NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
_1 Yemen fighting: Southern separatists on Sunday broke a peace deal with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and claimed sole control of the regional capital of Aden, threatening to resume fighting between the two ostensible allies. The separatists’ Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, declared a state of emergency and said it would “selfgovern” the key southern port city and other southern provinces. The separatists accused Yemen’s government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, of corruption and mismanagement. Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdullah alHadrami called for Saudi Arabia to have a “clear position“and take “decisive measures against the continuing rebellion of the socalled Transitional Council.”
_2 Syria violence: Turkish troops fired tear gas and bullets at protesters blocking a major highway in northwestern Syria on Sunday, killing two people and wounding others, opposition activists said. The protesters have been blocking part of the highway near the governmentheld village of Nairab in Idlib province for weeks to prevent joint TurkishRussian patrols. Patrols on the highway are part of a ceasefire agreement between Turkey and Russia signed in early March. The ceasefire ended an escalation in fighting that saw the Turkish military in rare direct conflict with Syrian government troops. Turkey backs the opposition in Idlib, while Russia has been a main backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.
_3 Migrant slain: A 29yearold German man suspected of fatally stabbing a teenage refugee from Iraq has denied any farright or antiforeigner motive in the killing. German news agency dpa quoted a prosecutor saying the suspect acknowledged attacking the 15yearold in the northern city of Celle on April 7. Prosecutor Lars Janssen said the suspect, who wasn’t named, claimed to have been under the influence of drugs when he attacked the victim, who fled from northern Iraq in 2014.
_4 Bodies recovered: Rescuers on Sunday recovered the bodies of two South Korean trekkers who had been missing since an avalanche in January buried them in Nepal’s mountains, an official said. An army helicopter flew the bodies — one male and one female — from the Annapurna Trekking Circuit to the city of Pokhara. The body of one of their Nepali guides was recovered Friday, while another was recovered a few days earlier. An avalanche had buried a total of four South Korean trekkers and three Nepali guides in January. Rescuers spent weeks searching for the bodies, but continuing avalanches and thick layers of snow prevented them from finding them. The warming spring weather eventually melted the snow, exposing the bodies and allowing the rescuers to recover them.
_5 Activist killed: A human rights monitor and his son were shot to death in Mexico’s southern state of Guerrero, the fourth slaying of a rights activist in the country this year, authorities said. Jesus Memije, who worked for the state Human Rights Commission, and his son were on their way to their home in the municipality of Coyuca de Benitez on the Pacific coast when they were killed Friday, the commission said. State prosecutors did not provide details of the killing, but the commission urged investigators to focus on his work as a rights defender as a possible motive. Guerrero has high rates of violence linked to organized crime groups. The office of Mexico’s national ombudsman previously reported the killings of three other human rights defenders in 2020.