, undermining EU businesses. Johnson hopes to have a wideranging new trade deal in place by the end of the year.
5 Japan deployment: A Japanese warship departed Sunday for the Middle East to ensure the safety of the country’s oil tankers in waters where tensions between the U.S. and Iran are high. The destroyer Takanami with some 200 sailors left Japan’s main naval base in Yokosuka, near Tokyo. Thousands of Japanese ships ply the route every year, transporting 90% of the country’s oil supply. Sending warships to areas of military tension is a highly sensitive issue in Japan because its pacifist postWorld War II constitution limits the use of force by the military strictly to selfdefense. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has gradually expanded Japan’s military role since he took office in 2012. The Abe government is expected to authorize troops to protect Japanese commercial ships in case of danger.
Chronicle News Services