NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 India mudslides: Three mudslides triggered by overnight rains buried homes in northeastern India’s Assam state, killing 20 people and injuring at least seven others, authorities said Tuesday. Seven of the victims were members of a single family, said M.S. Manivannan, head of the state disaster management authority. He said seven people were hospitalized. Their medical condition was not immediately clear. The mudslides occurred in the districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, large parts of which share borders with Bangladesh. “Rescue operations are still on to ascertain if any more people are trapped under the debris,” Manivannan said. Premonsoon rains have caused rivers to flood in large parts of Assam, with at least 10 deaths reported so far. The state’s main river, Brahmaputra, and its many tributaries flood heavily each year, forcing many to take shelter on higher ground.
2 Elephants killed: At least six elephants were killed in a single day by poachers in Ethiopia last week, wildlife officials said, the largest such slaughter in memory in the East African nation. Officials suspect that most elephant tusks and finished products are slipped out of the country to China and Southeast Asian countries. According to wildlife officials, Ethiopia had more than 10,000 elephants in the 1970s but poaching and habitat degradation have reduced the number to about 2,500 to 3,000 in recent years.
3 Kenya protest: Residents of a slum in Kenya’s capital have protested the death of a homeless man who they said was killed by police for violating a dusktodawn curfew for the coronavirus. Hundreds of people in Mathare left their homes and burnt tires on the streets of Nairobi Monday night in the latest outrage over alleged police brutality. Dominic Njagi said he couldn’t understand why police shot his brother, 51yearold James Mureithi. Rights activist Boniface Mwangi asserted that 19 Kenyans have died from police actions in enforcing the curfew, all from lowincome areas. People are more afraid of the police than COVID19, Mwangi said.
4 Nuclear policy: President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday endorsed Russia’s nuclear deterrent policy, which allows him to use atomic weapons in response to a conventional strike targeting the nation’s critical government and military infrastructure. By including a nonnuclear attack as a possible trigger for Russian nuclear retaliation, the document appears to send a warning signal to the U.S. The new expanded wording reflects Russian concerns about the development of prospective weapons that could give Washington the capability to knock out key military assets and government facilities without resorting to atomic weapons. In line with Russian military doctrine, the new document reaffirms that the country could use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack or an aggression involving conventional weapons. 5 Parliament dissolution: Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to consider petitions filed by opposition parties and civil groups seeking to annul a presidential order dissolving Parliament because the coronavirus pandemic has prevented elections within the constitutionally mandated time. The Supreme Court made the decision after listening to arguments from the petitioners and the government. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa dissolved Parliament on March 2. Elections were scheduled for April 25, but were postponed by the independent elections commission until June 20 because of the virus. But the commission told the court that polls are still not possible on that date and it will need up to 10 weeks from the time health authorities declare the country safe before holding elections.