NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1. South Sudan turmoil: A faction of South Sudan’s armed opposition said Saturday it had replaced its leader — who is also the country’s first vice president — in a move that could lead to further turmoil after deadly clashes in the capital this month. Riek Machar, who led a rebellion against President Salva Kiir in December 2013 but signed a peace deal last year, is being replaced as Kiir’s deputy with Taban Deng, who acted as the rebels’ chief negotiator during peace talks, said Machar’s chief of staff. Machar fled the capital of Juba this month after Kiir’s forces bombed his house during the clashes that killed hundreds of people. He is now in hiding. Nyarji Roman, a Machar spokesman who is also in hiding, said the replacement of Machar is a conspiracy to overthrow him and that Machar fired Deng on Friday.
2. Travel delays: Travelers seeking to cross the England Channel to enter France are facing severe delays because of heightened French security checks. British officials said Saturday that the delays were caused by increased French border checks at the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnels. The delays are slowing travel at the peak of the summer vacation season, when many British families travel to Europe by car. France has been under a state of emergency because of repeated attacks on civilians by extremists. Kent Police said motorists face delays of eight hours before arriving at the port.
3. Scorching heat: Iraq’s staterun Meteorological Department said Saturday that it had registered the hottest day so far this year, with maximum temperatures hitting 129 degrees Fahrenheit in the southern city of Basra. Friday’s merciless heat forced residents to almost abandon the streets. Increasing the suffering were chronic electricity outages, caused mainly by the soaring temperatures and the decline in electricity imported from neighboring Iran.
4. Missing plane: India’s defense minister was overseeing an aerial search of the Bay of Bengal on Saturday for an air force transport plane that disappeared with 29 people aboard. The aircraft — a Russian-made AN-32 — went missing Friday en route from the southern city of Chennai to Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar was overseeing the search operation for the plane, which was making a routine courier flight when it disappeared. 5. Weapons ring: Spanish police say they have arrested the leader and eight other members of an international ring involved in extortion and illegal arms sales. Police say a raid on an upscale house on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza led to the arrest of nine suspects, including “a Polish multimillionaire and former soldier” who led the ring. The ringleader is alleged to have been involved in the sale of more than 200,000 AK-47 assault rifles, missile launchers and tanks to South Sudan.
6. Refugee crisis: About 100 refugees and asylum seekers braved blistering heat Saturday to continue a march toward Serbia’s border with Hungary that is meant to draw attention to the plight of thousands of people facing closed borders after fleeing war and poverty. Some 300 people set off Friday from Belgrade toward the Hungarian border 120 miles away to protest its decision to keep the border closed for most of the asylum seekers. Hungary recently strengthened refugee controls on its southern border with Serbia, admitting about 30 people a day.