NEWS OF THE DAY
Taliban’s new tactic: A wave of kidnappings followed by numerous beheadings of members of the Hazara ethnic group have spread alarm among a people who have historically been Afghanistan’s most persecuted. The police in Ghazni province on Sunday confirmed that four Hazara farmers who had been kidnapped by the Taliban had been found beheaded in Ajristan district. Six more Hazaras from Daikundi province who had been kidnapped by unknown assailants were also found dead, dumped in Ajristan district, officials confirmed Monday. Beheading is not normally a Taliban tactic, but the insurgents seem to be trying to make an ugly example of the Hazaras, in what is seen by some as a bid for attention as Islamic State extremists have reportedly been trying to recruit supporters in Afghanistan.
Hong Kong democracy: Hong Kong’s government unveiled election reform proposals Wednesday, setting the stage for another round of confrontation with prodemocracy activists and lawmakers opposed to Beijing- mandated restrictions on candidates for the city’s top job. The longexpected reform package made some tweaks but gave little ground to pro- democracy leaders, whose rejection of the government’s initial proposal last year sparked protests that saw key streets in the city occupied for nearly three months and violent clashes with riot police.
Ethiopians protest: More than 100,000 Ethiopians protested the killing of Ethiopian Christians in Libya and their own government’s failure to raise living standards of the poor, with poverty fueling the flow of migrants through dangerous areas. The government- supported march at Addis Ababa’s Meskel Square turned violent as stonethrowing protesters clashed with the police, who arrested at least 100 people. The protesters said, “We want revenge for our sons’ blood,” referring to Ethiopians seen being beheaded or shot in a video released Sunday by the Islamic State group. The Ethiopian victims are widely believed to have been captured while trying to reach Europe.
Aid workers missing: The U. N. World Food Program said it is suspending operations in some areas of South Sudan after three South Sudanese staff members disappeared in a volatile state. The workers disappeared on April 1 while traveling in a convoy to distribute food from Malakal, the Upper Nile state capital, to a place called Melut. Contact with the men was lost after “intercommunal fighting” erupted along the road, the agency said.
Tipping the scales: Here’s one metric where the U. S. — thankfully — is not No. 1. Data compiled by a technical specialist for the World Health Organization show 188 countries ranked by the percentage of their population that is overweight or obese, which is defined as having a body mass index of over 25. Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati, small island nations in the Pacific, top the list, with roughly 4 out of 5 citizens overweight or obese. They are followed by a slew of Middle Eastern countries — Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Mexico, Turkey, Chile and Iceland also rank above the U. S., which is 27th with 66.3 percent being obese or overweight.
From Across the Globe