NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
Suspected poacher killed: Managers of a wildlife area in South Africa say a pride of lions killed a suspected poacher. The Umbabat Private Nature Reserve says the man was killed last week and that two sets of human tracks were found nearby, suggesting the alleged poacher had companions who escaped. The Umbabat reserve is near Kruger National Park, whose rhino population has been heavily targeted over the years. Umbabat managers say they implement costly security measures in an effort to thwart poachers who regularly target rhinos, elephants, lions, hyenas, pangolins and vultures in the private reserve.
Opposition leader: Ukrainian opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili flew to the Netherlands, his wife’s home country, on Wednesday after being ejected from Ukraine into neighboring Poland. It was not immediately clear how long he planned to stay or what he will do in the Netherlands. Saakashvili was Georgia’s president from 2004 to 2013 and later was given a governorship in Ukraine by thenally President Petro Poroshenko. He has since criticized Poroshenko for failing to stem corruption and has led antigovernment protests. Saakashvili said he planned to seek support for his political activity by meeting European leaders and lawmakers.
Free mass transit? How best to get cleaner air? Some officials in Germany want residents to leave their polluting cars at home. German ministers have discussed considering offering free public transportation to get more people to use environmentally friendly mass transit, but their idea has run into opposition by officials from some German cities and towns, who say fees are needed to fund and improve their transportation operations. Several German cities may have to impose driving bans for certain cars later this year because of high levels of air pollution.
Jailed reporters: Two Myanmar journalists facing up to 14 years in prison if convicted of receiving government secrets appeared for their latest court hearing in Yangon on Wednesday, one day after it was announced that they had won a major press freedom award. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested Dec. 12 after police accused them of violating the Official Secrets Act by acquiring “important secret papers” from two policemen. Reuters news agency last week published the story they were working on, an account of the extrajudicial killing last year of 10 men from Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya minority. The case against the two reporters has been strongly criticized as an effort to intimidate the press, especially coverage of suspected massive human rights abuses against Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. On Tuesday, the literary and human rights organization PEN America announced that it was giving the reporters its Freedom to Write Award, which honors those who have risked adversity in the cause of free expression. Valentine’s Day: Some Iranian youth celebrated Valentine’s Day even though authorities have banned the celebrations as part of “decadent Western culture.” Coffee shops and restaurants in Tehran were crowded with boys and girls celebrating with their loved ones and exchanging red-colored, romance-themed presents. Since 2011, Iranian authorities have prohibited any advertisement, sale of goods or unisex tours with the Valentine’s Day name or symbols. But shopkeepers said teddy bears, chocolate boxes with heart signs and other gifts suitable for lovers were available in abundance.