NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
_1 Russia relations: President Trump didn’t just propose a summit meeting to Vladimir Putin when he called the Russian leader last month. He invited him to the White House, according to the Kremlin. “When our presidents spoke on the phone, Trump suggested having the meeting in Washington at the White House,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Monday. “This is quite an interesting, positive idea.” The two sides have had no preparatory discussions since the March 20 call because of their tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain, Ushakov said. The prospect of Putin visiting Washington is likely to sharpen divisions in the U.S. over relations with Russia amid continued tensions regarding Kremlin meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. Russia denies meddling.
_2 Nigeria attacks: Boko Haram Islamic extremists attacked two villages on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Maiduguri, killing at least 15 people, the military said Monday. The militants also tried to enter Maidugiri on Sunday, but army soldiers repelled them, gunning down six insurgents and seven suicide bombers, said army spokesman Col. Onyema Nwachukwu. At least 83 people were injured. Troops prevented the insurgents from entering the center of Maiduguri, but they detonated their bombs in the outlying villages of Bille Shuwa and Alikaranti. Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 people in its nine-year insurgency to establish Shariah law in Nigeria.
_3 Egypt election: President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi won a second, four-year term in office with more than 97 percent of the vote in last week’s election, with turnout of 41 percent, Egypt’s election commission announced Monday. El-Sissi faced no serious challenger, after a string of potentially strong candidates withdrew under pressure or were arrested. The vote harked back to the yes-or-no referendums held by Egypt’s autocratic leaders in the decades before the 2011 uprising raised hopes of democratic change. El-Sissi led the 2013 military overthrow of Egypt’s first freely elected leader, the Islamist Mohammed Morsi, whose divisive rule had sparked mass protests. Since then, authorities have waged a sweeping crackdown on dissent.
_4 Ethiopia politics: Abiy Ahmed was sworn in Monday as Ethiopia’s prime minister, with hopes he will be able to quell the sustained antigovernment protests that have rocked Africa’s second most populous nation. Abiy was elected by Ethiopia’s parliament, succeeding Hailemariam Desalegn, who resigned in mid-February after widespread protests took the lives of several hundred people. Abiy apologized for the deaths of civilians in the protests. He said his administration will strive to solve grievances by discussion rather than by force, provide more space for opposition parties, fight corruption and focus on respect for rule of law.
_5 Fake news: Malaysia’s parliament on Monday passed a new law prohibiting fake news that critics fear will be abused to silence dissent ahead of a general election. Despite criticism from opposition lawmakers that the anti-fake news legislation will lead Malaysia closer to dictatorship, the bill was approved after a heated debate with 123 lawmakers voting for it and 64 against. The bill originally proposed a 10-year jail term and a fine of up to 500,000 ringgit ($128,000) for offenders, but the government later reduced the maximum prison sentence to six years.
Chronicle News Services