NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Gulf tensions: As tensions remain high between Iran and the U.S., the Islamic Republic appears to have constructed a new mockup of an aircraft carrier off its southern coast for potential livefire drills. The faux foe, seen in satellite photographs, resembles the Nimitzclass carriers that the U.S. Navy routinely sails into the Persian Gulf from the Strait of Hormuz, its narrow mouth where 20% of all the world’s oil passes through. The replica’s appearance in the port city of Bandar Abbas suggests Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is preparing an encore of a similar mocksinking it conducted in 2015. It also comes as Iran announced Tuesday it will execute a man it accused of sharing details on the movements of the Guard’s Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whom the U.S. killed in a January drone strike in Baghdad.
2 War crimes: Sudanese militia leader Ali Kushayb, who is charged with 50 crimes against humanity and war crimes related to the conflict in Darfur, has been arrested more than 13 years after a warrant was issued for him, authorities said Tuesday. Kushayb surrendered in a remote corner of northern Central African Republic. In the Darfur conflict, rebels from the territory’s ethnic central and subSaharan African community launched an insurgency in 2003, complaining of oppression by the Arabdominated government in Khartoum. The government responded with a scorchedearth assault. Up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were driven from their homes.
3 President dies: Burundi’s government said Tuesday that President Pierre Nkurunziza has died of a heart attack at age 56. Nkurunziza took office 15 years ago, and his decision to run for a disputed third term in 2015 led Burundi into turmoil that left hundreds of people dead. Facing allegations of widespread abuses, his government angrily rejected scrutiny, becoming the first country to leave the International Criminal Court. His death comes weeks before presidentelect Evariste Ndayishimiye was expected to be sworn in.
4 Disputed island: Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and top military officials flew to a disputed island in the South China Sea on Tuesday to inaugurate a beach ramp built to allow the “fullblast” development of the territory in a move likely to infuriate China. The island, which is internationally called Thitu and Pagasa by Filipinos, has long been occupied by Filipino forces and fishermen. It lies near one of China’s manmade islands in the Spratlys, the most hotly contested area of the South China Sea. China, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia have had increasingly tense territorial spats in the region in recent years after China turned seven disputed reefs into missileprotected island bases, including three with runways. Taiwan and Brunei also have claims in the busy waterway. 5 Rohingya refugees: Malaysian authorities detained 269 Rohingya refugees and found a body on board a suspected smuggling boat they said had been intentionally damaged so it couldn’t be turned back to sea. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Muslim Rohingya have fled Myanmar due to a military crackdown and many live in densely crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh. Muslimdominated Malaysia has been a common destination of boats arranged by traffickers who promise the refugees a better life abroad. Malaysian marine officials intercepted the vessel Monday off the northern resort island of Langkawi, officials said in a statement. It said 53 people who jumped off the boat and tried to swim ashore were detained, along with 216 from the boat where the body of a woman was found.