NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
_1 Syria fighting: Jordan will not take in Syrians fleeing their government’s latest offensive in the country’s south, officials said Monday, as violence in the Syrian province of Daraa claimed more lives and displaced thousands. President Bashar Assad’s forces have been advancing deeper into Daraa under the cover of Russian air strikes. The U.S. has called on Moscow to adhere to a de-escalation agreement for the region reached last year. The city of Daraa is where antigovernment protests began in March 2011, inspired by the Arab Spring. Jordan already hosts about 660,000 registered refugees, but says the actual number of displaced Syrians in the kingdom is twice as high.
_2 Venezuela sanctions: The European Union banned travel and froze the assets of 11 senior Venezuelan officials on Monday, including new Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, pressing the nation’s leaders to hold fresh elections and return to democratic rule. The people “listed are responsible for human rights violations and for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela,” EU headquarters said in a statement. Venezuela accused European leaders of meddling in its internal affairs and undermining the nation’s peace. Venezuela is in the grip of a deepening political and financial crisis marked by shortages of food and medicine.
_3 Philippines killings: An army commander said Monday that troops killed six police officers and wounded nine others whom they mistakenly thought were communist guerrillas. Maj. Gen. Raul Farnacio said an army platoon that had been waging a counterinsurgency operation for six days stumbled upon a group of police officers Monday in a remote village in Samar province and the two sides traded gunfire. Farnacio said an investigation of the “unfortunate incident” is under way. The communist rebellion, which has dragged on since 1969, has left about 40,000 combatants and civilians dead. _4 South Sudan talks: South Sudan President Salva Kiir met again with rival Riek Machar on Monday in neighboring Sudan amid fragile efforts to end their country’s five-year civil war. The meeting was mediated by Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum. Kiir and Machar met face-toface last week for the first time in nearly two years in neighboring Ethiopia, but South Sudan’s government rejected the idea of Machar returning again as Kiir’s deputy. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in South Sudan’s civil war, which has created Africa’s largest refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide and left millions near famine. Kenya is expected to host another round of talks between the rivals in the weeks ahead. _5 Royal visit: Prince William arrived in Israel on Monday for the first official visit of a member of the British royal family to the tumultuous region London once ruled. Three decades of British rule between the two world wars helped establish some of the fault lines of today’s Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Britain’s withdrawal in 1948 led to the eventual establishment of Israel and Jordan. Britain has since taken a back seat to the United States in mediating peace efforts, and the royal family has mostly steered clear of the region’s toxic politics. Though the trip is being billed as non-political, and places a special emphasis on technology and joint Israeli-Arab projects, William also will be meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and visiting landmark Jerusalem sites.