NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
_1 Venezuela unrest: State forces foiled an attempt early Sunday by a group of armed men to invade the country by boat, killing eight attackers and arresting two more. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol described the attackers as “mercenary terrorists” who had arrived from Colombia intent on overthrowing the government. “Some were shot and others captured,” he said. Officials said the attack took place in the coastal city of La Guaira, about 20 miles from Caracas. Socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello said it was carried out by neighboring Colombia with United States backing in a plot to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro. Both countries have repeatedly denied earlier Venezuelan allegations of backing for military plots against the socialist government.
_2 Migrants probe: The foreign ministry of Afghanistan is investigating claims that dozens of Afghan migrants detained in Iran were tortured by that country’s border guards and thrown into a river, where many of them drowned. Afghan news media reported that about 50 migrants being smuggled into Iran — a frequent destination for Afghans escaping the war to seek work — were caught by Iranian border guards, beaten and thrown into a border river. Iranian diplomats rejected the claims, but pledged to investigate further, Iran’s Fars news agency reported. Afghanistan shares more than 500 miles of border with Iran. About 3 million Afghans — a mix of refugees and illegal migrants — live in Iran.
_3 Kashmir violence: Five Indian troops and two militants were killed in fighting in disputed Kashmir when the army and police stormed a house where rebels were holding hostages, officials said Sunday. A counterinsurgency team entered the house in the northwestern Handwara area late Saturday and “successfully extricated the civilians,” an Indian army statement said. The government forces came under heavy gunfire from militants, and in the ensuing firefight, two militants and all the team members died, the statement said. India has stepped up its counterinsurgency operations across Kashmir in recent months.
_4 Egypt crackdown: Journalism in Egypt has effectively become a crime over the past four years, as authorities clamp down on media outlets and muzzle dissent, Amnesty International said in a report released Sunday. As the number of coronavirus infections in Egypt rises, the government is strengthening its control over information, the rights group said, instead of upholding transparency. Amnesty International documented 37 cases of journalists detained in the government’s crackdown on press freedoms, many charged with “spreading false news” or “misusing social media” under a 2015 counterterrorism law that expanded the definition of terror to include all kinds of dissent. Marking World Press Freedom Day, Amnesty International urged Egypt to halt its censorship and harassment of journalists. _5 Prison riot: Inmates at a Brazilian prison in the northern state of Amazonas held seven guards hostage for several hours Saturday, protesting against the suspension of all visits amid the coronavirus pandemic, authorities said. After more than five tense hours, the state said the situation inside the Puraquequara prison in the city of Manaus had been brought under control without any casualties and the guards freed. Visits at the facility were suspended in midMarch, family members said, and rumors have circulated that the virus has began to spread. “They are getting sick and we can’t visit, or bring medicine. We have no news from them,” said Regina Silva Barroso, whose 19yearold son is inside the prison. Riots occur regularly inside Brazil’s understaffed and overcrowded prisons.