NEWS OF THE DAY
Gay rights: The European Union has recalled its ambassador to Tanzania, citing “the deterioration of the human rights and rule of law situation in the country.” A statement says the EU will be reviewing its relations with the East African country. The statement did not cite specific issues but there are fears of a crackdown against homosexuals after one regional official last week called for the outing and arrests of homosexuals in a country where same-sex relations are criminalized. Tanzania’s government said Dar es Salaam Commissioner Paul Makonda was only stating his opinion. Gay rights activists condemned the call for a crackdown.
Sri Lanka turmoil: Tens of thousands of Sri Lankans marched Monday in support of a new government led by the country’s former strongman, highlighting the political polarization in the island nation. The rally near Parliament came amid a constitutional crisis sparked by President Maithripala Sirisena’s move to oust Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, replace him with ex-leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and suspend Parliament. Wickremesinghe has refused to vacate his official residence, insisting he is the lawful prime minister and that the president had no constitutional right to replace him. Thousands of his supporters have been keeping vigil.
Yemen fighting: Forces loyal to the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels have advanced to within 3 miles of port facilities of the contested Red Sea city of Hodeida, the current epicenter of the country’s civil war, officials said Monday. Coalition aircraft and naval forces continue to pound rebel positions in fighting that has killed dozens of combatants from both sides, with dozens of military vehicles destroyed or burning along the front lines. Yemen has been at war since March 2015 when the Houthis occupied northern regions and forced the government into exile. Since then, a Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition supporting the largely exiled government has blockaded the rebel-held north and waged a devastating air campaign, causing thousands of deaths.
Poland politics: The populist ruling party suffered a blow in the country’s mayoral races, with results showing it failing to win control of any of the nation’s largest cities. In the country’s cities and largest towns, the ruling Law and Justice party won only a handful mayor’s seats, the largest of which is Zamosc, population 65,000. It is a sign that Law and Justice, while still popular with its conservative rural base after winning a national election in 2015, struggles to find support in urban areas despite a booming economy and cash handouts to families. In the first round of local voting on Oct. 21, an opposition coalition led by the centrist Civic Platform won outright in the capital, Warsaw, and in other key cities including Wroclaw, Poznan and Lodz.
Fatal shark attack: A shark fatally mauled a man Monday off an island on Australia’s Great Barrier reef where two tourists were attacked on consecutive days in September, officials said. The man suffered fatal “leg and wrist injuries” when he was attacked near Cid Harbor on Whitsunday Island off the Queensland state coast. Whitsunday is the largest island in the Whitsunday Islands group, a major tourist attraction popular with scuba divers and sailors. A 46-year-old tourist, Justine Barwick, was attacked on Sept. 19 while swimming from a yacht in Cid Harbor and is recovering. A 12-year-old tourist, Hannah Papps, was attacked in the same harbor the next day, losing a leg.
Chronicle News Services