NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
_1 Pride protesters: Philippine police arrested 20 protesters who marked the Global Pride event with a march Friday to demand government aid for poor workers and drivers displaced by a monthslong coronavirus lockdown. Manila police said the 20 protesters staged a march near the presidential palace without a permit and defied orders when they tried to flee after being accosted. Rey Salinas of the Bahaghari protest group, who was among those arrested, said they were about to start a rally after a brief march when riot police swarmed in. One officer forcibly took the key of a van used by the protesters and drove them off to a police station, she said. Leftwing and nationalist groups have accused President Rodrigo Duterte’s government of using the contagion and quarantine regulations as a cover to muzzle legitimate dissent and widespread complaints over the government’s mishandling of the pandemic.
_2 Vatican finances: Vatican prosecutors have ordered the seizure of documents and computers from the administrative offices of St. Peter’s Basilica in an apparently new investigation into financial irregularities in the Holy See. The Vatican said Tuesday that Pope Francis also named a special commissioner to run the basilica, reorganize its offices, update its statutes to comply with new Vatican norms on procurement and contracting, and to “clarify its administration.” The Vatican provided no details about what the auditor flagged or the specific problems the special commissioner has been tasked with fixing.
_3 Pilot scandal: The European Union’s aviation safety agency said Tuesday that Pakistan’s national airline will not be allowed to fly into Europe for at least six months after the country’s aviation minister revealed that nearly a third of Pakistani pilots had cheated on their pilot’s exams. A Pakistan International Airlines spokesman said PIA has not been flying to Europe because of the pandemic. But the airline had hoped to resume its flights to Oslo, Copenhagen, Paris, Barcelona and Milan within the next two months.
_4 EU presidency: Germany, the European Union’s biggest economic power, is taking over the rotating presidency of the 27nation bloc amid massive challenges and huge expectations as the continent grapples with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Germany’s time at the EU helm, which starts Wednesday, is bookended by landmark moments for the bloc. At the beginning, the bloc will seek agreement on a huge package to pull its stricken economy out of the coronavirus crisis, and on its future budget. At the end, former member Britain’s definitive departure fro m the EU’s single market is expected — with or without an agreement. In between, the EU must grapple with how to handle an increasingly assertive China and prepare for whatever happens in the U.S. presidential election in November. _5 Annexation delay: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that discussions with the U.S. on his plan to annex occupied West Bank territory would continue “in the coming days,” indicating he would miss a July 1 target date for beginning the controversial process. Netanyahu made the comments shortly after wrapping up talks with White House envoy Avi Berkowitz and the U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. The sides have been holding talks for several months on finalizing a map spelling out which areas of the West Bank will be annexed by Israel. Netanyahu has been eager to begin annexing West Bank territory in line with President Trump’s Mideast plan. The plan envisions turning over some 30% of the territory under permanent Israeli control.